Welcome to the Blog of an Army Wife

Happy New Year - 2012 Edition

2012-01-01T14:48:00.001-07:00

I will graduate this year.

Joe will start terminal leave this year.

We will move to Arkansas this year.

We will start a new chapter of our lives this year.

I've been waiting for 2012 for 3 years. I can't believe it's here. I can't believe all of these wishes and dreams will become a reality in the next 365 days.

Every Third Year

2011-12-25T21:22:00.001-07:00

Every third year I get a GREAT Christmas. Thankfully, that was this year!! Two Christmases ago we were in the middle of a PCS and literally homeless, staying at a Holiday Inn Express (ironic, no?). We had Christmas breakfast at the Village Inn where I cried over my hot chocolate because I missed my family. I'm pretty sure we have pizza delivered for Christmas dinner.

Last year Joe was deployed and I was 14 hours away from my closest loved ones. 'Nuff said.

This year... finally!! A good Christmas in my warm home with my husband and favorite dog. We went back to TW Village Inn for breakfast just because why not. And then we played around at home, watched movies, played new video games and made a great fondue feast that couldn't be beat.

So fast forward a year: Joe's terminal leave starts Dec 22, 2012. So we'll be on the road home that day. Hopefully we'll be back in AR by Christmas Day. Fingers crossed. We will more than likely be homeless again. But we'll have family to stay with until we find a house to buy.

Merry Christmas everyone!! Hope your day was spent with your special people (and dogs)!

Patriot Surplus product review

2011-12-17T20:55:00.005-07:00

So a few weeks ago, during all the craziness that is my life, I was contacted by Patriot Surplus to do a product review. I made the huge mistake of letting Joe know about it, and of course he checked out the website and begged me for a machete. Such a boy thing to want, right?? Not sure where he's going to use the machete while we live in this apartment in the middle of Colorado Springs, but he's convinced that he needed one. But we know for sure it will be used when we move home to Arkansas and help my parents clear bush out on their farm.

This is the machete he got. You can check it out on their website HERE.

I thought it was awesome that they actually listed Soldiers on the packaging. :-)

Joe wanted the one with the knuckle guard so he knew he wouldn't hit his knuckles more than necessary on the (hypothetically) bush that needs to be cleared. He said it's a good weight, and feels like he could have a good grip and control over the machete. Know any hunters? This would come in very handy while planning trips to deer stands or to duck blinds.

If Joe hadn't decided immediately he wanted a machete, there are so many other things to chose from. Military equipment, paintball gear (for that teen in your life), weapon accessories, outerwear for hunting or camping, they even have engraved military rings with your branch insignia. They have it all, I def recommend checking their site out. Click HERE!

And it shipped amazingly fast. Even in this holiday postal fiasco, it arrived at my house in only a few days.

"Hey Joe, I need a quote for the blog review."
"Tell them it's really cool."
"Got anything else? Stop playing with the big knife and think about
something for me to write."
"Sara, it's not a big knife, it's a machete. And machetes are just cool,
the guys will understand."
"Thanks for being so amazingly helpful."

Grade A & one last class!

2011-12-17T20:51:00.003-07:00

Just a quick brag...

I made As in both of my classes this term! And I literally have ONE class left to complete the coursework for my Masters.

Cool, hu?

Bad Blogger

2011-12-03T07:48:00.004-07:00

I never blog anymore guys, I am so sorry!

So how about a quick little update?

I'm *still* in school. This is finals week as a matter of fact. I have a 10-page paper due. I'm actually kinda excited about it - nerd alert! I got my book in the mail for my LAST class next term to complete my course work. Then I have a thesis to complete. The thesis will have a survey online. I need as many participants as possible. So please be on the lookout for that about March. I will be spamming online so bad, you wont miss it. I need a couple thousand participants. Yeah, thousand! I have faith in my online friends to pass the word around though. :)

Work is still work. Making it possible to go to school - which is what really keeps me going.

Joe has a pretty final terminal leave date. 384 DAYS until he's done with the Army. I CANT WAIT!! It's possible for us to be home for next Christmas. Again.... I CANT WAIT!!! We're so done with the Army, I cant even begin to tell you. You can send me hate mail about it all day long, I dont particularly care anymore. I'm so sick of the shit they put their Soldiers through. Joe deserves better.

I cant believe it's December already! Where did this year go? We're in super holiday mode around here this year! We're making up for last year when Joe was gone. We have all the "stuff" we want. Joe got his video games and his huge TV. I got my new phone and two fondue pots.... and tickets to Trans Siberian Orchestra!!! We will be going in just a few days. I am SO excited!! I will try to remember to take pics for you all.

Well, gotta get on that paper now... hope ya'll have a good weekend!

Cracker Barrel Thanksgiving-To-Go

2011-11-19T11:31:00.005-07:00

Doesn't that look delicious? I'll be the first one to admit I'm completely cheating this Thanksgiving and ordering my dinner through Cracker Barrel. My friend Bethany tweeted about it yesterday and it sounded just so good and easy. Last Thanksgiving was pretty sad around here, Joe was deployed, all my family was back home in Arkansas. So this year we wanted to go all out. But with work and school, it's hard to cook a whole dinner that cant be beat. Joe and I both work on the 23rd and I have class that night. And neither of us wanted to spend our day off cooking. Plus I have to work on the 25th (I know, completely blows, but it is what it is). And who doesn't love Cracker Barrel?? Sweet potato casserole, yes please!! And their biscuits? And turkey AND ham without having to cook either?? Sounds too good to me.

Here is their add from their website:

I had to promise my mom I'd bake a pie so the house smells like Thanksgiving. :)

NIVEA GIVEAWAY WINNER!!!

2011-11-15T06:25:00.004-07:00

I'm SO sorry I'm a day late in announcing the winner! It was a crazy Monday. Anyway... the winner is.....

Congrats Nicole!! Please email me at willow162001 (at) yahoo (dot) com with your mailing address so I can get that to Nivea so they can get your giftbag in the mail!!

VETERAN'S DAY

2011-11-11T08:04:00.001-07:00

Make sure you thank a Veteran today!!

Another First -- Veteran's Day

2011-11-06T13:14:00.004-07:00

Sitting here, snuggling with Joe after yet another 24hr staff duty. It has dawned on me that this Friday will be my first Veteran's Day with my Veteran of a Foreign war. Are you doing anything special next Friday? Does your family have any traditions?

NIVEA's "Kiss of a Lifetime Contest" and a GIVEAWAY!!!

2011-11-05T11:13:00.004-06:00

Have you heard of NIVEA's “KISS OF A LIFETIME CONTEST”???

NIVEA is on a mission to find America’s next deserving couple to experience this once-in-a-lifetime moment this New Year’s Eve in Times Square, see below on how to enter!

Contest Details:

Enter the “NIVEA Kiss of a Lifetime Contest” on NIVEA’s Facebook page – http://on.fb.me/NIVEANYE2011. All you have to do is “Like” their page and submit your love story through their “Kiss of a Lifetime” app BEFORE November 13.

Public votes will then determine the winning couple deemed “America’s Most Deserving Couple” to win the grand prize, which is:

· The couple will be flown to New York City where they’ll join Bill & Giuliana on the NIVEA Kiss Stage in Times Square on New Year’s Eve for the year’s most spectacular kiss

· Two exclusive VIP tickets to the New Year’s Eve party at the Hard Rock Café in Times Square

· The couple will appear in NIVEA Lip Care’s new commercial set to air on New Year’s Eve

Now.... would you like enter to win a “New Year’s Kiss Prep Kit” that includes five full-size Lip Care products from NIVEA? It's super easy!! Just leave a comment on THIS blog answering the question of NIVEA's contest: WHAT DID YOUR LOVE OVERCOME THIS YEAR? HOW DID YOU AND YOUR LOVED ONE TRIUMPH IN 2011? Dont have a significant other? Tell me who you would like to spend the holidays with- parents, family, friends, dog? The blog giveaway starts now and will run through November 13th. The winner will be chosen using random.org and will be announced on November 14th. Good luck!!
I also will receive NIVEA products to go along with this post. This is not a product review.

Noisy Neighbors

2011-10-28T06:28:00.003-06:00

I have lived in an apartment since I was 19 years old. But I have never had this current problem before.

My neighbors have extremely loud sex at 3am and wake us up!

Monday morning, at 3 am, we were woken up by their bed violently hitting our wall. Then came the screaming. Joe and I were both up. And couldn't go back to sleep. We were both pissed. So that morning before work, I left a short polite note on their door. "Could you please move your bed away from the wall so we can't hear you at 3am? Thanks- the neighbors on the other side of the wall."

So all quiet until this morning... at 3am. But this time it wasn't the bed, it was her, SCREAMING at the top of her lungs. Her voice woke us up. We could hear ever word she said. Think about your walls, how loud would she have to be to have ever word made out? Then the bed banging started. It's embarrassing and annoying. How stupid and inconsiderate do you have to be to know you are loud enough to wake up the neighbors and continue to do it anyway??

So I'm thinking about talking to the apartment office today. I don't want them kicked out or fined or anything, but I gave them my note and nothing has changed. I think they need a warning from the office. Maybe the office has had this problem before and knows how to handle it.

I know there are certain things you have to live with while living in an apartment so close to other people. But having my wall hit at 3am shouldn't be one of them.

So tell me what you think. Am I way off base here? Should I just let it go and continue to be annoyed at 3am?

From a Military Man

2011-10-27T14:00:00.001-06:00

I got this from a friend from Facebook. I'm not usually into stuff like this, but this one touched me for some reason.

"I cannot promise you every night of my life. I cannot promise to be beside you for every difficult moment, every trial, and every hardship. In truth, I can promise you that I will not be with you for most. I will leave you at inconvenient times. Any special date to us may be tainted with the anniversary of the death of one of my friends. I will ask you to take over whatever life we have built together for months and years at a time. And will then crash back into that life that you have used your sweat, your tears and your heartache to keep together, and try to take it back as I knew it before.

I will shut you out at times because it will be the best way for me to hold it together at that moment. I will lie to you. I will tell you I don’t know things when I do. I will not always tell you where I am going, when I will be back, or who I am with. I may not call you for weeks and months and you will not be able to call me. You will ask questions that I won’t answer. You will know answers to questions that you will hope you never need. I will share things with my brothers that you will never understand. They will know things about me that you never will. They will be a support to me in some things that you cannot be. I will miss birthdays. I will miss anniversaries. I may need time to process things that seem natural to everyone else.

It will seem that someone – or something – will always take precedence over you. I will uproot you and ask you to re-establish our family anywhere in the world, in any season, at any time – over and over again. Sand and mud will be tracked through your halls from the boots I am too tired to take off. I will leave you when you beg me not to. I will stand at attention while you cry beside me. I will not turn my head and I will walk away. I will knowingly break your heart. And I will do it again – and again. I cannot promise you all of me. I cannot promise you much of anything.

But if you will have me, I can promise that as I march away from you, it is not without sharing your heartache. I promise you that every time I break your heart I will be breaking mine. Every time that I cannot answer you I will be protecting you. Whenever you want to call and you have no number to dial, I will be wanting to do the same. I will protect everything that we have created together with every fiber of my being while you do the same back at home.

I will honor you in everything – every moment that we are apart and every moment that I am with you. I will fight harder and push further knowing that I do so for you. And I will carry you with me in everything, until my sandy boots once again sit just inside our door.”

Cold hands

2011-10-21T07:22:00.001-06:00

On my way to work this morning, I passed a school zone with a Soldier acting as a crossing guard. This little boy walked up, struggling with his jacket and tiny gloves. This Soldier immediately removed his gloves, dropped to one knee and helped zip up the jacket and situate gloves. The Soldier then stood up, gave the little boy a high five, and stopped traffic so he could cross safely.

Just wanted to share.

Whole Nine Yards... Mayonnaise

2011-10-21T07:00:00.000-06:00

Product Review for Empire Covers

2011-10-10T17:42:00.009-06:00

A few weeks ago, Empire Covers contacted me and asked if I would like to participate in a product review for them on this blog. I jumped at the chance! My avid readers will remember the CRAZY Spring weather here in Colorado Springs and my annoyance of the stupid winds. I had one window on my Honda Pilot shatter from one wind storm. Then had ALL FOUR of the windows on the left side shatter from another wind storm. Yeah, I'm done with the winds, thank you very much. Joe and I debated getting a car cover, but we never really went through with it. And now it's winter in Colorado. It's October 10th, and it's already snowed here. So a car cover was right up my alley! Anyway, I was able to decide what I wanted. Finding the right car cover was SUPER easy!! Just go to their website, http://www.empirecovers.com/ and click on the item you want to cover. They have everything from vehicle covers to boat covers to RV covers to patio furnature covers! So I clicked on vehicle covers, the make, the year, the model and got to the page I was looking for. Pretty simple really. HERE'S the page for the covers that fit a Honda Pilot. I got the Empire Covers Titan Quatro 4L SUV Cover. When I told Empire Covers about the winds we had out here, they also threw in some "Gust Guards." They shipped the cover amazingly quickly. And the cover is huge! Today was nice and sunny so Joe and I were able to try it out.

Isn't it awesome?? It's still kinda wrinkled, look past that please. I honestly never figured I would find a cover to fit a SUV. I am so excited that this fits my car! I've never had a car cover before. It's definitely a two person job until I get the hang of it. Joe had to help me get it on. The Titan is heavy. And large! But it covers the whole car. The Titan is made out of 4 ultra-thick layers – 3 outer layers of Polypropylene and 1 inner layer of Fleece. I was really sold with the layer of fleece, it's soft, wont scratch my car, and adds a layer of protection for my windows

Can you tell how excited I am about this??

A HUGE thanks to Empire Covers for allowing me to do this product review for you. Thank you very much for the cover!!

What a difference a year makes...

2011-10-10T08:49:00.003-06:00

October 2010:

Joe was deployed. Holidays looming. I had just started working full time. And I started my first graduate school term October 2010.

October 2011:

Joe is home, talking about carving pumpkins together. I have a new, better job. I've been in school for a year. I'm starting my thesis this term. :)

And October 2012??

