Movers

I hate movers.  I don't mind moving so much -- moving can be fun -- but I hate moving day.  I hate the idea of movers, people who come into my house and dig around in my drawers and cupboards.  As I waited for Transportation to come over today to do their pre-moving checklist, I felt the tightening in my throat and the waves of nausea.  I hate this part of PCSing, and I especially hate that this is my second PCS this year.

The movers come Monday.  I will be a nervous wreck all weekend.

Now Your Name is Sir

One of the facts of military life we have to deal with, like it or not, is that our families are a reflection on the active duty member.  For our family, with four roiling and active children with so much energy that we have been nicknamed "The Horde" by friends and family, this can cause some issues and creative parenting.

One thing that we absolutely demand from our children, and which has earned us the "Fascist Parenting" label from our civilian friends and family, is that they are never, ever, EVER under any circumstances to refer to adults by their first names.   In fact, as they get older and that military osmosis kicks in, they refer to active duty members by their rank and last name. 

I know, I know; it's one step away from the marching to whistle calls of the Von Trapp family parenting guide.  But it works for us.  Until we meet those people who refuse to take our rules seriously...

Holiday Matters

With Thanksgiving behind us and all the relatives back home in MN, it seems almost dreary and lifeless around the house.  I'm not sure whether to look forward to a relative-less Christmas or, as usual pack up the kids and go visit family!

After all, isn't that what we military families do....we visit family!

Military Spouse Career News

Spouse Career Center News this week:

How Organizations Can Help a Mother's Professional Life
A New Job Is a New Start
5 Myths of Holiday Job Searching
Learn to Sell Yourself
Three Keys to Transforming Stress

You Can Tell Drill Weekend is Coming When...

my husband shaves off his beard. Seriously, that's usually the giveaway drill weekend is coming up. Our eight year old, who has no use for calendars except for when it comes to vacation time, Christmas, and his birthday, knows when the beard goes, Daddy goes for the weekend. Technically he's not gone, since he doesn't drill far enough away to stay over night (48 mile drive, not the required 50 for an overnight billet), but he's not home to drive to soccer, Cub Scouts, etc. Mom has to do it and no one likes Mom to be driving.

This month, however, he drilled an extra day to make up for a missed Saturday when he went camping with the Cub Scouts, and shaved off the beard early, resulting in massive confusion.

Our son asked, "Is it drill weekend tomorrow?"

"No," I said, "tomorrow is Wednesday."

I'm Sorry, My Husband Isn't Available Right Now

I'm not an easily frightened person. If I were, I would have been forced to deal with it a long time ago. Being an Army wife would have seen to that. Many of our spouses are TDY, involved in training exercises or deployed a good deal of the time. Whether or not we learn to adjust to being at home without our spouses, most of us learn clever ways to hide the fact that our husbands are away.

Before the booming Caller ID era, I used to answer the phone because I never knew when my husband may be on the other end, and I never knew how long the connection would survive. When the telemarketer asked for my husband, I would say, "I'm sorry he's not available right now." The super-annoying ones would ask, "When would be a good time to call back." To which I thought, "in about seven months" but I couldn't really say that.

Caller ID has taken care of that pesky little problem, as well as a few others.

Did you know?

This week's Military Report includes:

Air Force, Navy Introduce Online Reservations 

Enter the Military.com Commissary Sweepstakes 

Servicemember Discount Center 

Operation Interdependence Offers C-Rats 

Volunteer Drivers Needed 

Care Packages Top One Million 

Commander Advises Discretion in Cyberspace 

Give Exchange Certificates to Deployed Troops 

Leaving the Army 

Marines, Sailors Now Accepting Donations for Toys For Tots 

New Website Offers Financial Education 

Santa Trek to be Tracked Worldwide 

Send Packages to Troops, Families 

Special Needs Parent Tools Webinar Dec. 6 

Suicide Prevention Conference in March 

TRICARE Updates Reimbursement Rates 

Two Services See Promotion Gains 

Volunteers, Donations Sought for Children's Christmas Tour 

From the Keyboard of a Soldier

A few days ago, I published a post that dealt with reintegration. You can read that post by clicking here. Today, I'm posting an email written from the perspective of a soldier who hopes that his words will shed some light on what reintegration is like for the returning service member.

