I'm So Sick of This... [Follow-up to "Missing Daddy"]

Originally uploaded by FlyButtafly

You know... as much money as we pay in rent, you'd think they'd come up with a solution for their garbage problem. This really makes me mad. To be honest, right now there are a lot of things about the Navy that I'm pissed about - but for the moment, I'll focus on this "little" issue.

The Navy has a "partnership" with a private company, and they lease out the townhomes in our neighborhood to Military families, who then pay rent to the company based on how much BAH (Basic Allowance for Housing) we get. BAH is based on rank and location - though location of what, I'm not sure - because ours is based on a zip-code that neither my husband works in nor we live in. Go figure.

Anyway - so our little slice of heaven *cough cough* is out in the middle of a marshland. A place that literally looks like they found a tiny piece of property and decided to see how many "houses" (8-plexes, really - or whatever you call them) they could cram in that one area. The streets are so narrow, you're not allowed to park on them (heck, they're barely wide enough for two cars to pass each other). In fact, you are only allowed to park in your driveway or garage - the garage which barely fits your vehicle (you can't open the back of our van with the garage door closed, when it's parked in there), and the driveway which is large enough for the minivan if you park within a couple inches of hitting the garage door - and even then your bumper is just about over the sidewalk. There are a few "guest" parking spots scattered around the neighborhood, but they're just about always full, and it's a common sight to see cars, trucks, what-have-you parked half on the sidewalk or grass and half in the street; just because there's nowhere to park!

Oh, and did I mention that it is over 8 miles from here to the Navy base where (I'd assume) the majority of the Military members living in this housing work? That may not seem like much (unless you are like us who were used to actually living on base, or within 3 miles of it) except you have to take I-5 to get there. So those 8 1/2 miles take you 30-50 minutes depending on traffic. And if one of the bridges you have to cross to get there is closed, well, count on another 20 minutes of waiting. And, it just so happens that to call anywhere except (literally) down the road, is long distance. That means, to call my husband on the ship, or any office that I might need to call on base, or - well - pretty much anywhere, I have to pay either for monthly long distance service, and fees, or have a phone card that I have to keep recharging. And that may seem petty and silly to complain about; but when you have no choice, it's pretty darn frustrating. I guess I'm a little more upset about it than maybe others who didn't come from living on base - but let me tell you, the money the Navy gives us for housing does *not* go nearly far enough.

Anyway, back to this little issue. There's only one way into the neighborhood. And this eyesore sits right at the entrance/exit (well, once you drive down the long street that eventually gets you here). Looks pretty ghetto, doesn't it? Well this is what happens when you cram a huge amount of Navy/Military families into a tiny piece of property, and then tell them that the only place to throw away their garbage is in this little compactor that sits behind the fence. So they have two dumpsters you can put your cardboard in. Big deal! How fast do you think this thing fills up? I mean, it's ridiculous. I have 3 bags of garbage sitting in my house waiting to be taken out, because I'm not going to go throw them on the pile. Instead, I have to put them in my garage just to get them out of sight. And in order to throw them away, I have to either hope for a sunny day so we can put the garbage in the wagon and take my four kids for a walk down here, or put everybody in the van and throw the garbage bags in the back and drive them down. We don't have a garbage can, because when we lived on base they provided them for us, and actually came and *picked up* the garbage like a regular civilized neighborhood. Heck - we wouldn't have room to keep a garbage can anyway! And get this - there is a regular garbage truck that drives down the long road that leads here, and actually picks up the garbage of the regular people who live in regular houses on the regular street. But for us... we get the overflowing garbage compactor; that has an opening that is neck-high for me, and you have to heave the garbage up, over, and into. A 6 1/2mo. pregnant woman heaving a filled garbage bag over her head to get it into the compactor... I bet that's an interesting sight! (It also means that I can't just send my son down here to throw the garbage out, like I could if we had a regular dumpster like when we lived in our first apartment.)

It's really just ridiculous how many issues there are with this company... Oh, did I tell you they towed my husband's car a couple weeks ago??? Apparently because it had a flat. My husband's car, which I can't drive anywhere with four kids (it's a Corolla) and he's on deployment so what was I supposed to do? He had it parked on base for the longest time, but brought it home the one Sunday he had before going back on restriction for refusing the anthrax vaccine and then being deployed. I didn't really have a chance to check on it, but the tire wasn't flat when he drove it home obviously (I assume that was the reason because when I picked it up the tire was completely flat). I got a notice in the mail from the towing company, but it was almost a week after it had been towed, because - like the garbage compactor - our mailboxes are all at the entrance and the kids and I had all been very sick all week and hardly able to get out of bed. When I did find out, it was a Friday night, so I had to wait and talk to the manager the next Monday morning. He was very kind and when I had explained the circumstances he cut the amount that I'd have to pay to retrieve it by over $100. Even still, I had no clue how the heck I was going to pick it up from the impound - but my mother graciously came up on short notice and helped me go get the car and get everything taken care of.

