Day 25: I love Sunny Fridays!

Well 25 days have passed. I couldn't pass up the chance to post on Feb. 29th. It only comes once every 4 years, you know. As far as Fridays go, this one has been pretty good.

It started out with a day off. I actually got a Friday off. Yay me! Also, the tax return money hit the bank. Its sooo nice to look at the balance and see some green. (Although, it will be gone soon.. LOL) Also, I went and got a local cell phone number. Which actually turned out to be a bigger deal than I thought. I had to suspend my husband's number since he won't need it in Iraq. And I had to bring a copy of his orders to do that. They will only suspend it for 18 months, then if he is gone longer than that, I have to request and extension. I also had to bring in the 'ol Power of attorney to prove I had access to the account. So.. now I have a local number and am only paying for one phone. Its a lot of work to save some money. hehe

Oh.. and I went and got all the information on how to get my credit cards and other bills in D.'s name, down to reduced interest. Because he is deployed in Iraq, the credit cards and car payments can be reduced. I have to fax a copy of the orders and again the power of attorney. But, its all for a good cause. Lower interest! Can't beat that with a stick...

And... I went down to N.'s school today to deal with her problem there. Apparently there is a girl there that is telling lies about my girl. So I had to go and straighten it all out. Gotta love middles chool kids and middle school politics. *kneels down and thanks God I am done with middle school*

I signed up Z. for baseball today. So he will be playing with other kids in the county. He is soo excited. And I'm excited for him to be doing something constructive with his time. And plus I'll have some great pictures to share of games!

D. seems to be doing alright. I know he would love to come home, and we sure would love to have him here. But we have survived February, and that means we can look forward to the next month starting. And one month is down....

So, with that.. I am taking the kids out to eat and maybe a movie. Wish you were here to go with us, honey. We love you!!

Day 23: Education? What's that?

Initially today, I wanted to talk about how each of the Presidental candidates viewed the military, or how the military might be effected by their election as Commander and Chief. I got online, I looked at magazines, I scoured. And you know what? I saw plenty of ideas, name-calling and evasive maneuvering from all the candidates. But nothing about education. Nada. It could be that I missed this topic or it could be there is nothing to find. My guess is that it's just not a hot topic for this election. And not only our youth of today will suffer for it.

All this talk of education stems from my kids' lack of quality education. As products of public schools, they fall farther and farther down.

As a military wife, I have a unique perspective. In all our moving about, I have been through several school systems. The best schools have been DoD (Department of Defense) schools. Only children on bases can attend those. Which I find to be retarded at best. Shouldn't all military families be allowed to put their children in DoD schools? If we are willing to commute to the base to put our children in, shouldn't that count for something? But here I am begging to be allowed to put my kids in a DoD school, when regular American families don't even get that hope.

Nearly 50 million of America's children attend public schools. There is a serious gap in between what is, and what should be, when it comes to public schools. In a freshman class today, only 74% of those kids will graduate. And if we throw the minority argument in here, 50% of Black, Native American and Latino youth will graduate. Does anyone else think this is appalling? Or am I the only one??

Ok, to be fair, the candidates have thrown around the word "Education" a few times in the debates. We, as voters, got a little pat on the head and sent out to play. But no candidate, neither Democrats nor the Republicans are really coming up with answers. I challenge them to do so. What's the catch phrase now... ahh yes.. "No child Left Behind", ohh and "Education Reform". What do these really mean?

No Child Left Behind seems to be a code word for testing. Tests. Tests. Tests. Teachers teaching how to take tests! Gone are discovery and wonder in our grade schools. Gone are critical thinking and creative writing skills in middle schools. Gone are college prep courses and Humanites courses in Highschool. We are literally wasting our children's potential by making them little cookie-cutter automatons. And it doesn't appear that the current candidates care to adjust anything. It hasn't even been discussed!

Here's 5 good questions we should be asking:

1) Our Nation's schools are overcrowded, which causes teachers to spend more time policing the students then teaching. What is your plan to aleviate this overcrowding?

2) How will you ensure that our children's schools are a place of learning and not a place of crime and violence?

3) How will you work to make teaching a more respected and sought after career for college graduates? What type of insentives will you offer, or suggest?

4) How will you ensure that the children of today are reading and computing at their grade level? Will you reform the current testing? How will you ensure that children of today will master the skills for graduation?

5) How will you make it exciting for parents and adults to be a part of their child's education? How will you persuade them to help?

Maybe these questions aren't the sole purpose of the president. But they are valid questions that should be asked and at least examined, don't you think? I think at least the children of today deserve more than to be just an afterthought of the campaign trail. It should be a focus!

Our country tomorrow will be no better than the children growing up today. That's the bottom line.

Day 21: Busy Weekend

21 days. Three weeks. Only 1 week for a month to have gone by. Some days it seems longer than that. Some days, just fly by.

This past weekend was a busy weekend. Like I said, I took the kids out. We went to this local buffet restaurant. it was pretty good, but the best thing it was close to home. Then on Saturday, we went out to a friend's farm. It was like a free petting zoo! They have goats, cows, chickens, bunnies, dogs, cats, birds and even fish. I can't even imagine what it costs to feed all those animals! But the kids had a blast. I got to sit and talk and drink coffee. So we all had a good time. Sunday, I played video games with the kids and they got to talk to Daddy. All in all the weekend was just not long enough. But somehow, they never are.....

