Things I Love: BX/Commissary

Living on-base affords us the luxury of shopping at the BX ('base exchange' - a military version of Target) and Commissary (grocery store). These shopping centers offer products my family is in need of, while charging less than the local or mainstream stores. I may be a Target lover, but when it comes down to it, I'd rather pay less dollars for the same item. Plus, there is a nearly 100% guarantee that there will be little old ladies for RJ to wave at, which is always a plus.

Note: These opinions are honest and true 

- I've received no compensation from the product manufacturers - 

they don't even know I'm 'reviewing' them.

Sick, Again

RJ's little body doesn't think he's seen enough doctors lately, and so developed a nasty cough to encourage me to find a new pediatrician. The clinic on-base handles all referrals, so we headed there first this morning to see about getting him seen. Two hours - and multiple visits to the same three offices - later, we finally got all the paperwork sorted out for us to be covered here in Kansas and no longer in Mississippi. We were allowed to see a nurse, who then tried to convince me that my child isn't actually sick and thus doesn't need to see a doctor. Um, no. There was no way I was going to accept that, and after kindly arguing with her for quite a few minutes, she reluctantly sent us to a neighboring town for an appointment with a family practitioner.

Less than two minutes with an actual doctor yielded a diagnosis of both a sinus infection and mild bronchitis. Um, yeah. That's what I thought, crazy base-clinic nurse. Prescriptions in hand, we arrived home tired and sad, ready for nap time. Get well soon, buddy. Momma misses her happy boy.

Kansas

We're beginning to settle into our new home here in Kansas, enough so that we were able to send Grandma home this afternoon. We'll be staying in the Temporary Living Facility (TLF) on-base for now until our housing eligibility can be determined. For now, home is a one-bedroom apartment-style hotel room, complete with kitchen and living room with fold-out couch. Sleeping arrangements are going to be rather interesting, since we haven't had much luck sleeping in the same room with RJ in the past. We can't leave him out in the living room - Husby would wake him when he gets ready for work early in the morning. So for now, Husby and I are sleeping on the fold-out - giving RJ the bedroom - but my pregnant body may not be able to handle that for very long ...

Graduation

As of this morning, Husby's is now an RF Transmissions Apprentice. During the Graduation ceremony, family members were allowed to do the pinning of the new badge, and RJ and I were asked to pin Husby's. Pinning takes two hands, and since I was holding RJ, I wasn't sure how I was going to make it work. Fortunately, the Commander asked if he could hold anything for me, and reached for the toddler. With big smiles all around, I was able to pin Husby's badge, and have RJ help me 'tap' it (once I got him back from the Commander, who was enjoying his company). We were honored to be a part of the process, and look forward to many more pinning ceremonies.

Open-Door Policy

After a couple hours of running errands and meeting Husby for dinner, RJ and I returned home a little later that usual tonight. I planned to take him straight up to be, skipping the bath since he was so tired. We gathered our things and headed inside, only to be greeted by an unlocked, open front door.

Since the death of bin Laden, our security has been heightened and we've been instructed to report any and all suspicious activity. With no husband available to check for bad guys, I whipped out the cell phone to call the SPs (security police who patrol base housing). Not three minutes later I had two Airman doing a security check of the property. They assured me that the house was clear, but asked me to notify them if we noticed anything missing or strange.

RJ is now sleeping peacefully in his room, but I'm having a hard time winding down. Did I leave the door open? We were in a bit of a hurry when we left, but I always lock the door - which obviously means I shut it. So how did it end up open? Maybe I forgot this time - Pregnant Brain will do that to you at times. But the whole thing shook me a little too much, and I find myself waiting up for Husby to get home at midnight. Maybe then I'll be able to sleep.