As it was though, it ate a big hole in our paycheck. What with that and groceries, and rent... I literally had nothing left. I haven't paid a single bill yet this month (except my insurance which comes out automatically) - and get this, our next paycheck is supposedly only going to be about $126.

I am not kidding.

Back when he refused the vaccine, my husband was threatened with a reduction in rank and a docking of 1/2 months' pay for two months. When he went for his second CO's mast, he was told that the threat was now reality - he was no longer a second class but was reduced to third class, and the fine would be instituted. He tried to get documentation for me to give the manager of our neighborhood to prove his reduction in rank, because that would affect the amount of BAH we were given and also our rent amount. Nobody could find the paperwork anywhere. (Leave it to the Navy to screw up essential paperwork...) I still don't have the paperwork, in fact.

Well, we kept waiting for the fine to show up, and everything pay-wise continued as it was before. Until a few days ago, when I checked his LES. I don't have to tell you that my jaw about hit the floor. Now, first of all, when they fine you it is in the instruction that the fine is supposed to be worded in whole dollar amounts - not fractions of pay like "1/2 of one month's pay for two months". Yet that is exactly how it was worded in the documents we have (the fraction). So right off, that's not right. How am I supposed to budget when I have no idea how much he's going to be getting paid? Do I have to go research what an E4 with his time in service gets paid and then deduct half and figure out the taxes and all myself? And as far as I knew, they're supposed to only take half a paycheck at a time. Not pay you a full check (which is one-half months' pay, since we get paid in the middle and at the end of the month) and then nothing. Or next to nothing. Except that's the problem - according to what my husband found out, the paycheck after that is going to be something like $8 and change. What??? So my husband, along with all his other duties on board ship, is now trying to figure out how and what this is all about, and get it fixed. And I in the meantime am sitting here trying to figure out how the heck I'm going to pay any of my bills, let alone buy basic necessities for the next month.

Oh, and I didn't mention that they're flying him home very soon. Yep, he already signed his discharge papers (can you believe it, they're giving him an Honorable!!! With all the rest of this crap, that is one big shining piece of awesome news!!!) and he'll be home in time for our anniversary! Of course, I have to figure out how I'm going to have enough gas to get him from the airport, and then to work, etc. etc. etc...

One of the other big things about the pay issue is they're not supposed to be allowed to touch our allotments. Things such as BAH. That is something not considered "basic pay" and so isn't supposed to be figured in to the amount being taken. So why and how are they *not* paying us??? Leave it to PSD and they'll screw it up big time. I can't tell you the number of times they've screwed up our pay through the almost 6 years of our marriage... and it always ends up biting us in the rear. Let me tell you, I'd just like to get a hold of the ear of the person who did this and give him/her a piece of my mind. When it comes to something as vital as pay, you'd think the Navy would try to be a little more conscientious and careful - but they screw that up more than anything else that I can think of. We're far from the only ones to have had issues with pay...

Oh, and to top it all off. My husband was told, point blank, that at his check out with the CO, he was "not allowed to mention anything religious i.e God, Jesus or any religious topics."

Excuse me??? Is someone forgetting that the whole reason my husband refused the vaccine was because it violates his religious beliefs??? What country is this my husband dedicated 9 1/2 years to serving???

Flickr Launches Video!!!

When I first heard flickr was thinking about launching video, I was less than impressed. Like many others, I was afeared they would turn it into another incarnation of YouTube; or that the hordes who already upload *ahem* restricted content as "safe and public" would suddenly find a new playground for their less-than-family friendly video content. I was actually dreading it.

Then over time, the idea started to appeal to me more. A place I could upload the short videos I take (not very often, granted) of my kids outside or whatever. And then I got invited to take part in the secret beta testing phase and I was hooked. I've already found a ton of videos from the others who tested that I adore. And the idea that my husband (who is currently on deployment on a ship out in the Pacific somewhere) would get to watch videos of his children while he's gone - it was a dream come true.

Then I find out today he can't get flash player on the ship's computers, so bummer. :(

But anyway, now everyone *else* can see the videos, including his grandparents and other family members who live across the country, or my mom who lives across the water, or whomever I want to share them with!

Naturally there is a pretty big outcry going on in the Forum, where all sorts of things are being said, faster than I can keep up with. The regular doomsayers and "I'm leaving flickr right now as soon as I get my money back!!!" type of posts of course... but there are at least some sane people in there too. Not all of them are thrilled but at least they've got enough common sense to try to calm the hysteria of the others... though I don't know if it's exactly working. You know, when someone thinks the sky is falling...