D. has been having a rough time over in Iraq. But today, he sounds like he is making an upturn. He finally got the package I sent to him for Valentine's day. Im so happy he did. I was wondering if that was going to end up being an Easter package! LOL

This past week, D. finally met up with his cousin over there. His cousin has a fairly dangerous job, so I can't tell too much about him, but it was sure nice to have them finally get together. (Unfortunately, I can't show any pictures, for his cousin's safety.)

I often look through the news to see if there is any news stories that catch my eye, and are about the military. 2 caught me today. One article said that troops deployed this summer for 15 month deployments will most likely only end up being 12 months. This is an effort to bring the troops home to spend more time with their families. Currently, the deployments have been 18 months, with 8 or 9 months off deployment, only to turn around and put in another year or more second deployment. Now, they want it to be one year no deployments in between and shorten the amount of the deployemnt altogether. This is good news for military familes. (You can see the whole article here: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/ARMY_SHORTER_TOURS?SITE=FLPEJ&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT )

Also there was an article about free tax preparation for military and their families. You can check out that information here:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=48819

I don't know if that will help anyone, but it never hurts to try....

Not much else is going on around the 'ol Scott Homestead. We are plodding through the days, and making the best of them. The kids send their shoutout: "We love you Daddy!". We also send hugs and all our love. Stay safe!

Day 18: TGIF!

Friday... ahhh, blessed Friday. The joy of knowing that I don't have to get up early, or even get dressed if I don't want to tomorrow.

Work was a killer. Getting the books ready for tax season is tedious! Everything has to be checked and rechecked. All of this to go to the accountant. What the accountant has left to do after this, is a mystery to me.

My daughters science project finally got done. So much for it finishing itself, though. You know, after working so hard on the project with her, and her to come home and tell me that since most of the kids in the class didn't want to do the project, the teacher decided to make it only for extra credit is a real kick in the teeth. I mean we did a fossil model. Took pictures. Looked up information on the internet, and put it all together on a big display board. And now its only extra credit?! Sigh.

But.. I did get paid today. Yay! I think I'll take the kiddlets out to do something fun tonight.

But before I do that, I wanted to post something I found. It is an account of a military wife, by the name of Lori Kimble, who's husband was deployed to Iraq. She overheard some critical talk about the war and about the military and had something to say about it:

It could have been any night of the week, as I sat in one of those loud andcasual steak houses that are cropping up all over the country. You know the type- a bucket of peanuts on the table, shells littering the floor, and a bunch of perky college kids racing around with longneck beers and sizzling platters.

Taking a sip of my iced tea, I studied the crowd over the rim of my glass.I let my gaze linger on a few of the tables next to me, where several uniformed military members were enjoying their meals. Smiling sadly, I glanced across my booth to the empty seat where my husband usually sat. Had it had only been a few weeks since we had sat at this very table talking about his upcoming deployment to the Middle East? He made me promise to come back to this restaurant once a month, sit in our booth, and treat myself to a nice dinner. He told me that he would treasure the thought of me there eating a steak and thinking about him until he came home. I fingered the little flag pin I wear on my jacket and wondered where at that moment he was. Was he safe and warm? Was his cold any better? Were any of my letters getting to him? As I pondered all of these things, shrill feminine voices from the next booth broke into my thoughts. "I don't know what Bush is thinking invading Iraq. Didn't he learn anything from his father's mistakes? He is an idiot anyway, I can't believe he is even in office. You know he stole the election."

I cut into my steak and tried not to listen as they began an endless tirade of running down our president. I thought about the last night I was with my husband as he prepared to deploy. He had just returned from getting his smallpox and anthrax shots and the image of him standing in our kitchen packing his gas mask still gave me chills.

Once again their voices invaded my thoughts.
"It is all about oil, you know. Our military will go in and rape and pillage and steal all the oil they can in the name of freedom. I wonder how many innocent lives our soldiers will take without a thought? It is just pure greed."

My chest tightened and I stared at my wedding ring. I could picture how handsome my husband was in his mess dress the day he slipped it on my finger. I wondered what he was wearing at that moment. He probably had on his desert uniform, affectionately dubbed coffee stains, over the top of which he wore a heavy bulletproof vest.

"We should just leave Iraq alone. I don't think they are hiding any weapons. I think it is all a ploy to increase the president's popularity and pad the budget of our military at the expense of social security and education. We are just asking for another 9-11 and I can't say when it happens again that we didn't deserve it."

Their words brought to mind the war protesters I had watched gathering outside our base. Did no one appreciate the sacrifice of brave men and women who leave their homes and family to ensure our freedom? I glimpsed at the tables around me and saw the faces of some of those courageous men, looking sad as they listened to the ladies talk.

"Well I for one, think it is a travesty to invade Iraq and I am certainly sick of our tax dollars going to train the professional baby killers we call a military."

