Did you know?
April 30, 2007|
Included in this week's Military Report:
« March 2007 | Main | May 2007 »
The Perils of "Becoming" Your Job
April 30, 2007|
One thing about military jobs that we can always count on is how much the active duty member will "become" their jobs. To a certain extent it's inevitable. There's a great deal of lingo involved and it doesn't stay in the office. We live and work with the same people, particularly if we live on base. Mandatory fun like barbecues and family days further blur the line between work and home.
My first experience with my husband becoming his job happened in the mid-nineties, just before he left his armor unit and entered a college AFROTC program. My husband could no longer navigate his way out of a driveway, much less get from point A to the 300 miles away point B.
What have you done for yourself lately?
April 28, 2007|
Do you ever just get so tired that you can't go, you can't think straight and you wonder where the week or month went?
I know that our service-members often have jobs that make them feel this way, especially when deployed or training.
We as mil-spouses have a lot on our plates too. Does it sometimes just make you simply exhausted to think about it all?
Wonder & Sparkle
April 28, 2007|
On Friday I had to go to PSD to get a new ID card. While I was there, I couldn't help but notice the fresh faced couple who came through the door. They were chatting and smiling while everyone else in the room was looking quite grumbly. There was the retiree with his wife, the active duty female and her daughter, the young man and his buddy. The young couple definitely changed the "energy" in that room. As I looked a little closer at this happy couple, I couldn't help but notice the white envelope he had in his hand. The one with the script writing that said "Marriage License".
Oh....to be "new" to the Navy. Full of wonder, sparkle and amazement!
San Diego, Here We Come
April 26, 2007|
As you can see from the agenda below, Military.com and USAA have been working hard to make sure that SpouseBUZZ LIVE San Diego is a great day for milspouses.
| Time | Agenda Item |
| 9:00 - 9:30 | Registration/Child Drop-Off |
| 9:30 | Opening Remarks by Hattie Kaufmann, CBS News National Correspondent & Marine Corps mom |
| 9:45 - 11:00 | Panel #1: The Milspouse Experience Moderated by Melinda (Guard wife) • Ruthie (Air Force wife) • Sarah • Wendy (Navy wife) |
| 11:00 - 12:15 | Panel #2: Overcome and Empower Moderated by Andi • Carren (Joan D’Arc) • Rachelle (ArmyWifeToddlerMom) • Shelly Hall of TAPS |
| 12:15 – 12:45 | Your Time - Free Time Chat over coffee. Enjoy the chocolate fountain. Get some financial advice. Or…dig for diamonds! |
| 12:45 – 2:15 | Lunch • Remarks by Tara Crooks (Army Wife Talk Radio) • Keynote Speakers: Kathy Hightower/Holly Scherer, authors of Help! I’m a Military Spouse |
| 2:15 – 3:00 | Breakout Sessions • USAA Financial Planning Seminar: June Walbert, CFP, USAA financial expert and host of the Ask June financial column on Military.com • Follow your Dreams while you Follow the Military: Kathy Hightower/Holly Scherer, authors of Help! I’m a Military Spouse • Create your Own Blog: SpouseBUZZ authors |
| 3:00 – 3:45 | Your Time - Free Time Chat over coffee. Enjoy the chocolate fountain. Get some financial advice. Or…dig for diamonds! |
| 3:45 – 4:30 | Breakout Sessions • USAA Financial Planning Seminar: June Walbert, CFP, USAA financial expert and host of the Ask June financial column on Military.com • Follow your Dreams while you Follow the Military: Kathy Hightower/Holly Scherer, authors of Help! I’m a Military Spouse • Create your Own Blog: SpouseBUZZ authors |
| 4:30 – 5:00 | Closing Remarks by Andi Hurley |
For those of you who can't make it to San Diego, we're going to bring part of the program to you. The panel sessions will be available here on SpouseBUZZ via live web streaming to the first 3,000 spouses who visit SpouseBUZZ at 9:30 a.m. PST on May 12. You can be there without being there.
