I think, as military spouses, there should be some kind of recognition system. Something similar to what the Boy Scouts/Girl Scouts have. Merit badges, if you will.
For instance...a few months ago, I had a run in with my kitchen sink . I won that round. (Me: 1 Deployment Gremlins: 0)
Fast forward to the Christmas holiday. Some wayward pineapple rinds stopped the whole show up again.
We got it running again but just a few days later, it stopped up again.
So out came the pipe wrench, the buckets, the towels. Two hours, a trip
to the hardware store, one raped sink in the garage, and several cuss
words later...and the sink is running free again!
I think I deserve TWO merit badges for that one. Not only for my
ability to handle the crisis (and not call the landlord at 7pm on a
Friday night) but also my ingenuity when I realized that I had bought
the wrong sized part for the sink and that the hardware store was
closed (which necessitated the raping of the utility sink in the
garage).
Me: 2 Deployment Gremlins: 0
Now I am working on my auto mechanic's merit badge. The air
conditioning compressor on the Pathfinder is dead. To have the mechanic
replace it would run me about $700-$800. I found the part on eBay for
$150 and I'm now in the process of trying to get the old one out so I
can put the new one in. My biggest problem (besides finding time
between the persistent rain and the 2 ankle-biters that keep demanding
my attention) is getting enough torque to loosen the bolts that hold
the compressor to the car. THIS is why I need MacGyver! My hope is that
I can get this done before he gets home.
I even have the a/c recharging kit - a guy from church was PCSing and
couldn't take it with him. When he came over to borrow our mini fridge
for a few days, he saw that I was working on the compressor and gave me
his unused recharging kit. Woohoo! If I can do this myself, it will
save us about $600. Works for me!
I wonder if there is a market out there for Military Spouse Merit Badges? What merit badges are you eligible for??
Pau.
- hfs
