Fabulous Army Life

This group of ladies provided much laughter, comfort, advice, and friendship throughout our week together at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.  We gathered to learn more about our upcoming volunteer roles in the Army and came away with all that and much, much more.  Thank you for a wonderful week ... and for wonderful new friendships!

We spent some time driving around Fort Leavenworth today and let me just say ... this isn't the post I remember. There are familiar sights, of course, but our housing area has been completely razed, cleared, and built again. And wow, is it an improvement. I remember my sweet husband checking into our housing a week before the boys and me ... and calling him to see how it was. He is life's eternal optimist and when he said, "It's ... [long pause] ... livable," I knew we were in trouble. It. was. terrible. The housing was tiny, old, moldy, creaky, and dirty. Totally unacceptable, totally below standard ... and we loved our year in it.  Sure, we had to pay monthly for a rent-a-fence that was likely installed in the WWII era and yes, I could hear my neighbor open her kitchen cabinets from my sofa ... and okay, there was a full pink Starburst wrapper encased in layers of yellow wax in my front foyer surrounded by dust and hair that was perfectly preserved under ...

Gather a bunch of Army Colonels and their spouses in one place ... and you might be surprised at how very young and spry they are. When we first entered the Army long, long ago, COLs were really old. Wise, but really, really old. By some miracle, that is no longer the case. My husband and his colleagues are so very young yet retain the wisdom so graciously granted their predecessors. It's quite amazing. So the week we spent together at Fort Leavenworth felt a lot like high school at times. Our boyfriends were all in one class while we were in another. I was oh-so-tempted to pass him a note in the hallway, all folded up with the "Open Here" tab ...  I did sneak by and take a photo of him on my iPhone and text it to him (which I really think is the new note-passing anyway) ... and he proceeded to return the favor the next day. So yes, we're basically a bunch of kids learning new stuff together.  

So first of all, shame on me. Shame on me and my husband AND shame on our fun new friends. We spent this week with some new friends who have been our neighbors since last summer. We've had a few casual chats with them but have never taken the time to get to know them or schedule a dinner or date ... and shame on us for that.  After spending time with them this week at another post far, far away, we discovered that we love them. They are funny and fun and have a lot of the same thoughts and beliefs as we do. We went to dinner one night and closed the restaurant down, not even noticing that we were alone in the building until the poor waitress began mopping by our feet. We so enjoyed getting to know them and hope we can bridge the gap of, I don't know, about 10 yards between our house and theirs to continue building the friendship before we move in June. Such is the Army life, but I look forward to keeping up with new forever friends.

I absolutely love Autumn. It's my favorite season ... even in Texas where there is no dazzling display of leaves changing color. I love the cooler air after months of oppressive heat and humidity, the crisp smell of outdoor barbeques, the enthusiastic sounds of football teams and cheering crowds, and the many delicious flavors of Fall … pumpkin spice lattes topping the list. We decorate for Halloween, carve (or paint!) pumpkins, adore Trick-or-Treating, and enjoy a season a thanksgiving with family and friends. What’s not to love? This Fall, I was happy to participate in a brand-new event for me. Because my husband will be taking a battalion command in the Spring, he is currently going through a series of courses to prepare him for this adventure. One part of the training includes spouses and I was able to spend an entire week with my husband at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, attending classes and getting to know others preparing for command. I was excited for a million reasons … a we...