On Being a Midget

Yep, that's right.  I'm now officially a single-digit-midget.    And you know what?

It's not all it's made out to be.

Homeschooling Military Families

Our family is a homeschooling military family.  Homeschooling within the military community continues to grow, just as it does nationwide and worldwide.

If you are a homeschooling military family, some of the below information might be of interest to you.

Perception

I found the following over at Sgt. Hooks place. 

She sat down to the Thanksgiving table, crowded with a cornucopia of delicious looking and wonderfully smelling foods.

He sat down to the Thanksgiving table, crowded with a cornucopia of delicious looking and wonderfully smelling foods.

She ate quietly, mostly listening to the conversations between her parents, sister, brother-in-law, grandmother, and the children, occasionally checking on the baby tucked safely in a bassinet next to her.

He too ate quietly, taking in the talk between his driver, the gunner, the RTO, and other members of the squad, occasionally checking to make sure his M16 was still set securely in the rack at the end of the table.

Reintegration: It Ain't Easy....

Usually when I receive email about military life, it comes from a milspouse. That changed a couple of days ago when I received an email from a deployed soldier who explained why he reads SpouseBUZZ.

Even though I am the deployed soldier and not the spouse, I like to check in to get a glimpse of life back at home.  Just about any one of the articles could have been written by my wife, there is a lot to relate to.

It's an interesting twist, and nice to see that this soldier is curious about "the other side." You never know who may be reading....

This soldier wanted to discuss reintegration.

A "Quiet" Thanksgiving

Two weeks ago I asked my husband if he would like to have any of the soldiers over for Thanksgiving.  Since his soldiers would not be back yet and he did not bring it up again, I considered the subject dropped.

This is the first Thanksgiving I have ever cooked, and I have an infant to juggle, too, so I figured it was for the best.

Three days ago, he announced that "no more than 20" soldiers would be joining us for Thanksgiving.  Um, excuse me?

Comforting....

I managed to get a portion of my cooking done yesterday.  Which always pays off.  The turkey has been stuffed with a stick of butter, a carrot, celery, onion, salt and pepper.  Rubbed with olive oil, salt and pepper.  The oven is serving a dual purpose this morning, taking the chill off of the air, and cooking lunch. 

Thanksgiving is has to be one of my favorite days of the year.  There is the Giving Thanks part.  Which requires its own post all together.  There is also the meal.  It is my favorite meal of the year. 

Thanksgiving holds wonderful memories for me, and most of those memories are associated with tastes, and smells.  The memories of Thanksgivings  past taking place in kitchens, and around tables, like any good Midwestern born and raised woman.

The menu this morning is reflective of Thanksgiving past.  All fairly Midwestern working class fare that I could not go without this year.  None of it fancy.  Just standard comfort food.  The MOST COMFORTING meal of the year.  Because with every item I cook, I can recall the women of my past preparing those dishes.  It is my way of having these women with me today.

TRICARE - Trying or Caring?

I know TRICARE is one of our favorite pinatas...but right now they are on my list of Thanksgiving.

Lilah (almost four months!) just had her open heart surgery and I am thanking God that if she had to have a Congenital Heart Defect, she was born while we are in the military.

I Finally Made It

I see my icon has been on the sidebar for a while, and I was introduced oh, almost a month ago, but I haven't posted yet. I've been tortured over what to write. As a reserve family, we don't deal with the same daily issues active duty families do. But when we have issues, we really have issues. Luckily, ours have been minor, and my husband's military career has just sort of bumped along, no real ups or downs besides a few false alarm deployments. His civilian career is much the same, but I think it's because he's a very calm, efficient guy who doesn't make waves or freak out over every little thing. That's my job.

