On Friday afternoon, a leisurely post-lunch perusal of my Facebook newsfeed at first yielded the expected chatter about spring break activities, plans for Easter, and last-minute preparations for … [Read more...]
About To the Nth
In the course of the decade since she accepted a certain Annapolis-bound young man's invitation to the senior prom, To the Nth has found herself a midshipman's girlfriend, a student pilot's fiancée, and a Naval Aviator's wife. As the couple's first sea tour unfolds, she discovers anew each day that life with a husband in "the fleet" is quite a different ballgame from the flight school experience.
To the Nth, being unable to keep her head (along with the rest of her) out of the clouds, devotes her volunteer time to Civil Air Patrol, the civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force. She is a qualified Mission Observer, trained to fly as a member of the aircrew in operations ranging from search and rescue to homeland security.
She maintains a personal blog and a Twitter account, either of which may, without warning, be used to inflict pictures of her cats on the Internet at large.
Spring is Here and I Can Do Anything! Or Maybe Not…
I don't know if it's the fact that Sampson recently departed for another deployment, the unseasonably warm and sunshiny weather, or a combination of the two, but my brain has decided to burst forth … [Read more...]
The Mixed Blessing of Shared Interests
It was a beautiful Saturday in early spring a few years ago, complete with a blue sky, shining sun, and the scent of blooming flowers perfuming the air. My day had been going quite well until my … [Read more...]
Will I Ever be an Expert?
At first, I wasn't quite sure if I'd heard the question correctly. The restaurant was noisy, after all, with the particular cacophony that any gathering of naval aviators and naval flight officers … [Read more...]
Not Our Enemy
"Just look at her. You know the type... Sure, she acts innocent now, but you know what she's thinking. As soon as deployment starts, she'll have guy 'friends' all over her until homecoming. Those … [Read more...]
Homecoming Fantasy, Meet Reality
At the beginning of this deployment, I had grand plans for how I would welcome my husband home after his six months of flying around the world as part of the traveling rock and roll show that is a … [Read more...]
Close Calls and Retroactive Panic
I knew something was up as soon as I opened the email. It was from my husband, but in place of Sampson's familiar address was the name of one of his squadronmates. In what was obviously a message … [Read more...]
Warming Up to the Gremlins
The day after Sampson departed for his current deployment, I took a wary look around the house and held my breath for a moment. All right, I wondered, which major household system will cease to … [Read more...]
Early Lessons in the Snowflake Phenomenon
Being the new kid here has me thinking about beginnings of all sorts, but the ones that have most persistently insinuated itself into my thoughts recently have to do with the early days of my … [Read more...]
