Ok, lets talk about family unit days. This is something that has been on my mind since April and I just haven't had a chance to write about it. What is prompting me to write about it now? I am on a military chat board and the topic has come up.
Most unit family days or FRG family days are geared towards families with kids. You don't have kids you are kind of the odd duck. So most of the time I am the ugly duckling. Right now with both units I don't know many people. Well, honestly, I don't know any with the IA unit (Individual Augment, basically he is part of two units, the unit he is deployed with and the home unit), and our home unit it's a few, but they don't always come to the events either. It's not that I haven't tried. But with the Marine being an IA, I don't know the people with the IA unit, and we were only with the home unit for a short time that I didn't get a chance to meet everyone there. Then there is the fact that the units always do things when I am a working. So I can't make it those nights. So it has been a bit of a slow process.
Another thing is that they have been doing banner making parties when most of the Marines have been there only for a few months. Odd. Or at least odd to me, I can't go and make a banner when I have 1/2 to 3/4 of the seriously long deployment ahead of us. I don't want to store it for the majority of the deployment. I'll also forget where I put it. That's why, being the procrastinator that I am, I will make the sign the night before he comes home! (Yes, I did this for the last deployment. I was in denial about him coming home, I just didn't believe it because he had been gone for 13 months and the fact that they didn't inform the IA families. That's a whole different story!)
There are wives groups and they usually meet at least once a month, but again they ALWAYS meet on nights I'm working. They apparently have a thing for Tuesdays and Thursdays! So I rarely go to those, and then they plan things like a Beauty Swap. Seriously, not my kind of fun, maybe for them but not me. I just want to meet, talk, eat, and have a glass of wine. Make it easy ladies! Simple is good, really. Or do a wine tasting, or a ghost walk (yes, I have suggested those to no avail). But 2 Beauty Swaps in a year, come on now! Fashion is not my thing. Give me my jeans and t-shirt and I am happy. I don't dress to impress (I dress appropriate all the time), I'll dress nice when I need to, but I will not dress up for the Generals wife when the invite says casual. She DOESN'T care what you are wearing, if she does she is not worth your time or concern. Just my 2 cents on that, I do have a great Admiral wife story that I'll tell another time.
In all honesty unit family days are great, I don't mind them, normally I enjoy them especially if I know the people! But sometimes I wish they had more adult friendly or adult only events that aren't on Tuesday and Thursday. It's funny they seem to have more when the Marines are here, and when they are gone they are few and far between.
Now, please don't think that I don't do anything with the units. I do when I can! This weekend I am going to a event, it looks like it will be great! I'll tell you about it when I get a chance. This one is actually just for spouses. This event is actually done by CREDO, which is run by the Navy Chaplains.
My advice, go to any and all events that you can. You never know who you will meet. Your next best friend might be there and they may or may not have kids. Don't exclude yourself because you don't have kids, and don't decide you can't become friends with someone if they have kids. The events are what you make of them.
"Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we're here we should dance." ~Author Unknown
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