Timeline

This move is going to keep me busy for the next month! If the packing and organizing alone doesn't wear me out, the move itself (all 2 weeks of it) sure will. Here's a draft of our timeline so far:

• (M) May 16 - Truck Delivered; Loading started; Move into Temp housing

• (T) May 17 - Loading finished; House empty

• (W) May 18 - Cleaners ready house for inspection

• (R) May 19 - Final Inspection; Truck Pick-Up

• (F) May 20 - Graduation

• (S) May 21 - Travel from MS to TX

• (S) May 22 - Travel from TX to KS

• (M) May 23 - In-processing at McConnell

• (T) May 24 - Truck delivered; unloading started

• (W) May 25 - Unloading finished

• (R) May 26 - Truck Pick-Up

• (F) May 27 - Travel from KS to TX

• (S) May 28 - Becky's Graduation

• (S) May 29 - Travel from TX to KS

Whew! I'm tired already, and we haven't really even gotten started yet!

PCS

We're now 23 days from our expected Graduation/PCS date, and I'm in full-fledged pack'n'move mode. My check list gets longer every time I sit down to mark things off, and I'm starting to wonder how everything will get done in time. I've made my inspection appointments, and am looking for an affordable cleaner for the house. The moving truck will be reserved tomorrow, when I have more final dates. Temporary housing arrangements need to be made. Oh, and we still need to pack. But that can wait, right? Um, no. We really need to get moving on that.

Government Shut-Down

As I write this, we're mere hours away from a possible government shut-down, and from what I'm hearing, the military will not be paid until things get started back up again. So that paycheck we're expecting on the 15th? It'll be half of what it's supposed to be, since we're only going to be paid through today. And after that, we're on our own. Oh, yes, we'll be back-paid when this budget finally gets passed, but until then, this money has to last. And since the shut-down could be anywhere from a week to 6 months long, I'm stressing a little about the dangerously small amount of dollars I see when I log in to my online banking. I'm not too worried about paying the bills - we live in base housing, so our roof and utilities are no-cost, and any other debts can be stalled if needed - but buying the groceries is going to get pretty difficult when all I have left is $2. 

A shut-down might be just what we need to kick-start this country into doing the right thing, so I'm not against it in principal. But I do have to feed my husband and child(ren), which requires us to have money. At this point, we wait and pray. The Lord will provide.

Air Show

Practice

This weekend is the celebration of the 70th anniversary of Keesler Air Force Base, complete with an air show featuring the Blue Angels. We had quite a nice view of the practice runs from our front yard.

Water

Water, water, everywhere,
Nor any drop to drink.
--Samuel Taylor Coleridge,
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

We've been under a Boil Water Order since last Monday. The water still runs in our house, we're just not supposed to drink it, cook with it, or wash dishes with it. They've told us it's still safe to shower/bathe in as long as it doesn't get in your mouth, and hand washing is fine, so as long as no tap water is consumed, we should be fine. Apparently, some sort of bacteria was found in the water, and they've been working to eradicate it for a week now.

Until today, we've been using our PUR water filter for drinking. This afternoon, the base set up a water hand-out for housing residents, and we picked up our 24 1-liter bottle allotment. With the order 'until further notice', and having already been extended twice past an anticipated end-date, we're battening down the hatches and waiting to see just how long this takes. Further update will come through the 81st TRW Facebook page, for anyone who wants to keep tabs on our situation.

Four-Day Weekend

Here at Keesler, Husby has every other Friday 'down', meaning he gets to stay home and play with us instead of going to class. This month, we happened to have a Down Friday just before the three-day Presidents' Day Weekend, making our holiday into a four-day adventure into the life of two stay-at-home parents. It's been fantastic having Daddy around all the time, and we've gotten spoiled. 

Universal Healthcare

As a military spouse, I am afforded government-funded healthcare. Thus, when I awoke this [early] morning with a terribly sore throat and headache, I was able to call the base hospital and schedule an appointment with the Internal Medicine Clinic. My Primary Care Manager is actually the Family Practice Clinic, but as they had no availability today I was sent to Internal.