Professional baby killers? As I thought about what a wonderful father my husband is and wondered how long it would be before he was able to see his children again, indignation rose up within me. Normally reserved, pride in my husband gave me a boldness I had never known. Tonight, one voice would cry out on behalf of the military. One shy woman would stand and let her pride in our troops be known. I made my way to their table, placed my palms flat on it and lowered myself to be eye level with them. Smiling I said, "I couldn't help overhearing your conversation. I am sitting over here trying to enjoy my dinner alone. Do you know why I am alone? Because my husband, whom I love dearly, is halfway across the world defending your right to say rotten things about him. You have the right to your opinion, and what you think is none of my business, but what you say in my hearing is and I will not sit by and listen to you run down my country, my president, my husband, and all these other fine men and women in here who put their lives on the line to give you the freedom to complain. Freedom is expensive ladies, don't let your actions cheapen
it."

I must have been louder than I meant to be, because about that time the manager came over and asked if everything was all right. "Yes thank you." I replied and then turned back to the ladies, "Enjoy the rest of your meal."

To my surprise, as I sat down to finish my steak, a round of applause broke out in the restaurant. Not long after the ladies picked up their check and scurried away, the manager brought me a huge helping of apple cobbler and ice cream, compliments of the table to my left. He told me that the ladies had tried to pay for my dinner, but someone had beaten them to it. When I asked who he said the couple had already left, but that the man had mentioned he was a WWII vet and wanted to take care of the wife of one of our boys.

I turned to thank the soldiers for the cobbler, but they wouldn't hear a word of it, retorting, "Thank you, you said what we wanted to say but weren't allowed."

As I drove home that night, for the first time in while, I didn't feel quite so alone. My heart was filled with the warmth of all the patrons who had stopped by my table to tell me they too were proud of my husband and that he would be in their prayers. I knew their flags would fly a little higher the next day. Perhaps they would look for tangible ways to show their pride in our country and our troops, and maybe, just maybe, the two ladies sitting at that table next to me would pause for a minute to appreciate all the freedom this great country offers and what it costs to maintain. As for me, I had learned that one voice can make a difference. Maybe the next time protestors gather outside the gates of the base where I live, I will proudly stand across the street with a sign of my own. A sign that says "Thank you!"
-(Lori Kimble, the writer of the article, is a frequent contributor
of commentaries for the Washington Dispatch, is a 31 year old teacher and proud
military wife. She is a California native currently living in Alabama.)

This story has got me to thinking. Thinking about how important it is to support our troops. What do YOU do when you see a soldier? Do you smile? Do you nod? Do you wave? What is too much? What is not enough? There is a simple answer here. "Thank you." That's it. A lot is said with those two little words.

Let's not forget to show our gratitude. Our honor. And our Thanks.

Day 16: I Wish...

Well, its another week going by. Today I was thinking about all the things I wish could happen today.

• I wish that I could feel better. I have been sick for about 4 days.
• I wish that my tax return would hit my bank faster.
• I wish that my daughter's science project would just finish itself.
• I wish that my boss would give me the rest of the week off.

But most of all I WISH my husband could just come home, even if for one hour.

I would just like to see him. Its amazing how much you take for granted when you are with your husbands and wives everyday. Wives get annoyed because they have to pick up a wet towel, or that they have to make what their husbands want for dinner. Husbands lose their patience because their wives want to talk all the time, or go to buy yet another pair of shoes. But honestly, be thankful for what you have.

I found this little poem about being a military wife:

The Military Wife

The military wife is a special individual.

When she was a girl, her dreams were bold, as bold as her fine, free gaze; And every gift of grace and mind was hers in her younger days. When she was a girl, a golden girl, with a soul as fine as fire. She could outshine the brightest jewel that a rich man's love might buy her. Yes hers could have been the glittering path through a careless, carefree life. But she fell in love with an soldier, so she became a military wife.

Away from the home of her childhood she marched at her husband's side. For she chose a wide and winding road when she became a bride. And sometimes the road was a hard one, so different from what she had planned; And sometimes she wept for the home she had left as she lay in a foreign land; And sometimes her steps would grow weary as she followed the drum and the fife; But she set about making the world her home because she was a military wife.

She learned to build a hearth for them wherever her man was sent; And she knelt to plant a garden every time he pitched their tent. Yes, she always planted a garden though she never saw it grow, For she knew before the flowers came that she would have to go. But she left each garden gladly though it cut her like a knife,For she hoped it might bring some comfort to another military wife.

To the hardships in her married life she brought one simple truth, A promise that once was spoken in the ancient words of Ruth:"Wherever you go, I will go. Wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Thy people shall be my people and thy God shall be my God."She shared his joys and sorrows as they made their way through life, For she was proud to love a soldier and to be a military wife.

She bore the weight of worrying what fate might hold in store; And the wordless fear of waiting when her soldier went to war; And the nights that she spent fearing that her waiting was in vain; And the pain of wanting someone she might never hold again. But she bore his children gladly through uncertainty and strife, And they never heard her crying for she was a military wife.

