COT...Halfway through

Update: Taking a printer/scanner was a very good call. At one point the copier was out of paper and it saved him (and some flight mates) some headaches. We packed the printer/scanner, new cartridges and a pack of paper for COT/JASOC. I think I'll take another pack of paper for JASOC, just to be safe.

I finally got to see the hubs. On the computer. Today is the halfway point for COT and we were finally able to video chat. I realize people have been doing this for years without the benefit of frequent emails or the occasional cell phone call. It makes me appreciate the connectivity we have these days. 

Streaming isn't allowed on the Maxwell supplied Wi-fi but we got a thingie from Virgin Mobile so he can have his own Internet access. I'm not sure of the data plan but it's very similar to Clear, which wasn't available in Montgomery as of Dec. 2012. He can connect multiple computers and Virgin Mobile offers it month to month so we can cancel once he's finished at Maxwell. We'll probably keep it until we finish the move to allow for any gaps in Internet service at the new base.  There isn't a Virgin Mobile store in ATL but he was able to order it and set it up online before he left. Thank goodness. 

The connection is a little slow and we had to reconnect twice but it was so nice to see his face. 

I'm so happy he has the Internet connection. 

Facetime wouldn't work without the web connection on his iPhone and we didn't have everything set up. We used Google Plus and were able to "Hangout" using the connection on his laptop through the Virgin Mobile device. I've had a Google Plus account since the invitations first went out but this is the first time I've actually used it. I used my iPad but I will charge my Netbook for the next video chat. It was hard to hold the iPad and lift dogs into the frame.

The dogs were very excited to see their daddy. 

Now maybe they will stop being spiteful jerks. They've had some potty training setbacks since the hubs left for Maxwell. It isn't like they're having accidents. They're really going out of their way to show how much they disapprove of the hubs being gone. Two pairs of shoes won't make the move. The shoes were already in a pile to be donated so it wasn't as if they killed my best work shoes. I just made sure the shoes went into the dumpster. You're welcome, Goodwill.

The first week Hubs was gone the dogs seemed miffed but not really devastated. After week one, all of that changed. Week two brought some behavior problems and they slept on his side of the bed...

All day.

There was lots of moping.

I think that they think that I ran him off or made him move out. They were probably fine for the first week because we've traveled and had to be apart for about that time. I think they started getting nervous after the first week when he didn't come back with a suitcase of dirty laundry for them to nap in.

This week they've started running to the door around 5pm-6pm. That was the time he used to come home. They also seem to bark at noises outside more frequently. 

Sometimes they get silly when I mention the word "Daddy".

Zoe is nine years old and no spring chicken. She doesn't really run and prance but she did today. All I said was "Daddy".

And then she took a nap.

Vegetarian Hot and Sour Soup

I crave Hot and Sour Soup when I get sick. I love it when it's so spicy it clears up my sinuses. This is a vegetarian version I've been playing around with. It has egg but you could omit that if you really wanted to. I recommend leaving the egg in the recipe unless you're going for a vegan dish.

The hardest part is the chopping. Once I started chopping I just kept going until I had everything chopped. I put half of everything in a big bowl and put it in the fridge for the next day. Hot and Sour soup on the second day is so much faster. You could just double the recipe and use everything at once.

I always crave this when I'm sick so I usually go for a pretty hot flavor. You can scale back on the pepper and chili garlic sauce and add more to taste.

I find that the trick to a restaurant taste is to let it cook for a long time so the tofu becomes less tofu-y. If you don't mind the tofu taste you can eat it a lot sooner. I think restaurants have a big pot on a burner and they just let it simmer until someone orders it.

Hot and Sour Soup

1 32 oz box Vegetable broth

2 cubes vegetable bouillon

2 cups water

1/4 c rice vinegar

1/8 c low sodium soy sauce

1-2 Tbsp Chili Garlic Sauce, start with 1 tbsp and increase to taste

1 pinch of sugar

1/2-1 tsp of finely ground white pepper

1/2 can of bamboo shoots, cut into matchsticks

1/4 package firm tofu, cut into matchsticks, drain on paper towel

2-3 green onions, chopped

1/2  package of gourmet mushroom blend, further sliced into thin pieces

3 Tbsp of corn starch

3 Tbsp cold water

1 Egg

Slices of green onion and La Choy Fried Rice Noodles to garnish (Optional)

Start with your tofu to give it time to drain.  Cut your tofu into matchsticks and place on a paper towel to drain. 

Add your broth, bouillon, water, vinegar, soy sauce, chili garlic sauce, sugar and pepper to a soup pot. Allow it to come to a boil. Add vegetables and tofu and bring back to a gentle boil. Turn heat to simmer and place a lid on the pot. Allow to simmer for at least an hour. I don't like my tofu to taste like tofu so I cook it until it taste like something else. I left this particular batch simmering for just over two and a half hours. Yum!

In a small bowl or measuring cup, add your corn starch and the cold water and stir. Slowly add this to your pot while stirring. I add it 1/3 at a time, stirring slowly. You may not need all of it. This will thicken it up. Allow it to simmer a while longer for the corn starch to cook up and the soup to thicken.

In a small bowl or measuring cup (I rinsed and reused the same one), beat an egg with a fork. Beat it to within an edge of its life. You don't want any big pieces. Beating is good here.

Now...I have trouble with this part. But slowly stir the soup in one directions. While you are stirring it SLOWLY drizzle in your beaten egg in a small stream.

Continue to cook for another few minutes to make sure the eggs cook up.

