WW - Watching You Walk Away

This is the last time the kids and I saw My Favorite Soldier as we watched him walk away to the buses that would take him away from us for 15 long months. We are almost half way thru our deployment woohoo. We are anxiously waiting for January to get here because that's when My Favorite Soldier will be coming home for R&R. We will get 18 wonderfully short days with him!!

I choose this picture this week because Michelle's hubby is currently home on R&R and is leaving to go back to the sandbox very soon. Its a rough time for them and I thought I'd share the post that she wrote when our soldiers left all those many months ago, its a very accurate description of what we go thru.

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHELLE!

Today is Michelle's birthday so please head on over to her blog and wish her a Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Michelle!

PSF - Bamberg Field Trip

When we were in Germany my daughter had a field trip and these were some of the pictures I took on the boat of the surrounding houses and buildings along the river.











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Writing Assignment - I Remember When ...

It's time once again for Mama Kats writing assignment ... this week I choose prompt #3.

I Remember When ...

Kindergarten was fun and used as a way to get kids ready for "real" school instead of todays kindergarten that puts too much pressure on 5 year olds.

I had to work to get something instead of expecting someone to get it for me.

There were winners and loser in sports. (As a mom I always want my kids to be winners but I think it's important for them to lose every once in a while to understand how it feels.)

I could play outside unsupervised all day with only minimal check in times and my parents didnt have to worry (as much) about us not coming home.

I stood in line for 8 hours for NKOTB concert tickets! (STOP LAUGHING its not my fault I loved a certain Fab Five boyband!) Just a note here my mom stood in line with me and at the time I thought it was awful but thinking back on it now how awesome she was to wait in a line that long where there tons of giggling girls just to make me the HAPPIEST teenager in the world. Thanks Mom!

I went to that concert at 15 sitting way back in the nosebleed section thinking that life couldnt get any better than this.

Life did get better than that!

I went to my second concert at 16 and having front row seats! (Different band this time.)

I got my drivers license and how free I felt.

I got my first car that I worked hard to buy on my own!

Gas was .69 a gallon in '97 instead of $3.85 (Although gas has dropped down to $1.85 here WOOHOO!)

I remember alot of other things but I could be writing forever and who wants to read that ... so I'll leave it at this.

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WW - Schloss Neuschwanstein

I finally found the box that had my external hard drive in it which had my pictures from our time in Germany be prepared I am sure I will be sharing lots more of my pictures. I will start with one of my favorite vacations we took while we were there. Schloss Neuschwanstein most people know this as the Cinderella Castle this was Walt Disney's inspiration for both The Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disney Land and The Cinderella Castle at Disney World. We werent allowed to take pictures inside so I took tons of pictures of the outside but its such a beautiful place. We had to walk up a steep mountainside to get to the castle we however opted to pay for a horse buggy ride to the top which still took 10 minutes. Once inside we walked up 100 stairs during the tour, there were only 10 rooms of this castle open to the public to view and as big as it is it still isnt finished and only 14 rooms total are decorated.

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Stop and Smell the Roses

I love looking at these pictures of my girls ... with all the craziness that is going on in our lives, they still act like kids picking flowers and not worrying about what tomorrow brings. This is a great reminder to slow down and take time to smell the roses.



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Freedom is not Free

This is an actual picture I took at Arlinton National Cemetary last year when we went home to visit. We were there to say "Hello" to a few friends who now reside on this peaceful property. While we were there I was struck by an amazing thought WHAT IF these brave men and women had never answered America’s call where would we be then? I snapped a few pictures of the plain white head stones that fills Arlington's grounds it was then that I realized that I was standing amoung greatness. I have always known that Freedom is not FREE being married to a soldier but I realized on this day that we owe our men and women in uniform a great deal more than they receive. Whether you agree with the war or not Support Our Troops!

Today is Veterns Day but any day is the right day to thank a Vet!

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WHERE ARE YOUR PARENTS?!

So yesterday Amber and I went to Springfield to replace my beloved iPhone that I broke. I seriously shed more than a few tears when I saw the spider cracked screen, but no worries yesterday I got the new iPhone 3G which I TOTALLY LOVE!

So I got off track I guess I can since this is my blog but anyways while we were at the mall we found a little play area to let the kids burn off a little steam after being cooped up for the hour and half drive and this is what I see while I am there .... SERIOUSLY WHERE ARE THEIR PARENTS?

How did they get out of the house looking like that? I'm willing to bet large sums of money that they weren't over the age of 12! Ok so the one on the left isn't dressed to bad but I'm not ok with the girl on the right! I'm sure I have lost alot of my coolness since I had my kids, and dare I say it I might be turning into my mother but I just don't think that's ok. Even if someone else thinks its ok I certainly don't want to see it.

Speaking of other things that I don't want to see these rate on the top of my list.

THIS

AND THIS ARE NOT OK!


Lets cover this stuff up seriously this is a family establishment! Hey if I have to see you do too thats my rule.

In Honor of Veterns Day

There is so much to be said about the man in the pictures you can type SFC Paul R Smith into Google and you will receive tons of websites with one reference or another to him. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions on April 04,2003 where he saved the lives of his men one of those men was my husband and today seemed an appropriate day to say "Thank You" again and remind everyone that Freedom isn't Free!

You can read what the Medal of Honor website says about him here.

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OOPS!

It's time for mamakats writing assignemnt again this week I chose prompt 3 ... You're sitting at work one day and receive a text message from an unrecognized number. The text says, "I have the money and hid the body." You think this is a practical joke from a friend, so you play along at first. But the more texts you receive, the more you realize that it isn't a joke. Write the text conversation you have with this unknown texter.

UKN Texter: I've hid the body and got the money.

Me: AWESOME! How much did you get?

UKN Texter: Meet me at the rendovouz point in an hour.

Me: Which would be where?

UKN Texter: Seriously this is no time to joke.

Me: Whose joking?

UKN Texter: Look be there in an hour or your out your half.

Me: Geesh your so bossy fine I'll be there give me directions.

UKN Texter: LOOK I DONT HAVE TIME FOR GAMES BE THERE OR ELSE!

Me: UMMM Look seriously I think you have the wrong number.

UKN Texter: Really? OH S**T Sorry about that can you erase this message? Have a nice day bye.

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America Has Chosen

Like him or not he is our new President ... I pray that God grants him the wisdom and strength to lead our country down the right path.



Tonight when I voted I took my kids with me as we stood in line I talked to them about how great it was to be able to choose who we wanted to run our country and how other countries don't have that right. We talked briefly about how this election was unique in the fact that this was the first time we had a black presidential nominee. I told them how important it was to vote, that by not voting we were giving up our voice and letting others speak for us. After standing in line for an hour it was finally my turn to vote and my kids stood by side as they watched me picked my candidate. I hope I showed them how it important it was to vote and that when they are old enough will let their voice be heard and vote for who they want leading our country.

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