I feel a little hesitant posting just now since we haven't had to deal with the myriad of issues so many readers and other posters have. We've been consumed with family oriented things, mainly plowing through the paperwork for our second adoption. However, as a Reserve spouse, I am in an interesting position for interacting with civilians. Not everyone with whom we come into contact knows my husband is in any way connected to the military. Many assume he's not because of his civilian job-- he's a social worker for a large, East Coast city. If they do know, they assume we're not really military (read, not really supportive of the military or its missions) so they feel free to say negative things in front of us, things they would never say if he were active duty. So every once in a while, when someone says something particularly annoying, obnoxious, or thoughtless, I'm sure I'll post on it. I have a few zingers, but we'll save that for another time.

I Just Think I'd Know

Although it's not everyone's way of coping, my religious faith was always a very important part of getting me through hubby's deployments.  Perhaps talking to God at night in bed kind of took the place of some of the things I would have liked to say to hubby, but was holding back until he got home.

It wasn't even always pretty and praiseful talk.  Sometimes I raged, and more than once - both in his last deployment to Iraq and his current deployment in Afghanistan - the "How DARE You!" rant passed through my prayers.  Pollyanna Sunshine is most definitely not my name, and for a good reason.  I may try to keep upbeat and positive, but it's just not always in the cards for me.

When hubby was in Iraq, I went home.  We felt at the time that it would have been best.  But I was surrounded by civilians who weren't always sure how to deal with me, or what to say.  On the other hand, they were often intensely curious about many aspects of our military life - and some of the curiosity had a somewhat morbid tilt.

Like when they asked me about how I would find out if something happened to hubby.

Did you know?

This week's Military Report includes:

Air Force Adopting New News-Delivery Method 

Get a Copy of 'The War Tapes' 

Get The Military Benefit Guide 

Tuition Assistance Program Overview 

Introducing Kit Up! 

Operation First Response 

Army Navy Game -- December 3rd 

Committee Chairman Vows More Oversight 

Navy Knowledge Online at Fort Jackson, S.C.

Exchanges Announce Recall of Tires 

Health Care for Reservists Highlights Defense Bill 

Navy Hotline Assists Individual Augmentation Families 

Navy Offers Advancement Points 

Physical Health Assessments Replace Physicals 

Pizza Takes Top Lunch Honors 

Federal Long Term Care Insurance Eligibility 

Survey Seeks Input on Overseas Voting 

TRICARE Catastrophic Cap 

Women, Infants, and Children Overseas Program 

Do you WANT to Know?

This post is a bit of a take-off on the post below, where I discuss how little white lies during a deployment are often used by military couples in order to protect each other from unnecessary worry. After re-reading the post, and the comments, I was reminded of yet another conversation that took place at SpouseBUZZ LIVE.

Do you want to know everything that's going on where your spouse is? Putting aside the fact that you and your spouse operate on a "don't ask, don't tell" basis, if that's the case, do you want to know?  In Killeen, though everyone seemed united on the need to hide stress from their spouse, there was no such consensus on the desire to know.  ArmyWifeToddlerMom didn't want to know. Her rationale, "because he may have to do this again." Others felt empowered by knowing what was going on, but that too has its problems, as was illustrated by one wife as she described the horror of hearing her husband's FOB being shelled in the background just before he had to abandon their phone conversation.

I'm curious by nature, and like to be well-informed, but for some reason, I can't quite answer this question. I'm just not sure if I want the full story. The different opinions, and the reasons behind them, are fascinating to me. Add yours - Do you want to know. Why or why not?

"Living a Double Life"

At SpouseBUZZ LIVE, I was fascinated by the conversation which centered around keeping homefront stress away from the deployed spouse. There was a strong desire on the part of the attendees to make sure this was done at all costs. Desire may not be the most appropriate word. I think that once a milspouse comes face-to-face with a deployment, she/he knows how high the stakes are. Milspouses automatically understand that distractions can be fatal, and most of them work hard to shield their spouses from bad news and to mask any inner turmoil they may be experiencing.

For precisely that reason, SpouseBUZZ LIVE was so powerful. What seemed like months and months of bottled-up stress began flowing out of the mouths of the attendees. Milspouses recognized SpouseBUZZ LIVE for what it was, a forum where they could vent and cry and talk about the frustrations, stress and hardships that they wouldn't dare burden their spouses with.

