.Boots in the Doorway.

Christmas in Europe

2011-12-22T03:27:00.002-05:00

This is our first European Christmas and I kind of like it. I would like it more of course if our family was here. Holidays are always different when you dont have family around. Sure- this is not our first Christmas that we are not spending with family BUT the difference is the distance. There is something weird about being just so far from home. The feeling is weird I guess because it is that much harder to make it home for Christmas. If our family lived on the east coast it would be easier but alas out family is all the way in CA. That's is seriously far from here.

I do like it here because it is very festive and peaceful. It seems like the Christmas Spirit is just sweeter here. I love all the Christmas markets that you can go to. They are fully decorated and have all these cute little shops that you can just stroll along and have a nice family evening. They sell YUMMY Gluhwein that is warm sweet wine and Gluhbier that is warm cherry beer. It is only €2.5 and you give them a €2 deposit on the glass. You can choose to keep the glass or turn it back in for your deposit. They have different ones based on where you are and what the vendor has. hmmmm I can see a gluhwein cup collection starting. :-)

When we did live near our family I remember the holiday struggle with who's house to go to first and when. Who would we spend Christmas with and who would do all the cooking and so forth. Back then it seemed like a stress just to have Christmas. I have told my husband many times since we have moved that I miss having so many options to choose from. The stress of having to choose where to go and when sounds mighty nice now.

It is true-- you don't know what you have until it's gone!!

No matter where you are or who you are with this Holiday Season remember to take a moment and think of all those who are alone, less fortunate or in harms way. Even if your times are tough there is ALWAYS someone who is worse off than you are. Keep your head strong and a smile on. This is a time of year to appreciate everything you have and think about what is important to you.

Many blessing to you and yours this Holiday Season!

Teenagers--UGH

2011-11-10T07:36:00.002-05:00

Oh how having a teenager is fun! I love the mood swings, the mystery and the chaos. I never know which kid I am going to get and how I should talk. The ups and downs of his moods are crazier than a roller coaster.

Of course I am currently the worst parent ever since I don't let him do whatever he wants. AND, OF COURSE- I am the only parent he knows that is SOOOO strict and has rules.

His big thing is that he wishes I didn't care so much. Why can't I be like the other parents and let him do what he wants.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Oh- if only life was that easy. I know I am not the only parent who has rules and heck yeah I care! I carried you in my womb and my world has revolved around you since that moment. Geeesh!!! I am ready for these days to be done and in the past.

School is the best subject now. Why do homework??? Things that are simple turn into the hardest and most difficult challenges.

I wish we were closer to family so that we weren't the only ones trying to guide him. It's us against him he thinks. He doesn't even want to travel with us. SERIOUSLY- you don't want to go to Italy because that requires you spending time with us.

UGH! Each day is a different battle. Each day it is a different winner.

I said I wouldn't get myself too busy.....

2011-10-05T15:59:00.000-04:00

Well- Fall is definitely here. The tree's are changing and it is beautiful. The weather has been kind of crazy here since we got here. Our summer was really late to say the least. Still in the 70's but we didn't get that temp until Sept.

It has been a while since I have been on here :-( Bad blogger- I know. BUT I have been reading the comments and answering emails- at least trying in a timely manner.I have no real great excuse for not writing. It just seems that whenever I think I am going to have tons of time I sign myself up for things and get too busy. It is amazing how busy a person can be with no job.

I tell you- keeping up with all the schedules and appointments for my family alone is so time consuming. Plus, I have been volunteering with various organizations on base and adding to my madness.

I am truly enjoying myself here that's for sure! It is almost overwhelming though because you fell obligated to go see everything and that's just not possible without giving yourself tons of time to do it in. I feel like we are so close to so many things that I am being naughty if I don't explore everywhere. I try to pace myself but I do get anxious if it has been a few weeks and we haven't gone farther than 30 miles from our house.

This past week I found a great basket store that is 3 stories. I thought it was just going to be a small basket store but oh man was I wrong. The wonderful thing about that store is the wide variety of items they sell and GREAT prices. There are baskets in every shape and design but so much home decor and decorations to make your mind go crazy- I LOVE IT!! I told myself I need to visit there at least once a quarter. :-)

-----------> It is located in Dahn and called (Korbwarenfabrik Hermann Frank). It is on the left right before you enter the village.

Another great store I found close to me is a German consignment store called TiTi's and is in Landstuhl. Oh goodness me it was AWESOME! I love all the German knick knacks and do dads.

Well, I'm off to do my busy stuff. Will post soon about some great volunteering I did that I want to share about.Toodles for now!

REMEMBER to get out and explore no matter where you are :-)

Help this 11year old reach his goal of thanking soldiers

2011-07-01T10:08:00.002-04:00

This is a GREAT story on another way to help support the troops:

Rochester, NY, June 23, 2011 –

Stephen Goodman may seem like a typical 11-year old from Phoenix AZ, but Stephen has a goal that few adults, let alone 11-year olds, would undertake. Stephen wants to personally thank every United States soldier overseas, and working with Kodak, he’s already created 59,932 cards to prove that he’s serious.

So as part of an ongoing effort to support him, Kodak is launching a unique web page dedicated to his efforts. By visiting Kodak.com/Go/StephenGoodman supporters can read about this remarkable young person and his project, learn how to get involved, and view updates from Stephen himself.

Supporters of Stephen’s campaign can also log onto Kodak’s Facebook page and leave messages of encouragement which will be streamed onto his new site.

In 2010 Kodak first reached out to Stephen, who was inspired by his grandfather, a Vietnam veteran, and invited him to design his own card template using KODAK Personal Greeting Cards on the KODAK Picture Kiosk. In December of that year, the company donated 20,000 copies of the personally designed cards to Stephen to help him reach his goal. Since the original donation, Kodak printed 116,000 more cards and shipped them to him. Now, Kodak is giving people across the country the chance to show their patriotism and help Stephen directly.
“When we heard Stephen’s inspiring story, we wanted to help in any way we could,” says Rowan Lawson, Director of Worldwide Marketing, for Kodak’s Retail System Solutions Group, “Personalized greeting cards are a meaningful way to share messages of encouragement and thanks, and our Personal Greetings made it a natural fit for Kodak to support Stephen’s endeavor - it’s truly an honor to help him pursue his goal.”
From June 30 until July 9, customers can visit participating CVS/pharmacy and Bartell Drug stores to personalize and print Stephen’s original card design on the KODAK Picture Kiosk. A collection box will be stationed next to the kiosk where cards can be donated to Stephen and help him reach his goal of 180,000 cards. As an added incentive, Facebook users who “Like” Stephen’s program by clicking “Like” on Kodak.com<http://www.kodak.com/go/StephenGoodman, can sign up to receive a coupon from Kodak for a free Stephen Goodman KODAK Personal Greeting Card when they purchase one at a KODAK Picture Kiosk. This means each shopper using the coupon can donate one extra card to Stephen’s effort for free. The coupons can be redeemed beginning June 30 at participating CVS/pharmacy and Bartell stores. Customers can locate participating stores by visiting Kodak.com>go find stehen, entering their zip-code, then simply clicking “Find”.

“A lot of soldiers who served in Vietnam, like my grandpa, never got any support or thanks for their service,” says Stephen. “I wanted to make sure that every soldier serving our country today knows they are appreciated and never feels forgotten.”

For more information and to help Stephen reach his goal to thank all United States troops deployed overseas, visit www.Kodak.com/go/StephenGoodman

Good golly- where has time gone???

2011-06-17T09:34:00.000-04:00

Geesh- you would think I didn't want to write on this blog anymore considering how long it has been since I have written!!

Well- that is not true. Time has just gone by and I really have no excuse.

My hubs is in the states for the month and I am kind of jealous. He gets to go to so many stores and restaurants and he will understand what everyone is saying. He was able to spend time with family and go to places and understand what he was buying and seeing.

Don't get me wrong- I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT HERE!! Would not try to PCS early and get back. There are toooooo many other things here that are so much better than the states.

        I really like the recycling and how you bring your own bags to the stores. You don't get free
             plastic or paper bags to waste.

        Most stores you pay a euro to use the shopping carts and then get it back when you return the
              cart. THUS- not a heap of carts all over the parking lots.

           The pastries are yummy to my tummy!!

The history and beauty here is just amazing.

    And so on and so on---LOL

School is finally out and summer is here. Or is it???? Where the heck is the summers I am used to. Sitting at the pool getting suntanned. Soaking up loads of Vitamin D and wearing super cute sandals. NOPE- not here yet. It is mid June and I am still wearing a sweater on most days. Goodness that seems like a crime.

Hope you all are soaking up some rays for those who can't yet!

So this is the life....

2011-05-09T10:42:00.000-04:00

Well, I would be lying if I said I miss the states. It has been so wonderful here. So clear to me now why all my friends who had been stationed overseas before just talk and talk about it. I didn't really get what they were talking about but now it is obvious.

It is FABULOUS here!!

So much to see and experience. Yeah- the language barrier can make it rough sometimes. I did eat liver instead of steak but HEY that's how we learn. LOL

It amazes me when I talk to people and they haven's went and explored anywhere. Good golly- how can you not!! Maybe the language barrier scares them but I have not once not been able to speak with someone and get what I needed. The liver thing was my fault- I pointed to the food I wanted thinking I knew what it was. Everywhere I go the German's know English very well or they can find a coworker close by who will help.

I went on a USO tour with my family to learn how to use the train system and that was money well spent. We learned how to use the trains and we saw a great place. The USO has lots of great tours and ever changing. Some are pretty pricey but when you add up what it costs in gas to drive it is worth it. Plus sometimes after a long day of exploring I really don't want to drive home.

Overall, this place has so much history and beauty that I can see staying here as long as possible.I am getting used to the autobahn and learning to use the gas pedal more. Plus, trying to explore little villages here and there. They are all so quaint. You can just sit in an outside cafe for hours people watching and enjoying the weather. I always hear birds chirping away outside my window and can relish in the peacefulness of the surrounding area.

