I am a Jersey girl and as a wife it more my speed.
~ That is why I say she should lurk on baseops
The fact is you have no control over this issue.
The best piece of advice I was ever given is this:
Your tour will be what you make it out to be!
Laughlin is not somewhere anyone desires to pick as number one, but, you know what? You will make friendships that last a lifetime! You will look back in a decade from now and laugh your butt off about the memories you made....as long as you are open to it!
These are hard days for you as a student. Been there, done that and collected a check! I embraced OMG NO Alamagordo (LIFT...IFF now). When Bullet was sent to Mt. Home for FTU F111 I was not a happy camper...my friends and family joked about how I was going to BF Eqypt! I ended up loving it...I spent my days at the base woodshop and framing!
~ When he was stationed in AK with the Strike, I was thrilled! Snow didnt bother me, and yippee skippee, I was finally near a town that had a real mall and restaurants. Downside....sucks to be somewhere and watch Olive Garden commercials and no Olive Garden!
~~~ Insane, right? Just realize when you can't get their salad or bread sticks and watch the commercial you will want it!
The point is embrace it no matter where you go! Trust me in hindsight you will look back and think of it fobdly! Yes, even Del Rio! The two of you will see and experience parts of the country your friends will never see.
~ Goldsboro NC is not a happening place, but it is an hr from Raleigh and the beaches! The town is military and when you compare it to a place like Andrews, you can feel like it is home.
Like I said it all comes down to how Ihe two of you embrace your assignment.
Pima, in case you find yourself banished to someplace without an Olive Garden...
Olive Garden Breadsticks
Ingredients
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon warm
water (105 to 115 degrees F)
16 ounces bread flour (3 cups)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened
On top:
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
Cooking Directions
Dissolve the sugar and yeast in the warm water in a small
bowl or measuring cup and let the mixture sit for 5 minutes,
or until it becomes foamy on top.
Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Use the paddle
attachment on a stand mixer to mix the softened butter into
the flour. If you don't have a stand mixer, use a mixing spoon
to combine the butter with the flour. When the yeast mixture
is foamy, pour it into the flour mixture and use a dough hook
on your mixture to combine the ingredients and knead the
dough for approximately 10 minutes. If you don't have a stand
mixer, combine the ingredients and then knead the dough
by hand on a countertop for 10 minutes.
Place the dough in
a covered container and let it sit for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until it
doubles in size. When the dough has doubled, measure out 2-ounce portions
and roll the dough between your hands or on a countertop
to form sticks that are 7 inches long. Place the dough
on parchment paper-lined baking sheets, cover and set aside
for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size once
again.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Bake the breadsticks for 12 minutes, or until golden brown.
When the breadsticks come out of the oven, immediately
brush each one with melted butter and sprinkle with a little
garlic salt.
Makes 12-13 breadsticks