I Got Jipped

Recently, I entered two contests that involved writing and food, and I should have won both. I swear I'm not just being a sore loser, I just find the winners to be lacking in originality and oomph. To prove my point I'll give you the winners along with my entries and you guess which one won. Those of you that know...sssshhhh don't tell. Just pretend to be unbiased ;)

Six Word Short Story

A | He drowned; she was the ocean.

B | Burnished by humiliation, she was redeemed.

Landing Zone Sandwich Contest

1 | Vegetarian Stacker: Grilled Portobello Mushroom marinated in Italian dressing, topped with roasted red peppers, provolone, mayo, lettuce and tomato all served on a Kaiser Roll.

2 | Granny Brie Club: Deli Thin Turkey, julianne Granny Smith Apple, gooey- melted Brie cheese, Applewood smoked bacon, drizzled with BBQ sauce, on toasted Sour Dough.

3 | El Capitan Reuben Quesadilla: Traditional Reuben inside a Quesadilla, but use Grouper in place of Corned Beef for the ultimate twist.

+ So last week, I noticed my wrist looking all funky after I developed a pain while doing push ups. There was no particular trauma and it only hurt when I put pressure on it, so I decided to take it easy to see if it healed. Well, it still hasn't healed. Problem was, I've been to the doctor so much that I felt bad about going. Luckily, after she saw the picture of it, she told me to, and I'll have some answers today!

+  On the subject of going to the doctor too much, I've become a regular at the Lyster Lab. I realized last time they already knew me by name, but now they have begun referring to me as a regular. At least now I finally had my last round of Hormone testing, and my Thyroid re-checked because it came back a tidge bit low last round. Getting old sucks.

+ I've been searching for brown strappy heels for two MONTHS, and I finally found a pair I could deal with. Most are too strappy, too dark, too light, too high, too low, too cheap, etc., but these are close enough to what I was looking for. And then they were out of my size. #$%&.

Now please don't forget to vote, so I can prove I'm right about my contest entries! That would at least make me feel better about losing. Will says I definitely should have won both, but bless that sweet man...he has to say it. Hope everyone has a great rest of the week!

Yours Truly Is A Writer, Kind Of

Yes, I know we all enjoy writing or we wouldn't blog, but not all of get published in a Chicken Soup book! Am I right, or am I right?

Okay, so I know it's not the biggest deal in the world, but I am pretty dang proud. The fact that I can say that I was paid to write is a dream come true! I have such a passion for the written word, but I rarely think I'm good enough to go any farther than this blog. To say I feel blessed is an understatement, but I'll have to go more into that soon.

I'm happy to report that we have made it through five days of not talking to Will, and this is how I've occupied myself:

1 | Ladies Night Out with the co-workers!
Hence the hangover on Monday.

2 | I recently took up crocheting, because I already don't have enough on my plate.
I'm making a baby scarf for my new neice!

3 | Another present from Will: Dri-Fit ARMY pullover.
You saw the matching shirt in the last video. I promise I won't wear them at the same time.

4 | A. Buck {Our favorite third wheel} took me for a Birthday massage at Massage Envy.
Didn't think I was sore, but my whole left side was a big knot from favoring my right side.

4 | B. And then he really spoiled me with Chik-Fil-A. 
We were just glad we thought to go on a day that it wasn't Sunday!

5 | I hate candy corn, but the M&M version is my FAVE Halloween candy.
If you have never tried them, you better scoop 'em up if you see 'em!

I can't even tell you how many people make fun of me for being a 90 year old woman in a 19 year old's body, and now the crochet thing is totally giving them more evidence. DILGAF? For now, I am simply enjoying this week with friends, and then next week I will be right back into hibernation mode until Pensacola. I still can't believe that I will be there in eleven short days, and I will get to spoil this little nugget.

Le sigh...my daddy is so good with kids. I can't wait to squeeze them both!!
Well, I'll catch you on the other side of twenty-eight, and can't wait to see everyone's costumes. Anyone doing a link up for a costume reveal? Could be fun ;)

Will Is Taking Over!

Welcome to Part II of yesterday's story!

I was going to write it myself, but since Will did so well on his own, I was happy to let him take over!

 

Well hello everyone,

This will be my very first blog post ever, and you can be sure that I'm a bit nervous. I read Janna's blog daily, but never thought I would find myself actually writing for it. You all make it look so easy that I was surprised when I sat down at the computer staring at a blank page for an hour, haha. Please bare with me as I attempt to convey the highlights of my latest Adventure....

