I Am An Army Brat!

*Recently a friend of mine asked for this essay, I had it tucked away. I thought I'd share it here in honor of my sweet Army Brats. I don't know who wrote it though I wish I did so I could credit them.

I am an Army Brat. My hometown is nowhere, my friends are everywhere, and if I haven't been someplace yesterday, I am sure to go there tomorrow. I grew up with bugle calls and artillery salutes and the knowledge that home is where the heart is and the family--with no dependence on the dwelling.

Mobility is my way of life. I have found security and happiness in motels and guest houses, in duplexes and apartments around the world. Some would wonder about my roots, yet they are as deep and strong as the mighty oak's. I sink them quickly, absorbing all an area offers and hopefully giving enrichment in return.

Like all Army dependents, I can say "Hello," "Good-bye," and count to 20 in five languages. I can tell of the shores of Maine, the marketplaces of Mexico, the Buddhas of Japan; and my knickknack shelves look like those of an import shop, for my memories span the globe.

Travel has taught me to be open. By age nine I had seen more of the world than most people do in a lifetime; I had touched many and allowed their cultures to touch me. Shaking hands with the universe, I found a brotherhood in all men.

Just as there is joy in meeting, so is there pain in parting; and although practice makes perfect, there is no way to perfect "Good-bye." Farewells are never easy. Yet, even in sorrow comes strength and an ability to face tomorrow with anticipation. And if when I leave one place I feel that half my world has been left behind, I also know that the other half is still waiting to be met.

As an Army Brat, I go out to others extending hand and heart. Friendships are formed in hours and kept for decades. I will never grow up with someone, but I will mature with many, and the help that I offer today will be returned farther down the road. Be it inevitable that paths part, there is constant hope that they will meet again.

I feel fortunate to live in a society of tradition drawing from the past to enhance the present - where silver baby cups announce life, horse-drawn caissons pronounce death and the living in between is dedicated to the service of God, man and our nation.

Love of country, respect and pride fill my being when Old Glory passes in review. As I stand to honor that flag, so also do I stand to honor all soldiers, most especially to the man whose life created mine -- my father. Because of him I have shared in the rich heritage of Army life.

Now, as Army wife and mother, I have passed on that legacy to my children. I wish for them a wealth of experiences and knowledge and love, so that their lives will be blessed as mine, and I pray that one day they will join me in boasting, "I am an Army Brat!"

Freedom Friday, August 28

Kevin has had the privilege of serving with a wonderful Cavalry unit (8-10 Cavalry). This video is to honor him and his friends who he has served with.

First Day of School 2009

Today was a sad day for me, our boys went back to school. I always miss my kids so much when I have to send them back. Today I had a lot of anxiety because Neil was starting at a new school and Daniel was going to his school all by himself for the first time ever. I worried all day and wanted to rush and go pick them up or at least check on them. I wanted to drive Neil to school but he wanted to ride the bus, so I was strong and let it be. Throughout the day I prayed and prayed that my boys would be well and that they would get teachers who cared about them.

All three boys came home very happy. Daniel really likes his teacher and said she was fun. He was happy to see some of his classmates from last year. I will say it's odd to not be part of the hustle and bustle of the first day since every year since we have moved here, I have been part of the PTA and have been there for some reason.

Michael and Neil both had a great time at middle school. Neil was very cute when he was telling me that teachers kept saying to him "oh, you're Michael's brother". He didn't mind it at all. He even told his band teacher that he wanted to play the bassoon "just like my brother". Oh my heart swells with the bond my boys have.

Michael's confidence at being an 8th grader is astounding, he was happy to get back to school and to all his friends.

I'm glad they had a good first day. I hope in a month when we do it again at our new post that it will be just as good.

Here our the First Day of School pics along with our fun First Day of School dinner pics!

24 Hours in San Antonio

A few months ago a friend of ours mentioned he would be doing some Army training in San Antonio. He is in the National Guard and would be doing some training. We haven't seen him in over 6 years (he was one of our missionaries at Fort Knox). San Antonio is just too close to not head that way and meet up with him. We had about a 24 hour window to visit him so we took off Saturday evening and spent most of Sunday with him. We also got to see our friend Daniel who was in the same Squadron as Kevin in 2005-2006. We haven't see him since Kevin came home from his deployment in 2006.

