We Got HIM!!!

I could not sleep in today even though we had the extra hour. It was nice to get up make my coffee & enjoy the silence. I decided to check my email first & I am so glad I did. I received an email around 11PM on Saturday night saying that  Heather & Paul the two trainers we are working with to get a Service Dog where giving Banyan to Jeremy. Not only where we getting him we would get him next Saturday if I wanted to have him neutered by Monday. Of course we said yes please go ahead & get him ready to come to his new home ASAP. I could hardly wait to tell Jeremy, but no way was I waking him or the other boys up at 6:30AM on a Sunday morning. I of course posted it on Facebook & waited patiently for Paul to get on-line & the boys to wake up.

Finally about an hour later both happened at the same time! I wish I had the camera for when I told Jeremy the  news- he was so excited! He really hasn't stopped bouncing all day! Now the task of Fundraising begins because of the enormous financial costs of Banyan's training we will need to ask for help. We have several friends who are helping us turn in grants in hopes some of the cost is covered. We will be doing good old fashioned fundraising on Veterans day we hope. We will see if Starbuck's in Dupont will let us set up a both to collect donations for baked goods. There was also talk of Smooches for Pooches-LOL We have set up a facebook page so anyone can follow along the journey of Banyan & Jeremy even you just go here : Our Journey. 
You can follow along as we pick Banyan up,go to trainings,introduce him to our other two fur babies,& raise funds for one boy to have a life long companion who could one day save his life.

I am sure there will be hiccups along the way as well as tears mixed with laughter. But we are so excited for Jeremy & our family to start this new journey while sharing it with the world.

Enjoy seeing Jeremy play with Banyan after waiting 3 hours in class very patiently.

Words with Friends

If you are a Facebook addict like me, I know I have a problem. But right now with my soldier gone it's the only way we can chat & I can survive. You will know about the game Words with Friends. It's a game I have learned to love & hate all at the same time. I love that I always have a request from a few friends who play the game as much as I do. But I hate it when I have all vowels or all constants to make my words. I hate when I play with my East coast friends who go to bed before I do! It's a lot like Scrabble which I never did enjoy. But something about the bright yellow tiles beckons to me while I sit on Facebook & wait for my chats with my husband. 

To say I was ecstatic last week when they gave out words that contain all constants was putting it mildly. I actually have the page bookmarked for such an occasion. I have friends who constantly have these super awesome words that get Triple letter scores with a double word score! Why can't I be one of them more often? I also have those friends who I end up with all the good letters & actually win on occasion. Anyway I was sitting around waiting for the little boys to wake up this morning & this is what I found myself doing for forty-five minutes. This is what I did because I couldn't go back to sleep, the book I am reading has not sucked me in yet, & I hate to turn on the TV first thing in the mornings......

HI, my name is Amanda & I have a Words with Friends/ Facebook addiction.......haha

P.S. Ron if your reading this I BLAME YOU for this addiction! You are the one who sent the first WORD!!  But I still love you <3

Sweaty & Strong Military Sisters

I met another lovely Army wife through a local Facebook page & we have joined forces in the name of Health, Exercise, & Fitness! We noticed that several of the other ladies on the two pages we where on who are also Military Wives wanted someone to work out with but had no way to find them? Randi took the next step & started a Facebook page. She then asked me to join her as an admin since I love to hit the gym & eat as healthy as possible - most days. Since quite a few of my wonderful followers are military spouses & also into a healthy life style, I invite you to go "LIKE" our page Sweaty & Strong Military Sisters .

It is NOT a diet page at all. It is a page meant to bring together military ladies across the globe to help encourage each other stay on track with their fitness & nutrition goals. We have added some ladies who are Personal Trainers who will at times chime in on discussions to help us have the most accurate information passed along. We have a ROLL CALL Tab in the Discussions section so you can introduce yourself & see if there is anyone else living around you who might be looking for a work out partner. We all know staying motivated is one of the biggest problems for military spouses who make friends,work out partners to only have to move a couple years later & start all over. We hope this helps set you up for success! Maybe connect with another spouse who is already at the post or base you will be moving to next. Anyway if your interested at all go take a look & please share it with others so they can share in the same success as you!

Are You Really Happy for Me?

I was talking with a friend on the phone yesterday another Army Wife who ROCKS! We where discussing her husband's new orders & where they are PCS'ing too shortly. I told her how excited & happy I was that he would be non-deployable for a few years. They could finally have some down time & start their family. Baby making had been put on hold due to multiple deployments so now was their chance! We joked around about how they had "lucked" out on their duty station. I also said I wish it was us.....ooppss did that really come out of my mouth?? Why, yes, yes it did. I would be totally lying to her & myself if I didn't admit I was a tiny bit jealous. I would love for our family to have down time for a couple years even if it meant moving. It doesn't hurt they are moving someplace super sunny year round. But just because I am admitting I wish we could get that assignment doesn't mean I am not happy for her.

I really know that uprooting my children after being here in WA for almost ten years is not a good idea. But when weighed against an opportunity to have their dad & my husband home for a few years it is very tempting. I am not wallowing or feeling sorry for myself. I love that my children have had a more stable life then most military kids due to all of Jeremy's medical needs. This has been both a blessing & a curse. We have watched a lot of good friends move away . But we have also been right here when they sometimes get to come back! I really think that being happy & jealous all at the same time goes with the territory of being a Military spouse. I think it is how you deal with those feelings & your outlook on your own situation that determines how well you can handle it all. I am choosing to help plan going away parties, special day trips to our favorite restaurants,& setting up our SKYPE so we can enjoy our time left together. Then we can stay in touch when they move away & we stay behind.

So if your feeling a little blue because your friends are moving & June is the Army time of the year to plan moves. Just remember there are a lot of little things you can do to keep that friendship growing even when your miles apart.I've learned that friendship can grow & thrive even over the longest of distances. Here are a few of my favorite things to do when my dearest friends move away.

1. Buy an assortment of greeting cards & have them on hand. That way if you talk to your friend you always have a card ready to mail that may fit any conversation you all had over the phone/computer. Who doesn't love getting the unexpected card in the mail!

2. SKYPE- this is newer but just as fun! I can sit in my living room watching my favorite TV shows at the same time as my friend- we can discuss why Dr. McDreamy left Meredith?? What was he thinking?

3. Take a Road Trip! If they only moved a couple states away plan a fun road trip to see each other. While my soldier is gone I plan on doing just that with the kids. He is not excited about long car trips- I could care less- so it's a perfect way to give us something to look forward to doing. Plus you introduce your kids to a lot of new experiences.

4. Girls Only trip- YEP you can also take one of these to a fun destination. If you can get a babysitter if you have children then YAY!! Maybe you only have fur babies- get their shots up to date & find a good kennel. I am planning one of these trips as well if it works out I'll let you know.

5. Facebook- leave fun little WALL posts to cheer each along in your new paths in life. I love waking up to posts on my FB wall that are from a friend. It's all good & fine to leave a "like" or "comment" under their posts- but taking the time to actually leave a post is WAY BETTER!! It let's them know you where thinking of them & took the time to tell them.

These are just a few of my favorite things to do to stay in touch. I am open to any & all suggestions from other lovely BLOGGERS & Military Spouses. As far as I am concerned you can never have enough fun easy ideas to let your friends know you care.

"Good friends are like stars, you don't always see them, but you know they're always there."