Bowl it up with more sliced green onion and the La Choy Fried Egg Noodles on top.

The noodles add a nice crunch!

COT Dorm Room Inspections

Hubs left for COT ten days ago and it seems like he's been gone forever. Please don't confuse me for one of those needy and clingy wives as I am not one. It really does seem like a long time. Part of that could be because I've been fighting a wicked chest cold. I've been feeling really gross but very happy that it isn't the flu. I've also been out of work as my industry shuts down for Christmas and having a hacking crew member is just bad for morale. (Audio equipment is very sensitive.)

Hubs had a dorm room inspection today and his flight failed the test. If you're going to COT I suggest you look up the details for a dorm room and start working on your folding. There is a lengthy list of do's and don'ts and you might save yourself some trouble by planning ahead of time.

Hubs got dinged for having a coffee cup on his desk. Others had more serious infractions resulting in demerits.

There are several video tutorials on the folding of t-shirts, socks, etc. on YouTube. Look for the Air Force ones and try to practice before you leave.

I'm not allowed to send any care packages until they pass room inspection.

Part of my nervous energy over him being gone has been directed towards care packages and cooking soup.

I'm drowning in soup.

I've also put together a lovely package for a friend stationed in Afghanistan.

Next week I may send her my living room couch.

Holy Non-Refundable Pet Fees, Batman

It's my anniversary and Hubs is at Maxwell so I thought I'd do something to perk up my afternoon. I decided to make my hotel reservations for Montgomery for his graduation.

They're such hellions. 

Interesting thing I just discovered. While some hotels in Montgomery allow you to bring pets at least one charges a $100 NON-REFUNDABLE pet fee.

What?

I called.

I asked.

They said it's so they can deep clean the carpets and room once you checked-out.

I know I can board my chihuahuas for less than that. I just want to take the dogs because it's a short enough drive, it will be good PCS practice for the dogs and the hubs misses them terribly.

I'm not doing this to call out a particular brand of hotels for their fine print. I try to limit the snark on my blog, avoid giving scathing reviews and limit that to my other other Twitter account. I'm just pointing this out in case anyone is planning to travel with your pets to any graduations in Montgomery. Check the fine print.

Anyway, if you're going...I hope to meet you there.

And your dogs.

COT Day 3

I've received one text and an email. Things seem super hectic at COT. I wish I started a Facebook page for friends and family for this particular class. We could probably string together the cryptic emails and frantic texts to draw a conclusion about what they're going through. Besides, having someone to toss care package ideas around is always a good thing.

Future COT'ers, take note.

I did put his first care package together. It contained the following:

One pillow from our bed, packed in a Spacebag along with a dryer sheet
One package of Oreos to share with his flight-mates
One package of powdered Gatorade drink mix
One package of 100 Calorie Cocoa Almonds
One package of granola bars
One package of organic fruit leathers
One hand written card with an update on stuff at home...all good news.

In other exciting news...

Hubs forgot to pack his cold and take it with him.

I had a scratchy throat this morning and it got worse over the day.

I bought NyQuil and cough drops at Publix.

I drank my NyQuil out of a shot glass.

Big pimpin'...housewife style.

COT Day 1

I just got a text message that said he was alive and trying to go to bed. While I was tempted to ask him more questions I decided to suck it up and just tell him to kick butt, take names and message me when he could. Sometimes I think being a good wife is about just letting things go and not wanting details.

I sent him off this morning with two suitcases, a gym bag full of towels and his briefcase. I hope he didn't show up looking like a pack mule. Again...sometimes you just need to let it go.

He called about an hour from Maxwell when he realized he forgot some paperwork. It was paperwork he may or may not have needed but to be on the safe side I made a lovely dash to Maxwell and got there about 10 minutes to spare. (Almost three hours in driving with the traffic from Atlanta and the overturned syrup truck...I-85 was sticky...Ha!) My phone was dead, I hadn't showered and I was a hot mess. I was also in my pajamas.

I tossed him the paperwork, he took off and then I went in search of a charger for my iPhone 5.  It's a new phone and I needed a charger but never got around to it. Nothing says needing a charger like being almost three hours from home and wearing pajamas.

I came home, opened a 750ml bottle of Blasphemy beer and hung out with my neighbor, Jason.

Jason's wife is traveling abroad and we've committed to grabbing a meal or sharing leftovers since we're both solo for the next several weeks. Jason's mom is a retired Colonel and he's familiar with the nuttiness. Another neighbor has offered to cook dinner the nights the movers are packing us up. I've had two other neighbors offer to come by for mover oversight duty while they pack our goods.  Living in a condo has its perks.

Lesson learned: Wait until after he leaves before starting the task of purging and cleaning closets. My house needs a good torching, as with a bomb or big set of matches. I started buy had to stop halfway through. I couldn't get anything done last week as we were prepping for COT. Now I'm stuck with piles of clothes, hangers and assorted random all over my house. I don't know which end is up and I would bang my head on the table if I could find it.

Good news: We got the antique furniture out of storage in SC.

Bad news: It's a dusty mess and I needed more time to get it cleaned up. It took longer than expected and we both got sick from all the dust and crazy schedules.

Lesson learned: Check the calendar and plan an early celebration for any big dates he'll miss. We made dinner reservations and celebrated our anniversary last night since he'll miss it later in the month. A nice steak at a great restaurant meant he could relax and I didn't have to cook. I'm guessing Maxwell has great restaurants but taking him to a REALLY great restaurant was a nice send off.