I should have a MASTERS!! I should be moving home, looking for a job and a house. Waiting for Joe to ETS and join me. I can't wait to see what October 2012 holds for us!

200 Follower Celebration Giveaway WINNER!!!

2011-10-09T08:58:00.005-06:00

Thanks everyone for participating in my giveaway!!

WE HAVE A WINNER!!!!

Drum roll please......

Congrats Askmehfirst!! I need you to contact me on twitter or through my email, willow162001@yahoo.com for further direction. You also need to decide if you want a red and camo key chain or a red white and blue key chain!

200 FOLLOWER CELEBRATION!!!

2011-09-29T17:53:00.009-06:00

I've hit a milestone on this blog that I never dreamed possible. 200 followers!! You guys rock!! To celebrate your awesomeness, I'm having a giveaway!

I found this awesome person who makes Paracord Bracelets. I love my Red Friday bracelet. For this giveaway, she's making a Red Friday bracelet with a shackle, with your choice of camo cord (so everyone can participate, even if your loved one isnt in the Army) AND a keychain, either red and camo OR red, white, and blue, YOUR choice!!

So how do you enter???

***GIVEAWAY***
* Follow this blog and of course leave a comment HERE telling me you are. (1 entry)

* Blog about the giveaway with a link back to this blog(1 entry). Be sure to leave me your blog post link in a comment.

* Follow me on Twitter @sara0120, leave a comment HERE saying you did or already are (1 entry)

* Tweet about the giveaway (mentioning @sara0120), make sure you post a comment with the tweet URL in a comment on THIS blog post (1 entry per day)

Most importantly....
***BE SURE TO USE SEPARATE COMMENTS FOR EACH ENTRY!!!***

One winner will be selected using Random.org. The winner will be announced Saturday, October 8th. Good luck!!

In full disclosure, I paid for this paracord bracelet I am giving away.

ALC GRADUATION!!!!

2011-09-29T06:40:00.002-06:00

I am so excited to announce that Joe graduates ALC today!! I am so proud of him. But I cant wait to have him home!!

Also, stay tuned for a BLOG GIVEAWAY that will be posted this evening!

September 11, 2001

2011-09-11T07:33:00.003-06:00

I was 17 years old, a Freshman in college, literally the first time I had lived away from home in my entire life. It was a Tuesday. I didn't have class that morning. I was at my computer, playing Snood and listening to music. My mom called me on her way to work. She said that she was listening to the radio and something was happening in New York City. I switched the TV to a news channel just as a plane hit the second tower.

"Mom, what's happening?"

My roommate had class that morning. This was before the constant social media we have now. She walked into the room and glanced at the TV. "What on Earth are you watching?"

After reading the other blog posts and comments on Facebook and Twitter, I consider myself fortunate. I didn't know anyone in New York City at that point. But also, I was old enough to remember a time before this tragedy struck our nation. I had a childhood free from terrorism. There is a generation who doesn't have this luxury; they have lived their entire lives with the fear that has been instilled in our nation ever since that horrible day.

I'm now 27 years old. Married to a man who is a SGT in the U.S. Army, who has been deployed to a country for a war that this attack started. All of our lives have been forever shaped by that day, now matter where you were in 2001.

Cake Pops

2011-09-10T17:52:00.004-06:00

I have to share my toy with you all. This is a babycake cake pop maker. I got this one at Kohl's when my mom was here. Her mother wanted one so since we were at Kohl's we checked them out. Babycakes makes a few other machines, a donut maker, a cupcake maker, and whoopie pies! You can check them out here: http://thebabycakesshop.com/

You just make a batter and oil up the pan, similar to a waffle maker. And pop the batter in the little half spheres. I'm still trying to work out a good way to go about this. The spoon method is out. I put the batter into a plastic bag and piped it out. That worked pretty good, but I'm pretty messy anyway. I need a real pastry bag. Anyway, after making 3 batches with the recipe they included in the box, red velvet nonetheless, I let them cool in the freezer. Then melted whatever chocolate coating I had in my house, which happened to be one cube of semi-sweet chocolate and 4 cubes of white chocolate (I didn't go buy anything for this baking session, so I just rummaged through my cabinet until I found what I needed. I also didnt use buttermilk, like the recipe called for. Who has buttermilk in their house on a regular basis? Not this girl).

Anyway, after they chilled, I stuck the included white stick in the cute little ball and dipped it in the chocolate. They kinda look like tootsie roll pops with the line in the middle, but they are still delicious! And I got better at coating them as I went along and found little tricks, as you can see below.

At this point you're probably saying, "Sara, you're supposed to put the sticks in foam to set." Well yeah, but when you don't have any spare foam just chilling in your house you make do with what you got. These are actually Joe's Crown Royal classes. They were the perfect size and did the trick.

The cake pop maker was only like $20 at Kohl's and it was lots of fun to make. This is the point where I have a frowny face because I would love to have a daughter to bake with. If you do have a little one to play with, I recommend this fun little toy. There are recipes for apple cinnamon donut holes and many other fun things to make. But if you are a silly girl like me, you will think this is pretty darn cool anyway. I can think of many different things to do with this machine, and I cant wait until Halloween to make ghosts to eat!!

Only 2 more to go!

2011-09-10T14:30:00.004-06:00

Just logged into Blogger to find another blog follow! Hello there!!

That makes 198 awesome peeps that follow me. So when we get to 200, there will be a blog giveaway!! I'm not sure what it will be yet, but I have a few ideas in mind. Anything you guys wanna see up for grabs?

Cry baby

2011-09-06T06:42:00.003-06:00

I have to remind myself that I'm actually 27 years old. My parents came to visit over this weekend. Drove 14 hours from Arkansas. They arrived Wednesday and left today. And I'm teary eyed. Alone again. And it sucks. Now I have to get back to my school work and wait another couple of weeks for Joe to get home.

We had such a good time though! We did the tourist thing in Denver and saw some things we'd never been to before. We cooked A LOT! Yum!! We went shopping and experienced a crowd at the commissary on post. Mom and I went clothes shopping and had a blast. And of course spent lots of time with Rigel, loving on him. Rigel is known as the grand puppy and he loves his Grandma Jo.

And it reminded me how much I miss home. I have no doubt in my mind that we are doing the right thing by getting out of the Army and moving home. I cant wait!! I could be moving home at this time next year!! YAY!!

So much good...

2011-08-27T07:56:00.004-06:00

I have been so busy lately! I thought I would stop here for a sec to update everyone.

I got a new (ish) job. I start on Monday. As many of you know, I work at an Education Center helping Soldiers with tuition assistance. I was a government contractor. But a GS position came open in a different section and I applied and got it!! I am so excited!

And after talking to my academic advisor, my thesis proposal was accepted!! And I had TWO people ask me if they could be on the committee! I thought I would have to go out and shop this idea around, I never thought people would be asking ME to be on the board and explore the results with me. I have the thesis handbook now and I can get started with the whole process as soon as I find one more professor to be on the committee.

It's all so exciting... yet bittersweet because Joe cant be here with me to celebrate all of these things. He's still off on TDY, but he calls me every night I don't have class. I get so excited about all of these things and I want to share. He keeps saying that all the good things happen when he's gone. It does seem like that lately. But he'll be home soon for all the good stuff.

Also.... my Scentsy party will be open until August 30th! So there's still time to participate in all the awesome deals. Most things in the catalog are 10% off. Many things are being discontinued so make sure you stock up on your faves! Also, Patty, my consultant, is letting me have a door prize giveaway! If you order through this party, you will be entered to win a 3-pack from the new Fall/Winter scents next month. That's a $14 value for free! Make sure you check out the link. Christmas is just around the corner and what you are getting your MIL or SIL who is so hard to shop for? A Scentsy warmer would be a perfect gift!
https://mommytaco.scentsy.us/Buy/SetupPrompt

Job Hunting

2011-08-19T07:21:00.002-06:00

All of my Twitter friends know, but I just have to share that I have a new job lined up. It's a GS position on post. I still have LOTS of paperwork and a few background checks to go through, but I'm pretty confident that it will all check out.

But I also wanted to share something I learned about job hunting on military installations. If you are looking for a job with no success, seek out your civilian personnel office on post and sign up for the PRIORITY PLACEMENT PROGRAM (PPP). You are eligable for PPP within two years of your husband's PCS orders. For example, Joe's PCS orders from Ft. Riley were CUT November 2009 (even though we didnt actually move until January 2010) so I have until November 2011 to be in the PPP. There are other requirements that the job specialist will go over with you if they apply to you. But basically, you need a copy of your sponser's orders, a copy of your marriage license, transcripts, and a resume in order to apply for this program. They look over all of your stuff and assign you a "grade". I'm sure most of you know about the GS grade system, GS1, GS2, GS3, etc. Anyway, they assign you a grade that meets all of the education and experience you have. And then an area of interest. Since I have a BA in psychology and experience in the education system, those are the two areas they are looking for me a job in.

I cant believe in the 4 years I've been married to Joe, I've never heard about this program! I told Joe about it and you know what he said?? He knew about it, but thought I was already in the program. Silly boy.

I dont want anyone out there looking for a job to let this program pass them by. If you are still within 2 years of your husband's PCS orders, I urge you to go sign up. With the job market looking like it does, it's awesome to know someone else is actively looking for a job for me too.

Marital Status: Married yet alone.

2011-08-14T09:56:00.003-06:00

I'm sitting in my house trying to decide it I want to go see a movie alone. I'm married. I've been married for 4 years. And I'm still alone. This military training junk sucks. Even when they are "home" (read: not deployed) they arent really home.

So do I go alone? I really want to see The Help. Really really really badly. I have about 20 minutes to decide it I'm going to go or not. I really hope I have the strength to go alone. So I'm going to post this so at least my silly blog can hold me accountable for being a strong independent woman.

Hey, wasnt that a deployment goal...?

Bravo Tango Tees WINNER

2011-08-13T13:15:00.003-06:00

Drum roll please...
Number 5 is.....

Congrats Megan!!! Email me at willow162001 (at) yahoo (dot) com with your address.

Didn't win here? Want another shot?? Head over to Bethany's blog Canines & Cadences and enter her Bravo Tango Tees giveaway!

Congressional Reform Act of 2011

2011-08-12T10:49:00.003-06:00

A friend of mine posted this on Facebook. I thought it was worth posting here. It says to email it out. You should do that too, if you want to. But my blog reaches far more people than my email, so I posted it here.

All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing. The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year olds) took only 3 months & 8 days to be ratified! Why? Simple! The people demanded it. That was in 1971, before computers, e-mail, cell phones, etc. Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven took 1 year or less to become the law of the land, all because of public pressure.

I'm asking each addressee to forward this email (or blog) to a minimum of twenty people on their address list; in turn ask each of those to do likewise. In three days, most people in The United States of America will have the message. This is one idea that really should be passed around.

Congressional Reform Act of 2011

No Tenure / No Pension. A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security. All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people. It may not be used for any other purpose. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective 1/1/12. The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen. Congressmen made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work. If each person contacts a minimum of twenty people then it will only take three days for most people (in the U.S.) to receive the message. Maybe it is time.

Ask yourself why Congress believes they deserve more than the average American. Why do they deserve better health care and retirement benefits than you or your parents? It IS time. Please keep it going.

Back to your normal.....?

2011-08-07T08:17:00.000-06:00

I was slightly put off by something my mother said, until I actually thought about it. With Joe gone again, she asked me if I found my normal again yet, my old routine. I don't want Joe being gone to by my "normal." But yeah... it is. Sadly.

We were here together for two months before Joe deployed. A year by myself. Joe home for five months. Gone for another two. So as far as Colorado is concerned, "alone Sara" is the normal Sara. Of course I was dumb enough to bring this conversation up to Joe. And of course that upset both of us. Even when he's gone, he doesn't feel gone. He's very good about texting and calling (and Skyping while in Iraq). We talk constantly. I miss him like nuts. But we still try to have a marriage while he's gone.

If he has more training, like JRTC, and then deploys again, I swear I will flip out. Another deployment doesnt look possible at this point, but you never know with the Army, right?

Although, I did read something about 9 month deployments and 24 month dwell times. Wouldn't that be awesome!! But like my mother said, with the state of the economy at the moment, the department of defense might not have the funds to participate in any "wars" after too much longer. Stupid government.

Bravo Tango Tees Giveaway!!!

2011-08-03T15:17:00.002-06:00

Hi All!! I am so happy to be hosting this one!! Bravo Tango Tees contacted me to host a giveaway for you all!! They are an awesome new shop and you seriously need to check them out!! http://www.bravotangotees.com/

One lucky reader will receive a shirt of their choice and a $25 gift certificate to the Brave Tango shop!!

THE BLOG GIVEAWAY:
The giveaway starts right now and will go until Friday, August 12th, 2011 @ 11:59pm Eastern time.

To enter (MANDATORY ENTRY):

* JOIN the Bravo Tango mailing list, here's the LINK. Leave a comment HERE saying you joined their mailing list. (1 entry)

For additional entries:

*"Like" the Facebook Page, here's the LINK. Leave a comment HERE saying you did. (1 entry)

* Follow me on Twitter @sara0120, leave a comment HERE saying you did (1 entry)

* Tweet about the giveaway (mentioning @sara0120 AND @BraveTangoTees), make sure you post a comment with the tweet URL in a comment on THIS blog post (1 entry per day)

* Follow this blog, and of course leave a comment HERE telling me you are. (1 entry)

* Blog about the giveaway (1 entry) Be sure to leave me your blog post link in a comment.

***BE SURE TO USE SEPARATE COMMENTS FOR EACH ENTRY!!!***

One winner will be selected using Random.org. The winner will be announced July 13th. Good luck!!

I will receive one tee from Bravo Tango Tees in return for hosting this giveaway.

Before & After

2011-08-03T08:37:00.004-06:00

I guess I will never really know just how much a deployment changes things.

Before Joe's deployment, a separation was just a separation. 30 days in the field. 3 months in Fort Leonard Wood. Hell, the 6 months we were apart after we got married and Joe had to go back to Germany. Just time apart. It sucked, but it was easy.

