Girlfriends, Fiances,and Wives of Sailors

ohh I see Anti M! Thanks for the clarity! Its so interesting how things are so different across commands. My husbands ship is super tight on internet and everything so maybe they let them have pictures to make up for it lol. All the time people tell me what he cant get on fb? or youtube? lol he cant even get on certain shopping websites like lowes I think it was!! lol but he can certainly get on amazon!

Kling I agree with abuon.. I would get him maybe a small momento or scrapbook or photobook :) My husband wanted a money clip but maybe you could get an engraved coin. check out things remembered online :)

camo-mom I would say call the ID office for the closest base, and see what all they require (some are stricter about it! Dont want to get out there and realize they require something different!) set up an appointment (some places you have to wait quite awhile if you dont have one!) She might need a POA and there is another form but I cant remember what it is called. Then two forms of ID and marriage certificate I think. Just like the other two ladies said she can stop at the visitor or little building before getting to the main gate and get a pass for the day.

To get an ID card, the military member has to sign the form and send it to her, DD1172.  It CANNOT be signed with a POA, it is one of those forms where they require the sailor's signature.  It puts you in DEERS at the same time.

Then follow the rest of the advice about calling for an appointment and info on what ID the office will require.

http://dcp.psc.gov/PDF_docs%5Cdd1172.pdf

Kling- They are saying boxer shorts because they are issued tighty whities at basic training. After boot camp they are allowed to wear whatever they want under their uniforms though. So, it would be nice to get him what he likes to wear! My bf prefers boxer briefs so I bought him a few new pairs when he graduated. I agree with Meagan too, a photobook is purpose. I use Shutterfly.com cause they let you totally customize them and they normally have coupons! Maybe a boot camp challenge coin too? You know him better than we do!!!!

Hey ladies! I'm going to ask a small favor of you all. :)

I entered a photo of Aaron and I's first homecoming in a contest on Facebook. If I get the most votes (each "like" of the picture is a vote), I win this awesome prize package full of lots of Navy pride items donated by military wives who make them for a little extra cash. 

Anyways, here's the link. Picture . Your vote only counts if you like both the page "Bits of Joy" and our photo. :)

I'd really appreciate your help in winning lots of cool items I can show off my pride for my sailor with. :)

Thank you!! :)

I got letters today <3 :D

Aw, I miss getting letters :) I still think that maybe one of his letters got lost in the mail and it's gonna show up any day... 2 months later LOL

Yes care packages are perfect. My boyfriend has been in A school for a month and I've already sent him 10! 

I'm probably going to miss stocking the mail man, making sure I get letters! Haha. I got super excited today. Especially because he finally sounds better and more excited. 24 more days :D!

And what are care packages? :O

My husband is currently stationed in Bahrain for 2 years unaccompanied, with one year left. We didn't get married until after he had already gotten orders. He is up to pick new orders starting in August. He has to do 2 more years of sea duty, and I'm just stressed out that he will be sent somewhere else that I won't be able to join him because of his rank. Has anyone else experienced something similar to this?

jennj, so he has one year left in Bahrain, and needs two years of sea duty after that?  Chances are good he can request something where you can be near him, even if it is part time.  Generally, accompanied orders run three years, so he mat have to extend on his new orders to get what he requests.  There are so many variables (depends on his rate, and a lot of other details) that it is very difficult to do more than speculate.  His paygrade does have something to do with where he is sent, but orders go by rate/paygrade/rotation anyway.  Lower is often better than higher, more selection for junior sailors.  

Usually, after one set of overseas orders, it is easier for the sailor to get CONUS orders.  Usually.

He must be absolutely certain his detailer understands he is married and desires accompanied orders.  Of course, we know the Navy does what ot wants, but truly, they can make the effort if possible.

Yes one more year in Bahrain and then he will have about a year and 8 months left in the Navy to finish his enlistment out at a new duty station. He was going to talk to a career counselor to see what his best options are for when it comes time to talk to the detailer in August when he is up for orders.

Kling, oh okay. Thank you :D.. I have a perfect idea of what to put in his care package! I'll tell you guys just because he'll never get a hold of this place, LMAO. He can't use men deodorant, so he uses lady speed stick. Hahahahahahahaahahah! He can buy his own, but since I'm always picking on him with that, it'd be perfect. LOL. (awwh, I'm so mean )  Nd omg, I just noticed I put "stocking" instead of stalking. I knew it looked weird. Haha. I'm doing a stupid 10 page report for school, so my brain is like close to becoming poop anytime now. Haha.

