Shout-Outs

Every month or so, the Brigade posts shout-outs from down range.


I watch them.  I look for Gunner.  He's never there.


On FB the other day I wrote:
ABW:  Before I have to be thoroughly depressed that I watch another series of "shout-outs" and you aren't on there, let me know if you ever do one!


Gunner:  Like a camera crew is going to give up their safety to come out to my little chunk of the war.


I should give up, but I noticed they posted a new one.  


I watched it, and no matter what, even if I don't know the guys, they still get me.  I think of all the people left behind.  All the people spending Christmas without their Soldier this year.  It just makes me sad.


But then they post the "bloopers" and I laugh and laugh.  


So....does your brigade, unit, or whatever you want to call it do the shout-outs?  Has your husband ever done one?  I thought for sure after 5 years away from us, someone would want to tape him!


Funny story, before we had yahoo and instant messanger, when the guys lived in tents during the deployment in 2003, they used to video tape the families at the company.  The girls were 5 and 2, and we got two minutes to talk to the video camera and then clear out for the next family to tape their message.


I showed up with Em and Abs in full dressup garb (their idea).....complete with boas.  Once the taping started, we were at a loss as to what to do for two minutes, so I decided that they should sing the ABC's.  


I'm holding them, one on each leg, boas fully visible, and the singing begins.


A B C D....the girls are sharing the ONE microphone.
EFGHIJ.....the girls are starting to fight over the microphone.
KLMONP....the war has begun.
QRSTUV.....the feathers from the boas are now flying around us as I try to grab the microphone and continue singing.
WXY and Z....the war begins again, I'm grabbing the microphone, feathers still flying, both girls screaming, me singing, and we end with me begging for him to return.


Gunner said he had never laughed so hard in his life.  He wasn't looking for the perfect message, but he did catch a glimpse of his "perfect" family.

Sixteen Years

That's how long the Army Gunner and I have been married, today.

SIXTEEN!  That's almost longer than I lived at home!

We started at Fort Hood, then to Germany, to Fort Lewis, WA, to Fort Hood, then to Fort Carson, CO.

We had three children along the way (one at each duty station, so Gunner wised up and at this place we adopted a dog).

We are on our FIFTH year long deployment, although this last one will be cut short a few months due to his retirement.

We've lost all of our grandparents, and my dad.

I won't even count the number of times he went to the field, JRTC, TDY, or to NTC during our married life.

We've traveled.

We've laughed.

We've cried.

We've made it work.

I'm lucky to have found him on a chance meeting.  

I'm lucky he called the next day--he asked for my number, and I gave it to him, but told him that he couldn't say my name correctly, I would hang up.  Not only did he call exactly when he said he would (a man after my heart), but he pronounced my name correctly.  Whew.

I'm lucky that he loves me. 

(But he better admit, he's pretty damn lucky too!)

Thanks Gunner for a great start with the Army, and a great future WITHOUT THE ARMY!!!

All I Want for Christmas

Well besides a non-crappy school, which would be totally opposite of the CRAPPY one they go to now....(more on that later)...

I'd like:

I went into Target and asked for this type of underwear and she couldn't believe that anyone would make it or wear it.  She obviously didn't workout!

I definitely need some of this soap:

ETSY can be my downfall some days.  I managed to find dog holiday butt covers.  Really?

I need a new tea kettle:

If you can throw in an educational attorney for me to fight the idiots at Ab's school, that would really be a blessing.  Cause apparently people that are less educated than me think that they can decide my child's future with their poor judgement.

If that doesn't work, I'll take:

a week vacation sans everyone.  I had a friend that vacationed at a monastery that didn't allow talking.  I want to go there.

A massage.

A pedicure.

A break.

A case of Two Buck Chuck.

A garage cleaning service.

Gunner home.

A girl can dream can't she?

Disgusted

That's how I feel when I read what people have written about the Sears Heroes at Home Gift Registry, on facebook.

It's a program that they run, people donate, and gift cards are sent out to people who registered and qualified for the program.

They don't have to do it.  It's not something you should count on for Christmas.  It sure as heck doesn't let you bad mouth Sears or the program just because you didn't get it.

Really, they won't have a Christmas this year?  Do you plan ahead?  Have you contacted your FRG?  There are tons of programs put on by organizations that supply Christmas presents to military families that need help.  Operation Homefront does a huge program too.

Most of the comments on facebook have been removed by the administrator of the page, but it was one wife after another bad mouthing anything and everything related to it.  Then there were those that complained because they didn't get as much money as last year on the first gift card, and they were pissed.  Really?

It's an embarrassment.  It's sad to say, but I hope that Sears does away with the program, because why should people give money to support the families when so many are sniveling little bitches?  Get a job, an education, and take care of your own families people, and quit complaining about what YOU think you are entitled to.

To Sears, thank you for making this program happen, taking the time, energy and money to run the program (which can't be easy with all those sniveling little people calling all the time and bitching), and for making some military families life easier for providing this program.  I for one appreciate all that you do to support the troops.

I'm in a crappy mood tonight, can you tell?

Regrouping

I ordered more presents, but have yet to wrap one.  I did have a friend that offered to come over and wrap with me, while we drink wine.  That I might be able to handle!

I hired an advocate so I can work towards getting an IEP for my Abs.

Junior wore underwear to hourly care this morning and stayed dry.  (Cross your fingers and everything else that you can!)

I started addressing Christmas cards.

The house is clean.

I did my crossfit today.

It's 66 degrees and I am in a tshirt and sandals.  Heaven.

I have a Christmas party to go to tonight, and while I have no desire to go, I am trying to talk myself into it.

I'll overlook that there are piles of laundry in the hallway upstairs, that I pulled the front of a drawer off of the shrunk, and that the girls start Christmas break this friday until January 5th.  (Seems awfully long to me!)

We have snow possibly coming in a few days, my mom might visit after Christmas, and while the school wants to argue with me over the law, our new advocate helped write the law and is ready to go to bat for Abs.

I've decided that my outlook always changes on Monday because I put Junior in hourly and have my workout and some time to myself.  I'm never productive, but that's okay, every once in a while we need to regroup.