A common military tradition is to hold boards. That's when

soldiers appear before a panel of senior leadership to compete, and are judge on confidence, poise, and general military knowledge. I was lucky enough to win our battalion's board and get the chance to compete at the brigade level, where each battalion chooses what they feel is their best soldier, selected from the approx. 1,200 they have. You are given a list of approximately 25 topics to give you an idea of what to study, but other than that the only thing you know you will be doing is a PT (Fitness)test and qualifying with your weapon. You are essentially handed a vague list and 3 weeks to learn "general soldier tasks". Could be anything right? So when I arrived I met the other 12 competitors and our daunting task:16 separate events! Talk about ridiculous, but the military prides itself in the accuracy with which you are given vague instruction. So away we went.....

Day one started with a PT test. Nothing too fancy, push-ups, sit-ups, and a 2 mile run. Next up was a weapons qualification. Ok, fair enough, I expected all that. Then it got interesting. A stress shoot. which means you put on your full body armor, run around till you're exhausted, and then try to calm your self to shoot accurately. Once we were sufficiently tired from those we moved on to Land Nav and got two pieces of paper. One was an aerial photograph with a grid, and the other was a list of  numbers. Now mind you we are still wearing 60 lbs of gear, 4 miles and an hour later, that was a wrap. I'll give you a hint, I ran most of the way, haha. I crossed the finish line soaked in sweat, not knowing if Im first or last, and even if I am first, my coordinates must match or I still lose. Thinking I was going to get a rest was a mistake because there was more.

After more guns, gear maintenance, and wounded soldier simulations, came a battery of written tests to supplement our hands on practice done during the day. {weapons knowledge, first aid, map reading and plotting, cultural awareness, counseling, leadership, NCOER's (a military leader rating system), and AR 670-1 (everything uniforms)} Now personally, I feel all these events would be sufficient to show who is the best all around soldier, but nope, the next day was the main event. We had to appear before a board of 5 Sergeant Majors, the heads of the some of the battalions we were representing. Well over 100 years of military experience and I had to convince them that I know a LOT about the military, haha. Impossible me thinks, but I made it through and was immensely relieved that my month of studying was over. Win lose or draw it was just nice to have it over. All that was left to do, was wait for the results.

  As luck would have it, when the time came, it was MY NAME they called. 

Now, I was just excited to win for the bragging rights. But then we got showered in gifts which included a kindle, a nice bag, ipod speakers, head lamps, pouches to go on our armor, and an award. The USO really stepped up and spoiled us, and boy did they do a good job, haha. But that's not all, I was gone awhile waiting for the competition, and the only thing that's better than winning, is mail. Boy did I come home to some. With all of the bloggers that have sent us packages and our family, we've really been taken care of. I'd like to send a special shout out to all of you and to Cub Scouts Wolf Den 1. Your awesome boxes of goodies last all of 30 seconds when placed in front of my platoon, haha. It's amazing to get mail from our families over here, but boxes from strangers feel great. The knowledge that someone who has never met you (and probably never will) spent their time and money to try to brighten your day just a little, means the world. Then soldiers know they aren't forgotten and are appreciated.

Well, this book is long enough, thanks for reading. I promise not to do it again anytime soon so that you can enjoy my wife's writing like I do.

Bye guys.



To say I am proud of him is an understatement.
He has far surpassed my expectations,  and I'm pretty sure that he's even surpassed his own. He has only been in the Army two and a half years, and he has already accomplished so much...

I just can't wait until I can reward him properly for his accomplishments. In person.
If you know what I'm sayin'. Haha.

Thank your for visiting today, Mr. Soldier Of The Brigade!

I Have A Story To Tell You...

It had come down to the last few months of the deployment, but the soldier who should have been relishing the fast paced days, was dreading his upcoming assignment. The previous month was already a blur after prepping for the Promotion Board and Soldier Of The Quarter (both of which directly affected his career), and yet they paled in comparison to the impending task. As anxiety coursed through his veins, he boarded the helicopter in the dead of night to fly under the cover of darkness. Getting to the base in one piece was only the first hurdle.

After some shut eye, the soldier awoke and with a new day and new surroundings, to find that his perspective had shifted a bit. Funny thing, perspective. His anxiety was a bit relieved by reuniting with his buddies, and he actually found himself enjoying this larger FOB. The man who doesn't like sweets, savored the fact that he could have ice cream on his apple pie and was even excited to do some shopping in the PX. Studying was suddenly put on the back burner, as he tried to pretend that he didn't have this looming over him.

Mentally he was checking out.Now what to tell the wife...