Non-Traditional Traditions - Or Why We Eat Chinese Food on Thanksgiving

When I was growing up all over the state of California, the three things we knew for sure in life were that (1) prepackaged tortillas are not worth buying, (2) something is always either shaking, burning, or surfing a glop of mud down a hill, and (3) we would join 45+ family members at my Grandma's every year for Thanksgiving.

Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas, most especially the Christmas season.  It smells so good!  It's beautiful!  And the sweaters and pants hide my jiggles much better than skimpy summer attire.  Christmas makes me feel good.

But Thanksgiving?  That's about tradition and family.  And the lack of presents to figure out and give, the four day weekend, and the official kick off to the holiday season make it the most beloved holiday of the year for me.

But Thanksgiving is not the same for my military brats.

The Milpet Effect

One month ago today, I wrote about receiving word that my dog had been diagnosed with cancer. Since then, Rocket began chemotherapy treatment. With the exception of a few bad days, all was going well. Until Friday, that is. To make a long story short, if there wasn't marked improvement within 24 hours (by noon yesterday), we should probably put Rocket to sleep.

Fluid began to build around Rocket's lungs. This would be a real catch-22. The fluid was secondary to the cancer. The cancer was the culprit, but the drug had not had time to take effect. The chemotherapy treatment that Rocket received on Friday needs five days to take effect. Maddeningly frustrating because an elevated heart rate and labored breathing may prevent us from waiting out those five days. My husband and I are not making decisions based on the fact that WE want Rocket around as long as possible, we're making decisions based on what's best for him.

Take a Number Please...

It appears I am in good company in this waiting room.  I have RedLegMeg to my left, and Sarah to my right.  Heck, I think all of us are waiting.  Some of us are waiting for our loved ones to return, or to go, or orders, or PSC.  I also doubt if any of us would say we are a patient bunch.  But I think we should give ourselves credit where credit is due. 

My family  ran into a sort of glitch this past week.  For 25 hours it was certainly not a glitch to me, but now it is a "glitch".   It has become one of those things that happen to OUR families.

I had called my Dad to have a simple, lighthearted discussion, and it took a strange turn.

I am already excited about Santa

Thanksgiving is not here just yet I know, but each year right after Halloween I get in the holiday mood.  Christmas is by far my favorite holiday.

Having children brought back to life all of my childhood memories and enthusiasm for the entire holiday season.  Each year I get more and more excited about tracking Santa with my children and it always gives us something fun to do when daddy is deployed.  It brings such excitement to my kids and the exuberance is contagious.  I too love the idea of Santa Claus and have embraced it again in my adult years.

I am already getting geared up for NORAD's Santa-Tracking and if you have children, you might want to take a look at all that the website has to offer.  Even adults can have great fun over there! :)

The Un-Waiting Game

RedLegMeg wrote about The Waiting Game yesterday, the time between the moment the deployment is announced and the day they actually leave.  That's a rough time.

We mentally prepare ourselves for deployment.  We start to think in an independent mindframe, and we try to find the silver lining as best we can.  We come up with all these things we will accomplish when they're gone: next year I'll lose weight because I won't cook as well, I'll make those two quilts I've been talking about for years, I'll read all those books, I'll fly to L.A. to visit my friend, and so on. We convince ourselves that the year will go by fast because we'll be so busy. And then, when he gets home, we'll start a family. Everything will be perfect, because we've convinced ourselves that it's all working out according to plan.

RedLegMeg is struggling with moving goalposts: her husband's date keeps changing.  But how do we deal with the goalposts falling down altogether?

Charity through the eyes of a child

Most of the time I think my children are pretty amazing. I know...I'm biased. I freely admit that. I think that, as a parent, part of my job (along with being their biggest advocate) is to be my childrens' biggest cheerleader.

And then sometimes they do things that simply blow me away (in a good way!). First, a little background. My children get 3 gifts from us (their parents). Jesus got 3 gifts on his birthday therefore my children get 3 gifts on His birthday. This does not include stocking stuffers or the gift that Santa brings - just so we're clear. But from us, as parents, they each get 3 gifts.