So your bf/hubby/fiance is also at boot camp?

Here are some of the pacakges I have sent this deployment so far :)

just some ideas :) he loves the decoration make it like he is getting to sort of celebrate the holiday in a way! I always go with a theme. he has also gotten a christmas package, a new years package and a st patricks day pacakge oh and an anniversary package!

Easter :)

Father's Day from our Dogs (our kids)

Valentine's Day Care Package

Team Leo- Things I've sent him in mine... Mix Cd's, framed photos of us, his clothes, a blanket, candy, trail mix, beef jerky, his fav soda that they don't sell out of state, deck of cards, boxers, video games, his laptop! He is always asking me for different things that he can't buy there or doesn't have time to get himself.. I decorated the outside of the first few boxes but he said it was embarrassing to carry them all the way to his barracks. I'll go back to decorating  if he ever gets deployed :P Spray the box with perfume and send a letter or note in it too!

Meagan5220- Those are awesome! 

thanks ladies! I loveee making him care packages!! Also if I put any pictures in them I make it wear he can remove them and keep them so that way he can keep them for momentos!

I send snacks, baked goods, cakes in a jar, candy, magazines, also the food on the ships can be... well not awesome sometimes (not trying to put down any of the CS's, Its hard to cook 3 meals a day for 5000 people in a way that everyone will like!) so I send him bbq sauces and hot sauces and different flavored sauces. books, also they can get on amazon alot so maybe have him start a wish list and buy him stuff from his wishlist to have it sent out to him. If you are in college you can sign up for amazon prime for a little bit with your .edu email and get free shipping on a lot of stuff. Also I sent him a keychain its one of those little digital picture frames and I loaded bunches of pictures of us on it and he has that with him.

Word of warning if you are sending valuable items overseas like laptops and whatnot and you get insurance just know the insurance will only cover it until it gets to the FPO/APO once they give it to the military the insurance is no longer valid. And putting on the customs form that something valuable is in the package opens up the risk that it will get stolen. (sadly packages will get opened and stuff will get stolen.) so if they want anything like that try to get them to take that stuff with them before they leave and let you send other random things that have less of a chance of being stolen. Just warning for the future.

Ooo I like the amazon wish list thing!  And the USPS Priority mail boxes are perfect! You can stuff them as full as you want and they will ship them at a flat rate. They're reasonably priced and convenient since you can just keep a bunch at home (They're free!) I send them from Texas and they get to Florida in two days every time. 

Meagan, those are so cute! You are certainly one creative girl!

Well with all of these ideas, i'm sure i'll be sending alot of care packages! Although he's only going to be in A school for 2-3 months because he's only doing reserves. But knowing him, he's going to be wanting all kinds of stuff from over here! I'm taking him my laptop to the airport before he leaves to A school. I won't be needing it then because I'll be on brake and well I can use face time on my phone so we can skype anytime :)

Kling, it's fun bugging them huh! That's probably something I miss the most. :/ I still kinda do it in my letters though >).. I have a box full of stickers and I use to put em all over his room, car, clothes, and face. It was so funny when he would see a new a sticker somewhere! So I put them all over his letters. And they're weird stickers too. They say a bunch of corny stuff. :D

Eyeronics, that's so cute! You should make him a quilt with pics of you guys all over. You can get it done at wal mart and they're not expensive.

2-3 months is still a long time girl... Mine's been there a month and is asking for new stuff every week, lol. And yes, the picture blanket is a good idea. I've actually done a few for my family members. They are great! How about one with just my face, smiling big so he can be wrapped in my face all the time! haha, we should all send blankets like that to our sailors!!!! bahaha

just make sure when you switch over to mailing boxes to him while on deployment or overseas you have to use a custom form fill it out before you go to the post office! lol it will make them less grumpy! ;) you can get the custom forms and the boxes sent to your house for free :) just order them off the USPS website! :)

Oh yes, I know! :(. But I kinda feel lucky b/c most of you guys have to wait much more! I asked myself how I was going to do this everyday before he left, but I told myself "If he can be kicking ass in boot camp and still deal with the distance and isolation from everything, then I can miss him without having a huge breakdown."

