Military Spouses, Parents and Families

[SthrnZeta]

Originally Posted by scbelle

Well, maybe you could at least get engaged before he leaves *wink, wink*

The reason I say that is because I know that as an FRG leader, we weren't allowed to share information with girlfriends of soldiers because they are not "family." The information that we sent (and meetings that we held) were for the spouses or fiancees of the soldiers. Other FRGs may give a little leeway, I don't know. I just remember our BN (battalion)commander saying that for OPSEC (operational security) reasons, we couldn't give out info to someone who was just a girlfriend.

Sorry, I had to go through and clarify the acronyms... they take over my speech and I forget not everyone knows what they mean!!

I didn't know Fiances had more knowledge than girlfriends - I always thought it was whomever the soldier put on the list to receive info, but from the few women I know who belong to FRG's, they tend to favor direct family and spouses/fiances for sure. I just don't even know how to broach that subject. We talked over dinner the other night and I voiced my concerns over the security of our relationship and I honestly feel like we're ready to get engaged but I didn't say that exactly. My father would certainly feel better about it. I just don't wanna be pushy but I'd feel a lot better about us as a couple and about being able to find out stuff about his unit and important dates, not to mention just keep in touch with other families. I told my Mom I thought it'd be better coming from my dad, but now I'm not so sure... (we have dinner there every Sunday so my dad and he talk a lot already, usually about electronics, etc.) And I appreciate the acronym translations, I've been out of the Army loop for a while so I don't remember them all, and I'm sure I'll need to know as many as possible! Any advice on how to talk about getting engaged...?

[LPIDelta]

SthrnZeta~ Be open and honest with him. But I have a feeling you don't really need to say anything--from what you've said, it sounds like he may be thinking the same thing??? You have lots of time before February...and the holidays are usually a great time for engagements. Why not wait and see what happens, and if no engagement comes by New Years, then talk to him?

On a personal front, I have a long list of situations that have happened that would only happen when my husband is deployed, and this weekend it was a doozy. Possums have invaded my yard, and one of my three dogs got one Saturday morning. At first, I thought it was a frayed rope toy, but then I remembered that we don't have a rope toy right now. Sure enough, dead possum. And of course the dog kept trying to bring it to me!

So I called the city, and they pick up dead animals, but only if they are at the curb. So I act a little "girly" for a while trying to think of a big strong man to call to come take care of the dead possum, before I finally "man up" and take care of it myself. I use a shovel to put him in a bag and the city picked him up from the curb about an hour later. I walked the yard and crawled under the deck to see where the possums might be living, but no sign of anything. Meanwhile, I keep an eye on the dogs to make sure they are ok, and all is well... until last night.

I left for about an hour and left the dogs out in the yard so they could get their last runs in before the week starts. I see the same dog carrying something--yup, another possum! I couldn't find a flashlight so I used to candle to inspect. I get the dogs in the house, get the shovel and a garbage bag, and package the little guy up again. Called the city for pick up in the morning. But something was bugging me. I wondered if he was just "playing possum"--but when I was trying to shovel him up I flipped him over so many times, I was convinced that he had to be dead. Out to the curb, but I left the bag open a little, just in case.

This morning, went outside and the bag was still there, but the possum was gone. Upon inspection of the bag, he had left a little present. Its possible something else got him, but I don't really think so. The possum was gone, and likely will turn up in my yard again tonight! The good news is, I am now an official possum wrangler!

Of course, none of this would happen if my husband were home.... If he came home tomorrow, we would never see another possum again!! Ah, I love deployments...