Spouse Spotlight: Lindsey Kindt

House hunting did not fare very well.  The houses in Northern Virginia are rascally buggers and while we thought we had one cornered a couple times, none were worth clubbing and calling ours.  We came home empty handed, but still hungry, so looks like more searching for the elusive home is in the future. 

Speaking of houses, this week's Spouse Spotlight selection from commentors is Lindsey Kindt, who was the previous tenant of the house I currently reside and the same house I want to take with me everywhere.  She neglected to tell me about the 40 pound bee hive in the attic, but that is a tale for another day.

Here is the main reason I dig Lindsey.  She was one of the first smiling-happy faces that made me feel welcomed to this base when we PCS'd almost three years ago.  At first I thought it was a farce...no one could be this content, this peaceful, especially with two teenagers.  And then I learned her story.   In April 2005, Lindsey was diagnosed with stage 2 colon cancer, had the 10 cm tumor and 12" of her large intestine removed, and had three rounds of chemo.  Oh, yeah, then she PCS'd, had another nine rounds of chemo, home schooled her kids, and her husband deployed.  Wish that was all, but after another PCS in 2009, she was diagnosed again, had another surgery with a complete removal of her colon and this is what she has to say:

 "...thankfully, no chemo!!  Another perk:  when you don’t have a colon, you can’t have a colonoscopy!  Not EVER!  Boo-yah!!  I do, of course, have to have annual upper-endoscopies and sigmoidoscopies, but those are a breeze.Through it all, GOD rocked – and He surrounded me with an amazing family.  Life is GREAT!"

See what I mean?  The force is stroong with this one. 

But don't feel sorry for Lindsey...that is not her or my MO.  Instead, read about her below and see your glass as half full, with rose colored glasses, and with a silver lining, just like Lindsey. 

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Hometown:

Lexington, KYWhat you love about your hometown:

Oh my – what’s not to love about Kentucky?  I’m probably overly sentimental about it, since I left the state for college and really only returned for school holidays before graduating and striking out on my own (in Ohio).  Kentucky is, without a doubt, the one state in America where God would build a house and retire, if He could.  It’s gorgeous.  Forget what you’ve heard about toothless gully girls, and 13-year old brides marrying their cousins – and imagine, if you can, miles upon miles of rolling green hills, each one dotted with the most amazing thoroughbred horses you’ve ever seen.  Industrial production is kept at a minimum in Kentucky because the ensuing air pollution is bad for the horses (no joke!). The sun DOES shine bright on my Old Kentucky Home, and I hope to be able to retire there.  Look for me, on a patch of 10-20 acres of land, sitting on the porch of my house.  I won’t be sippin’ moonshine, but I’m sure you can find some at my neighbor’s if you really get a hankerin’ for a jug.

College and degrees obtained:

Denison University (Ohio) – B.A. in Psychology

Bowling Green State University (Ohio) – M.Ed. in School Psychology

What did you do in your past life (pre-military spouse):

All psychology, all the time.  I worked in a chlidren’s psychiatric hospital for a couple of years, and then went on to grad school to become a school psychologist.  After doing that for a couple of years, I became pregnant and we went into the Air Force – at which point my career objective changed.

Years married:

22 years as of this coming May – to the keeper of my heart, Mike J

Years as a military spouse:

Almost 19.  Mike did his internship with the USAF back in 1992, and owed 3 years of service after that.  Our plan was to BAIL as soon as those three years were up.  Apparently we had a change of plans, because we’re still here!

Kids and how many:

Our daughter is 18 and, against every beat of my heart, is leaving for college in the fall – and our son is 15.  They’re both incredible kids…

How they react to moving:Probably like most military kids.  They get excited when they hear about a new duty station, and then reality kicks in and they get sad about having to separate from their friends.  And then they get anxious about meeting new kids, but excited about moving into a new house and exploring new areas.  It’s such a mixed bag with these military kids – but they have always known that, regardless of their surroundings, there will always be one, dependable constant:  their family.  We are a very tight-knit community of 4, and we’ve always aimed for providing a soft landing spot for one another.