How much do you get to talk to him now that he's in A school?

So Meagan, you've been through deployment already? When my brother was deployed, I remember I would always e-mail him and I would get mad b/c he wouldn't respond right away. I was like 11, lmao.

Kling- my favorite one is an orange with huge eyes and it says HI! lol. Then there's a banana one that says "the last time I saw a face like yours, I threw a banana!" haha. And the other ones just say like corny ways to say hi.

And yes, Eyeronic's idea sounds perfect! :D I want my picture to be one where I'm throwing away his xbox >D haha. jk, he'd probably burn the thing and then kill me. HAHAHA!

do know with the blankets they may not be able to have them on the ships :( my husbands ship has restrictions.

Team Leo we are currently going through a deployment he should have been home last wed. now its looking like late summer/early fall. Email is def very slloww somedays and depending on their rate will also dictate how much access they have to a computer and how busy they are also whether they work days or nights. I hear a lot from girls well he hasnt emailed me back in 3 days... I wanna say uhh sorry thats life! I mean I know it sucks believe me. but email is very sketchy especially while on a mission. lol but being 11 I can imagine that was annoying lol :)

A school communication will also depend on what their MOS is and your expectations as well. When my husband first got to a school he had a lot of watches and stuff to jump right in so he didnt get a phone for a few days. but then he did get a phone. He called me every morning before he left for PT, when he got back for PT if he had time (I didnt have to be at work or school by then so I was completely free at that time.) Then he would text me or possibly call me during lunch and then he would text me or call me when he got out of class. and we would talk throughout the evening unless he had to go study or had watch. But we also talked about how often I was free and how often he could call me and that I wanted to hear from him a lot. I didnt care if he woke me up at 2 am! I wanted a phone call. so once he learned that I wanted calls all day and night communication flowed a lot more. But sometimes they dont have the time to call as much it depends on how many duty sections they have, how much studying they are required to do, and just the classes in general. My husband knew a lot of what they were teaching him before hand so he could keep up without spending a ton of time studying.

HAHA Yes... Love the breaking the xbox picture blanket idea... The last 2 weeks before he left for boot camp that was all he did... Play skyrim... I would just sit there on his bed watching him play.. But, now I miss that! 

And now that he is at A school, everything that Meagan said is about the same here.. I talk to him all the time! He wake's up super early and calls me if he has enough time (I'm usually half asleep during these calls) if not he calls/texts me in the afternoon when he's on lunch break. Then he normally has work/school until about 4 or 5 and will call and text me for the rest of the night after that. We skype every once and a while. We would skype more but, he'll only do it when his roommate is gone because he feels awkward if he's there. I guess I would too lol. Since he has to wake up early he normally goes to sleep pretty early too. On the weekends we talk all the time and text all day. And sometimes during the week he gets off of school earlier than usual, like today he got off at noon so we got to talk more than usual. But... He is really tired all the time. When he get's liberty at 4/5 everyday he usually just wants to nap. He's also really busy during the week working, studying, doing laundry, cleaning, etc. With that said... I don't get upset when he doesn't want to talk on the phone for a long time or skype with me late at night. Or takes forever to text me and wants to go to sleep early. Cause I know he is under a lot of stress and is really busy. Hope this helps :)

Msbre- Have you gone to visit him yet? I'm trying to plan a trip right now!

Oh okay, I see. Well all I know is that A school is going to be waaayyy easier than boot camp! Well for me, lol .

That's a good idea. My boyfriend should be getting phase 3 any day now!

No not at all, hasn't even started classes yet! And his classes are supposed to be 14 weeks. But I'd rather him be there in one place safe than off on deployment :) 

Hey Lady's I wanted to ask if u could plz help me out.
 Im in 2nd place. . .
Im trying to win a custom military purse.
 For mothers day. and i could really use the help.
 Click on the picture and like the picture.
It would be a great help. Thank you so much.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=380130835365980&set=a.3...

haha :) Its tough for me. I believe everyone has the right to miss the one they love no matter how long or how short. but somedays just arent the best to complain to me too lol. I also deserve to have my days to hate the world and the Navy and feel like I am being royally screwed lol. haha my husband did email me today and say well we are coming home sooner.. I was like yea right.. then he said I could be be gone the entire lenght of my enlistment lol. I said oh I know dont jinx us lol. knock on wood. I am glad  you get to go see him. I hope he heals quickly.

