Still Around

With the husband finally home & block leave about to begin in a few days, blogging will take a backseat for awhile. We have a lot of family activities planned since my soldier rarely get's more then a couple days off here & there. Some of you think no way we hear about four day weekends & leave. Well my soldier has OVER 130 days of leave!! He deploys so often we have yet to even begin to get to cash in on all the so called "free" leave days. That is about to change finally!! Here is a few things we have planned for July & we are so excited!

None of the pictures are ours just wanted you to get the idea of the fun we are about to have!

These are just a few things already planned . I'm sure we will fit a lot more into the next four weeks. Don't be surprised if the blog is super quiet until Block Leave is over. Then I'll have a lot of fun posting all the great pictures of all our fun.

Continue to be on the look out next week for our LINK to sign up for the Chelsea Hutchinson Virtual Epilepsy Walk. Team Jeremy & Banyan will have their own page where you can join us! More details to come as soon as they open up the website for registration. This virtual walk you can sign up for anytime & I WILL post all the information before we leave to go camping. It's for a super great cause.

Have an AMAZING Friday everyone & enjoy your family as much as I plan on enjoying mine.

Single Digits

All I have to say is Let the Homecoming Beautification Process BEGIN!! It's hair day ladies!! You all know what that means- we are getting CLOSE!! Closer to this...

The first kiss after many, many months.

Closer to these Happy Moments mixed with tears of joy & relief.

Moments that melt my heart & make me pray a prayer of thanks to God for letting our soldier make it home safely one more time.

It won't be long now and I can hardly wait. I may be gone for awhile as I scramble to get things done these last few days. I have a huge list to keep me busy so I don't sit & stare at the clock that seems to have stopped moving! Soon we will be a family again. For how long, well only the Army knows the answer to that. But I am ready to have the first glimpse of my soldier, the first hug, the first kiss all over again. If it's one thing the Army does well it's Homecomings & I can't wait!

 

A little idea for you non- Army bloggers what a week leading up to homecoming & the actual homecoming looks like. It's spectacular time where emotions run high & for a short brief moment you forget all the stress of the past twelve months. All you know is you got your call he is safe & he will be in your arms again soon!

He Did it Again

My soldier husband got a wonderful award for all his hard work this deployment. He never fails to amaze me with his casual conversation on chat that he isn't doing much just his job. Then he casually drops in that he is receiving an award. I have him send me a link to see & found out it is the third highest award for a non-combat job during a deployment. My man ROCKS!! He has worked hard for the last 21 years of hs Army career and deserves every award he has received. Anyone who begs to differ need only look at his record. Last time I checked your superiors don't just hand out the type of awards & NCOER's this man has in his file. Yes I am bragging, but I am proud of my man & the career he has that provides for our family. Love him & am super excited that we are 96.45% DONE with deployment number 4!!

He looks so sad here it bummed me out. I hate missing his award ceremony this is only the second one ever I have missed.

 There is his smile....

Pinning on is Defense Meritorious Service Medal in Afghanistan
The Defense Meritorious Service Medal (DMSM) is the third-highest award bestowed upon members of the United States military by the United States Department of Defense. The medal is awarded in the name of the Secretary of Defense to members of the Armed Forces who, while serving in a joint activity, distinguish themselves by non-combat outstanding achievement or meritorious service, but not of a degree to warrant award of the Defense Superior Service Medal.

P.S. 
This has been his only non-combat deployment- a totally new world to us both.

Thursday's Tune Time

I really haven't had any specific music to listen to this past week as I was so sick with the flu. I am finally over that nasty bug & can only pray it stays away from all the children!! But as I was pulling away from the airport at 4:36AM Wednesday morning looking out my rear view mirror watching my soldier wave then walk away as the tears began I turned the radio up loud! I was thinking a nice distraction would be great! I had hoped for a catchy up beat song to take my mind off the fact that I have four long months left until I hold my soldier again. So I choose that song that was on as I drove away saying my "see you laters" one more time & hopefully for the last time. If you want to go link up & listen to more great songs by other amazing bloggers head over to see Amber at Goodnight Moon to join in on all the fun. 


