Thursday, September 23, 2010

RANDOMNESS...

Here is a bit of randomness that has been going on lately in my life........my journey through this deployment. Nothing to exciting just taking it each day at a time. Hoping time will start to speed up a bit more here in the next few weeks. I have been staying busy with work during the day and friends in the evenings and on the weekends which I'm loving. I am SOOO happy that i decided to stay here in Hawaii for the deployment. Things have just worked out perfect in every way possible. Not saying its been a easy ride but I'm truckin along. I have so much to look forward to just to get to the end of the year and that is what is keeping me going right now :)

September 30th ~ My lil Brothers 22 birthday
October 4th-8th ~ Spirit week @ work
October 11th ~ Holiday from wrk
October 25th -29th ~ Spirit week @ work
October 31st ~ Happy Halloween
November 9th ~ 3 Year Wedding Anniversary & NO WORK
November 25th ~ Happy Thanksgiving & My Mamaw's birthday ~ No work
November 29th ~ 4 Year Anniversary of being together
December 7th ~ Pearl Harbor day NO WORK
December 22nd My Mommas bday
(MIL ~ comes in town at some point around here)
December 24th & 25th ~ CHRISTMAS EVE & CHRISTMAS ~ NO work

AND THAT'S JUST THE START OF THE REST OF THE YEAR !!!!!!!!!!!!!!


~beachin it up for Tara's birthday~


~zoo day w/ Sandy & the girls~


~rockin the stroller~


~Kyla & I enjoying a afternoon out~


~happy halloween to my love~


~3rd platoon gets halloween goodies as well~


~ready man for spirit week @ work~


~i love looking at the hawaiian sky~


~dinner & margarita night @ Sandy's~


~sunset beach~


~liven the good life~


~i can never get enough of the beach & ocean~

Thursday, September 16, 2010

What Military Wives Are Made Of

It was just another harried Wednesday afternoon trip to the commissary (grocery store on military bases). My husband was off teaching young men to fly. My daughters were going about their daily activities knowing I would return to them at the appointed time, bearing, among other things, their favorite fruit snacks, frozen pizza, and all the little extras that never had to be written down on a grocery list. My grocery list, by the way, was in my 16-month-old daughter's mouth, and I was lamenting the fact that the next four aisles of needed items would wait while extracting the last of my list from my daughter's mouth, when I nearly ran over an old man.

This man clearly had no appreciation for the fact that I had 45 minutes left to finish the grocery shopping, pick up my 4-year old from tumbling class, and get to school, where my 12-year-old and her carpool mates would be waiting.

I knew men didn't belong in a commissary, and this old guy was no exception. He stood in front of the soap selection staring blankly, as if he'd never had to choose a bar of soap in his life. I was ready to bark an order at him when I realized there was a tear on his face.

Instantly, this grocery aisle roadblock transformed into a human..."Can I help you find something?" I asked. He hesitated, and then told me he was looking for soap.

"Any one in particular?" I continued.

"Well, I'm trying to find my wife's brand of soap." I started to loan him my cell phone to call her when he said, "She died a year ago, and I just want to smell her again."

Chills ran down my spine. I don't think the 22,000-pound Mother of all Bombs could have had the same impact. As tears welled up in my eyes, my half-eaten grocery list didn't seem so important. Neither did fruit snacks or frozen pizza.

I spent the remainder of my time in the commissary that day listening to a man tell the story of how important his wife was to him -- how she took care of their children while he served our country. A retired, decorated World War II pilot who flew missions to protect Americans still needed the protection of a woman who served him at home.

My life was forever changed that day. Every time my husband works too late or leaves before the crack of dawn, I try to remember the sense of importance I felt that day in the commissary.

Some times the monotony of laundry, housecleaning, grocery shopping, and taxi driving leaves military wives feeling empty -- the kind of emptiness that is rarely fulfilled when our husbands come home and don't want to or can't talk about work.

We need to be reminded, at times; of the important role we fill for our family and for our country. Over the years, I've talked a lot about military spouses...how special they are and the price they pay for freedom too. The funny thing is; most military spouses don't consider themselves different from other spouses. They do what they have to do, bound together not by blood or merely friendship, but with a shared spirit whose origin is in the very essence of what love truly is. Is there truly a difference? I think there is. You have to decide for yourself...