We're very close to registering our 400th attendee, who will get the prize?
All of us are excited about taking SpouseBUZZ on the road again. We hope to meet you in San Diego.
The Art of the Military Love Letter
April 25, 2007|
In case it hasn't become totally obvious by now, I love to write. My usual medium is the computer, because it's so easy and quick; but if I have my choice I will write long heartfelt letters on interesting papers with my trademarked purple ink. With perfume, of course. Because getting a nice, juicy letter that isn't perfumed is just a bit of a let-down.
My husband's job has had him gone a LOT. If it's not deployment, he's away on some TDY or another. Often a school, sometimes training, sometimes he's got a job to do stateside. I don't know how we'd function if we didn't have access to email, IM, and google-talk. You may not have seen me in person, but you can probably tell that not only do I love to write, I love to talk, too.
But even on the shortest of hubby's TDY's - ones that last a week or so - I still break out my special stationary and pens and write him at least one letter.
There is a Difference
April 25, 2007|
We are in full youth baseball season. I did a post awhile back regarding the difference of youth sports on base vs. out in town. After a few games and a lot of practices, I can now report the "difference" gap is getting bigger and bigger.
Last night as the sun was setting on a cool spring day and the smell of popcorn filled the air instead of hearing the crack of the bat, I hear "Mom, mom, mom, will you get me some sunflower seeds....pleeeeeeeeeeese" and it starts again, "Mom, mom, mom......." I look over at the dugout to see a 10 yr. old crawling on the dug out fence while he is yelling at his mom, another one knocking the ball caps off the other players heads. Oh, and another player spitting sunflower seeds at everyone.
I decide to head over to the dugout. There IS a dad in the dug out, what he is actually doing besides collecting bats I have no idea. I tell them all, "unless you want a Mom in the dugout, sit down and watch the game".
A Bachelor Recap
April 24, 2007|
Did you watch ABC’s The Bachelor last night? I know I know, your thinking “how can you watch that drivel” which is what the husband said. Or…you might be a closet watcher, which is completely OK too. Or…you might be like me and confess to the train wreck watching.
Last night all the girls we love to hate were eliminated. Darn.
My favorite quote of the evening you ask?
The Month of The Military Child Continues...
April 24, 2007|
I found this wonderful site this morning at The Department of Defense. The site provides a lot of military resource information.
They highlight this information, which I did not know about.
DoD, in partnership with the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies, which administers the program, designed this initiative to benefit those who do not live near military installations, Witte said.
"We have a contract with NACCRRA to assist us in finding spaces outside the military community for those Guard and Reserve (members) who are deployed and active duty (people) who are not near a military installation," Witte said. "We also hope to assist in reducing the out-of-pocket expense to the servicemember."
When a parent is deployed, she said, the remaining parent may discover that child care is something the couple hadn't had to think of before. And need is not the only consideration. The extra expense can be shocking.
While OMCC doesn't fully subsidize child care, it does work to reduce the financial burden, Witte said. The fees are based on a sliding scale that takes into consideration total family income and the care provider's actual cost, among other things.
To take part in the program, a family member would apply through NACCRRA via a special Web site or by a toll-free call to (800) 424-2246. The child-care provider also must apply -- an important step because of how the subsidy, which comes through the Children and Youth office, is paid out, Witte noted.
I would be interested to hear, if any of our readers have participated in this program.
Did you know?
April 23, 2007|
Included in this week's Military Report:
The Beauty (and back pain) of Spring
April 22, 2007|
So Pennsylvania has finally decided it's April and not December. This weekend was GORGEOUS!!! The kids got to go out and play (instead of bouncing off walls in the house), and DH and I got to start on our yard work quest... a work in progress that started last year and seems it will never end!
I have developed an "appreciation" for yard work over the last few years, but that does NOT mean I actually like it!
Interesting
April 22, 2007|
I found an interesting article this morning that seems counterintuitive.
Divorce in the nation's military was no higher after four years of war than it was in peacetime a decade earlier, despite the stress of long and repeated tours of duty.
