One major side effect of Army (and military) life is that your home soon resembles an Army surplus store. From uniforms to PT gear to issued equipment, our service men and women just have a lot of crap. Over the years, we’ve learned through trial and error how to corral all of Mac’s Army gear. 1….
Army life
-
-
Post-deployment budgeting
As we’re settling into post-deployment life, Mac’s paychecks have reverted to their normal amounts. Now that we have a mortgage, I’m going to more aggressive with our budget. I won’t lie, the extra money last year was a huge blessing. We paid off all of my federal loans, put down 10% on our house, and…
-
New unit jitters
Mac is back at work this week in his new unit and a new job as the signal officer for an infantry division. I’m nervous. Not about him because he’s wonderful and professional. We haven’t been with a traditional Army unit for close to two years, and making friends as adults is a lot more difficult…
-
Making the most of a new duty station
I grew up as an Air Force brat, and most of our family vacations were road trips. I really enjoyed exploring new places and made a lot of good memories visiting 47 states by the age of 21. Back in 2012, I had the total joy of unvoluntarily attending a “ladies’ luncheon” for the battalion, and…
-
Am I Southern?
So I’ve lived all over the country. Even though I’ve spent about half my life in the South, I really don’t consider myself to have a Southern accent. Sure, I say certain things like “y’all” and long-vowel “Is,” but I’ve always thought I have a very neutral American accent. When you live in the South,…
-
Moving announcement options
Now that I finally mailed our Christmas cards, I’m onto finding the perfect moving announcement. I’ve narrowed down to a few options. Option 1: I fell in love with these Colorado ones (top right) because our last name is already a C. Option 2: Our friends and family won’t be able to make it out…