One of the things I try to teach my children is a concern for others as well as a sense of responsibility toward those less fortunate. One way that I try to do this is to have them go through their toys and select 3 toys that they no longer play with that are still in good condition. My goal was to have them donate those toys to an agency that gives toys to less fortunate children at the holidays.

The Waiting Game

The wait is on.  The military's famous for the old adage "Hurry up and wait."  Well, that's what I'm experiencing right now.  I don't like waiting, never have.  I've gotten better at it over time, but am still not great at it (granted, I'm not sure anyone is).  I still remember when JD and I first started dating and I'd tell him about something that I wanted to go do or wanted him to do.  He'd say "Okay, when?"  He learned rather quickly that I usually meant "Right now."  It's become a bit of a joke between us over the years. 

Right now, though, it's no joke.  When we found out we were PCSing to our current duty station, we also found out he would be deploying.  This was not unexpected and we knew it was his time to go again.  I was *fine* with it, but wanted to know when. 

"Soon." was his answer. 

"Okay... how soon?"

"Probably a couple of weeks after we get there."

"Oh." was my response as I pondered what that would mean for me and the kids.

Battling Sheets

There's a rule out there for military spouses; in fact, I think it might be the Murphy's Law for military spouses.

If your sweetie deploys, something's going to break.  It'll probably be something big.  Like the car engine.  Maybe the foundation of the house will open a gaping chasm that children and pets fall into.  Or, perhaps the computer will get some new virus that causes it to send obscenity filled emails to your in-laws when their habit of pointing out the clutter in your house becomes a bit too frequent.

But of course, the big things are not the only things that band together to tweak your day.

From the Mailbag

A milspouses sends this email:

I would like to hear from spouses on whether they think volunteering within the military reflects well on their active-duty spouse or not?  I know many of us volunteer to make a difference in someone's life or to help the greater good.  But, a side benefit - we sometimes hope- is to help make our active duty spouse look good.  It is a team effort, right?  I think this might make for some active discussion.

Servicemember freebie

I just wish I was in Florida to take advantage of this!  Maybe some of you are in the area and can 'cruise' on over to Daytona!! 

Warning to you:  Don't be in such a hurry to get there that you end up acting like me and pretending that you are a NASCAR driver.  I often wear a t-shirt that says, "I was not speeding, I was qualifying" - and it doesn't tend to get laughs from policemen or MPs! :)

Daytona USA Honors Troops

U.S. military servicemembers will receive free admission at Daytona USA throughout November to celebrate Armed Forces Month.

Today I Screamed

At the SpouseBuzz event at Fort Hood, one of the questions asked of the panel I was on was, "How do you deal with deployments."

Now, everyone else had great answers;  ways to keep busy, meditation techniques, Mom's Pajama Day.  Typically, my answer wasn't anywhere near as thought out or helpful... because my coping mechanism is to curse like a drunken cowboy who forgot his six-shooter at the OK Corral.  Really, it is that bad.  The f-word and I are well acquainted.  Some might say that we're close, personal friends.

In a moment of horror last week, I realized that the stream of invective issuing forth from my gaping mouth (in the privacy of my bedroom, by the way, not as a sort of Vaudeville Show to entertain my children in the living room) sounded remarkably close to a song from my teenage years done by 2Live Crew.

Deployment Confessions

We all know that life when our servicemember is home is different than life when they are gone for a significant amount of time. Routines are changed. Priorities are reorganized. Power structures are altered. Etc.

I have some confessions to make...and please do not judge me.

Sometimes, rather than completely unload the dishwasher (something I hateHATEHATE to do) I will take out the dishes that I need for a given meal and use them and then put them BACK in the dishwasher (that remains to be unloaded) and run the load again at the end of the day.

I. KNOW!

Crazy, isn't it?