A yearlong study by Rand Corp. says divorces rose from 2.5 percent of military marriages in 2001 to 3 percent in 2005. But that is still short of a previous Pentagon theory that marriage breakups had been soaring due to the strain of fighting the campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, lead researcher Benjamin Karney said Thursday.
I agree with Mr. Karney that "the future is uncertain. The full impact of these conflicts on military families may not be known for years," but this article seems to suggest we military families are weathering the storm. That's good news.
Apologies to Marna and a Call for Your Stories
April 21, 2007|
We taped our podcast discussion with Marna Krajeski about her fabulous book Household Baggage three weeks ago. I ran into some editing problems with the podcast and it has taken me some time to work it out. However, there's light at the end of the tunnel and we hope to post the podcast next week. Marna has been incredibly gracious during this entire process. Stay tuned, you won't want to miss the podcast.
Something else you don't want to miss is sending your story to Marna for consideration of publication in her next book, which she is currently working on. Marna has extended the date for submissions to August 1. Your story does not have to be about moving, it only has to be a military story. See the "continue reading" section for submission requirements.
Home Improvement Therapy
April 20, 2007|
At our last house we had a long list of home improvements we did ourselves before we sold it, new doors, new flooring, painted the entire interior, new ceiling fans, a few new pieces of furniture in an effort to "stage" our house for a quick sale. (I became addicted to "Designed to Sell".) We added new sliding glass doors, did two complete bathroom remodels...(whew), I'm getting tired just talking about all that we did.
Well, we moved here 6, 7...oh gosh 9 months ago! Wow. The husband has instituted a no-home improvement ban on the house. He is BURNT out. I'm ready for that to expire. I will say there isn't that much remodeling I would like to do around here, but I would LOVE to paint. At least one wall! The walls around here a builder beige. I'd also love a new faucet for the sink. It is just the basic kind.
My husband will be gone for 2 weeks here shortly.
A Yo-Yo Isn't Just a Toy, You Know
April 20, 2007|
Okay, I'll admit it. I'm not "model size". I was not blessed with genetics conducive to eating well and maintaining a tiny figure. Nor do I have the time and inclination to work out the way that someone of my body type must in order to be small.
I've also given birth to four very large children. By the time a person has four kids, the largest of which weighed in at 11 pounds (the smallest was 8 pounds 12 oz), there are just some skin issues that aren't going to go away without trimming and tucking. It is at this point in my childbearing career that I can sympathize greatly with marsupials like kangaroos.
Even worse, I'm a terrible yo-yo dieter, and not completely by choice. Not that I'm trying to pass the blame off on anyone else - I know what works for me and I can do it without much fuss. It's just that I keep getting interrupted.
Winners
April 19, 2007|
The date is fast approaching. On May 12, SpouseBUZZ goes LIVE in San Diego.
As I mentioned earlier, USAA is awarding iPod Nanos to each 100th registrant. Our winners so far:
100 - J. Sexton
200 - B. Durden
300 - M. Gilley
Will you be the 400th registrant and winner of an iPod Nano? Register now and find out.
Note: Winners must be present to win and must have their military ID cards with them.
I Feel Bloated
April 18, 2007|
"I feel bloated," he said to me.
"Bloated?" I asked.
"Yes, bloated. I'm busting at the seams."
I looked him up and down. "You don't look bloated to me," I insisted. "You're just perfect for your frame."
You Might Be a Military Spouse When...
April 18, 2007|
Even your three year old can use the acronym "PTSD" in a sentence correctly.
The Taxes - Grrrr!
April 17, 2007|
I have been buried behind my computer doing taxes, I’ve finally come up for air. They are done. :) Last year we paid $750 for someone to do our taxes (we have my business so it’s a little more complicated). This year, I decided I’d rather have that money…..so I did them myself via that great software they have out there and it worked out very well (it seems / I hope).