If you have the chance to visit Europe I highly suggest it!

~~~~Auf Wiedersehen~~~
Good Bye

Entemanns Donut Day for the Salvation Army

2011-05-04T01:41:00.003-04:00

I found out about Entenmanns National Donut Day. If you go onto facebook and "LIKE" it they are donating $1 for every like to the Salvation Army.

That is EASY money for the Salvation Army, plus you can win an Ipad. Head over there

Facebook page

and check it out!! No harm done and no money out of your pocket, just a great and easy way to help out. :-)

PCS tips and info for Ramstein AB, Germany

2011-04-05T03:02:00.013-04:00

I recently PCS'd to Ramstein (Feb 2011) and kept notes along the way. I started taking notes when I was having a hard time finding out the basic information. This move was our 6th move and it was know where near like any move before. I am hoping this information will help you with a smooth transition. Please pass along this site to other friends who are moving and might need the info.
Remember to   "Bloom where you are planted".    It is up to you on what kind of experience you will have at each base you are stationed.

               Stop right now and go and apply for your passports!! You need to make an appointment with   Public Affairs for the picture and with the passport office. You should be able to make your passport appointment an hour after your public affairs appointment. Public Affairs will print your picture and hand it to you to take to your passport apt. Make sure you have an original birth certificate that is the extended version. The state department will not accept the short version or informational birth certificate. It MUST be the authorized one or long form certificate. Passports can take 6-8 weeks if not longer. You must not delay in getting your passport. Get off the computer and make the appointments now- no joke. :-)

            The active duty member can take the driving test before they leave the states so that they can drive once they arrive on station. This is HIGHLY recommended. You will be without a vehicle and will be relying on others if you do not pre take the test to get your license. below is listed where you can find he study materials and practice tests. It was so great for us to get here and hubby was able to rent a car the same day we arrived. Once we arrived he took his paperwork that showed he passed the test to the drivers test building and was given his license. Spouses can study for the test before arrival and take the test once they arrive. If you look at the study material and take the practice tests several times you will pass with no problems.
     Links
          --------->      Army USAREUR website for Europe driving information
         ---------->     Practice Tests and study guides

   Also- They have just changed how to get your International Drivers Permit. You can no longer get it here quickly. You have to mail the application to the AAA office in the states and wait 5-6 weeks. SO---- get it before you come! This permit allows you to drive outside of Germany. (This information is ever changing as all the information is here. I have been told that some people do still get the permit here and others tell me they couldn't)

         Sign up on the AHRN ( automated housing referral network) website to start looking at off base housing. It will show you what is available in the local area and you can get an idea of the things you like or not. This is the website that the bases now use for you to look for housing. The homes on the site have been pre-inspected by housing and are approved for use by military families. Base housing is typically a pretty long wait since they have taken down stairwell housing and replaced it with town homes. There are 3 base housing areas that you can chose to be on- Ramstein, Vogelweh and Landstuhl. Unlike BAH you get paid in OHA your actual rent cost and not more. It is in your best interest to find a place closest to you allowance since you do not get to pocket the difference. The AHRN website has a link to the OHA rates.
         ----------> AHRN

          Get an accordion file for you to organize your move paperwork. Also pick up some folders for you to keep papers separated. I had my folders marked- housing, school, TLF, misc and Household Goods. People keep giving you paperwork and if you are not organized you will not get paid for something or you will be delayed.

           Have your sponsor sign you up for your Post Office box before you arrive! You can forward your mail to you but they will not hold it longer than 15 days prior to your arrival. There are 2 post offices on base one is for singles and one is for families. You will use this address your entire time stationed here. It is an APO address so you can send mail and only pay the US costs. Also, people will only pay the US costs when they mail something to you. Also-- you can ship FREE APO to APO. So if your spouse is deployed and has an APO address then you can ship a box for free. Went today and asked the post office for verification.

          When traveling from the states to Ramstein most people might go through Baltimore airport. Use the USO rooms there! Many airports have USO rooms and they are there to help the military and their families transitioning and traveling. You can stop by and get free drinks and snacks amongst other things. Each person needs to have their ID card with them to enter the room.

         The international flights are wonderful. You get a full meal service on your flight so don't buy a bunch of food right before boarding. I saw several people buy tons of overpriced airport food only to board the plane and get free food on the plane. The meal was very good and unlimited drinks. We were served dinner and breakfast. You will be VERY jet lagged upon arrival! Try to stay up really late the night before your international flight. You are going to jump ahead a minimum of 6 hours. This will cause you to not be on any kind of normal schedule for a while. Our first day here I did a bad thing and took a nap in the middle of the day- DON"T DO THIS!! force yourself to stay up so you can more quickly change your sleep schedule. Go walk around the KMCC or something. It took me 2 weeks to get on a normal sleep cycle.

        Bring a GPS preloaded with the Europe maps. This will be very helpful plus the GPS systems here seem very overpriced and the states has more of a variety. Once here you will want your GPS to do any exploring and to just find places in general.

        When you get here you are going to want to get cell phones right away. Don't make the mistake of getting ansy and signing a contract before you do some research. Ask people any input they have. You can buy prepaid phones at the BX and 24 hour shoppette. They run around $20 and have 3 minutes of time on them. I went to Tmobile and bought my kids prepaid phones there and used my VAT forms. I paid $74 for 2 phones with 15€ on them PLUS a 2 year warranty on the phones. The BX has no money on them and has no warranty. When you buy things off base there is a mandatory 2 year warranty on all electronics. If you get into a contract just be aware they are 2 year contracts off base.
   Fax a copy of your orders to your cell phone provider and you get out of your contract hassle free but you need to do this BEFORE you are near your contract end date. They will automatically renew your contract otherwise.

     If you sign up for internet service through T Mobile off base be ware that the contract is for 2 years! If you plan on moving on base you will have to buy out of your contract. All villages are different in the kind of internet you get. It is not always fast internet. So be aware and ready for slow internet.

        The tax rate here is 19% for goods and 7% for food. With the VAT ( value added tax) form you do not pay this. The VAT forms cost a few bucks but when you buy 10 at a time they are cheaper. They are $4 each unless you buy 6 or more and then they are $3 each after the 5th one. You use them in Germany at any store that you are spending MORE than 50€ at and that excepts the form. You can ask at the customer service area of the store if they except the form before shopping. Since they cost money you don't want to just use it for a 10€ purchase.

       Check out Ramstein Yardsales for people selling good stuff. You can buy autos, phones, transformers, furniture--ANYTHING on that website.

    Also check out Everything KMC. This is a great website to get info and ask questions.

      911 here equals 112. Use 112 to make emergency calls

     Gas is rationed here amongst other things. If you rent a car you can bring your rental receipt to the custom office to get your gas card. If your name is not on the car rental you can not get gas. Only the people with names on the rental agreement can get and use the card. Only the person who has there name on the gas card can get gas. I cannot get gas in my husbands car unless my name is on the ration card. Also, your ration card for the rental card will expire when your rental agreement is over. If you extend and keep your rental car longer you need a new ration card. NO EXCEPTIONS. we made this mistake and pumped gas and did not notice the ration card expired- we extended the rental car 1 day- we had to pay $105 for a small tank of gas. Not cool!!!!!!! Once you get your permanent vehicle your gas card is automatically refilled with your amount at the first of the month. The rental car gas card is a paper and your permanent vehicle is an actual card.Our car gets 400 liters a month and our truck gets 600 liters a moth. On your receipt it tells you ho much you have left. You can also add money to your card to use off base when traveling at Esso stations only.
        Here is more info on Rations-------> RATIONS

    You can get Euro out of the ATM's on base and off. Your bank might and probably will charge a fee for this. No way that I know of to get around this. I have been told that you get a better exchange rate when you use the banks off base. Helpful information here------> LINK

    If you have USAA and you plan on buying a car here they will not give you a new car auto loan. They do not give ANY oconus new car auto loans only personal loans. You must go to a local bank and get the loan through them for an auto loan. Also, typically your car insurance will go up dramatically here. You are required to have $9million---yes I said MILLION- dollars worth of coverage.

   If you are shipping a vehicle from the states to Germany be sure to call your insurance carrier and let them know. They will change the type of insurance you have and it is cheaper for the duration of the vehicles travels. Also, make sure to get rental insurance for your property. Through USAA we pay $20 a month for rental insurance. If your car is not paid off and you are still financing it here is some info on shipping your vehicle and the rules -------> Shipping Financed Vehicles

       When and if you find a home off base you will need to sign up for the UTAP (utility assistance program). This is for everyone regardless of rank. This saves you 19% on your utility bill. It costs $77 to sign up but well worth it. Utilities here are read once a year so save some of you utility money to make sure you are not short at the end of the year. You may be only paying 65€ a month for something and really it should have been 90€ a month. At the end of your yearly cycle they will collect ALL the money that is due or give you a refund of overpayment.

   If you are a spouse when you get here make sure you attend the Spouses Newcomers Briefing at the Airman and Family Readiness Center. It is every Monday from 0830-1430. You will be given LOTS of great info on what to expect here and just some good knowledge in general. The sooner you take is upon arrival the better.

      If SATO made your travel reservations you MUST call them before you leave to confirm you are traveling. They do not tell this to people and constantly there are problems with tickets because of this. We did not call and our plane was set to leave at 0630. When we arrived our tickets had not been paid for so we had to pay for them right there or miss the flight. Plus this altered our seats on all our planes. Also, our hotel wasn't paid for so we ended up paying for that as well. Of course those items are repaid on a travel voucher but it was a pain!! Something that you should not have to deal with.

   The items that are rationed here are coffee, hard liquor, gas and cigarettes. For gas you will get a ration card that is used only for getting gas and your receipt will tell you what you have left. For autos you get 200 liters a month and nothing rolls over. Every first of the month your number resets. Trucks get 600 liters. Coffee, hard liquor and cigarettes are on a paper card that you carry with you. It is ILLEGAL to allow ANYONE to use ANY of your rations.

Before leaving the states get your haircut, by some new clothes and get all your records you can to bring with you. Upon arrival you do not want to try and find clothes or a hairstylist. You will already be overwhelmed with other things. I got a copy of all our immunizations, school records and copies of our dental xrays to bring. This helped IMMENSELY. Nothing gets here quick so if you don't bring it with you then you will probably be waiting a while for it.

Finally-- you do not need to bring your washer and dryer. Actually, the Air Force does not allow it. The base has American and German washers and dryers they loan to you. Some people did not bring any of their 110V appliances. I did and am thankful. We now live on base and can use both 110V and 220V.

Since I am a visual person I thought I would show some visual aides-- :-)

This is a wall plug. You can plug your vacuum in easily in each room. Love it

OK- so I blew up my computer because I was unaware there was a switch on the back that is for changing the voltage. Can you guess where the switch is in this picture? It is the red thing. Would NEVER have guessed that since it is NOT labeled. Anyway- make sure you switch it over before plugging in your desktop. You can use a pencil or something small and strong to flip it over.

These are the adapters for you to plug your American electronics in IF it can take up to 240Volts.

This electronic CAN take up to 240V so I just need an adapter. (pictured above) Look where it says input

This CANNOT go up to 240v so I have to use a transformer if I want to use this electronic.

This is my Keurig (must have item-my treat each day) that I have to plug into the transformer to use. There are different size transformers. This is one of the biggest at 1000Watts. The base gives you 2 to borrow while you are here. They only had the largest available when we got here. I do not leave it plugged in.

I hope this information has helped someone. I really believe that information is power and I am hoping that my recent move can help some others. If you have any questions you can email me at bootsinthedoorway@yahoo.com. Do not send hate mail because I have this fabulous -DELETE-button that I use for haters. I am simply trying to help out and this was my experience. If you had a different experience then great- if you have more info I can add then shoot me an email. :-)

~Cheers~

The begining of our Germany adventure

2011-03-21T03:24:00.002-04:00

Aaahhhh The beauty of Germany! A picture does it no justice.

I took this picture as we were driving around looking for houses. Such beauty

Anyway- house hunting is interesting to say the least. It is almost as bad as black Friday shopping. LOTS of people and minimal houses available. Whoever gets their first is the winner of a place to live.

Kind of crazy but that's what happens when the base does construction and upgrades and loses over half the family units it had. I am glad they are upgrading and making new homes but it sure makes it that more of a tougher move overseas.

We used the "Automated Housing Referral Network" website that the housing office now uses. BUT if you just use that then it might take you seriously longer to get a house. We also used the Kaiserslautern American website and Ramstein yard sales. Both sites and additional units to look at. With so many people looking for housing you really have to be on the ball and have a plan. I would check the websites early in the morning and make calls to up my chances. Plus check the websites throughout the day to see if any newbies snuck there way in.

We were very fortunate to find a house near the base and very spacious. We LOVE our view and our close proximity to the base. My kids are able to take the bus to school and walk to the stop. We have wonderful neighbors below us that make it all that much better.

After living in TLF for 5 weeks we finally moved into our new home. It was an empty home with just borrowed furniture from the base but BABY STEPS. It was something. :-) So thankful the base even has loaner furniture no matter how crappy that hard as rocks bed was at least I didn't sleep on the floor. :-)

No pooping on castle grounds- geesh

My first bakery visit was a YUMMY one

A local church. So beautiful even in a foggy haze

I have never seen a snowflake actually LOOK like a snowflake. LOL I know that sounds weird but I was amazed at how beautiful and artistic the snowflakes are here. This is on my daughters jacket

So this is Ramstein

2011-02-22T03:52:00.002-05:00

Cannot believe we are finally here. It seems so unreal. Everyone tells you so many wonderful things about living in Europe and all that you will do and see. Now we are actually in Germany and it seems weird. We landed and were all tired after some serious lack of sleep.

You get on the plane at 9 at night and land during the morning at 10am and it only took 7 hours. We had dinner and breakfast and watched 3 movies. Plus napping in between since you can't really get comfortable on the plane to get real sleep.

We are off the plane and ready to conquer Europe!!

Oh wait- we have no car or home. First we need to check into the hotel and get a drivers license so we can actually drive to see everything. Hubby took his driving test before we left the states so thankfully he was able to get a rental car the first day here.

We were taken to our room and hubby left to run errands. The hotel seems weird because the appliances are in German and I have no idea if I can use the plugs. I look for the trusty hotel book that is left in ALL hotel rooms to give you information about the base, hotel and local area. NO BOOK!!! You have got to be kidding me-- I am in a foreign country and this is the hotel that chooses NOT to use those handy dandy books. WOW of all the places this is the one place where I really need that book.

So I call the front desk and no they really do not have those books plus she is unsure if our room has any American outlets. Guess I will wait till hubby gets back so he can tell me. The last thing I need is to blow up my laptop or something with the wrong voltage.

First task.......
Begin taking notes for future spouses who will be arriving here.

So- I need to do laundry. YIKES!! Hubby starts the washer and hopes he picks the right buttons. Over 2 hours later our laundry is done. Not going to push those buttons again.

Found appliance manuals in kitchen drawer-- THANK GOODNESS. At least they left that

off to Ramstein

2011-02-16T12:56:00.000-05:00

Man- when you take a flight at night and arrive in the morning it is WeIrD!!!

I was hoping to be tired so I could sleep on the plane but I wasn't tired enough.

It was a long day but finally we were on the plane and headed to our Germany destination. So much excitement brewing inside and anxiousness to see the sights.

We checked in at 3pm and our flight didn't leave until 9pm. That was a long wait in between at the airport. Luckily we took advantage of using the USO room available to all military and their dependents at Baltimore Airport. They had free snack, wifi, tv and assorted other things. It was a nice break from the regular airport area. My children and I showed our ID's and had our hand stamped. We then checked out the snacks and ordered from the nice volunteer gentleman behind the counter. I think he has been volunteering there too long because he didn't seemed thrilled that we were using the service. I got the feeling that he preferred the actual military member to use the service but HEY we are a part of the military too. That's ok- the kids and I ordered some snack and proceeded to relax and eat them. Hubby was in the line still waiting for us to return. :-)

Once we checked in we were glad to see that we were assigned seats. So many people have different experiences and so I had heard so many different ways we might get seats. Luckily, we were seated behind one of the dividers so we had plenty of leg room and our own personal screen in front of us for the movies.

After getting settled and getting up in the air they fed us a tasty dinner. The kind that you used to get every time you flew in a plane. There was plenty of food and I was glad we didn't purchase food before boarding the plane. Although it was a late dinner it was great to have a full stomach to help with the drowsiness. They even gave us hot towels to wipe our hands before our meal. Very nice! Then we had 3 movies to watch and breakfast before we landed. They treated us great and the flight only could have been better if I had a window seat to lay my head.