The song really holds no special meaning to me other then it was not that up beat& now I will remember in my brain everyday all the time. I do like it, & it actually made me cry harder while singing the lyrics. I'm pretty sure I should not have been barreling down I5 with the tears streaming that early in the morning. But all I could think about was I wanted to go home, I wanted to be there when the boys woke up, & most of all I wanted my soldier for one more day. Ahhh, the roller coaster ride of this Army life sometimes is too much on this girl's mental status. I know so many have been here right where I am this morning still. Needing sleep desperately only to get maybe four good hours as you wait for the phone call that he made it safely. Knowing in your head that realistically you can sleep because it'll be at least forty-eight hours before you hear anything at all. But your brain & heart just won't let you fall into that much needed slumber. Anyway here is my song pick of the week & the lyrics are good. I hope you enjoy!

Wonder wall by Oasis....ahhh the lyrics at times of course I felt like where just being sung for my moment.

And all the roads we have to walk are winding
And all the lights that lead us there are blinding
There are many things that I
Would like to say to you but I don't know how

Because maybe, you're gonna be the one that saves me
And after all, you're my wonderwall

The last photo of my love & I at 2:30AM before we walked out the door. Oh how I miss him already & am already for this stupid deployment to just be over!!  We are the others person even when we are mad at eachother. He helped so much while I was puking my guts out so thankful God let him be here for the two weeks & I pray God brings him safely back to me in four months.

All American Dogs

All American Dogs is a brand new non-profit organization that has been helping our family with my son's service dog from the moment they learned we where in need. They have never asked for any money to pay for Banyan's expenses. For this we are forever grateful & now I am one of their all volunteer staff helping spread the word. If you want to help get the word out about how our Wounded Warriors, Veterans, & their families can get a Service Dog if they qualify please go like the Facebook page as well as share it on your own. Since we are all volunteer and fairly new Jeremy's schools Boy Scout Troop is doing a Raffle in their honor. We have asked that all proceeds go to All American Dogs to help cover Banyan's continued Training.

We recently found out that Jeremy is now considered legally blind in his right eye that is affected by Glaucoma. He will go into another surgery this Wednesday to see if they can salvage any of his vision. What this has meant to us is not only does Banyan need to alert for seizures, learn mobility, but now he needs to be a guide for Jeremy at times. With this comes enormous expenses & a lot of extra training for Banyan. Since All American Dogs has offered to always pay for the training we wanted to give back. A lot of our wonderful family & friends have rallied to donate a lot of great items.

 

These items where Hand Quilted by Jeremys Grammy , my man's mom. She is so talented and wanted to help out. The  bear pattern is a Quillow which is a throw with a pocket for your feet to tuck inside. You can also roll it up & turn it into a pillow- it's amazing.

 

Hand etched lanterns donated by a fellow Army wife & friend- amazing!

Our AMAZING Fire Department donating for a good cause!

This is my husband's fishing buddy & friend -  who is AWESOME!

These are just a few of the items we have to Raffle off. There are many more to add soon. Some items are for Local Winners only. But some like the Quilts & Lanterns can be shipped to our Winners. If your interested in buying a Raffle ticket (s) they are $5 a piece. If you are out of town just please specify that on your checks so we know which items to place you in the Raffle . All Checks can be made out to Boy Scouts of America Troop 603.

They can be mailed to : Amanda Huston P.O. Box 1164 Yelm, WA 98597

We need all money collected by February 10th - with the Raffle to take place on the 12th.

Remember folks it's for a Great Cause- to help give back to our Soldiers who give so much all the time.

Here is Jeremy & Banyan's    Facebook Page to go take a look at all the information. We will add items daily up until the 4th of February. Feel free to share this Raffle on your Blogs. if you do let me know so I can let everyone else know how you are helping out!

OK- now onto a different Post- I posted my First Ever Give Away  And NO ONE has commented. I really want to give away this awesome digital scrapbooking download worth $59 to a lucky reader. If you missed the post go take a look & leave a comment super easy to enter.

Have a wonderful Sunday every one.