It was a great 24 hours. I cannot even express the happiness in my heart to see Daniel and his sweet wife Ernestine and their daughter Mary (who is HILARIOUS). Daniel is one of my heroes, no really he is. Daniel is a Wounded Warrior, a double amputee and he has an amazing outlook. He stays active and is just awesome. Words cannot express how much he means to me. He probably doesn't even know. We had a great lunch, good conversation and lots of laughs.
It was a great time of relaxing and talking. We just hung out in Brian's hotel (the National Guard lives large, haha) and chatted. The boys got to swim. It was good catching up. I'm excited for Brian and his wife who are expecting a baby boy early next year (Boys ROCK!). Really it was just a good and relaxing time.

2LT Brian H. and SFC Kevin A.
Those are rough conditions
No really, I don't know how you deal with how rough it is...haha
Awww, my boys

Run for the Fallen 2009

In 2008, a group of people ran for the fallen, they ran a mile for each fallen troop to date. They started at Fort Irwin, CA and ran to Arlington Cemetery in Virginia. It was neat, two of our fallen Soldiers were honored in Buffalo, Missouri. Buffalo was appropriate for our two men who were part of 8-10 Cavalry, a squadron with rich history that included Buffalo Soldiers.

This year they still had a Run for the Fallen but it was done in individual locations instead of like last year (as far as I'm aware of). The closest places to us were a 3 hour drive so I decided to just do it on my own. I had a lot of people offer to join but this morning at 0600 as we headed out, it was myself, Kevin and Keshia. Keshia's husband was in the same unit as Kevin for both deployments but more importantly, she was an awesome part of our FRG group when we were with 8-10 Cavalry. She wanted to walk/run to support our friend Nita and her husband Bryant plus the other 3 Soldiers from our Squadron. Because three of walked, we were able to dedicate more miles to more fallen and we dedicate our walk to SFC Bryant Herlem, SGT Jose Gomez, SGT Brandon Teeters, SGT Jeremy King, CPT Alex Funkhouser, CPL Michael Davis, SGT David Hart and SSG Joe Fuerst.

I don't know what the plans are on a National scale next year but I plan on doing something again and I'm hoping to make it bigger. Hope FLW is ready for me!

God Bless Our Fallen Heroes!

Starting

Finished

Freedom Friday, August 21

The boys love this song...this video cracks me up no matter how many times I see it. God Bless Our Soldiers...

Wicked

I have wanted to go see Wicked for the longest time EVER, I would love to see on Broadway in New York but for now I am happy I got to see it in Austin. It was so AWESOME. Kevin and I did a date night and went all out. We had dinner at a really awesome restaurant in Austin called trio. It was soooooooooo good (and a bit pricey but worth it). It was funny to watch other people who haven't been in a really nice restaurant, there was a couple of young girls sitting at the table behind us and they were HILARIOUS. Kevin and I had some great steaks and the most delicious desserts.

Wicked itself was amazing...words just can't describe it, you have to go see it. There is a song in there called "For Good". I almost cried because it reminded me of my relationship with my dear friend Nita. (We were supposed to go but she moved :( ) I had a great date with my love and lots of fun!

Now I'm going to read the book.

My dessert, trio of sorbet...yum!

Kevin's dessert, he loved it!Us in front of the Wicked sign.

The Torture Chair

Today I ventured to the dentist for a cleaning. Let me be the first to say that I am not a fan of the dentist. I always have such anxiety when I know I need to go. Because of that, I had not been to the dentist in almost 5 years when I went this past spring. I was so impressed with the dentist I saw because he did not chastise me, he let me know that I needed to come in but he didn't make me feel like a 5 year old. I was happy that I didn't have any cavities however he let me know that I did need to work on flossing more (I always get told that even when I go to the dentist on a regular basis).

