Update

The hurricane veered east of us, and luckily , all we experienced was a very rainy weekend, a few on-and-off power outages, and a little bit of wind, but nothing drastic. Apparently, the area we live in got hit pretty hard in 2003 by Hurricane Isabel, so there was a lot of hype for Hurricane Irene. Everyone was acting extra cautious this time around. Case in point, the bread aisle at target:

This is also what the bread aisle looked like at Giant, Shoppers and the Commissary (all of our local grocery stores). The water aisle looked very much the same as well. And trying to find flashlights or batteries.....impossible! Despite all the hype, we were very lucky when it came to the hurricane. However, that was obviously not the case for the rest of the East Coast. One of my best friends growing up in Mission Viejo, just recently built her very first home with her husband in Maryland. Unfortunately, their brand new home was located along the Chesapeake Bay coast and endured a lot of destruction. Not only was there structural damage to their home, but they also lost a lot of sentimental and irreplaceable items in the flooding.

So at the end of the day,  Jordan and I are very grateful to have been spared the furry of Hurricane Irene and are praying for all those that were seriously affected. Apparently, we still do not know how well we are prepared for Florida at all. However........................................

We have found a house!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am really, really, REALLY trying not to get too excited, although I am bursting at the seams! Eeeehhh! :) I do not want to say too much, just in case we do not get the place, but if and when we do, I will fill you all in! Just wish us luck :)

Shake, Rattle, and Roll....

If you recall my "lessons learned" from the very first blog...you can see that I have become accustomed to the the daily booms and rattling of our house due to the artillery training from the base.....

"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..."

Well... this week I learned that EARTHQUAKES ARE POSSIBLE! And when in doubt....DUCK AND COVER! 

Wednesday morning, I could hear the boys blowing stuff up on base as usual, so when the rumbling started from the earthquake, it didn't startle me. However, as the rumbling and shaking continued and intensified, I grabbed the nearest "weapons" to me (a broom and a can of Raid) and braced myself to confront whoever was charging down my staircase. My adrenaline was pumping as I readied myself to confront this assailant. When no one appeared at the bottom of the staircase, I started to realize that this may not be artillery training from base OR an intruder. There I stood, dumb-struck, with a broom in one hand and my Raid-pepper-spray in the other, watching the kitchen chandelier sway over head...What the heck is going on I asked myself? I finally decided, whether it be an intruder or reverberations from base, I was getting the HECK out of this creepy house! I dropped my lethal weapons, swooped up my howling pup, and ran outside. I then noticed a few of my neighbors also were out on their front porches. When the shaking subsided, I went back inside and started googling earthquakes... it couldn't possibly be, could it? My internet searches didn't produce any information. Now, thoroughly perplexed, I flipped through every news channel....NOTHING! Finally I came to my senses, and checked facebook. People started posting about the 5.9 earthquake that rocked VA. Where were they getting this information when I couldn't find it on the news or internet?!?!??! Thank goodness for FACEBOOK, the only reliable and up-to-date information source :) 

Turns out, we did experience a 5.9 earthquake. It was centered just SW of us in an area called Mineral, VA. However, you wouldn't know it based on the news coverage. I was so frustrated as I watched the evacuations taking place in D.C. (nearly an hour further from the epicenter than us) and NYC (over 5 hours and 300 miles away from the epicenter). Instead of focusing on the damage and destruction done to this small town of Mineral Virginia, they were interviewing people who "felt" it in Rhode Island and Ohio!!!! I was so annoyed at the news stations at that moment, such drama and no information!

Thank goodness nothing was too damaged here, especially considering I stood there during most of the earthquake like a helpless idiot, watching the windows shake and chandelier sway overhead. One of my girlfriends did have minor water damage as their water heater pipe broke and flooded their downstairs carpet. Apparently, Target had some issues as well:

After I realized we did in fact encounter an earthquake, my first thought was JORDAN and the 1950s buildings on base, one of which he was probably trapped in. Apparently when the earthquake hit, Jordan and a few of the other California guys sprung out of their seats and sprinted outside. They were not going to go down with these ancient, condemned buildings! Our cell phones were utterly worthless after the earthquake. No one could make a call, send or receive a text message. Finally, one of the wives received word (through facebook-since the phones were still jammed) that the barracks were still standing, and all was okay at Camp Barrett. Once again, facebook saves the day ;)  .

It was quite entertaining hearing all my non-Californian friends' accounts of their first earthquake experiences. Most reported being scared out of their minds and not knowing what to do. Obviously, duck-and-cover or running to a doorway are the first things that come to my mind, if in fact I realize I am experiencing an earthquake, but not everyone had school earthquake drills every year and emergency family plans growing up. Some girls jumped into their bathtubs, as they would do in the case of a tornado; however, I am not really sure if that would have helped during an earthquake or not! My friend Amy was at the gym on base and almost fell off the elliptical as it started swaying back and forth and tiles started falling from the ceiling. She thought WWIII had started, and the Quantico base was being bombed! All in all we survived, and it made for quite a few laughs.

