Claudia Joy Holden quotes from Army Wives

Denise

The safety record's on everyone's mind. Frank won't let me talk about it either. He's nervous about passing 99 days too.

Claudia Joy

I know! I never seen Michael like this. Would be funny if he wasn't so serious!

Roxy

So if we make it to a hundred days, it's gonna be like one big party around here, right? So I went ahead and I ordered a boatload of shrimp for The Hump and now I kinda have this bad feeling like, maybe I jinxed everything.

Claudia Joy

You're showing confidence in the 23rd. You're betting on success.

Roxy

True.

Claudia Joy

And I don't think a food order could affect field exercises.

Roxy

Ok...well, now I feel silly!

Claudia Joy

No, no. Soldiers are superstitious. Michael wore the same t-shirt everyday when he was in the Gulf.

Roxy

[looks at Claudia Joy in disbelief] That's gross. And unhealthy.

Claudia Joy

And for the last week, he's eaten nothing but eggs for breakfast.

Roxy

And Trevor always gets dressed in exactly the same order.

Claudia Joy

Soldiers need to feel lucky. So do we. So if eggs can work for Michael then I guess shrimp can work for you.

Claudia Joy

There's always too much to do before deployment

Roxy

Yeah...

Roxy

I don't like any of this. Wills, funeral arrangements, "what hymn do you want sung?"

Claudia Joy

It's always hard. How are the boys handling it?

Roxy

We're gonna tell them tonight. I just wanted them to have as much time as possible without worrying. I still can't believe he's going. Thought I'd be used to it by now.

Claudia Joy

We never get used to it. We just get through it. You will too.

Michael

You really made this?

Emmalin

Mom.

Claudia Joy

She did!

Michael

Wow. A vast improvement over the very first meal you ever made me. You remember that?

Emmalin

[embarrassed] Not again.

Michael

You sat me down at your plastic pink tea party table, served slices of American cheese and a tower of saltines. I had to eat the whole thing and then you charged me for it.

Emmalin

And you paid. Ten cents.

Claudia Joy

And a quarter tip.

Michael

[video-conferencing] Hoping to make headway with some remote village elders who are getting squeezed by the Taliban.

Claudia Joy

Why are you going?

Michael

Their elders prefer to negotiate with our elders. And that would be me.

Claudia Joy

[giggles] Never knew "elders" could be so sexy.

Roxy

I'd rather have a colicky baby than a crabby teenager any day.

Roland

I thought TJ was twelve.

Roxy

Yeah. He's twelve going on sixteen. I swear he suddenly woke up like a completely different person. He doesn't want to do his chores. He doesn't want to play with Finn. He stays in his room all the time.

Pamela

Well, we all know what that means.

Roxy

Oh, no! Do not even go there!

Pamela

I'm just saying you might wanna see what kind of magazines he's keeping under his mattress.

Roxy

[laughs in horror] Trust me, I do not!

Roland

That's perfectly natural. [Roxy looks at him] I'm just sayin'.

Denise

Gotta strap yourself in, Roxy. The teen years are not for the faint of heart.

Claudia Joy

No.

Denise

High drama. High stress.

Claudia Joy

The worst part? Just when things start to get better, they leave.

Roland

There's a big difference between being a soldier's spouse and a commander's spouse. Seriously. You ever get tired of it? The responsibility?

Claudia Joy

[sighs] Sometimes. It's a constant balancing act between your needs, your spouse's needs and the Army's needs. As far as Uncle Sam's concerned, you're an extension of Joan's office.

Roland

Right. It's not what I signed up for, Claudia Joy. Making small talk with dignitaries is not exactly my idea of a good time.

Claudia Joy

Get used to it.

Roxy

Woah, wait a minute. I feel dumber than a bag of hammers. How do you guys know all this stuff?

Claudia Joy

You didn't play any games at your shower?

Roxy

[looks at Claudia Joy in astonishment] Um, shower? We got hitched so fast that I didn't even get a new dress out of it.

Tanya

Really?

Roxy

Yeah. Seventeen days between "What can I get for you, soldier?" and "I, Roxy, take thee, Trevor".

Tanya

Wow. And I thought we were fast.

Claudia Joy

Thank you all for sharing your lives with me.

Denise

For being a light in the dark

Pamela

For having my back.

Roxy

For taking me as I am.

Roland

For making this place a home.

Claudia Joy

[raises glass for a toast] To us.

To us.

Claudia Joy

Babies are meant to be spoiled.

Roland

As long as they don't grow up to be spoiled brats.

Pamela

Well, only Army brats allowed.

Claudia Joy

[raises glass for a toast] To Pamela.

[toast] To Pamela.

Roland

Gone, but not forgotten.

Roxy

Hardly. I talk to her every night.

Denise

Yeah?

Roxy

Awful news. She loves California.

Denise

Oh, Roxy.

Roxy

Well, I was hoping she would hate it!

Claudia Joy

It's good she's happy.

Roxy

I just don't like it that she's gone. Glad I have the new house to distract me.

Roland

How's that going?

Roxy

It's a disaster. Boxes everywhere. I swear, they multiply at night.

Denise

[chuckles] I know how you feel.

Roxy

And Trevor's no help. I mean he's busier than ever now that he's platoon commander.

Claudia Joy

Leader. Platoon leader.

Roxy

Whatever.

Denise

Yeah. Frank is swamped too.

Roland

With all the new families from Fort Hope I barely get to see Joan these days.

Claudia Joy

Calm down, sweetheart. I am sure Denise didn't mean to hurt your feelings.

Roxy

Maybe not. Just that FRG Nazi Jackie Clarke. Wants everyone to be her little clone.

Claudia Joy

I wouldn't be too hard on Jackie either.

Roxy

Why not?

Claudia Joy

Because I happen to agree with her.

Roxy

Not you, too. What does my hem line have to do with being an FRG leader??

Claudia Joy

A lot, actually. [Roxy looks at her in frustration] Things change when your husband becomes an officer, Roxy.

Roxy

Yeah. Your friends think you're an embarrassment.

Claudia Joy

This isn't about you. This is about being part of something that's bigger than you. An officer's uniform commands respect. Same thing being an officer's wife. How you dress makes a statement.

Roxy

You know, I didn't sign up for the Army. Trevor did.

Claudia Joy

[smiles understandingly] That doesn't cut it and you know it. When you married Trevor, you married into the Army.

Roxy

Yeah, well, I never saw this coming.

Claudia Joy

Whatever you decide, don't let the prospect of a longer dress or shorter heels stop you.

Roxy

Shorter heels? Really??

Claudia Joy

You'll always be the same Roxy underneath. Nothing can change that, thank God.

Claudia Joy

How's Trevor dealing with it?

Roxy

Are you kidding? He loves it.

Jackie

Well, he's not the one carrying twins.

Roxy

Exactly. He has no idea what he's in for. These are our first kids together so he's never been through the midnight feedings...

Denise

Or sleep deprivation.

Claudia Joy

Or mood swings.