At one point during the flight an Airman got up to use the restroom that was near us. Unfortunately for him the door didn't close as he thought. LOL He started taking his pee and my son said "um sir" and he turned and realized we were all looking at him. IT WAS HILARIOUS!!!!! We didn't see anything because his back was to us but his face was so funny. The shock was obvious. As he tried to close the door and stop his pee at the same time we worked hard to keep our laugh in. Poor guy .

As we arrived at Ramstein we picked up our belongings and noticed the floor wet. YIKES- the bathroom area on the other side of the divider was leaking through the floor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NASTY Glad we didn't have anything on the floor.

Day one in Germany is off to an interesting start

Moving is tiresome

2011-02-13T12:23:00.001-05:00

Well, we made it out before the storm hit big!

We have been wanting some serious snow all winter and the day it decides to come is the day we leave. What a day that was. As we are driving to the airport the blizzard conditions were starting. We didn't even think our flight would get out but it did. Out of Wichita we were one of only a few flights that actually left. We landed in Chicago not knowing if we were going to get out.

We were set to fly from Chicago to Baltimore but only if we could beat the storms. Fortunately we left Wichita at 6 am and were due to leave Chicago at 10 am. The storms were not supposed to hit Chicago until that afternoon. We had a chance!! I was surprised and bummed that the airports don't have free wifi. Luckily someone near me did not have a lock on their wifi and I was able to use it. Hey-- I'm not a hacker so no harm done. :-)

The sky was so beautiful above the storms that were brewing below.

Some of the planes in line.

We were so lucky to get out of Chicago. As we were on the runway there was 12 planes behind us in line. The last of the planes that were going to get out. We landed in Baltimore with no issues and had plans to stay the night.

With leaving so early in the morning I am very glad we did not have to fly out that same night to Germany. We went to our hotel and enjoyed our evening and got plenty of rest. We knew the next day would be a long one.

Ah- departure day. It is a weird feeling knowing that you will be leaving the country that you love so much. Not knowing when the next time you will be on American soil is kind of weird. I am so ready for a new adventure and new places to see.

This is our plane-- the biggest one I had ever been on. It seems to big to be in the air.

The distance we will be traveling.

WOW-- that's a loooooooong way!

The funny and odd stuff with a PCS

2011-01-25T11:27:00.001-05:00

Well, we are in full gear of the lengthy process to move overseas. A good friend told me this move would be so different then all our other moves and boy was she ever right! So far our mishaps, odd and funny things have been:

---On our passport application we gave the wrong official birth certificate. Apparently there are 2 types of birth certificates and they need the long version. We were not informed of this. Turned in our passport application the first week of December. We leave in 6 days and 2 of us do not have passports.

---Our official orders have an added child that is not ours on the back side. LOL I actually know the mother and think it is funny but odd.

---We drove to Dallas to ship our vehicle and were told that we would be reimbursed upon our return. Upon our return we were then informed that we would be reimbursed in Germany---OK??

---Our unaccompanied baggage was picked up but is going to arrive the same date as our regular household goods. Apparently-- we should have shipped it a month before we left, not a week. Did anyone tell us--NO

---Our movers for our main HHG shipment were scheduled to be at our house Mon, Tues and Wed. They came Mon to pack us and said "We will be back on Wednesday". OK- so why the heck did you schedule Tuesday. What a wasted day in the hotel- but OK :-)

---The packers can't ship "certain" liquids. I can understand that. He was packing my kitchen and left the dish soap on the counter. I assumed my sponge that has dish soap in it would then remain as well. Which is good because I need it for cleaning. NOPE- apparently you can ship the soap if it is in a handle sponge but not in its original bottle?? OK unfortunately I caught that too late and it was already packed not to be found.

---I had a bottle of wine that was 90% empty on top of the fridge. Surely he wont pack that since it is liquid and nearly empty and they have 20 bottles of liquid that they have set aside that they wont pack. NOPE- I caught him rolling it in packing paper getting ready to put it in the box- SERIOUSLY?? LOL I informed him he could leave it out because I will definitely be finishing that.

-- My husband emailed the MPF 3 weeks ago wondering what other out-processing he needed to do. Yesterday, they sent him a LONG sheet that he needs to complete. LOL It is mostly online now but since the time is short and close it was recommended he walk to all the destinations-- sure thing. :-)

I am sure all the funnies will continue. Take each moment as it is and don't worry or stress about too much. If I did I would need MORE wine bottles. LOL

The adventure continues...............

It's a lot of work to move overseas!!

2010-12-21T15:45:00.000-05:00

Wow- life has been a whirlwind!! Once we got our orders to Germany it has been simply chaotic. So much to do and check and follow up on.

We finally received our official orders. You really can't do all the super important stuff without those. Now we can finally schedule our household goods to be picked up and ship our vehicle. Plus add in the Holidays at the same time make for some serious chaos.

We took a trip home to see family and left our 2 dogs with them. :-( It will be a much easier move without them plus we can travel freely while overseas but I sure do miss them. I fell like I lost 2 of my kids. I am SOOOO thankful that our family was able to take them in. It is such a huge relief to know that good, caring people are giving them the love they need. It has made for a much easier transition then I expected for our daughter and me.

We still haven't sold our house but it IS the Holiday season. Not too many people looking to buy a house during Christmas. Luckily we have 2 prospect even though they want to wait until January.

I know that God has a plan and it all will work out.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season. Remember to say a prayer for all our troops and there families left behind.

Next episode

2010-11-02T10:40:00.001-04:00

Well, we are on to the next episode....... selling our house-- for real this time. LOL

We met with 2 realtors and are getting new carpet put in so that buyers will not have a reason to say no to our house. :-) Luckily our house is only 5 years old with the biggest yard in the neighborhood. We are banking on the yard to seal the deal.

Our goal is to sell it in 60 days and then possibly leave early if the commander approves it. Once the house sells we really don't have any reason to stick around.

We found homes for both dogs. My mother in law is taking our yorkie. I knew it would be easy to find her a home- who doesn't want a 3 pound cutie patootie yorkie??? Every time I would ask someone if they could take our big dog Copper they would ask about our yorkie. LOL We did find Copper a home- pending that he gets along with the other dog in the house. My brother in law will be taking him. I will be so sad when we drop them off but fortunately we found family that could take them. Copper was such a pain to start with but now is a FABULOUS dog. He has his moments but we ALL do!

It's so weird knowing that we are actually leaving. I waited so long to get orders and it seems too good to be true. I am weird and I always think-- "Life can't be THIS good. When is the bad stuff going to start".

I will continue to enjoy the high of the good life and be SO THANKFUL for all our blessings for they are many. GOD is good.

Have a wonderful and Blessed day!! :-)

WOW- What a Whirlwind!! ORDERS

2010-10-27T20:42:00.000-04:00

Goodness- time is going by fast. It is so different with him home now. Still readjusting and getting used to things. He is used to just taking care of himself and I am used to making all the decisions. Sometimes is tough and we seem to be disagree a little more but it is getting better.

And we FINALLY got our much anticipated orders.

WERE HEADED TO RAMSTEIN!!!

I am so beyond excited. It is weird that we finally have orders. I have been of course looking up tons of stuff and it can get overwhelming but it is worth it. The hardest thing right now is going to be selling our house. We will NEVER buy a house again while we are in the military.

The market is so rough right now and we only have a short time to make it happen. It should go on the market next week and hopefully sell soon. Such a stress just thinking about it. YIKES

Anyways- back to Germany. WHO has been there recently????

Dish the goods folks!

I need some good info. Base housing, schools, cell phone service.......... You know- the usual stuff. :-)

I kind of want to live off base but we can't decide. SO if you have been there do you prefer on or off base????? You are going to be my poll. LOL

Have a fabulous week! :-)

HE'S HOME!!!

2010-09-17T14:22:00.001-04:00

Hubby is officially home from Iraq!!! I cannot believe he is actually home. He returned a couple of days ago and I think the weirdness of having him home if finally wearing off. Just having him drive home from the airport was weird. I am so used to being the sole driver-- amongst other things. It's weird having a second parent and decision maker. It's weird having a problem with the car and he deals with it. It's weird going over the bills together. It's weird having a body sleeping next to me. It's weird not being by myself during the day while the kids are at school. It's weird, just plain weird!!

And OH SO LOVELY AND THE MOST WONDERFUL THING EVER!

Even though there is so much weirdness I know that will all go away and we will be back to our routines. I am sure he had information overload the first day with the kids talking a mile a minute and checking out all the changes around him. Plus just seeing so much color as opposed to all the grey, blah, dirty, dusty place he was in.

He has 2 weeks off of work and he is enjoying every minute so far. We have plans to go out of town the next 2 weekends to just do fun family stuff.

I was so nervous about so many things and so far everything is fine. I think it really helped that we both took a reunion and reintegration class. The kids are thrilled he's home- especially our daughter who is daddy's girl.

I have to catch myself correcting the kids when I now have another parent to help. I find myself not allowing him time to discipline and I really need to stop that. There is a ,ot more other things that I have to think about and consider in dealing with things. Me being the sole decision maker is now done and yet I was used to it by this time. It's hard to not want to just keep doing what your doing and allow them to help only when you are desperate. You feel like you have accomplished so much by surviving and dealing with everything and then its over. It's a weird feeling-like OK-I have done everything myself but now I need to stop myself from doing everything. lol

It was great last night to see him and our son wrestling like old times. It is so wonderful that he can give our daughter kisses goodnight and she goes to sleep with no more tears. She feels safe and secure again. Our dog was happy he was home until he noticed he was spending a little more time outside. I had spoiled him and let him stay in with me most every day. He provided a sense of security for me and he is a GREAT listener. :-) Hubby thinks he needs to spend more time outside since he is an outside dog. Well- he is inside today. I am not going to kick him to the curb just because hubby is home. After all- he still is a GREAT listener.

One of my friends told me to now be a stranger now that my husband is home. I know what she means. Sometimes when our spouse is deployed we find a surrogate parent in a friend who we can rely on and call anytime. Then we can forget about them when our spouse returns. I had this happen to me and i was very hurtful. I know that the person did not mean for me to be hurt and still wanted a relationship but it all changed. She would call everyday and we would go shopping and so forth. We had built a bond from the deployment. Then her hubby came home and I rarely heard from her. It's not her fault and I am not mad because of this BUT it still was hurtful.

I am so thankful for God and all the many blessings he has provided our family. So thankful this deployment is over and we can move on.

NOW WHERE ARE OUR PCS ORDERS!!!!! I'm ready to move :-) On to the next thing..........

We decorated the front yard

Our free banner we got from Buildasign.com/troops

We can see him coming!

A long awaited hug!!!

He's coming home- mixed emotions!!

2010-09-06T16:16:00.000-04:00

I can't believe it but hubby will be coming home in the next few weeks. It seems so surreal. Like it is not true. I think about how long he has been gone and wow it's time for him to come home.

I am of course BEYOND excited! Finally another parent to help out. He can fix all those things on the house that have been neglected. Someone to watch TV with at night. Just to be able to get a hug is going to be phenomenal.

Then I am worried because I didn't accomplish everything that I thought I would while he was gone. Plus- the kids and I have really become closer and I am slowly figuring out my teen son. My son and husband are so alike it is amazing. I am worried about them fighting and butting heads since they are both so stubborn.

I have been taking care of everything and now I am not going to be the sole decision maker. Time to share the responsibilities.

I also know that all my worries need to not be worries. LOL Silly emotions.

Back on track

2010-09-01T21:37:00.000-04:00

Ok- so my smiley face is back. I feel much better.

Thank you SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much for ALL your comments. It really, truly helps. I feel so much better when I can read that other people are going through the same things and all your words of encouragement.

I am still keeping really busy to help the time fly. Actually- I think I just keep busy because I like it. :-) All has been going good these last few days. My daughter has started volleyball and school is going good for both of them so far. I really enjoy my free time during school hours. It is so peaceful!! Just me and my doggies.

It's funny because this weekend is a holiday weekend but it is just another weekend for us. The kids get out an extra day on Monday but hubby isn't here to get it off. We don't have any plans so really it is just another weekend with an extra sleep in day- woohoo. I think I will have a "Lost" marathon with a nice glass of wine.

Here is a picture of me and my wonderful kiddo's at a local garden.

Hope you all have a great rest of the week and enjoy your weekend.

Bizarre-Strange-Confused

2010-08-27T22:34:00.001-04:00

Those are just some of the word describing me right now.

Wow- not sure what I am going through. I need to look up emotional stages of a deployment. I am feeling so weird. I am tired all the time now. I don't really want to do anything. yesterday I sat on my couch and stared aimlessly for over an hour. BIZARRE! I never take naps- NEVER- I took 2- yes 2 this week. BIZARRE I forced myself this morning to go meet some other spouses for coffee. I typically love going and look forward to it each week. not today! BIZARRE

I'm feeling so many emotions at once right now. I am so mad at my van- I just got it fixed yesterday and spent $370 on it. Today- it dies on me. The exact reason why I got it fixed yesterday.UGH So far this deployment- my heater broke, garage door opener broke, van broke-twice-, fence broke, mower broke, sump pump broke and flooded some of the basement, master bath toilet leaked into downstairs room and my kitchen sink leaked. I'm sure there is more. All while I am taking care of 2 dogs, 2 vehicles, a house and bills. Not to mention my 2 kids- my daughter who absolutely adores her dad and is going through some self esteem issues. Plus-my son, which is a 13 year old teenager-UGH!!

I feel so tired, worn down, sad, angry.......

I literally would love to just sit at my kitchen table- put my head on it and just let my arms hang down for hours and hours. Not moving or thinking. Just sit there. I don't even want to sleep- even though I am SO tired, I don't want to sleep.

Call me a whiner, complainer- whatever. Don't really care. I know that we signed up for this and I am not saying that I don't want to be a military spouse or that I can't handle it. I'm just saying...........

I don't know what I'm saying really. LOL Maybe I'm just going through a moment. I hope it ends soon. I have so much I need to be taking care of and yet I can't seem to accomplish anything.

I know there are worse situations. I am aware that I truly don't have it that bad. I am thankful that we are all healthy and blessed with a roof over our head. I am thankful for the love of my family and all they my husband provides for us. I am thankful that we are ending this deployment soon. I am thankful that his job does not regularly put him in harms way. I AM thankful.

But still---- I feel..........................BLAH (blank face staring at computer screen)

I'm sure none of this has anything to do with the fact that my husband has been gone since Jan 30th and I miss him more than I could ever explain.

What was I going to write??

2010-08-25T12:28:00.000-04:00

So- I am having a brain fart! As I lay in bed last night I was thinking about writing and had a great title and everything. My brain was flowing and was excited to write today.

Apparently while I slept the anti blog fairy came and stole my thoughts.

I've got nothing!! Yep- NOTHING. :-(

It will bug me all day. I have learned my lesson to at least get up and write myself a note or just get the computer and write.

Here's to hoping your mind is processing better than mine. :-)

Did time slow down??

2010-08-23T14:13:00.001-04:00

Good golly it feels like time just slowed way down. It is probably due to the fact that we are on our last few weeks before this deployment is over. Everything has just been speeding along and now that it is so close it feels like it is farther away than before.

It doesn't help that I am real excited to get our orders in Oct and know that we will be starting a new adventure. So much is going to be happening starting in September for us. I guess i should brace for the storm to come- homecoming, orders, selling house, promotion.................

I will enjoy the slow time because I am thankful that it felt like time was going somewhat fast since he has been gone. I almost thought that maybe I wasn't busy enough- and then I looked at my calendar and KNEW that wasn't it.

Hope all of you who are going through a deployment that the time continues to go quickly.

We put our base choices in!

2010-08-19T07:02:00.000-04:00

So after reading everyone's thought and getting many opinions from friends- we finished our list.

Our choices are:

Livorno, Italy- Army Base
Aviano, Italy
Ramstein, Germany
Hickam, Hawaii- this was not on his original list b/c he is not sure if he qualifies for the job. So this is our hail mary of sorts.

Eglin, FL

We don't find out until October. Now is the dreaded wait time. I am not looking anything up or getting my hopes up. It is so hard when you spend time researching a base in hopes of getting it then you don't. I REALLY want us to go overseas. It is just such a great time for us to be able to go and our kids to remember and enjoy it.

Off to pray to the PCS gods for the next couple months!! :-)

UGH- Homeownership AND hubby deployed

2010-08-17T19:21:00.000-04:00

Man oh man. You know Murphy's Law. Of course we have our own Military Murphy's Law that we all are aware of. You know- everything breaks when your husband leaves. Well, that is currently what is going on in my world.

I had that leak a few months back and turned all the water off in my bathroom. Well, I had the plumber come yesterday and everything was fixed. Turned out to be my toilet seal- $100 and all fixed. I was THRILLED!!! So worried that it was going to be some major leak or something and dreading to find out reality.

Well- I was excited too soon. This morning my sump pump went out. After all night and morning of rain it decided it was done working for me. ( a sump pump is in the basement of some houses and removes the water from the foundation) Anyway- I went to go start laundry and saw some water. Hmmm I had the plumber here yesterday and I thought he fixed everything. great- he must have missed something--- right!

NOPE

Whole new problem. My sump pump stopped sending the water out but it is still coming in and now all my lower drains are stopped and overflowing. Just fabulous!! I start trying to self fix the issue. Power is on, breaker is good and the pump is just making a weird clicking sound. Oh wait- no time to try and fix the issue the water is coming and now overflowing in the bathroom next door.

I call the plumber and he is at another job but will get here as soon as possible. Oh No!! please be soon!!