Now that we have survived one natural disaster, we are bracing for a second in the same week. Hurricane Irene will be passing by us this weekend. Jordan and I are calling it our dress-rehearsal for Florida.

It appears that we will be right outside the danger zone (we are in the Woodbridge/Fredericksburg areas on the map), and can expect heavy rains, winds of approx 40 mph, probably some downed trees, power lines, and therefore power outages. So I headed to the store to stock up on bottled water, beef jerky, flashlights, board games, beer, and more! We are ready!!!

In all seriousness, I am a bit worried about this bendy-lookin tree:

I may convince Jordan to move a mattress to the basement if the winds get too strong. That tree looks like it is ready to slingshot into our bedroom! So come Monday when the storm has passed, we will see how prepared we are for Florida. 

And on that note....some exciting news. Jordan has gotten orders to report to Florida October 30th!  He graduates from TBS at the end of September, so we only have a month of wait-time. This is such great news considering we have known people in the past that have had to wait 6 months to a year before reporting to flight school, because of over-crowding. So, granted we don't have any other crazy natural disasters before then, Florida here we come!!!!!

New Acronyms, Fried Okra, and Salmon.....

Another FEX week is upon us, which means us girls are finding things to do to help pass the week until our Marines come home. Monday, a few of us girls met at another's house to see the newest addition to the Charlie Canine Clan (our husbands are in Charlie company at TBS, and we all regularly have doggy play-dates). The newest addition to the group was a 12 week-old Labradoodle. This 12 week old puppy was bigger than the 6 month old black lab of the group!

Toby

Toby, the Labradoodle,  is going to be one big pup! Monday was definitely an entertaining night, with 6 dogs running around and chasing each other through a 1 bedroom apartment! FEX Night 1 of  5 was done! Check!

Tuesday, the FRO (family readiness officer) offered a LINKS class. LINKS stands for: Lifestyle, Insight, Networking, Knowledge, and Skills.  Are you keeping up with all these acronyms....TBS, BOQ, HUMP, FEX, FRO, LINKS! And that's just a small percentage of all the acronyms that have become part of my normal vernacular. Anyway, LINKS is a volunteer, mentoring program that is run by and for military spouses. Experienced military spouses help the newer spouses to understand and adapt to the unique challenges that military families face. These classes have been super helpful in deciphering this new military language, amongst other things. We have also had classes on establishing family plans during deployments, getting wills done, and the history and etiquette of the Marine Corps. Oh and by the way, it's pronounced CORE not CORPSE....eh hem OBAMA!!! J/K this isn't a political blog ;)  AGAIN, I REPEAT, it was a joke, not trying to be political here! Did I mention that was a joke???? :)

Trying to pass another night of the FEX, a few of us decided to go to Applebees for an appetizer and a drink. Yup, I said Applebees...I know, I know....Believe me, I felt like I was living in Scranton from The Office....or was that Chilli's? Oh well, you get the idea. Anyway, over the past 5 months here I have realized how neat it has been to get to know people from all different parts of the country. Applebees was the perfect example.....Here we are, 4 girls, one from Texas, one from California, another from Philly, and the last from South Carolina, and despite all of our differences we have become great friends. We also gave the waiters quite a challenge when they checked our IDs for DOBs... :)

I have met the most amazing, generous, and thoughtful people since moving out here to Virginia, and it gives me great hope and excitment for our future in the Marine Corps. These friendships I have made here have grown so quickly in such a short amount of time, and I am so thankful for the opportunity I have had to meet each and every one of these amazing women. On that note, this past week the Marines, who are not previously contracted as Flight (as Jordan is) or JAG (lawyer), received their MOS's (Military Occupation Specialities), another acronym for you. I was so nervous, anxious, and excited for all my friends and their husbands to find out their career within the military. It was probably the biggest day of these people's lives and careers, next to their initial comissioning into the Marine Corps. It hit me that today's decisions on MOS's would determine not only the careers of these Marines, but also the lives and future of all my friends...who would be getting deployed in as little as 6 months, who would be moving to Okinawa, Japan, etc etc etc. Although most people did not get their first choice in MOS, and many were disappointed, you have to have faith that everything happens for a reason- as I will try to have to remember when Jordan goes through this when he gets his flight platform. And as much as I don't want to think about it, certain decisions such as these can make a difference in whether someone lives or dies. Thinking about things that way, makes everything very overwhelming, and just too real for me.