16 Years and Counting

Sixteen years ago today at 5PM central time in Nashville, TN I was lucky enough to marry the most handsome soldier around. It was the middle of the worst snow/ice storm Tennessee had seen in years. Only those guests who had arrived from out of town actually could make it to the church. They where mostly Paul's family. All my good friends where trapped in their homes in the surrounding counties due to the highway patrol closing a lot of major interstates. At one point even the airport closed for twenty-four hours.Thankfully my parents, my brother's family and almost all of Paul's extended family had already arrived that week. They where all from Michigan, Colorado, & Alaska so they found the snow storm very funny. Especially since no one could get out and about in what they called minor snow. I guess if there hadn't been a lot of ice I could see their point but us southerns where shocked & frozen.Thankfully a few guests braved the roads and arrived. I was NOT about to delay my wedding as was suggested. My soldier had orders to deploy in April so we where going to be married before he left. I had already waited longer then I wanted because everyone felt I needed a proper church wedding. All I ever wanted was my soldier & Gatlinburg in the fall, but the beautiful snow would work as well.

Our wedding photographer could not even make it to the church so we had friends & family take a lot of snap shots. Now I look back with regret that I didn't let my maid of honor call the only photographer we knew who lived right down the street. He was super expensive and at the last minute I hated to add more expense to my parents already bulging budget.But oh how I wish we had  the picture from our reception at the Opryland Hotel on the grand staircase. It's the only time you can have wedding pictures taken on that staircase, if your reception is held there. But the memories will hold me and all my snap shots that everyone took. We actually have photos I'm sure we would have never gotten.Thanks to the Army I had a winter wonderland to get married to my soldier. He looked like Prince Charming & has swept me off my feet every since. As we celebrate yet another anniversary thousand's of miles apart I realize how rare & lucky we are to still have eachother. Not only due to multiple deployments, stress, but plain old American Society who often devalues marriage today.I love that my boys are just as excited about our wedding anniversary as I am. I just wish I could say it to my love in person not on a computer screen.

I Swear by John Michael Montgomery was our first dance as a married couple. We've been dancing together ever since <3

Half-Way Home

Today marks exactly 6 Months ago that I watched my soldier board that ugly yellow bus & drive away. We have seen his face on Skype thanks to technology but we have not held him in our arms. I am beyond excited to finally hit this mark as it seems so much longer then 6 months since he deployed. Now we are on the count down to R&R which is much easier to wrap my brain around then to think about another 6 months until he is home for good. Here is praying that the next few weeks go by quickly, with no Murphy's Law in play . That everyone stays healthy until our soldier returns for some much needed family time.

Honoring our Brave

"This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave." -Elmer Davis

Some of my favorite Heroes Around, I say Thank You

 Thank You seems hardly enough to say about all these Brave & Wonderful Soldiers my family is so blessed to call friends. But today we say Thank You for protecting my family & all the families in our Great Nation.

A great Video clip to watch with your children, I Fought For You

Training in Oregon & in Washington

 Today has been another day of all things Banyan & Jeremy. I did sneak out to get my oldest to the Orthodontist for his braces but then right back to phone calls. We received some more good news that a local soldier out of Camp Murray  has a Service Dog organization that helps soldiers get a trained dog. Well he found out about us as he put it  from a friend, of a friend, of a friend- so we are getting the word out folks-YAY!!  Anyway he called to let me know he was able to talk to Banyan's trainers in Oregon & they agreed that a mom of four with a deployed husband should not be asked to drive to Oregon up to 3 times a month on Saturdays- Hallelujah! Don't get me wrong I was committed to doing it for the 23 months they asked, but was not to excited about rearranging everything on the weekends. Anyway back to the story. He got the OK from our trainers at Oregon Assistance Dogs to agree to let him use his trainer up here in WA get this AT MY HOME!!  Sometimes we will meet at other places like a puppy field trip but if I need the trainer whose name is Debbie-  she can come to me!


Now he only agreed to this for the first 12 months or so of the training, but by the grace of God my soldier will be home by then. We just have to abide by the trainers in Oregon's rules of how he wants Banyan's training to continue- No problem says the nice soldier.  He also is providing a grant to cover a large portion of the fee we owe to OAD- So excited! We still need to keep raising money for future costs like Vet bills, food - they eat a lot & expensive food! Also training treats alot of training treats. I will also make the occasional check in with Oregon maybe 3 or 4 times while Paul is gone. Then more as Banyan finishes his advanced training. God has made this way to easy for us which makes me so nervous. I can't help but ask 1. Is Jeremy about to get really sick in the future so we really need Banyan NOW? 2. God is just proving a point when you ask you shall receive?? I hope it's #2, because I am not excited to see if Banyan can live up to his task anytime soon!


