Upcoming Events

Looking for some exciting things to do around the Holidays? Here are some great events!

DoD Military Spouse Symposium- Dec 2
On December 2, 2014 from 10:00 - 3:00 PM, the DoD Military Spouse Symposium will be held at the Marvin Center located at George Washington University. Please help spread the word to all military spouses by sharing the attached flyer with your Navy families. Spouses must register for this event. The address is 2121 I Street, NW, Washington, DC.  Visit the event page for more information. 

WRNMMC-USU "Unity of Effort" Holiday Ball- Dec 5

Dr. Rice and BG Clark would like to invite you to the first WRNMMC-USU "Unity of Effort" Holiday Ball at the Washington Hilton Hotel on Friday, Dec. 5. Tickets for medical students and their guests are $70 each. The event is formal, either military uniform or civilian formal attire is authorized for the students. Tickets are on sale every day outside the cafeteria during lunchtime or anytime Building A Room 1025. Dinner entree choices are: Honey Cinnamon Chicken, Beef Short Tips, or Vegan Pasta. There is dinner, dancing, the Dermatones, a mentalist, a guest speaker, Montel Williams, and more. Checks made payable to: Junior Officer Council.

Breakfast With Santa- Dec 6

Come enjoy our breakfast buffet, Santa is coming to the Warrior Cafe!  The Warrior Cafe will provide a buffet-style breakfast with pancakes, sausage, orange juice, candy canes and so much more!  What better way to get into the holiday spirit?  Bring your camera for a picture perfect moment. Pre-registration required:To register and for more information, visit the Breakfast With Santa Eventbrite page.

SSC Fall Carnival!

 
SSC Fall Carnival
 

THIS Saturday!!  
September 27th, 4pm-6pm
USU Pavilion 
(past the baseball field and track at the back of the school)


Join us for food, prizes, moon bounce and some good ol' carnival games!

If you'd like to help out, we are still looking for a few food items and help with carnival stations/clean-up. Please see the Google Doc if you would like to sign up.


See you there!

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!

USU Holiday Party

2012 Holiday Party tickets are on sale at USU now for $2 a piece!  Don't miss out on an fun-filled lunch complete with tons of Holiday Cheer!  While you're there, make sure to talk up our Photo Booth.  Point it out to people who may not see it, tell stories about how fun it looks, etc. and help us have an amazing turn out!  It only costs $1 per person in the photo!!!  I don't know about you, but I can't get my family all in one place for a photo EVER!  What a great opportunity to either be serious (or silly) for a holiday card or just have a great time with your friends and awesome props! 

Thank you to the volunteers beforehand, but I also encourage all SSC Members in attendance at the party to stop by the booth and see if someone needs a break or an errand run or a drink! 

SSC Halloween Party!

The leaves are changing and the time has come for us to gather together for some Halloween fun!  On October 24, the Parent Tot Committee will host its annual Halloween Party at USUHS.  We will meet in the Small Cafeteria at 11 for food and games (Pin the face on the Pumpkin, Witch's Hat Ring Toss, Ghost Hunt) and then parade through campus at 12 as we trick or treat in Building A.  Bring your own trick or treat bag or decorate one at the party!  If you have a favorite appetizer or Halloween treat, please bring it to add to our spooky spread.  It should be a ghastly good time!  Please RSVP to the Evite so we know how many goblins are planning to attend.

Thanks and hope to see you there!
Victoria
Parent-Tot Chair

SSC Fall Carnival

As we anticipate the cooler weather we are gearing up for the Fall Carnival. So convince your student to take a break from studying an come join us!  We'll have BBQ pulled pork and chicken sandwiches, games, prizes, a bounce house, photo booth and a popcorn machine! Here are the details:

October 6th, 2012

11 am to 1 pm

The party is at the pavilions located behind the school.

Parking is available in the USUHS garage or by the baseball fields.To get to the pavilions, start at the baseball fields (located behind building C) and follow the paved path to the pavilions on the hill. It should be a 5 or 10 minute walk.

The event is free for members and $5 per family for non-members.

If you have not yet received the Evite and would like one, or if you have any questions, please email me at sscparties@gmail.com. If you've already received the Evite and plan on coming, please RSVP so we can plan for food. We hope to see you there!

Orientation REMINDER

We want to see you at the First-Year SSC Orientation this Wednesday in the USU Cafeteria! Here's a recap of what to expect. View the blog from August 11 for further details.

ORIENTATION SCHEDULE

7:30- 8:00am

Meet and greet over breakfast

8:00- 9:00am

I. "USU Services Available"

Introductions of attendees           

Speakers: Chaplin (religious services), Clinic (go-to medical services), Fleet and Family Services (financial planning, job search assistance, a lot of other cool services) ...did we mention that this is all free? Welcome to the military! 

9:00- 10:30am

II. "Your Student"

Speakers: Company Commanders (military life), Dr. Wittman (student/academic life), Get-to-know-you Activities

10:30- 11:30am

III. "Q&A Panel Sessions" (with students)

Student Panels-- informal setting to ask the questions you've been dying to of second year medical students. There will be several panel options to attend. We encourage attending the Family panel where both med students and spouses will be able answer questions about academic load, military obligations, balancing school and family, lottery, rotations, buying a house, etc.

