I cannot take credit for this blog entry. My friend Bethany posted this question on her Facebook page.  After I answered the question I stole the question for my own page (of course I told her I was doing so...).  After that a couple of friends swiped it from my page....you know how Facebook works. Any-who, I got such great responses from the question I had to share with all of you!  These answers are from my friends and a few from friends of friends.  I hope you enjoy this as much as I did! 

You know you are an Army wife when....

.....even though your neighbor says she has a husband, you have never met him. - Trish
.....you hear mortar rounds in the distance and somehow feel comforted. - Jessica
.....you don't freak out when you see a man in full uniform, carrying a weapon, walking around the PX  (the Army
      version of  Wal-Mart) - Jessica
.....you carry birth certificates, Social Security cards, orders, and other various paperwork (known only by and  letters 
      and numbers) because you won't get turned away from the ID card counter more than once because you didn't  
      have the right form of ID!! - Jessica
.....your freakin air goes out one week after your soldier deploys! - Nancy
.....you understand that sometimes sisters come not from family. - Lisa
.....you hurry and wait. - Stacy
.....you have 4 or 5 different colored moving stickers on the back of most of your furniture. - LeAnn
.....when you run to the phone every time it rings even after your husband comes home from deployment. - Stacy
.....you get annoyed when your non-military friends are sad when their husbands are away for one week. -Anita
.....someone asks you where you are from and you really have to stop and think about it.  - Meredith
.....entries in your address book are always written in pencil, never pen.  - Samantha
.....you've been married for 6 years but have lived alone for 3 of them. - Crystal
.....you know your husband's SS# by heart but have to think REALLY HARD if someone EVER happens to ask for 
     yours.  - Tammy T.
.....you recall the dates of historical events, songs, movies, etc. based on where you lived at the time. - Tammy  T.
.....you can strike up friendships and form bonds within days/weeks rather than years and you can set up a house
     in the same timeline. - Tammy T.
.....you can listen to your husband form a complete sentence using acronyms and know exactly what he is talking
     about. - Tammy T.
.....you can't decide where to settle down because you have lived in SO MANY awesome places. - Tammy T.
.....you swell with pride and shed tears during any patriotic song, event or ceremony.  - Tammy T.
.....you realize that you are married to an honest-to-God, bona-fide HERO!! - Carrie
.....you sleep with a photo on the pillow next to you and the phone in your hand. - Carrie
.....you pull out your Military ID when going into Target.  - Cyndi
.....you can't help goading your NAVY sisters!!  (Goat....goading...Making myself laugh - she also made Trish laugh  
     on this one!!) - Jefanna
.....your nephew (or any of your military family members) calls and says he will be driving through the town you live in 
     at midnight and needs a place to crash and you are more than happy toaccommodate.- Clint
.....3 years rolls around and you are asking..."When are we moving?".  - Kelly
.....your kids have had more moves than years in school! - Beverly
.....someone ask your kids where they are from and they sound like a map. - Beverly
.....sending care packages with skivvies in them is something you don't giggle over. - Roxanne
.....pb&j, cereal & pizza are approved for dinner.  - Roxanne
.....a house fire makes you freak out for less than 24 hours and then it is business as usual.  - Roxanne
.....you 'get' the term 'moving season'. - Roxanne
.....you mark where your kids were born, milestones etc by where you were stationed - Lauren
.....you know how to handle every situation and can rig anything to work in a house because you know 
     you will only live there for a short time. - Lauren
.....when asked what date something happened you say during deployment number
     1,2, 3 or 4... - Kelly
.....even though you are married, you haven't had sex in a year. - Celeste
.....when you tell your kids to get their ID and get in the POV to head to the commissary. - Christie
.....when you write out invitations to your son's b-day party and indicate the party lasts from 1330 - 1530. - Vickie
.....you totally "get it" when you're friends say its time for their hubby to go TDY!! - Marta
.....when you do more by 9 am that most folks do in a day. - Lara
.....when your kids know more about cultures of different countries than most Ambassadors.  - Lara
.....when a 30 day training deployment isn't a long separation.. - Rose
.....when your husband comes home from work and asks, "Honey, where is (kids name)?" and you reply "TDY until
     tomorrow." instead of saying "At a sleep over." - Tina
.....you can buckle military gear onto yourself correct so your soldier can check to see if it is clean for CIF. - Colleen
.....your husband refers to you as a dependent.  - Jeff
.....your husband refers to you as Household 6. - Trish
.....you comfort your kids about bedroom allocations by saying "don't worry, when we move next time *you'll* get the
     bigger room. - Kristin
.....your husband is retired and 4 years later you still cry for the things you miss, like FRG', your Army neighbors, and
     day to day camaraderie. - Tammy S.
.....having total strangers around you that completely understand you without a word spoken. - Tammy S.
.....when driving onto an Army post and knowing you are home. Tammy S.

