Tom’s bestie returned from his 9 month “business trip” to Afghanistan in the wee hours of Sunday morning. It was so touching to be part of that moment when Martin saw his family again. I felt extremely privileged to capture those moments for them.
And of course to see the relationship between him and Tom be rekindled was heartwarming!
I love Martin’s family’s faces in the background.
Martin and Tom went to basic together. They were part of a small handful of that graduating group who moved here to Ft. Campbell. So naturally they stuck together despite being put in different brigades.
They are brothers from other mothers. It is ridiculous how much alike they are.
I am super pumped about Martin being back because while I love my husband and wish I could provide the world to him, I know that I cannot be everything to him. We all need a bestie. I have come to terms with the fact that there is going to be less time for Tom and I, or that some nights we will have another roommate. I know Martin being home is going to up our quality of life exponentially! (And I hope that his lady and newest baby will be coming to visit more often because quite frankly I love them too!)
They picked up like they have never been apart! Love it!
Since the unit came in around 3am, it meant that none of us got sleep since you have to be there for hours before the plane lands. You also have to wait for hours afterward while they turn in sensitive items. So to let his family go back to their hotel to get some down time while we waited for Martin to be freed, Tom volunteered to wait the extra couple hours in the parking lot.
Which meant, Tom slept in the parking lot for a couple hours.
Tom- “I was sleeping in the Jeep waiting on Martin.”
Tom- “When I woke up, I thought what was that smell?”
Tom- “OH MY! Is that my mouth?!?! It tasted like I smoked a dog turd.”
Tom- “So I used Wrigley Spearmint to hide my shame.”
Me- “So you can be fresh for when you reunite with your bromance?”
Tom-“Yea. You don’t want your first post deployment kiss to taste like dog shit.”
(sorry about the language)
They are two of a kind. This was one of my favorite shots.
This is just a preview of the ceremony pictures. I have tons more to share next week after editing (and some catch up on sleeping-this girl doesn’t do all-nighters very well friends.) I am going to include them in a post about fun facts about home coming ceremonies. I hope you come back to read all about it!
So even though it was a rough weekend on my body, it was a great weekend mentally!
It was a true testament of the friends turned family that you can make while in the Army.
I have been hearing about MREs for years. It was about time I tried one out, and I figured I would share my experience with all of you.
MRE: Meal Ready to Eat.
These are a general purpose meal that you don’t have to have a kitchen, cook, or a table to have them. It meets every purpose for war. You don’t have to keep it in the fridge; you can throw it in your backpack and not worry about it. And they keep for years…
One might think that they will only use them while in theatre (deployed), but they actually eat them a lot stateside as well depending on the training that they may be going through.
When you open the bag this is an example of what you will find.
Hot Beverage Bag-unless it is super cold and going to make coffee, you don’t usually use this. Overseas there is bottled water every where, and you would just use your “tang” bottle instead. The hot beverage bags are a heavy duty Ziploc bags though and will be used to hold maps and electronics.
Grape beverage base powder-kind of like a Gatorade substitute. Some extra packets will have Crystal Light-like packet, and the blackberry is legit according to Tom.
Banana nut muffin top-pretty good by MRE standards. It is chewy and rubbery, but it will be powder on your clothes.
The bag everything came in-becomes the trash bag at the end
MRE heater and spoon-if done right you can use the heater to heat your side and your entre. The heater is activated with water and you place the meal and heater in the bag. The instructions also say lean against a “rock or something” while you are cooking it. These heaters are not always very reliable. The best way to make a MRE heater do what you want it to do is to put sugar and water in the bag. This works wonders.
Peanut butter-This is gold.
Extra stuff-see picture below
Wheat snack bread-super doughy dense bread
Pears (side item)-The side item will vary depending on the MRE.
Spicy Penne Pasta (entre)-some of them aren’t that bad. Beef stew, cheese tort and beef brisket are Tom’s favorites.
Every MRE comes with an entre and side item. There will be the heater and some extra elements. However, every MRE will differ a little bit. Tom has only ever seen 24 different versions. Case A has it’s own assorted 12 and Case B has its assorted 12. The case is essentially the big box that they come in.
Here are some of the accessory things that come in the pack.