I start bailing water. One pitcher at a time, up and down the stairs. I have to pour it outside since my drains are full. After 12 dumps the water looks the same. :-(

Plumber calls and is on his way- it had only been 20 minutes. THANK GOODNESS

He was wonderful- Started working fast right away and fixed the problem quickly. He could tell I was a little frazzled and was so nice. So I now have a new sump pump, lots of towels to wash and a new bill on the way.

Honey- are you coming home yet????????

Recipe Swap!!!

2010-08-16T22:39:00.000-04:00

HOW FUN!!

Is having a Recipe Swap. I LOVE recipes so here is one or two that I would like to share-- ENJOY!!

Easy Crab Cakes

1 cup boiling water
1 pkg stove top stuffing
3 eggs
2 cans crab meat
1/4 cup butter
1 lemon

Add boiling water to stuffing mix in large bowl. Stir until moist. Let stand 5 minutes. Mix eggs and crab meat in separate bowl. Add crab meat mixture to stuffing. Melt butter in pan and shape crab meat into patties. Cook on med heat until lightly browned.

Marinated Cheese- SO SO yummy!! Serve this cheese over crackers to WOW your guests.

Block Cheddar Cheese
Block Cream Cheese- extremely cold. Set in freezer for a few minutes before cutting
-MARINADE-
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup white or red wine vinegar
1 bottle diced pimento's (drained)
3tbs parsley
Garlic Cloves chopped or minced
1 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp basil

Mix together all marinade ingredients in a pourable container. MIX WELL and place in fridge.

Cut both cheeses in same size small rectangles. Place cheese in container alternating between the 2 slice into rows. cream cheese/cheddar/cream cheese/cheddar.........

Pour marinade over cheese and let sit in fridge for 2 hours. Serve with crackers. :-)

We got orders to Italy!!

2010-08-13T07:05:00.003-04:00

Ok- maybe we didn't! WAIT- don't leave. I agree that was a mean thing to say just to get you to read this blog post BUT- I do need your help.

We got our available bases for our upcoming move in the spring. We have to pick 5 bases that we would like to go to. Not that they are 100% going to give us one of those choices- after all it is called a "dream sheet" for a reason. BUT- (yes, I know I say that a lot) we still want to pick 5 and dream about them .LOL

So, we have 4 picked out. They are Livorno, Italy; Aviano, Italy and 2 Ramstein jobs. That leaves us with one more choice- stateside. We are stuck between Eglin-FL, McGuire-NJ and Fairchild-WA.

Eglin- we were stationed at Hurlburt before this assignment so we know the area. Don't really need info, just want to compare.

McGuire- we visited for 5 days this March and really liked it. But- yes I said BUT- we weren't living there.

Fairchild- never been

So here is where I need your help. Have you actually been stationed at any of these bases? I need info and good info! I used to know of a website that wasn't military governed and people wrote there actual experiences but can't remember the site- do you know it? We have 2 kids so I am interested in high school and middle school info.

Thanks!! :-)

Oh- and don't forget about -------->GROUPON

Being a homeowner stinks!

2010-08-11T17:56:00.004-04:00

UGH- my head hurts. I took a Motrin-800 and am hoping it takes away my pain. I also bought a box of Milk Duds because I just needed a little bit of goodness in my day.

I haven't been sleeping well lately and I am sure that has to do with why my head hurts. So much on my mind lately. We got our base choices and are now picking our top 5 for our list. I am WAY excited about this. BUT that means it is time to sell the house again--DREADFUL!!

Have I mentioned I hate being a homeowner!! So not fun when you are in the military.

I had turned the water off for my bathroom sink 2 months ago because there was a leak. Yes- I know that doesn't fix it but I was hoping it would sustain it until hubby got home. Well, today I went in the laundry room (downstairs below my bathroom) and noticed a drip of water. I knew that when I looked up I wouldn't be happy.

I could have just kept my head down, turned off the light and walked away. That would have been wonderful and easy.

BUT NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO I know that is not the right thing to do so I DID look up. Bummer!! The leak is back and now I turned off all the water to my bathroom. So I am now on a mission to find a good plumber.

Head hanging down as I heave a heavy sigh with a sad face.

It is such a pain to find someone that you can trust to come into your home and hope they don't scam you and take you for all your money. I will have faith though and be diligent in finding one. Otherwise the problem is going to get worse and I don't want hubby's return to be filled with fix this and fix that. ( although I do have a list going- of course).

Anyways, I just couldn't seem to recover from the leak and headache so my day went down the toilet faster than the leak under it.

But I do have children and I must make a speedy recovery and put on my brave happy face-- insert smile here!

After all- tomorrow is a new day

Nothing Scheduled- Not good

2010-08-07T12:41:00.001-04:00

WOW- I have nothing scheduled for the next several weekends. This is not good. I thrive on being busy so the time passes quickly. Luckily- DH comes home next month so I really don't need to keep myself too busy anymore but still. Maybe I am just too used to being busy. I probably should just enjoy the weekend and relax for once. BUT- then time goes by so s-l-o-w.

I do have lots of paperwork type stuff I could do for the key spouse program and the spouse club.

BUT- I would love to just do nothing maybe all day. Not sure the last time I just became a couch potato and watched tv all day. Not even sure if I could do that- I probably would drive myself crazy just sitting there. Knowing there are things I could be doing.

Is it payday yet??? LOL It always helps when we have money then we can do things. This paycheck went quick with school supplies and registration. Yes- I PAY for my kids to go to public school. It is so crazy. My son in 8th grade cost $92 and my daughter was $60 for 5th. That is just so they can go and sit in the classroom. It does not include supplies and yearbook. Plus, last year my son lost a book and we had to pay for the book again. No- they are not getting new books every year- they are using repeat books. I have no idea why we have to pay here. I have asked several people and nobody knows.

Ok- off to do nothing or something. LOL Hope you all have a FABULOUS weekend.

Ten Commandments of a Military Spouse

2010-08-05T07:54:00.001-04:00

During my Key Spouse training someone mentioned the "AF 101" handbook for Air Force spouses.

It is HERE

This is a FABULOUS handbook for any branch of the service even though it focuses on the Air Force.
By far my favorite part was the ten Commandments.

So here they are:

The Ten Commandments of a Military Spouse

1. Thou shalt not write in ink in thy address book.

2. Thou shalt not covet choice assignments.

3. Love thy neighbors from other branches of the service no matter how superior the Air Force may seem.

4. Honor all thy benefits for as long as they all shall live.

5. Be thou kind and gentle to retired, white-haired Commissary, Exchange, and Thrift Store customers, because someday thou too will be a retiree.

6. Thou shalt not threaten to, or kill thy children or spouse when your spouse is TDY or Deployed.

7. Thou shalt look for the best in every assignment even though the best may refer to “most childhood diseases in one year” or “record snow in one month’s time”.

8. Thou shalt remember all thy friends from all thy assignments with holiday greeting cards, for thou never knowest when thou may wish to spendeth the night with them while enroute to a new duty station.

9. Thou shalt not curse your spouse when s/he is TDY/Deployed during moving days, holidays, birthdays, or anniversaries.

10. Thou must never arrive at a new duty station and constantly speaketh about how much better thy last base was.

LOL LOVE IT!!

Which ones are you guilty of? I am definitely guilty of #10 BIG TIME- especially since I was in Florida before. #2 is big for me as well since I am awaiting our orders.

Next month- so weird

2010-08-03T21:28:00.000-04:00

WOW- I can officially say that next month my hubby will be home!!

I CAN'T believe it. I am so excited . It seems like it was forever ago that he left and now he is pretty close to being home. THANKFULLY! I am so dying for one of his hugs.

It always seems like ti is going to be forever and so lllooooonnnngggg until they get home but all in all I am thankful for the short time he has been gone. He hasn't been gone for a year yet so I really can't complain---yet! lol

I know that keeping massively busy has helped the time fly. We have had such a busy summer and accomplished a lot. Next week we get our base possibilities for our move and then we will have orders. Time is flying~~

Fun= Guilty

2010-07-26T11:50:00.000-04:00

I always feel guilty when the kids and I are having a fun day. Yesterday we went to a theme park for the day. We are a big theme park family so it was weird not having hubby there. My daughter kept saying-"we need to come back here with dad".

I feel sometimes like its not fair that we are having a good time while he is over there. I know it is silly but it still is a feeling I have. He loves us having good times and tells me to have fun BUT I still feel guilty. I hate for us to be laughing when he calls because I don't want him to feel like he is missing out and get sad. I always tell him we are only having 75% of fun. He completes our 100%.

I'm a silly girl with silly feelings. LOL The key to this deployment has been to keep real busy but then we are doing so many things with out him that it kind of bums you out. But then we have lots of things to look forward to doing together when he returns.

FREE welcome home banner

2010-07-24T10:03:00.001-04:00

I just wanted to pass along this site for you all. I ordered my banner and am so anxious for it to get here. Several of my friends have ordered one and they said they are awesome! They are giving away free welcome home banners for troops. You can pick your size and completely customize it.

----------->Build a sign<--------------

Check out the website and get your free banner today. You do have to pay shipping but I think it is worth it.

I have no affiliation with this site nor do I know anyone who works there. I receive no benefits from telling you about this I simply wanted to let you know. So please don't think this is a scam or something.

Time just went by me

2010-07-23T09:03:00.000-04:00

WOW- summer goes by fast! Yes, I know- it's still summer. I remember just several months ago thinking about my family coming to visit and all the things we will do.

Now they are gone and school registration starts soon.

WOW

My brother and niece left this week. We had a great time and were able to see and do many things. But then it felt like we should still have time to do more things and hang out. I am sure it is because we were having such a good time and I really enjoy their company. It is so great to have family over and you can just be yourself and enjoy the little things. I was very fortunate that my mom, brother and niece all were able to come visit.

It's weird because I know now that Aug is right around the corner. Which brings us closer to our base availability list. Which brings us closer to hubby come home. Then that brings us closer to us having orders and then we are GONE!!

WOOHOO

I look forward to where we will be next summer and can't wait for another visit from family.

My daughter and niece

Send some cyber love to G.I. Joes Wife

2010-07-21T23:26:00.001-04:00

So I was reading a blog post by Beka-another military wife who is going through some tuff times. Please head over to her blog and give her some words of encouragement!!!

Here is her post-----> True Life "Army Wives"

" Army Wives"

2010-07-17T20:26:00.000-04:00

I don't know about you but it seems impossible to watch this show and not cry. I can't last any episode without breaking into tears.

That show is so great and spot on. Something about that show just makes me feel validated in how I feel and how proud I am of our life. I can relate so much and I am sure that is why it is so popular. It is great how realistic it is and not over the top ridiculous. Even though I am an Air Force wife it still is pretty much the same things.

You know your husband is deployed when....

2010-07-12T18:23:00.001-04:00

Diamonds and Dog Tags posted this list

1. You cook something one night and the leftovers are still there in the morning

2. You know how to fill out a "customs form"

3. You only shave your legs when you think someone might see them

4. You get excited about "unknown" phone numbers calling you

5. You've exhausted every idea you could ever have about what to put in a box.

6. Your fridge resembles a liquor store and you suddenly find yourself accumulating wine by the case load

7. You walk outside to get the mail and immediately run back in to get your cellphone

8. Your idea of "cooking" is microwaving a lean cuisine

9. You enjoy weekdays more than weekends because you don't like watching other families

10. You lose all concept of time and/or day of the week, all you know is "x-ish" number of days until he's home

11. You go to the bathroom, in the middle of the night, with the lights out, and the toilet seat is still down.

12. You feel like you're "married" to one or more of your friends

13. You see a couple kissing in the supermarket and immediatly run to the tools section to find a sledgehammer...

14. You find yourself standing eerily close to strange men on the street just because they're wearing cologne..and you haven't smelled cologne in a looong time.

15. You put a bag of trash on the porch and it's still there 3 weeks later

16. You know when the best time to go to the post office is

17. Your two major purchases each week are kleenexes and wine

18. You check your email every 15 minutes

19. You know what a "freedom 'stash" is...and secretly hate them.

20. You make friends with a bunch of strangers on the internet just because you're all going through the same thing ;)

The only one I don't know is #19. So if you know it then please tell me-LOL

I also would add

21. When listening to the radio you can change the channel quickly when you hear the first notes of certain songs that you KNOW will make you cry

22.You save messages he has left on the answering machine just to hear his voice at a later time

23.You think its funny when civilians complain about their husbands being gone for 3 days

24. You don't have to do laundry for 2 weeks- and that's with kids

And of course-- don't forget to check out GROUPON for great half price and more deals in your city.

Moving??

2010-07-11T11:29:00.001-04:00

I am so excited!!! We will finally be on the next move list. Our assignment possibilities are going to come out next month and I cannot wait to see whats available.

People always ask me how I can move so much but I LOVE IT!! How boring it would be to me to live in the same place for so long and never see what else is out there. I am SO appreciative that we are able to move all over and experience so many things. When the kids don't like a place they know in 3 years they will be able to move and start over. When they do like a place and its hard to leave you are thankful for having the opportunity to be there and all the people you met.

I am hoping that we get orders to England, Hawaii, New Jersey, Italy or Arizona. Those are my top 5 places.

We will know in Oct. I can barely wait!!!!!!!

Don't forget to check out some GREAT deals and ways to save some serious money at -------->GROUPON
We bought museum tickets for $4 that are normally $11. That makes it very affordable for our family to go. Plus the tickets usually have an expiration date several months away.

Amazing Blog Support

2010-07-06T00:02:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to say that I think the blog world is AMAZING!!

Since starting this blog I have felt some awesome love, compassion, understanding, friendship and more. I am so thankful of all the support and being able to read other peoples stories.

I just wanted to thank everyone for all the wonderful love they have sent along the internet waves to me. It really has helped and made a difference.

Great American Quotes

2010-07-04T16:08:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to take the time to share some great quotes that I LOVE and hope you all have a wonderful and safe 4th.

My patriotic heart beats red, white, and blue. ~Author Unknown

Then join hand in hand, brave Americans all!
By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall.
~John Dickinson

This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave. ~Elmer Davis

Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it. ~Thomas Paine

"A true soldier doesn't fight because he hates what's in front of him, but because he loves what's behind him."GK Chesterton

The soldier above all others prays for peace, for it is the soldier who must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war.–Douglas MacArthur

If I don't call don't get worried

2010-07-02T21:02:00.004-04:00

That's what my husband said to me a while ago.

He let me know that if he didn't call for a few days to not be worried because he would be on a mission.

UM OK.

I worry even if he does call everyday. But today he didn't call. Ironically last night I was not able to sleep and tossed and turned all night. Plus my daughter couldn't go to sleep because she said she felt nervous. I told her there is nothing for her to be nervous about. This is all BEFORE he didn't call today.

So I have had a sad face today

I know he told me not to worry but that is not possible. I am always worried- I only take a break when he comes home.

Of course it is 4th of July weekend. I'm having another family over for some fun plus my brother and niece are here. So glad that I have been fortunate enough to have family here this summer. It has forced me to keep a strong face even when I felt it might not be possible. Today is that day. I went to TJ Max and saw the sign "keep calm and carry on" blaring in my face. I know God put it there for me to see. I'm trying my best and thank you God for the reminder. :-)

This is for my hubby--

2010-06-30T10:29:00.001-04:00

Thanks to:

for my blog award.

Wish you were here

2010-06-28T10:35:00.000-04:00

Our daughter is playing on a traveling softball league this year. She has been playing rec ball for the past 2 years so we wanted to step it up this year and get more competitive. Last year her dad coached her team and they did awesome. This year she is on a traveling team that does lots of tournaments and she gets lots more play time and her dad is not here.

So bummed he is not able to be here and see her play and help coach her. She was used to his calm and positive coaching skills and now she gets a coach that yells a lot and says a lot of " great win but.....". The team has been improving greatly. It is wonderful to see them getting better on little things that need improving.

These past 2 weekends they played in the championship game for the tournaments. She plays 1st base and has turned out to be quite the hitter when she can get over her nerves. Her team won 2nd place both tournaments. So wonderful considering how they played when we started.

He called during this last tournament and I was giving him some play by play info. It was great to let him know when it was happening what was going on. I take lots of pictures and videos but it just isn't the same.

Here is my daughters team with there medals.

SO PROUD!!

Win a BLOG Makeover and HUGE Oakley discounts

2010-06-27T08:52:00.002-04:00

Just wanted to share a giveaway. Head over to:

to check out her Blog Makeover giveaway. :-) Good Luck

Also, if you were not aware of it Oakley gives a HUGE discount to ilitary on a wide variety of products. Their website for this is HERE The discount is so good you do have to prove you are military. They have some great boots and I bought replacement lenses for my Oakleys for only $20. Check it out. :-)

Have you gotten your Groupon yet??????????

2010-06-23T07:50:00.000-04:00

I am all about saving money. Well, there is this company where they send out AMAZING discounts on restaurants, museums and more. I just bought tickets to a museum near us that I have been wanting to see but the tickets are too pricey. They have a sale right now for $4 per ticket! That is so wonderful. You can only buy the deal of the day that day but they are wonderful.
Check them out here---------------------> GROUPON

SAY WHAT!! Flags on the ground!

2010-06-21T08:47:00.001-04:00

My fabulous daughter had a softball tournament this weekend (like every weekend it seems ). Anyway, it was in a town about 30 minutes from ours. We arrived ready on a Friday night for some games. She played and won her first game so we didn't need to return until Saturday morning.

We arrived Saturday around 11 to the complex. The ball fields were beautiful with shaded bleachers and all. They decided to line the walkways with American flags. OK- that looks nice and all BUT and the is a big BUT --there were 2 that were lying on the ground. OMG this is of course not ok. So I pick them up and notice the sticks are broken. Not Cool!

