I recently stumbled upon a Facebook page through another group that linked it. The title was awfully long: RPM Rockin' in the Free World Book but I browsed and then realized it was a book written by an Army wife about her husband. Intrigued I went to the website and watched the video:
http://www.ryanpmeans.com/#!video
and I cried! I had to read it. I immediately went to Amazon to order it and it arrived a few days later. It is a fast read... I sat and read it over a 6 hour period and I could not put it down. The book contains letters and e-mails that Ryan wrote to his family and friends, and letters and emails between Heather and Ryan. It also includes a few journal entries of Ryan's and then narration about the events from Heather's perspective.
It is an incredibly moving and inspiring story of love and loss. I definitely recommend it!!
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Happy Independence Day!
I Love the 4th of July. I love my country, I love our flag, I love the patriotism, I love the fireworks, I love fun in the sun with family and friends, and I absolutely love a reason to celebrate the hard fought freedom that my husband and many others before him have fought to defend! If you only watch one of the videos below, make it the second one. It's a beautiful rendition of the Pledge of Allegiance that I think everyone should hear. Happy 4th and God bless the U.S.A!!
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
G-O, Let's GO!
I've always wanted to be involved in whatever Army community we find ourselves in. I feel like volunteering and cultivating relationships with other wives and families will only enrich our experience, and of course make the next (at minimum) 13 years a little easier at times.
Plus I just really really like being involved.
So, when I saw the opportunity I applied right away! Ft. Benning has a youth cheer league and they were accepting applications for volunteer coaches for this Fall. The ladies at CYS-Sports and Youth Fitness have been so nice and lucky for me I'm going to be coaching come August! I've always loved cheering and it was such a fun and uplifting part of my younger years. Hopefully I can share just a little bit of that joy this Fall! The girls are ages 6-10 and I've already started running through my memory and writing down motions and cheers I remember. I also wanted to make a bow for each of the girls that they can wear to the games so I headed to the internet to look for a tutorial on cheer bows. Youtube did not disappoint, and within a couple of hours I had whipped up a couple of practice bows. Unfortunately my creative energy tends to take up a large amount of space. Exhibit A:
My husband is always pretty tolerant, even though I think he secretly wishes I had my own craft cave to create all that mess in (don't worry dear, I do too!!). Lucky for him he's far away so he doesn't have to look at it. It may or may not still be sitting in that same spot two days later.
This is the first bow I finished and I think it turned out pretty cute if I do say so myself! I gave it to a friend of mine in town who is not afraid to proudly wear big pink bows in her hair. :)
Everything else has been pretty uneventful. I went and saw Magic Mike with some friends last weekend and it was a fun girls night out. I still need to inventory our household goods but just really don't know where to begin so I'm procrastinating. I miss my husband. Same old thing.
We did get news that Jase should get a 3 or 4 day pass after this cycle is over so I am keeping my fingers crossed! Till next time :)
Plus I just really really like being involved.
So, when I saw the opportunity I applied right away! Ft. Benning has a youth cheer league and they were accepting applications for volunteer coaches for this Fall. The ladies at CYS-Sports and Youth Fitness have been so nice and lucky for me I'm going to be coaching come August! I've always loved cheering and it was such a fun and uplifting part of my younger years. Hopefully I can share just a little bit of that joy this Fall! The girls are ages 6-10 and I've already started running through my memory and writing down motions and cheers I remember. I also wanted to make a bow for each of the girls that they can wear to the games so I headed to the internet to look for a tutorial on cheer bows. Youtube did not disappoint, and within a couple of hours I had whipped up a couple of practice bows. Unfortunately my creative energy tends to take up a large amount of space. Exhibit A:
My husband is always pretty tolerant, even though I think he secretly wishes I had my own craft cave to create all that mess in (don't worry dear, I do too!!). Lucky for him he's far away so he doesn't have to look at it. It may or may not still be sitting in that same spot two days later.
This is the first bow I finished and I think it turned out pretty cute if I do say so myself! I gave it to a friend of mine in town who is not afraid to proudly wear big pink bows in her hair. :)
Everything else has been pretty uneventful. I went and saw Magic Mike with some friends last weekend and it was a fun girls night out. I still need to inventory our household goods but just really don't know where to begin so I'm procrastinating. I miss my husband. Same old thing.
We did get news that Jase should get a 3 or 4 day pass after this cycle is over so I am keeping my fingers crossed! Till next time :)
Monday, June 25, 2012
Unexpected Visit
I got a call late last week from my sleepy husband who had just gotten back to his barracks room after an eighteen hour day: "What are you doing Saturday?" "Nothing. Why?" "Will you come see me please?"
YES!!