11:30 - 1:30pm

BBQ Lunch with families, time with sponsors, interest group fair

1:45- 2:00pm USU Campus Tour (optional)

***KID ZONE*** Have kids? Great! Don’t let that hinder you from attending. A supervised kid area (for children of all ages) will be offered in the USU cafeteria from 7:30am to 11:30am. Children will need to be picked up promptly at the closure of panels, prior to attending the BBQ.  

CONTACT INFO

Have questions about Orientation? Please email us at ususscmembership@gmail.com.

First-Year SSC Orientation

Calling all incoming USU students, spouses, and significant others! We want to see you at the First-Year SSC Orientation on August 22. Are you a second year spouse who wants to go through Orientation again just in case you missed something the first time around? You're invited too! Here are the details...

Wednesday, August 22

7:30am - 1:30pm

USU Cafeteria, Building B

Why is there an SSC Orientation? While the students have a full week of orientation to get them up to speed on the life of a USU medical student, we feel it is only fair to get the spouses, fiancées, and significant others up to speed on the life of a USU medical student supporter. Our goals are to educate you about the school, the military, and to help foster friendships with others in your same situation. Change is hard; we hope to ease your transition into this next stage of life.

ORIENTATION SCHEDULE

7:30- 8:00am

Meet and greet over breakfast, collect info folders and name tags

8:00- 9:00am

I. "USU Services Available"

Introductions of attendees           

Speakers: Chaplin (religious services), Clinic (go-to medical services), Fleet and Family Services (financial planning, job search assistance, a lot of other cool services) ...did we mention that this is all free? Welcome to the military! 

9:00- 10:30am

II. "Your Student"

Speakers: Company Commanders (military life), Dr. Wittman (student/academic life), Get-to-know-you Activities

10:30- 11:30am

III. "Q&A Panel Sessions" (with students)

Student Panels-- informal setting to ask the questions you've been dying to of second year medical students. There will be several panel options to attend. We encourage attending the Family panel where both med students and spouses will be able answer questions about academic load, military obligations, balancing school and family, lottery, rotations, buying a house, etc.

11:30 - 1:30pm

BBQ Lunch with families, time with sponsors, interest group fair

1:45- 2:00pm USU Campus Tour (optional)

***KID ZONE*** Have kids? Great! Don’t let that hinder you from attending. A supervised kid area (for children of all ages) will be offered in the USU cafeteria from 7:30am to 11:30am. Children will need to be picked up promptly at the closure of panels, prior to attending the BBQ.  

INFORMATIONAL FOLDERS

One of the many reasons why you should attend the Orientation is to pick up this gold mine of information. It will contain information from the speakers and other services offered, secrets of the local area, maps of campus, Military discounts, upcoming events, and more.

If you cannot attend Orientation we still want to offer you this useful tool. Please email us your name in advance, and we will have a folder ready for your student to pick up on that day during the BBQ lunch. Students, we may not have your significant other's email, so please ensure that they receive this vital information. 

GEOGRAPHIC REPRESENTATIVES
Moving to a new location is tough, especially if you have never been there before. We have resources to help you decide the best housing area for you and your family. Our volunteers offer their experience and advice and are happy to answer any questions you may have.

Go to the Local Info page on our website.  

CONTACT INFO

Have questions about Orientation? Please email us at ususscmembership@gmail.com.

Check it out!

Our new website is up and running! Please take a look, bookmark it, and share with everyone you know at USUHS. Enjoy!

New SSC Website Update

The SSC and USUHS have been working together these past few months to build a new website for the club! 

In addition to a new web address and a new look, we're working on making our membership application and payment process, automated too. We'll still have the old school method of a downloadable paper application and payment by check available too - but for those who want to do everything online, you will now be able to!

Also brand new to the site will be a Calendar feature which houses not only upcoming SSC events but academic leave periods for each of the classes as well (with a link to the four year calendar for each class too). We're open to adding other relatable events to this feature too so if you have suggestions, just send them to ssc.editor@gmail.com.


There are so many more updated features - you'll just have to see for your yourself!


Final touches are being made to the site now so the launch of the club's new site should be very soon. Our next post will be the announcement of our new web address - hope you're as excited as we are!

Welcome!

Hello and welcome! I'm am so excited to be writing the first ever blog post on the new USU Student Spouses Blog!

The fabulous Publications Chair, Cyndi Yoder, has created this blog in lieu of the newsletter. We felt a blog would have a much stronger readership and accessibility to not only our club members, but others who are interested in joining. You can expect to see a new post about every two weeks. If you have any ideas, or something you would like to contribute, please don't hesitate in contacting Cyndi at ssc.editor@gmail.com. She wants to hear from you, and we invite you to comment on posts too! 

I want to wish everyone a happy and safe summer. I hope you get to have some fun in the sun! Our next meeting won't be until August where we will be putting the finishing touches on the Fall Carnival Party and Orientation. See you then!

- Eva Burns, president