Ahhhh ~ I know, I know, I've talked about farewells before but as I told you, this is the PCS (permanent change of station) season and our friends just keep moving out!! UGHHH!!! This past Friday night we had a few friends over to say goodbye to our neighbors that are retiring and heading out to a sunny and warm spot near everyone’s favorite big mouse.  Retiring.  Really?  Are we old enough for that?  Hubby can retire in 1 year.  Seriously, 1 year, OK, OK, actually he can retire in 11 MONTHS!!!!!!!!!!!!  Freaky isn't it?  When did my husband get so old?  ;o)

Anywho...we had our neighbors over for a little Vietnamese cuisine.  As you all know I love cooking! I also love cooking & eating Vietnamese. I had a dear Vietnamese friend that taught me the tricks of the trade, but she also swore me to secrecy.  As you all know I love sharing recipes, but I swore to my friend I would not post her family recipes here, so if you want to enjoy the most fantastic Vietnamese noodle bowls or spring rolls you will have to come over and hang with me for the evening.

We all know that deployments sucks and we also know that there really isn't much we can do other than stay positive, love our soldiers (from afar), dote on our children, send lots of care packages and just do the best we can to get through the year and if that means cereal for dinner, well so be it.   With a little help from my friends we have compiled a 'silver lining' deployment list.  Now sit back relax and don't take us too seriously!

Here are the top 30

30. Great opportunity to grow your relationship with your husband! (Really, I'm not joking, the phone calls and emails are treasured treats!)
29. No phone calls from your soldier saying "I'm going to be later than normal".... (Like we expect them home at normal time anyway!)
28. Not waking up to the 4:30AM to that PT alarm clock and then again at 4:45, 5:00 & 5:15!
27. Little or no breaking of wind in my presence. (I didn't submit this one...I have 3 other boys that live in my house and a band of teenage boys that think they live here....thank God for candles!!)
26. You can have get togethers with neighbors every night if you want! (Because everyone else in the neighborhood has a soldier that is deployed as well!)
25. Less laundry:)
24. Who cares what the garage looks like! 
23. The whole house becomes a Craft Room/Play Room and you don't have to clean up projects if you don’t’ want! 
22. You don’t have to do the 6PM scramble to get the house straightened up before Hubby gets home! 
21. NEW SHOES (need I say more?)
20.  You can put things on HIS side of the closet!
19. You don't have to hide shopping bags in the trunk!
18. You really are the center of your children’s universe. (All the more reason to have happy hour with your neighbors and gal pals!)
17. You don’t wake up to the sound of what you think is a freight train going through your bedroom only to find out it is your darling husband snoring.
16. You can stretch out on the whole bed and sleep right in the middle.
15. You own the remote! 
14. You can watch anything you want on TV.
13. He will actually listen to you when he calls to check in!
12. Not having to pull together spur of the moment dinners!
11. The kids summed it up once "When Daddy's deployed, it's like Christmas every payday!"... (Still ponder on if that's ok or not…)
10. Fun with your gal pals.
9.  You don’t’ have to shave!
8. You can wear the comfy underwear! (Wow, now we are all sounding like a bunch of nasty old women that don't care....)
7. Going out for dinner 5 times a week is just fine 
6. You don't have to listen to the government cell phone ringing all evening (and all night....)
5. Not even know who is playing on Sundays!
4. Cereal for dinner is OK!!
3. Cereal + wine for dinner is even better!
2. Reunions are AWESOME!
 and my personal #1 silver lining is that I get to drive the Jeep anytime I want!!