We claim a higher number on our deductions, which means we get more money in our check each month….the trade off is we are not one of these people who get back thousands of dollars on our return. I like to keep it even, but sometimes we have to pay…which is ok. I didn’t want to pay any sooner than possible, hence the last minute (but on time) filing. The good news is, we didn’t have to pay. Yea! (....but we certainly aren’t getting thousands back either.)
Identity
April 17, 2007|
Tracie (Navy Spouse) asked a very interesting question in the comments section of a different post, and I didn't want it to get lost in the shuffle. I think it's a perfect question for its own blog post. She asks:
Here's a question after reading this post that came to mind with the thought of milspouses and civilians as worlds apart when it comes to different ways of life, etc.: do any of you find yourselves tending to identify yourselves primarily as military spouses? For me, being a military spouse is a second thought in who I am. I identify myself more by my career or as my husband's spouse, but I don't necessarily go through my day with thoughts of the fact that I'm married to someone in the Navy. That's his career but not mine. And even though we've been married for 7 years now and I'm more in tune with being a military spouse (especially since he is now deployed to Iraq), it's more of an after thought that it is part of who I am. That may have come out really muddled and I hope it didn't come out offensive because that wasn't my intention. I'm just curious to hear everyone's thoughts on how you identify yourself.
There were already a few answers to her question, which you can read here. For me personally, I understand what commenter Jewel said, because even though my husband has only been in the Army for five years, we've already lived in five different places. I've already had nine different part-time jobs! My life has been extremely tied up in our moves, and there's no way I could divorce myself from the fact that we live and breathe Army. I just moved off-post for the first time, so maybe my life will begin to morph a bit, but for now I have a hard time identifying with being anything but a milspouse.
What do you think?
What to expect, from those Children with Brave Hearts
April 17, 2007|
Since This is The month of The Military Child, and there have been questions and comments re: change in behavior during deployments. I found a great list of what to expect from our children during deployments on the DOD website.
I think SpouseBuzz is a great place to begin a discussion about any parenting ideas, that might help make a deployment easier on ourselves and our children.
Could we be better friends to military widows?
April 17, 2007|
This particular subject is not a feel good subject and is a difficult matter for any military family to think or talk about. Many of us likely avoid the subject altogether, but the re-posting of this article brought up a subject that I think about, even if I don't want to. I have to be honest in saying that I do think about it, and often. Our military lifestyle often catapults us into thinking about it, although I am fully aware that some people go to great lengths to never think about it.
I think daily about all of the military widows and families that have had a service-member give their all and I remember what their families have sacrificed. I specifically think about the families that I know personally, but I also think about all military families.
When reading this article, I had to take a moment to sit back in my chair and evaluate myself and my actions. Evaluate how I have been as a milspouse, in relation to military widows.
Did you know?
April 17, 2007|
Included in this week's Military Report:
Celebrating Children with Brave Hearts
April 16, 2007|
April is the Month of The Military Child.
Did you know that more than one million American children have at least one parent serving in active military?
A bit of history:
"The Month of the Military Child is part of the legacy left by former Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger, who died March 28, 2006. He established the Defense Department commemoration in 1986."
As a parent of two children ages 3 and 5, I am quickly learning that each deployment, is a new experience for our family.
Ben Stein Rules
April 16, 2007|
OK, my turn. As I was reading RedLegMeg's Letter to a Military Spouse, I was reminded of another uplifting letter that's a couple years old. This one was written by Ben Stein. Remember him, the monotone teacher on Ferris Bueller's Day Off? He's currently one of the most active supporters of military families, and he's not all full of himself like many celebrities are. He actually emailed me once when I wrote about him on my blog, and I know he's contacted several other spouses in the past too. He's a heck of a guy.
Here's his letter, called Strength At Home.
P.S. If you've never read the often-forwarded How Can Someone Who Lives in Insane Luxury Be a Star in Today's World, you should. And more Ben Stein articles can be found at his website.