Anyway I wanted to share & let everyone know we are so thankful for all the emails, LIKES on Facebook. I'll share the page again for you all . If you want to follow along on Facebook go here: Jeremy & Banyan "Our Journey"  . Fill free to like our page & you will get more up to date information. We do have our PO BOX listed there if you want to send words of encouragement to Jeremy & Banyan. We are truly blessed & we know it- thank you to everyone & to God.

Loving Technology

Last night the boys & I FINALLY  got to SKYPE with our soldier for the first time in 5 weeks! It's a long story but basically he is still stuck living in a tent with twenty something soldiers. There is simply no extra room for private living at the moment. He works a late shift & can use his computer at work to chat on Facebook. That has made it easy for me to keep up with him but bad for the kids. It was wonderful to see all their little faces as their dad popped onto the screen last night. It took a couple minutes for him to be able to hear & see us but when he could his whole face lit up!

We laughed because he was in one of the MWR tents & you could hear a ping-pong game  going on during most of the conversation.The boys told him a few of their favorite things they had done while on vacation in TN. He loved their new haircuts- we could actually see their faces. After about ten minutes of chatting with the whole family I got him all to myself for about another 10 to 15 minutes. He did look tired because he had been working all night & it was 7:30AM time for him to go to bed. But it was so nice to actually hear his voice & see his face. He could have slept through our SKYPE time with out me being upset. I loved seeing his reaction on his face as I told him all the latest news from home. Chatting on Facebook is nice, but not the same as actually watching his smile or shocked expression over things we discussed. I miss him a lot but am loving me some technology this morning for sure! We hope to be able to set up some more SKYPE times about three a week now that he has his routine down. We will just have to keep our fingers crossed they eventually get those last guys moved into their own barracks rooms soon. Then he can get a better days sleep as well as SKYPE whenever we want!

Like it or Not

Tomorrow is the day that my soldier switches his uniform to a strange new color & starts a crazy training period at work to head into deployment. The boys & I knew it was coming, but with the emotional roller coaster we've been on this week tears come when I think about it every-time. I am glad we get to go watch the Casing ceremony & enjoy the afternoon of family time with other Army families. It is so familiar now to me it's almost a relief to know what lays ahead,almost. 

My youngest two boys have never been to the Deployment ceremony as they are such wiggle worms we chose not to make them sit through the long ceremony in the past. Tomorrow we feel they are old enough to attend & watch the whole ceremony. With it being so close to Memorial Day & all the meaning that the day holds it's time they understand a little better exactly what happens when their dad deploys. He doesn't just hug them one day ,camera snaps a few times & drives away only to return twelve long months later. It's time they witness the pomp & circumstance, the ritual of the flags being cased until they arrive in their new area of operations.The fact that there are other boys & girls who have parents leaving as well for a year. They aren't alone in their jumbled mixed up emotions.

 I wonder how it will affect them, if they can truly understand the sacrifice that all those men on the parade field are about to endure for a year? Or will it simply be anxiousness on their part to get to that amazing climbing wall & free food that the MWR is providing the families? I know my oldest boys are happy to get out of school & spend some time with their dad. But at the same time they are quiet & had tears form as well in their eyes this morning as we discussed the game plan for tomorrow. There is no hiding it anymore for them. They know what a deployment means. It means, separation from their dad. It means long periods with no phone calls,no SKYPE, or bed time hugs. It may mean injury or even death . This week has shown them the grim reality of deployments, there is no escape anymore. Gone are the carefree days of youth during deployments for my oldest.

So as my family & so many others head into a long deployment period I ask that  everyone continue to pray for all the military families serving around the world. The wars aren't over even though they don't appear on your evening news daily. There are families like mine that are struggling while one or maybe both parents are deployed. There are families that are being reunited who need prayers that it goes smoothly. This military life is hard but I wouldn't change it or give it up at all. It has made my family closer, stronger,& so appreciative of everything our great country GIVES us in the way of freedom. But at the same time we know that freedom isn't free sacrifices are made for that freedom. So if you do nothing else patriotic  in your daily life, take the time to pray for our troops & their families. Because God listens & answers our prayers in his time. It gives me great comfort to know that others remember the sacrifice my husband & so many others make everyday. So like it or not here we go into another crazy year.