haha they wont truly be back sooner than planned in fact they are doing the tiger cruise so thats adding some time. I think he might have been trying to tell me they were coming back before the other date he had told me. lol although he doesnt realize I know that stuff before he does. lol I knew about the first extension 3 months before he did lol. yea they tried to tell me I had to go live in Virginia last june... it would have been 18 months we would have seen each other a few days but thats it lol. Then I told him I was coming to WA even if it only was for 4 months lol. Thats great he doesnt need surgery! does he get leave or are you just heading over there and hangin out after he works and whatnot? lol I am too. I laughed at him. he was just trying to make me smile. I try to always think it could always be worse for sure!

I love that article. even though I come on here and vent about missing him I have some wife friends that tell me I am too "unemotional" about this whole deployment.

UUGH.  Today was HARD!  It's my first birthday without my sailor :(  Luckily, I did get to chat online with him this morning.  I honestly didn't think I'd get to because his ship pulled into a combat zone and I was sure OPSEC would shut down all communications.  He said they did for a while, but it was back on at 11 AM my time (6 PM his time)...and he told me he got me my birthday present while in Italy so it'll be on the way as soon as he can get to a place to send mail - not many girls can say that :-) ...but still.  It was rough.  This deployment thing is killer!

AshleySupafly I am sorry you had a bad day :( I know how much it sucks for them to miss holidays. My husband and I have only been together for Thanksgiving since we got married. I dont put as much emphasis on holidays. I send him a care package and always tell him when he comes back we are celebrating. We celebrated Christmas early. I try to remember its not about the day its about the reason you celebrate. So when he gets back we are celebrating our un-anniversary, our un valenites day (which works bc I hate valentines lol), etc. It also makes it a little easier on my husband if I dont emphasize the fact that he is missing something. If I harp on it then he gets more upset then he already is.

anmouse.. depending on my mood I might just laugh and walk away or laugh and say something sarcastic about how in the world they manage to breathe. lol

a lee b I hope he gets off! I dont see why not and either way he will still have off time. They can even let him leave early if they feel like it if they arent busy and they know you are there. haha ohh yea my husband said good thing they dont let spouses on the ship.. they wouldnt find us til we pulled in haha! Crazily enough there are still wives, gfs, etc that try to sneak on! They will convince a girl sailor to be their "sponsor" for the cruise. Which will get their sailor in sooo much trouble if they get caught. If they let spouses/so's on the ship it would probably sink or sail off into another ship lol :)  

you just never know with the Navy. but either way he wont be working all day long so you will get to see him no matter what. And he will probably have Memorial day off, he just might have to have a duty night if he doesnt get leave.

@snmouse I get the same type of comments/questions for people too. Especially my Grandmother. She is 91, has 10 children, a lot of grandchildern and 97% of us live in NY state. We are a very close family and all of her children have stayed very close to home. She'll make comments like "Why does your boyfriend want to go in the Navy?" and "Don't let move you/take you with him". The last time I talked to her she asked about him and how he was doing and when his ship date is for bootcamp. She asked me what I am going to do and told me that I am fine where I am since I have a job and am settled. My boyfriend and I have been together for 7 years and I figured she'd be one of the first people to really back us and support us but what she says is really hurtful. Why would I not support him? He is making a brave decision by going into the Navy and is willing to take of me. I don't think she sees it that way or that other people do sometimes.

Some people simply cannot grasp that life can go on somewhere else besides where they were born and raised, and that you can love your family dearly and not see them daily.  The ideas are foreign to them, like another culture.  Which the Navy is!  

I'm sure she doesn't mean to be hurtful.  You just have to hug her and keep on going.

I can't imagine having life mapped out ... born, go to school, get a job, meet and marry and raise your kids, then retire and enjoy your grandkids, all in the same town.  Maybe take one big vacation with the family to Disneyland and that's all the travel they ever do.  I'm still struggling with the fact that at my age, and income, I really can't expect to see the whole world before I die.  I used to think it was going to happen.

See what the Navy can do to a person?

I also come from a small town and it is not some place I would like to go back to and raise my future children. I want to go out and see the world and experience things. I know she doesn't mean to be hurtful...but she doesn't say it kindly. I think she would just rather us stay close because she is older.