Letter to a Military Spouse
April 16, 2007|
Yesterday, my mom was in the car and heard the host of a radio talk show on WGN, out of Chicago, read a letter from a listener. She emailed it to me as soon as she could and this is what she wrote:
I just wanted to let you know that I am very proud of you and all you do. Mom, Dad, Daughter & Sister - you do them all well and you along with all the military wives who do this should be honored right along with their soldier.
I was very touched by what she said, even if she is my mom. She is not the first to share this sentiment with me and, for that, I am grateful. I have always had very positive experiences with my civilian family members, friends, and acquaintances. I think that after reading Andi and Joan's recent posts, this letter is most appropriate as it comes from a civilian with no ties to the military. It's not a short read, but a good one.
Yeah - They Dug Me
April 16, 2007|
I can't tell you how often I'm inspired to writing from things I read in the comments here at SpouseBuzz. I think, though, that's rather the point. It's like a virtual family dinner, in which everyone talks, laughs, interacts, agrees, disagrees, and sometimes gets huffy (that would probably be me); but always comes back for more because, lets face it, we're family and no matter how little or much we like each other, we're there for each other. Because often we're all we've got.
Heather S. had a great comment here asking what our experiences with military-friendly, and un-friendly, companies were. Boy do I have some stories on that one! And boy, am I sure no one's surprised.
Welcome to SpouseBUZZ
April 15, 2007|
We want to welcome our new SpouseBUZZ readers. As a result of promoting the upcoming SpouseBUZZ LIVE San Diego, many milspouses are discovering SpouseBUZZ for the first time. For the newbies, poke around a bit, read some of our archived posts (on the right). There you will find six months of funny, informative, honest, perspective-filled, confessional, you-don't say, empowering and entertaining posts.
The goal of SpouseBUZZ was -- and is -- to connect military spouses in the "virtual" sense. Milspouses who visit SpouseBUZZ are from all branches of service, all ranks, all walks of life and come from all sides of the political spectrum. Speaking of politics, we don't get into politics here, nor do we advocate for or against our involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan. What we do here is focus solely on life as a military spouse, and how best we can support one another.
The authors here don't know it all, nor do we pretend we do. We simply start conversations, and our readers never fail to engage, uplift, entertain and educate the authors and other SpouseBUZZ readers.
Sharing our lives
April 14, 2007|
I want to share my own views regarding Andi's post about civilians wanting to help military families and the many comments that were made on this post. These are MY views, and I don't expect everyone to like or agree with what I have to say. I am not out to disrespect anyone's personal views or experiences with the military. I just feel compelled to share...
Empowering Your Resume? (Easier than you might think!)
April 14, 2007|
Every time The Boss comes home with "that look" in her eye (no, not THAT look -- that's for a different blog!) ... you know, the look that says "hope you like the smell of boxes and the rrrripping sound of packing tape, for here we go again," I think my decision to not work has been vindicated. Granted, some of these places we knew might only be for a short time on station, so I figured what's the point in trying to find employment (meaningful employment) just to get set-up and then move. So like many of you, I go the volunteer route. Most of the times, it's been in fields or in roles that I could never have gotten paid employment for it just wasn't my area of expertise. (West Texas boy on a big city Arts Council? YGBSM)
All along the way though I tried to keep a copy of my resume available, if in fact pigs did begin to fly and I was asked to interview for a job. But it just seemed that the more we moved and the more I volunteered, the more gapped and splotchy the resume became -- it looked bleak. What I hadn't done, was something that I recently read by author Janet Farley ... and after I smacked myself on the forehead and shouted, "I could have had a V-8" ... the bleakness began disappearing ...
Absence and Perspective
April 14, 2007|
I have been "absent" from SB for a while and I feel like a piece of my life has been lost. I have been reading posts and comments when I have a chance, but I have not really dug my heals in. Fortunately, there are so many great authors on SB that I am sure you didn't even realize my absence. No, I don't mean that to put myself down in any way... it's a compliment to all of the SB authors. The fact that some of us get tangled up in our own lives and don't have the opportunity (or mental capacity) to write is just part of life.