And now, after a year long deployment, time apart isn't easy. At least not for me. Joe has to go to ALC in Fort Leonard Wood for two months. Watching him pack brings back horrible memories. Saying good bye brought me right back to March 2010.

I'm giving myself good pep talks - 60 days is NOTHING! Really, after 365, it's a walk in the park. And here I am feeling so bad for myself when some of you are in the deployment for the long haul. I was always one of those people that would roll my eyes at the wife that couldn't be apart from her husband for 2 weeks. How could they be so dependent on one another? How could you not sleep when he's gone? At least this has hit me now, and not during the deployment.

The deployment definitely shown us just how much we need each other though. I'm going to take this as a good thing and run with it. Maybe it's not such a bad thing I love my husband so much I want to be around him all the time, right?

But for now, I'm going to dig out my "living alone" perk list and eat spaghetti every night and not have to watch Swamp People marathons.

And for those of you reading this who are rolling your eyes at me, wishing your husbands could be only 850 miles away with a cell phone, I truly to apologize. My heart goes out to you. It's not easy. What we do isn't normal. I hope your husbands come home soon, safe.

My inbox, reader mail

2011-08-03T07:12:00.002-06:00

I got an email overnight from a young lady named Meghan. She has a question I dont really know the answer to. Can anyone answer her? She says she reads my blog, so hopefully she sees this.

From Meghan: "I dont know if you will know this but i am 16 and getting married soon i will have parent consent so it will be a legal marriage he is in ait training right now but hes getting stationed in korea i was wandering if i would be able to go overseas with him on or off base..and also is there an age limit for the wifes to live on or off base."

I honestly dont know the answer to you question Meghan. Joe was stationed in Germany for two years before we got married. He would have had to extend his tour in Germany if I had wanted to move over there. I didnt, and he just PCSed (moved) back to the states. I do have a friend in Korea, maybe she will see this and has some idea what the answers to your questions are.

Thanks everyone for your answers!

Sara's Scentsy Basket Party!!

2011-08-01T07:37:00.003-06:00

Hey Everyone!! I am hosting a Scentsy party through my friend Patty's website. August is a GREAT time to order Scentsy. It's the end of a catalog and most things are 10% off for the whole month!! My party starts today and will run through August 27th.

Christmas is just around the corner. That 10% discount during the month of August makes Scentsy gift giving even easier!

And I am happy to share that by placing an order through my party, you will be entered to win a "door prize"!! The drawing will be held after the party closes and the winner will receive a 3-pack of their choice from the new fall scents.

Patty's website is - https://mommytaco.scentsy.us/Buy/SetupPrompt
Just make sure you buy through my party so you can be entered in that door prize! :)

New to Scentsy?
"Using your new Scentsy warmer is simple! Our authentic Scentsy warmers use a low-watt bulb to slowly melt specially formulated wax. With no flame, smoke, or soot, the Scentsy wickless candle system is a safe way to enjoy Scentsy fragrances." That's right, no flame to worry about, just a light bulb! Safe around kids, pets, husbands that want to stick their finger in the wax, etc. The wax comes in 80 different scents, so there is something for everyone, even husbands. Take a look at the website, I promise you will find something that you will love!!

Have any questions?? Leave a comment here or hit me up on Twitter at @sara0120!

Dwell Time

2011-07-29T07:41:00.003-06:00

"Sometimes it feels like I just got back."

That's the sentence that started this blog. Joe has to go on a two month training soon. Neither of us want him to go of course. After last year, I know everything will be fine. I just dont want to miss him anymore. It's so tiring.

But this training has gotten me thinking about how people spend their dwell time. Many people I know have a deployment schedule that is one year gone, one year home. Over and over again. But when your year home isnt spent wholy at home; training, ranges, fields, JRTC, etc the dwell times just arent fair to the Soldiers or the families. Everyong knows this was Joe's first (and hopefully last) deployment. I've never had to think about a dwell time before. But this could royally suck for most people and their families.

Joe is 5 months through his dwell time. And it still feels like he just got home. We're just now settling back into our "normal," and now he's about to leave again! If Joe had another deployment looming, this two months apart would kill me. When you only have 12 months together with your family, being ripped apart for 2 months just sucks.

I'm so over this life. I'm so done with the Army.

565 days.....

Wordless Wednesday

2011-07-27T07:31:00.004-06:00

Can you spot Joe?
Taken last Saturday on Skyline Drive in Canon City.

End of the Customs Form Era

2011-07-17T18:01:00.002-06:00

We have some pretty awesome neighbors here now. We had a neighbor deploy to Afghanistan a few weeks ago. He just called our other friend with an update and an address. This other friend isn't Military. He just came over with this APO address, told me it was gibberish, and asked for help. Finally my deployment knowledge comes in handy!

I grabbed my stack of customs forms and started to organize how the APO address is written out. I gave our neighbor the rest of the customs forms and the 4 extra flat rate boxes I had left when Joe came home. He was so impressed with my knowledge of care packages. And was super surprised that I used to send Joe toilet paper and wet wipes. As much as my friend cares about his Soldier buddy, he has no idea what our brave service members go though. I told him just a little bit of what I used to send Joe and he was blown away. I offered to help him pack the first couple of boxes so he could get the hang of what the guys needed and what isn't allowed (like aerosol cans).

But the awesome big news is that I dont have any customs forms in my house any more!! Hopefully the deployment phase of our life is completely over!!

579 Days

2011-07-15T11:29:00.000-06:00

I was complaining to a co-worker today about how much Joe hates the Army and how much we are looking forward to him getting out and going to school. This particular co-worker is 48 years old and retired from the Army as an E7, SFC. He said that most people don't think civilian life is easy after being in the Army. And then another co-worker asked me if I was scared for Joe to get out and be a "civilian" again.

Scared?

SCARED???

What is there to be scared of?? I cannot wait to be through with this crap. I hate that my husband is unhappy. I don't care what our "benefits" are, they aren't as important as my husband's happiness and safety. This life isn't normal. Most people pay for their own rent, insurances, medicine, doctor's appointments. No matter how awesome Tricare is, it's not worth Joe deploying again. It's just not.

Joe is going to go to school when he gets out. I will have a real job and supporting us while he decides what he wants to do outside of the Army. No PT. No worthless chain of command making policy for 100 people without a second thought. No two-month long schools or training. No stupid Soldiers calling us all the damn time. No deployments. NO DEPLOYMENTS. No bunkers or raids or having a marraige over Skype. How is this harder than the Army? Someone tell me because I would really like to know.

I've been married to Joe for 4 years. Before that, I was just a regular person. Paying rent. All my insurances. Paying for prescriptions. And not worrying about my husband going to war.

I'd like to get back to that please.

4 YEARS AGO!!

2011-07-13T07:38:00.001-06:00

4 years ago I married my best friend. I love you Joe!

Break in?

2011-07-13T07:34:00.003-06:00

Joe told me that someone tried to break into our apartment yesterday while he was at lunch. Thankfully he was at home.

With our walls so thin, you can hear when things happen with the neighbors. Joe said he was sitting on the couch and heard the solicitors knock on the neighbors' door. She answered and you could hear them talking. And then her door shutting. Even though we have a "No Soliciting" sign on our door, these ignorant fucks cant read it and they knock anyway. Joe says Rigel goes crazy of course, he does when ever someone knocks on our door. But Joe knows they are just solicitors and doesn't get off the couch. After a short pause, he hears them grab the door handle and turn it and PUSH! We have a dead bolt that is completely independent from the door handle, so the handle still turns even when the door is locked. Joe says he jumps off the couch and throws open the door. The guy's hand was on the door knob when Joe opens the door. Joe said he grabbed his cell phone out of his pocket and told them he was going to call the cops and report an attempted breaking and entering. Of course the guys bolt. If I had been there, I would have gone through with the call to the cops, and I would have called the apartment complex too. But Joe didn't. I hope he scared them off for good. Or he just pissed them off and they will be back soon.

I hope for their sake they try to break in when I'm not home because I WILL shoot them. Consider yourself warned.

25 Q-tips

2011-07-12T07:30:00.002-06:00

I came home to this lovely message from my silly husband. You too can spell out "I love you" if you have 25 Q-tips to spare.

Google+

2011-07-09T17:08:00.001-06:00

Are you on Google+ yet?? Add me! If you need an invite, just shoot me a comment or email and I'll send one your way.

: )

http://gplus.to/saraelisabeth

Trooppaws Puppy Giveaway winner!!

2011-07-09T13:45:00.007-06:00

Thanks to everyone who entered! I hope we helped spread the word about this awesome company.

Anyway, what you have all come here for-

THE WINNER IS....

Congradulations to Bethany!!!!

So Bethany, I need your mailing address and which fabric you want your puppy make in!! Just email me at willow162001(at)yahoo(dot)com

Happy Independence Day!!

2011-07-04T11:42:00.007-06:00

On this day in 1776 our nation declared freedom from the religious oppression of Great Britain. Lets not forget that. We need to celebrate the freedoms we do have. And keep up the fight for the freedoms the Christian right is trying to keep us from having, like marriage equality and rights to our female bodies.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday while keeping in mind the bigger picture of what our founding fathers were striving for.

R.E.D. shirt Fridays!

2011-07-01T06:50:00.005-06:00

Hey everyone! I wanted to share with you a topic very close to my heart. It's just a little thing I do to show the troops I care.

REMEMBER EVERYONE DEPLOYED!!

R.E.D. shirt Friday

I didn't even know this was celebrated until Joe was already deployed last year. After finding this out, and since I work on post with Soldiers everyday, I decided that we needed to make an effort to do this one simple thing. Three of us got matching shirts that we wore for a while. When our casual Friday was taken away, I couldn't wear my t-shirt any more. I went to Kohls on a mission to find a bright red shirt for my Fridays at work. I luckily found one.

While Joe was deployed, an online friend sent me a very special gift, a deployment bracelet from http://www.beadworkbysheree.com/. I LOVE this bracelet and wore it every day that Joe was gone. When a good friend had to watch her husband go to Afghanistan, I paid it forward. Our bracelets are posted below.

And I have found a wonderful treasure online, well, I guess she found me. :) You have to see the amazing 550 cord bracelets and keychains from the Facebook page Paracord Bracelets & Stuff!! I ordered a "Red Friday" bracelet composed of Army digital camo and red cord.

And check out this awesome red, white, and blue Support the Troops keychain!

It's Friday, are you wearing your red to support the troops and Remember Everyone Deployed? I know it's not a big thing, I'm not making a huge impact on anything. But with the apathy about our military nowadays, if I can get one person to take a minute to think about a deployed Soldier and their sacrafice for our country, I'll be happy with my RED shirt Fridays. Perhaps they will go one to join a troop writing group or adopt a service member. Every little bit counts.

Happy Blogiversary to me!!

2011-06-29T06:41:00.002-06:00

Good thing I wrote it down because I forgot about it once again. Two whole years blogging from this URL.

Thanks to all of my followers, new and old. I started this blog right before we PCSed from Kansas to Colorado. I never imagined anyone would read anything I wrote. But here, two years later, through the rough times and the deployment, the blog giveaways and the celebrations, I've made so many friends from people who stumbled onto this blog. You have all been so supportive and comforting. Thank you all so much for being here for me. And sharing all your advise and wisdom with me.

Here's to another year!

Trooppaws Puppy Giveaway!

2011-06-25T08:00:00.000-06:00

I was contacted by Trooppaws to host an AWESOME giveaway on my blog. One lucky winner will recieve a stuffed camo puppy!! The winner gets to pick their choice of camo fabric, from Army, Marine, or Air Force. Trooppaws make stuffed animal dogs out of the authentic military fabric for military friends and families. Each puppy has a clear pocket on it's tummy so you can put a picture of your loved on in it. And a portion of their proceeds are donated to the Folds of Honor Foundation. Check out their website for more information and to check out the other fabric choices! http://www.trooppaws.com/
So now on to....
THE BLOG GIVEAWAY:
The giveaway starts right now and will go until Friday, July 8th, 2011 @ 11:59pm Eastern time.

To enter:

* leave a comment on THIS post saying which camo puppy you would pick and who you would give it to - even if it's for yourself to snuggle with, I wouldn't blame you at all! (1 entry)

For additional entries:

* "Like" Trooppaws Facebook page. Leave a comment HERE saying you did. (1 entry)

* Follow me on Twitter @sara0120, leave a comment HERE saying you did (1 entry)

* Tweet about the giveaway (mentioning @sara0120), make sure you post a comment with the tweet URL in a comment on THIS blog post (1 entry per day)

* Follow this blog, and of course leave a comment HERE telling me you are. (1 entry)

* Blog about the giveaway (1 entry) Be sure to leave me your blog post link in a comment.

***BE SURE TO USE SEPARATE COMMENTS FOR EACH ENTRY!!!***

One winner will be selected using Random.org. The winner will be announced July 9th. Good luck!!

*In full disclosure, I was not compensated for this blog giveaway in any way*

AXE Hair is partnering with Wounded Warrior Project!

2011-06-14T07:37:00.003-06:00

I was contacted this week by AXE to help them get the word out that they are partnering with the Wounded Warrior Project and donating $50,000 to them!!

Their full press release can be found HERE. Here's just a piece of it:
"... AXE Hair is [...] partnering with Wounded Warrior Project and introducing AXE Buzzed Look Cream + SPF 15, its newest styling product. As part of the debut, AXE Hair is making a donation of $50,000 to the non-profit organization whose mission is to honor and empower wounded warriors.

The buzz cut, a classic military look that's made a pop-culture comeback, presents a unique challenge to guys looking to protect their scalp without the oily, greasy feel that a traditional sunscreen can leave. AXE Buzzed Look is a lightweight cream which protects guys' scalps from UVA/UVB rays and keeps hair soft and touchable."

AXE Hair sent Joe a sample of the new AXE Buzzed Look cream. I personally think it's a great idea! We all know the guys are required to have these hair cuts. When they are in uniform and outside, they have to wear their head gear. But what about when they go to the lake on the weekends? I've seen far too many Soldiers with sunburns on the top of their heads. In fact, just the other day, Joe and I spent the whole day at zoo and the very top of his head got very pink. When we got home, the sample of AXE Buzzed Look cream had arrived. "Suncreen for your head, what a good idea." It was a little too late for Joe though. :)

Check out the AXE Facebook page and watch their fun video to learn more about their product and what they are doing to team up with Wounded Warrior Project!!