I was actually looking forward to my cleaning appointment today, I knew it might be a little rough and the dentist had warned me that I would be sore (he originally had an appointment available the 15th of June but with the hubby coming home on the 16th there was no way I was gonna have a sore mouth for reunion kissing!). What I did not expect was the torture I experienced. I have never had an appointment as painful as today was, not even as a 10 year old getting a root canal. Good grief, I swear that hygienist was trying to reach my heart through my gum line. I kept waiting for one of my teeth to pop out because she was digging so deep into my gums. She went from a normal scalpel to an electric one.

I don't deny that this was my fault for not going to the dentist for 5 years but geez louise, I felt like she was punishing me for that fact. At one point, she was drilling away and her thumbnail was putting so much pressure on my gums that she had just drilled to death that I had to clench my whole body. She said in a very snotty voice, "sorry". It was obvious that she wasn't and I wanted to stab her with the scalpel. I am proud for not hitting her or yelling at her, I just closed my eyes and prayed for the experience to end quickly. Occasionally a stray tear would run out of my left eye. I didn't feel like I was crying but my body was certainly reacting to the torture.

That was seriously one of the most painful dental experiences I have ever had. I can tell you that from here on out, I will be going to my cleaning appointments every 6 months faithfully!!

The Start of Change

Today was our Brigade Change of Command, it was also our Battalion Change of Command. It was a bittersweet day as we say goodbye to a good command team in LTC Norton and his wife Leslie. We have about 2 more months before we head out of Hood ourselves but today was a reminder that this chapter in our life is about to end, a new one is about to start. We are excited about whatever the Army has in store for us next.

I love attending Change of Commands. I always encourage all the students in my Army Family Team Building to attend one at a Brigade level if they haven't ever attended one. I admit that being here at Hood adds an extra element when it comes to doing Cavalry traditions. I love that they use Bugle Calls and that they have the band there, that isn't the case at every installation.

I try to take the boys any time I can because Kevin and I feel it's important to each them the customs of the Army and also so they know why it's important to honor our leadership.

It was sooooooooooooo hot today, I thought I was going to melt. I was hot before I even got out of my car because two Soldiers cut me off for two different parking spots. That seriously annoyed me but it worked out since I got an even better spot. I counted 7 Soldiers who had to step out of formation due to the heat, I hope they are okay. I always disliked standing in Change of Command formations, I will admit to having a better appreciation for them when I am sitting in the bleachers.

The Army is about change and sometimes that can be hard. I'll be sad to say goodbye to many of the great people we have met here but I know that our time here is done. Today begins the start of those goodbyes...

6 weeks...wow

It's hard to believe, but in about 6 weeks we will be bidding farewell to Fort Hood, TX. I can be a sap about such things and I will be sad to go but we are so looking forward to our next adventure. We know the Lord's hand is in our future and that brings much comfort.

Our Scouts

We are so proud of our boys and their desire to work so hard in their Scouting endeavors. Daniel is now officially a Cub Scout and has worked so hard. He has earned his Bobcat and is quite on his way down the Wolf path. He is so cute carrying his book and working towards the next requirement.This is Daniel pinning on my Bobcat Mother's pin at his first Pack Meeting.

Our older two boys have been working hard as well in Boy Scouts. Michael is currently serving as Assistant Senior Patrol Leader and Neil is the Assistant Patrol Leader for his Patrol. Both went to camp this summer and worked hard on merit badges. We recently had their Court of Honor where Neil was presented with Scout and Tenderfoot, he is so close to his Second Class, there is no reason he can't be First Class before we move. Michael is working hard towards his Life, he is currently a Star now. He too should be at his next rank before we move. We are so proud of them, we don't have to push them to do what needs to be done in Scouting.They are so grown....our Boy Scouts.

Our Own Angel....

We had a lot of fun on our road trip and we connected with a lot of people but this one person warrants an entry all her own. Our friend Shelle Michaels. We are so blessed to have her in our lives. She truly is an angel...a Soldiers' Angel. We got connected with Shelle while Kevin was deployed this last time. She briefly worked with an organization that supported Kevin and a few projects he was working on. Shelle had emailed Kevin and in her signature it was listed that she was from Grand Forks. We thought it was a wonderful coincidence so Kevin wrote her back and told her that he was born and raised in Grand Forks. From there a great friendship flourished. It wasn't long that Shelle and I were connected and she quickly became a part of our family.