Gum
Sugar
Instant coffee
Matches
Creamer
Moist Towelette
Iodized Salt
Pepper Sauce (some have tabasco sauce)
Toilet paper
They are super high in calories, but if you think about the place they are in, it makes since. In the situations where soldiers are going to need to eat these, the nutritional value is spot on.
MREs replaced the rations that were served in earlier wars. You can learn more about the historical context of MREs here.
There are lot of things that these MREs can be used for besides just eating, which is one thing I didn’t know before Tom started talking about them all the time. Like the matches are used for smoking or to light anything on fire. They aren’t really used for eating the meal.
A soldier may not need to eat everything at once. You may eat the entre and save other things for a snack later if you are on patrol.
MRE swaps also largely occur. With each pack having various accessories, this provides opportunities for soldiers to do tradeseys on any item they are not particularly fond of. The items people fight over: chocolate peanut butter, tropical Skittles, and first strike bars. Just picture elementary school lunch box swaps with adult hungry soldiers.
So how did my experience go with eating one of these ready to eat meals?
These are my pears. This was the only thing that tasted normal.
At first taste, this wheat snack bread isn’t so bad. Then you keep chewing. And keep chewing some more. And maybe just a little more chewing. They are super thick and dense. I ate one bite by itself and then two bites with peanut butter. It tastes like an old pop tart, without any of the good pop tart parts like the filling. Done with that.
My entre was the spice penne pasta. While it wasn’t bad, it wasn’t something I would choose to eat again freely. It has a weird after taste. I guess if I scarfed it down it wouldn’t be bad, but I am a slow eater. Tom chastised me the whole time as I sat and ate my meal at a leisurely pace.
It was really interesting to actually see what these were all about, but I will say it will probably be a pretty dire situation before I choose to eat one again. Also Tom says that he is not very happy about having to eat one over the weekend. He is a pretty rocking husband who loves me and wants to help me with the blog!
Here is a video of Tom eating an MRE, and keep in mind that this is actually a slow pace since I kept talking to him. If the situation calls for it, he can eat it under 4 minutes. There is some profanity at the beginning, but I promise this is a good video. And you actually get to see a “Talks with Tom” live!
I hope you enjoyed this special “Talks with Tom” and my education on MREs!
Today is Tom’s birthday! Last year I did my favorite memories of him, and most of them still ring true, just add seeing him in that airplane hanger after he got off that plan from deployment to the list.
This year since Tom is around, I figured we would do a man behind the blog interview. You can learn more about the guy I talk about all the time. Since he is turning 29, here are 29 questions for you to get to know my hubster just a little bit more. And Tom insisted on no fluff questions, but in case you were wondering his favorite color is blue.
Favorite Birthday? Hopefully my 29th. I just want people to leave me alone. I am going to take my Jeep where people can’t get to me. Also there will be Chipotle.
What is your biggest aspiration in life? Either to be on a SWAT team or a canine officer
What advice would you give your 19 year old self? You are a dbag. I would tell my 19 year old self to go look in a mirror and do everything opposite of what you are doing. Cut your hair, stop talking so much. Don’t care so much about what other people think. You are going to waste so much of my life being a useless turd. Also stop smoking.
What’s your first CD you ever bought? So Much For the After Glow-Everclear
What sports did you do in high school? Cross Country and Show Choir. And yes it is a sport. If Cheerleading can be a sport, so is show choir.
If you could eat only one thing for the rest of your life what would it be? Chipotle burritos
If you were given a free airplane ticket where would you go? Afghanistan. I’ve got some unfinished business to handle. Or Boston because it sounds nice.
What do people remember you for? Sense of humor. Or my stunning legs. And by that they remember the guy in Ranger panties.
You just never know with Tom…
What is your favorite date we have been on? The first time we went out in Warrensburg {our undergrad}. I was committing to going back to school, and it was the first time we went public with our friends.
What is your life motto? I don’t think I’m awesome for no reason. I am awesome because I work on being better. Everyday I have to be better at something.
Why do you love camping so much? Nature is so drama free. Nature is the way that God intended it to be. It is clean and pure. It’s like getting back to my roots and seeing who you are really made of. It is personal affirmation that I can take care of myself.
If you could meet someone from history, who would it be? Both of my grandpas.