Eighty Percent

2011-06-10T06:46:00.000-06:00

Did you know that there's an 80% chance of getting divorced while in grad school? They wait until you're in stats class to let you in on this little piece of trivia.

I was thinking about this number as I left for class last Thursday. I hate leaving them so much, work, class, studying. Sometimes it feels like I'm never at home. But since Joe's been on leave, he's made me dinner every night before class. He listens to me vent about my professors and assignments. And rubs my head when I come home with a headache. When I heard about the divorce rate, compounded by all of the military family stats, my head started to spin. I told Joe about it. After a short pause, he told me that I would always have all of his support because he wants me to do my best, no matter what. Our future depends on this degree (no pressure, Sara). His ability to ETS depends on this degree. I finally decided that I should just let it go and feel lucky that I have so much support from Joe. It feels very shelfish though. After being the Army wife for almost 4 years now, dropping everything for his career, it feels very selfish to need some help.

My grandpa used to tell his children, marriage isnt a 50/50 split. Sometimes your partner cant give all 50%. You have to be willing to stick around and make up the difference. And sometimes you cant give 50%, all you can give is 20% or maybe none at all. But you have to be married to someone that understands that and will support you anyway. My mother said this saying became real for her while she was in grad school getting her masters in architecture. She had a husband and 2 children and couldnt give anything to her family, school took it all. But my dad stuck it out, as hard as it was. They've been married for almost 30 years now.

Thankfully, Joe and I don't have kids yet, but there are some weeks where I feel like I certainly haven't help up my end of the deal, but come Friday night, Joe and I snuggle on the couch like all is right with the world. School isnt forever. But I'll become more busy before this journey is over.

Just like the deployment separation, I'm hoping this experience makes us stronger as a couple and more solid in our marriage. Life is all about how you react to things. If we know the possible outcomes, we wont have the need for the gut reactions. Knowledge is power. That 80% divorce rate is the most likely outcome. But if we know that already, we're ahead of the game and can fight for our marriage when we need to.

Tuition Assistance

2011-06-08T11:37:00.002-06:00

As of 1 October, the National Guard will be getting tuition assistance, just like the Active Duty Army gets now.

I would like to know your thoughts. I've heard some pretty radical gut reactions. I'll share my opnions later. But I would really like to know what the general public thinks of this change.

Company :)

2011-06-06T07:25:00.002-06:00

My mother in law Beth flew in on Saturday evening. We've already been having a blast. We went to a Sky Sox minorleague baseball game yesterday where I got a nice sunburn on my arms. Only on my arms, so weird. Anyway, I have to go back to work today, but Joe and Beth have so much planned. I'm really bummed that I have to miss it, but I hope they have a GREAT time!

Red Cross Messages Made Easy

2011-06-02T12:19:00.003-06:00

I just saw a friend post a link to this on Facebook. I thought I would share it here too. We have unfortunately had to send two Red Cross messages to Joe while he's been in the Army, once while stationed in Germany and once while he was in Iraq. It wasnt terribly difficult to get an emergency message to him then, but it's nice to hear that they are making it easier for families to get the messages to their loved ones.

Sending a Red Cross emergency message is about to get a hundred times easier with the introduction of a single, toll free message number June 13, the nonprofit announced last week.

In the past families living off base needing to send an emergency message had to hunt down contact info for their local Red Cross chapter and request a message through them – a process that could be very frustrating. Let’s be honest – no one wants to chase local contacts when dealing with something that warrants an emergency message. There are just better things to think about.

Now, the introduction of a single number for use by everyone, everywhere will allow military families across the country to easily file away the contact and never update it again no matter where they get stationed. Glory be!

Red Cross emergency messages are used by military families to get a message to a deployed servicemember under specific circumstances, such as the serious illness or death of a direct family member or the birth of a child. They can also be used to get stateside servicemembers emergency leave.

As someone who has been in the scrambling-for-Red-Cross-emergency-know-how position before, I cannot emphasize enough how much easier a single contact will make this process. My husband’s mother was in a very serious car accident in Ohio over our Christmas leave several years ago. Although we were based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, we were spending the holiday in Boise, Idaho. We needed to get an emergency message sent to our unit so that my husband could extend his leave and fly to be with his mother. But on Christmas Eve, which of the three Red Cross locations do you call – Idaho, Washington or Ohio? And how do you find a number for one with someone who will answer the phone on a holiday?

A universal contact is the perfect solution to such quandaries. It will also help units get families ready for deployment because it provides a clear, one option path in emergencies, instead of creating a confusing problem.

The number is: 877-272-7337. Write it down and put it somewhere safe, spouses!

The link: Red Cross Messages Made Easy SpouseBUZZ.com

Armed

2011-05-31T10:15:00.000-06:00

My apartment complex has been the location of many break-ins recently, that would be break-ins of cars and actual apartments.

We had three cars broken into early Monday morning. There is no rhyme or reason to what's being hit. The guy I know that got his truck broken into wasn't even a Soldier (some people thought there were targeting Soldiers). His stereo was taken and his amp was almost taken.

Yesterday afternoon a police officer came by the complex. My neighbor was outside talking to him so Joe went outside to be noisy. The cop asked Joe if he saw or heard anything last week because an apartment in MY building was broken into at about 12:45PM!! Broad daylight, in the middle of the day! Joe was home because he's still on leave. But he didn't see anything. Can you imagine what would have happened if the burglar had picked our apartment??

I can't believe this kind of violence has hit so close to home. We were talking to our neighbors about how foreign this feels. We're mostly from the South; Joe and I are from Arkansas, our neighbors are from Louisiana. Little old ladies leave their purses in their cars and families don't lock their doors and windows where I grew up, there just isn't a need. We don't have crime like this where I grew up. Maybe I've been sheltered. And I do live in a major city now. Precautions must be made.

Don't let the Southern act fool you. We're armed. Really armed. I have my own weapon that I can handle comfortably. I was trained from a young age to handle weapons responsibly. Joe got me my own gun while we were in Kansas, right before we thought he was going to deploy the first time. I recently fired it again while we were in Arkansas just to have a refresher, and can I say, I'm a damn good shot! Little did I know how timely that was. However, I would absolutely HATE to have to use it on an intruder. I don't know how I would function afterwards. But I WOULD use it if I had to. I will protect myself and my family, no question.

I've been thinking about starting a neighborhood watch. I've never done anything that big before, but I think with the recent events, a lot of people in the complex would appreciate one. Joe will talk to the apartment management today. That conversation will affect if I start the group or not. Joe wants them to hire a full time security guard. But what are the odds of that happening really? Joe's argument is that if they can afford a grounds crew that comes out every 10 days or so to mow the grass and plant trees, they can afford a security guard. Most of the people living in my complex are military. And a big group just left Ft. Carson. I would hate to leave any spouses high and dry when it comes to their safety.

Here one day. Gone the next.

2011-05-31T08:21:00.001-06:00

I'm writing this post the day two of my neighbors left for the sandbox. I'm going to wait a few days to post it though just so I can follow OPSEC.

I spend a good portion of last night thinking about the night before Joe left. Holding his hand, his arm. Watching him pack. Getting one more hug. Watching him sleep in our bed one last night. All of these feelings are coming back with two of our friends leaving today. Joe and I went to a baseball game today, a Military Appriciation game where Joe got in free. We're cheering on our team and eating dippin dots. And all the while, in the back of my mind, I keep thinking that today is the "D-day" for many people we know and care about. I look around me. Everyone is happy and cheering. Little do they know there are family members only an hour away saying good bye to their loved ones and sending them to Afghanistan for a year.

We have civilian neighbors from New Orleans who have never lived this close to an Army town. They obviously don't live with a Soldier, hearing about the training and having the looming D-day countdown. They perceive the absence in a much more spontanious way, here one day, gone the next. They have told me numerious times they dont know what to say to the friends leaving. What do you say to the pregnant spouse who drives home after dropping her Soldier husband off on post? I have told them there arent words. There isn't an easy script for these moments. A hug can help. And of course opening that relish jar when they cant ask their husband to do it (my neighbor Paul opened lots of jars for me while Joe was gone, damn that relish jar!!). Even having gone through it all once myself, I can't find the words to say. A sympathetic smile and a knowing look is all I have. And a nod from the pregnant spouse says it all. There arent words.

I woke up on this Memorial Day weekend with a funfilled day planned with my husband. I am one of the lucky ones -- my husband deployed and came back okay. I rolled over and hugged Joe knowing that this wouldn't be the last time for a year that I would be able to do that. I had to hold back tears. This Army life is so hard sometimes. You hope for the best, for everyone. And you relish the happy moments you get with your spouse, knowing they are fleeting and he could be here one day and gone the next.

A blog button... FINALLY!

2011-05-30T11:16:00.002-06:00

Thanks to the instruction of Megan Dub-Yuh, I created a blog button this morning. It was easier then I thought it would be. But still a little tricky because I'm just that way. So grab my blog button if you read my blog and collect the buttons!

Motorcycles and Road Rules

2011-05-29T20:35:00.005-06:00

Have you seen this sign or saying where you live? It's all over Colorado. I have a serious problem with this sign and the motorcyclists I've almost hit this week. I personally have almost hit two. Joe has come close too. It's getting nice here finally and people are breaking out the bikes. And driving like they have a death wish. They don't obey the speed limits. They swerve in and out of traffic. And they drive down the middle of the road!! Literally!! There will be just enough traffic to slow the cars down and here comes the bike, riding down the dashed yellow line. I'm supposed to watch for these maniacs but they are the ones causing accidents??? I don't think so. I was driving down a 4 lane road just a couple of days ago. I started to pass someone, blinkers on, checked my blink spot, etc. and as I pull into the left lane, here comes a motorcyclist flying at me like a bat out of hell. Joe and I were driving to Denver today to see a Colorado Rockies baseball game. As we neared Denver, the traffic got thicker. And here comes the dumbass, down the center of the road. WTF??? Where are the "Don't be a stupid motorcyclist" signs??

Also something I don't think people know: when you aren't passing someone, you need to be in the right lane. This was a big deal in Arkansas, the state where I took my driving test. The cops would pull you over if you were holding up traffic by staying in the left lane. There are signs here too, but I don't know how strictly it's enforced. While we were driving home from Denver, we encountered this again. Some dumbass held up traffic, going 60mph in a 75mph zone for MILES and NEVER pulled over to the right lane. The cars behind him had to weave in and out of the lanes to get around him. How many people have to pass you on the right before you realize you're a dumbass? Please refrain from being a dumbass. These are the people that cause accidents. As my husband would say --"non-driving mother fuckers."

Well, there ya go, my rant for the evening. :)

Vacation

2011-05-25T07:19:00.000-06:00

Sorry for the bloggy hiatus. Joe and I took a much needed mini vacay to Arkansas for a week. We got up bright and early on a Saturday and drove almost 13 hours to get home - plus an hour time change. It was lovely. Serious, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. There were a few initial navigation errors. But I can read a map. And Joe can follow directions pretty well. And Rigel is a good little nomad.

We spent the first night at Joe's mom's house. Had a breakfast that couldn't be beat. Then drove to my mom's house. Joe spent the week playing with his friends. And I spend the week with my family. And I went to the dentist. I know right, on vacation!! But it must be done when you haven't been in almost 2 years and your grandma works at the dentist. But no cavities, ha!

I spent most of my time hanging with my mom, helping her tend to her mini farm of chickens and ducks in her back yard. Those of you who follow me on Facebook can see the pics. She has 6 new baby ducks that grew tail feathers while I was there. They are just adorable! She also has 6 new baby cows on their farm. They are already huge, but adorable nonetheless.

I had lunch with some friends and went on a mini shopping spree at Kohl's. I've never given that store enough credit. But they have some awesome sales and clothes for every body type. I have such a hard time buying clothes because my legs are so long and I'm not a size 4. But I got 4 pairs of pants, dozens of shirts, and 2 pairs of shoes for my size 11 feet in only about an hour.

Joe and I also went house hunting with a real realtor. We will be moving home in a year (well, I'll be moving home in a year to prepare a future for me and Joe, he'll follow a few months later) and I'll need a place to live. We were thinking about buying my aunt's house. But houses are fairly personal things. And we found the best house ever!! Joe and I both fell in love. I thought house hunting with him would be the most painful experience in the world, as we are both very opinionated. But when it's right, it's just right. The lot wasn't ideal (it has power lines running over the yard and my father said it wasn't good at all, something about our kids having a 3rd arm) but we aren't going to buy that house anyway. But the realtor, Daria (what an awesome name) said that she knows now what we are looking for and she has complete confidence that she can find us the perfect combo of house and yard in the next year. And it's definitely a buyers market. The economy is tanking, but at least I can get A LOT of house for my money. This dream house has walk-in closets, an eat in kitchen, a huge mater bedroom, a nice soaking tub, vaulted ceilings, a back porch, and a LAUNDRY ROOM!! A whole room for Joe's dirty clothes. It's a true dream! Here's the website's description: This 3 bedroom 2 bath home has beautiful granite countertops, wonderful kitchen, new roof in 2009. Open living room with cathredal ceilings, gas fireplace, huge backyard, jacuzzi bath and much more. This is priced to sell and would make a great first home! Why don't they mention the laundry room?? Crazy people! I am so excited about buying a real house and not moving every two years!