She raised a military family with the faith her love had taught her; And she gave the pride she had inside to her son and to her daughter; And she taught them to love freedom and to know what it was worth, As they helped her plant her gardens in the corners of the earth. And she never wished for better than the road they marched through life. Because she was as much a soldier as she was a military wife.
– Author Unknown

Day 13: The Bamboo, The Dance, and Pics from Iraq

Well we have made it to day 13. Almost 2 weeks already. I'm not going to lie and say it's been easy for us, but we are making it. Thank God. We've had a couple of rocky days here. First, Valentine's Day happened. That was a tough one for me, with all the lovey-dovey advertisements on the TV.

But thanks to my thoughful husband, who left me a beautiful bamboo on my front doorstep, it got better. Attached was this note: "I love you! Keep this away from the cat. Love -D."

Now you, the reader, who is not familar with my household, or my cat, may wonder... Let me say this. I've got a cat, whom I rescued shortly after those huge hurricanes swept through Florida and made their way over to New Orleans. She was tiny, black and ohhh so cute. Notice the word: was. Oh.. she's still black. That's about it. Her name is Bella. That is short for Belladonna. Yes, the poison. She likes to think she runs the house. She doesn't care who gets in her way, if she wants it, she gets it.

Now... this lovely bamboo my husband just got me is not the first bamboo my husband has sent me from a deployment. When we first moved to Florida, he was called away on a deployment shortly after we moved into our house there. He sent me a bamboo, just because, with a note that says, "Just something to get us started in the new place. I hope this will grow like our love has. I love you always. Love -D." (And yes, my sappy self has kept this note..hehe) It came in a beautiful chinese vase, and was tiny little bamboo stalks, with tiny little leaves. Well it grew. And grew. It was full and green...until...we got the cat. She ate it. All of it. Nothing but bare stalks left. I was so sad, that I cried. I kept trying to revive it, because it meant so much to me, but I finally gave up in defeat.

Have I got the best husband in the world or what?! He got me a new one for Valentine's Day. He could have gotten me a stuffed bear or a bunch of roses, but he remembered that bamboo and gave me a new one, and even a bigger one! Here let me show you.

My Valentine's Bamboo

Ok, also this week, my daughter had her first middle school dance. Doesn't seem possible somehow. Sometimes I have to say to myself, "Yes Mom, she really is 11." ... So Friday was the big day. I spent all night Thursday running around looking for the "right" dress for her to go to it. She could have worn jeans, or any outfit she already had, but for her first dance? No way! So we got the dress, the shoes, a sweater and even a matching necklace. I am thankful that my girl isn't like some of the girls I see out there. You know the ones... the 11 year olds going on 18. My girl is 11. I couldn't be more thankful for that. Also, my girl has a heart of gold. She went with this boy in her class that she has made friends with. A lot of the other kids tear this boy down because of his differences, my girl holds him up and reminds him of his strengths. I couldn't be prouder of her because of that. She also defends him. She was telling me a story about a boy at the dance who tried to be mean, my girl got in his face and told him to go away. And he did. What my girl lacks in size, she more than makes up in spirit. Let me show you how cute she looked before we left for the dance..(psst...Grandmas, if you right click on the pictures you can save them to your computer...)

Miss N. giving me the model pose before the dance.

After we got to the school, I met her dance partner, and his father. Really nice people. Sometimes I'm so impressed with the simple things. I was very impressed by his father. A really big guy, but very soft spoken, and from what I could tell, soft hearted. And it was torturing him as much as me, to send his boy to the dance. hehe Well let me show you a couple of pictures of them together.

Not to be outdone by his sister, Z also got his picture taken before the dance... here it is:

This is Z saying,
"Miss you Daddy!"

Yesterday was a little tough too. I wanted to take the kids to the movies, so I tried to get online to see movie times, only to not be able to. I was on the phone with technical support for over an hour, for them to tell me in the end that it was a city-wide problem and would be fixed within 24 hours. (Sigh) So, I took the kids to the new movie The Spiderwick Chronicles. It would have been a fairly good movie, minus the crying babies and bratty kids. Doesn't anyone respect anyone, anymore? If ever I went to a movie and my kids were whining, I would LEAVE the theatre.... But no, these people stayed, and I think I missed a good 30 min of the movie. So, I was stressed out, and we still had to go grocery shopping after the movie. And we were going all right until checkout, where we dropped a bottle of soda. A glass bottle... and it went everwhere. After that my nerves were shot. And if I could of had a hug, it would have been heaven.

But today is a new day. And I'm good. The kids are good.

I even got some pics from D. Let me show you...

As I get more of them, I'll post them.

But now, I think its time to go do something with the kiddlets and do my best to enjoy my day. And as always, I remind you to pray for our troops. And pray also for our military familes.

Day 11: Wasn't I just talking about this???

Its getting late here on Day 11, in a couple hours it will actually be Day 12. Not much is going on, the kids are finally asleep, after consuming a truckload of candy. My daughter had her Valentine's Day dance tonight at the middleschool, and I'll have pictures of her and her date on tomorrow's post. I was getting the photos all cropped down and ready for that, when I thought I'd look at the news. Yahoo usually has quick snip-it news stories on video.....And I came across a news story about how the USO is having trouble getting entertainers.... and wasn't I just talking about that????

Check out the video: http://www.news.yahoo.com/page/uso_tours

So... I guess I wasn't the only one who noticed this. There might be hope for the media after all...

