I went to a spouse meeting at the command a few days ago. It was advertised as a “pre-deployment” meeting, but was in fact a “Command Informational” meeting. There was a lot of information that I already knew, but it was nice to people watch. One thing that I saw that bothered me (and even I was sorta guilty of this) was that there was a “new” girl there who didn’t really know anyone. She stood by the door and no one – not even her OMBUDSMAN – came over to say hello. I smiled and nodded at her, but I was in a conversation with hubby and another person who works with him. I sat down at her table with another woman and we got to chatting. She had never met her OMBUDSMAN and wasn’t on her mailing list yet.
Later on, after the meeting the girls OMBUD. was chatting up several wives and slowly making her way to the back of the room. I really hope this poor girl got to meet (finally!) her OMBUDSMAN.
Can’t people just be a little tiny more approachable and not just hang out with other “higher ups” and their wives? I mean, it’s the old Enlisted vs. Officer wives again it seems. It’s the OMBUDSMANs job to be a liaison to the command for all the wives under her – so they need to be open, friendly and approachable!
If you decide to buy your own home you have to remember that you will be responsible for everything and anything that could go wrong with your house. If you have to PCS without selling your home first and end up having to rent it out you are not only responsible for everything and anything that could go wrong – you have to deal with it (even with a manager) from a distance.
One important thing you should get when you buy your own – and especially if you rent it out – is a home warranty plan. That way, if anything goes wrong or breaks, it is covered by the plan with only a small deductable, instead of hundreds of dollars.
Make sure you know how to get in contact with contractors if something bigger goes wrong with the house. We own a house in Florida – where hurricanes are common. So we need to know how to hire someone to fix things like the windows or the roof if something happens. We have a management company handling our house rental, but I am incredibly hands on.
Some things to think about if you need to hire a contractor such as a roofing contractor (or any other contractor); is to call around and get several numbers. Do an internet search, open the phonebook or even call the person who sold you the house to see if they know of any. Don’t just get one quote – get several quotes. Make sure in their quotes they include removal of the old roof. Ask for photos of previous projects so you can see what they have done. Don’t forget to also ask for references! When you finally decide to hire a contractor make sure that your contract specifies full cost, payment schedule, start date and completion date. If you are in the DC area – check out this Annapolis, MD Roofing Contractor. They have a nice website with a lot of information for you to use while considering different contractors.
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