Can I vent a little now? (Consider yourself warned)

Joe has 630 days until he is a civilian again. Can I say it again -- I CANT WAIT!!! I cannot wait to get our lives started. This Army life feels like it's holding us back and keeping us down. I need to move home and be a real person. I'm so sick of this stupid game it seems like we have to play. I'm sick and tired of rank. I'm tired of my husband babysitting grown men. I'm tired of people trying to keep tabs on my husband. He's an adult. He should be treated like one. But there is finally a light at the end of the tunnel. I can see our bright future in the distance. Every day we are a little closer. Every A I make is another term closer to the rest of our lives. The Army has set us up well. Our marriage is stronger than it was a year ago. We fought for our marriage in this Army life. The deployment helped us pay off Joe's car and set us up financially. We have a nice down payment for a house. And Joe is pretty sure he can get a VA loan. The GI Bill is going to make our lives that much easier paying for Joe's education. I'm trying to see the positive aspects and less of the garbage. But the daily grind and the DEPLOYMENTS aren't worth it to me, to us. There is no reason my husband needs to have another deployment. I'm willing to live in a tar paper shack if that meant he didn't have to deploy again. Like the bio on the side of this blog says, the Army isn't what I thought it would be. And I'm done with this Army wife life. I only have 630 days until I can really be done with it.

Government Email

2011-05-02T13:13:00.003-06:00

Due to recent world events, Fort Carson is implementing heightened security measures at each of its access gates. While it is difficult to estimate the delay time for each gate, it is recommended that drivers with decaled vehicles use Gates X and Y. Gates Z and A are experiencing more significant delays, so avoid them if possible.

Fort Carson is taking prudent measures to ensure the security of the installation and safety of all Fort Carson Soldiers, Families and civilian workers. The Fort Carson community is encouraged to remain vigilant and watchful for any suspicious activity, which can be reported to Fort Carson’s emergency dispatch at XXX-XXXX

9 years, 7 months, and 20 days

2011-05-02T07:16:00.004-06:00

September 11, 2001
I was in my 2nd month of my freshman year of college. I was a young sheltered 17 year old who had no thoughts about the military or war. I was sitting at my computer playing Snood with VH1 on the tv (when VH1 played actual music). My mom called me on my Nokia brick. She was in her car on the way to work. Something was going on and she wanted me to find out what. I turned the channel just in time to see the plane hit the second tower. I dropped my phone. The huge battery popped off and slid underneath my roommate's bed. By the time I composed myself and found the battery, my mother had called me 8 times. "Mom, a plane hit a building. A second plane hit a second building. What's going on?" My roommate came home from class. Asked me what on Earth I was watching, Independence Day? If you remember back in 2001, we didn't all have smart phones and constant media 24/7. We called everyone that mattered. We had professors in New York City that canceled classes until they could get home. Life as we knew it had changed.

May 1, 2011
After a delicious dinner my husband made, I was sitting on the couch next to Joe and Rigel when someone on Twitter said that the president would be making a speech. After some speculation and some joking (Joe hoped it was alien contact) we found out that Osama bin Laden was dead. I am 27 years old. A military spouse. An Army wife who stood by her Soldier husband during a 12-month long deployment. My whole world is the Military and war. I was fortunate enough to be able to reach over and grab Joe's arm. We instantly thought about our friends in Afghanistan right now.

9 years, 7 months, 20 days.

This is MilitaryMonday. May is also Military Appreciation Month. Thank a Service Member today.

Giveaway goodies!!!

2011-04-27T15:39:00.004-06:00

What a GREAT Wednesday! After a pretty decent day at work, I get home just as the UPS guy is delivering the Scentsy I won from Jenn over at From New York to Italy. Scentsy always delivers so quickly! I was shocked to see it today. But what an awesome surprise. I got the new Morocco warmer and 3 bars, Flutter, Jumpin' Jelly Bean, and Mums & Marigolds. Flutter is utterly delicious! Just smells pink! Jumpin' Jelly Bean is sweet, but not too sweet. And Mums & Marigolds is very similar to Liliacs & Violets, in the fact that it smells JUST like a real flower. I have some new favorites!! If I were you, I would head over to Jenn's scentsy page HERE and check out the new catalog and find some new favorites for yourself!!

I feel like Red Forman: "Dumbasses!"

2011-04-27T07:53:00.005-06:00

Obama: 'We do not have time for this kind of silliness. We've got better stuff to do'

Can they (i.e. Republicans/Trump/Dumbasses) talk about something important now? The war? The brave men and women dying for this country? The economy? The job situation? Why teachers arent being paid enough? Why my friends are in Afghanistan being shot at RIGHT NOW? That does not include Obama's school transcripts.

An Army email I got today

2011-04-26T14:08:00.002-06:00

"Program for children of divorcing parents

Children In the Middle, a four-hour program that teaches divorced or separating parents how to help their children cope with divorce, takes place at noon May xx at SoandSo Chapel. Learn about the most common and stressful situations in which children feel caught in the middle. To register contact the Fort Carson Family Life chaplain at xxx-xxxx."

How can you tell 3rd Brigade just got home from a deployment? Programs like this. And guys popping in the computer lab to print off divorce decrees. So sad, isnt it?? On a small composition error, it's weird that the title says it's for children of divorcing parents when it's really for the divorcing parents. Anyway, I guess these programs are nice, if they help. But if you are getting divorced, do you really want to sit in a room for 4 hours and learn to get along? Maybe they'll do it for the sake of the children.

Bittersweet Easter

2011-04-25T07:32:00.002-06:00

I woke up Sunday morning and started going through my phone. The first picture on my facebook feed was a good friend at the airport... saying goodbye to his family... and heading back to the sand box (No specifics, we need to make sure he's safe first).

I promptly rolled over and hugged Joe. We started talking about our friend and his family. And it dawned on both of us, neither of us remember last Easter. We're not religious, so for us it's basically just a day to eat a lot of chocolate and spend time with family. Well, my family was either in Iraq or in Arkansas. I don't have the foggiest idea what I did last Easter. Joe had only been gone a month. I don't remember much in that first month.

I spent yesterday studying and working on school stuff and spending time with Joe. And thinking about our friends. I wouldn't wish his deployment on my worst enemy. And we hope with every fiber in our beings that he comes home safe.

Clowns to the left of me, Bigots to the right.

2011-04-22T11:17:00.003-06:00

I have to share a story with you all. As many of you know, I work in a computer lab on an Army post. I had a strange experience today.

One gentleman was having problems attaching a document to an email. Nothing was wrong with the document or the email. Completely operator error. Without asking me for help (as I later solved his problem with 3 clicks of the mouse) he goes into this tirade about how a Muslim must have created the email program (that would be Microsoft Outlook by the way) and they do shit like this to piss him off. This took me completely off guard and blurted out "Excuse me?" Him blaming his stupidity on a different religion just blew me away!

Joe says I don't understand because I'm not a Soldier, I've never been to war. Maybe that's true. But I have my own very strong opinions about this war and the people we have invaded.

But this guy wasn't in Iraq. He was being a dumbass in the middle of a computer lab in the middle of Colorado.

This kind of bigotry PISSES ME OFF!! Just like with the ultra moron himself, Terry Jones. How do you get off assuming a Muslim is out to get YOU personally, on a Friday, through an email program?? Some people just amaze me. The stupidity amazes me.

Block Leave

2011-04-21T07:11:00.002-06:00

It's just been crazy around here. I cant believe it's been so long since I blogged last. Sorry guys.

Joe's block leave is wrapping up. It's been so cool to have him home for two weeks though. He cooks for me before class. And cleans up. And takes care of the dog. I don't have to worry about Rigel being alone all day long anymore. It's pretty much awesome having him back.

We still have our moments. I think most reintegrating couples do. But we handle it completely different than we used to. Instead of getting in a big fight, we talk it out. We didn't talk about fighting differently, we just started doing it. Maybe subconsciously, we know the alternative (deployment, being gone for a year, not being able to talk at all) just sucks and we're trying to behave like adults.

Classes are going well. We have about 3 weeks left before the end of the term. It's all coming up too fast. I have so much work to do!! Ick! But after my finals wrap up, I get to go home for a week. So I'm super excited about that. I haven't been home since November 2009!! I have a 1 year old cousin I've never met. And friends I havent seen in over a year. I cant wait to get back in Arkansas. I miss home.

I hope you all have a great weekend!! :)

Disposable Friends

2011-04-02T11:35:00.003-06:00

Joe and I were having a conversation the other day about my friends vs. his friends and it got me thinking. Initially, I was kinda annoyed and had thoughs like- "Joe thinks his friends are better than mine, we always hang out with his and NEVER with mine." It's true, we NEVER do anything with any of my friends. We never go out to dinner with them. We never go to Denver with them. We never have them over to the house.

In Kansas, this was related to rank. My best friend was married to an officer. And Joe had a problem with this. So we never did anything with them. Dont even get me started on rank and Joe's opinion on things. I've discussed it before. I think it's stupid, but Joe has to play by the rules, so I will try to understand.

And the more I thought about it, I realized I do have disposable friends. Most come and go in my life, not really best friends, just around while our lives seem to touch, then are off doing other things. This doesnt really bother me. I only have about 3 really true friends in my life. Friends that you dont talk to for 3 months, then pick up the phone and start the conversation where you left off ---an Army wife from Kansas - who is hands down the sweetest most thoughtful person I've ever met, one life long childhood friend who shares my name, and a very good friend from college who is also an Army wife and also shares my name (strange but true, I have two awesome friends with the name Sara(h))

But now.... I have really awesome friends. I have friends that stuck by me when Joe was deployed. That let me cry on their shoulder and picked me up for dinner to get me out of the house. And I want to include them in my life. So now that Joe is home, I have to figure out how to balance these friends and Joe.

So when Joe wants to go out with his friends, I'm invited of course and I go sometimes. So when I go out with my friends, Joe is also invited, but rarely wants to go. Maybe it's a boy thing. But I will be making a great attempt at keeping the great friends I have here in the Springs. I hope that some of the things my friends and I have planned can really come true, like us and the spouses going to a shooting range, or out to dinner, or to the movies. This is my promise to myself, I will be a better friend. :)

Community Service vs. Military Ball

2011-04-02T10:42:00.001-06:00

So you've probably heard me complain about the military ball being held on a WEDNESDAY night this year. I totally understand that most people in the military don't have a life and can make it to a ball on a WEDNESDAY night. I, for one, am not. I have class that night. A graduate class. I'm not missing my class for a damn party. I decided that a while ago.

So now Joe has to decide what he's going to do. The punishment for not going to the ball on a WEDNESDAY night? Community service!! Rumor has it's at a nursing home, as in changing bed pans. Like my husband doesn't have a REAL job!??! He's a fucking sergeant in the US Army and because he's an adult and doesn't want to go to a stupid ball on a WEDNESDAY night that his wife cant attend, he has to change bed pans???? Are you FUCKING kidding me??? So we're looking at all his options, buying a ticket and not going. Buying a ticket and showing his face for 15 minutes. We're going to see if he can not go and NOT change bed pans. He's an adult and shouldn't be punished for not going to an after school program. ((((It looks like he has given in and will be buying a ticket ($30, the price is gradually increased by rank) and he will have to pay to get his class As tailored too. But he still isnt happy about it. And I'm still super annoyed, as you can tell.))))

Sooo.. the point that gets me is that NONE of the ticket costs are going to a charitable cause. If the punishment is community service and they seem to care A LOT about this community service, shouldn't some of the proceeds go to a good cause??

On a related note, we have 683 days until my husband is a civilian again. Now do you see why I'm so excited about his ETS? He isn't treated like an adult. He's 27 years old. He's a glorified babysitter and is punished for missing a fucking party?? I have much bigger plans for my husband. He's far to smart to be a peon in the damn Army.

Disclaimer: I would LOVE to hear your thoughts. Offended? I really don't care. You can comment about how offended you are about my tone and how not everyone experiences the Army like this. Go for it. But please be a real person and not an anonymous gutless weasel.

<---- Not cut out for this Army BS

Goodies from Korea!

2011-03-28T15:51:00.006-06:00

HUGE thanks to Megan over at Megan Dub-Yuh and her awesome giveaway! Look at all the loot I scored!!

Strawberry and chocolate, cant to wrong there!

Chop sticks and a cute little key chain. The key chain opens up to reveal another little image and a mirror. And the chop sticks are super fancy and metal!

And this box is so beautiful! I think I'll be keeping my rings in here for now.

A bag a cheetos and something that may or may not have honey in it, mostly because I don't know Korean and there's a honey jar on the bag. There's also a sunflower. I dont know what they are, but they are super delicious!!

Music on blogs, the results are in!

2011-03-26T18:48:00.003-06:00

I've had this widget on my blog for a while now, I just wanted to post the results for everyone to see. I was just reading a few blogs and there was this god-awful music on one of them, blaring out of my speakers. It's SOOOO annoying!!! Why dont you people realize that??

Wanna vote? Just scroll down a little bit. It's on the right side.

Awesomely busy :)

2011-03-26T11:40:00.005-06:00

Forgive me for the small bloggy hiatus. Life has been awesomely busy. Joe came home, school started again, work is still a mess.

Joe and are I doing fine. Joe has been told that there is a honeymoon period, reintegration (aka the annoyance period), and then we find a "new norm." I think we're doing better than expected though. There have been times where either of us could have been seriously annoyed and had a fight, but instead we talk about it, cleaning, money, laundry, cars, money, time off, school demands, money, etc. We have decided that the deployment was a blessing in disguise. I know some people have a hard time readjusting and may even have some form of PTSD, but I think Joe and I have both grown in a positive direction in the last year. And yes, he's fine. There is a PTSD blog in the works actually. For some reason, some people think ALL Soldiers come home with problems. It's annoying. And completely false. The week after Joe got home, people would ask in a quiet voice... "Is he... okay?" Yeah, 1. Joe is fine and 2. If my husband did have PTSD, I'm sure as hell not going to talk to YOU about it. It's a personal family issue that needs to be dealt with in a private way. It is not something I personally think people should be broadcasting for everyone and their little brother to know about. If/When the Soldier wants to talk about it, that's his/her decision.

Joe is having his reintegration training stuff. We laugh about a lot of it. As a wanna be psychologist, half of it strikes me as worthless and a waste of time. They had breathing/relaxation exercises yesterday. Really people. I husband doesn't care about breathing exercises. And then the domestic abuse briefs are laughable. I know they are for some people. But there's no way in hell Joe's going to hit me. I didn't marry a man that would hit me, period. But still it's fun to talk about the stuff, it makes us laugh and joke around with some of it. Like they told him to kiss me for 20 seconds. Not make out for 20 seconds, just kiss for 20 seconds. And that he has to ask me before we have sex. "Sara, may I touch your butt?" I'm sure it's more in depth than all that, but it's being interpreted by my snarky husband. And it has gotten us talking about stuff, so maybe it's done it's job a little bit. Some of it I'm sure is for single Soldiers, not people that have been married for 4+ years.