Day 10: Happy Valentine's Day!!

The History of Valentine's Day

Saint Valentine discovered a unique type of love. A love so exciting, so powerful, so overwhelming as to make the romance of Romeo and Juliet look like puppy love, and the affairs of Josephine and Napoleon, Anthony and Cleopatra, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor look second rate.

He lived in Rome during the third century. At that time, Rome was ruled by an emperor named Claudius. Emperor Claudius, was never a favorite of the people of Rome, nor Saint Valentine.
Claudius wanted to have a big army and he expected men to volunteer to join. Not many men signed up. Many men just did not want to fight in war, they did not want to leave their wives and families. This made Claudius furious. The Emperor thought that if men were not married, they would not mind joining the army. So, Claudius decided not to allow any more marriages. Young people thought his new law was cruel. Saint Valentine thought it was preposterous!

Saint Valentine, being a Priest, loved to marry couples. Even after Emperor Claudius passed his law, he kept on performing marriage ceremonies secretly. Usually it would be in a small candlelit room with only the bride, the groom and St.Valentine. They would whisper the words of the ceremony, listening all the while for the steps of soldiers.

One night, while performing the wedding ceremony St.Valentine heard the sound of the steps of soldiers. He made the marrying couple run in time but he, himself was caught. He was thrown in jail and told that his punishment was death.

While in prison he tried to stay cheerful and many young people came to the jail to visit him. They gave him flowers to show that they, too, believed in love.

One of these young people was the daughter of the prison guard. Her father allowed her to visit him in the cell. At times they would sit and talk for hours. On the day he was to die, he left his friend a little note thanking her for her friendship and loyalty. He signed it, "Love from your Valentine."

This note was written on February 14, 269 A.D. It is believed that this note started the custom of exchanging love messages on Valentine's Day. Now, every year on this day, people think about love and friendship. And when they think of Emperor Claudius, they remember how he tried to stand in the way of love.

With the help of Saint Valentine we remember that love can't be beaten!

Day 9: Our Story

Well, Valentine's Day is of course tomorrow. You should see all the lost men in the candy aisle in Walmart.. It's almost funny. (I had to go in and get a bag of candy for Z's. V-day party at school.) I watched this poor young guy walk up and down the same aisle at least 8 times, pick up the same baskets, and put them down again. He was still there when I left with my little gifts for my kids and my candy. Jeez ladies, do we put a lot of pressure on these men or what?!

Oh, and I did hear from D. today. Poor guy. He's really miserable. So, if you are reading this, and you know my husband, and even if you don't, please put up a little prayer for him. He has some big decisions he has to make. I pray that he has a clear path. On a side note, he did get some good medication for his ankle, and now is not in so much pain. Thank God for that.

And he says that I should be receiving a package on my doorstep tomorrow. I wonder what it is??? I can't wait. I also sent him a package, I wonder how long it takes to get to him....

Ok, in honor of Valentine's Day, and me feeling sentimental, I am going to talk about my husband's and my story. Keep in mind that I am not a novelist, nor a poet.

D. and I met sometime around September 1995. The postage and shipping store I was working for set up a little kiosk in the local mall. We were gearing up for the Christmas season. Across from my little stall was a specialty knife store. You know the kind... they sell medival swords, chess sets, and an odd assortment of whatnots. Well, D. was working at this store. He had a jovial co-worker named Deanne.

I will never forget Deanne. Deanne was the kind of person that could make you laugh just by looking at you. (Well at least that's what always happened to me.) She was happily married and I guess always trying to be the matchmaker.

I honestly never knew D. existed. He was just some guy that worked in the store. I went in there a couple of times, I knew him by name, but I never really thought one way or another about him, other than he was a nice guy. But Deanne had other ideas, and I'm guessing D. did too.

Deanne was always trying to get me to come over to their store. She would ask me where I live, and what I was studying in college; it was always a constant 20 questions with her. Unknown to me, I think she was relaying this information to D. Well, somehow I started talking to D. more, when I found out we had more in common. And I started to notice he had the most amazing molten copper colored eyes. He also was attending a bible college, played guitar, and had a funny, almost British, sense of humor. Which were all things I liked, and still do.

So, one day, as I was getting ready to go back to my kiosk and get ready for my next shift, he blurts out, "Do you like concerts?". I said I did. He wasn't really sure of himself, but he said he knew of a church that was having a concert in their basement and to get in you had to bring a can of food, for the hungry. And would I go with him? Not really thinking much of it, I told him I would go. He told me the time and date of the concert, and we went back to work.

Fast forward to the day of the concert. He used to drive this little Ford Escort. (He is soo going to kill me for saying all this, lol) This little car was a piece of crap! (oh, come on honey, you know it was). It was white, with blue vinyl seats and blue carpet on the floors. It smelled like old shoes. If you cranked the windows extra hard, they might come down. The headliner was also blue, and torn in several places. This car was not the total dream car for a guy trying to impress a girl, let me tell you. To this day, I will never forget that car, so I guess it made some sort of impression, right??