And another part of my life is my kids and parenthood...
Do any of you parents out there ever doubt yourself as a parent, or wonder whether you are doing a good job as a parent? I have questioned myself many times over the last 7 years.
You Know You're Living the Military Life When...
April 14, 2007|
To help others understand our lives, it might be fun to point out a little humor in uniform. I used to love to make up these little one-liners about the nutty things we have learned to accept and consider as perfectly normal.
You know you're living the Army life when...
1. You help your neighbor move some stuff in your car and as you’re taking stuff out you ask, “Wait, is this your pistol holster or ours?”
2. Your husband spends more time getting ready for a formal function than you do, and on an average day spends way too much time ironing, polishing shoes, and shaping his beret.
3. You're constantly readjusting pictures on the walls because Sabot rounds firing two miles away from your home keep knocking everything out of whack.
4. Your Thanksgiving dinner conversation is barely intelligible to the general population, since it's peppered with alphabet soup like RPG, M1A1, and CMTC.
5. Someone with a machine gun asks to see your ID before you enter the grocery store.
6. All of the refrigerators in your neighborhood are covered with pictures of weapons, tanks, jets, your husband's target from his last weapons qualification, or pictures your kid drew of daddy blowing stuff up.
You give it a try. Use your own branch of service or just The Military in general, and see what you can come up with.
Understanding Our Lives
April 13, 2007|
Today, I read a comment left by CaliValiGirl that really struck a chord with me.
I am not angry with the Army about this. I am not angry with the Republicans or the Democrats. I am angry with the apathy of the general public. I am angry that a small percentage of the US is carrying this huge burden. I am angry that most people in their day to day lives don’t really care about what is going on in Iraq or Afghanistan, but complain that gas is more expensive, but really their lives haven’t changed one iota since the 2003. And then they pretend to argue on my behalf saying it’s criminal that families have to celebrate holidays without their soldiers…like that is something new to military families. I am angry with the great divide between the American public and the military.
Last week, I was explaining the nature of deployments to someone who had no idea that even in peacetime, deployments occur. "That's interesting," she said. Of course, you can't compare a combat deployment to a non-combat deployment, but the common factor is the absence of our loved one. My husband had two year-long, non-combat deployments before his deployment to Afghanistan.
Dive! Dive! Oogah! Oogah! Dive! Dive!
April 13, 2007|
(that would be the diving alarm)
I know there is a lot going on over at the Vent and Re: Vent posts, so believe me when I say I won't be offended if no one comments on my frivolous post about my new favorite thing. (SpouseBUZZ is the perfect place to Vent!)
Netflix (trying to divert your attention)
We have had Netflix a couple of different times, but always canceled because we lived to far away from a distribution point.
We'll now we live in the SAME city as a dist. point and it is proving to be pretty awesome!
Re: Vent
April 12, 2007|
As a take-off on Sarah's post, yesterday, after the news hit, I was contacted by some reporters who wanted reaction to the new deployment policy from an Army wife. What does one say? I would think it's rather obvious that it flat out stinks, but then again, personally, I didn't find it a total surprise.
Yesterday, I was torn between sympathy and anger. Sympathy for my Army family who have this new reality to deal with, and anger because someone in the Pentagon leaked this information before official notification had been made to military families.
Military families deserve to hear about things as substantial as this through official channels, not the media. Since SpouseBUZZ debuted just over six months ago, we've seen this happen twice. See here and here. It's unacceptable, no matter who is at fault.
Vent
April 12, 2007|
I want SpouseBUZZ to be an empowering place, a place where we celebrate the positive side of life. I think we do that on a daily basis, and I pride myself in constantly trying to find the good in a crappy situation. But it's also supposed to be a place where we can talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly. And today, we active duty Army spouses have some ugly to deal with.
Army Tours Extended to 15 Months
You guys need a place to vent?