Shelle is a wonderful supporter of our troops, her efforts are endless and she is tireless in what she does. Her enthusiasm and patriotism is contagious, she makes you want to do more for our service men and women serving all over.

I was so excited to be able to meet her in person while we were in Grand Forks. We had a wonderful dinner and great chatter. She makes me want to do more for our troops and just in general be a better person!

Shelle, you are awesome and such a DORK and we love you!

Shelle and her Soldier (okay, I'll share but remember he was mine FIRST!)

She is nuts, she wanted to lick me so we got in a licking war because I can lick back!
This is our silly pic...or is it the true picture of who we are?
Aww, aren't we cute?
We will be hanging this in our new home to be...
This is one of our favorite shirts, it's okay Shelle, I ordered TWO for myself, lol

Our Visit to ND Part 3

The theme for our visit was to reconnect with old friends. We had a chance to hang out with some of Kevin's friends and we had a great time. The day we hung out at the "K's" pool was one of lots of laughter and craziness. It really was a good time.

I was fortunate to be able to meet up with some of my old friends as well. On our way back from ND, we spent the night in Lincoln, NE and I had the chance to meet up with my best friend from my childhood. I know that Allison and I will be friends forever because of the things we have been through. Life can throw whatever but it can't change what we had. That was apparent to me when I saw her and we started to talk. We did so many things together (some naughty, a lot nice, lol).It was so good to see her with her family (her daughter is so much like her). I am so grateful to her husband and mine for letting us reconnect and just live in the moment. We met for dinner on our first night in Lincoln and then decided we needed more time together and planned to meet up at her house the next night. It was great, I got to see her parents again and meet her two younger sisters who I never really knew because we moved. We had so much fun, it really was great visiting with her. We won't wait so long to see her again, that's for sure.

I also had the chance to meet up with my friend Margaret for breakfast. We were best friends all through junior high. We have kept in touch throughout the years and it was great meeting up with her and her son. Oh the silly memories we had...she lived across from a fraternity house and boy we were silly 13 and 14 year olds, lol. It was great fun having a chance to catch up with her.

Our Visit to ND Part 2

The reunion. It has been 20 years since Kevin graduated from high school and this is the first opportunity he has had to return to attend one of them. He was looking forward to seeing some people, Facebook has reconnected him to many.

This would be a better entry if he would blog about it from his perspective but it's not likely that he will, so instead you get mine! In recent conversations, it would seem that my perspective isn't appreciated but oh well.

I was excited to reconnect with some of Kev's friends that I have met. Brad and Kelly who we helped Michael with his Beanie Baby Drive. The Newmans, who were Kevin's second family. That was a lot of fun since it seems Kevin got into some trouble with Brent Newman. That was a fun get together. It was nice to see Grant and Cheryl, they have always been so great to us. And it was fun to meet Steve's girlfriend and their two girls. So we had some great fun.

The reunion itself was interesting. It would seem that some of the people there didn't realize that it was no longer high school and their status 20 years ago made no difference today. That didn't phase some of them and they tried hard to reclaim their roles. As an outsider, I was greatly amused.

There were some great moments. There many who sought Kevin out and thanked him for his service, who showed their gratitude with great hugs and kind words. Those moments touched my heart. I loved watching Kevin reconnect with some of those he had real relationships with and I loved the stories and the laughter.

I had the opportunity to try the Red Pepper as well during this reunion. I have to say that I don't quite understand the big deal but I can appreciate the love locals have. The Cheese Tostada was mighty tasty!

Overall it was a good time and I met some great people and Kevin got to see some of his friends. I will say that it did convince me that I have no real desire to attend my own 20 year reunion, lol.

Kevin and Joe...oh Joe, he had me laughing so hard...good guy though!
Kev and Brad hugging or actually I think Brad was trying to crack Kev's back...
Brent and Kevin...best budsThe joke was that the rival high school had more class...they got plastic name tag holders at their reunion...Kev found this one on a table and was going to sneak in to their reunionOne of my fave pictures...that's Mike and Kevin waiting to get their Grinders...

I am a Slacker...

I have so much to write and no motivation...I need to get back on track, have started writing many posts that are in draft mode..will get them posted soon.