For this concert we had to go into the bigger city and go to a church I had never been to. I was excited to see the show, but I was worried too. So we walk into these double doors, drop our canned food into these bins and walk down the stairs into this blue youth room. There are people milling around, and I don't see anyone I know. Then all of sudden I see someone from my old church youth group, so I walk over to say hello. And lo and behold the whole clan is there! I hadn't seen these guys since I moved from my small town to go work for the shipping place. They are all around me asking me what I was up to, and who was this guy with me, and question after question. D. is just standing there. I introduce him to everyone, and D. was jealous of all the guys talking to me. (He said years later I was like some queen holding court).I didn't even think about that, I was just so happy to see everyone. Even after the concert, he was trying to usher me out of the basement quickly, before they all started talking to me again... lol

So, on the drive home we started talking about who we really were. At one point, I remember him saying to me, "You know, you really are a strange girl." I of course thought this was funny, because it was not the first time someone had said that to me. He took me home. And after that we talked on the phone for hours almost everyday. And after a while I figured out that I couldn't live without him.

We ended up getting married Oct 13 1997. Shortly after we got married, he left for basic training. So now ten years later, I've learned a lot about what love is, and what it should be. Things have been wonderful for us. Things have been rocky for us. In the ten years, the thing that I hold on to the most is that I know that no matter where he goes, and no matter what he does, he loves me. And I love him.

So, in honor of Valentine's Day tomorrow. I just wanted to share this little story. Maybe it will make him smile. It sure did for me.

Day 7: The USO (part 2)

Well we've made it through the first week. Doesn't really seem like much of a milestone, considering the time we have left, but for me, it is. Not much has happened in the week, other than the normal deployment adjustments. Dad's gone; so the kids try to strut their stuff. I'm pretty good at keeping things under control, though. The kids don't really know how to act, they just miss their dad. It will get better with time.

I did get their report cards. So far both kids are doing great school-wise, with A's and B's across the board. N. still has her science project to do, but has changed her mind and wants to do some sort of fossil project. Her teacher thought her bug idea wasn't complex enough. Z. is doing alright, but I think he is having a tougher time with his dad gone, and will take more time to adjust.

And I did hear from D. From what I can tell, he is working non-stop. And he has to share a trailer with a guy who snores. Thankfully he is on a different shift, but being stuck with a snoring roommate can't be fun. He's working so much that phone calls and emails come sparingly. Down-time doesn't exist there. They even have to wear their uniforms 24/7.

That's why organizations like the USO are so important. Soldiers separated from families and friends and even basic American culture, need to connect with what's going on at home.

Unfornately I've come across some websites and blogs discussing American stars who refused to do USO shows for Iraq. Always the optomist, I am hoping it was a conflict of scheduling and not as a political statement. However, I find that difficult to believe in some cases. Take Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn, neither of whom I found as refusing to go; I didn't find any soldier support whatsoever. Instead, they have staged hunger-strike style rallies with sometime actor/activist Danny Glover. Now, tell me....how does fasting for 24 hours bring the troops home? Perhaps, they should put their money where their mouth is and donate time and energy and maybe a little bit of green for returning wounded soldiers, families who've lost a loved one, or maybe to the USO who provides stations of comfort in many different places for soldiers, at home and abroad. Staging a hunger-strike makes a spectacular media stunt, unfortunately, it does nothing real for the troops.

But I digress. And I'm sorry if I offend anyone with this post. I am just a humble military wife who gets angry at the lack of real support for our troops.

Following the Sept. 11 attacks, some of the biggest names in show business jumped at the chance to entertain our troops. Jennifer Lopez and Brad Pitt just to name a couple. What we have today, is a far cry from that. "After 9/11 we couldn't have had enough airplanes for the people who were volunteering to go," Wayne Newton, the Las Vegas crooner who succeeded Bob Hope as head of USO's talent recruiting effort, told USA Today. "Now with 9/11 being as far removed as it is, the war being up one day and down the next, it becomes increasingly difficult to get people to go." Newton goes on to question the reason that celebrities have been afraid to go in that that it might be seen that they are endorsing the war. "And I say it's not. I tell them these men and women are over there because our country sent them, and we have the absolute necessity to try to bring them as much happiness as we can" ,says Newton.









"Mr. Vegas, Wayne Newton performs at a USO show.


And that my friends, is the point.

Ok, so Iraq is a country at war. Perhaps they have legitimate fear. "They're scared," country singer Craig Morgan, who was in Iraq on the USO's Hope and Freedom Tour 2005, told USA Today. "It's understandable. It's not a safe and fun place and a lot of people don't want to take the chance." But I challange that by saying, on a base with thousands of soldiers, where are you any more safe than that?

One blogger wrote something that puts this fear into perspective:" I suppose the stars of today consider themselves too good, and their political views too important to sully themselve by joining the ranks of Bob Hope, Bing Crosby and Marlene Dietrich. Dangerous? Dietrich was a German refugee -- what do you think would have happened to her if the Nazi's had captured her -- and do you think she didn't know that?"

And also this quote: And scared? Please! If it is safe enough for our troops, I am sure they will be safe enough. If Bob Hope could do it, so can they!

