Armed Forces Day

I'd like to take a moment to pay tribute to all the men in women in our armed forces. I'd like to recognize the patriotic sercvice and sacrifices of men and women who have served and are currently serving our country, as well as their family members.  We remain the land of the free because of these brave service members. Our prayers are with you and your familes. Thank you for all you do!!

Fun & fitness at the YMCA!

I'm excited to announce that I just signed up for a FREE 6 month membership at the YMCA. Families of deployed National Guard and Reserve with active duty title 10 orders are eligible with the following criteria:

*Families of Guard/Reserve personnel who are deployed for a minimum of six months.

*Deploying service members are eligible for YMCA memberships with their family for three months pre- and post- deployment.

*Families are eligible for the duration of the deployment, not to exceed 18 months (which includes service member three months pre- and post- deployment).

*Memberships are renewable in six month increments contingent upon use.

*MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL REQUIREMENT: 8 Individual Calendar Days Per Month (Either Individual or Family Members)

*Minimum length of membership is six months.

All you need to do is bring in a copy of your spouse's orders and your military ID. They help you with the rest!

Things you should NEVER say to an Army wife

I found this the other day and was laughing so hard. Most of you might not find this as funny as I do but I can totally relate. Please don't feel bad if any of you have said these things to me. I know none of you have ever meant any harm. And please don't take this too seriously, just maybe laugh a little at the funny things people say to us poor little army wives.

Things you should never say to an army wife:

1. “Aren’t you afraid that he’ll be killed?”
(This one ranks in at number one on the “duh” list. Of course we’re afraid. We’re terrified. The thought always lingers at the backs of our minds —but thanks brilliant, you just brought it back to the front. Maybe next you can go ask someone with cancer if they’re scared of dying.)

2. “I don’t know how you manage. I don’t think I could do it.”
(This is intended to be a compliment. Though, its just a little annoying. Here’s why: it’s not like all of us military wives have been dreaming since childhood of the day we’d get to be anxious single moms who carry cell phones with us to the bathroom and in the shower. We’re not made of some mysterious matter that makes us more capable, we just got asked to take on a challenging job. So we rose to the challenge and found the strength to make sacrifices.)

3. “At least he’s not in Afghanistan.”
(This is the number one most annoying comment for those whose husbands are in Iraq. What do they think is happening in Iraq? An international game of golf? Guys are fighting and dying over there.)

4. “Do you think he’ll get to come home for Christmas/anniversary/birthday/birth of a child/wedding/family reunion, etc?”
(Don’t you watch the news? No! They don’t get to come home for any of these things. Please don’t ask again.)

5. “What are you going to do to keep yourself busy while he’s gone?”
(Short answer: Try to keep my sanity. Maybe there’s a military wife out there who gets bored when her husband leaves, but I have yet to meet her. For the rest of us, those with and without children, we find ourselves having to be two people. That keeps us plenty busy. We do get lonely, but we don’t get bored, and eating massive amounts of chocolate always helps keep me busy.)

6. “How much longer does he have until he can get out?”
(This one is annoying to many of us whether our husbands are deployed or not. Many of our husbands aren’t counting down the days until they “can” get out. Many of them keep signing back up again and again because they actually love what they do or they VOLUNTEER AGAIN and AGAIN to go back to Iraq b/c there is work that needs to be done.)

7. “This deployment shouldn’t be so bad, now that you’re used to it.”
(Sure, we do learn coping skills and its true the more deployments you’ve gone through, the easier dealing with it becomes. But it never gets “easy” and the bullets and bombs don’t skip over our guys just because they’ve been there before. The worry never goes away.)

8. “My husband had to go to Europe for business once for three weeks. I totally know what you’re going through.”
(This one is similar to number two. Do not equate your husband’s three week trip to London/Omaha/Tokyo/etc. with a 12-15 month or more deployment to a war zone. Aside from the obvious time difference, nobody shot at your husband or tried to blow him up with an I.E.D., your husband could call home pretty much any time he wanted to, he flew comfortably on a commercial plane, slept between crisp white sheets and ate well, paying for everything with an expense account. There is no comparison. We do not feel bonded to you in the slightest because of this comment and, if anything, we probably resent you a bit for it. Comparing a 12 month combat deployment to a few weeks business trip is like comparing a shitty ford taurus with mercedes convertible.)

9. “Wow you must miss him?”
(This one also gets another big “duh”. Of course we miss our men. There are some wives who do not and they’re now divorced.)

10. “Well, he signed up for it, so it’s his own fault whatever happens over there."
(Yes, ignorant, he did sign up. Each and every day he protects your right to make stupid comments like that. He didn’t sign up and ask to be hit by anything, he signed up to protect his country. Oh, and by the way, he asked me to tell you that “You’re welcome.” He’s still fighting for your freedom.)

11. “Don’t you miss sex! I couldn’t do it!”
(hmmm, no i don’t miss sex. i’m a robot. seriously…military spouses learn quickly that our relationships must be founded on something greater than sex. We learn to appreciate the important things, like simply hearing their voices and seeing their faces. The hard truth is, most relationships probably couldn’t withstand 12 months of sex deprivation.)

12. “Well in my opinion…..”
(Stop right there. Yo, I didn’t ask for your personal political opinions. Hey, I love a heated political debate, but not in the grocery store, not at DQ, not at Target and not in a restaurant when I’m out with my girls trying to forget the war.)

last but not least….

13. “OH, that’s horrible…I’m so sorry!”
(He’s doing his job and he’s tough. Don’t be sorry. Be appreciative and please take a moment out of your comfortable American lives to realize that our soldiers fight the wars abroad so those wars stay abroad.)

If you want to say anything, say thank you. After all, we are sexually deprived for your freedom.

Everyday Chores

And now it begins...Plenty of rain + lots of sunshine = growing grass! Playing "single mommy" to small boys and mowing the lawn don't mix very well. Yesterday my dad emailed me and told me he would stop by after work. Thank you, dad!! He spent quality time with the boys while I got some exercise and mowed the lawn. I have to admit that our lawn looks like a work of art - it's beautiful! Now we just have to see if we can make this a weekly ritual for the next several months or until we sell our house...which ever comes first!

For those of you preparing for deployment you might want to think about responsibilities like mowing the lawn, snow removal, etc. Ask friends and family to take turns helping you out. Hire someone for the season or as needed. American Legions, VFWs, local rotary clubs are all very good resources. They will know people available to help with almost anything. Your FRG will also have several resources for you.

Success!

I'm happy to announce the party was a hit! I was pleasantly surprised to see almost everyone showed up. We had plenty of food for everyone (including cake - what's a party without cake?). I bought postcards so people could fill them out. Once my husband is overseas and we have his address I'll send them over to him. It's always nice getting FUN mail, but it's even better when it's from someone you don't hear from that often. We had a wonderful time catching up with friends and relatives we haven't seen in a LONG time! Too bad we can't get together more often - under better circumstances.

A Very Special THANK YOU to:

• The Homewood Suites for letting us use their party room at no charge. They were SO helpful and wonderful to work with!
• Tiny Prints for waiving the Rush shipping fees on our adorable invitations.
• Cash Wise Foods for giving us a $25 gift card for the cake.
• My friends and relatives who helped make this day possible!

My husband had a great time! Even though he wasn't sure about a party in the beginning, he was so very happy that we had one!