Last week the Battalion FRG (Family Readiness Group) went on a family camp out.   However this was not your typical camp out, this was a Cav-tastic, Cavalicious, freaking Cav of a good time!  A few months before this deployment started the FRG leaders and I got together and planned out events for the entire year of deployment.  The idea was to have a big event at Battalion level each month of deployment to help the deployment go by a little faster and so families would have something to look forward to.  The 'camp out' started as just that - a camp out at a state park, but then an idea sparked.....  I had been to the Buddy Walk out at Reunion Ranch in Georgetown several months earlier and fell in love with the place.  Granted I had been to Reunion Ranch before, way back in the early days - back '93 (you know, the day of the BIG A$$ cell phones and you were super cool if you had one) when we lived at Hood for the first time and I worked in Austin.  (That was the time way back when Hubby said to me "Honey, don't worry about learning anything about the military. I'm serving my 4 years and I'm getting out.  No, you don't need to go to those coffee things, don't worry about FSG - ((NOPE, that is not a typo - I remember when it was called FSG))....blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.....") Any who...the company I worked for had our Christmas party out at Reunion Ranch back in '93 & that was my first meeting with Reunion Ranch.  After all these years, I'm glad Reunion Ranch has stayed on my radar because - let me tell you the families (our family included) of the HHBn benefited tremendously from this place!  Not only did the kids have fun, but moms were able to relax, talk with other mom's and just hang out.  Something that is MUCH needed 6+ weeks into deployment.  This is a time when the mom's start pulling their hair out and start needing a little 'adult' conversation.   We had 80+ people at the camp out, I was wishing for more, but the families that were there had so much fun I forgot about the number and just enjoyed the time and the families that were there. 

Some of the things we enjoyed were:  swimming, paddle boats, canoes, miniature golf, Cavalicious contest, basketball, tetherball, volleyball, horseshoes, washers, zip lines, team games, tug-o-war, dancing, movie under the stars, hanging on a 'beach', 3 HUGE play areas, sleeping under the stars and more!

Upon arrival, we set up tent city. 

Then we had the Cavalicous Contest!  Who do you think should have won? 

And everyone had a great time just hanging out at the ranch -

*PCS season is upon us and we are feeling the effects in high gear!   This week alone I have said goodbye to two friends with several more getting ready to leave.  Boy 3 said goodbye to his best friend in the neighborhood, Boy 2 said goodbye to a very good friend, Girl said goodbye to a very good friend and Boy 1 said goodbye to his best friend.  This is the military way.  Out with the old and in with the new!  (JUST KIDDING - well kind of! ;o) As old friends move out new friends move in.  Just last night at a friend’s going away party a 'newbie' came to the party....she is just moving into the Hood, and we all welcomed her with open arms.  She had met the guest of honor only one time before....but hey, that's the military way.

So here is a recap of some of the events that happened this week:

Loop Brunch:  Saying goodbye to a dear friend and welcome to a new friend.

Volunteer of the Year Ceremony.  One fo the Battalion's very own was nominated for this prestigious award.  Amanda, in the yellow dress on the left (when looking at the picture) is an amazing asset to the battalion. She is the co-leader for one of the companies and dedicates endless hours helping make the company she belongs to one of the BEST out there!  HOOAH Amanda, I'm glad you are on our team!

 Boy 1's best friend Paul is leaving the Hood.  Such a sad day, Paul is such a spitfire and a fun teen to be around -  I have loved getting to know this boy!  He is the one with his tongue hanging out and his hand on his *breast*.  Teenage boys - such dorks, but I love them so! 

Three peas in a pod...these boys love, love, love to play. Boy 2 says goodbye to his friend L, the boy in the middle.

Stuck like glue.....right after this picture you should have seen the tears & heard the sobs.  J, girl in bright pink shirt is the one they are stuck to and didn't want to say goodbye to.

Last night we had another going away party - this time it was a surprise party, and boy let me tell you C was surpised! She had no idea - you know you have pulled off a surprise party when the guest of honor calls to tell you she is going to be an hour late. What a fabulous time we had.  C, we are going to miss you.  (C is the one standing facing me.)

