Happy Birthday My Love!!!

Happy Birthday My Love!!!

We have not been together much for holidays and birthdays in the physical sense but we are always together in spirit. I know you are anxious to get on the plane and return home to us. I love you so much baby and wish you a happy birthday. You will be home in just a few days and we can celebrate together.

38 years young, you just get better looking every year. I love you baby!!!!

Michael's 13th Birthday

I reflect on my oldest. I'm amazed at how much he has grown over the past year. He went from child to young man. He has young girls interested in him. He seems so grown. I read things that he writes and I wonder where my little boy has gone. You know, I remember how I wanted to protect him and save him from the world. I realize as he gets older I try harder. Realizing that he could venture from the nest in just 5 years is terrifying. The world is so scary these days, I can't imagine what it is going to be like when he ventures out on his own.

Michael is goodness. He is such a beautiful spirit. He's great with kids. He is my giggle monster. Sometimes I just say silly things to make him giggle. I love it. He still kisses me and hugs me. He's not ashamed...yet.

I want to allow him to spread his wings yet keep him close enough to protect him.

Happy 13th Birthday Michael, we love you!

Camping Fun

Over spring break we went camping with our church ward. We had a lot of fun. We invited some friends along and just had a simple night of fun. We roasted hot dogs over the open fire and had smores later that night.

I think our ward was blessed to hear our friend Danielle sing. She has an amazing voice. She blessed us with her rendition of "God Bless America", I was almost in tears as she sang, it was so touching.

We didn't get too many pics since we were having fun but we got a few snapped.

5:00 p.m.

Houston Rodeo 2009 Salute to Our Military Part 2

So after our short bus ride to the stadium, we were dropped off and we headed off to see the American Widow Project RV. I've seen it in pics but it was pretty cool up close and personal. To see the many names of our Fallen was just amazing.

Jeremy E. King C Troop 8-10 Cavalry
SGT Jose Gomez and SFC Bryant Herlem, HHT 8-10 Cavalry

SGT Brandon Teeters B Troop 8-10 Cavalry

CPT James Funkhouser

The front of the bus
Nita finding Bryant's name
A side view of the RVA group shot of the AWP gals and the Diamond and Dollars ladies

After visiting the RV, we headed to find the concert that was being held in honor of our military. The USO sponsered it and we were lucky to listen to some great music. It was a real treat when Mr. Wayne Newton came out on stage and spoke some great words. He didn't sing but his words were touching. What a great man.USO's Main Man, Mr. Wayne Newton

The other three remaining singers were all men who had served previously in the military. Two Soldiers and a Marine. It was pretty awesome.
Soldier turned Singer Cliff HudsonMarine turned Singer Chad Van Rys

After the concert we headed over to our suite where we would enjoy some great food and also get to see the rodeo and Gary Allen concert that would follow. It was a great time. I had never been to a rodeo, it was pretty cool. I wanted to see the riders succeed but it was intense to see them get bucked and stepped on by these huge bulls.1st Cavalry Horse DetachmentPretty awesome bull riders!Real BBQ! So good!

While we were eating Wayne Newton wandered into our suite. I almost choked on my food. Kevin loves Wayne Newton so I knew I would have to get a pic with him. He was so nice to everyone and would have stayed talking forever if he his "people" hadn't ushered him out. He even kissed me on my cheek!!!Mr. Wayne Newton came into our suite and took time to chat with everyone and take pics. Here are the AWP gals again with Mr. NewtonMe and Wayne NewtonHe kissed me right here!
Nita and I went in search of concert t-shirts and found some Calvary Soldiers along the way!
Somehow Nita always finds the CavalryOh well..what can I say, I love Soldiers!

The Gary Allen concert was awesome, there some tears shed as a couple of the songs held special meaning to the ladies I was with.Gary Allen and his band
So hot!!!Posing with Keni Thomas who we ran into while walking out of the concert back to the bus.Had to have a funnel cake. Not a good idea to have powdered sugar and wear a black shirt.Hanging out with Cornbread, Keni Thomas' band. Jason and Kevin are awesome guys!Nita thought it was funny that my laptop matched the hotel's deco, lol
On our drive back we had to stop and see the blue bonnets...The poor little yellow jacket Nita tried to save, it was pretty funny.

In conclusion, this was a great trip. I admit to having some reservations about tagging along with Nita and her group of Sister-widows. I met some great women who gave me a new definition of strength. I appreciate Taryn and her toast our last night there in the Cafe. I shed a few tears but had many laughs. I am in awe of the amazing women I got to meet and keep them and their families in my prayers daily.

If you have a chance, check out the American Widow Project. Take a minute to read/listen to their stories. Or donate or find a way to help. It's a great website and it's all about taking care of our own.

God Bless Our Soldiers and their Families.

Houston Rodeo 2009 Salute to Our Military Part 1

I don't know if I can put into words what I felt going to this event with Nita. We had a great time, lots of laughs, a few tears and created a lot of memories.

I was blessed to go as her guest and had the opportunity to hang out with some amazing women. Amazing is an understatement. I want to ensure that I honor these women properly and not take anything away from them. They are Gold Star Wives, part of the American Widow Project. I don't write that to take anything away from them as they have identities all their own, they are just awesome women no matter what.

Nita and I started off our adventure driving to Houston, didn't really have any problems until we got there and tried to check into the wrong hotel, lol. The clerk there assured us they had room for us if we wanted to stay. We finally made it into our hotel and felt somewhat under dressed. Hotel Indigo is a nice hotel, very pretty motif. Lots of blues and greens, very airy. The elevator was huge and pretty.We had a nice room, kind of small for the price it normally runs but overall not too bad. The bed was so high Nita almost hurt herself climbing on it. The shower alone was almost worth the price, it was big and even had a seat in case you needed a break while showering.
Our first night in we decided to be adventurous and ate at a Greek Restaurant. I wasn't so adventurous after all when I ordered buttered noodles, LOL. Most people who know me, know I am so picky!

We went back to the hotel and eventually met some of the ladies who had come in for the event as well. We stayed up for a bit and then headed to our own room to crash for the night. Nita says I kept her up with the clickety clak of the keyboard but I'm not sure how she noticed since she was softly snoring the night away.

Can I just say that Houston has some nasty air...uh, every morning when we woke up it was like we couldn't breathe.

Anyway, we headed down to breakfast in the little cafe near the lobby. The customer service there was seriously lacking! The girl was pretty much just rude. Apparently she had never heard of people eating ketchup with their eggs. I know I have some weird food issues but seriously I don't think that is so weird.

While eating breakfast we noticed some guys who seemed a bit more under dressed then we were when we checked in. We immediately felt better about things. Later on we found out it was Keni Thomas and one of his guitar players. Argh! If I had paid better attention I would have crashed their table like a typical fan and annoyed them. Kevin actually remembered us instead of the other way around. Nita and I are truly memorable when celebrities remember us, lol.

We spent the morning at the seriously over priced mall. There were so many stores I couldn't even afford to stand in, and I certainly couldn't afford to actually buy something. I did however shop at one of my favorite stores Hot Topic and found some cool stuff.

Finally after a relaxing morning we headed over to the rodeo. As we loaded the bus we ran into a Soldier from 8-10. He was injured the day Bryant and Jose were killed and has since been discharged from the Army. It was nice to see him and his wife and see them doing well.