I take the two flags and start to look for someone in charge. I find a women and ask her if she knows the rules for flags.

She says " yes, these are our flags".

I said" I know, I just want to know if you know the rules for US flags. These were on the ground on the walkway".

She says as she takes them from me " Yes- I do know the rules. The wind probably knocked them over".

I said" I don't think so because the sticks are all broken. I think they are getting trampled on because there are so many people here".

She walks away.

I go back and sit down.

OK- so, I can't stop thinking about our interaction. I start to feel bad because maybe I came across too strong. I wasn't trying to be mean or aggressive towards her but I am a LITTLE sensitive to the fact a flag is on the ground especially since my hubby is currently in Iraq. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!!

Anywho- part 2!!

I see her again and walk over to her to apologize for coming off too strong. As soon as she see's me she starts to walk away from me. So, I stop her and say-
" I wanted to apologize if I made you angry. I wasn't trying to be rude."
She says ok and starts to walk away.
I say "wait, please don't walk away. I am trying to apologize here because you seem upset."

She says " well, I am too busy to make sure the flags aren't on the ground". AND WALKS AWAY!

Oh holey hell!!! You have got to be kidding me!!!!!!!!!!! I so wanted to go to her and just say a thing or 2 to her about what the flag means and if she can't watch them then don't put them there. They are not meant to be a decoration so that your complex looks nice. I was so furious. So I took a DEEEEEEEEP breath and calmed myself down. I know that she OBVIOUSLY does not truly know what that flag means. She has never felt that pride that military wives and husbands feel when they see that flag knowing their active duty spouse is overseas fighting for our country. She has never had her husband away in a foreign country in adverse conditions. She has never had to explain to a crying child why their daddy isn't there. She has never had to take care of the house, pets, kids, cars, bills...... and so on while her husband is gone.

Silly Civilians!!! Some just don't get it.

So as we walked away that evening we picked up another flag on the ground and took it with us. SHAME on her!!!!

Respect The Flag
by Linda Todd
Respect the Flag and let it always be,
Enjoyed by all in the land of the free.
Soil not the Red - White - and - Blue,
Preserve the colors - oh so true.
Evidence of the Nation that we love,
Calling down a blessing from God above.
Treat our flag with tender loving care,
The privilege we have in America of prayer.
Hang it proudly for everyone to see,
Emotion when it flies always engulfs me.
Fly it high and fold it - oh so right,
Let it be preserved with care each night.
Always a symbol of freedom that was earned,
Gladly should it wave and never be burned . . .

My Hubby

2010-06-20T20:15:00.000-04:00

Here's my hubby somewhere in Iraq.

And the song that breaks it all down!!

BLOG HELP

2010-06-19T11:20:00.001-04:00

Ok- So I have emailed the lady who did my blog 3 times and am not getting a response. Can someone tell me how do I separate my main post area from the sidebar area?? I don't want it separated just by the dotted line. I want it separated by space. Also, on my scrolling marquee I cannot get it to scroll continuously. After the last blog it has a large space before it starts again.

ANY help would be SOOOOO aprpeciated. Thanks a bunch!! :-)

I am trying to make a space between the sidebar and the main post area. Or just a wider space between the two so theya re not so close together.

Summer Fun (chaos)

2010-06-18T09:40:00.000-04:00

Well, my mom and son left earlier this week. My mom was able to come out and visit for 5 weeks. It was great to have her around and the kids really enjoyed spending time with her. When she left my son went with her. He will be back in 4 weeks. WOW- that is a long time. I really missed him last night when I had to mow our backyard that is 10K sq ft. YIKES- talk about tiring. We have a self propelled mower so that helps big time.

So my daughter and I are keeping real busy with her softball. She is playing 5 days this week and that includes a tournament on Sat which will probably be 3 games. I love that it is keeping us busy so time goes by faster. My brother and niece are coming to stay with us for 4 weeks starting next week. I sure love having company over- plus my brother can mow the lawn. wink wink

After my spider incident I have been on alert. LOL Last night I went into the garage to get my mowing shoes. I am always paranoid that something started living in them since the last time I wore them so I always step on them and bang them to make sure I have no new friends in them. As I was grabbing my shoes I saw a BIG BLACK thing. Oh No- It can't be!! YES- it was huge and REAL! UGH All I had near me was wasp spray. You know how wasp spray is- it shoots really far and hard. So I spray the spider and it gets shot across the floor. Luckily I think it was already dying from previous perimeter spray I had done. It was moving slow before I shot it with wasp spray. I grabbed the broom and swept it out of the garage. YUCK!! That thing shriveled up and got on his back. My daughter started freaking out when i told her to be careful.

Spider Paranoi In Full Affect!!

AAAAAHHH Spiders!!!

2010-06-17T17:32:00.000-04:00

OMG I thought I was going to die and my kids find me in the laundry room. I was doing the laundry- Like always- when I pulled a shirt out of the dryer. THAT is when my heart stopped beating!!!
This is what flew on my arm and then to the ground

I HATE SPIDERS!! I remember our first deployment and towards the time when he was going to be coming home, due to weather changes, we started having lots of spiders in the house. Sometimes they would be crawling on our carpet and I would grab a coffee cup and place it over the spider. When he came home he had several cups with spiders in them waiting. again- I HATE SPIDERS!

So- after my heart stopped and I lost all sound- I realized it was my daughters plastic spider she got out of the candy machine. Well, I don't think I need to explain where that went next- THE GARBAGE!!

Spouse Conference

2010-06-13T16:27:00.000-04:00

Today I went to my first ever Military Spouse Conference. WOW- it was SO fun!! The conference started at 930 am and was over by 330pm. Before the conference started there was an information fair in the hallway. We were able to get information on the various things the base has to offer and get some freebies.

The conference started off with guest speaker Ellie Kay. She is a former Air Force spouse whose husband has since retired. She is also a financial consultant for Wal Mart and other places. She gave everyone a FREE copy of her book "Heroes at Home". She was a great speaker who talked about different aspects of the military life. Here website is HERE

During the conference we had 2 breakout sessions where there were 4 rooms to choose from. I went to the travel room and learned all about how to get discounted tickets and hotels through our base plus they gave us online military websites and phone numbers.

Here is what I learned today in my breakout sessions:

TRAVEL

call these numbers for installations near you to get lodging at a great rate
AF- 1-888-AF LODGE
Army- 800-GO ARMY1
Navy- 800 NAVY INN

Sandals and Beaches Resorts have the best deals for military. Their rates are usually 65% off.
Carnival has the best cruise discounts

Armed Forces Vacation Club offers weekly accommodations for $369 at over 3500 locations. You can call them at 800-724-9988 or visit AFVCLUB online. The fee is for 7 night condominium lodging for the condo NOT per person

COUPONS

A local mom who is not military came and talked to us about how she saves money. She had a receipt for $300 worth of groceries she bought for $15. You can find her in yahoo groups under couponsanddeals. She watches ads and uses triple and double coupons.

After the breakout sessions lunch was served. Outback donated chicken Caesar salads and their yummy wheat bread. For some lunch time entertainment 13 of us did a skit on the little black dress. It was tons of fun and the audience loved it.

After that we had a game show skit and our final speaker came out- Mollie Gross.

Me and Mollie

She is a comedian and a Marine Wife. She was hilarious. Very off the cuff and no holds barred. She talked about being a military wife and all the funa dn interesting things we go through. In out goody bag was a CD from her.

For Dessert they had set up a dessert bar. OMG It was yummy. They had lots of choices and it was a buffett- that could be real dangerous!! :-)

Over all it was a GREAT day. Just what I needed to get me pumped up and remind me how special us military wives are.

CAUTION- I may cry at any moment

2010-06-11T08:39:00.004-04:00

Oh goodness. I'm feeling so weak, emotionally drained, tired, frustrated,tense, sad...................

The list could go on. It's been just one of those days where I know I need to cry and let it out but I just keep hanging on. I feel so sad and lonely even though I am surrounded by family. I have all these emotions building up.

UGH I hate that feeling. I wish I could just fly to hubby and get a quick rejuvenating hug to last me these last couple of months. My son is not helping with the stress part. He's 13 and a great kid but he can send me to the end in a flash.

Several times today I just wanted to cry for no reason. I keep busy so the days will go fast but maybe were too busy. I don't know- every time I think we are going good it doesn't of course change how much we miss him. Another hard thing is that my son is going to fly home when my mom does next week and spend 4 weeks there. I had planned that me and the kids would go but financially that is not going to happen. Plane tickets nowadays are so expensive plus to add the baggage fees. It's N-O-T gonna happen. :-(

I love how they offer spouses of deployed members a free flight on military aircraft anywhere---OVERSEAS! What- my family lives in the US. This does not help me. Apparently it is so that the airlines do not lose money from the spouses who do go home. Geesh! Give me a Space A flight that I can actually use and will boost mine and my children's morale.

Yesterday I had to talk to my daughter's softball coach about something and I couldn't get through the conversation without crying. I hate showing weakness and people thinking I'm losing it.

So- on to other things (lol) here is a great poem :

I AM A MILITARY WIFE

I am a military wife -- a member of that sisterhood of women who have had the
courage to watch their men go into battle, and the strength to survive until
their return.

Our sorority knows no rank, for we earn our membership with a marriage license,
traveling over miles, or over nations to begin a new life with our military
husbands.

Within days, we turn a barren, echoing building into a home, and though our
quarters are inevitably white-walled and unpapered, we decorate with the
treasures of our travels, for we shop the markets of the globe. Using hammer
and nail, we tack our pictures to the wall, and our roots to the floor as
firmly as if we had lived there for a lifetime. We hold a family together by
the bootstraps, and raise the best of "brats," instilling in them the motto,
"Home is togetherness," whether motel, or guest house, apartment or duplex.

As military wives we soon realize that the only good in "Good-bye" is the
"Hello again."

For as salesmen for freedom, our husbands are often on the road, at sea, or in
the sky, leaving us behind for a week, a month, an assignment. During
separations we guard the home front, existing until the homecoming. Unlike our
civilian counterparts, we measure time, not by years, but by tours -- married
at Knox, a baby born at Portsmouth, a special anniversary at Yorktown, a
promotion in McDill.

We plant trees, and never see them grow tall, work on projects completed long
after our departure, and enhance our community for the betterment of those who
come after us. We leave a part of ourselves at every stop. Through experience,
we have learned to pack a suitcase, a car or hold baggage, and live
indefinitely from the contents within: and though our fingers are sore from the
patches we have sewn, and the silver we have shined, our hands are always ready
to help those around us.

Women of peace, we pray for a world in harmony, for the flag that leads our
men into battle, will also blanket them in death. Yet we are an optimistic
group, thinking of the good, and forgetting the bad, cherishing yesterday,
while anticipating tomorrow.

Never rich by monetary standards, our hearts are overflowing with a wealth of
experiences common only to those united by the special tradition of military
life.

We pass on this legacy to every military bride, welcoming her with outstretched
arms, with love and friendship, from one sister to another, sharing in the
bounty of our unique, fulfilling military way of life.

Author Unknown

Summer Freebies

2010-06-09T08:14:00.000-04:00

I LOVE free stuff!!!!!! It makes me so happy to get free stuff and when I save money using coupons. Just wanted to pass along these FREE things in case you didn't know about them.

Krispy Kreme gives FREE doughnuts for grades each semester. Have your kids bring in their report cards and they recieve1 free doughnut per A. Even if they are in elementary school and don't get actual A's they still get doughnuts. This is not on their website but I have several friends who use this in different states. :-)

Two free bowling games every day in the summer! Kids Bowl Free lets you sign up your kids to get 2 free games EACH day in the summer. You can also buy a family pass for 5 adults for $24.95 to get 2 free games EVERY day as well. These people DO NOT need to be relatives. You can even sign up your babysitters. It is wonderful way to cool down and get out of the house.

Air Force DePLAYment pass. If you are an Air Force family with a member deployed or currently returned from a deployment you can go to FREE shows and other events through the base. Go to the website at My Air Force Life to check it out and then visit your Airman and Family Readiness Center to get the goods. We even received a FREE large soft cooler filled with goodies- camera, mouse pad, 2 puppets, 2 kids books and more.

FREE movies at Regal Theaters- They have free movies on certain days of the summer. Check out their site for all the info: -----> Free Family Film Festival

AMC has movies but they are not free just $1. Can't beat that. Plus they have cheaper kids combo packs for their summer movies. Check out their website: ---> AMC

FREE Outdoor Film Festivals. Have a picnic and enjoy the beautiful weather while you watch a movie. How fun!! Check it out---> Free Outdoor Films

Free Book from Barnes and Noble. They offer a free book when your child reads 8. Visit their store to get the form and then turn it in before it expires to pick up the free book.

Well- that is all I can think of for now. Do you have any freebies to share???? :-)

Many Blessings

Military Life Survey

2010-06-07T11:13:00.000-04:00

Well- I finished my Military Life Survey. It was interesting to say the least. I was glad to give my input but wish sometimes they would have more choices for answers. I left comments for them about older children of the deployed. Everything in the Air Force for supporting kids through deployment is geared for really young kids. I find it harder for them now when they are older rather then when they were little. It seems a little unbalanced as far as support goes in that area. My kids don't watch Sesame Street or Mr Po, nor do they use coloring books and those are what they have for kids to deal with deployments. The only older age thing is a writing kit that I have found.

We are signed up for the new DePLAYment and have been using that. So far we have gone to "Walking with the Dinosaurs" for free and are signed up to go to a wildlife center next month for free. They had "Star Wars" in concert as well but that was the day of my incentive flight and I was SO not going to miss that.

But- I am so appreciative of all the progress support has gone. I know that there is so much more support these days than there ever was for past wars.

I wanted to say a big THANKS to

Sarah @ Diary of a Navy Wife and

Elizabeth @ The Young Retiree

For giving me the following award:

Head on over to their blogs and check them out. :-)

Many Blessings

Rainy BBQ

2010-06-04T10:51:00.000-04:00

I had a BBQ at our house this past weekend. Of course it was a beautiful day BEFORE the BBQ. When it came time for the BBQ a storm rolled through and it rained and rained. I had rented 2 bounce houses from the base and we never got to use them. :-( Amazingly though- 27 people still came over. It was fun even though we were in the house. The kids went downstairs and played games while the adults chatted upstairs. When the rain paused the kiddos went outside and jumped on the trampoline and ran around having a blast.

It just goes to show that you can have fun no matter what.

Here is a picture my Mom took of the sunset. ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!!

The next day was a gorgeous day and would have been perfect for a BBQ. We still had the 2 bounce houses in the garage in the back of the truck. It ould have been great if we could have used them. My kids kept asking me to get them out BUT I knew I would never be able to get them back in the truck. They are SO heavy. Such a bummer. Hubby is always the one to take care of the bounce houses and it would have been so much fun to use them. Our daughter was very dispointed that she didn't get good use out of them. I learned not to rent them unless I had someone to help me put them back. LOL

Into the groove

2010-06-02T08:13:00.001-04:00

Well, I think I am at that part of deployments where I am into the groove. Kind of used to him being gone now and just living day by day. Trying not to really take the time to think about him being gone. I keep us pretty busy so that our days go by quick. Anything to help time fly. Our daughter is on a traveling softball team so she has tons of games.

Even though we keep busy it never fails that when night time comes it gets hard. I am sick of sleeping with an empty space next to me. Sometimes when he calls just his voice makes me cry. It's hard when I have a daughter who is real sensitive so I can't show in front of her that I am sad. I think I just kept letting it build up and then one day I lost it in the shower. Not a good thing. I felt like I just needed a real good crying to let it out. Unfortunately I just couldn't get it out. I had lots of streaming tears but it was a weird feeling of knowing there was so much there but it wouldn't release itself. I just wanted it to be over with so I could move on.

On a good note- another month is down. :-)

Skype/ Magic Jack/ Post Office Kit Questions Answered

2010-06-01T15:20:00.000-04:00

I have been getting questions about Skype , Magic Jack and the free post office kit.

Magic Jack information is here:

Magic Jack

You can buy them at Best buy, Wal- Mart and other electronic places. We bought ours for $30 at Best Buy. It has been wonderful except for a small time when it didn't work
_________________________________________________________
Skype info is here: SKYPE

You download the program from your computer and use it to video chat with a webcam, regular voice chat with no camera or just instant message. When we use skype we also can play games against each other. My daughter loves this- they play backgamon.
_______________________________________________________
POST OFFICE

You can read what is included HERE

I received several boxes, huge roll of first class tape, mailing labels and customs forms. You can reorder by calling the number back and they will send more supplies.

To obtain a free kit of shipping supplies, simply call the USPS' packing supplies order line at 1-800-610-8734 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 1-800-610-8734 end_of_the_skype_highlighting, select option #1 ("Express Mail, Priority Mail or Global Express Guaranteed products"), and ask a customer service agent for CAREKIT04 (or a "military kit"). You need supply only your name, address, and phone number, and they'll get a kit off to you that should arrive within 7-10 days. We've tried this service ourselves: it was easy to use, the USPS customer service agent we dealt with was courteous and efficient, and we were supplied with a customer ID number to expedite the process of ordering additional supplies. (This offer includes only packing materials — senders who use these materials still have to pay the requisite postage themselves.)

Skype/ Magic Jack update

2010-06-01T10:52:00.000-04:00

Ok- so the Magic Jack is working again. With the Magic Jack he can call us for free from his computer. You set it up with a local US number and then he call any local number for free including cell phones.

We do have Skype but it is only free if you talk computer to computer. The monthly fee was if he wanted to call my cell phone. So we have video chat and free calls to my cell phone.

Any ladies with deployments coming up- feel free to ask any questions.

You can also call the post office and get a free package kit with tape, boxes and labels to mail.

No, Freedom isn't free

