Meet the Member Mondays- Shan Shan W.

Hi! My name is 

Shan Shan Ward, and my husband, Matt Ward, is an MS2 Air Force. We were married in February this year, and we have a little one due next year in March! Matt is not prior service, but he did attend the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.

I went to school at Colorado College, where I received a B.A. in Dance. It was a lot of fun and a lot of hard work. I love to dance, to eat food, to cook food, to read about food, to read other (non-food) books, to hike to tall places, to research family history, and to make random things myself (as opposed to buying premade). I think I especially like that I gain skills from learning how to make things myself. I have a short attention span, but I love to see a project to finish. Also, aesthetically pleasing things just make me happy. :)

I moved a lot growing up, so I don’t really have a “from” besides where family is. So far I’ve lived in… (ready for it?) New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Florida, Colorado (where I met my husband), and now here in Maryland.  And my parents weren't part of the military either! Now I consider home wherever my loved ones are.

My experience as a military spouse has been great so far, but I haven’t been a military spouse for very long. I’m still pretty clueless about where to go or what the acronyms mean, but luckily there’s other spouses I can ask. I planned to be a full-time stay at home mom once kids came into the picture, so I don’t feel like I’ve had to give up anything about my life/career to support Matt. We’re excited about the places we’ll be stationed in the future (maybe not so much about the packing and unpacking…), and we look forward to the many other adventures that will come!

Meet The Member Mondays- Sylvia B

Sylvia Brown

Married to Sterling Brown (Army) with two children, Isaac & Jehmon 

Where are you “from”? Where do you consider “home”? -> Texas for both, I consider myself a "misplaced Texan" since we've moved quite a bit. 

What’s your educational background? Bachelors in Business Administration in Information Systems from the University of Texas at San Antonio; Master's in Public Administration from John Jay College of Criminal Justice CUNY (City University of New York); 

What are your hobbies/interests? Sewing, listening to all kinds of music, crafting, finding interesting things on Pinterest

How long have you and your spouse been married/together? 9 years

Does your spouse have any prior service? yes,as of now has 17 years in the Army having been enlisted and then getting a direct commission as an officer. 

 Where has he/she been stationed? Korea, Bosnia (twice), Iraq, Ft Hood (3+), KS, NY, MD

What kind of experience have you had so far as a military spouse? It's been unique. Have met wives from all walks of life, from all over the world. I have gotten a new perspective on all sorts of things and have had many interesting experiences. 

 

Do you feel the military is responsive to your needs as a family and your individual concerns about quality of life, pay, benefits, etc.? 

It has gotten better. When I first married my husband, there wasn't really anyone to walk me through what services are available. Now that I am more 'seasoned', I make sure that if there is a new wife that doesn't know what is available, or that looks a bit lost, I shell out all my knowledge and direct them to the resources, and he/she can pick and choose what they feel fits the needs of their family. That's been one of my missions, especially here in MD, where some spouses are fresh out of joining the service and need help. 

Any positive or negative experiences you want to share?

 In general, I think, a spouse will have both experiences. I believe one should go with the flow when living this lifestyle because it's not an easy one. You really have a love/hate relationship with the service and sometimes you really need to throw in the towel and let it be. Other times, you need to grab the bull by the horns and take charge of whatever situation is presented to you as a spouse of the service member. I have been on both ends and I have made it through some tough times. The great thing about it is, you have some really great spouses that become your family and they help you through it all. Whether it is just listening to you rant or vent, or taking you out for an evening of fun, or whatever, you meet some great people that help you through.

Holiday Cookie Exchange

Love is in the air!
...Oh wait, that's just cookie dough.

There's nothing like an early snow to get you excited about turning on the oven and whipping together that family holiday cookie recipe (or maybe just popping apart some pre-made cookie dough!). In the spirit of our upcoming holiday cookie exchange, here are some ideas to get your creative juices flowing if you're a kitchen master... and some easy but impressive ideas if you're not!
What are you making?

