MilSpouse Fill-in
It’s been awhile since I’ve participated in the MilSpouse Friday Fill-ins, but I decided to hop back and join this week.
But before I answer these questions, I have a question for YOU! I’m trying to find and make (healthier) copycat recipes of our favorite American foods that we won’t be able to get in Italy. So give me some inspiration: what specific American food(s) would you miss if you moved to another country? (And yes, I know we’ll have a commissary there with American brands, but I want to be able to whip up some Sonic Drive-in Chili Dogs and Girl Scout cookies whenever we get that craving!)
1. What is your favorite MilSpouse blog? Oh, this question seems like a trap! Honestly, if I read and comment on your blog, then it’s a favorite. These days, I’m trying to scale back on blogs, because I’m trying to prioritize my time online (ha!). I have a list of military blogs here and I would love to update it, so if yours isn’t listed, let me know! I know it’s not as gigantic as some blog rolls out there, but sometimes smaller is better.
2. What are your favorite perks about your s/o being deployed? Having NCIS marathons while eating ice cream and potato chips for dinner. Hmmm…and I wonder why I’m not losing that newlywed weight!
3. How long did you date your before getting engaged? Married? We dated for three years before he proposed, and then we waited one year and six days before we got married. So in total, a little bit more than four years. (Did I mention our FIRST anniversary is this Sunday?!!!!)
4. What do you think your would do if s/he wasnāt in the military? I love this question, because I think his response is really cute. He’d want to be a librarian, teacher, or wine connoisseur. Personally, I think he would be an outstanding teacher who drinks wine and tutors students in the library.
5. If you could talk to the Secretary of (fill in your appropriate branch) what is one suggestion you would like to bring to their attention in order to improve the lives of military families? Dear Secretary of the Air Force (Michael Donley), I know a lot of money goes into air shows, because you need to keep moral up for families, civilians, the “higher-ups,” and our service men and women, but here’s the thing: the plane my husband flies in needs new engines. They need new engines so that they can fly and safely contribute to “the mission.” They need new engines so spouses don’t have to worry every single day they fly, that an engine is going to dieādo you know how old those engines are? It irkes me to no end when I see how much money the Thunderbirds continue to receive year after year for air shows. Toss a little of their funding this way so we can sleep and breathe a little easier when our husbands are in the air. (I know I’ve read several articles about funding for the Thunderbirds, but I can’t find them nowāof course. I’ll do a little more researching and source them here if/when I find them. And please know that these views are my own and I’m not looking to pick an argument about this. I’ll be the first to admit that I absolutely LOVED watching the air show when I saw it. Like I said, I just get irked sometimes.)
Awwww I can see your husband as a teacher! And hm. I never thought about the money that goes into air shows. Good point.
And American food . . . I rarely cook American food, because it mostly seems unhealthy and makes me sick haha. Although sometimes I make pot pie (both the one with a pie crust and the Dutch version).
Yes, yes, yes to your response to the fifth question. I have some of the same concerns on the naval aviation side. Sometimes it seems as if the "sexy" platforms get the money while the workhorses are left scrambling. I know allocation of funds is a big, complicated issue based on a bunch of pushing and pulling and competing factors, but we can't always do more with less.
As for which American food I would miss, I suspect I'd miss bagels and lox.
Good news! You can still get Girl Scout cookies. I know the girls here sell them and I would guess they sell them at Aviano too.
I miss Mexican food the most. There are a few Mexican restaurants here and there, but they aren't good or if they are decent, they aren't like the Tex-Mex restaurants at home.
That's honestly what I miss most. I can't think of any other foods that I regularly crave while I'm here.
Oh..and people don't understand how you can get tired of Italian food, but you do. When that's pretty much all you have as an option, it gets old. š
Have you guys received your RIP yet for Italy?
Your answer made me laugh because in college I had a professor who would open a new bottle of wine when he sat to grade papers. You always prayed yours was on the bottom of the pile for the best grade.
And when we lived in Japan we missed restaurants from home such as shari's and the smaller '60s Diners.
Mmm, Sonic cheesy tots, yes please.
I loved your answers to these questions!!
I miss Mexican and Japanese (sushi!) food soooo much!
I definitely recommend a good BBQ recipe. Living overseas myself, that is the only food that I haven't found that anyone can get right yet! Oh, and I would love if you would add my blog to the military listing.
My Life as his (Air Force) Wife @ http://jlovesk2.blogspot.com/
I hear you on prioritizing time, I could spend all day bouncing around blogs!
Hmm Mexican food – I have YET to find a place that serves Mexican food in Germany.
Oh yes NCIS. We love that show too! Newest follower from Friday Fill In!
Sometimes I feel like I am living in a different country! I can get killer BBQ here but it's impossible to find a decent pizza. And I LOVE pizza š
I think I would miss being able to have a really great burger with fries.
When I studied abroad in Italy, everyone I was with (including myself) was craving Chick-Fil-A sandwiches and waffle fries! (We were obviously all GA natives!)
Also, agreed about the air shows. They throw that money around and call it recruiting. As much as I love the Navy equivalent of the Blue Angels–the celebrities of Pensacola– it boggles my mind how much money is spent on them.
So cute!! I love your responses š PS Happy 1 Year!! How exciting!!
When are you coming to Italy? Are you coming to Aviano? Good luck with your move over here!
F-16 Pilot Wife eh? I often wonder why they haven't put more money in the 16 my self, some of those jets are older than well lets just say the 1980's. Granted there are modifications and upgrades they really need to be laid to rest or a substantial amount of money needs to put in to them. You can do all the maintenance you want but if the foundation has cracks or major problems the maintenance isn't going to keep the jet in the air. I hear what your saying with that!
You will definitely have some fun here being a Buzzard (purple) or Nickle (Green [Once Green Always…Green]) Wife. Be sure to stock up on purple or green (whatever one he ends up being in).
Someone else who eats ice cream for dinner! Yeah, I'm not getting any slimmer since B left.
Hey, I was backtracking through your blog since I just found it. I'm Teri from WOL by the way š
Since I moved to Japan, I'm just now starting to miss things now that we're getting settled and I have time to think about things more. I definitely miss Mexican. Chipotle and restaurant style mexican. I miss going out for desserts! Japanese don't use nearly as much sugar, so even their "sweets" aren't so sweet.
It helps if you can cook and are willing to cook new recipes! Soon, I'm going to start trying some copycat recipes. Like Chipotle's meats and Panera's soups.