Other spouses get married and look forward to building equity in a home and putting down family roots. Military spouses get married and know they'll live in base housing or rent, and their roots must be short so they can be transplanted frequently.

Other spouses decorate a home with flair and personality that will last a lifetime. Military spouses decorate a home with flare tempered with the knowledge that no two base houses have the same size windows or same size rooms.

Curtains have to be flexible and multiple sets are a plus. Furniture must fit like puzzle pieces.

Other spouses have living rooms that are immaculate and seldom used. Military spouses have immaculate living room/dining room combos. The coffee table got a scratch or two moving from Germany, but it still looks pretty good.

Other spouses say goodbye to their spouse for a business trip and know they won't see them for a week. They are lonely, but can survive. Military spouses say good-bye to their deploying spouse and know they won't see them for months, or a year, or longer. They are lonely, but will survive.

Other spouses, when a washer hose blows off, call Maytag and then write a check out for having the hose reconnected. Military spouses have to cut the water off and fix it themselves.

Other spouses get used to saying "hello" to friends they see all the time. Military spouses get used to saying "goodbye" to friends made the last two years.

Other spouses worry about whether their child will be class president next year. Military spouses worry about whether their child will be accepted in yet another school next year and whether that school will be the worst in the city...again.

Other spouses can count on spouse participation in special events...birthdays, anniversaries, concerts, football games, graduation, and even the birth of a child. Military spouses only count on each other; because they realize that the flag has to come first if freedom is to survive. It has to be that way.

Other spouses put up yellow ribbons when the troops are imperiled across the globe and take them down when the troops come home. Military spouses wear yellow ribbons around their hearts and they never go away.

Other spouses worry about being late for mom's Thanksgiving dinner. Military spouses worry about getting back from Japan in time for dad's funeral.

The television program showing an elderly lady putting a card down in front of a long, black wall that has names on it touches other spouses. The card simply says, "Happy Birthday, Sweetheart. You would have been sixty today." A military spouse is the lady with the card, and the wall is the Vietnam Memorial.

I would NEVER say military spouses are better than other spouses. But I will say there is a difference. I will say, without hesitation, that military spouses pay just as high a price for freedom as do their active duty husbands and wives.

Perhaps the price they pay is even higher. Dying in service to our country isn't near as hard as loving someone who has died in service to our country, and having to live without them.

God bless our military spouses for all they freely give.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Military Wives ~United in Spirit


We are sisters – bound not by blood but unity of spirit. We share many of the
same experiences, hopes and fears. You carry some of my thoughts and I
some of yours.

You understand the chest I have labeled “Special Memories” that grows
heavier and heavier as it is moved from assignment to assignment. I
understand your box marked “curtains” which contains several different
sets, each of which fit one window in all of the U.S. and Europe.

You know what it is like to plant a tree, knowing someone else will sample its
fruit and enjoy its shade. I know how you paused hanging a picture in post
housing to hear for a moment. . .the echoing footsteps of the families who
preceded you. I also know that you never write in your address book in ink.
To us, home is not so much a geographic location as it is a place in our
hearts.

The evening news is more than a 30 minute blitz of information; it is often
the compass that directs our lives. I have stood in your shoes and you in
mine on docks, piers, flight lines and terminals of every description around
the world. Waving good-bye and whispering a silent prayer. To us the words
“Support Our Troops” are more than a logo on a bumper sticker. We wear
yellow ribbons around our hearts everyday; because we know that
everyday a military family is separated by time and distance while that
military member stands watch at freedoms door.

We come from all walks of life. We are homemakers, workers, professionals;
and in our number are those who also serve our country on active duty or in
the reserves. We are different and yet we are the same. Sometimes I see
your face in my mirror. Sometimes I dream your dreams. So, we come
together today to celebrate our similarities and explore our differences in
the spirit of friendship and unity. I am honored to count myself among you.