So if all of that wasn't enough, this past week also included the coffee machine going on the fritz, my car going in the shop, and my steam cleaner cleaning its last carpet before it died.  THANK GOD we are all healthy and Hubby is doing well in Afghanistan. (I hope I didn't just jinx us!)

Bring on the weekend!

*PCS - for you non-military folks PCS means Permanent Change of Station or MOVING

Technology is amazing!  I just love the fact that theTransfer of Authority took place and hours later the families of the HHBn were looking at the pictures of their soldiers.  It is so awesome to see our guys in pictures so soon after an event.   I can't imagine what families of soldiers in previous wars went through - they would go months without hearing from their soldier's much less seeing pictures of them.  I feel extremely blessed.

Here is a note from my husband to the families back here at Hood:

Hello from Afghanistan! Task Force Maverick assumed authority for the mission in Regional Command East today from Task Force Gladiator, 101st Airborne (Air Assault). The transfer of authority ceremony included the cavalry flair of the
First Team Band who played the 'Yellow of Rose of Texas' in honor of our families at Fort Hood. Standing in formation were troopers of the 1st Cavalry Division Signal Company and Intelligence & Sustainment Company, as well as
the 101st Intelligence & Sustainment Company. The transfer of authority comes after a year of hard training and nearly a month of learning the ropes  from the outgoing unit. We're confident and ready! Mavericks!

Hubby  (OK, no he didn't really sign it that way! ;o)
 LTC, AR
 Commander, CJTF-1 HQ BN

Porch parties are a way of life on my street here in the Hood.  Typically if you walk the loop on a Friday or Saturday night, you will find a few people gathered on a porch somewhere sippin' cocktails and watching our kids play in the street. Yes, you read that correctly. We let our kids play in the street.  Army wives- go figure.  Most of the time these porch parties are low key, and most people are welcoming if you are walking the streets (wow - that sounds bad) in search of a porch to crash.  The Friday night after hubby left I have a rather large gathering on my porch.  No I wasn't celebrating Hubby departing; instead I was sipping my sorrows away with a few of my friends that totally get it.  You see at any giving time half of the men on the men on our street are deployed or are getting ready to deploy. We have a saying in the military - "you know you are a military wife if your friends have never met your husband!"  We are constantly joking about how if Lifetime wants to see real Army wives in action then they should hang out on our loop and follow us around for a week - Lifetime would never be the same.  ;o)

When I found out Gary Sinise & the LT Dan Band was going to be here on Fort Hood I was excited to go see them!  Not only because they put on a fun show, but because they are the some of the most partriotic, military loving people out there. Gary Sinise has been called the "Bob Hope" of this generation and although I never saw Bob Hope live and in person, I do think Gary Sinise could give him a run for his money!   

A couple of weekends ago we had an Easter / Farewell party for the battalion.  There were over 300 people were in attendance and 4,000 eggs were hidden on the grounds of the 1st Cav Museum lawn ~ OK, not really HIDDEN, but come on, how can you hide 4,000?  All in all it was a perfect day.  Here are a few pictures from our day ~

The casing of the colors is an Army tradition that symbolizes the movement of the division to a new theater of operation.
What that means for civilian folk - rolling up the flags (colors) packing them away and taking them to be unpacked and unrolled once the soldiers in theater - aka Afghanistan for this deployment.  What that means to me - pride, reality, heartbreak and more pride. What I didn't realize about this day was that I hadn't explained was going on to my children.  At one point Boy 2 started getting very upset and that is when Hubby realized that Boy 2 thought this meant Daddy was leaving RIGHT after the ceremony.  Thankfully we were able to put that fire out for a little bit longer.

Yesterday The HHBn (Headquarter and Headquarters Battalion) honored that Army tradition on Copper Field at Fort Hood, Texas. It was a beautiful but windy day here at Fort Hood yesterday - at one point I thought some of the flags might snap right off and take out the front row opposite of me - I was thankful to be sitting on the left, not the right! My other fear was that with the winds as strong as they were we might just see a soldier taking flight!  I was feeling super bad for the soldiers holding those flags, as they had to stand at attention for over 45 minutes before they got any relief!  They were all amazing and stood CAV strong the entire time, even though I'm sure they all have some very sore muscles today!

To see the pictures larger and to see the text that goes along with them just double click on the first one, then just arrow through.