So how many are there on here. I'm not one just yet but not long to go now. How much do they help you out?

I was told that if you can last the first 2 years of marriage and the military you can handle anything.

How do you pass the time when you are by yourself as DH is away with work??

Oh I will be spending a lot of time on here at nights I think - watch that post count climb

I am not an army wife, but I was an army brat. I am the first generation not be in the forces in some way shape or form. I spent most of my childhood either living on base or pretty close to it, so did my mun - except she got sent to boarding school. At the time I hated the moving and hated that my friends would move away too, but as an adult I can appreciate that it was a pretty cool lifestyle (I grew up in the UK and then we lived in Cyprus on base, before we came here).

I dont envy any of you, I know that my mum had a very hard time when my dad was away, and he was often in places where there was no contact (like Belize) and she had very little support back then.

I hope that you can find support from each other on here -

Wow 2 months he won't regonise him.

We had the induction type meeting today and I learnt a few things. I think the hardest thing going to be for me is that I have 2 young children at home with me (well in daycare), I am going to be studying fulltime and I don't have my parents in the country.

We were told the first 7 weeks of basis (or as the flash words are Intial Officer Training) will be a culture shock, not only for him but also me with the lack of communication. But we were told that he can take his cellphone up and they will be given out at certain times of the day so he can call us and then i'd call him back as I have free minutes.

We found out about the money for housing and how that will impact on Working for Families, the recruiter has 2 children and a Captain and they still get some money for working for families so that is good to know.

Once he is on Officer Cadet Training (the long 9 month stint away from us) he can take his car up and the computer so at least he will be in more of a contact with him.

But I also found out he is leaving a day earlier  so my ticker is out of date. And he finishes IOT 2 days after Josh turns 1 so once he is back we will have a big party then for him.

He is quite lucky that on IOT his cousins husband is going to be one of the Staff Sergents up there so he will get a little bit of help (Neil said the odd secert phone call home after lights out ) but we'll see.

He's is a littl elucky with the IOT as well as his cousin's hubby is going to be on of the Staff Sergents up there; so he has already told me that I will get extra phone calls home after 10pm just for me. We have a deal - I help him out next year with 1 year of uni if he is nice to Nigel for those first 7 weeks .

He wants to be in the Engineering Corp after he has finished NCC, but it totally depends on if there are spaces for officers there. If he does get in there then we go to Sydney for the 6 months and that time they will take us over there. Just now slowly collecting everything that he has to take up with him.

DH stands for Dear Husband

I've been alone for just over 4 weeks now. I've spoken to DH 3 times, but the best thing is that time is almost up, the bad news he's only home for 4 days and then back up to the sub tropical climate of Waiouru.

I've had heaps of written letters from him which has been nice and his cousin has come home twice so I have sent up a few packages to him.

I am so hanging out for the 16th of this month (only 10 days to go) just so I can see him again.

Oh we will be

Hes already planned how we are spending those days; hes very lucky and hes getting a massage on the Thursday night (something he has been bugging me to arrange for him for a long time) and we may go to the movies together. Good thing is at least during the day (on Thursday and Friday) we have it to ourselves as the boys are in daycare.

I'm actually enjoying being by myself, it has been challanging but life is a challange. Only had 1 bad night when I really missed him and I think that was 2 weeks ago.

Bumping this as I think we have a few more of us on here now.

Most of you know that I am heading up to Waiouru to be with Nigel next weekend. Will be interesting living on camp with him.

Bumping again for K&? her DH is in the army as well.

And OMG I am so over Andrew and his "mummy an army man" when we see them all the time .

I am coming up to Auckland in September so will have to catch up with you ladies up there.

Emmakate, I am hopin got come back to Palmy at the end of this year (god know where Nigel will actually be then but I want to go back to my house). You should catch up with the other Palmy ladies they are lovely.

Whas he going to Germany for Emz??

Everyone up here is getting all excited about the Officer Cadets going to Brunei in 5 weeks time - so yes Nigel is going overseas after 6 months , but it is for their jungle training and its only for 2 1/2 weeks - but we get extra pay for those few weeks.

Well I had to attend my first army function on Friday night. Was quite amusing thou.

Nigel trip back from Brunei was eventful, the airforce plan broke down in Darwon so they were stuck there. Last monday I went over to camp and asked the Captain here when they were coming back. Little did I  know that they were arranging for a couple of them to come back on a civie flight.. Nigel finally came back on Wednesday afternoon (with 2 other cadets, the other dad and a guy came back as he mum is really sick) and the rest of the cadets arrived back in Waiouru 12.30am Friday.

The army function was put on by the kippies (the ones who get their degree paid for by the army). We had a BBQ at the Officer Cadets bar (the Malone Bar). When we walked in I could see some of the cadets thinking why are they here. But once we had dinner a couple of the girls came over and were talking to me, we were drinking as well (OMG so cheap there drinks are) and one of the girls was making Andrew go and get daddy to get me more drinks .

Nigel has just put in for corp choices so hopefulyl we will find them out soon, so I know were I am going to be next year. He has said that if he gets his first choice then he is down in Burnham for 6 months, but I will not be going there. I have to think of Andrew's schooling.

Susie I will have a look next time I am there, or I will get Nigel to have a look to see who it is named after.

