...reflect on base life.

A sure sign that you are on a military base is...when the poster for the car wash fundraiser is tacked to a post with a KA-BAR. By the way, there always seems to be a car wash fundraiser on base these days. Fall is right around the corner, and so is the Marine Corps birthday ball. It's the social event of the year. Seriously! Where else can you eat cake that's been sliced with a sword?!

I was driving around on base today thinking about some of the things that are unique to base life. Sure. You see cars running around with "student driver" posted on them in the civilian world. It always makes me a bit nervous. On base, you can see the "student driver" posted on a passing 7-Ton! I stay clear of those guys. I also have no problem yielding to an AAV making its way to the beach. That said, I think my most interesting military driving experience has been following a howitzer up the hill on to base. I was really glad the hitch held!

Here are some more base life moments:

• You show your military ID before paying for groceries.
• 15 MPH speed limits are common and enforced by military police. By the way, 15 MPH is also the top speed of "the world's fastest lawnmower."
  
• You take a number and wait to get called up to the pharmacy window only to be given a new number.
• The closest parking spots at the exchange (department store) are labeled and reserved for high ranking personnel.
• There is a civilian dress code for shoppers or patrons of services like the veterinarian clinic that covers way more than "no shirts, no shoes, no service."
• Make sure that you read all the signs posted at base recreational sights--especially the ones about what to do when you find an unexploded ordnance.
  

There is much, much more, but that's enough for now. 'Just another day in the military wife life!