2010-05-30T07:19:00.001-04:00

When I think of Memorial Day I think about all those soldiers who have lost their lives. I really don't like it when people say Happy Memorial Day. I am not one who is ever happy about memorials and funerals. I guess with my husband deployed I think even more about what that means and could mean to me.

History of Memorial Day:

Three years after the Civil War ended, on May 5, 1868, the head of an organization of Union veterans — the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) — established Decoration Day as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers. Maj. Gen. John A. Logan declared that Decoration Day should be observed on May 30. It is believed that date was chosen because flowers would be in bloom all over the country.
The first large observance was held that year at Arlington National Cemetery, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C.
The ceremonies centered around the mourning-draped veranda of the Arlington mansion, once the home of Gen. Robert E. Lee. Various Washington officials, including Gen. and Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant, presided over the ceremonies. After speeches, children from the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Orphan Home and members of the GAR made their way through the cemetery, strewing flowers on both Union and Confederate graves, reciting prayers and singing hymns.
Local Observances Claim To Be First Local springtime tributes to the Civil War dead already had been held in various places. One of the first occurred in Columbus, Miss., April 25, 1866, when a group of women visited a cemetery to decorate the graves of Confederate soldiers who had fallen in battle at Shiloh. Nearby were the graves of Union soldiers, neglected because they were the enemy. Disturbed at the sight of the bare graves, the women placed some of their flowers on those graves, as well.
Today, cities in the North and the South claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day in 1866. Both Macon and Columbus, Ga., claim the title, as well as Richmond, Va. The village of Boalsburg, Pa., claims it began there two years earlier. A stone in a Carbondale, Ill., cemetery carries the statement that the first Decoration Day ceremony took place there on April 29, 1866. Carbondale was the wartime home of Gen. Logan. Approximately 25 places have been named in connection with the origin of Memorial Day, many of them in the South where most of the war dead were buried.
Official Birthplace Declared In 1966, Congress and President Lyndon Johnson declared Waterloo, N.Y., the “birthplace” of Memorial Day. There, a ceremony on May 5, 1866, honored local veterans who had fought in the Civil War. Businesses closed and residents flew flags at half-staff. Supporters of Waterloo’s claim say earlier observances in other places were either informal, not community-wide or one-time events.
By the end of the 19th century, Memorial Day ceremonies were being held on May 30 throughout the nation. State legislatures passed proclamations designating the day, and the Army and Navy adopted regulations for proper observance at their facilities.
It was not until after World War I, however, that the day was expanded to honor those who have died in all American wars. In 1971, Memorial Day was declared a national holiday by an act of Congress, though it is still often called Decoration Day. It was then also placed on the last Monday in May, as were some other federal holidays.

I watched the flag pass by one day.
It fluttered in the breeze.
A young Marine saluted it,
And then he stood at ease.
I looked at him in uniform
So young, so tall, so proud,
With hair cut square and eyes alert
He'd stand out in any crowd.
I thought how many men like him
Had fallen through the years.
How many died on foreign soil?
How many mothers' tears?
How many pilots' planes shot down?
How many died at sea?
How many foxholes were soldiers' graves?
No, freedom isn't free.

I heard the sound of taps one night,
When everything was still
I listened to the bugler play
And felt a sudden chill.
I wondered just how many times
That taps had meant "Amen,"
When a flag had draped a coffin
Of a brother or a friend.
I thought of all the children,
Of the mothers and the wives,
Of fathers, sons and husbands
With interrupted lives.
I thought about a graveyard
At the bottom of the sea
Of unmarked graves in Arlington.
No, freedom isn't free.

©Copyright 1981 by CDR Kelly Strong, USCG (Ret).

Watched an F-15 get refueled

2010-05-27T09:35:00.009-04:00

OMG!!! I cannot explain how awesome it was to watch an F-15 get refueled. WOW!

The base had a spouse incentive flight and I was able to go. I missed the first one and they rescheduled because they never got up in the air. So I was able to make the next one- thankfully. They had 4 F-15's scheduled to come and refuel from us while we watched from the boom area. We took turns taking tons of pictures and watching the action. I HIGHLY suggest you take the opportunity if it comes available to go on a spouse flight. You can ask around and maybe someone will set one up. A commanders wife set it up and asked if they could make it happen. They were happy to do it since they want the spouses to be excited about the Air Force so we encourage our hubby's to stay active. Here are some of the photos that I took. :-)

Before we got on. It was VERY windy

He's just hanging out waiting his turn

Video I took while the plane was leaving.

Deployments are so expensive

2010-05-26T10:30:00.002-04:00

Good Golly deployments are expensive.

I should have kept a tally on the amount of money we have spent and are spending. We bought the Magic Jack for $30 so that he could call us from his computer (new one $$$with web cam) at his convenience. We all know 2 15 minute calls a week is not enough. Anyways, that is now not working, so I looked into Skype calls but they are $35 a month for only 120 minutes. That's NOT going to happen. So- we will try to figure out the Magic Jack that ain't so magical anymore.

That doesn't include the $100 a month we pay for him to have internet so he can call us. Plus all the supplies he needed and the packages I send. Good thing we get seperation allowance. LOL

Spouses Social

2010-05-24T17:31:00.002-04:00

Had a great social this past week. We had a progressive dinner at 3 local restaurants. It only cost $10 and was a BLAST. We started out with chips, salsa, queso and margarita's at On the Border. We then progressed to pizza and a salad at another restaurant and ended with desert and coffee at yet another restaurant. What fun! It was great to go to restaurants that I probably otherwise would not have visited. There were over 36 ladies there. A great way to talk to different people since we always sat around different people.

It was also our induction time for next years club officers. I am pretty excited because I am going to be secretary. A new adventure I haven't tried.

What have been your funnest spouses social or event that you went to? I am looking for social ideas for next year.

Our weekend

2010-05-19T08:18:00.001-04:00

Well another weekend went by. They seem to go so fast. We had a gloomy weekend because of the weather but made the best of it. My daughter didn't get to have her softball tournament because her coached forgot to get them signed up! Not a good thing. So since we didn't have anything planned until Sat night we enjoyed our day just hanging out. Sometimes those rainy gloomy days are the perfect days to make you just lounge around and relax. Sure- I had tons of stuff to do but there is always tomorrow. I was able to get tons of reading done and didn't even take a shower until 130. hubby called and was shocked when my daughter told him I was in the shower. LOL He knows me well enough to know that is a very rare moment in deed.

Saturday night we went to town and was part of the closing ceremonies of a festival they were having. Our family was asked to be involved since hubby was deployed. They invited us on stage with a few 3 other base families to talk about us and let the community see some families who are impacted with the war and how we are involved in the community. More of a thing to show that we are regular people just like them EXCEPT our lifestyle is different, just a tad-- right!! :-)

It was very nice when they clapped and appreciated us. As we were leaving 2 women stopped who were from out of state to tell us how much they appreciated our family and to let us know that they are praying for us. They said to know that may people pray for the soldiers and their families. This made me feel so good inside. Sometimes you wonder what civilians think about the military.

They were from Maine and talked about how they don't have any bases near them so they never hear about families locally and it was so nice to see a ceremony with military families and such.

SO SWEET!!!

So Sunday was another relaxing day playing cards with my mom and son while my daughter played with a friend.

Overall we had a great weekend. I paid no attention the to the leak that is in my bathroom waiting for me to take care of it. (yes the water is off) I did make a small attempt to fix the mower and decided to just drop it off at a repair shop. Sometimes I need to take the easy route- normally I would have messed with it more but decided it wasn't worth the stress it was causing and would give it to someone else to deal with.

I look forward to this weekend because I am going on a spouses flight. A little nervous about motion sickness but we shall see.

Base activities

2010-05-17T16:16:00.000-04:00

I am always so amazed at how many base activities there are to do. I find it difficult when people tell me they have nothing to do and don't like a particular base. I know every base is different BUT I typically can find several things a month to do with base activities.

This is a great way to meet new people and just get out of the house. My mom is visiting and so far we went to an Asian Pacific Festival and had some free food from all over and watched a fashion show. Tomorrow our outdoor rec is holding an open house with free lunch plus activities, and it is spouses group get together then Friday is family Lua night. Plenty for us to do and that is just in 2 weeks. That doesn't include any of the younger children activities they have with playgroup and the library or the youth center activities.

I know that if people don't go to the activities then they will stop having them so I try and support them for their benefit and mine. It is great to take the kids to the family night and just let them hang out and then we play bingo for prizes. We have one a free inflatable rental twice now and always use them for the 4th of July.

So- I encourage you to check out whats the latest happenings on base. Our base has a website that lists all the activities available. Of course I seem more involved in them since hubby isn't here. It helps me to feel closer to him when we are around other military members.

On another note. I received a few more blog awards.

Thanks to

for the award!!

Share 7 things about yourself:
1- I am currently reading the Twilight series
2- I LOVE the sun!!! Need lots of it
3- Have been married for almost 14 years
4- I love olive juice- yum yum
5-I am not a big fan of chocolate
6- Moscato is my favorite wine
7- We have 2 dogs
8- I HATE pee's
9- Love mexican food
10-I would love for us to retire in Florida- depending on the current oil crisis situation and if it affects the beaches.

10 Blogs to pass the awards on to

Carmen @ We see the same stars
Sara @ Welcome to the blog of an Army wife
Renee @ Waiting to Exhale
Mira @ Somewhere There

AND whoever else would like to pick it up. I know blogging takes time so I am sharing the blog love!! Come on come all. LOL

I would also like to thank:

For the following awards:

Award Rules:

1. Thank the person who gave you this award.

2. Share 10 things about yourself

3. Pass the award along to 10 bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are worthy of the award.

4. Contact the bloggers you've picked and let them know about the award.

SEE ABOVE- LOL didn't want to repeat it twice

RECAP! and Air Force Live Website

2010-05-14T20:29:00.002-04:00

Going to take a moment and recap some of my posts. Yes- I am having a blank moment but just in case you missed something you might find interesting-Click on a topic to go to the page.

Also, I am SO excited!! My Blog is on the Air Force Live DOD website. Check out their site:

I have written about:

Family BBQ's- Not for us

Not getting PCS orders

Being the worst mom

Deployment Mind Games

Weekly Madness

I was reminded today

40 Days since you left

$2001 worth of Avon???????????

Nights are hard

My first breakdown

Alcohol in the war zone

Goodbyes part 2

Faithfully

Baseballs, Teenagers and dogs

Another Blog Award

2010-05-14T06:33:00.005-04:00

YAY A BIG thanks to Heather @ This is the Story of a Girl for the award. Go check out her Blog!

10 Blogs I would like to pass it along to:

Julie's Blog

Air Force Recruiting: A Wifes Point of View

Cloud Nine and Counting

I mean Really... REALLY

Okay- so maybe it was 11 :-)

One of those days!!

2010-05-13T18:31:00.000-04:00

Oh my- I am stressed today!

Both our lawn mowers aren't working, one of my dogs is in heat and irritating the heck out of me, my son does not understand adult life but feels the need to tell me to buy things and there is a leak behind my bathroom sink wall.

UGH!!

I can fix everything except for the sink. I hate that helpless feeling I get when I try to figure it out and nothing seems to work. My mom and I have tried endlessly to figure the leak out and have at least narrowed it down to my bathroom and the pipe. It is from my sink but the leak is behind the wall where I cannot see it. I can see the pipes underneath because it is located in my basement and I do not have drywall covering the pipes. BUT there is wood right above the pipe where I need to look. Not sure what to do without calling a plumber and paying a hefty fee. Maybe I will just keep our bathroom water off for many months until he gets home. Hmmm very tempting.

I can't run from the problem though. I need to deal with it but am stuck at what to do.

I have searched the internet and nothing helps. I don't know anyone who is a plumber and don't have family nearby. I guess I will resort to calling a plumber and ask for referrals.

Our house is only 5 years old and of course when I called the people who installed our plumbing they only warranty it for 1 year--LOVELY

I feel drained today and am not sure why. Had a great lunch with my mom and am enjoying her company.

Time for some wine and DVR shows

~ If I didn't love you so much ~

2010-05-10T18:12:00.005-04:00

I always tell my husband "If I didn't love you so much it would be easy". It is so true. It would be easier if he wasn't so important to me and I didn't love him like crazy. Then I wouldn't need his hugs, his smile, his protection and more. This deployment would be easy.

I always hear about military members volunteering to go on deployments and remotes. WHY?? I can only imagine it is because they don't love like it hurts. It hurts for us to be away from each other. I would much rather let fate take him from me then our own choosing. People who are in failing marriages see deployments and remotes as a temporary fix to a major problem. I can't imagine happily married people that want any time apart. I truly am happy with my husband and our life. I feel so blessed to have our family.

I would not change my love for him no matter how much it hurts. But that is how true love is anyways. I wish that all military couples had happy marriages although the reality is otherwise.

I hope that if your marriage is not strong you take the time to think about why it is not and maybe this will be a good time to clear your minds and rejuvenate that love. Send him a letter letting him know your thoughts and feelings. Best of luck to everyone. I hope we all survive these deployments and can maintain or begin strong marriages.

MANY BLESSINGS

P.S. - If your active duty member does volunteer to leave I am not saying you have a bad marriage or trying to be negative. I know a soldier loves his job. :-) I also know that some people make the sacrifice so they can get the pick of a base and other reasons. AND my husband would never turn down a deployment, he serves with honor and is grateful to do his part.

Circle of FriendsAward

2010-05-10T18:05:00.000-04:00

Kirsten at Requires Heay Lifting passed on an award to me:

THANKS!!! :-)

Yay for Mothers!! and new followers

2010-05-08T10:07:00.001-04:00

I am SO excited! I am going to be picking up my mom today for a visit. She will be staying for 5 weeks. YAY I love company and more than anything I love my moms company. We always explore places and get lost while getting there. Although I do have a GPS now but maybe I wont use it just so we can have our usual "were lost" laughs. One visit in San Antonio Texas we were lost so much we used every other turnaround area. We LOVED those things. At first we laughed and thought they were silly thing to have to make a U turn but once we needed them and needed them a lot we LOVED them. We laughed so much just trying to figure out how to get where we were going. Oh what fun. One visit in Florida we both signed up for a timeshare ( we later canceled). When we moved here she PCSed with us to see what it was like and stayed in a 1 bedroom hotel room with us- 5 people in one room. So I look forward to what interesting adventure we will have this trip.

Of course tomorrow is Mothers Day. I wish all you Mothers and your Mothers a life filled with joy and happiness.

Dear Lord, it's such a hectic day
With little time to stop and pray
For life's been anything but calm
Since You called on me to be a mom
Running errands, matching socks
Building dreams with building blocks
Cooking, cleaning, and finding shoes
And other stuff that children lose
Fitting lids on bottled bugs
Wiping tears and giving hugs
A stack of last weeks mail to read
So where's the quiet time I need?
Yet when I steal a minute, Lord
Just at the sink or ironing board
To ask the blessings of Your grace
I see then, in my small one's face
That you have blessed me
All the while
And I stop to kiss
That precious smile

Also, I am so excited about all my new followers. :-) I have not had a chance yet to check out everyones Blogs and follow you but I will.

MANY BLESSINGS!

Spouses Clubs

2010-05-06T10:02:00.000-04:00

I am sure we all have wonderful, positive, the best time of our lives experiences with military Spouses groups!

LOL Yeah right!

I have had some absolutely fabulous times with spouses clubs but there is always those times when you dont feel like you belong. The" why am I even here" moment.

I had that moment a few months ago but I didn't let it win. So here is my story of what happened at an Officers Spouses Club meeting.

My hubby is prior enlisted. As an enlisted wife I was really involved and volunteered with the squadron spouses groups and the base enlisted spouses club. I really believe every base is what you make it. If you are negative before you every get there you are not giving it or yourself a chance. You are doomed from the get go. My kids are not allowed to tell me they don't like a base until we have lived there and they can form an actual opinion. Many people give you opinions on how a base is but it all depends on what they do while at the base that makes it their opinion. For example:
working, volunteering on/off base, kids/no kids, living in base housing or not are all ways to make each base experience different

Ok- I am off subject.

Back to the point- When he became an officer I was really nervous about getting involved in the Officer spouses club. You know we all have heard the stereotype of officer wives. I was worried that I wouldn't fit in or they wouldn't care about me because my hubby is low man on the totem poll and he is not a pilot. Since my hubby was deploying I thought I need to get involved and meet more military spouses. We do not live on base and our community is not a military community.

I went to an event by myself in hopes of meeting new people. I arrived and was greeted at the door and given a sticker name tag. Everyone else had official name tags because they were not new. So I grab a glass of wine and stand near the door for a while in hopes of someone talking to me. Everyone was coming in groups and were immediately going to their friends. As I -just-- stood --there. I finally ventured to the couch where a lot of ladies were but still was not spoken too. I texted a friend and told her I was getting ready to leave because it had been 15 minutes and no one acknowledged me. I was really hurt and stupefied that all these spouses would not speak to me. There were about 25 people present. I was getting ready to give up when someone sat next to me an introduced herself. She started chatting with me and introduced me to some other people. Finally people were talking to me. They did not know I was new and apparently were so consumed in their conversations to notice I was by myself. I understand that. Yes- I guess I should have introduced my self to people and made more of a point of that. But I didn't feel comfortable.

I went to another event after that and wouldn't you know it- all the people I had chatted with at the last event were not there. UGH Not this again. Well, I took it upon myself to make sure I had a good time because it is up to me what kind of time I have. I went up and talked to people and introduced myself and met more friends.

