It was the spring of 1984. It took the mercy of my brother and the desperation of his girl-starved friends, but the impossible happened: I got a real date to my Senior prom. My brother was three years older than me and was in his third year at the US Naval Academy. His friends seemed…
Military Life
The Duke and Duchess
It was the spring of 1983. I had only been asked out a couple of times since my first disappointing kiss during my sophomore year, and none of the dates were anything to write home about. Despite the unfavorable odds against me, I couldn’t quell my teenage optimism and believed that I would soon meet…
Memories of Prom
I just received pictures of my niece posing in the front yard of her house before prom last weekend. She looked so pretty in a stunning vintage green gown. The more I looked at the photo, the older I felt, but I also I sensed a strange mix of reflective excitement, embarrassment and revulsion as…
Buying Culture
One might think that families with moderate incomes would stick to strict budgets, right? Nope. Persons living overseas who spend significant cash on travel would not have the resources to buy frivolous items, right? Nah. Military folks who move every two to three years would not want to accumulate many breakable or irreplaceable objects, right?…
What I believe about Hell and hand baskets