When I called at 0715, the nurse scheduled me at 0845. We arrived at 0830 [as per the standard 'please arrive 15 minute early' request], baby in hand [though he should have been home napping, but I didn't feel up to driving and Husby wanted to accompany me], flashed our IDs, stated that we were there for an 0845 slot, and were told that the appointment had been moved to 1045 - the doctor I was supposed to see wasn't even going to be in until 1030. Since we were already there, I asked if there was any way they could get me in early [and why hadn't anyone called me when they moved my appointment?]. Upon further investigation, it was discovered that the clerk was looking at the wrong last name [hadn't I just flashed my ID?], and that her book said that I had canceled my appointment. According to her log, I had called back that same minute and canceled the appointment [even if I had called back, it's impossible to get through the automated system to the person who would cancel an appointment in that short amount of time]. Looking further, she found that whoever I was speaking to when I unconsciously called back had rescheduled that appointment for 1445. Fine. We would just go home, feed the baby, take naps, and be back at 1430. No problem. Oh, but problem: that slot didn't really exist. The clerk - who at this point was about as frustrated as I - went about looking for any slot n which to put me that day. 1500 was all she could find, and we took it. She even wrote me a little card: "Dr. Baker @ 1500". Home we went, to return in six hours.

We returned at 1445, only to be told that the appointment was actually at 1515. Argh. We took a seat, and attempted to entertain Little Man while we waited. And waited. For 45 minutes. Finally, at 1530, I was called back to an exam room - but the boys weren't allowed to accompany me. Daddy would have to hold down the Little Man fort alone, but it shouldn't be too long [and really, he's a great dad, so I wasn't worried]. So they waited. And waited. And waited. At 1645, two hours after arriving at the clinic [for the second time that day], I was sent home with a prescription for a Z-Pak and Tylenol. Of the hour plus I spent in the exam room, only about 15 minutes were spent with the doctor, who didn't do anything the nurse hadn't already done. Another 30 minutes were with the rather rude nurse, who administered my strep test [*choke*], shared way too much personal information, and told me I should be using birth control until my son is older since I wouldn't want my children to be too close together [excuse me?!]. The rest of the time, I sat in a chair, head laid back against the wall, wishing I could be home in my bed.

While my care is technically 'free', I certainly paid to be seen today - in time, tears [I wasn't happy when we were sent home the first time], and tolerance. And this was not an isolated insident - many military members and their families have reported similar experiences. But, this is what you get when the governmental bureaucracy is running things. 

It's no wonder I'm against Universal Healthcare.

Graduation

Having completed the first part of his training today, Husby graduated 2nd overall in his class - and he beats himself up for his 99.8% average, claiming he could have done better. We are so proud! The second part of his training is scheduled to begin Friday the 28th, so he's on 'check-in status' until then - which means that apart from the hour he spends checking in every morning, we get to have him home with us!

Photo Teaser

Our New Home:

Keys

We have keys to our very own home! For the first time in our marriage, we're not sharing walls with our neighbors [okay, it's a duplex, but I don't count it as 'sharing walls' since it's mostly the garages and utility closets that touch, and we won't be able to hear the people on the other side].

I know you're all anxious for house photos, but I'm having a hard time locating the camera cord at the moment ... but have no fear, your wait will soon be over! (Plus, anticipation only makes the delivery sweeter, right?)

Housing

Since we didn't make it to the housing office in time yesterday, we went by on Husby's lunch break this afternoon. They gave us keys to two houses, and left us free to tour them both and choose which would work better for us - a pleasant surprise when we were expecting to simply be assigned a house. Husby had to get back to class, so we took a fast look at each so that I could get his opinions. After he left, Little Man & I went through each home again, looking closer at the details and arranging imaginary furniture. We were able to come to a decision [it was close, but Little Man's input tipped the scales], and accompany Husby back to the office after class to record our desired housing location. 

All that's left is to do a walk-through inspection tomorrow afternoon with the housing manager, and then it's ours! By this time tomorrow, we'll be unloading the truck into our house. Some days, being an adult isn't all that bad.

Training

After aproximately 2 hours of sleep, Husby was off to his first day of training this morning at 0600 [my life is now lived in military time]. My mom & dad (Grandma & Grandpa) were here until noonish, then headed back to Dallas. Luckily, Grandpa was able to take the day off - otherwise he would have been up with Husby and off to the airport for a 0715 flight in order to land in Dallas in time to make it into work [not so fun when you've been in a moving truck for three days and only just went to bed a couple of hours before].

Great-Grandma [GG] & Pop just happen to be in town to visit with some friends, so we've had the pleasure of their company again while we get settled in. Hopefully, they'll be able to stick around and help us get organized in our new place. I could at least use a playmate for Little Man, so that I can get anything done!