Thanks for everyone's excitement when Joe came home. I have no idea what to blog about anymore though. There's no more countdown to keep track of. I'm sure I will come up with something. I hope to do some more blog giveaways!! And life keeps chugging along.

PoshPatina giveaway Winner!!!!

2011-03-17T07:20:00.000-06:00

Hi Everyone!! Thank you all so much for the entries!! I am so happy I could share this beautiful ring with you!! The winner of the Posh Patina rose ring according to Random.org is number 18!!
1. Mrs. H
2. Mrs. H
3. McDancer
4. McDancer
5. McDancer
6. McDancer
7. FallonElla
8. McDancer
9. Magg
10. Magg
11. Magg
12. Dale
13. Sierra Echo
14. Sierra Echo
15. Sierra Echo
16. Sierra Echo
17. ShanonRenee
18. ShanonRenee
19. ShanonRenee
20. ShanonRenee
21. McDancer
22. Sierra Echo
23. McDancer
24. ShanonRenee
25. Nicole
26. Nicole
27. Nicole
28. Nicole
29. McDancer
30. dorofffee
31. doroffee
32. doroffee
33. dorofee

CONGRATS Shanon Renee!! Shoot me an email (willow162001@yahoo.com) with your mailing address and I will let Posh Patina know where to send your prize!

BuildASign goodies!!

2011-03-16T07:10:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago, Megan from Build-a-Sign.com contacted me about a product review. :) As a milspouse, certainly you know that they create the huge welcome home signs you see at homecomings. But did you know they make just about everything else too??

I was able to pick out a few things and personalize them. And you KNOW I love personalized stuff!! I picked out a window cling, a 4x4 bumper sticker, and a street sign for Joe.

This is the window cling I made. I've always loved the dog on board signs, but I wanted something more personalized. And you all know how much I LOVE my Rigel! It sticks on the inside so no one can steal it, because you know everyone wants a window cling that says Rigel in it. :)

This is the sticker I made for my blog! I love it!! I was able to personalize everything about it, down to the little squiggle. This one I slapped on some magnet backing and stuck it on my car.

A closer shot so you could see the website :)

I made a street sign for Joe. We joke that his game room is just a man cave. And it came in the mail super fast and was here the day before he came home from Iraq. When he went to dump his bags in his man cave he saw the street sign right away. He loved it!

Personalizing everything was amazingly easy. The window cling was originally VERY large, the size that would fit on the back of a whole back car window, but after personalizing it, you can look at all the materials and sizes they have to offer. Now it's 3x5. And the puppy paw is straight from their vast collection of included clip art. And the stickers are just what I was looking for! What a great way to promote a blog!! And Megan also made a html link for the side of my blog linking my blog to the stickers. Joe's street sign couldn't be more perfect. And it was super easy too. Everything shipped very quickly. For personalized products, I'm used to waiting for a few weeks. But not with BuildASign! I had everything within the week I ordered it. I was very impressed! Now that I know what they have to offer, I will definetly using their website more often. I wish I had known this before my wedding, you can make some awesomely creative personalized wedding favors!

And in full disclosure, I was given 1 window cling, 15 bumper stickers, and 1 street sign from BuildASign for an honest review of their products and website. Thanks Megan and BuildASign!!!!

Happy Homecoming Post! :)

2011-03-13T20:01:00.004-06:00

Everyone knows by now that Joe came home on the 9th. He got in early that morning. His ceremony was supposed to be at 0800. And the Special Events Center opened at 0600. So I was there at 0630, after getting slightly lost on the one way roads on post. But in true Army fashion, they were about an hour and a half late.

Special Events Center

I don't have any pictures of the guys coming in the doors. I was too busy *trying* to tape it for my family that couldn't be here. They warned us that the buses were pulling up and we all needed to be seated. Finally they were introduced and the doors flew open and the smoke machine started blowing and our guys started marching in. The noise we made was deafening. The video I made shook the whole time. I looked up at my camera to see my hand shaking uncontrollably! But in the sea of camo, I couldn't spot Joe. I found out later than he was in the back row so I never had a chance. When they dismissed everyone, we all stumbled down the bleachers. I walked towards the group of guys we had spotted as E Company, still not spotting Joe. The random smoke didn't help anything. All of a sudden he popped into my field of vision!! I have never been so excited in my life. Literally. I've been on this Earth for just over 27 years, and nothing compares to the feeling of hugging Joe after a year long deployment. Home. He's home. I will never forget the look on Joe's face. He had the biggest smile on his face. I've never seen him that purely happy. We immediately went to look for his bags. Which was a task all in itself!

Joe hunting for his bags

While walking to the car with the first load of bags, I gave Joe his wedding ring back. It's made of titanium and cannot be cut so he's not allowed to wear it downrange just in case there's an injury. I've been wearing it since the day he left a year ago. I will never forget him slipping it on my finger on the day he deployed. I was SO happy to give it back.

Joe has been home for 5 days now. I cant believe it's been that long! It seems like he just got here. He had the 4-day pass. And I took time off of work so we've had lots of quality time together. It still feels like I have to give him back soon. It dawns on us both, he's home. We have to touch each other constantly. Even in the grocery store, Joe grabs my hand. He watches me sleep. And is even nice to Rigel! :) I'm sure getting back to normal will be strange, but I think we're on a good track.

Joe paused in the kitchen and turned to me with a smile on his face, "Sara, where do the measuring cups go?"

My man is home. :) It's been a long year. A VERY long year, but we did it!! We made it through!!

Happy Dance! (aka 51 weeks since Joe deployed)

2011-03-09T08:00:00.002-07:00

So this is a scheduled post. It's going up at 0800... the same time Joe should be walking into the Special Events Center!!! So... HAPPY DANCE!!

It's pretty cool that it's also a Wednesday, and my 51 week marker. Joe was deployed for 51 weeks. And now he's home. Safe.

Season 5

2011-03-07T07:10:00.002-07:00

When Army Wives started 5 years ago, I wasn't an Army wife. Joe had just proposed to me. I was living in Arkansas. I watched the first season with my mom, laying on a bed in her spare bedroom. I had no idea what I was in for. I just wanted to be married to Joe.

And 5 years later? I've been married to Joe for 3 1/2 years. We've lived in 2 different duty stations. We're wrapping up our first deployment. And I totally said out loud last night, "He doesn't have a name tape on his patrol cap!" And I started laughing at myself.

5 years ago, I knew nothing. Name tape? Patrol cap? LOL! Now I know far more than I ever wanted to know.

I hope everyone enjoyed the season premier. I love that show!!

PoshPatina Ring Giveaway!!

2011-03-06T19:12:00.014-07:00

So a while back I bought a ring from PoshPatina's Etsy page. I'm in love with this ring. I blogged about it HERE. So I asked her if she would sponsor a giveaway for all my wonderful blog readers. And she said YES!! The ring she's offering to you is called Berry Romantic! And it's beautiful!! I am SO excited for one of you!!! You are going to LOVE this ring!!
So now on to....
MY BLOG GIVEAWAY:
The giveaway starts right now and will go until Wednesday March 16th, 2011 @ 11:59pm Eastern time.

To enter:

* visit PoshPatina's Etsy page and leave a comment on this blog post saying which item you like the most. (1 entry)

For additional entries-

* Like PoshPatina's Facebook page. Tell her that Sara sent you. Leave a comment here saying you did. (1 entry)

* Follow me on Twitter @sara0120 (1 entry)

* Tweet about the giveaway (mentioning @sara0120) (1 entry)
"Check out the PoshPatina Ring Giveaway on @sara0120's blog! http://bit.ly/h7VcFm"

*Follow this blog (1 entry)

* Blog about the giveaway (1 entry) Be sure to leave me your blog post link in a comment.

* Tweet about the giveaway (1 entry per tweet per day, be sure to leave a comment EVERY time you tweet so they are all counted.)

BE SURE TO USE SEPARATE COMMENTS FOR EACH ENTRY!!!

One winner will be selected using Random.org. The winner will be announced March 17th. Good luck!!

1st Amendment

2011-03-03T18:10:00.004-07:00

I have to say something. It's probably going to piss a lot of you off. But this is my blog. And I can say what I want, because of the 1st amendment. You can read it or not, up to you.

It's about the ruling upholding the 1st amendment. And also allowing the monstrosity that is Westboro Baptist Church to protest military funerals. While I think what they are doing is the absolute cruelest thing they could possibly do to a military family while they are grieving the loss of their loved one, what they are doing isn't illegal. It's disgusting and a compete travesty. But not against the laws of this country. And I can honestly say, I'm fairly content with the 1st amendment being upheld yesterday.

A quote from the Huffington Post: "The ruling, though, was in line with many earlier court decisions that said the First Amendment exists to protect robust debate on public issues and free expression, no matter how distasteful."

If the government was allowed to stop these people from protesting, it would create the groundwork for the government to make all protests illegal. And that I cant stand for. Many believe that our service members are fighting for our rights anyway, and in a sick turn of events, these people are exploiting their battle. They have the right to protest because of the wars we waged to claim those rights.

Many people I know start talking about hurting or killing the members of the Westboro Baptist Church. Well, that IS illegal. And as mad as I would be at that kind of demonstration at a funeral of my loved one, I would never do anything illegal towards them. What would that prove? So my thought? The media needs to completely boycott ANYTHING dealing with them. No pictures, no articles, no news story at nine. They need to be completely ignored. Perhaps we give them power by talking about them.

OR we need to throw it back in their faces. I would round up all the people I could and call the media, and go stand in front of the church members and allow the media to film these animals chanting that filth to the military family left behind and all the people that loved that particular person. We wouldn't talk. We wouldn't fight. We wouldn't cry. We would just stand there. And let Westboro Baptist Church have their minute in the spotlight, telling the children of a fallen service member that their father died because of a gay person in America. Because my children would know they are a bunch of lunatics. And dad was a great man, who fought for the rights of our country, even when they are exploited by sick fucks such as the members of the Westboro Baptist Church. Just so others could see that they don't mean shit to us, protest, whatever. It doesn't diminish the fight of our Soldiers. It doesn't mean that homosexuality is evil. It just means that there happens to be **another** group of religious nut jobs screaming at the top of their lungs. Tomorrow there will be a different one. They never go away.

Although, I was so excited about that computer hacker group trying to get into their system, but I don't know if it was actually true or just a publicity stunt. I wish someone would get to them from the inside out and collapse the whole thing. But we have to do it legally, or they have won.

While I'm obviously not thrilled what they are doing to our military families, I think the government did us a great service yesterday by upholding the amendment. I saw on Twitter where a wife asked if any one actually liked the ruling. I needed to write this post in response to those kinds of people. I wish these sickos would stop. I wish there was something we could do to stop them, but squashing freedom of speech CERTAINLY isn't the right way to do that.

50 Weeks Down!!!!

2011-03-02T07:09:00.000-07:00

Fifty.

50.

5-0.

Fünfzig.

I cannot believe Joe has been deployed for 50 weeks. It's quickly wrapping up. Thank goodness. That little e-card is from Joe. :)

Although, I was listening to some other people talk about how hard this year has been. Joe being gone has royally sucked. But it really wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. It's brought us closer together. It's prepared us monetarily for the next couple of years and helped us start a nice little down payment for a house in our near future. It's allowed me to go back to school. It's put many things in perspective, including our family and future. Granted, I've had some bad days, but I'd say there were only about 20 really bad days, and I really only hit two walls, and I was fortunate enough to have a couple really great friends to help me up when I fell. And of course the emergency surgery. We cant forget about that fun fiasco. But all in all, it hasn't been the Earth shattering year many Army wives make it out to be. I went into this year with the goal not to wallow in the deployment. I think I succeeded. I'm not a whiner by nature. I try to have an optimistic attitude. We didn't have much drama. So I guess what I'm trying to say is that to me, the deployment is only as hard as you make it. I'm not going to over dramatize everything to get support or pity or attention or to make my life seem more glamorous than it really is.

(Of course, I wasn't pregnant or had any deaths in my immediate family. Hard things do happen. I have seen many people deal with a lot this year, but again, it's all about how you handle yourself. I have watched people in awe while they take care of twins alone or had to move home to take care of a family member who just lost their spouse. Again, not wallowing, but dealing with the world and moving on.)

With that said, I want to thank everyone for the out pouring of support during this year. No matter what is going one, a few kind words from a total stranger can mean the world to this lonely blogger. :)

My last class of this term is tonight. This has been an awesome term. I have loved both of my classes. Family systems has opened my eyes to my own family, but also made me realize that everyone has a family and a history, something I actually said at work the other day to make a point. Stats has kicked my butt. It's hard to cram so much into so little time. But I have learned a lot in that class too. I do like statistics, as crazy as that sounds.

But with the classes wrapped up, I have time to prepare for Joe's arrival. It's absolutely perfect timing. Things couldn't have worked out better. Joe is making me a shopping list; pork roast, thick cut peppered bacon, beer, fresh vegetables, including brussel sprouts, STEAK. He's adorable. I cant imagine missing so much for a whole year. He talks about his shower like a long lost friend. I ordered his 4G iPhone this weekend too. I had to order one because the stores around here were out. But I should get it soon and have it activated by the time he gets here. His new number is already in my phone. :) And I got an email saying what Main Body flight number he will be on. Now to just wait for the date. :)

Hello MARCH!!!!!

2011-03-01T06:56:00.000-07:00

DAY 350

Yay yay yay!! That's just ridiculous!

Have you heard about...

2011-02-28T16:25:00.002-07:00

Have you heard about the blog giveway from @megandubyuh in honor of her 200th post??? Check out her blog by clicking HERE.

Army wives, Civilians, or both??

