Fisher House

Have you heard of the Fisher House? I didn't know about the organization until recently. A Fisher House recently opened at Dover Air Force Base for families of fallen soldiers who come to Dover Air Force Base to witness their loved one's dignified transfer.

Learn more about the Fisher House at http://www.fisherhouse.org and read about the Dover house here. Their purpose is to provide a "home away from home" for military families to be close to a loved one during hospitalization for an illness, disease or injury.

You can make a donation to this organization through the Combined Federal Campaign, so check them out if you are a government employee or if you want to learn about a great organization helping America's Military families.

Don't Quit

I ran across the "Don't Quit" poem again while I was reading one of my favorite books. I love the line in it that says, "And you never can tell how close you are, It may be near when it seems so far." Lately I have been feeling that success in certain areas of my life seems so far away, maybe you feel the same way about something in yours. This poem provided a good reminder that even though it may seem like we are walking on a treadmill uphill, just by walking the hill at all we are closer to the end than we realize. If we keep on moving on we have already won half the battle, if we quit, then we certainly don't win anything. So read the poem...and just don't quit.

DON'T QUIT

"When things go wrong as they sometimes will
When the road you're trudging seems all up hill.
When funds are low and the debts are high.
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh.
When care is pressing you down a bit.
Rest, if you must, but don't you quit...

Success is failure turned inside out -
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt.
And you never can tell how close you are.
It may be near when it seems so far:
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

-Author Unknown

it's the thought.... right

A while back DH came home from work and proudly announced, "I got leave for August 9th and 10th."
He was waiting for a response when I finally said, "Ok, that's nice. What's going on then?"
"I got leave so we would actually be together on our anniversary this year."
"Uh, you know our anniversary is on August 13th right?"

In DH's defense all important dates in our family happen on a 9 or a 13, so he just got them mixed up. It really was thoughtful of him to make the effort to be together on our actual 5th anniversary.

Plus he totally surprised me with a 1 night get-a-way to NYC while his parents watched LB. This gave us a chance to see a Broadway show. I want to give a big shout out to New Jersey Transit who let all active duty military ride their rails for a discounted rate. This saved us around 50% on our train tickets into NYC. So next time you are headed to the city, and don't want to deal with traffic check out NJT.
Another shout out goes to the Museum of Art and Design on Columbus Circle. We were prepared to pay $15 per person to see an exhibit we had heard great things about. To our pleasant surprise, military personal and their families get in FREE. We ate dinner at their roof top restaurant with beautiful views of Broadway and Central Park. It never hurts to politely ask if there is any sort of military discount available. You just might be pleasantly surprised.

I always remember

While I was still lying in bed this morning, I was thinking about this exact day 9 years ago. It was a day that changed many lives and changed the course of United States History. For me, it was the day I changed from a 16 year old girl, into a young woman. As I evacuated the United States Capitol building that morning, I could see the smoke pouring out of the pentagon and into the sky. I felt uncertain as planes from Regan National Airport Circled above. Were they headed for the Capitol?

There was a moment among the chaos when I just stopped and looked as people ran down the Capitol steps. In that moment I saw the unbelievable look of horror in the eyes of some of those around me. That would not have been as shocking if it had been the eyes of my fellow classmates, but it was not, it was the eyes of adults. Adults who held powerful positions. The adults who ran our nation were terrified. This shocked me.

Bright and early the next morning my classmates and I made the trek back into Washington, DC to resume our duties as Senate Pages. This seemed natural since the Senate was in session, but upon arriving we realized that there were many who did not return to work that day. It was an honor to serve when my country needed me. I realized that the next few months of my life were going to be the hardest I had ever experienced. I would never again see the world through innocent child's eyes, but I would see the world with eyes that know neither age nor position make a human great. It is one's character, especially in times of stress, that makes a human great. I have never felt like a child since that day. I still pray for those who lost loves ones that day, you are not forgotten.




I promise to lighten up. I really am NOT this serious of a person. I have a few funny posts headed your way soon.

Put the Grills in the Bathroom, it's Typhoon Time

My husband always seems to be gone for the exciting things, Tuesday was no exception when a big typhoon was coming and he was TAD to Rhode Island. When wives are home alone it is easy to get out of the loop. In fact if it weren't for the fact that I got involved in a mommy work out group and the leader e-mailed that we might not have class on typhoon day I would have seen my bbq grill flying through the window before I knew what hit me, well, that probably wouldn't have happened, but you know what I mean.

On typhoon day three other single wives and two people from church were all in communication about the typhoon and wanted to make sure I had everything I needed and even offered a place to stay during the storm.

The point of this story is that sometimes when we move around so much it is easy to think, I'm sick of this putting myself out there crap, making new friends, joining new organizations, again, but it is worth it in the end. Because the relationships we make over and over become the very things that save us in our deployments, TADs, baby births, holidays, and maybe even save our windows from a bbq grill.

just a thought

I was driving off base the other day and saw a vinyl quote pasted across the back window of a minivan. It said, "Live a life worth their sacrifice." I thought, "whose sacrifice". Then I looked at the license plates which said USO. What a thought provoking statement. It definitely makes me want to live my life to the fullest, because I certainly am grateful for the sacrifices that our military families make.

Home is where.........

Often one of the first questions asked when meeting someone new is, "Where are ya from?". I have always had a definitive answer to this question. I am from Idaho. No it's not in the mid west and no I didn't say Iowa. I have never understood those people that respond, "oh I'm just a military brat." Who doesn't have a home? That's what I have always thought.

Home is where the (fill in your branch of service) sends us. I have seen so many cute signs and blogs with this saying on it. If you truly believe this, I am so impressed. I think that it is amazing that you can turn any place you live, even if for just a few months, into your home. I will never utter this statement. For me, it just is not true. Sure, I live where ever the Air Force sends us, but it's not my home.

My home is Idaho. Don't get me wrong, I have not lived in Idaho my whole life, and I haven't lived there for the past 3 years, but that's where my heart belongs. I must be a believer of the phrase "home is where the heart is". To me, home is not a house or even just one place. It is an all encompassing state of being. There is no place better than being home.

Seeing the beauty of the mountains and the movement of the wheat fields, of my home, puts my heart at ease. In a world that is filled with conflict, competition, and sorrow, my soul is filled with delight when I stand on the top of the mountain and cannot see another human. I am surrounded by family and sweet memories that give me strength to carry on. Those moments, at home, are the balm that heals my troubled heart and help me make it through the lonely, hopeless nights of worry. There is no place on earth where I feel more at peace with myself and with my maker that at my home.

I cannot create this feeling where ever I go. It just isn't possible for me. Sometimes I worry that LB won't have a home. This thought breaks my heart. I think everyone, especially my own son, deserves a place of peace. I pray that he will find his home. It doesn't have to be where we live and it doesn't have to be my home, but it does have to be a place that restores his spirit and his faith in man kind.

Where's your home? Is it where the military sends you? What keeps you going when the times are tough? Here are a few pictures I've taken at my home.

This is the view from my parents front porch. See why I love it?