The Mandatory Photo

A long, long time ago, I lived in Wichita Falls, Texas. In this temporary home, I met my first of many friends, who happens to be a military wife. Brye, an Air Force spouse, taught me a lot about military life and some of that advice, I've taken with me and passed it along to other newbie wives and girlfriends (like I was at the time) in the last seven years.

One piece of advice that stuck with me was the term "mandatory fun." Mandatory Fun is an endearing joking term that encompasses those social events that are organized by your husband's workplace. It may a Friday night party to welcome new folks to a particular command or it's a Sunday afternoon baby shower for the wife of your husband's boss. Some are family-friendly picnics; some are babysitter-required dinners. Mandatory Fun is the social glue that seals military families together. I often wonder if Mandatory Fun happens in the civilian cooperate world. I would love to hear any insight on this one.

Officially Mandatory Fun activities are optional for the spouses, but if you want to spend time with your husband on the weekend, you find yourself there.

On May 19, I found myself at a Mandatory Fun event. It was the annual ball for the base here. It's an opportunity to reflect on military history and tradition. It's a time to introduce yourself to sailors who work with your husband and their spouses. It's a chance to get dressed up for an adult Navy prom.



Mandatory Ball Photo

 For this year's ball, I bought a new dress instead of wearing one of the dresses in my Navy ball closet. I brushed my hair for the first time in days. Heck, I even curled it! I also wore contacts and make-up. Olivia stayed home with a babysitter for the first time since we left Okinawa in February. It was an adult night on the town for this new stay-at-home mom.

In the end, it was a good time with our new Navy friends. It just shows that mandatory fun can simply be fun.

Sailors sing 'Happy Birthday'

October is a busy month in Okinawa. The humidity dropped from 95 to 80 percent, so locals are pulling on sweaters and drinking hot cocoa. I continue to be warm and missing the chilly autumn weather of home. We bought some pumpkin lanterns for Olivia's first Halloween.

I have a lot of blogging to get caught up on ... so much to say about a used kimono sale, sweet potato festival and the world's biggest tug of war. Plus Olivia turned 7 months old and I have a photo of her taken on Oct. 8 somewhere in my computer. I'm still working to locate it.

But first let's recap the Navy Ball, held on Oct. 11.


We joined the dentists, doctors, post office clerks and public affairs officers around the island to celebrate the Navy's birthday.









And while we were at the Navy Ball, Olivia was in good hands, my friend, Diana.