His first choice was medic corp, he is trained in that area and has already shown up a couple of corprals when they were trying to tell a cadet what was wrong with him (the corpral had no idea what muscle he had pulled), so that would involve training in Burnham. If he gets in there (which I think he will) he will be down there for 6 months. i would prefer to go back to my house, we wouldn't get a house down in Chch so no point being there. He should from there get posted to Linton. And if all going well (the only chick who talks to me at OSC) will also be in the medic corp as well, she is already a gunner but wants a change of direction, and she will probably go to Linton too so I will still ahve her around.

Emz, if he does go there, we will have a weekend down there so will def have coffee.

I am totally hanging out for the end of November - that is when Nigels gets his payrise!!!

His is a big one, almost double what he is one now too.

And Emz I woul totally be the same I would rather him be overseas as well at least it is getting a bit more money.

No not all that much while training (well what we get in the hand is pretty much nothing) but once they graduate it goes up so much (and more for him as he has a degree).

Still not sure how long we are here for. If we go back home we will leave here in January.

Yeah we got a paycut too when they had that last round. What does you DH do Emz??

Well I am now hanging out to get back home to Palmy. I keep looking at my ticker thinking not long to go not long to go.

I think I would feel so much better if I was back home, back in my own environment and back with friends. I know Nigel had a meeting with his GO today so hopefully that has helped.

The reason for him not wanting to be in the Army is because the officers that are training them are infantry and they are wan*ers (and I believe it as I have met a few).

I am sure that once the next 7 weeks are done it will be better.

And thanks Emz, good to know that it often happens them wanting to leave the army.

These are infantry officers that are wan*kers, the guys they have being doing training with that are infantry soliders were really good with them as most of them don't want to go into infantry so they won't be their boss (as such). The officers up here that are doing the training are like infantry is the best nothing else is the actual Army - just being dicks.

Yeah it just came down to there is only 7 weeks left why waste nearly 40 weeks of training with that short amount of time. And he was just angry over a few things that had happened but all good now.

Some of the officers are so far up themselves its not funny. We had dinner at the OCS bar on Tuesday night and the kids were there (as were the other staff's children) and some of the officers were looking down on us as we had the children there - they weren't even doing anything noisy either. They think they are better than everyone (well the ones doing OCS are like that).

I think it is just where they come from as well - as there are a few of the officers that are really cool (one always talks to me in the OCS bar all the time).

Not long to go and it is all over and done with.

We don't notice the pay for another 7 weeks (7 weeks today!!!), and then I can talk about that. We have very cheap housing here and after talking with a Major yesterday, if I get the job up here she told me I would be better off staying here for the year and then I have a better chance of getting a straight transfer with the school when it moves to Linton.

Does anyone know what "Beat the Retreat" is?? I was told that if I get the job (well the way the Major was talking yesterday I think (and hope) I have it, that I would be required to attend it - but I would be attending it anyway as it is for the Officer Cadets. I know it has the army band and they play the whole 1812 (I love it) complete with Canons!!! But that is all I know. And she (the Major) told me that if I get the job the day of Nigel's graduation would be a paid day off that isn't AL as I am required to attend an army funtion for my husband.

We were lucky that the rent went up just as wel moved so we were told that it shouldn't go up for a while and really it doesn't really need to here.

We have a house inspection here on Tuesday so this weekend I am going to doing a big tidy and clean up so that it is all good here. I can't wait for them to come as our fire is stuffed and we have had 3 people come over and look at it ans they haven't fixed it so we may get a new one - well I hope so.

I just found out that all the services do the "beat the retreat" but I have no idea what they do at it. I know the band is there to play and they march and the evening bugle is not played.

Ours is cheaper Sally less than $100 a week.

Yeah I found it strange that we have one only after 4 months of living here but thats ok if it is the only one we have.

I don't think they can really put our rent up here anymore (well hopefully they can't).

I know it is the night before the big graduation day so maybe it is just part of the whole grad week.

I don't think we will see Nigel now till the beginning of November. They had an admin exercise starting tomorrow night and he doesn't know if he will be home at night and then strat into the all arm last exercise before they are commissioned!!!

Haha tea and scones, I doubt that here . I am looking forward to the 1812 being done in it. I know afterwards we have to attend dinner (so I should get the grandparents up that night to have the children ).

They are currently doing their 2nd to last exercise that is an admin one. My uncle wants to take us to Mowhanga (the lake on Army land) to go fishing (and we get fish out of it too!!!) so fingers crossed we can do that after he comes back from his last exercise.

Yuck I hate brandy so I will pass on that. I was told it is a big deal (must be as there is only one graduation a year) up here and almost everyone goes to it.

My uncle always does that job (or the butcher in the case of the huge amount of venision we got yesterday), my tummy bug I am sure was just a tummy bug. It does feel like AF is on her way. If it was a few months on (like this happened in December) I would be hoping I was pregnant!!!

I always ask when I get to the guard hut as I get lost as well. But it sounds right, to turn left and something about a roundabout and the parking is across the road.

We are now a military family as I can working for the School of Artiliary. I start on the 28th of October.

Thanks Sally, it has just been sorted. I had immigration call me and I am a NZ Citizen by decent and as such an NZ citizen. I can still call myself a permanent resident, but for this job I am a citizen.

Yay 2 weeks till you move - will they move you or do you have to do it??