Some of the entertainers still willing to travel are die-hard true believers - rock musician Ted Nugent carried a Glock handgun to shows in Iraq and said in a radio interview that he manned a machine gun on a Humvee. But many of the USO's regular performers are fierce critics of the war, among them the comic and star Robin Williams, who told USA Today, "I'm there for the [troops], not for W," he said in a reference to the president. "Go, man. You won't forget it. You'll meet amazing people," is his message to stars that ask him about the tours. Other critics of the war who regularly perform include the leftwing comedian Al Franken, and the punk legend and actor Henry Rollins, one of the Bush administrations most vocal critics.








Robin Williams clowns around with the troops.








Al Franken and on a visit to Iraq.






Henry Rollins poses with service members.


From the USO website FAQ page, the question is asked, How do entertainers get selected to tour with the USO?" The answer: If a performer has charted on Billboard or has a name that is universally recognized, he/she has probably been contacted by the USO. Political views don't play a role in determining who is part of a show, Powell (President of The USO) said. "We don't recruit based on politics. We recruit based on requests from the soldiers of who they want to see."

Once a die-hard Democrat, Toby Keith said he no longer affiliates himself with political parties as much as he associates himself with being American. Ever since events of Sept. 11, 2001, Keith decided it wasn’t about politics.“I’m here to support America and I’m here to support the Armed Forces,” Keith said. “Politically, I’m not educated enough on the issues to know why we came here (to Iraq), but it doesn’t matter to me. I go wherever American military families and troops are to try and give something back to them.”

“From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank every one of you for my freedom and for putting your life on the line for me,”Keith said. "Everybody who wears the uniform is a warrior for me. My family gets to lay their head down every night and sleep in Disneyland because of what you do. American troops should never have to think for one second America as a whole is not behind them.”





Toby Keith with a crowd of soldiers.


Powell said he followed Robin Williams down a line of servicemembers as the comedian left Baghdad in 2003, three weeks after Bush had been there for Thanksgiving. Powell overheard a reporter asking a soldier to compare Williams' visit with Bush's.
Powell said the soldier replied: "The president's visit was really cool, but you know, sir, he had to come. And Robin Williams didn't.""And that," Powell said, "is the point."


So, not that I'll know any stars. Not that I'll influence them either. But I encourage them from a distance to see beyond the Rebublican and Democrat issues of their Hollywood careers, and see the real issue of the people. Some of the greatest fans in the world are in need of some morale. So, give your time, your energy, and maybe a little green.

Support your soldiers. They are Americans just like you and me.

Day 5: The USO (part 1)

Not much going on around here today; 5 days into the deployment. 8am and N. is happily playing Thrillville: Off the Rails, on the XBOX. Z. is playing a game on his daddy's computer. Me, I'm just pulling together today's post. I might take the kids to a cheap dollar movie, or play some video games myself. It's all about keeping busy. This is the first weekend, and I don't have work to distract me and make time fly. I just need one day to float into the next....

I imagine that is what it is like in Iraq for the men and women there. Wanting one day to float into the next so they can come home and see their loved ones.

To make things easier on the troops, the USO (United Services Organization), puts together shows of celebs and stars to entertain the troops, since its beginning in 1941. President Franklin Roosevelt asked six organizations --the YMCA, the YWCA, National Catholic Community Service, National Jewish Welfare Board, Traveler's Aid Association and The Salvation Army--to come together to help boost troop morale, and together they formed the USO. Congress charted it as a non profit organization, and every president since FDR has been an honory chairman.

Of all the benefactors, none has been bigger than Bob Hope. From his first radio show at California's March Field in 1941, to last show in Bahrain for Operation Desert Storm, at the age of 87, Bob Hope was the USO.

Hope wouldn't fully recognize today's shows by the USO, which is trying to update how it entertains the troops. Performances from 50 cent, Kid Rock, and various Country Music artists, have boosted moral. The USO now even gives some leeway to comedians who use more "colorful" language. But it all is for the same reason. For the troops. And the troops appriciate it.

"It really helps getting through all the stressful times in Baghdad", says one soldier.

I've found some good USO footage of stars who have made their way over there. I'll show you just a bit of what our soldiers enjoy:

From: Toby Keith

From: Kid Rock

(warning: has some of that "colorful" language I was talking about, but a good show)

WWE Superstars



And even some lesser known folks have gone over, like Kellie Pickler (country singer who appeared on American Idol), who sings with this member of the US Air Force:



The band Drowing Pool even made a music video of one of their songs based on their trip to Iraq (loud song, you may want to turn your volume down, but has great footage of Iraq):


(several of the videos above have links to other shows you can see)

But Drowing Pool makes a great point with their song. This is for the Soldiers! In my search for USO information, I came across some of stars that have refused to go to Iraq to participate in the USO shows. I'll have more on that in The USO (part 2).

But for now, I remind you to keep the soldiers in your thoughts and prayers. May God bring you all home safe!

Day 3: So What's There To Do?

So, three days have gone by since D. left. We are doing fine so far, with no real problems. Z. had his dogtag taken away in class. I guess he was playing with it and his teacher took it. I hope she gives it back. N. is doing alright too. She has a science project coming up, and wants to do an experiment about prehistoric bugs caught in amber and how that helps scientists see how life was like in the time of the dinosaurs. Which is all well and good, until she told me she needs a real dead bug. Ewww. Ohh the joys of middleschool science projects... This will keep us busy for a while.