2011-02-24T14:55:00.000-07:00

Something happened to me at work the other day that has stayed with me. I work on an Army post with Soldiers. We have one clipboard where all of the Soldiers need to sign in. Then we have a clipboard for civilians, which of course in the context of my job are usually spouses, a few teenages, and contractors on post. So when someone comes in normal clothes and doesn't look like an active duty service member, I ask them if they are active duty or civilian. And most people know the answer to this question.

But some... don't. Like the young lady I had in the room the other day.

Me: Are you active duty or civilian?

Her: My husband is active duty.

Me: But you aren't?

Her: No.

Me: Then can you please sign in on this civilian clipboard?

Her: But I'm not a civilian. My husband is a Soldier.

Me: Yes ma'am. But you aren't, correct?

Her: Whatever.

Really? You're going to cop an attitude because you have to sign a different clipboard? Unless you get up and put on a uniform everyday, YOU are a civilian, I dont care who you are married to. You dont go to the field. You dont deploy. You dont do PT every morning, even in the snow.

I think many of us "Army wives" have lost sight of this fact. Not even including wearing your husband's rank, we feel like we are not civilians. Even I have said, "I cant wait until the day that we can be civilians again." That day is about 720 days away actually. But I mean it in as a state of mind, no more chain of command, no more deployments, no more PCSing, no more strange worry about mortar attacks in Iraq. But I tell Soldiers everyday that I am a civilian. "No sir, I have no idea what that training is, I'm a civilian." I will never assume anything else, I am a civilian, because I'm certainly not active duty. I would never, could never, compare myself to a Soldier. I could never train like they do. I could never make it through BCT. I could NEVER deploy.

So if those are your choices, active duty or civilian, what would you pick?

My father is an Army brat, since the day he was born. His father was in the Army for 20 years. He used to say that he was in the Army. It's more of a joke, since he's far too old to say he was an Army brat. And his father used to give him the small metals for doing things, like shinning his black boots. My father even told my husband that he had a AAM for shinning boots. My grandmother says that she was in the Army too. She met her husband in Germany when he was stationed there and then started the Army journey for 20 years, dealing with multiple deployments to Vietnam and 17 PCSs in 20 years - no joke! They were stationed at Fort Riley (where we were for 2 years) for exactly 9 days. My dad and his brother went out to look for a lawn mower to borrow and come home to new PCS orders. And my grandmother will adamantly argue that she too was in the Army, and I just nod and smile. Maybe if I was an Army wife in the 60s, I would feel differently.

What we do isn't normal, I have said that for a year now. We are very unique. We live and breath Army life. We learn the lingo so we can understand our husbands. We move at the drop of a hat. We can make any house a home with just a few pictures and a Scentsy warmer. We sleep alone. And take our phones to the bathroom so we don't miss a call. We know to check the arms of uniforms for pens before washing them. This is our way of life. And perhaps we are kinda special. But we certainly aren't Soldiers.

Top 50 Blogs for Army wives or spouses :)

2011-02-23T07:14:00.002-07:00

I got an email last night that this blog was on a list. I never imagined people would actually read anything I posted here. It's kinda awesome! :)

http://www.homelandsecuritydegree.org/bravery-from-the-home-front-top-50-blogs-for-army-wives-or-spouses/

Thanks so much!!

49 Weeks Down!!

2011-02-23T07:08:00.000-07:00

Day 344

There aren't words. I am so excited about Joe coming home. For the sake of OPSEC, I cant say much. But we've gotten down to the wire where the window shifts daily. Joe has a day he's going to leave Iraq (which Joe says is set in stone - *rolls eyes*), but they don't know how much time they are spending in Kuwait. Well, I'm sure someone does, just not anyone in my husband's command. I wake up to Skype messages about how many days they are spending in Kuwait now. It's really pissing my husband off. He's so done.

Classes are wrapping up so I am SUPER busy!! I really needed that 3 day weekend so I could do all the school work. At one point this weekend, I took a break from school work and cleaned the stove. And the strangest thought hit me. In just a matter of weeks, everything will be so awesome. Joe will be home. I have a good job. And I'm in grad school, my dream for a long time. All will be SO right with the world.

I had to watch Ordinary People for Family Systems class. It's an older movie, made in 1980, 4 years before I was born. The story is a sad one, a family loses a son in a boating accident and the younger brother has a hard time dealing with is and attempts suicide. It's about how the family handles the stressors 4 months after the younger son is released from the hospital. That's not the interesting part though. Stuff was MUCH different in 1980. People smoked in doors, at plays and in the movie theater. And when they were taxiing to the gate in the airplane, the announcement was made to please refrain from smoking until you get to the lobby. Smoking inside the airport?? Crazy. And at one point someone asked the son if he had electroshock therapy while he was in the hospital. Being in the field I'm in, I know this was a popular method of treatment, but it still makes me cringe with I think about those poor people that had to endure that kind of "treatment." But anyway, this movie has EVERYONE in it! Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, Judd Hirsch, Timothy Hutton (very young!) and Dinah Manoff (she was in Grease, you'd recognize her if you saw her). But as for class, I have to write an assessment and intervention for the family, as if I was their therapist. Lovely. It's the final, using everything we learned all term. It's a powerful and moving movie. If you have 2 hours to kill, and $3 to rent the movie on iTunes, it's not a bad flick, even just to make fun of the clothes and hair styles in 1980. :)

Peach Orchard - Filigree and Rose Ring

2011-02-22T16:21:00.005-07:00

The moment I saw this ring I jumped up and grabbed my wallet. I'm not much of a jewelry girl, although I like unique pieces. And I've been on a bracelet kick lately. But I just fell in love with this ring. I got it in the mail today! :)

Her pic

http://www.etsy.com/shop/PoshPatina

My pic

It's slightly larger than I thought it would be, but that just makes it cooler. You MUST go check out the Etsy shop linked above. She has some really beautiful stuff! I'm already planning my next purchase. Probably another ring, black band with a red rose, SO dramatic! And maybe some earrings.

Have you tried Mary Kay lately?

2011-02-18T08:55:00.013-07:00

As many of you know I work on Fort Carson with Soldiers. One Soldier we see all the time started selling Mary Kay. I'm not into make up so I never really thought about buying anything from her. But she was such a good sales woman she got me to buy the Satin Lips® Set (Mask and Balm). The weather here in Colorado has made me addicted to chap stick, so I thought this would help my lips before Joe got home. I used it once and I'm addicted! So the Soldier then gave me a little sample of peach SatinHands hand cream. Now, peach isn't really my thing, but it's not too overwhelming, nice soft scent. It made my hands feel SO soft. My co-worker bought the whole Peach Satin Hands® Pampering Set, which includes a hand softener, a scrub, and the hand cream. So when I got paid this month, I got the Fragrance-Free Satin Hands® Pampering Set. I have used it everyday since I got it. And my hands feel amazing. After the very first use, I could feel a drastic difference. I decided to blog about it when I was sitting on my couch last night, rubbing my hands because they felt so good. I love my hands, my long fingers and perfect fingernails. I use lots of lotions and potions, especially since being in Colorado. I live and breath by cuticle cream. But this system has done more for my hands in 3 uses than anything else has done in the year I've been in this dry weather. The only other Mary Kay thing I've tried is the Nourishine Lip Gloss. The Soldier gave me a sample in Sweet Raisin to try. It's smooth and silky with a great little shimmer without being too glopy or glittery.

Wanna try these AMAZING products?? You're in luck! I have a friend online, Bethany Casias, who is a Mary Kay consultant. Click HERE for her site, or on one of the products linked above. She told me last night that 30% of her February sales are going to Wounded Warrior Project, as if you needed another reason to pick up these fabulous products! And shipping is ALWAYS free!

Thanks Bethany for letting me link to your site!! http://www.marykay.com/bethanycasias

11 Months Down!!!!!!!!!!

2011-02-17T07:02:00.005-07:00

Day 338

THIS is my 200th post!! How awesome is that?? I didnt realize it until yesterday or I would have done something special. Maybe something for my 300th post. :)

Anyway, Joe has been deployed for 11 months as of today, or yesterday if you ask Joe. It's amazing how different things are compared to 11 months ago.
This year has made me realize that most things are temporary, even when they dont seem like it. My mom used to tell me this all the time, just get through this part, everything is temporary. And we did!! We got through 11 months of this dumb deployment and now we're getting ready for Joe to come home. As hard as it was, it too was just temporary.

I've said it before, sometimes this year seems like it was 2 or 3 years long, but sometimes it only seems like it was a few months. But while I was on the phone with Joe, for a record breaking 45 MINUTES, it seemed like I hadnt seen him in a decade. It's been a long year. We're ready to get back to normal. And then we can start our other countdown... countdown to being civilians again!!!! That countdown is 727 days... just in case you were wondering. :)

Speaking of being a civilian again...

We have a Military Ball in May. Sadly, this will probably be my only chance to go to a Military Ball. But I have class that night. Graduate school class. There's no way I can skip this class. And it surprised me how many people told me to just skip it. I'm in class now with a woman who is in a similar postion. We were talking about it last night. She said of course she was skipping class for the Ball. And this honestly surprised me. Her husband is an officer and she reminds me of this often. She said that its her duty as a wife to go to the ball to represent. I asked her if she was an FRG leader or something. Nope. Just her job to go with him, as an "officer's wife". After being raked across the coals for not wanting to skip a GRADUATE SCHOOL CLASS for a party, I made a remark like "Well thank goodness Joe is just a SGT so he doesnt have to go to silly things like this." Well, this apparently makes me a bad Army wife. I would love to go to the Military Ball. If it was on a Saturday night and not a Wednesday night (WTF??), I would go. But I have priorities. School is a very high priority. An A in Stats II is a very high priority. And I will skip the party for class. And if that makes me a bad Army wife, so be it. I never claimed to be a good "Army wife." I dont strive to be a good "Army wife." But I AM a good wife and a good student. And quite frankly, my husband thinks the Military Balls are boring and stupid and he's thrilled that he can use my class to try to get out of it himself. It's not mandatory, so unless they make the alternative really horrible, like working weekends, he doesnt plan on attending the Ball either.

The professor was listening last night. This woman has this same professor next term, during the Ball. I'm glad she made it obvious to him that her husband's rank and silly party are more important than his class.

48 Weeks Down!!

2011-02-16T06:40:00.002-07:00

Day 337

We got new redeployment dates. Joe says that are the real dates. And I think he actually thinks they are the real dates. How long has he been in the Army?? Silly boy. But we're getting so close. It's all I can think about. And we have a flight number too. :)

I'm getting nervous about having him back. I spent so much time trying to get used to him being gone. I came up with the perks, like not sharing the remote and not having to shave my legs everyday. I'm afraid that I dont remember all the married stuff. I had popcorn the other day and threw away the kernels without thinking about it. Then it hit me that Joe loves them (dont as me why he likes the unpopped kernels, but he does) and I'll have to remember to ask him if he wants them before I throw them away. I have to get all of my stuff out of his bathroom. And share the bed. I know it will all come back pretty fast, but it's been on my mind lately. And the excitement completely overweighs the nervousness. I CANNOT wait to see his name in the vFRG list. I CANNOT wait to drive to the Event Center to pick him up. I CANNOT wait to get back to normal with my husband.

My Milspouse Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T07:07:00.001-07:00

The incredibly thoughtful orchid Joe got me. He has a strict no flower policy, so he got a plant so it doesn't count. :) I joke that Joe is in a mushy deployment mode, because we dont usually recognize Valentine's Day as a real day when he's home.

Happy Valentine's Day to all of my fellow Military Spouses. I hope you have your love at home this year.

47 Weeks Down!!!

2011-02-09T06:41:00.001-07:00

Day 330

It's almost too much to take. I am so excited!!! The time is flying! The penguin pic is perfect. Happy but freaking cold too! Winter has hit Colorado Springs pretty hard. SO COLD! And snowy. I can handle the cold. Even -12. I can always put on more clothes. But the snow and ice, no thank you. This Arkansas native cant drive in this stuff!! It makes me so nervous. But I try to be calm and just drive. And poor Rigel!! His little feet and his tiny nose! I know he misses Arkansas.

I have about XX days until Joe comes home. I also have about the same amount of XX days until my classes are finished for this term. So I really want Joe to be home. Really really really want the days to slip by until he's here. But... at the same time, I have SO MUCH work to do for school by then too. I have to get my butt in gear!!

A year ago, when Joe was leaving, a good friend was about to welcome her husband home. Many other friends have welcomed their husbands home in the last 11 months. Its so hard to be happy for others when you're speeding towards a deployment like the days just wont slow down. Most of us have been there. While many are wishing the days would fly by, others are wishing they would just stop. But somehow, most Army wives are able to work with both. I still feel so bad wishing the days away while another wife is wishing they would slow down. Just know we're thinking about you, and we were all there (at least) once, we understand, and are here for you if you need ANYTHING!!

46 Weeks Down!!!

2011-02-02T07:37:00.000-07:00

Day 323

We got some AWESOME news this week. And people from Joe's unit are already home. This is finally wrapping up. I cant believe it's been almost a year. Sometimes it seems like only a few months. Other times it feels like 2 or 3 years since I dropped Joe off at his company. That goodbye emotion is still so raw.

I got a huge surprise from Joe this week. It's a combo Valentine's Day/Anniversary/Redeployment gift - a diamond solitare necklace and diamond earrings. I'm absolutely in love with them! I'm not a jewelry gal, and only own one real set that my parents bought me when I was 16, so it was a big shiny surprise. He said he wanted me to know how important I am to him, and how much he misses me, but also to thank me for being so great this last year. I joked and told someone it was a "thank you for staying with me" present. We've seen so many marriages crumble this year. Its so depressing. I saw the statistics before the deployment, but I never imagined watching it happen, month by month, marriage by marriage. It doesnt take jewelry to make me realize that Joe is a great guy. I'm so lucky to have him.

School is good. Work is good. Life is just really darn good right now. Minus the below 0 temperatures. Just waiting for my Joe to walk through that door....

....eventually.

Donut of Misery Update

2011-02-01T07:06:00.000-07:00

Day 322

February baby!!!! Woohoo!! LOOK at that donut of AWESOMENESS!!! I can officially say Joe will be home next month!!!