Government and You E-News for November 15, 2006

Topics in this Week’s News Include:

1. What Do the Election Results Mean for Military Families?

2. TRICARE Website Gets A New Look

3. Navy Sets Up Hotline for Individual Augmentees and Families

4. Mental Health Task Force to Visit San Francisco Area

5. New Commission to Improve the Future of American Veterans

6. House Passes Veterans’ Benefits Bill

7. A Win/Win for Military Students and Virginia Education

8. Indiana Governor Announces Initiatives to Support Veterans and Military Families

9. Happy Thanksgiving!

Toy Summit with Santa

Military Families Wanted for “Top of the World” Toy Summit with Santa at North Pole ( Alaska ) America.

AmericaSupports You and Operation Homefront host all-expense paid trip to The Santa Claus House –generously donated by Wal-Mart.

Contest ends Tuesday, November 21, and families fly out the following Tuesday – so apply now!

Spouse for Hire

Have you checked out the side bar "Military Spouse Employer of the Day"?  I know you've wanted to, I've been there myself.  Staring at the little space wondering what was just behind the click of a button. 

Well, if you aren't prepared to be amazed, don't go behind that door!  I just did and I'm somewhat befuddled and amazed.  I had no idea there were so many companies listed on this site.  What a great resource!  In the last half hour (which is how long it took me just to scroll down through the entire list of companies), I have changed future career paths at least 12 times!

Did you know?

In this week's Military Report:

Air Force Could Extend Officer Assignments

GI Bill Increase -- Find a School Today

Air Force Officials Announce New Guidelines

Anthrax Vaccine Program to be Resumed

Army Increases Weight Limits for Females

Exchanges Let Customers 'Take it Home Today'

Fully Paid Household Claims

Holiday Radio Special Features Stars

Insurance Companies Owe Servicemembers

Meningococcal Vaccine Now Available in Europe

Navy to Track Individual Augmentation

Organization Sponsors Art and Essay Contest

Students Can Apply for Scholarships at Commissaries

The Children of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund

Transition Workshop Valuable to Veterans

TRICARE Information Now on One Website

TRICARE Shares its Patient Safety Program

TRICARE Survivor Benefits

Websites Help Deliver Care Packages

Website Adds Personally Procured Moves

One of the Upsides to Deployment

My dream job would be to work in the field of interior design. I don't like white walls. My dining room is red, my bedroom is blue and chocolate brown, my kitchen is yellow. Well, you get the idea. My husband's office is was white. Until my husband deployed, his office was the only room in the entire house that wasn't painted, and it stuck out like a sore thumb. It was also the room where all of the misfit furniture took residence. I wanted to paint and improve that room from the time we purchased our house, two years before my husband left. He wouldn't budge.

Nah, it's fine

Leave it alone

Still, I tried. Still, I failed.

Looking at the bright side of deployment orders, I said to myself, "now I can get my hands on that office......"

Knowing me pretty well, before he left, my husband bent over and whispered in my ear, "don't touch my office."

I smiled and winked at him. I'm sure he noted what I didn't say, "I won't, I promise."

He knew better.

SpouseBUZZ Announcements

Okay, Navy and Reserve spouses, SpouseBUZZ has added a new author. On the right navigation bar, you'll see that navyreservewife has joined the team. You'll be hearing from her soon. Welcome aboard navyreservewife!

A reminder to send "What's Your Story" submissions to us. Click here for details. Deadline for submission is midnight tomorrow.

For the Christian spouse, if you're interested in seeing your name in print, see below:

I am so excited to find SpouseBUZZ! I am a Christian author writing an inspirational book for military families at a time when we all need (I say WE because I'm an Army Mom) a bit of encouragement and strength. "Secure the Fort" will be full of tid bits from military families, devotions I'm writing, poetry by military families, interesting facts, quotes, etc. I am extending a submissions request from any of you spouses who would like to contribute a story of how God has sustained you in the challenges of being a military wife during times of deployment. You can include poetry you've written, scriptures you cling to, or portions of letters from the field. 450 word max per submission to be considered. Please view my website for authenticity..www.allgloryishis.com "Under God" page. I want this book to portray the fact that we as a nation still desires to remain "UNDER GOD!" Just ask any military family. :) We NEED HIM. Look forward to hearing from you....please email me at Lucy@allgloryishis.com! 