The point is- I waited it out and was happy I did. Had I left I would have missed out on a lot of great information and new friends. Everyone was very nice. I went to the events from that point on and am not the club secretary. My goal in the club is to mae sure that anyone new to an event is welcomed correctly and not left alone.
So- if you see someone by themselves just go talk to them. We all are in the same situation no matter what rank or job. We are all spouses who are away from our family and we all need friends.

The Military Wife

2010-05-03T22:36:00.000-04:00

I posted this some time back but now that I have more followers I wanted to share this again.

Lots of moving...
Moving...
Moving...
Moving far from home...
Moving two cars, three kids and one dog...all riding with HER of course.
Moving sofas to basements because they won't go in THIS house;
Moving curtains that won't fit;
Moving jobs and certifications and professional development hours.
Moving away from friends;
Moving toward new friends;
Moving her most important luggage: her trunk full of memories.

Often waiting...
Waiting...
Waiting...
Waiting for housing.
Waiting for orders.
Waiting for deployments.
Waiting for phone calls.
Waiting for reunions.
Waiting for the new curtains to arrive.
Waiting for him to come home,
For dinner...AGAIN!

They call her 'Military Dependent', but she knows better:
She is fiercely In-Dependent.

She can balance a check book;
Handle the yard work;
Fix a noisy toilet;
Bury the family pet...

She is intimately familiar with drywall anchors and toggle bolts.
She can file the taxes;
Sell a house;
Buy a car;
Or set up a move...
.....all with ONE Power of Attorney.

She welcomes neighbors that don't welcome her.
She reinvents her career with every PCS;
Locates a house in the desert, The Arctic, Or the deep south.
And learns to call them all 'home'.
She MAKES them all home.

Military Wives are somewhat hasty...
They leap into:
Decorating,
Leadership,
Volunteering,
Career alternatives,
Churches,
And friendships.
They don't have 15 years to get to know people.
Their roots are short but flexible.
They plant annuals for themselves and perennials for those who come
after them.

Military Wives quickly learn to value each other:
They connect over coffee,
Rely on the spouse network,
Accept offers of friendship and favors.
Record addresses in pencil...

Military Wives have a common bond:
The Military Wife has a husband unlike other husbands; his commitment is
unique.
He doesn't have a 'JOB'
He has a 'MISSION' that he can't just decide to quit...
He's on-call for his country 24/7.
But for her, he's the most unreliable guy in town!
His language is foreign
TDY
PCS
EPR
SOS
ACC
BDU
ACU
BAR
CIB
TAD
ABU
And so, a Military Wife is a translator for her family and his.
She is the long- distance link to keep them informed;
The glue that holds them together.

A Military Wife has her moments:
She wants to wring his neck;
Dye his uniform pink;
Refuse to move to Siberia;
But she pulls herself together.
Give her a few days,
A travel brochure,
A long hot bath,
A pledge to the flag,
A wedding picture,
And she goes.
She packs.
She moves.
She follows.

Why?
What for?
How come?
You may think it is because she has lost her mind.
But actually it is because she has lost her heart.
It was stolen from her by a man,
Who puts duty first,
Who longs to deploy,
Who salutes the flag,
And whose boots in the doorway remind her that as long as he is her
Military Husband,
She will remain his Military Wife.
And would have it no other way.

--Author Unknown

Mil Spouse Appreciation Giveaway

2010-05-03T17:39:00.000-04:00

Check out these Scentsy giveaways for Mil Spouses in honor of Mil Spouse Appreciation day!

welcometotheblogofanarmywife

http://www.asouthernbelleandherofficer.com/2010/04/military-spouse-appreciation-day.html

Scrolling box instructions

2010-05-03T13:48:00.000-04:00

I have been asked by a couple of fellow bloggers how to add the scrolling box with blog buttons in it. I had a HARD time finding the way to do it so I will happily share the info. :-)

Go to Layout
Add gadget
add HTML code
Insert this code:

<marquee align="left" behavior="scroll" direction="up" height="315" onmouseout="this.start()" onmouseover="this.stop()" scrollamount="4" width="200">

After that code you can add the code for blog buttons. Use the code that is given on their site so that it will link back to them. You cannot just use a picture. After each code add <br> to seperate the buttons. :-)

The highlighted items are itmes you can change. You can make it taller, wider and choose the direction. This is the code for my blog.

Hope that helps. If not just let me know and I will help

Many Blessings

Mil Spouse Blog Hop

2010-04-30T09:43:00.002-04:00

Joining the Mil Spouse Blog Hop by Riding the Roller Coaster

My Bio:

Born and raised in CA.

We became an Air Force family in 1998

We have 2 children and 2 dogs

I love to read: Mitch Albom and Madeline Wickham/Sophia Kinsella are my favorite authors

I just started digital scrapbooking after paper scrapbooing for 7 years
I have lived in 6 states so far and hoping to move overseas for our next move

Welcome to the MilSpouse Blog Hop!

It's easy to join in on the fun:

* Post a brief bio on your blog introducing yourself.

* If you want to help spread the word, link back to Riding the Roller Coaster in your post.

* Add your blog name and URL to the Linky on her site. It's best to put a link to your post, not your home page.

* Follow any or all of the blogs on the list.

* For those you choose to follow, leave a comment letting them know you found them on the MilSpouse Blog Hop. Include your blog link in the comment to make it easier for them to return the visit.

* According to blogging etiquette, you should follow everyone who follows you. But this doesn't always happen. So please try not to harbor any ill feelings if you follow someone and they don't follow you back.

* The Linky list will be up until next Thursday night so if you don't get around to everyone today, no worries. Keep hopping throughout the next week! (I'm new to Linky Tools, but I've heard that you can only add to the list today. So get your link up today even if you don't have time to visit others.)

Happy hopping everyone!

Family BBQ's- Not for us

2010-04-29T09:57:00.000-04:00

Our family in CA had a BBQ this past weekend. Lots of family and friends there. But not us. :-( It is so hard to look at pictures of family having such a great time when you are not able to be there to enjoy it with them. I wish we could fly there this summer and visit. Airline fee's are RIDICULOUS right now and it just ain't happening.

I so miss summer BBQ's with family and that fun bond you make. My kids barely know there neices and nephews let alone uncles and aunts. The price you pay for being a military family. It is the ONLY thing that really makes me sad is being so far from family. We used to be able to drive home every summer but now we live too far and we can't fly because buying plane tickets for 3 people plus luggage is not anywhere near my budget. Sure I could put it on a credit card but that really isn't an option.

I am planning a BBQ at our house with friends because since we can't have family here I can at least have a fun BBQ with friends. Gotta make the best of everything and be thankful.

My son on the other hand will be able to experience family BBQ's this summer. I ended up buying him a plane ticket home. He is SO excited and can't wait. he really wants to spend time with his cousins, Grandma's, Aunt's and Uncles. He is counting down the days to leave. I am excited for him.

My mom is visiting next week for a month!!!! I AM EXCITED!!! I really love having company come. Then when she leaves my brother and his daughter are coming. This will help my summer to go by quickly with family visiting and lots of softball.

Just a reminder- Armed Forces Day is coming up.

Many Blessings!

God has plans

2010-04-28T08:08:00.002-04:00

We found out that they changed our move time AGAIN! UGH We originally were going to be here for 4 years. Last year they said we were moving this spring, then he got deployment orders so they moved it to this fall. Well, now we just found out they moved it to next spring. I have been so eager to move and get order's that I just broke down when Hubby called to tell me. He had called to see what positions are going to be open so we could start picking our bases. Instead he found out that they changed our move time. I was so mad and cried. He knew I was going to be upset and was quite thankful that he was far away. I cursed the Air Force and finished our talk. I then called my mom because that is always the first person I call after anything happens. We talked for a bit and I cried. She gave me her wonderful words of encouragement.

After those phone calls I just sat on my couch in disbelief. I have always loved the Air Force and have never complained but this was down right ridiculous. How could they keep changing their minds like that? So frustrating.

After a couple hours of depression and MANY tears I calmed down. It was time to press on and dry my tears. No time in my life ot be angry for a long period of time. I knew I needed to cheer myself up before I picked the kids up from school. After all- it is my attitude that affects the whole family. If I am in bad spirits and negative then I know there will be a ton of it from them.

So I put my happy face on and became the good military wife again and said "No problem". I can make this work and will stay positive. I know that nothing I do will change our move time. No need to get myself all worked up while he is gone and I already have enough on my mind.

I had already scheduled for a Realtor to come before this news hit me. I didn't want to cancel our appointment and figured I would try to sell the house anyways since we are eventually going to move. I really want to move back on base and have been stressed about selling the house since they day we signed the papers. So the Realtor came and we had a great conversation. We made plans to meet the following week to look at houses in my neighborhood to compare to and to go over numbers.

A week later she came and this is when I learned why God changed our move. My neighbor had sold her house-cheap. Other houses in the neighborhood were not going for much either. I could sell but my out of pocket expenses would be above $6K at closing. We do not have $6K sitting in an account waiting to be used. I then knew that is why our move was changed. It wasn't the right time to sell our house.

God didn't want that stress on me while Hubby was gone. He wanted us to wait for a better time.

I'm the worst mom.........

2010-04-27T08:31:00.001-04:00

when I don't get sleep!

My daughter plays softball and it was the night before her first tournament play with a new team. I had a very exhausting week and could not seem to catch some good zzzzz's no matter what night it was. After 6 nights of bad sleep I am almost useless. My mind is not working and the headaches are plentiful. Now is the night before the big game and my daughter can't sleep. I keep giving her hugs and talking her through it. No worries, hug your bears, say your prayers and try to relax. At 1230 am she is still awake and my mind is going bazerk. I am so tired it is painful to have my eyes open. At this point I am not being very caring and loving anymore and the demon mom has come out. I just want to go to sleep so bad and hubby is not here to give her his special hugs and encouragement. I finally angrily go to the couch to sleep just to get away. She is now sad that she has kept me awake but still can't sleep because she is so nervous. Good Golly!! I keep telling her PLEASE go to sleep! She finally does fall asleep and I head back to bed. We need to be at the field at 815am so that means we need to be up no later than 7. The clock says 1245. OK- time to get some sleep.

NOT

I of course wake up so many times it is pitiful. Then when she wakes up in the morning of course I feel like crap for treating her the way I did. Nothing I did seemed to help. I felt so useless and way too tired. So, I had a chat with her and told her I was sorry. I don't think I could have said enough how sorry I was. She said she was sorry too but I still felt like crap. I am glad we talked about it and hopefully she will remember that part.

I really was mad that I didn't handle it better. I don't want her memories to be of her mom being psycho at night. Lesson learned.

She did great at the games. They won 2 games and lost 2. Not bad for their first time playing together.

Bark Collar

2010-04-26T09:41:00.000-04:00

We have 2 ~~annoying~~ wonderful dogs. One of our dogs is a ~~pain~~ sweet little 3 pound yorkie. Our other dog is a LARGE ~~quiet~~ rott/lab mix. I do love our dogs but it is a love/hate relationship. Our big dog keeps me feeling like we are safe and secure while hubby is away. There is no doubt in my mind that he can do some serious damage. He provides great company for me while the kids are at school. He is so fabulous to talk to- I can tell him everything and his opinions are always spot on. :-)

So- to the annoying part about him. Our neighbor has 4 dogs and 1 is a large male great dane that my dog loves to fight with through the fence. They would bark and run along the fence so much it drove me CRAZY!

Our big dog was my husbands idea. He wanted a big dog and we went to the humane society one day on the way home from running errands. BAD IDEA! We weren't thinking about all the work it takes to have a big dog. We have a small yorkie and all she does is leep all day and the sun shrivels up her little poo. LOW maintenance. So the kids and hubby picked a dog out- Lab/Rott mix. Oh boy was I in for a life change. Of course my husband is gone frequesntly and the kids go to school so that leaves me with the brunt of all things to do with this dog. I never pick up the poo though. That will NEVER happen.

Back to the barking. Hubby built a pen in our backyard to keep him away from the fence therefore alleviating the barking with the other dogs. BUT added him barking because he was in the pen. Never ending barking except when he was in the house. In the winter he spends most of his time in the house but in the summer it is outside time. We also needed to keep him away from the fence because we no longer have sod there now we have a dirt track. With me wanting to sell the house I needed our yard to look fabulous not with dirt tracks all over.

So I find this bark collar at Petco.com and thought I would check it out. It says it is best to start them young with it but for only $40 I thought I would give it a try. The BEST $40 I have spent in a long time. I put that thing on him and send him in his pen. After 2 barks he whined and looked around trying to figure out what just zapped him. He tried to bark again and got the same result. That was the last bark from him in his pen. :-) Now I just put the collar on him and send him to his pen. He knows that when the collar is on he can't bark. I take it off while he is inside the house but put it back on when he is outside. Oh the peacefullness of it is so wonderful. With the collar on it is not as fun for him to argue with the neighbor dogs anymore either.

Sanity is mine!

Hmmm now if I could find a shock collar for digging!

Deployment Mind Games

2010-04-24T07:06:00.002-04:00

I absolutely love and adore my husband. I believe that a happy marriage is successful when you do all that you can to ensure each other are happy. I am not saying I need to be his servant and bow down to him but I do want to make sure that he is happy in all areas that I have control in. Being a women that I am I like romantic stuff. I like writing him love letters and always professing my love to him. I go out of my way to make sure I can make his time over there asd pleasant as possible with weekly packages.

I have been in this rut lately where I just feel like I am doing all this work to ensure that he is happy and taken care of while he is gone but not feeling like the same is being returned. I'm not asking him to spend any money or do anything fancy, gosh- I would just love a love letter every now and then. I know he's not the romantic, mushy gushy type. BUT- I am!! I was kind of feeling like I was doing all this work and for what.

That all changed today when I was able to have a video call with him. He always can make me laugh and feel good. I do know that he loves me. Sometimes I guess I just need to be reminded more than just saying "I Love You" at the end of our calls. I didn't even take in consideration the reasons why maybe he doesn't write me love letters. He assured me that he loves me dearly and the reason he doesn't write me love letters is because then it makes him think too much about missing me! AWE- that was enough to make me smile big and feel all kinds of good. I totally understood what he meant. I know he tries to keep real busy so that time will go fast and when you are busy you don't have time to realize how much you miss home.

So- if your spouse is away and you are not feeling loved. Send me an email and I will tell you that you are loved. LOL Sometimes we just need to reassure ourselves that everything is ok.

Deployments definitely play a lot of mind games on the military person and the spouse at home. Don't forget to be aware of that. Give yourself a moment to calm down and center yourself. I finally did!

Many Blessings,

Show your blog!!

2010-04-23T08:13:00.000-04:00

I love having followers! I also love following. :-)

I check when I have new followers but it doesn't always show me what your blog address is.

SO,

Please post in the comment form your Blog or website so I can follow you and some others as well. :-)

The internet is my Demise

2010-04-21T11:05:00.000-04:00

I LOVE the internet. The amount of information out there is amazing. It never fails that any questions I have I can turn to the internet. I like when I watch a true story on TV then can look up factual information about it. but mostly I love how it keeps me in touch with family and friends.

Facebook for instance.

Good golly I don't want to think about how much of my life I have lost on Facebook. I think it is so great to find old classmates and see what everyone is doing. I never was able to keep up with other military friends I had met and now we talk all the time. It is so great that you don't have to Instant message people to have a conversation with them. You can leave comments or send them personal messages and know that you can later check up on it.

This Blog for another example.

I have always wanted to keep a journal of our military life but have terrible handwriting and just never really started one in a "Word" document. Now, I have this blog and it has been great. It is so wonderful to be able to weite my thoughts and read other peoples thoughts. Especially during this deployment I love reading about other wives going through the same thing, feeling the same thing. I go through my blog list every day and read everyones updates. i might not comment as much as I want but I AM reading it. :-)

Here are some funny pictures that I found that I thought I would share. They really make me laugh. Jope they put a smile on your face. Do any of them resemble you??? LOL

Weekly Madness

2010-04-20T11:50:00.002-04:00

Last week was a busy week as usual filled with lots of crazy madness that I have to laugh at. My teenage son just loves to keep my mind in constant awe of his choices. He watered the flowers in the front yard one day and forgot to turn the hose off. I noticed my sump pump running at 1030 at night and couldn't figure out why. We hadn't had rain in about a month so I was now thinking that we had a water leak somewhere. yes indeed- my son left the hose on for 6.5 hours and was flooding the front side of the house. That same night he turned the AC on in the house when the windows were all open adn he snuggled under his blanket. Obviously not THAT hot. Another day he decided he was going to trim our bushes- without telling me. Finally find out when my daughter starts calling me that I need to check out the front yard. Keep in mind that I am getting ready to put my house pn the market in 2 days! I go out there and my beautiful full bushes are now really small rectangles and are all uneven. GOD help me restrain myself. The fun is endless with the things he comes up with. Another token fun time was when he wanted to test our smoke detectors so he used a lighter and put it up there. No- don't notice the TEST BUTTON just go ahead and light the smoke detector on fire. There was burn marks all over it and he didn't know that ALL the alarms would go off in the house. Oh my!

So- yes I have to laugh at all the marvels my son has to offer. He really is a great kid with a great heart but he just doesn't always think. He is definitely keeping me on my toes. I am constantly eyeing him to make sure I keep ahead of him a little.

Well, I am going to be putting the house on the market tomorrow. been doing LOTS of painting, packing, moving furniture and other household things. Have a few more things to get done before I will be completly happy but am trying not to stress about it. Just taking one task at a time and go from there. :-)

Many Blessings,

Don't forget the tissues

