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Hiking in the Cold North
I set a personal record for a winter hike yesterday! It was a cold day but not bitter like it had been for a while (seemed like months actually). It was a long ways from those hikes in Panama, Nevada, Florida, Virginia, Texas and other warm places that the Air Force sent us. Much closer to Iceland, Illinois and Washington state in many circumstances like the wind chill (about zero during the hike), the snow covered surface and cloud cover. Maybe I should explain why I hike outside in the wintertime? I think they forgot to plow us today!First, I like a challenge! Yep, it is a challenge to get…
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New beginnings! Are you ready?
The new school year, a PCS this summer, a new job/employment, a deployment return or departure, a new or revitalized faith, a new workout routine, a wedding, a birth, a health crisis … all can be new beginnings for the military community. So how do you help yourself during new “stuff”? Remember the Old! It gives us strength to remember what helped us in the past. Looking at old pictures is a great way to enjoy old friends, family times, previous assignments, etc. More important though is the support emotionally and physically we get from the routines that we created to cope with the military lifestyle. The new school…
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The Military-Family
“This is important to our military families! Our service members need training and budget cuts are affecting their safety with reduced training hours and less proficiency.” Read more below Brig Gen John Broadmeadow, See BelowIt was a refreshing topic, helping other military partners with new capabilities and expanding our skills as well. No hot topics from DC but a great military exercise with allies from Japan, New Zealand, Canada, Australia, Chile, Mexico, Peru and several other small contingencies of observers participating. It even had an interesting name, Dawn Blitz, which almost sounds like a specialty drink from a bar somewhere near the water with a view of the sunrise. The…
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Awkward! Junior High Time to Step Forward
Junior High School… a wonderfully awkward time of life! Who are these kids? Adults… no. Little kids… no. On any given day they act like either one… or give an hour and they are flipping the switches and are both. This was the first time in my life that I moved: changed school districts, changed me! I walked into the new school literally a head taller than any other girl and had that raw feeling of ”who in the world am I?” Clueless. Tonight in our Junior High Youth Group we are going to be talking about a timeline. Gaging where they were, where they are going and perhaps…
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A Moment Out of the Norm: Dog Show
A moment out of the norm. “Grinda” is a rescued pup. She is a hoot! She is a Welsh Corgi Pembroke. She has short legs and long ears. She also has our hearts and pride of ownership streaming all around her. Yesterday was her moment to shine. Well, we all take that idea differently… the car for example shining moment would be a wax job. The house’s shine would be a spring cleaning. The shining moment for our dog Grinda: an entry in a dog show. No kidding!Mrs. Becky Kissinger, teacher at Christian High School in Grand Rapids, MI, led an interim class on the subject of ‘dogs’. The class…
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The Home Depot Celebration of Service 2012 – Meet a military family.
The Home Depot Celebration of Service 2012 – Meet the Purvis family! I had the pleasure of meeting the Purvis family in GrandRapids, Michigan last week, as a part of The Home Depot Celebration of Service 2012. The Home Depot provided them (that we delivered) with decorations, a corner Christmas tree, and an opportunity to meet a wonderful family. Throughout my time with the family we shared plenty of laughs and a few serious and emotional topics. Mr. Purvis has been in the Army National Guard forabout 11 years. He has been deployed 3 times,to Egypt, Iraq and Afghanistan. The family’s living room wall is covered in pictures and memories…
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NORAD and ReindeerCam.com
I am constantly reminded how things change through the years. Computers and Internet have changed communication, from hand written letters of many years ago to nightly Skype conversations with soldiers and children, airman and wives, marines and husbands, sailors and moms, coasties and dads (and any of that mix you can imagine). This Christmas season I am so happy to have our family whole but we are still glued to the computer. There are two new loves. (Don’t get me wrong: family is more important then these fun tools. However, you can certainly take the time to watch these as a family and create memories if you are together!) ReindeerCam.comSanta feeds the reindeer, Mr…
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How the U.S. is Helping Others! Pacific Partnership, DoD Blogger Roundtable
USNS Mercy off Indonesian Coast – Photo Credit BelowIt was a visual I clearly saw as Captain James Morgan reminded us of the 2004 massive earthquake and tsunami and the tragic events and impact on the Indian Ocean countries (has it really been almost eight years?). The destruction and human misery was beyond our understanding. The plight of the survivors with no water, no food, raw sewage everywhere, clothes sometimes stripped off them and trying to find family members who had been separated was just heart rendering. The fantastic international response also reminded me of the Haitian earthquake and how the US military supported the effort to save lives and…
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A Military Spouse Who Cares about the Finances of Military Families – Why She Recommends the FINRA Internship
“God wanted me to help people” MilitaryAvenue’s team frequently gets to meet, talk to and get to know some wonderful military members, family members and supporters. This morning we met a passionate military spouse who has served members of the Air Force, Army and Coast Guard during her military travels and career! Mitchia (Shay) D. Tull-Cook talked to me this morning about her experiences after she was accepted into the FINRA financial internship program for military spouses! Shay was truly passionate about the need to support the troops with financial assistance. She said that young folks across the board during wartime needed help. Maintaining financial communication during long deployments is…
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Soldiering On…
Last night I fell into bed. Sometimes my mind has time to wander after I turn off the lights. I think about what I did earlier in the day, what I accomplished, what I forgot to do, what I can get done tomorrow. I think about my blessings. Thank God for my family. Dream about what our future holds. It can all be a pleasant way to drift into dream world. But last night there was none of that. It was a hectic day that involved making 30 Valentines Cookies for my 3rd grader’s class, which in and of itself involved multiple (yes, multiple) trips to the grocery store. It was laundry and sheet…
