Fabulous Army Life

We enjoyed our first 4th of July in the Nation's Capitol at a staff party with Nate's new colleagues.  It was wonderful for me to meet everyone and seeing fireworks over the Washington Monument was absolutely breath-taking. The boys had a great time as well.  At one point, the kids in the group naturally divided into teams.  During one of my routine checks, I found Joshua and several other boys huddled together in the yard.  When I asked what they were doing, they replied, "This is our HQ.  We're planning our next attack."  Gotta love a group of military kids! It was an absolutely lovely evening celebrating our Nation's independence ... Happy 4th of July! We are ready for the fireworks show! Trey says, "I love fire."  Yikes.  =) Sparklers make it a party! It didn't take long for the sparklers to be used as wands.  Sparkler Tag! Watching the fireworks with the Washington monument in the background was tru...

Severe drought conditions ~ along with continuing fires across the state of New Mexico ~ kept us from being able to enjoy a firework show this year, but we had a great time all the same. We spent part of the day at a local Apache Indian ceremony, the Dance of the Maidens, but were not allowed to bring cameras so I have no photographic evidence. We also stopped for some good ole All-American ice cream afterwards and attended a local rodeo as well. The boys absolutely loved it and were happy to stay around for the final event, bull riding. They even got to participate in their first-ever Calf Scramble! Fun times. Ice cream and checkers on the 4th of July. The boys participated in the Calf Scramble at the 4th of July rodeo.  Here, Trey chases after the calf (although he admitted later he had no idea WHY everyone was chasing the calf or WHAT he was supposed to do if he did, in fact, get close to the calf).  Love that boy! Joshua follows the calves' progress too, althou...

Happy Day of Independence, America!  I was thrilled to be able to spend this holiday with my husband and kids ... plus a fabulous little niece, here to visit.  We had a wonderful worship service at church, lunch at (one of my favorite restaurants ever) Chuy's, then an afternoon of kids' play and visiting with Hubby's parents.  For an early dinner, we decided to go with an all-American cook-out of hamburgers and hot dogs followed by watermelon and berries.  We also baked some American flag sugar cookies and made snack bags to take with us to the fireworks show on Fort Hood. After the cook-out at home, we headed to Fort Hood for the annual Freedom Fest, an event we've attended 5 years running ... and counting. We parked at III Corps headquarters and rode a bus to the stadium, getting there in plenty of time to (A) miss the hottest part of the day, and (B) see the official ceremony.  Watching the parachute jumpers leap from a helicopter is always fun t...

As we approach our Nation’s birthday, I am always reminded of the service and sacrifice of so many who have come before us. From the day that we adopted the Declaration of Independence in 1776 until today, brave men and women have served, sacrificed, fought, and died to preserve it. Freedom truly is not free. Growing up, the Fourth of July was a fun holiday in my family. We would usually spend the day at the lake, cooking out, swimming, and swirling sparklers while we watched fireworks over the water. It wasn’t until I married a Soldier that this holiday – and so many others – evoked a different kind of emotion in me. My first Independence Day away from my home country was spent at a Korean-American Rodeo in South Korea, where my Soldier was stationed. As I listened to the beginning bars of the Star Spangled Banner, I developed a lump in my throat and was moved to tears watching our flag fly, whipping in the wind. It was a special reminder to me of the many freedoms and privileges w...

PHOTO: 1st Cavalry Division Memorial on Fort Hood, Texas. On this celebration of our great country’s independence, my thoughts are drawn to the Soldiers’ Families who will not have their Soldier with them this year. Words cannot express the humble gratitude I feel for Families who have sacrificed all to preserve the way of life we are honored to have in these great United States. Realizing these printed words could never fully portray the debt of appreciation owed to these heroes, I still must say THANK YOU. Thank you to each Family who has lost a Soldier in the fight for our country … you will always be in our hearts and minds. Our brigade recently honored five brave heroes who were killed in action during our just-completed deployment. As I prepare to celebrate the 4th of July with my own family, I can’t help but remember the events of that memorial service and the Soldiers we honored there. Attending a Soldier’s memorial service is one of the most heart-wrenching events one mi...