Number of moves:

Counting pre-military moves, I’ve lived in 15 different towns (only 6 with the USAF)

Deployments:

Only one – can you believe that!?

Dream retirement location:

Shall I sing ALL the lyrics to “My Old Kentucky Home”?  Honestly, I’d be thrilled to end up in Kentucky, but as long as we can have some land somewhere, with some hills and (preferably) a creek, then I’d be perfectly content.

Current job:

Wife and Mother extraordinaire!!  It’s the greatest job in the WORLD!!

Hobbies:

Shopping, eating, making rosaries, making jewelry, going to Mass, shopping, visiting with friends (while eating), shopping with friends, and taking naps (sorry, friends can’t join me on this one).

Your strengths and weaknesses:I’ll get the weaknesses out of the way first:  I tend to be judgmental of others, and that’s something I hate.  I’m trying to be better, but it’s a hard habit to break.  I’m so grateful that God is patient with me – goodness knows I need it.  As far as strengths, I think I’m an emotionally strong person.  I’ve dealt with some pretty horrible crap in my life, and I really don’t feel any worse for wear.  In fact, I feel even stronger.  I rely on my faith a LOT, and lean heavily on my family and friends.  With God, family and friends in my corner, I can kick anything square in the face and win J

Have you ever gone cow tipping?

You’d think that, growing up in Kentucky, I’d be able to say “yes” to this one…but sadly, the answer is “no”.  Maybe Vicki will take me someday?

The moving van just caught on fire…what three things would you want to save:

Save my photographs, the kids’ baby boxes, and my wedding album!  Everything else can burn, baby, burn.

Are you superstitious and if yes, how so:

Not at all.  Bring on all the black cats you can find, and parade them up and down my sidewalk.  I’ll break a mirror while opening my umbrella INSIDE my house as I head outdoors to feed all the kitties.

Favorite quote:

Hands down favorite quote EVER:  “Be the change you wish to see in the world” – Ghandi.  Doesn’t that just speak volumes?  If you want to see something changed for the better, get up and get busy!  We can’t wait for others to change things for us if we aren’t willing to get our hands dirty in the process.

Biggest regret:

When I was in college I had the opportunity to spend a semester studying voice at the Mozart Teum in Salzburg, Austria – and I chickened out because it was “too far from home”.  Such a pansy move!  If I had known then that I would spend the majority of my adult years living SO far away from family, I would’ve packed my bags and my throat lozenges and headed straight for the airport.

Five most important things in your life:

Faith (God rocks!) – Marriage (my husband truly completes me) – Job (I totally LOVE being a wife and mom!) – Health (dang – worked pretty hard for this one!)  - Freedom (without it, I wouldn’t be able to cherish and enjoy the first four).

Where you were on 9/11:

At “Tuesday Morning” in Wichita Falls, Texas.  I was aware that something was going on, because the clerks were all gasping and talking and huddling together, and all I could think was that it was pretty unprofessional for them to be acting like that at work.  They didn’t say anything to the customers at all – and I left with my purchases and started heading home.  Listening to the radio in my van, someone called in and said something about “where the World Trade Center USED to be” – and I thought that the guy was a total nut job.  When I got to the base, the Security Police were frantically waving people AWAY from the base, and I remember rolling down my window and saying “But I LIVE here” (‘cause that was going to make a big difference, right?) – and he waved me away anyways.  I just drove and drove and drove – listening to the radio – and finally ended up at the kids’ school.  I watched the news in the school library for a while, then went to a friend’s house to watch more, then ended up at our church for a prayer service.  When we were finally able to get onto the base, and into our house, we tried to keep the news off for the sake of the kids.  That night, as TAPS played at it’s usual time, I stood on the back porch and cried.

What makes you proud to be a military spouse:

Oh my – just about everything.  I’m proud of how tough we are, how compassionate we are, how much we strive to mentor new spouses, how we all band together through all kinds of trials, of how flexible we can be – I’m so honored to be friends with such amazing women!!

What makes you sad about being a military spouse:

Knowing that I really must use pencil when writing addresses in my address book.  I wish we could all stay together – in the same town, on the same street – until we are old and gray – but that’s just not meant to be.
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See what I mean?  Thanks, Lindsey!

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