Throwback Thursday: Hawkeye Ball, East Coast 2014

It's very common in the aviation community to be not be fully understood by the surface, sub, or nuke pipelines. They're routinely thought of as Prima Donna types, semi-lazy for having something resembled children's pajamas as a daily uniform, requiring 8 hours of sleep without question, and the ability to throw a golf tournament in honor of an aviator lost in the line of duty. I'm fully aware of this, yet I embrace it. 

So while it was a bit of a surprise when we attended our first Hawkeye Ball in 2009, I've now come to love the mayhem and foolishness that it entails. There's always a West Coast and an East Coast Ball, with a lucky few able to attend both (so jealous). And since his time through flight school and first sea station,  there are long-lost friends that have moved on to other locales (i.e. Pax River in Maryland, Fallon in Nevada - both bonafide spots to procreate because there's not much else going on there) and many names/faces forgotten at this duty station because being back on the East Coast is. just. so. many. people!

This duty station can either embrace you or lose you in the action based on its size alone. While I love working as a small fish in a big pond, I prefer my living situation to be small fish within a small pond. I don't like being the New Girl and am trying my hardest to "date" the ladies here. Thankfully I filled my 'hug tank' this year with my long-lost friends of Navy's multiple duty stations. And I just now wait for fellow West Coast-er's orders for Norfolk to show up.

My handsome dinner date and I - and my hair was something else. I wasn't loving it, and it wouldn't cooperate. So I rocked some tousled beach-like waves and called it a win. Also, I only drank Sauv Blancs until I changed since ivory chiffon + red wine = oh. shit. And the salmon for dinner was a wise choice as Mr. Wookie's prime rib looked more like "homeless man leather sneaker" than bovine. And yes, that's a real bowtie - he watched 20 minutes of YouTube tutorials to not be a 29-year-old shmuck with a fake.

Mrs. Wookie's Hawkeye Ball Etiquette + Survival Guide:

1.) Do the "I can eat" and "I can sit" test in your dress. VERY IMPORTANT.
2.) While it's okay to acknowledge you're wearing Spanx, please don't let them expose themselves. Last year, an O-4 wife didn't test that by raising her arms...her Spanx exposed at the knee. Woops.
3.) Please don't drop an arm-and-a-leg on one dress for just 4 hours. My thoughts are the same on wedding dresses also. What happens after the wedding? It sits in a damn box and no. one. will want to wear your dated design. Stop wishing upon a star.
4.) The length doesn't matter of the dress - there's always equal knee-length to floor length ratio.
5.) Stock your hotel room with post-party snacks and pajamas. Derp.

Last year I missed my handsome man, oh so much. And our C(ommanding) O(fficer's) W(ife) connived us Junior Officer attaches to attend en masse as a support for the squadron and an establishment to the remaining squadrons that our men have the watch, while us ladies have the wine in glasses. We did so with heavy emphasis of "Our men are missing, we should get unlimited champagne." But I was glad to tout the faux-burden of being the homefire burning; I play the martyr very well. And I'll take that champagne.

My first West Coast Hawkeye Ball in 2010. Oh man, I didn't even know. I was berratedly interrogated by a Department Head as Mr. Wookie was the FNG in the squadron. So why aren't you married? Want me to have a talk with him? I can make things happen. Uhh...(where the f**k did we move to?). Also, short hair is a bitch to style when you're in the I'm-trying-to-grow-it-out-like-a-California-gurl phase.

West Coast Hawkeye Ball in 2011 - the year of the broken wine glass. Woops. I got a little carried away when summoning for more wine by tapping my glass. I needed to get out of the weight room, for sure. And did you notice this is the same dress as last year?? This was the squadron's best year as they brought home the trophy for "Hawkeye Pilot of the Year" - this is an amazing honor for the skilled pilot who's been selected early for Department Head and has a great continued career ahead of him.

West Coast Hawkeye Ball in 2013 - the last of the glory years with sunshine and my handsome man. This dress was the bee's knees for multiple reasons. a.) It has POCKETS. b.) It's JCrew tall. Boom. c.) It's fabulous and taffeta (my favorite). d.) It fit the theme for the year: "Mad Men." Move over, Joanie - there's a true redhead up in here!

And what's even better - I'm set for Hawkeye Ball 2015 thanks to a winter wedding in the Palm Springs area in February. Hello floor-length (what!) and wine chiffon into the mix. Can you get what I'll be drinking that year?