I hope to see more than NY State one day! I've lived in Florida for a year and it was way better than small town USA. I do think it is hard for people to grasp that concept that life can go on elsewhere. My mom wasn't too happy when I moved to Florida but is very supportive of all this. Thank goodness for cell phones, the internet, and things like Skype!

I agree some people dont understand how you can go away from where you were born and raised and your whole family is. I think also another hard thing for people to grasp is that someone can still love you even if they dont see you everyday. Growing up with my Dad working 9 months out of the year and not talking to him for months at a time. I still knew when he walked through that door it would pick up like he never left. He would still love me and I knew he loved me the whole time he was gone. People say dont you worry.. well duh but.. I would worry if he was home to driving around on the roads in VA are probably just as dangerous as where he is somedays lol! People ask well do you think he will still love you when he comes back.. umm yea thats why I amrried him. If I didnt think he would love me after a deployment I wouldnt have married him.

I grew up in Oklahoma and somedays I want to go back (especially when we lived in freaking Everett, WA.. I hated that place lol!) and other days I want to live in Virginia. I have only been here two months and I really like it alot. so we shall see at the end of our time. Our life depends alot on where my career takes me next. Its my turn after he is done. But that being said I want to do lots in life and explore all over. I just would like to have a home base too lol.

Everyone has places they don't like, mine are Florida, Georgia, and Kansas.  Flat or humid doesn't do it fo rme, I need mountains.  And a dry climate.  I had a lot of family in Utah, so here we are.  Mom and dad passed away, and my brother, so now I don't have a lot of family here who are close to me.

Vermont was super nice, but a little too country.  I adore Hawaii, Big Island.  If we ever hit the lottery....

lol yea. Being from Oklahoma the rain up in WA was killer! well it was more the lack of sunlight! and the constant moisture made me sick alot. and mold too bc of my allergies. lol Oklahoma is super flat and dry and humid sometimes and hot lol. :) I love the mountains in WA. I have heard they are super pretty here too! When the hubs get back I have a mile long bucket list for VA! There is so much to see over on this side of the country!! I would lovee to visit Hawaii! My husband put that on his dream sheet but no luck! lol

Yes, the PNW is pretty, but I hate that much rain too.  I loved Japan, but the weather was awful, lots of rain, mildew and mold, and to top off, our Japanese house was uninsulated and unheated in winter.  We used kerosene heaters and slept on the floor on old fashioned futons.  But I loved the culture and the people.  Talk about a lot to do!

Dad was stationed in VA when I was little, I remember going to the beach and art fairs, Jamestown and Williamsburg (before Busch Gardens), and going up to Washington DC and the Smithsonian museums.  And the Great Dismal Swamp.  My parents were big on education, so lots of museums, monuments and nature walks.  

If I were in VA as an adult, I'd make time for a short vacation somewhere tropical like Bermuda or the Bahamas.  I bet MWR does trips.  Yeah, dad was stationed in Hawaii, which is why I knew to take hubby there.  

I agree! lol I actually have a dog that refuses to go outside and pee in the rain too. so needless to say he got a few bladder infections in WA.

I would love to visit Japan. Is it pretty easy to function there with only knowing English?

I have gotten to go see Williamsburg so far. My husband asked me to wait for him before exploring too much lol. hence the list I am compiling. Its also nice to be so close to other places like Deleware, FL, Maryland... to me anything within a 15 hour drive is close after driving from WA to OK lol!! I love history. I am such a nerd lol. but thats why I am super excited to live over here!

good idea! I will look into that! He wanted to do something for a mini honeymoon/vacation thing.

Everyone in Japan takes English in middle school.  So many of them know how to speak it.  It isn't that hard to recognize the Kanji names of places, and the trains often are in Kanji and Romanji (our alphabet) ... and the other two alphabets as well, depending on the placename.  Yes, four alphabets, and ours isn't really pronounced the same.  

LOL< and the restaurants sometimes have wax models of the food, so you can order by pointing.

I love history too, it was part of my major for my teaching degree.  

haha well that would make it easier. lol I have a cousin that lives over there and is a teacher. But I have only met him once. 4 alphabets! oh man!! thats intense!

Get your passports ready...

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Looks like MWR has some good deals!