The Winds of Change
April 10, 2007|
A few weeks ago I made my first "big" change since JD deployed in December; I cut my hair. Now, I must clarify that it's not a drastic change, but I did cut a few inches off of my rather short hair. A big decision because I was in the process of growing it out. Luckily, my hair is something that changes somewhat regulary and little surprises JD.
After my haircut, though, I started thinking about all of the ways that we may change while our loved one is away. Whether they are gone for training or a school, TDY, or deployed. If their absence is for any significant amount of time, there are sometimes emotional changes as well as physical changes for those of us at home.
More Incentive to Attend SpouseBUZZ LIVE San Diego
April 9, 2007|
The registrations for SpouseBUZZ LIVE San Diego are pouring in, and USAA is sweetening the pot. Every 100th registrant will receive a free iPod Nano. This is timely because we're at 191 registrations so far, so we'll likely receive our 200th registration within the next couple of hours. Better hurry and register. Of course, the winner must actually attend SpouseBUZZ LIVE.
For the record, a lot of people are asking if fiances can attend. As you know, here at SpouseBUZZ, we realize that significant others need support too, and we welcome them. So yes, they can attend. However, prize winners must be military spouses and have their ID cards with them in order to claim prizes.
This is going to be such a fun event for military spouses (and spouses-to-be). Hope to see you there.
ABC's "The Bachelor" goes Navy
April 9, 2007|
Last Monday, the new season of The Bachelor: An Officer and a Gentleman premiered on ABC. A friend of mine had asked me earlier in the day if I planned on watching it. I told her no as I have only watched one season (remember Bob Guiney?) and think it's all rather crazy. She said the commercials had piqued her interest since he was a military man and she thought she'd watch it.
U.S. Navy Lieutenant Andy Baldwin, M.D., 30, an undersea medical officer for a special operations dive unit stationed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, has been selected to star in the tenth edition of ABC's popular romance reality series, when The Bachelor returns to the network in the Spring of 2007. In addition to his professional accomplishments, this Bachelor is also a world-class triathlete. Now this real-life 'officer and a gentleman' faces the most exciting mission of his life -- finding true love.
Andy's achievements are matched by his good-natured personality, stunning good looks and self-deprecating sense of humor. He's an unabashed romantic, has watched the series and believes that the show can help find him the woman who could become his wife. Who doesn't love the movie 'An Officer and a Gentleman'? We're bringing the best parts of that romantic film to real life, said Mike Fleiss, executive producer of The Bachelor.
Easter Recovery Program
April 9, 2007|
My kids are crashing from their sugar highs and I am mentally calculating exactly how to stretch my Reese's peanut butter egg stash for as long as humanly possible. Just as I become aggravated with Disney sticking my favorite films in their 'vault', I become a little agitated with the Reese's people for hatching my favorite candy only once a year.
Of course if either the Disney favorites or the eggs were available year 'round I wouldn't appreciate either nearly as much. And, in the case of the eggs, I'd surely weigh 500 pounds...
Happy Easter Part 2
April 8, 2007|
I wanted to write a post about Easter and I see airforcewife has beat me to the punch. As usual, she is a hard act to follow. :) Here I go anyway:
Happy Easter Everyone! I hope you had a wonderful day filled with love and loved ones.
I wanted to send a special message to the wife / spouse whose husband / spouse is away this holiday. The spouse who was the Easter Bunny's helper all alone, the one who colored eggs, took the family to church, cooked, cleaned, did bed time routines and somehow managed it all. To the spouse with no children, who had to spend the day "alone". To the spouse who created a great day despite circumstances and feeling a little lonely. I wanted to say Thank You for your sacrifice. It does not go unnoticed. Thank you for your spouse protecting our freedom to celebrate this holiday and others. Thank you for your strength and your courage.
Thank You.
Happy Easter to All!
April 8, 2007|
Too Often Overlooked
April 8, 2007|
I got an off-the-record email from a person whose job involves working on some next-generation equipment for the military, and I realized that we military families don't do enough to thank these people for all their hard work. Our spouses get all the glory for their service to our great country, but these men and women working in research and design do th