2010-04-19T10:03:00.002-04:00

I always carry tissues with me nowadays. It never fails that I am feeling great when the littlest thing will remind me that he's not here.

I was reminded of you today when:

                                  I woke up and your spot in the bed was empty


                                                            I heard our wedding song on the radio

                   we went to the sporting goods store and I had to figure out the sports stuff for our daughter

the kids were fighting and I couldn't ask you to help out

                                                                               I did laundry and it seemed so little

         I drove your truck

   our daughter called using your old cell phone number

I didn't cook dinner because you are my big eater

                                          I was watching TV and didn't have you to laugh with

I went to the grocery store and didn't need to buy your usual stuff

                                                                                      I wanted to tell you something but I couldn't just call

                           I went to your favorite lunch spot- Saigon- yummy

I filled out the customs form for your box to ship

                                                                              I drove by your squadron on the way to the commissary
       I said my prayers

                                         and in my dreams!

Miss you babe!!

It's Circus Time

2010-04-17T09:54:00.000-04:00

I took the kids to the Circus that was here in town. The base had free tickets so of course I wasn;t going to pass that up. It was the Shriners Circus so a little different than the Ringling brothers.

We had a good time and went with another family. It will probably be our last Circus though. I think my kids are getting too old becasue they didn't seem to thrilled. My daughter liked seeing all the animals and such before the show but when it came time to the actuall show we weren't really awestruck. We just kind of sat there and waited for it to be over- which seemed like never!

It is weird when your kids start getting too old for things.

No more Santa, Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, play dates and now the Circus.

Day 40-- since you left

2010-04-15T09:59:00.001-04:00

40 days since the last time I was able to get a hug and a kiss that makes me feel safe and secure.

40 days since our kids were able to hold you

40 days since our last meal together

40 days since I cried because you were leaving. Now I cry because you are not here

40 days sine I had a "good" nights sleep

40 days since ..........................................

Although you have been gone for 40 days I know I must be strong because there is more than 40 more to go. And even though it makes me sad that you are not here I am so thankful for ALL our blessings. For technology that allows you to call and sometimes video call. I am thankful that our children can be proud of their daddy knowing that he is a part of a big group of GREAT military people who protect us.

I miss you honey!!!!! No time for tears though. I must put on a happy face for the kids and be strong. Sometimes I need to make it through the day, sometimes I just need to make it through the hour. But I do know that we will make it through.

The Realtors coming

2010-04-12T20:32:00.000-04:00

Yay- I have a Realtor coming. We don't have orders yet but we are supposed to be moving this fall. With how the housing market is I want to make sure I am ahead of the game. Yes- it will be a huge pain with hubby gone but I AM A MILITARY WIFE therefore I CAN DO IT! At least that is what I keep telling myself. Gotta get pumped up.

Hubby thinks I should wait because my mom will be coming to visit in a few weeks and be here for a month. I know he wants me to realx while my mom is here but it causes me more stress knowing that people are looking at the houses around me and not ours.

Luckily we have a newer home so I don't have a lot of things to fix up. My biggest headache ahas been this dog that hubby wanted and now has done some damage in our yard. He likes to dig holes under our air conditioner unit amongst other things.

So the countdown is on to sell our house. I am hoping to get it sold before we gwt orders so that we can move on base. Otherwise, I will need to find an apartment and get a storage for our things.

Off to pray to the housing gods!!

Many Blessings

Hubby is trying to taunt me....

2010-04-12T09:51:00.000-04:00

We are supposed to be getting orders this summer. Hubby knows that I am really ready to move. I am constantly asking him if he has found out his list of choices and to make sure we are still on the fall move list.

He sent m an email this morning saying he called and has good and bad news.....NOTHING ELSE

Are you kidding me? AAAAHHHH

I can't just call him and get the info. I am at his mercy until he writes me another email or calls this afternoon. Luckily the Realtor is coming this afternoon so I will be seriously busy with housework but STILL- It is driving me nuts.

I can't find my followers-Help

2010-04-11T21:54:00.003-04:00

I am so thankful for followers. I always make sure I check out their blogs and follow them as well. Not sure what I am doing wrong but when I click on some of my followers in dashboard it only shows me the blogs they follow and recent activity. It doesn't show what their website is. So I am sorry if I am not following you- it is simply because I can't find your site. Hhmmmmm

I am guessing that some people have their blog set to private. Anyone know of any other reasons?

Print your Blog into a book

2010-04-11T12:09:00.000-04:00

I saw this really cool website where you can print your blog into a book. What a grat way to end my deployment with a journal of all the moments. The cost is actually not expensive and the books look awesome. I am excited to get it printed when he returns to have a keepsake of that time.

Check it out:

Blog 2 print

I do not reap any rewards by sharing the site. I just think it is cool and want to share. :-)

Many Blessings,

Missed Spouse flight

2010-04-10T08:04:00.002-04:00

BUMMER!!!

So I had signed up to go on a Spouse incentive flight. ( When they take the spouses on a flight in the plane that the base has.) I was really excited but my only issue was that it was at 7am. I knew that my daugter would need to stay with a friend overnight since I needed to leave at 630am.

She has been having some troubles sleeping at night and knew this wouold be tricky. Everything was going as planned until she started texting me at 11pm

I knew this was not going to be good. So we texted back and forth and I tried to giver her lots of encouragemtn and assurance.

At 1245 am I picked her up. :-(

I was mad because I really wanted to go on the flight and I was mad at the fact that--- I was mad. LOL I want her to know that she can count on me and I will always chose her first but was really bummed that she couldn't handle this. We had a rough morning and then we moved on with our day and it was fabulous.

That afternoon I called one of the spouses to ask how it went. THEY NEVER WENT. I couldn't believe it. The plane broke-(who would have guessed)- so they never took off. They have rescheduled it and thank my lucky stars it is while my mom is here. My daughter was so excited that it didn't take off. She felt so relieved. She was tormenting herself that she ruined mommy's day. No worries!

It just goes to show that thinsg happen for a reason. I am so glad I picked her up and made her feel like she is number one. If I hadn't and then we never took off I would have felt just beyond horrible.

Many Blessings,

$2001 worth of Avon products??????????

2010-04-09T08:25:00.001-04:00

I am kind of fanatical about our money and am constantly watching our accounts to make sure I am up to date and to the penny. I don't work so I need to make sure we stay on budget. This deployment we want to get our credit card paid off. I know we can do it before he gets back because we have less than $5 but it is still work.

So yesterday I go online to fabulous USAA and see that I have a charge for $2001 of Avon products.

WHAT THE..............

Seriously- I NeVeR buy Avon.

Who could possibly use that much Avon?

I could not dial USAA fast enough. My stomach had the worst feeling and my mind was racing.

I get in touch with the fraud department and am told not to worry. I will not be charged for this amount. They could not tell me a lot about the charge because I caught it as a "pending" charge. I caught it before it even posted to our account. There was also a $15.39 charge from netflix-RANDOM. Apparently that one was already being reversed because the merchant made a keystroke mistake. HHMMM So how is it possible to get 2 mistakes in one day?? I am baffled.

What a pain. So now we have flags on our account and everything is being investigated. I called Avon and the call was sent to India. Lovely. and their products are made in China. LOL Geesh I wonder why our economy sucks- anyway that's a whole different day and rant. So the Avon Indian guy says to me" Oh, this is top priority. We will be contacting you immediately. Please be waiting for our call". Oh really- well its the next day and I still haven't received a call from them.

So, now I am super paranoid and have to double check everything. I really want to know how this happened.

USAA had to ask if it was possible that my husband was coming home early and was buying me gifts.

BAAAHHHAAAAAHHAAAAAHAAAAAA

Yeah right- NOT AVON. I would need a divorce if he bought me $2000 worth of Avon as a present.

The worst part is that even though I knew we would not be charged and it would all be taken care of it still added so much stress to me. I just felt like yelling "COME ON!!!!". So frustrating to add another thing to my plate. I feel like someone looked at my shoulders and said "oh wait- she doesn't enough wait on them yet. Lets try this doozy".
With God on my side he will help me get through!

Anyway, check your credit card!!!! Make sure every charge is yours.

Many Blessings,

YAY for my first awards. :-)

2010-04-08T09:55:00.003-04:00

Thank you Gaile @ Prego Times For the Beautiful Blogger Award

The rules state I need to say "THANK YOU" and to list 7 things about me.

Well:

I have 2 beautiful children

We have been an Air Force family for 11 years now

I love to scrapbook and just switched to all digital scrapbooking

I am originally from CA

I have lived in 6 states

I am old fashioned and believe one prent should stay home with the children. I believe this is attainable when people learn to live within their budget. :-)

I have many months to go before my hubby comes home from overseas.

I would like to pass the award to:

Riding the Roller Coaster

A deployment diary in Hawaii

Life as a Navy wife

Air Force. Wife. Life

Wife of a wounded Marine

Married to the Military

Goodnight Moon

__________________________________________________________________________________
Thank you Shamrocks and Shenanigans for the Sunshine Award

So the rules state I need to pass this on to 12 blogs that I follow. WOW- I follow and read a lot so this is hard but here are my 12:

Diamonds and Dog Tags

Requires Heavy Lifting

A look into the life of a Fire Fighters wife

Aging mommy

Air Force Recruiting: A wife's point of view

Raw adventures of an Army wife

Our military adventure

My sailors mistress

Now an Air Force wife

Punk Rock Momma

A little pink in a world of camo

Beyond Jennifer and Jason

I really enjoying reading all these blogs. :-)

Friday Follow-is it just a numbers game??

2010-04-06T09:35:00.001-04:00

I tried my first Friday Follow last Friday and have to say that I am not impressed. For me I want followers who are interested in what I am writing and who are going to read what I am writing. I also follow sites that I like to read. Friday Follow did bring me new followers which I am thankful for but I was also asked to follow lots of sites that did not interest me. I hope people follow me because they want to and not because they feel obligated.

So- do I follow them just because they followed me?

It's seems like having followers is just a numbers game like facebook friends. People try to get as many as possible to just be the cool kid in school. That's pretty much what it feels like to me. Like in school when you want to have more friends then anyone now it has spilled over into the WWW.

I can understand follow Friday for businesses and people who are doing giveaways and such but for everyday bloggers I think it takes away from the authenticity of your blog.

When I find a new blog and enjoy it I will definitely follow. I like to read about other people and there daily happenings- especially military wives.

Am I against Friday Follow? Of course not so please no haters. I just know that it's not for me and I will stick to just writing.

Many Blessings

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, after my posting I lost 2 followers. :-( I was not trying to hurt anyone's feelings or be rude. Apparently it was taken personally by some and I am sorry.

Support Mrs. P (fallen Marines Wife)

2010-04-03T11:28:00.003-04:00

Mrs P of "A Little Pink in a World of Camo" is taking part in the Run for Warriors event on May 15th in honor of her husband who recently passed while serving in Afghanistan.

Lets show some Blog Love and spread the word.

You can check out her blog here and see how you can donate. She is only asking for a dollar but if you can spare more thats great!

Friday Follow

2010-04-02T09:43:00.002-04:00

I Always see Friday Follow but have never participated. So here is my first Friday Follow. :-)

Here's how YOU can join the Friday Follow celebration:

--Link up your blog name and URL using the MckLinky below. Only need to add on one blog to be seen on all the blog hops.

--Grab the Friday Follow button and include on your Friday Follow blog post.

--Follow the Friday Follow hostesses listed in the first 3 slots.

--Follow as many other blogs on the linky as you'd like.

--Take a moment to comment on the blogs telling them you're from Friday Follow.

--Follow back when you get a new follower through Friday Follow.

This list is new each week. The links do not carry over. Please link up each week for new participants to find your blogs. The list is only open to add your blog links on Fridays. It will be visible all week to visit the blogs listed.

I've been nominated for the MilBloggies

2010-04-02T08:14:00.002-04:00

Thanks Riding the Rollercoaster for the nomination!! I did go to milblogging.com and nominate you as well. :-)
Anyone can go to milblogging.com and nominate a military related website for this award. So if you are following some mil blogs that you enjoy then be sure to head over there and vote.

Today is Friday and I am happy. We have had several beautiful sun shinny days here. The wind is overbearing but it didn't take away the warmth of the sun.

I always feel like on a sunny day I can handle just about anything. The sun is my drug of choice. The sun makes me feel so motivated and good.We are set to get some rain and storms tomorrow so I will have to say goodbye probably for a day. Thankfully Spring is finally here! I am so ready to plant flowers and enjoy the spring colors.

Hope you all have a FABULOUS Friday!

Many blessings to you,

Thank you for your comments and suggestions

2010-04-01T19:56:00.000-04:00

Thank you so much for the comments you leave. I really do love the comment love. We do have on order a hero doll for our daughter. She is 10 and I know she will love it. I love all the ideas and will be trying them out.

Nights are hard

2010-04-01T08:58:00.000-04:00

Some nights my poor daughter just can't get to sleep. It's so hard when you know the only thing to make her better is a hug from Daddy. She says she can't sleep and really misses her daddy. I have tried so many things to help her get to sleep but nothing seems to work. I told she is going to have to come up with some way to help her get to sleep. Her dad got her a build a bear and recorded his voice to help her but sometimes I wonder if it makes it worse. I giver her lots of hugs but they only help a little. Sometimes she ends up in my bed and sometimes she just ends up staying awake until real late. Hopefully with time it will get better for her. She seems to get restless at night because then she is not busy and has time to think about him being away.

I have had several of these nights as well. So restless and just can't seem to fall asleep no matter what. It is that empty feeling knowing that he is supposed to be right next to me. Last night I stayed awake until 230am. Today will be a long day. I thought about what I tell my daughter to help her and it didn't help me either. LOL I have a hard time I think because I watch TV before bed and then of course see all the couples on the shows and it makes me long for him. I hate to see them all happy, hugging and kissy face. Obviously, I need to open my eyes and NOT watch TV before I go to bed. I will try to start reading nightly. My daughter does not watch TV before bed so this is not going to be the same thing that will help her.

So- my mission is to find ways to help my daughter and I get some much needed good sleep at night.

Any Ideas????

The other side of small towns

2010-03-30T09:00:00.000-04:00

In a previous post I had written about how difficult it has been for me living in such a small town. I just want to say that there is plenty of good things about small towns as well as the bad. Granted, that is with any town you live in.

Yesterday I took my daughter to a birthday party for one of her best friends. This girl has lived here all her life and has many friends. It was great to see the sweetness a small town has. The people were very friendly and welcoming. They talked to me like we had always been hanging out together. It was so different from previous engagements I had been to.

At this party everyone was friendly and so inviting. It is the other side of small town USA when you are just with the everyday people who work hard and want good things for everybody.None of the women were busy gossiping . They made us feel welcome and that we didn't need to prove anything. Nobody treated us like we didn't belong because we didn't grow up there. It was great to see her friend with all her family. I know my daughter is envious about that. Her aunt, uncles and grandparents were all there. That is not something you typically see at a military child's birthday.

My daughters friend is a cowgirl so she got to learn roping. She was sitting there watching her friend with her uncles and dad roping a make shift steer. They noticed she might have an interest and asked her if she wanted to learn.She was so thrilled to learn how to rope. They were teaching her as if she were a part of their family. The big smile that was on her face was priceless. After we left the party we went straight to the store so she could have her own rope. She went in our backyard and right away started practicing roping with it.

So I might have a little cowgirl on my hands.

My first breakdown

2010-03-29T08:15:00.001-04:00

Today I had my first breakdown.

It was a compilation of several things that finally caused it.

My "H" key is missing from my laptop. VERY annoying!! Driving me crazy when I am trying to type.
One of my bathrooms upstairs started flooding. My son said he was taking care of it but I did not check if he turned the water off. I am downstairs doing laundry when I notice water on the floor. :-( Not good. Then it starts dripping from the vent fan in the downstairs bathroom. I go crazy and can't believe this is happening. I know I need to sell this house and I really can't afford and don't want to deal with any water damage.
This causes me to start thinking about all I need to do to get this house sold.
Hubby usually calls around the same time every day. During the week the kids don't get to talk to him much because of school. So today it was important to me that the kids get to video call him. I waited and waited for that call. Made sure I had the computer volume up so I could hear it ring. Made sure I stayed downstairs near the computer. Finally, an hour and a half after the time he usually calls I gave up. If he called it was going to ave to be another regular phone call. So, I go upstairs to inform the kids
My son has a choir performance in 3 days. He has been asking for a fancy hat to wear for his performance. After the bathroom and waiting for hubby instance I am ready to leave and run errands. I tell him we are going to get him his at when he tells me "Oh, well I don't really need a hat. It's no big deal." WHAT!!!!! You have been bugging me about this hat and now you are telling me its no big deal. When he saw my jaw drop and the look on my face he knew the next several minutes were not going to be good.

That was it. My son told me about the hat and I just broke. The tears started streaming and they wouldn't stop. My son was very sweet and starting caring for me. I just started blubbering about all kinds of stuff. Everything that I had been thinking about and all the stuff I need to accomplish. I finally went to my room and closed the door so I could get a hold of myself.

I know that probably won't be the last breakdown but hopefully there won't be too many more.

.Boots in the Doorway.

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