Sleep is SOOOO overrated

LoveMyTanker asks the question, Do you sleep while they are gone?

Pshaw...sleep is SOOOOOO overrated. At least, that is what I keep telling myself. I am a night owl by nature. I blame my mother. She is too. I got her genes on this one. Damn her. MacGyver is anything BUT a night owl. He's in bed by 11pm. Usually it's closer to 10pm. Granted he has to wake up at o'dark thirty but still, he's NOT a night owl. Me? I'm more than willing to stay up until 2am if left to my own devices.

Do you sleep while they are gone?

While reading the postings No Sleep... and Looks Like We Are Not Alone.. I began thinking about all of the issues and funny things that I have done when my husband has been gone.  Lack of sleep sure can make you do insane things sometimes!

You will most likely think that I am totally off my rocker after reading this post.  And I am okay with that.  I am one with and at peace with my nutty self!

I think we all probably have issues sleeping from time to time.  Deployments, TDYs and even motherhood can all make you have sleepless nights.  They all equal STRESS in some form or fashion.  During my husband's last deployment, I spent more nights lying in bed awake than I care to admit.  The lack of sleep during that deployment ran a very close second place to how much sleep I lacked and how evil I became after my first child was born and the first OIF deployment.

Valour-IT "Competition" Results

Hello, everyone!!!  I wanted to report the results of the Project Valour-IT Veteran's Day fundraiser.  In case you missed my post about Valour-IT, click here and see what it's all about!

The goal for this year's competition fundraiser was $180,000... and the goal has been met and exceeded!  Here are the results:

Marines - $51,228.85

Navy - $47,112.12

Army - $46,395.00

Air Force - $36,693.10

TOTAL = $184,428.00

I am sooooo thrilled and excited to know that so many wounded troops will benefit from the amazing generosity of all of the donors!  I want to send a heart-felt THANK YOU to all who donated to Valour-IT!!!  This project gives more than a laptop and voice-activated software to wounded troops... it gives them independence, hope, dignity, and a connection to the world!

In Which Airforcewife Tries Unsuccessfully to Travel

Being a military family, we tend to move and travel a lot.  As I stated in my military.com profile, I'm the weirdo that likes to PCS. 

That's not a lie, I really do enjoy moving.  Well, not the packing/unpacking/cleaning part.  But definitely the "getting there" part and the "living in a new place" part.  Since we go home to see family on vacations, it seems to me like the different stationings are more like paid working vacations where we are exposed to new things that we would not otherwise be able to do if we were stuck in one place our entire lives.  [Note to the Air Force - I would TOTALLY love to hit that assignment in Bulgaria, mkay?  Just so you know.]  And we make it a point to stop and see the sights on the way to wherever our new station happens to be. 

But, inevitably, even on the shortest trips I take a Comedy of Errors will spring up to meet me.  Like the PCS where we had to drive through Wyoming and ran out of diapers between truck stops on the I-80.  Ever seen how far apart Wyoming truck stops are?  Right.  Hubby lost a good sweater on that go-round.  Some things are just not worth cleaning.

Proud

Today I spent hours at the airport.  Hours...And I was proud. 

I watched, as family, after family welcomed home loved ones from Iraq, Afghanistan, and boot camp.  I saw signs.  Some made with glitter, others made by a computer, some in a child's hand, and others in a Mothers hand.  There were a lot of balloons too. 

And I stood at the side, watching.  Not participating this time.  I watched at least 10 of these "Welcome home" scenes today.  Each one made the tears come to the surface. 

I guess I was transparent looking because twice I was asked "are you waiting for your Husband?"

"Nope, he is home this year"...

I stood and watched, and smiled, and cried, and I was so happy that these brave men and women were home. 

I watched Mothers kneel to the floor thankful that they get to touch them for real.  I watched Dads give sons tough guy hugs, with so many tears held back that these men looked like pain had overcome them. 

I saw couples run into one another's arms, and people frozen.   

And I saw kisses that everyone should get at least one of in this lifetime.

I watched Daddies meet babies for the first time.

I watched and I wept. 

And I am proud.

Thank You Veterans.....