General Ramblings of an Army Wife

I am a little old to be new to the military lifestyle.  Most Army wives my age have spent the past 15-20 years acclimating to the culture.  Sometimes, I feel like I need a little help while navigating through our new life.  Up until this point I have two unwritten rules, which I explain later.

I was garage sale-ing ( is that a real word, even?) on Saturday and picked up a copy of this book to help me out.  I was so happy to have it all laid out in book form!

I got quite a deal, apparently.  I paid fifty cents, and Amazon lists it for $25.  

Anyone who truly knows me may ask...why do I want to follow the rules, not normally being a rule follower by nature? Mind you, I refuse to try to fit in for political gain.  I am not one who could ever  "kiss up" to further my husband's career.  That is my #1 unwritten rule.   I don't want to pretend to be someone I am not. However, engrained in my mind is something I read about how a military spouse is a  reflection of their soldier, and one should act accordingly. 

My #2 unwritten rule up until this point, since I am not really sure of all the proper etiquette, is to always wear a simple dress at any function, even if stopping by the office.  "You can never go wrong in a dress (I can hear my mother's words echo in my head)."

Well, let me just tell you that this book did me wrong last night!  Not tragically wrong.  No, I didn't embarrass the good name of my husband.  But I was a tad underdressed!  I was invited to a Farewell "Coffee" for the Brigade Commander's wife.  My husband is a battalion chaplain, so the Brigade Commander is a level above his commander, if that makes sense.  I am still learning how all the ranking works myself!  Above the Brigade Commander, is the Division Commander.  He is a General.  And it was the General's wife who was hosting.  The spouse who was moving on is one of the most gracious, kind and benevolent people I have ever met.  I have not been very good at attending spouse events, I usually make up excuses as to why I can't go.  Then I feel guilty afterwards.  I dread these social functions, which of course does not make me a very good Army wife.    But this event was different.

I wanted to attend this event because I really like the woman.  And after the last memorial service that James preached at, she genuinely raved about his homily.   His sermonette was a bit of a risk, and it was either going to be a total failure or a masterpiece.  He spoke about the video game, Call of Duty and tied the mission of the game in beautifully with how soldiers need to work together and be each other's lifeline. The soldier who died had been a huge gamer. Not everyone would appreciate James' mastery and his usage of a video game at such a somber event, but she commented about how his type of thinking is exactly what the soldiers needed.  Of course she was endeared to my heart after that.

The invitiation said the dress was Casual.  (Not Texas Casual, just Casual).  So, I looked up in the above book what Casual entails in the military lifestyle.   Jeans, sandals, pants, not sloppy, but CASUAL.  I got this, I thought.  I wore jeans, a nice tank, a pearl bracelet, I actually put on makeup and tamed my wild hair, too.  I looked presentable and fresh.  Minus the scarf and jacket (way too hot for that), my look was somewhat like the outfit below.

I arrive at the General's house and guess what?  There were spouses wearing cocktail dresses!  Not all, but a handful, and the majority of other women wore casual dresses.  There were a few women who wore pants and jeans, so I wasn't a total sore thumb.  I actually found it amusing.  Who wears a cocktail dress to a casual event anyway?  Perhaps since it was at a high ranking officer's house, any type of dress should be stepped up a notch.  I don't know, I am a little clueless, like I said before.

Oh, but the food!  It was amazing!  I wish I could have taken photos and shared them on pinterest.  The plates were beautiful and laid out in several rooms in a perfectly composed fashion.  

Here are some similar foods I found online...  cantalope in shot glasses

I had to have a tiny lamp chop!  I love lamb and rarely get a taste.

Marinated tomato and mozzerella kabobs...

And in every little nook were shot glasses filled with marinated shrimp and olives and cheese, tiny cups of middle eastern rice dishes and Mediterranean noodles.  Huge decadent brownies, as well.  

And some of these tiny grape leaf appetizers too.  

 The hostess was extremely friendly and approachable as well.   And seriously, no one was judging me based on what I wore.  I was able to spend some time speaking to several ladies I know pretty well.   And to top it off, I had a couple of sips of an amazing Jalapeno white wine!  Spicy and dry, and from Virginia, not a local winery.  

Yet another misadventure in the life of this Army wife.  My motto continues to be, "Live and learn and enjoy every day of this beautiful life!"