Don't jump to conclusions, this isn't about what you probably think it's about.
When you are in the military, one of the easiest things to decide every day is what to wear. That's probably in part because what you wear is decided for you. You start the morning in your PTs (physical training) with reflective belt and they change into the uniform of the day. Most days, your uniform is ACUs. Other times, you wear ASUs.
The military has everything all laid out for you. They tell you what to wear to work out in, down to the length of the sock and the color of reflective belt. With ACUs, they tell you where to put patches, which arm unit insignia goes on, and which cover (patrol cap or beret) to wear. With ASUs, they tell you which neck wear to put on depending on time of day, where to put medals, what neck wear for time of day, and which cover (beret or service cap) to wear. And if you ever forget where something goes, they have a book with a ruler to help you put it all back on there. The toughest decision you have to make is....well, I can't really think of a tough decision, maybe clip on tie versus one you have to tie yourself.
It is a wonderful thing! Cue this year, where my husband is getting his Masters degree from Columbia University and so gets to wear civilian clothing every day. While many people might be excited about that, it is the opposite for me. We have a year of "does this go with this," "can I wear my suit coat as a blazer," and "is this considered business casual." Civilian clothing is driving me crazy!
When I got married, I realized that there would be challenges, but this was not one that I foresaw. I'm okay with dressing 3 (myself and my 2 kids), but now I have to help dress a fourth! Now granted, this mostly means sending him back into the closet when he doesn't choose wisely, but then there's the shopping which I used to love.
We made a special trip last night to Kohl's to go and get a blazer for a dinner since all Adam had was a suit and didn't want to get that dressed up. Once we finally got to the section with blazers, the "fun" began. The first obvious question of what size are you turned into GoldiAdam and the three jackets with him trying on several jackets to see which one fit just right. Once we finally found a blazer and made it home, we had to go pick out the rest of the ensemble.
This brings up the other bad part of civilian clothing life. You can wear the same pair of ACUs for an entire week before having to wash them, especially if you aren't in the field. With civilian clothing, you have to change out which pants you wear every day and you definitely have to wash the tops after wearing them. This of course creates the hang up pile of clothing that sits on his side of the bed on the floor that he thinks I can't see or something.
While I love the work hours this year, I could really do without the civilian attire. I am ready for Adam to be back in his Army gear starting right after graduation in May! There will still be a need for picking out civilian clothing, but it will be limited to some nights and weekends and not a daily or almost daily adventure. Give me a man who wears a uniform any day!
The military has everything all laid out for you. They tell you what to wear to work out in, down to the length of the sock and the color of reflective belt. With ACUs, they tell you where to put patches, which arm unit insignia goes on, and which cover (patrol cap or beret) to wear. With ASUs, they tell you which neck wear to put on depending on time of day, where to put medals, what neck wear for time of day, and which cover (beret or service cap) to wear. And if you ever forget where something goes, they have a book with a ruler to help you put it all back on there. The toughest decision you have to make is....well, I can't really think of a tough decision, maybe clip on tie versus one you have to tie yourself.
It is a wonderful thing! Cue this year, where my husband is getting his Masters degree from Columbia University and so gets to wear civilian clothing every day. While many people might be excited about that, it is the opposite for me. We have a year of "does this go with this," "can I wear my suit coat as a blazer," and "is this considered business casual." Civilian clothing is driving me crazy!
When I got married, I realized that there would be challenges, but this was not one that I foresaw. I'm okay with dressing 3 (myself and my 2 kids), but now I have to help dress a fourth! Now granted, this mostly means sending him back into the closet when he doesn't choose wisely, but then there's the shopping which I used to love.
We made a special trip last night to Kohl's to go and get a blazer for a dinner since all Adam had was a suit and didn't want to get that dressed up. Once we finally got to the section with blazers, the "fun" began. The first obvious question of what size are you turned into GoldiAdam and the three jackets with him trying on several jackets to see which one fit just right. Once we finally found a blazer and made it home, we had to go pick out the rest of the ensemble.
This brings up the other bad part of civilian clothing life. You can wear the same pair of ACUs for an entire week before having to wash them, especially if you aren't in the field. With civilian clothing, you have to change out which pants you wear every day and you definitely have to wash the tops after wearing them. This of course creates the hang up pile of clothing that sits on his side of the bed on the floor that he thinks I can't see or something.
While I love the work hours this year, I could really do without the civilian attire. I am ready for Adam to be back in his Army gear starting right after graduation in May! There will still be a need for picking out civilian clothing, but it will be limited to some nights and weekends and not a daily or almost daily adventure. Give me a man who wears a uniform any day!
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