If you could advise people on one “prepper” item, what would you say everyone needs? A go bag-a simple bag with food, water, flashlights, and matches. Maybe a good pocket knife. A good grab bag. Or a Jeep Cherokee. {That is one thing?}
What is your opinion on marriage? If you want to get married, get married. If you don’t, don’t. I personally like marriage. Everyone should stay out of others marriage. You either believe in marriage equality or you don’t. But if you are anti-marriage equality, you are anti-constitution. You can’t claim to believe in America and all that it stands for and be against gay marriage.
Where did you learn your handyman smarts? Part from my Dad-the basics. Part from working construction in high school-expertise in remodeling.
Would you call yourself a thrill seeker? No, I’m not out skydiving for the adrenaline rush. The things I do, I do because I feel morally compelled to do so. It just happens that the things I do are adrenaline packed. And it just so happens that I love it.
What is the biggest fish you have caught? 15 lb catfish-generally. 6 lb female small mouth-nicest fish I ever caught in a creek.
Why do you treat dogs like humans? Despite all the awful unimaginable things humans have done to these two dogs, they love me completely and unconditionally. They have given me their entire heart, how can I not put them above everything? The more time I spend with my dogs the less time I want to spend with humans. Lock your dog or your wife in the trunk of the car and come back in an hour. Which one do you think is happy to see you? {Thanks babe…}
What is a skill you would like to learn? Speak Spanish. Electrician. Plumbing.
What day would you relive over and over again? The day we walked from our hotel room to downtown Savannah. We slept in and wandered around town stuffing our faces. {Aww our engagement weekend}
On the river front in Savannah enjoying our newly engaged bliss.
What is the best present I have ever given you? Remaining loyal despite knowing the horrible monster I am inside. Also the email you sent last year for my birthday with all the best memories from my friends. From other people-my dad gave me a .410.
What is your idea of a perfect lazy day? Wake up at 8am. Get SWOL at the gym. Spend the rest of the day eating PB and playing Xbox until noon. Then it’s Chipotle time. Play Xbox until 6pm. Then it’s Chipotle time again. Even better if it is a leg day. End the night with grown up time.
What are you afraid of? Failing at life. I spent the last 9 years working towards a law enforcement career. If it doesn’t work out after the Army, it will crush me. Also heights.
What is your biggest accomplishment? If you look at who I was at 19 and who I am now, my biggest achievement is simply becoming who I am now.
dancing at our wedding
What are your 5 go to songs? “#41” by Dave Matthews. “No Woman No Cry” by Bob Marley. “Starting with Me” by Jake Owen. “Back Where I Come From” by Kenny Chesney. “Amarillo Sky” by Jason Aldean.
What are the most important songs to you? “Stay Gone” by Jimmy Wayne. “Carolina in My Mind” by James Taylor. {I walked down the aisle to this song} “Hate Me” by Blue October.
So you are a funny man. Who is your favorite comedian? Louis C.K. He is the most honest comedian on earth. He doesn’t try to church things up and just tells it how it is.
What is something people should know about you? I hate the excuse/saying, “It must be nice.” I didn’t get handed anything. I worked for things. I don’t have anymore time, skill, or opportunities. I can do the things I wanted to do because I busted my butt.
What are you looking forward to in year 29? I would like to get my E5; God willing and the creek don’t rise. {This is a new rank/promotion.} I am also looking forward to Martin {his best friend} coming home {from Afghanistan}. Applying for a police job-my whole life has built up to this point. And if it all works out getting pregnant. {me not him}
Happy Birthday Hubster! I love you so much, and hopefully we can make this birthday your best yet!
One of my husband’s talents is making up song lyrics to existing song rhythms. This is often how we pass the time on long car trips.
This holiday themed song was set to Miley Cyrus’s “Wrecking Ball.” So sing it along with the tune.
I came in like a Christmas tree.
You were just so big and tall and green.
I covered you in ornaments,
and canes that taste like peppermints.
They grew you till you were 6ft tall,
and cut you down with an axe.
Took you to a tree yard and strapped you to our roof rack.
I just can’t believe I had to pay $15 dollars for a dead tree.
I could go into the woods behind my house,
and get one of you for free.
We have been singing this all week.
I know many of you are wondering why I don’t just record Tom singing this lovely parody, well I am pretty sure I would find my phone in the toilet if that were to occur. He is super creative, but can get a little camera shy. Someday, I will be lucky to do capture these moments. For now, you will just have to use your imagination.
Enjoy humming this tune for the rest of you day. You can’t deny that her songs are catchy.
findingmyyellow.com 