Marine Wife Lesson #1: You Are Not a Barber!

Part of our weekly Sunday routine involves Jordan getting a fresh haircut for the week. Well on one particular Sunday, Jordan and I lost track of time. We were spending the day at a friend’s home in Woodbridge, a neighboring town about 15 miles away, enjoying a backyard BBQ, when we realized it was nearly 8pm on a Sunday and Jordan had not yet gotten his hair cut!  One of the other Marines at the gathering mentioned there was a barber in town that stayed open until midnight. We decided we could hang out at the BBQ for a bit longer and try out this barber on the way home.  Well the barber ended up being a bit more out of the way than we had previously thought. Even though it was the only babershop open at this hour of the evening, it was farther than we were willing to drive. Our tired and desperate minds rationalized that there was a second option. Jordan did have his own set of clippers after-all. The previous week he had gotten a pretty aggressive (and quite intimidating) high and tight haircut, so we decided we could just “zero-out” (closely shave) the bottom and it would be fine to get him through the week until next Sunday's haircut….

Well those military haircuts are not as easy as they look. Needless to say, it did not turn out too well. On Monday morning, Jordan had a new nickname, “Wild Thing.”  If you have never seen Charlie Sheen in the Major League movies, check out this youtube clip for reference: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CL34mQTB5kI. Everywhere he went the guys started singing  “Wild Thing….You make my heart sing.”  Well bless Jordan’s heart, he didn’t want his wife looking bad…. So he threw the "midnight barber" under the bus! Thanks hun :)

Since the "Wild Thing" episode, we have found a very nice barber who we visit weekly. She is another story, for another day, herself...but as we learned from our failed attempt at an at-home haircut, it is always better to pay a professional to do the job!

Home....

So it's officially summer... and we are not in California.  On most mornings, the first coherent thoughts that enter my mind are pretty much the same...where the heck am I? Is this really my life? Jordan has expressed the same sentiment. It's very surreal. For the longest time we anticipated this change in our life, but now we are living it! It is crazy how fast time is flying by. The initial culture shock of the military life has started to pass. All of the bizarre and exciting new experiences are beginning to become the norm, which is why Jordan and I wanted to find a way to document this adventure. Inspired by a few fellow marine wives, as well as a friend who is a bit farther down the military/flight school pipeline from us, I am starting this blog to not only document our time and experiences in the military, but also to share them with all our friends and family back home. There is no way I can catch up on the past 3.5 months of life here in Virginia, so here is a small recap of the beginning of our transition into life in the Marine Corps:

* "Rah" has become Jordan's go to affirmative response to pretty much anything and everything (abbreviation grunt for Oorah)
* The military has it's own language-not only is there an endless blizzard of acronyms, there is also a new military term for everyday things that already have names! Running shoes are go-fasters, moonbeam is a flashlight, the package store is a liquor store (not a place to mail packages as I found out), 96 is a 4 day weekend, and on and on....
*I am now used to hearing loud booms and having my windows shake and rattle throughout the day. The first time I heard the artillery from base, I jumped up yelling "EARTHQUAKE"...Then I remembered we weren't in California anymore...
*Its perfectly normal to pass men with big guns on the way to the grocery store.
*The amazing prices at the Commissary (grocery store on base) never cease to amaze me!

I can hardly believe Jordan is already halfway through his training here at The Basic School.  Before we embarked on this adventure and thought about the idea of making our first military move, I kept telling myself we were going to Virginia for 6 months. I never let myself think past that point. I don't think my body could have handled the overwhelming stress that would accompany the thought of a life away from home for much longer than that. Well now that we are immersed in this life, surrounded by wonderful military friends in the same situation, I am starting to let myself embrace the idea that this isn't just 6 months in Virginia, and then a year in Florida, this is our life. Home is where the Marine Corps sends us. Let's just hope that's Miramar :)