Anyway, here is the very first video I uploaded to flickr. I hope you enjoy. :) It isn't very good quality, taken with my P&S back in '05. My daughter and husband having a "conversation" at Chuck E. Cheese's:



And a couple of my other favorite videos from around the flickrsphere:

Narcoleptic Cat - I think this is fast becoming the number 1 most popular flickr video so far. :D

I have a recorder! - a super cool pairing of lightplay, an adorable little one, and awesome editing. :)

Chicken - it's hilarity is it's pointlessness; I mean, it's just funny. Period. Ha!

No Chips For Me

For the longest time, "chipping" people has been touted as a "safety measure" but I've never bought into that idea. There's been much talk about privacy concerns over the RFID system - which has been used in everything from US Passports, to clothing tags sold in stores; in gas station cards and the FastPay system. And it's exactly the same technology they want to insert into people's bodies, and are already doing so - under the guise of security.



Please.

Winter Soldier II

Missing Daddy

Originally uploaded by FlyButtafly

Greg left for another at-sea period back in early January. He came home the night of Feb. 14, and went on leave the next day - 13 wonderful days of having him at home all day and night. So obviously I was spending my time with him and the kids rather than on flickr. ;) We got a lot done around here - it was awesome to be able to enjoy the sunshine we had for most of the time he was home, and we got some spring cleaning done, and took the kids out to the park, and just enjoyed actually being together again. Knowing once he went back to work... it would probably be a very very long time till we saw him again.



Because last week, he checked off leave, and onto restriction. See, the day after he reported back, he had his Captain's Mast. For refusing the anthrax vaccine. Not for the usual reasons - most cases we've found have been for objections to the validity of the vaccine, the inherent dangers of the vaccine and the documented side effects, et. al. While we are fully aware of *all* of the controversy surrounding the anthrax vaccine (and other vaccines as well - I read a book back in October, after he had rather unwillingly gotten the small pox one, entitled Vaccinations - Deception and Tragedy and I strongly urge you to read it, especially if you have kids) the reason my husband refused (as well as refusing the flu vaccine) was for religious reasons. To be honest, he felt strongly convicted to refuse the small pox vaccine - he waffled over it and argued with himself over it, but ended up receiving it - and had a very severe reaction. I have yet to find out if the doc Chief used the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System to document my husband's problems with it. Starting about a week after he received the vaccine, he began experiencing extreme headaches and nausea. He developed chills and vomiting, and ended up Sick in Quarters for a full day, and in sick bay early the next morning when he nearly passed out in the "head" (ship's bathroom) after taking a shower. His fever nearly reached 104, and he was put on an IV. They nearly medevac'd him off the ship. Kind of a confirmation for him that God had been trying to tell him something. Well, it got his attention.



So as a result of his "disobeying a direct order" to receive the anthrax vaccine, he was put on 10 days restriction and concurrent extra duty, as well as fined 1/2 mos. pay for 2 mos. and reduced one rank. The fine and reduction in rank was suspended for two weeks, presumably to give him time to "reconsider". Which they've been trying to get him to do for weeks and weeks. He told them up front when he refused the flu vaccine that he'd be refusing the anthrax one as well. And of course, using threats and cajoling and whatever means "necessary" they are determined that he will get the vaccine. Even though he submitted a statement outlining his religious First Amendment rights to freedom of expression of religion, stating it was a sincerely held religious belief, etc. etc. etc. But in the Navy, there apparently is no room for religious belief - when it comes to certain agendas. They grant medical exemptions if necessary - but my husband couldn't find one way of even requesting a religious exemption. They tried to find a different excuse to pin this on him - wondering if he were trying to get out of deployment or if he is "afraid" to get the shot.



I can assure you neither is the case. My husband always wanted to get to go over to the Middle East... always wanted to be part of that mission. When he was a submariner, and his brother was serving in the Army in Iraq, that was my husband's biggest regret - that he couldn't be over there as well, helping "do something". Obviously it sucks to go away for months at a time, especially when I'm going to have this baby right in the middle of it all - but he has always wanted to feel a part of the bigger picture and we were fully prepared for him to go on this deployment. As far as being afraid - well I can tell you my husband has no fear about this. What have we to fear? It's not like being in the Navy isn't dangerous anyway. It's not like he's never faced risk - he was a nuke for a few years, and then worked on ICBMs for 5 years, and made several strategic deterrence patrols, as a Missile Tech for heaven's sake! Afraid of a shot? He knows where he'll end up if anything happens to him. I know if anything happens I'll see him again when this is all over, up there. We're not afraid of death or pain or disease or a needle prick.



