26 posts tagged “husband”
My husband and I have similar temperaments when it comes to what we want to do in our "off" time. We are inclined to stay at home and relax with our books/computers before cooking dinner than go out and do something. We're homebodies, I suppose, and we treasure that time to sit and talk and recharge. There is such a thing as too much relaxation, however, and yesterday we slipped out of our habitual introversion to go hang out with some friends.
Our buddy Eric had mentioned recently that the local Dick's Sporting Goods had an indoor rock climbing wall. I loved going to the climbing gym when I went with friends back in college, so I asked him to let us know the next time he was heading out there. Last night was his usual night, so M and I drove out there to meet him and some of his friends. After filling out the requisite waiver and strapping into the harness and putting on the slightly too-large shoes (definitely going to have to get my own if this becomes a regular activity), I attacked the "easy" wall.
I made it to the top and pushed the button to set off some silly siren without any real problem, which thrilled the heck out of me since I hadn't done any climbing in years. Never mind that this was the kind of route tourist kids could handle, I made it to the top without falling off! The staff member on belay dropped me down wicked fast, which was a little disconcerting, but something I'd been prepared for since I'd just seen her do the same thing to Eric. M went up the same wall and also got to hit the button at the top, so I feel pretty fantastic that we both managed it.
After our climbs, Eric and his buddies said they were going to watch a hockey game in which another friend of ours was playing. M and I, having done our social activity for the day, might have easily gone home, but we were feeling adventurous. I'd never seen a hockey game before, and I figured seeing the husband of one of my good friends play would be a good way to start. It was actually a lot of fun to watch. Norah, the player's wife, even had an extra sweater and a blanket for a dork like me who showed up to an ice rink in shorts and a T-shirt (hey, I dressed for rock climbing; the hockey game was not initially on the agenda!), so I was even warm enough. Fun times.
Every once in a while, I guess we just need a reminder that it can be extremely rewarding to get out and do things with friends even if we face getting up early the next day. It's worth it, even for introverts.
A vital step in the process of getting settled in the new house has been completed: we have high-speed Internet access. Compared to the hoops of fire we had to jump through to accomplish this back in Texas, getting connected here was a breeze. Score one for Cox; we'll see how the rest of their service stacks up.
Having said access allows me to do exciting things like share the news of what M will be flying as his fleet aircraft. We found out this morning that he will be a C-2A Greyhound pilot. The Greyhound is the COD, which stands for Carrier Onboard Delivery, meaning that he will be flying cargo and people and what-have-you to aircraft carriers. I plan to tell new acquaintances that my husband is a Greyhound driver and watch them try to puzzle out what on earth a bus has to do with Naval Aviation.
As of 11 April 2008, M is designated as a Naval Aviator and entitled to wear Wings of Gold. Wrapped up in that pin are years of hard work and dedication: long evenings of studying, simulator events hours before dawn, flights lasting late into the night, rough flights, instructors both excellent and aggravating, and flights that made him remember why he wanted to get into the flying business in the first place.
Flight school was an adventure, but we're excited to see what new, different frustrations and rewards life in the FRS and the fleet squadron thereafter will bring us. I bet it won't be dull, even if the gray fleet aircraft he'll be strapping into are rather drab compared to the bright, cheery orange-and-white trainers. I'll miss the Killer Clown Jet and the mighty Pegasus...
In order to assuage the fears of those of us who are understandably leery to drop cash on a whole bottle of scent that might not even work with one's peculiar body chemistry, the Lab cleverly offers sample sizes, whimsically termed "Imp's Ears." I thought a pack of six would give this perfume novice enough variety to begin to figure out what kind of scents I even like. I gave M a list of a dozen scents whose descriptions intrigued me so he could pick and choose six--that way, the element of surprise would be preserved.
He made the order one evening, then gave me a warning. "I was kinda lazy about it; I hope you're not disappointed if I sort of just went down the list." I was a little wistful that it wouldn't be much of a surprise, but hey, I was still excited to get to try any of the scents. The weeks of anticipation--it takes about three weeks for an order to get processed and shipped--were slightly agonizing, but yesterday I found a package for me in the mailbox. I practically skipped home, chortling all the way: I was finally about to get to smell six little lovelies, with maybe a freebie ("frimp") from the Lab thrown in, as I'd heard they always do.
This is what I found when I tore open the package.
I nearly tackled him when he walked in the door around 2230 from his late sim last night, and he had no idea what the fuss was about until he saw the imps spread out over the table. A wide grin spread slowly across his face. "So," he said, unable to keep a certain smugness from his voice, "were you surprised after all?"
Yep, he got me good.
Hope you're all having a lovely 14th of February, but don't forget tomorrow's arguably more important celebration of Half-Price Chocolate Day. M and I aren't doing anything special today (we did exchange goofy cards before he had to head out for an early brief; I wonder if he's in one of the T-44s I'm hearing overhead right now), but I'm not about to miss out on the abundance of chocolate the stores will be trying to clear out tomorrow. It's even better than the day after Halloween because there's not as much non-chocolate fluff to wade through.Gravitation cannot be held responsible for people falling in love. How on earth can you explain in terms of chemistry and physics so important a biological phenomenon as first love? Put your hand on a stove for a minute and it seems like an hour. Sit with that special girl for an hour and it seems like a minute. That's relativity.