We were supposed to get a housing tour this afternoon, so that we could get started on all the paperwork to get us moved into base housing, but when we showed up at 1550 (3:50pm), we were told that all keys have to be back by 1500 [and the office was closing in 10 minutes], so we'd have to come back tomorrow. Blast.

Still In-Transit

Grandma, Momma & Little Man arrived safely in Biloxi this afternoon, checked in to the base hotel, and got to work settling into our temporary housing and waiting on Daddy & Grandpa. Our day has been fairly easy [like yesterday]; their's has not:

Budget promised a mechanic would be out to the truck between 8:00 & 8:30 this morning. At 10:30, one finally arrived, only to determine that he needed an inaccessible part in order to replace the broken fuel line and get our truck [and our men] back on the road. Quoted a road-ready truck by Monday afternoon, we knew we had to figure out an alternative plan. Both men are obligated Monday morning; Grandpa must be back to work in Dallas, and Husby is to report to his first day of training, to which he cannot be late [much less absent]. Yet another call to Budget matched them to a proactive woman who did her best to remedy the situation. Locating an identical truck in their fleet, she offered to hire professional movers to transfer our belongings from the broken truck to the [assumed to be] working one. Still, we would be stuck waiting more hours, and be forced even further behind schedule [at this point, things were about 5 hours late]. We objected to this plan. Thinking on her feet, she instead sent the mechanic to switch our broken piece for the new[er] one on the other truck, meaning no transfer of items, and the quickest return to travel that could be managed [We scratched our heads wondering why we didn't think of that!].

Finally leaving my aunt's 4+ hours behind schedule [plus the four from yesterday], our men now have a [relatively] well-functioning truck, with no forseeable reason for more altercations with local law enforcement [No speeding, boys!]. While they'll be significantly later than expected, at least they'll be here [though not until about 2am, when we originally thought we would be reunited by 6pm]. Tomorrow will be a long day for Husby, who has an 8-hour day of classes, followed by a meeting with his guard liaison, then a check-in with the housing office and [possibly] a tour of our new home, all on very few hours of sleep. Luckily, I was able to stock up on his favorite energy drinks, so he'll be jittery & buzzed, but not sleepy. Ah, the sacrifices we make ...

And we're off ...

... to Mississippi.

My mom and I hit the road this afternoon. We have two cars, and were approved to transport both to Keesler, so we're each driving a separate vehicle. It's been a little odd going on a road trip and not talking to the person you're traveling with in between stops.

Our drive has been uneventful so far, but as much as we've avoided trouble, our men have had their share and ours. A few hours after leaving yesterday, they were pulled over in Oklahoma and alerted to a spray of diesel coming from their tailpipe. Roadside Assistance was phoned, but this particular issue was low on their priority list, and it would be hours until someone could get to them - hours we didn't have. So they continued on, stopped at the next Budget they found [a couple of hours further along their trek], and had the issue assessed - it was determined that there wasn't a large problem [just some suffering gas mileage], and they were told to carry on with their journey since the truck was still operational. Let's just note that at this point there was a minimal payload being hauled, as they were still on their way to Iowa and the majority of our belongings.

Having arrived in Iowa last night, they were able to get the contents of our storage unit loaded into the truck this morning. Things were relatively on schedule, until they got pulled over again just south of Iowa City, for the same reason. Only this time, the officer was insistent that they call Budget again and get them to send someone right away to fix the problem. Three hours later, the promised repair man was still yet to appear, and our boys were restless. Heading for the Missouri border, they went 'on the run', hoping to avoid getting pulled over again, since it might mean trouble for them. 

They're hoping to make it to my aunt's house in the Saint Louis area tonight, and resolve the issue there in the morning. Being near a big city should mean that there are more mechanics with better resources to get this issue resolved right away and get them back on the road. We'll see how that goes ... there's a rumor going around that we're going to need a new truck - meaning unloading this one and reloading the new one, taking up hours we didn't have to begin with, and certainly don't have now that about four hours have been wasted making calls and waiting on a non-existent repair man.