But, what's there to do at Camp Victory?

This one just made me laugh.

Camp Victory, even though the sprawling base near Baghdad International Airport is the headquarters for the U.S. military in Iraq, I've read where some soldiers call it "Campus Victory". Soldiers mill about fast food joints, waiting for Pizza Hut--which serves about 500 pizzas a day-- to call their orders over the blare of pop music. The Subway sandwich shop next door has about 400 customers a day. There is a Popeye's, Burger King and a Taco Bell too. The PX sells anything from candy bars to televisions. Manicures are available at a beauty parlor, there are pools to take a swim or play a little water volleyball, and soldiers can go and surf the internet at an Internet Cafe. Most ignore the explosions that periodically rumble in the distance.

A little pool fun at Camp Victory

Better living conditions are a part of efforts to keep soldiers happy who spend more time beside their fellow soldiers than they spend at home with their wives and children. The efforts are appriciated by most. "Taking a swim. Surfing the Internet. And I'm getting paid for this?", said one soldier.

On January 12th 2005 the Army and Air Force Exchange Service opened a new bazaar to "provide more shopping for soldiers, but also to help Iraq take another step forward in the rebuilding of the country," said Dan Tompkins, AAFES Iraq vice president. "This bazaar represents a historic moment; this facility was planned, coordinated, financed and built by the Iraqi vendors," said Tompkins. "These entrepreneurs represent the future of Iraq - men who will not yield to the terrorists and will bring Iraq into the brotherhood of democracies."
The all-Iraqi bazaar has more than 70 vendors selling everything from local perfumes to Iraqi souvenirs. Many of the vendors sell items that are unique to Iraq and provide soldiers an opportunity to buy a true souvenir without having to go outside of the camp. Shoppers can find items such as stained glass, handcrafted art, paintings, electronics, hardware items, custom made leather goods, Iraqi jewelry and footwear.

There are organized baseball, basketball and even rugby games. There is a cinema that shows movies. Basically Camp Victory seems to have all the ameneties of home.

Baseball game in Iraq

So, what's not great about Camp Victory?

Sand storm rising up.

Dust. Sand Storms.
Check out this video I found.

Keep in mind, Sand storms aren't really dangerous, just dusty, really dusty.

No Greenery.

This soldier had his wife send him some grass seed!

And lets not forget the separation from families.

A soldier hugs his family goodbye.

A soldier has his duty to defend our country here and abroad. We honor that duty as a military family. May God bless them all. We love you!

Day 1: On To Victory

Today is our first full day without D. He left yesterday. It was a rough day for all of us. There was a big meeting where we were able to say our goodbyes, then the guys and gals loaded up on buses and rode out to meet the plane, and we went home. Its tough to know that Dan won't be home with us for what could be 15 months. There should be some break time mid-deployment, and maybe here and there along the way. We will be looking forward to those breaks!

We love you honey!

Ok, for those of you wondering what Camp Victory looks like, or how safe it is, I leave you with some photos and info. Camp Victory is a base just outside Baghdad proper. The compound, once a palace of the Hussein regime, is now in coalition hands, full of thousands of soldiers and civilians all working to restore the Iraqi government. At the center of the compound is Al Faw palace, erected in tribute to a 1988 Iraqi army victory. (See sign below: you can barely make out the dedication sign) Al Faw is a huge sandstone structure, larger than most city blocks, sitting on a small island, and surrounded by lake water, with a bridge leading up to the palace doors.

Dedication Sign In Al Faw Palace

Leading up to the palace are several abandoned guard towers. They once guarded the inhabitants of the palace, but now stand empty.








Guard Tower Outside the Palace

Going up to the palace doors, you pass by massive stone pilars. Covered walkways lead down alongside the building. In front, the palace doors, which are 12 feet high, stand permanently open. To get into the palace you proceed through a round-about door, built to keep the cool air inside and the elements outside.










Walkways Around The Palace


Just inside the palace is the rotunda, a large marble foyer with a huge chandelier hanging in the middle. Spiral staircases on either side of the room raise up 3 stories. At each story is a balcony surrounding the room, allowing you to see the polished marble and the chandelier below. Multi-colored woodwork covers the celing along with dangling light fixtures. (One blog I read described it like willow branches hanging from the ceiling).












Marble Floors and Chandelier Inside The Palace



This palace, once a place where only few could go during the days of Sadam, now is an office building, where military and civilian workers, who are separated for their homes and families, struggle to make Iraq a safer place to live. (For more pictures go check out: http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/victory_camp-iraq )


Ok, some of you want to know what life will be like for D. Well, it will be hot and dusty for the most part. Just take a look at this thermometer! Yowzer!










Hot!!

I have found a couple of different pictures of living quarters at Camp Victory. I'll put them both, because I don't know yet which he will have.

Well that's the basics of Camp Victory. I will have more later about the life of a soldier and what there is to do for fun at Camp Victory, later. What I can't find on the web, Dan will tell me. I hope you guys are liking this blog, it is sure helping me to stay connected with the idea of this deployment. I hope it helps you all connect to.