We are however, afraid of a mighty God who has convicted my husband (and myself) that taking the shot would be wrong. How can he be asked to violate his conscience? Because he took one shot when he knew he shouldn't, even though he asked God's forgiveness, and vowed to not disobey God's voice in the future? How can he violate his own Constitutional right, that he swore to uphold and defend, to the death if necessary? He is risking his life defending everyone else's rights - well he has some too! And he's taking a stand.



Regardless, the Navy is also taking a stand. He signed his second order to receive the shot, today. He is required to get the shot Monday morning, or face another CO Mast. I can guarantee you what his decision will be, come Monday. (Like it's changed.) And he'll possibly be reduced in rate again and eventually discharged under "Other than Honorable" conditions.



Well, if that's what has to happen, that's the risk my husband is willing to take. Because he believes in the Constitution; he believes in his God-given right to follow his conscience and the will of God for him; and we stand with him. They allow people to be conscientious objectors, but they don't allow people to refuse a vaccine based on a religious belief, even though he has a high work standard, has served honorably for over 9 years, and loves his country and is devoted to his duties as a Navy Sailor.



There is something seriously wrong here.



Even through all of the anger and frustration with the whole process that we are going through - it's amazing what God is doing at the same time. We have always wanted and prayed to be people who "live by faith". Yet the Navy has always been our "provider" - both of us were Navy brats; then he joined the Navy right out of high school, and I married him only a year after I lost my dependency status from my father (who was retired by then). So here we are now, not having a clue what is really going to happen - when or if he'll be kicked out, what he's going to do for a job when that happens (even if he's kept in, which might happen, his contract is up next March) and what we're going to do to get through the next couple months. Yet God is faithful, and every single day God confirms in one way or another to both of us (in separate ways) that He is here, watching over us; that we made the right decision, and that He *will* take care of us. I've always admired Hudson Taylor and George Müller for their lives of extreme faith. I've always wanted to have that full dependence upon God. Well, here's our chance! God makes it obvious every day that He is leading us; and while we don't know where to, we are excited for what *will* be. How do you know how strong your faith is? How does your faith get stronger? Only through tests and tribulations - when you're *forced* to rely on God, and only God. People go through it in many different ways - well, this is ours. While we are fighting this battle against the order to receive the vaccine, we also realize that it is in God's hands. And we can only do what we can do, and leave the rest to God. He is ultimately in control, and just like he led the Israelites through the desert while providing them protection and food and water, he will lead us through this.



But I will say it *totally sucks* to have him stuck on the ship while they're in port, and very near deployment. His 10 days will be up Sunday (though somehow the command has it in their minds that it goes *through* Sunday, but somebody counted wrong - I guess they forgot it was leap year?) so he will get to come home and go to church one last time before he presumably gets restricted again on Monday and then leaves sometime later for deployment. If they somehow refuse (which I don't see how they can) to allow him to have his ID card back and leave the ship, we will at least be allowed to see him on the ship - they allow families of those restricted to visit on Sunday. That's when I took this shot - last Sunday when we visited. We were all so happy to spend some time together... even if it's in a tiny ventilated space that smells like diesel and "the ship" (when you've been on one, you'll know what smell I'm talking about. But at least it's not amine - Oooooh amine. The wonderful *cough* smell unique to submarines... that infiltrates everything and never quite goes away...)



There is one other question we have - given that apparently you can't go in "high risk" areas without the vaccine, and my husband really has no choice but to steadfastly refuse it - how can they restrict him to the ship even during that time that they are in those areas? I don't think they can, honestly. Every case I've found they've processed the person off the ship. So who knows. Maybe they won't have him make the entire deployment after all. I don't have a clue. I just know, God has him where he is for a purpose - and he'll be there until that purpose, whatever it is, is fulfilled. And then we'll just follow God's leading wherever He takes us - and we'll do it knowing he did the right thing, he obeyed God when it counted - with no regrets.

Edit: UPDATE:


Monday he had his second CO mast where he was reduced in rank and fined and restricted to the ship for 45 days. Of course, they're deploying much much sooner than that. We have no idea what is going to happen either way; we just know he's not allowed to get off the ship at any point when they're in port during Westpac (unless it's to fly home I guess). And no idea what kind of discharge he'll get either. The Military is just not the Military it used to be, I'll say that. I read a story about a guy in the Coast Guard who refused a vaccine because it was made from a cell line from an aborted baby (you'd be amazed how many vaccines are made this way!) and he was told that his religious belief wasn't sufficient reason to refuse the vaccine. Story here. It's absolutely ridiculous the way the Military treats its servicemembers when it comes to a Christian belief... but the lengths they go to, to accomodate people of other beliefs... it's infuriating.

Silly Southern Song

Someone on flickr linked to this - it's hilarious, but you probably don't want to listen while you're eating. ;) The quality of the video isn't the best, of course.