He worried that she would be disappointed in him, and the thought of letting her down brought new waves of anxiety. Somehow he pushed through that anxiety and made it known to her that this had become somewhat of a vacation and studying was becoming no short of impossible. He braced himself for what was to come, but was left stunned when she let out a chuckle and told him that she understood. She had been understanding and supportive throughout the deployment, but this time? With so much on the line?  It was as if she lifted the world right off his shoulders.

What he didn't know was that his wife had expected this. It wasn't that she expected him to fail; it was that she knew that he would inevitably hit a wall. Anyone else would have hit it even sooner, and she was more surprised that he lasted this long. She had resigned herself to the fact that he might not win, but she didn't want her pressuring him to be his downfall. She knew that her support and understanding could be a lot more powerful than any encouragement or nagging.

The dates for the board were pushed back, which could be seen as a blessing, but although it did give the soldier more time to collect himself and study, it also left him ill when the event arrived. The tension was back in full force and his wife knew it. She did the only thing she could think of. She sent him some inspiration, and luckily, the perfect inspiration had just presented itself to her.

"In case you need some extra inspiration this morning, I found this in the book I am reading and instantly thought of you. I am so proud of you and all that you do. You are the most amazing man, and I love you. 'Easing off does not make the going easier. Neither does it guide one to the desired destination. Most men ease off when the going gets rough. Most slow down when the road appears treacherous. These are the times when you must feel the weight of your future on your shoulders- the throbbing, unstoppable strength of destiny coursing through your veins...Times of calamity and distress have always been the producers of the greatest men. The hardest steel is produced from the hottest fire; the brightest star shreds the darkest night.' "

She only hoped that it reached him in time.

To be continued...

On My Heart: Humility

Yesterday was the BEST day off.
When Will asked me what I was going to do on my day off, I was happy to have "absolutely nothing" on the top of my to-do list. I was able to blog, answer emails, and work on some buttons/graphics. ALL from the comfort of my bed.

One important thing I did, was spill my guts write this here little post.
It was actually much longer (and much more in depth), but I realized that the writing itself was therapeutic and there was no need to rehash the entire story on le blog. I know I know, we all love the juicy stuff, and still...I decided less is more.
{FYI: This is not a pity party. Just showing that we all struggle}

Whether we are in the real world or blog world, we all face judgement and unkind situations.

If I'm quiet, I'm a snob.
If I'm vocal, I'm full of myself.
If I'm honest, I'm a b*tch.
If I'm nice, I'm fake.
You know the drill.

When I'm feeling weak, I wonder if it really is me.
Lately, I've been feeling especially weak.
I think it's because I had gotten to the point of this deployment where I felt like Will's homecoming was too good to be true. I've been without him for so long that his homecoming seemed like a fantasy.

Suffering in silence was my first mistake.
 I was allowing my thoughts to play tricks on me, and since I was essentially alone, I was left to my own devices. I think that with the combination of feeling alone, feeling hurt, and a little insanity brought on by this deployment, I fell victim to my own insecurities.

The last week has been spent doing a lot of introspection.
I have gone over the people that I have allowed in my life, my work situations, and what my future holds. It was actually inspired by a few negative events, but has turned out incredibly positive. I think I must have simply been due for one of those life altering events that give us direction. What inspired this, is not important because each of us comes to different road blocks. What is important, is that we all learn that sometimes, those road blocks are a wake up call that show us we need to redirect our course.

Source: inspiringshortstories.org via Janna on Pinterest

Seriously...It's like that pin was meant for me.

It came to me in all of it's Pinterest glory and inspiration, reminding me that this is what life is all about. It's filled with ups, downs, and lessons to be learned.
How we maneuver through those lessons are what defines who we are.

Source: perceptioniseverything.blogspot.com via Janna on Pinterest

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What matters to me, is that I have a handful of amazing people in my life, my husband as my rock, and now I have all of you for support and inspiration. I have yet to figure out what my final destination will be, but I know that I am on the right path.

Source: happiestaretheprettiest.tumblr.com via Britt on Pinterest

A few lessons in closing:
Everyone is going to make their own opinions about each individual, so all you can do is put your best foot forward, admit when you are wrong, and ask for forgiveness when you should.
Always remember that YOU don't want to be misjudged, so please remember that there are always two sides of a story and that you should simply treat others how you would like to be treated.

Perhaps the biggest lesson I learned, and the hardest, was that I'm not perfect, I can fall short, and I can make a bad decision or judgement just like ANYONE else. People expect a lot from me and I expect even more, which is why I needed to learn this lesson. A lesson in humility.