--Albert Einstein
All right, I'm off to spend some quality time with my Italian lover.
He may take me to exotic locales all over the galaxy, but I know what buttons to push to get him to do exactly what I want.
What if my husband walks in on us, you ask? No problem--I'll ask him to join in.
M will be studying away for an Instrument Navigation exam a while longer, so I have time to relax on the couch and tell you fascinating stories about what I had for dinner. Aren't you lucky?
Tangent: I love being able to sit on the couch and bum around on the Internet. We got our wireless router set up with a minimum of fuss and bother (in favorable contrast to the process of getting high-speed cable access, which was like pulling teeth if the dentist were to repeatedly put you on hold in the middle of the operation), so all of our beloved Internet-enabled devices--from desktops to laptops to the Wii and Nintendo DS--are once again humming right along and happily connected. As am I, by extension. Now, back to your regularly scheduled recipe.
Baked chicken is normally an almost thoughtlessly simple affair around our house: all we put on it is kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and maybe some Italian herbs, then stick it in the oven 'til it's done. It has all the virtues of ease and homey satisfaction, and I thought about doing that with the (extremely inexpensive, thanks to finally living near a decent commissary) chicken thighs we had in the fridge. This afternoon, though, my brain started protesting "the usual," so I decided to take a little side trip and throw together a quick marinade. Just a little something different, nothing too complicated. This is what I came up with (all measurements are approximate, since I just kind of threw stuff in until it tasted all right:
Combine in a food processor:
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup peanut oil
- 3 Tbsp honey
- Juice of 1 lime
Pulse until well emulsified. Use right away or refrigerate.
I used about half of the marinade in a gallon zip-top bag for five chicken thighs. I let it marinade in the fridge for the duration of the afternoon, turning the bag over every hour or so to make sure all sides of the chicken were getting good contact.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Arrange chicken parts (carefully patted dry) skin side down in a baking dish. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. If you like, add a slice of ginger or two on top of each piece before you stick it in the oven.
Bake for 20 minutes, then flip each piece over. Season the skin side with kosher salt and black pepper, then slide it back in and bake for another 20 or so minutes, or until your trusty instant-read thermometer says you're not going to become acquainted with one E. coli (they say he's quite cultured, but I don't think you'd get along well).
The results were rather attractively golden brown and pretty darned tasty, if I do say so myself. M says so himself, as well, so I'll call the recipe a keeper. Husbands with happy tastebuds are nice to have around, after all.
How far from your last home do you live? Why did you move and are you glad you did?
Submitted by Matthew 25.
The answer to this one is going to change when the Navy moves us in a few days, so I'll get it in now while the number is more impressive. Right after getting married, I moved 1,419 miles (as the crow flies) from my folks' home to the South Texas town where M was doing one of the phases of flight school. As of early next week, we'll be living in another South Texas town--about fifty miles from where we are now--while M does another phase of flight school. Like I said in response to a similar QotD a while back, we do (and will) live where we live because that's where the Navy told us to live.
As for whether I am glad I moved, of course I am. I can't imagine choosing to be separated when we know we're going to have to deal with that quite often enough over the years; after a good half-decade of long-distance dating, the notion of doing the geobachelor thing as newlyweds was singularly unappealing. This particular part of Texas may not have much to recommend it, but it has situated us such that we've been able to spend time with my mom's side of the family, an opportunity I've cherished.
How are you spending Christmas Day?
One of the things we're doing is celebrating my husband's birthday. Happy quarter-century, "Ralphie." :-)
Our Chanukah definitely ended on a high note last week. Not only had I just heard the day before that M had qualified at the carrier, but he would be getting home in time to light candles for the eighth night! I hadn't expected him home until after the holiday was over, so getting to spend a third night with him was a fantastic surprise. By then, we even each had our own chanukiyah to light--M's parents sent us a beautiful glass one, along with gelt and a couple of dreidels. With excitement over M's boat qual running high, we were feeling a lot of "school spirit," as it were, so we made sure we lit the blue and gold candles.
...and yes, I'm absolutely okay with that! Naval Aviation will make you say some pretty strange things sometimes, and being able to say -- with a straight face, mind -- that I was absolutely ecstatic to find out today that my darling husband is a hooker is definitely one of them.
Okay, further explanation is probably in order: M has been away since late last week on the carrier qualification (CQ) detachment, and I'd been waiting on the edge of my seat ever since for the word that he completed the necessary traps (landings aboard the aircraft carrier) to earn the right to call himself a tailhooker. The tailhook, of course, is what the planes landing on the carrier use to catch a wire to decelerate themselves. The video below shows an earlier CQ det, and it might give you an idea of the sort of thing my husband's been up to recently.
I don't think I could be any more proud of M right now. He's worked hard for this accomplishment and I know he'll be fantastic in whatever comes down the pipeline next. Right now, though, I just can't wait for him to get home so we can celebrate!
