http://www.navalgazing.com the perspective of a military family . . . the narcissism of a blog Wed, 02 Jul 2008 12:11:43 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en General Casey does not watch Army Wives.  Or at least would not admit it to a reporter who was standing next to him. http://www.navalgazing.com/2008/07/02/he-must-have-something-else-to-do/ Tonight we attended an exclusive screening of Army Wives at Walter Reed.  It was held to kick off the Fourth of July weekend and to honor America's servicemen and women and their families.  Two of the show's stars attended -- Sally Pressman, who plays Roxy, and Brigid Brannagh, who plays Pamela. I ... http://www.navalgazing.com/2008/07/02/screening-of-army-wives-at-walter-reed/ Our daughter, Citrus, is almost three years old.  It seems like only yesterday that she was not much larger than a rich amber ale. Soon she will be transitioning into pre-K at the base CDC (Child Development Center), which has been great place for her the last year and a half.  ... http://www.navalgazing.com/2008/06/30/mission-child-care/ Here was Flat Mommy in the shower. It just wasn't the same. http://www.navalgazing.com/2008/06/29/flat-mommy-the-lost-files/ In Virginia Beach, even ye olde predatory lenders are quaint.          But they are not as welcoming as this store in Sioux City that I spotted days after graduating in 2000 and driving across the country to meet Elysia at her first duty station in Bremerton, Washington.   Congratulations Class of 2000 Now WIC ... http://www.navalgazing.com/2008/06/28/hard-times/ WAVY-TV in Virginia covered the Military Spouse Symposium last week and a cameraman got footage from a breakout session I attended.  It was fairly intimate with about twenty people in the audience.  The 2-minute news report is here, but below are screen captures of the four crowd shots: A distant shot of the panel.  ... http://www.navalgazing.com/2008/06/27/hmmm/ While visiting Virginia Beach I went to the Military Officers Association of America's (MOAA) Military Spouse Symposium.  I figured that after 8 years of Elysia being in the Navy I would actively try to meet other spouses.  They certainly weren't finding me! My experience thus far is that male civilian spouses ... http://www.navalgazing.com/2008/06/24/military-spouse-symposium/ On our way to the Virginia Beach Viva Elvis festival on Saturday it rained heavily, but around 4pm . . . a miracle.  The clouds opened up and the Skydiving Kings fell from the sky.  Here is Elysia posing for an "I Want You . . . to be the King" poster.  ... http://www.navalgazing.com/2008/06/24/the-king-and-ng/ We are back in Virginia Beach for a mini-vacation to the place we called home for almost two years.  It, and nearby Norfolk, are places we never wanted to visit.  And then the Navy moved us here.  Our first weekend here we were driving to the base and a dog ran in and ... http://www.navalgazing.com/2008/06/20/greetings-from-virginia-beach/ On Saturday we visited Larriland Farm to pick strawberries.  It is the end of the season and there were not many left, but we did find a few without bugs.  They are not organic but do practice Integrated Pest Management, which means that they rotate the crops to make sure ... http://www.navalgazing.com/2008/06/15/e-i-e-i-o/