Last week, a Marine Flight Student died during training in Pensacola, Florida. He was just at TBS, like Jordan is now, a few months ago. Although we hear about men and women dying overseas everyday, it seems we have all unfortunately almost become too immune to this kind of news. But this one was way too real for me. I couldn't help but cry as I looked at this Marine's commissioning pictures and his TBS pictures.I couldn't help but see Jordan in this Marine. This could be my husband, a few months from now. Again, it was just too real and overwhelming for me, so as a defense mechanism, I tried to push it out of my head and pretend it never happened, so I didn't have to think about it. But then I find myself struggling with the guilt of ignoring something that is so real to this Marine's family and friends, because I didn't want to have to experience that kind of pain. Additionally, this comes on the heals of 30 Americans dying in Afghanistan, including some Navy Seals from Virginia Beach. One of our close friends at home is going through the excruciating BUDS training at Coronado in San Diego for the Navy Seals, and I couldn't help but think of him. Although, I do not claim any credit as a "military wife" because I have not had to walk the walk yet, I am already struggling with the emotional battles of the military life.  I do not know how these women survive deployments, raising kids on their own, constantly being uprooted, and the fear of losing the one they love. I envy the strength of these military wives, and hope that I will posses half the courage and strength of the military wives that I am so privelged to know, do.


Anyway getting back to a lighter note, I think it is so great to get to know people from all different walks of life. We each have something unique and interesting to bring to the table.  Not only do we all bring our own life experiences from different parts of the country, but we also bring our own tastes in food!! We were driving back from the movies tonight (saw The Help- almost as good as the book, and by the way, FEX night 3 of 5, done, check!!!) , the 4 of us girls started commenting on what we each missed from home. And second to friends and family of course, was FOOD! We all started talking about our favorite resturaunts from home and how frustrating it was that Ol' Stafford, VA didnt have these resturaunts.While I was missing El Pollo Loco, Rubio's and Chevy's, one of the girls from Texas, a sweet girl named Amy, was missing her Fried Okra and Fried Chicken. I asked her if Fried Okra was fish, and she about died laughing!!!! Apparently it is a fuzzy vegetable? Sounds disgusting to me...especially fried! But then again, a couple of weeks back I brought a delicious mustard dill smoked salmon appetizer (courtesy of Jordan's mom) to a get-together, and a few people looked at it like it was some exotic delicacy. Some of the girls were kind enough (or brave enough)  to have some and thought it was delicious, but a good number politely passed over that dish on the buffet table.  I wasn't offended though, I probably would have passed over a dish of Fried Okra if it was there as well. Oh well! I took 75% of it home, and ate it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, because it was soooooo DE-LIC-IOUS!!!!! Regardless of what anyone thought, I could live on that recipe for the rest of my life, and nothing else! :) If anyone wants it, let me know!

Anyway in summary, I was NOT trying to make a political blog, although if Mr. President says corPSman one more time I may throw my remote at the tv or have to write him a letter!!! The movie The Help was amazing-but not as good as the book, I love meeting people from all over the country, and I will not be trying fried okra anytime soon!!!

Marine Wife Lesson #2: Enter the BOQ at Your Own Risk!

BOQ, abbreviation for: Bachelor Officer's Quarters

At TBS (The Basic School) the Officer's are required to live on base if they are not married. Those that are married are allowed to live off-base. However, each "brown-bagger," as the married guys are called for bringing brown-bag lunches to work, have a bed in the BOQ for those nights when they are required to stay on base. I can't say I have really ever been curious about the BOQ. By the way they have been described to me, they sounded pretty much like overcrowded dorm rooms, where they try to squeeze 3 beds, 3 desks, and 3 dressers like puzzle pieces into creative configurations in an impossibly small room .

Well come to find out they are gradually tearing down these buildings and re-building new quarters, and for good reason. These rooms are more like prison cells than dorm rooms, complete with their white painted cinder-block walls. Yes, the furniture is very dorm room-esque...but that's where the comparisons end. I am pretty sure prison cells have a/c and warm water, don't they? And despite having to relentlessly scrub their rooms from top to bottom, there is a stench that is indescribable. That stench can probably be attributed to 3 grown men with gear, boots and clothing that is worn for days on end in the woods, in all weather conditions, and all of it stored together in these teeny tiny spaces. I could hardly breathe when I (reluctantly) had the pleasure of seeing Jordan's room. Upon experiencing the BOQ firsthand, I could not get over the fact that 2 of the 3 guys assigned to this room actually lived here, day in and day out. Now I understood why these guys would pay money for hotel rooms just to get out of here on the weekends. All of the sudden I felt like we needed to adopt these lost boys. Its like that feeling you get when you go to an animal shelter and you feel guilty for not being able to save all the puppies and give them a home. Yes, they will have to live in worse conditions during the careers in the military, but it just didn't seem fair that they were stuck there while Jordan is able to come home and have a home cooked meal and a warm shower every night. These poor guys!

In addition to experiencing a tremendous amount of empathy for these guys and their living conditions, entering the BOQ as a wife, also means you have to go through the "trying on your husband's gear" ritual. I have heard about the amount of weight they have to carry about on a daily basis, but Jordan wanted me to experience it first hand.

Wow! All that gear was SO heavy, and the pack that I was wearing on my back wasn't even full! I had to keep myself from falling over by bracing myself on the bunk bed behind me so I could pose for Jordan's picture. Apparently the guys get a great kick out of seeing others experience a portion of the pain they go through on a daily basis. And although I think I rocked the uniform, especially with my red and orange printed dress to compliment the green camo, I think it looks much better on Jordan, don't ya think....