Decoration Dreams:
A cookie is just a cookie... or is it? If you are handy with icing, get inspired by these beauties from EAT Emily & Amy's Treats.

Too dainty? Grab some wavy cookie cutters, a corncob pipe, a button nose, two eyes made out of coal and your sense of humor to make some melty Frostys like these:

Photo from the decorated cookie

Quick and Easy:
Now Wednesday is right around the corner, so if you are running low on time, but still want something original, try one of these morsels. (Bonus: these ideas also work if you are a 'Betty Crocker'-type baker!)

How awesome are these little reindeer? So irresistible but also so simple to make. Check them out here: Bakergirl 








Let these guys inspire you to think of other create ways to create holiday cookies like marshmallows for Santa's beard, or circles cutters to make wreaths and Santa bellies!
Ho, ho ho!

With these cakepops, the proof is in the sprinkles (red and green sprinkles if we are getting specific) :)
Yummy and cheerful cookie bites from What Megan's Making.
(PS- there's no baking required!)

These have to be one of the simplest ideas yet- the recipe calls for Betty Crocker brownie mix! Sure they aren't technically 'cookies', but we doubt anyone will complain!

Holiday Bark:

Do you dream of antioxidants rather than visions of sugarplums? Maybe go a totally different route a make a holiday "bark". The great part about barks is that you can add any flavors, toppings and colors. No two barks are alike (just like snowflakes).
Ever heard of Hazelnut-Cranberry Chocolate Bark? Now you have, you're welcome.

 

From Delicious WordFlux

Hopefully this sugar rush has inspired if you hadn't yet decided what to make for the cookie exchange. If you already know what you're making, hopefully it has you excited to try creations by everyone else.


Until then, I leave you with these little guys, a perfect combination of the holidays and medical school, it's gingerbreads in white coats!

From Not So Humble Pie

Bonus points to anyone who makes these! See you Wednesday!

December Birthdays

Meet The Members Mondays- Samuel T

Hello! My name is Samuel Toba – my spouse Phil is a USUHS graduate class of 2012, and currently a resident at Walter Reed. We met in San Diego; I was working for a biotech company and Phil was a prior service (a nuke) in the Navy. Phil grew up in a dairy farm in central Minnesota, whereas I have had a rather nomadic life, including stints in Singapore, Indonesia, and attending multiple schools including Towson University (Go Tiger!), Penn State (Go Nittany Lion!), University of California San Francisco (Go… oh, no mascot!), and San Diego State (Go Aztec!).

Although I have heard of SSC activities during Phil’s MS1 year, I was worried about going to SSC events since the law (at that time) barred gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military. So, instead I followed SSC website and postings of information from a ‘safe’ outside. While I could not partake in those activities at the time, through your postings and pictures, I get to share your joy at events such as the White Coat Ceremony, or the Holiday Party. (Keep up the good work with the SSC website!)

I finally got involved with SSC when Phil was an MS4. During that time, congress passed the law to repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT). As the new kid on the block, I was not sure how I would be received, or if I would be welcome to play in the same ‘sandbox’. I nervously wrote an email to SSC President, and to my wonderful surprise, SSC reached right out. I think I almost fell off my chair when I received that email reply from Molly Grasso. In September 2011, I got to meet Molly in-person (the first SSC spouse I met, I was excited!) at the DADT Repeal Celebration hosted by Military Partners and Families Coalition (www.milpfc.org). Molly came with arms open, husband Ian on her side, gave me her (famous) hug, and represented SSC in welcoming me into the military families. That welcome showed me the kind of support that we, as military families, give to each other. I feel very fortunate to have found SSC, a welcoming place for all spouses/partners of USUHS.

As a resource, SSC has been amazing! In this last two years, I have learned so much from the informational sessions and enjoyed meeting others at volunteer activities or socials organized by SSC. I hope to continue to give back to SSC and meet other SSC families while we are living in DC.