Letter to a Military Wife

I received this a while back through email and it still comes to mind at the most random times. If only every non-military family would have the same gratitude for what we are forced to endure.

Dear Military Wife,
I am an American woman that has no idea what is going on in the military other than what I hear on the news.I have never had to let go of someone so that they could go fight for people that they didn't know, people that sometimes do not appreciate or understand what they are fighting for.I have never had a sleepless night of worry because of a report that another bomb has exploded and I still haven't heard from my husband.I have never had to feel the panic rising in my heart at the sound of a ringing phone or knock at the door for fear that it is the news that everyone is terrified of getting.I have never had to deal with a holiday away from the one that I thought I would share every day of my life with. I have never had to wait for months on end to hold the one that I loved so.I have never had to tell my children that daddy wasn't coming home tonight because he was so far away fighting for something that they aren't yet old enough to understand.I have never had to hold my head high and suppress the tears as I hear that it will be at least another six months of separation before my loved one gets to come home.For the reasons listed above, I can not tell you that I understand how you feel. I can not tell you that you must be strong. I can not say that you shouldn't be angry, because you "knew what you were getting into when you married a military man". I can not say these things because I have never had to walk in your shoes.What I can say for certain is that because of your unselfish acts of bravery and your husbands willingness to stand up for those who see him as "just another soldier" - - I will never have to walk in your shoes.I do understand that as a military wife you are expected to uphold a certain amount of control, but I never understood how you could do it, until now. I have figured out that you are not like other women. You are of a special breed. You have a strength within you that holds life together in the darkest of hours, a strength of which I will never possess. The faith you have is what makes you stand out in a crowd; it makes you glow with emotion and swell with pride at the mention of The United States of America.You are a special lady, a wonderful partner and a glorious American.I have more respect for your husband than I could ever tell you, but until recently I never thought much about those that the soldier leaves at home during deployment.Until this moment I could never put into words exactly what America meant to me.Until this moment, I had no real reason to.... Until I heard of you.Your husband and his military family hold this nation close, safe from those who wish to hurt us...but you and those like you are the backbone of the American family. You keep the wheels in motion and the hearts alive while most would just break completely down. Military families make this nation what it is today.You give us all hope and you emit a warming light at the end of a long dark tunnel.Because of you and your family...I am able to be me. I am able to have my family. I am able to walk free in this great land. Because of you and your family, I can look ahead to the future with the knowledge that life is going to be okay. Because of you and your family, I can awake to a new day, everyday.I realize that you are a stronger person than I will ever be because of these things and I just wanted to take the time today to say thank you to you and your family for allowing me that freedom.I will never be able to repay this debt to you, as it is unmatchable. However, I hope that you know that no matter where you are...what you are doing...what has happened today...or what will happen tomorrow...Your husband will NEVER be "just another soldier" to me.... And you, dear sweet lady, will never be forgotten.You are all in my prayer's everyday and I pray that God will bring you back together with your loved one safely.May God Bless You!

One Month Left!!

Woohoo!! One month left till Michael gets to come home (barring any "military" circumstances that is). Here he is changing the oil in one of the generators. We hit 6 months on Friday and I feel like this last month is going to d**r**a**g on forever! At least I have sheets to paint (for welcome home signs) and as soon as I get my dental screening I am finished with my overseas checklist for Okinawa!

My Niece the Bootchaser?!

I realize that the pictures are quite redundant, but they are so cute I had to post most of them! In the middle picture I caught her in the middle of saying "Gig'Em Aggies!" She couldn't move in them b/c they covered her entire leg so she had to sit there while we gave her props. Hopefully she'll follow in her Auntie and Uncle's footsteps and be the Proudest Member of the Fightin' Texas Aggie Class of 2022!! Whoop!!

USS NC and Sticky Fingers

I realize I'm a little behind...but here are some more pictures of Jeff, Mandy and the girls' visit. It was a really neat experience on the USS North Carolina, and I told Michael that we will need to take a trip back before we head out from NC for good! The girls were amazing on the ship.

That is the anchor in the front of the picture and downtown Wilmington is in the background.

I had to include a picture of Charlie the American Alligator! We have signs on base that warn you about the alligators and Michael always thinks I'm crazy because I look for them. Guess who's crazy now!??! Family pic:
We got Miss O to jump up on a rack for a quick picture: On board they had a "wishing well". I believe it was a 60 foot drop to the bottom of the "well"!!
Proof that Mandy goes on the trips too!
Jeff putting Boo in the mixer.

The girls in the area where they load the huge guns on top of the ship:

Another picture of the Blank Family:

Mandy was such a good sport at Sticky Fingers!
Boo scooping food in :)

Miss O's cheesy smile:

So much fun!! Thanks for coming and visiting me!

Easter...a few weeks early

Easter came a little early in NC! I gave the girls their Easter baskets, and Tater's will be coming home with them. Miss O had to go outside b/c she was hopping so much! She sure is a cute little bunny!

Boo and Daddy playing with the wind-up chick and bunny:
Here is Boo's first taste of chocolate! I think she liked it by the smile on her face:

Lots of Pictures!

Here are some pics from the first part of the visit! So much has been accomplished in 2 days...I still get to spend another 3.5 more with them too! They are up visiting Miss Anna for her 1st B-day, but will be back on Wednesday.

This is at the Japanese Steakhouse (hibachi-style grill)...I think Boo was looking at the lights and I thought it was funny. Miss O did a great job with the chopsticks! and yes, Ryan, they did do the onion volcano :)

Me and Boo-bear.
These are at the park at the end of the street. Boo loved the swing and Miss O was trying to call Ya-Ya on the telephone.

Jeff made pancakes and we all ate our weight in them! Miss O even got Mickey Mouse pancakes!

We went to the beach very briefly (an extended visit with appropriate attire is on the upcoming agenda)... Michael called while we were there so I was able to get some great candid shots of their family looking out at the ocean.

This was right before Miss O went face first into the sand and the wave caught up to her. She was a great sport about it--she didn't even mind that was was soaked and covered in sand! She had to call her Ya-Ya and Mimi to tell them about it.

Miss O showing off a seashell she found.

Company is on its way!

I'm getting some visitors tonight!! Jeff, Mandy and the girls are heading out East for a little R&R during Jeff's spring break. Woo hoo!! My first visitors of the deployment (...I'm only 5.5 months in...no biggie!) I can't wait to show them the thriving metropolis of J-ville, NC! (Not to be confused with G-Vegas--which is Greenville, and confused me when we first got here!) The strip clubs, bars, tattoo parlors...so much to see! There is a beach on base though...and we're only 45 minutes from Wilmington. Maybe we'll even venture all the way to Myrtle Beach! We'll see...I can't wait to see my little nieces!

Paperwork Nightmare

After 5 days of filling out paperwork so that we can then fill out more paperwork, we are officially on the "inactive" housing list in Okinawa. But I still have to file for a brown passport, have an overseas health screening, and go through my own anti-terrorist training before we can even think about getting flights scheduled! I don't even want to think about setting up a move with TMO yet (can you say 3 separate packings ... and 18 copies of our orders?!). There is too much red-tape in the military!! Not to mention the frustration with the rear battalion command that thinks I'm an idiot and won't help me. Good thing I have my brother and sis-in-law (as well as some cute little girls!) coming down here on Friday to spend some time with me! What a great distraction they will be~ Just about a month and a half and my "magic legs" will be back to help me out!!