~Author Unknown

Saturday, September 11, 2010

I Believe - A 9/11 Tribute




NO WORDS ARE NEEDED ...............

9/11




Have you Forgotten...................

..............I haven't.....freshman year high school 2nd period sitting in Coach Carols World History Class as the towers fell & the Pentagon was hit. Loving my Soldier who's fighting for our Freedom!!!


9/11-we will never forget! Remember those who we have lost, those who lived, & those who still still come together everyday to fight for our country! God Bless !!!!!!! I LOVE YOU SSG GABRIEL & Miss you more than ever!!!!!!!




“Time is passing. Yet, for the United States of America, there will be no forgetting September the 11th. We will remember every rescuer who died in honor. We will remember every family that lives in grief. We will remember the fire and ash, the last phone calls, the funerals of the children. “
- President George W. Bush, November 11, 2001


Thursday, September 9, 2010

When a soldier meets GOD!


The soldier stood and faced his God Which must always come to pass... He hoped his shoes were shining Just as brightly as his brass. "Step forward now, you soldier, How shall I deal with you? Have you always turned the other cheek? To My Church have you been true?" The soldier squared his shoulders and Said,"No, Lord, I guess I ain't... Because those of us who carry guns Can't always be a saint. I've had to work most Sundays And at times my talk was tough, And sometimes I've been violent, Because the streets are awfully tough. But, I never took a penny That wasn't mine to keep... Though I worked a lot of overtime When the bills got just too steep, And I never passed a cry for help, Though at times I shook with fear, And sometimes, God forgive me, I've wept unmanly tears. I know I don't deserve a place Among the people here... They never wanted me around Except to calm their fears. If you've a place for me here, Lord, It needn't be so grand, I never expected or had too much, But if you don't, I'll understand." There was a silence all around the throne Where the saints had often trod... As the soldier waited quietly, For the judgment of his God, "Step forward now you soldier, Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets, You've done your time in Hell."Dedicated To All That Serve... God Bless America!


"On September 7, 2010, 1-27IN Borzoi Company was attacked by an individual in an Iraqi Army uniform resulting in the loss of two of our soldiers and wounding 9 others. We all feel tremendous sympathy and regret for these losses, and we know you will keep the Families in your thoughts and Prayers." God Bless the Fallen & wounded Wolfhounds, their families are in my prayers as well as the men they left behind that they were serving with. We never know how short life can be and we need to remember not to take a moment for granite.
The loss of any Soldier is horrible but when its one that My husband works with in the same Company and Platoon it really hits home at how lucky we are right now. I can't imagine how Gabe and the other guys in B-co are feeling right now. We are only a little over two months into this and this is the 2nd attack on the company in less than a two week time spread.


I LOVE YOU SSG GABRIEL AND CANT WAIT FOR YOU TO BE HOME SAFE IN MY ARMS OUT OF HARMS WAY!!!!!!!



http://www.stripes.com/mobile/news/u-s-official-iraqi-who-killed-two-u-s-soldiers-was-on-suicide-mission-1.119731

Thursday, September 2, 2010

SpEcTaCuLaR !!!!



This afternoon once I got off work I met up with my friend Julie and her pooch and off to Hickam we went. With my two as well we were ready for a wonderful evening on the beach. When we got to the beach the water looked like crystal glass, it was so smooth. There was only two other people there with their puppy and they didn't even end up staying that long after we'd got there. We had the whole beach to our self. The pups ran up and down the beach in and out of the water. They were just having a grand old time playing with each other. I was happy we were able to get them out of the house for a bit. I feel bad that they are not getting to get out like they normally would when Gabe was home, its just so hard to take them both by myself because they are so active. Not to mention having the truck covered doesn't help either.
After taking a run down the beach myself a couple times and lots of good laughs we decided to pack it up and head home before it got to late. It was a nice relaxing evening spent after a long day at work and much needed for my pooches as well. While we were there I was able to get some awesome pictures across the ocean, I just love love the views we have here in Hawaii. It amazes me each and every day at how SpEcTaCuLaR life can be here on island. I wouldn't trade this experience for the world. I only wish that my love was here with me right now enjoying it.