Relating

While Matt was in his commissioning program, the two of us were essentially full-time students (each receiving G.I. Bill benefits) and parents.  It was a very unusual situation at times, as most young parents who are not independently wealthy are not [somewhat] intentionally unemployed and enrolled in a full college courseload.  With folks foreign to enlisted scholarship opportunities, it was sometimes uncomfortable to explain because it really comes across as one of those too-good-to-be-true scenarios.  I felt like maybe some neighbors felt like we were faking our military affiliation, as one in particular tried to trip us up on occasion with acronym-based talk.  I found myself hanging military memorabilia around the house more than usual and taking as many pix of Matt in uniform and at ROTC functions as possible to beef up our legitimacy, lol.

I joined a moms group as soon as we'd moved to Oklahoma (as I normally do, wherever we go), but found I couldn't really relate to anyone there, being in such a decidedly transition period in our lives, while most of them were much more "established".  Once I began meeting moms in my nursing program, there was definitely a lot more relatable ground, but most of them were juggling a job on top of school--however, also benefitting from a strong family network in the area.  It wasn't until our youngest's birthday celebration in July, weeks before moving 90 minutes north to Enid for UPT, that I really got a chance to get to know one of the two family's in Matt's ROTC detachment in a similar situation.  Matt was completing his B.S. through University of Central Oklahoma, however, their only ROTC is an Army detachment, so he was placed in a cross-town agreement and assigned to a dettachment in Norman (about 60-90 minutes south of where we were living).  Therefore, the majority of his ROTC buddies did not live nearby and there were really only two or three (young, single, college guys) that he introduced me to more than a time or two.

I ended up feeling like our situation was perhaps more atypical than it actually was (after all, in his detachment of about one hundred, two other guys with families were doing the exact same thing we were [and thank goodness he was the first of the group to commission--or I would have died of jealousy!!]).  Last Friday, at an informal student spouse coffee thing (about 5 or so wives plus a couple kids), I met a wife who went through almost the exact same thing--her hubby just commissioned as well and was probably on the same scholarship notification list that Matt was on in early 2009.  She also has a daughter the same age as my oldest (kindergarten) and a son slightly younger than my youngest (he is just over a year).  AND she is knocking out the prereqs to apply to nursing school [and has been for many years]--however motherhood and the crazy UPT schedule has put her aspirations on temporary hold (much like my situation as I opted to try for my LPN and finish the RN route a bit later, after working towards some form of nursing licensure for about 6 years).  AND, lol, they are also the only other family in the neighborhood with a giant swing set in the backyard!  ;o)

It's not quite the same feeling as the "small world/small Air Force" feeling we get every time we move and stumble across folks we've gotten to know at different bases over the years, but it is definitely an exciting/unusual/new one.  Makes me feel perhaps a little less crazy and a little more run-of-the-mill, lol.

Moving back on base

Having always been interested in medicine/healthcare, I opted to return to school to pursue nursing a few years back and was about to begin my senior year in an RN program about 90 miles south of here.  Matt and I planned to live apart for his year in UPT, assuming the sacrifice would not be that major considering how little we expected to see him during UPT anyway, and the drive was easy enough to make every other week or so.  Well, Matt left for Vance in early July, and by his second visit home, we were realizing the drive and cost (compounded by a $182 speeding ticket for 3mph over the limit), were much more than we expected--AND the kids, particularly our oldest, suffered through a fresh separation every Sunday night/Monday morning.  

We were also denied a second housing allowance (the last time we were separated due to my schooling, we received additional BAH, so we assumed the same would happen this time around, however we did not realize that option is pretty much only available when the military member is stationed overseas and the spouse opts to remain/return stateside).  Our budget calculation had us at roughly -$500/month living apart and +$1500/month living together, all expenses considered; that realization was definitely the final straw prompting me to put the RN on hold, test for the LPN instead, and move the family in together in Enid, OK.

Living in a military community again, after 2 years in civilian ROTC life, is amazing and refreshing.  I love how easy it is to meet people and find playdates for the kids.  I love that our housing layout here is very similar to the enlisted housing scheme in the TV show "Army Wives"--where all the backyards open up on one another [separated only by a bike/walking trail]--although thankfully each home here has a dryer hookup!  It is wonderful being able to frequent the Commissary and BX again, although I have to remember the whole "no food shopping on Mondays" thing.  Hearing Revelry every morning (foolproof alarm clock), the Star Spangled Banner every afternoon, and Tap every night is refreshing and instills a sense of national pride in our children as well.

Stress and car-free walk through the block with both girls on bikes plus the dog:

Living on a base teeming with cops patrolling every street corner 24/7 and knowing most folks on the installation have passed a basic background check is a breath of fresh air when I step outside with the kids on our walks, and enjoy an evening stroll with Petunia (our dachshund) after lights out.  Although I do still need to carry pepper spray to guard against the unbelievable number of leash law violators in the base housing sector (Hana has been jumped on twice [and was not hurt!] and Petunia has had two [thankfully peaceful] encounters, but after having a pup of ours viciously shaken by a neighborhood animal that escaped its flimsy backyard fence, I err on the side of extreme caution and paranoia).

A big difference living on base this time around is that pretty much all the families on the block are guard/reserve.  Most of the active duty folks (Matt is active duty) are fresh from ROTC or the Academy, very young, and single.  So, for most of our neighbors, this is their first real moving experience with the military.  I am very impressed with how friendly and welcoming they are, considering I had attributed the easygoingness of many military spouses to their presumably frequent moves.  We have already met some great families that I certainly feel like I have known more than 3 weeks, lol.  The hard part of it is that most of them are here for UPT, meaning most of them are here for 1 year, as opposed to the 2-4 year  stint you get at most other bases.  Oh well, thank goodness for Facebook!

Another thanks to FB is that we also knew, coming into this move, that one of our enlisted friends who we were both stationed with at Misawa Air Base from 2002-2004 (back when Matt and I were still dating!) is now stationed here, too, with her cute little family and young kiddos that our two girls already adore!  Definitely a small Air Force!  :o)