Chili's $20 gift card giveaway WINNER!!

2011-01-31T07:45:00.008-07:00

Using Random.org...
The 4th comment was .....

CONGRATS JENNIFER!!!

Email me your mailing address to willow162001@yahoo.com and I will get your gift card in the mail!!

Book Review: The Help

2011-01-30T19:04:00.004-07:00

My latest read-

Synopsis

Be prepared to meet three unforgettable women:

Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.

Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.

Minny, Aibileen's best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody's business, but she can't mind her tongue, so she's lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town...

If you haven't read this book, I suggest you do. I couldn't put it down. And I was sad when it ended. I will miss reading about Skeeter, Aibileen, and Minny. Kathryn Stockett does an amazing job of matching the dialect. I thought it was odd at first. But it became crucial to the story very quickly.

I'm sure it was a fictional story about the 1960s. But it's interesting how much can translate into 2011. The civil rights movement isnt over. Sadly, there are still people fighting to be treated like equals.

7-Day Forecast

2011-01-30T15:26:00.006-07:00

The HIGH for Tuesday is -1 degree. Let me just wrap my head around that for just a minute. This Southern girl cant handle that!

45 Weeks Down!!!

2011-01-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

Day 316

45 weeks. Where did the time go? Not that I'm complaining. It's awesome that it's pretty much flown by.

They say that in the end, you think about the beginning. And I have been thinking about the beginning of the deployment a lot lately. I think about the first day. And the first night. And the first month. All of the unknowns. I've learned a lot about myself in the last 10 months. I'm much stronger than I ever thought I was. Especially after that first day. I can see how some women cant cope. It's such a hard reality. What we do isnt normal. But I'm very proud that I can say this deployment hasnt kept me from living and moving on with life. Living alone. Holding down a house alone. Work. School.... school. My absolute dream was made possible by Joe's deployment. It's an odd realization for us both that this deployment has kinda been a positive thing. Joe got his patch. I got to go back to school. We will pay off his car. And have a nice little savings. We both were able to take a closer look at our priorities and our future. And we both discovered that the Army and this lifestyle just arent for us anymore. We're counting down the days until Joe ETSs and we can be civilians again. It's not even the deployments, which by definition, suck. But it's the whole lifestyle, the rank, the moves, chain of command you cant change, the hours, the amount of work Joe puts in for such little pay, I'm over it all. He can go get a simple 4 year degree and make TWICE what he makes as a SGT with half of the trouble. I've said it once, and I'll say it again, I'm not cut out to be an Army wife. I dont keep my mouth shut. I'm not a wife that just follows along. I'm selfish, for myself and my family. And it kills me that Joe isnt happy. But we can change that. We arent stuck in the Army forever. He'll finish out his contract, and then we can go be normal again. I miss normal. I miss normal worries, like cars and house morgages. I dont want to worry about the internet in Iraq and making sure Joe comes home with all his limbs. I'm done with all this.

Is there any book that you read over and over again? I read The Diary of Anee Frank and To Kill A Mockingbird a couple times when I was a teen. But I dont come across books I want to read again very often. When I was still in high school, my mother borrowed the book The Lovely Bones from a friend of hers. She read it. And then let me read it. And it made a pretty big impression on me. I used to tell people about this strangly wonderful book. So when the movie came out last year, my husband actually took me to see it, even though he thought it was a "girl movie" and he NEVER goes with me to see girl movies. The movie was okay, but the book was much better, as books usually are. Saoirse Ronan, who was Lina Mayfleet in The City of Ember, played Susie Salmon and did a great job. And Mark Wahlberg was a surprise to watch as the dad. But I've been thinking about the book a lot lately. I dont know what's going on in my life right now that would make me think about that sad story. So I hunted the book down and I'm going to put it on my Nook so I can read it all the time.

Check out the Chili's $20 Gift Card Giveaway right under this post. It ends Jan 30th. http://bit.ly/hHviUm.

And PLEASE scroll down a little farther and take the small survey about auto playing music on blogs. Thanks!

Chili's $20 Gift Card Giveaway!!!!

2011-01-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone!!!!

I was recently contacted by Chili's to offer my blog readers this AWESOME giveaway! Its to spread the word about Chili's Shout Out To Eat Out Take 2 Get 2 promotion. I personally LOVE Chili's! As does my husband. Joe could eat his weight in their ribs, and that is no joke! Chili's was the first place we ate at when Joe was home on R&R. And their sunrise margaritas!! Oh yum!! Yes, I took it's picture..... isnt it pretty? I could have my weight in THESE!!
Details of the Shout Out To Eat Out promotion are as follows (straight from the email I was sent): Our previous Chili’s Shout Out to Eat Out Take 2 Get 2 promotion has been continued with an added twist. Participants simply need to upload a photo of who you'd like to take to dinner on shoutouttoeatout.com to be entered to win 2 $20 gift cards to Chili's. Two $20 Chili's gift cards will be given away to a lucky winner every day until January 31st. This promotion is great for winners to take themselves and a friend to Chili's, and pass along the other gift card for a $20 Dinner for 2 to a loved one as a great welcome home or catch up experience, or as a late Christmas gift if they forgot someone!

So now on to....
MY BLOG GIVEAWAY:
The giveaway starts right now and will go until Wednesday January 30th, 2011 @ 11:59pm Eastern time.

To enter, just leave a comment on this blog answering the question: If you won, who would you take to Chili’s with you? (This gets you 1 entry)

For additional entries-

* Follow me on Twitter @sara0120 (1 entry)

* Tweet about the giveaway (mentioning @shoutout2eatout and @sara0120) (1 entry)
"Check out the Chili's $20 Gift Card Giveaway on @sara0120's blog! @shoutout2eatout"

*Follow this blog (1 entry)

* Blog about the giveaway (1 entry) Be sure to leave me your blog post link in a comment.

* Tweet about the giveaway (1 entry per tweet, be sure to leave a comment EVERY time you tweet so they are all counted.)

BE SURE TO USE SEPARATE COMMENTS FOR EACH ENTRY!!!

One winner will be selected using Random.org. The winner will be announced January 31st.

And in full disclosure, I was given 2 gift cards of $20 each from Chili’s - one for me and one to giveaway. Thanks Chili's!!!!

44 Weeks Down!!

2011-01-17T11:02:00.004-07:00

Day 309

This week has been so great. A co-worker left and I was offered her position. It's more hours and more pay. This really is the answer to our problems. School will be easier to pay. The car will be paid off that much sooner. Life is just easier when you dont have to worry about finances. We're doing great with the extra deployment money. Joe's excited about paying off the car in only a couple of months. This has been a big stressor for Joe. We arent used to having debt. Neither of us have credit cards. We dont have debt... except the car. And once the car is paid off, Joe will throw a little money my way for school, and the rest goes into the house down payment fund! We hope to have a good pile of money saved up, hopefully about 20% for the down payment. Being an adult isnt fun. But planning kinda is. We were talking about buying a jacuzzi last night. So maybe that part of being an adult will be fun.

Classes are chugging along. The homework is starting to roll out. Quizzes and papers and presentations, Oh My!! LOL. But it's nothing I cant handle.

And tomorrow is my birthday!

I hope everyone is having a GREAT Wednesday!

10 Months Down!!!!!!!!!!

2011-01-17T08:35:00.004-07:00

Day 307
Holy cow!!! Already 10 months down, this is so AMAZING!! We are so close I can taste it!! Def a light at the end of the tunnel now. We have a fairly broad redeployment window, and a mail cut off, and the guys are starting to pack up. Joe says he will be sending some stuff home soon. It's awesome that the care packages are now coming the other direction. No more customs forms for Sara!!! YAY!

Let's see, what's been going on this month? I started an exercise routine. Joe is my trainer. He is keeping track of my progress and taught me some stretches to do before I work out so my legs aren't as sore. He's very handy.

And my next term of graduate classes have started. We're getting those knocked out too. I HAVE to make As in them. I would be pissed if I don't. So I spend my weekends studying and writing papers now. It's so nice to have psychology journal articles floating around my house again. With Joe gone, and me in psych mode, it feels like it did before we were married, when I was an undergrad and he was stationed in Germany.

By the time I post another month post, I will be so damn excited!! I cant wait to be able to type that!!

I hope y'all have a great month and a great week. So much is happening this week!! Stay tuned for that weekly blog post.

Loving my giveaway bracelets!

2011-01-15T09:49:00.005-07:00

I just wanted to share my giveaway prizes with y'all. Jenna over at Among the Blossoms had a blog giveaway of her handmade bracelets that she sells on Etsy, here is a LINK to her site, Bloomtastic. I got them in the mail yesterday and slipped the dragonfly bracelet on before I ran off to work. I'm a big bracelet gal, I have so many, but my co-worker instantly noticed this one, and knows how much I love dragonflys. It looks totally different in the sun, the gemstones sparkle SO bright! I was slightly worried they wouldnt fit, my wrist measures at exactly 7 inches. But these are PERFECT!!! Thanks again Jenna!!

Dragonfly Fertility Bracelet

Key to my Heart Fertility/Healing Bracelet

43 WEEKS DOWN!!

2011-01-07T09:50:00.008-07:00

Day 302

I love hearing from Joe about the redeployment stuff. I wont post is here, OPSEC, but I can tell you we got a mail cutoff date this week. This is what I was waiting for. To me, this means the end is near. The redeployment timeline keeps changing, but its awesome to hear about that too. And according to Joe, "stuff is starting to get moving around here." FREAKING AWESOME!!! It means more work for Joe. And I hate that for him. But I cant help but bo SO EXCITED about them wrapping this deployment up!! And Joe also got word that the next deployment for his current unit was pushed back just far enough that he probably wont have to deploy again before he ETSs. Fingers and toes are crossed, as we all know the dates can change. But oh pretty pretty pretty please!! I dont want to have to do this again - and to Afghanistan at that! No thank you!!

My classes are going great! Family systems is taught by a 70 year old man. But I'm learning a lot, even though I have NO interest in being a therapist. But it's a required class, and at least the text is interesting. And stats, well, what can I say. I LOVE stats!! I love data entry. I love math. I love formulas. And it fits in more with my goal for my psychology degree, which would be doing research. And the professor is just the funniest guy ever. He doesnt seem like your typical stuffy stats-teaching professor. He used real world examples to explain the theories. Totally psyched about this class. Even with all the work.

I have to share a cute story with you. We got a fairly large snow storm with weekend. But post wasnt closed on Monday. On my way home, traffic was going very slow and the line of turning cars in front of me had basically stopped. The line of traffic was curved slightly so I could see the tiny white Dodge Neon at the front of the line. But I couldnt see the tiny car spinning out on the ice. There were two extended cab pickup trucks behind her and infront of me. Almost of cue, all 8 doors opened at once. 8 Soldiers got out of the trucks and headed towards the tiny white car. The car just wasnt able to get any traction. Two Soldiers went into the oncoming traffic to stop the other line of cars while the other 6 Soldiers pushed the car onto the other road and made sure it could get going. Even through my closed windows I could hear people cheering. So I of course rolled down my window to howler too. These guys need to know we all saw what they did and thought it was awesome!! It made me feel so good to know that I'm part of a community where it's members would get out of their vehicles in 8 degree weather to help another person. My heart swelled.

And on a personal level, and a much more hurtful tone, I'm done with the hate on Facebook and Twitter. I removed some blogs and unfollowed some people because I'm sick of hearing about the bigotry from so many people. With all this talk about homosexuals and gay marriage and abortion and religion and politics, I'm just sick of it! We are ALL humans. We are ALL equal. And it really pisses me off when someone thinks they are better than someone else or must be right because they are straight or Christian or Republican or Democrat. Everyone is certainly entitled to their own opinion. But if you have to put others down to make yourself fell better or superior, you need to take a really close look at yourself. You arent better than someone else because you are heterosexual. You arent better than someone because of the religion you follow or the news channel you watch. "Well, my beliefs say... blah blah blah." YEAH! They are YOUR beliefs. Not necessarily ours. And to think that you feel entitled to force your beliefs on other people!! Who the fuck are you!!??! How you live your life is completely up to you. But how the rest of of us live our lives has nothing to do with you and YOUR beliefs. If someone wants to get an abortion, who cares!?! It's their life and their body and their choice and THEIR beliefs. If someone's gay, who cares!?! It's their life, they can live it any way they want to. And they dont need you to label them and tell them their lifestyle is wrong or a sin. The hate isnt doing anything for our country and our future. You dont have to accept others' lifestyles or beliefs. But you have no right to tell them how they should be living.

42 WEEKS DOWN!!

2011-01-05T07:27:00.000-07:00

Day 295

Classes started this week. I am so excited about this term, for many reasons. The classes seem like they will be very informative and even sorta fun, in a super nerdy "I like Stats" kind of a way. And Joe will be back during this term, or at least not long after.

I must vent for a brief moment. I've stumbled across a few new blogs lately. And they are very... well.... arrogant. I never stood here on my high horse and declaired that all Army wives are just like me, and should behave just like me. This is just a blog of my experiences and trials while being married to a Soldier. But some of these women, geez.

"I am a female Soldier, you have to act like this."

"My husband is in the Military, and this is the way things are. Period."

"I'm a dual Army family, this is the RIGHT way to do things."

Well, all I have to say is... STFU!! Not everyone is like you. Not everyone thinks the way you do, or copes the way you do, or comes from the same kind of family, or even with a similar history. And yes, it's their blog, and they can write whatever they want.. blah blah blah. That's why the PSA is here, and not in a comment on their blogs. It's one thing to document your life online, to shed some light on a little piece of someone's military/milspouse/dependent life. But to tell people that their way is the only way, well, I'm not down with that. This is a blog, not some sort of deep meaning handbook for the way an Army wife's life should be. Just a small corner of the interweb where I can share my feelings. And the arrogance of some people to think they have it all figured out, all the hardships solved, well, good for you, I guess. But your arrogance doesnt do anything for the people who disagree with you, except make their experiences harder because you need to put them down to make yourself feel superior.

My new montra for others- THINK before you speak. Thank you.