After just shy of a month alone, I was super excited! The next day I booked a hotel room on post, made arrangements to board the puppy, and anxiously awaited Saturday to get here! Fort Knox is about a 3 hour drive from where we live, so as soon as I was able to drop the dog off I got on the road. Jason went in to work that morning for a few hours while I drove, so that we could get as much time together as possible. I got there just before noon and it was just so, so good to see him! As soon as I wrapped my arms around his neck everything seemed normal again. It's funny how you don't realize how different you are when your spouse is gone. I knew I missed him and that things were pretty lonely and boring here... but I don't think I realized that I'd just been kind of down in the dumps. I felt so much lighter and just... RIGHT spending the day with him.
I was really impressed with the hotel on post as well. from the pictures online I was worried that it was really old and shady but it was super nice! Very newly renovated, very clean and comfortable! It had a mini kitchenette with dishes, so we were even able to enjoy a sweet dinner together. I'd definitely stay there again. Fort Knox was great as well, very well maintained, and everyone I encountered was really friendly. I fell in love with the Army all over again. :) I just feel at home on post. I love everything about it. I love the PX, I love the signs that tell you what time reveille and retreat are at, I love the tanks and helicopters that are on display at traffic circles and front gates, everything!
The best part of the weekend, aside form seeing my sweet husband of course, was seeing him so happy to be back in the Army. It's so easy to see that he loves being a soldier, and that the job suits him well. It makes me so proud and excited for where this life will take us.
So, that's what I've been up to! I only got to spend one day and night up there, and being back now just makes me ready to get down to Ft. Benning and start the next chapter. The plan this week is to hopefully tackle our awful "catch all" closet and the office. Wish me luck!
YES!!
After just shy of a month alone, I was super excited! The next day I booked a hotel room on post, made arrangements to board the puppy, and anxiously awaited Saturday to get here! Fort Knox is about a 3 hour drive from where we live, so as soon as I was able to drop the dog off I got on the road. Jason went in to work that morning for a few hours while I drove, so that we could get as much time together as possible. I got there just before noon and it was just so, so good to see him! As soon as I wrapped my arms around his neck everything seemed normal again. It's funny how you don't realize how different you are when your spouse is gone. I knew I missed him and that things were pretty lonely and boring here... but I don't think I realized that I'd just been kind of down in the dumps. I felt so much lighter and just... RIGHT spending the day with him.
I was really impressed with the hotel on post as well. from the pictures online I was worried that it was really old and shady but it was super nice! Very newly renovated, very clean and comfortable! It had a mini kitchenette with dishes, so we were even able to enjoy a sweet dinner together. I'd definitely stay there again. Fort Knox was great as well, very well maintained, and everyone I encountered was really friendly. I fell in love with the Army all over again. :) I just feel at home on post. I love everything about it. I love the PX, I love the signs that tell you what time reveille and retreat are at, I love the tanks and helicopters that are on display at traffic circles and front gates, everything!
The best part of the weekend, aside form seeing my sweet husband of course, was seeing him so happy to be back in the Army. It's so easy to see that he loves being a soldier, and that the job suits him well. It makes me so proud and excited for where this life will take us.
So, that's what I've been up to! I only got to spend one day and night up there, and being back now just makes me ready to get down to Ft. Benning and start the next chapter. The plan this week is to hopefully tackle our awful "catch all" closet and the office. Wish me luck!
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Craftiness
Like tons of people, I am a Pinterest addict. I was already into crafting, but Pinterest has taken my obsession to a whole new level. The other day while browsing, I found this hydrangea wreath that I loved and decided to make one for our front door! Unfortunately I was too excited to get step by step pictures but here's the finished product with instructions below. Enjoy!
Materials:
1 Straw wreath form
6-9 yds of your favorite ribbon (6 yards will cover up to where the flowers go, 9 will cover the whole wreath)
Wooden letter of your choosing
2 silk hydrangea flower stems (make sure the stem has at least 2 full hydrangea blooms on it)
hot glue gun with glue
coordinating ribbon to hang. (cut to desired length)
Instructions:
1. First put a dot of hot glue on the end of the ribbon where you're going to start wrapping, and glue it to the back of the wreath form.
2. start wrapping the ribbon around the wreath form in wide sections, making sure you completely cover the wreath form, but still going wide enough to avoid wasting ribbon.
3. Periodically put dots of glue to hold the ribbon in place.
4. Once your wreath form is completely wrapped in ribbon (or it's wrapped to the sections where you want) you can begin gluing on the hydrangea blooms. Make sure you look at your placement before you start gluing so that you know where you need to cover.
5. Once your blooms are glued down securely, decide where you'd like to glue on your wooden letter. Use a generous amount of glue on the parts of the letter that will touch the wreath, and press down firmly and hold for a couple of minutes until the glue has dried.
6. measure where you'd like your wreath to sit on your door up to the base of the wreath hanger so you know how much ribbon you need for hanging. Cut ribbon to needed length. Make sure you add enough inches to create a bow.
7. Tie hanging ribbon onto the wreath form, and then an additional bow above that knot. Hang and admire!
Materials:
1 Straw wreath form
6-9 yds of your favorite ribbon (6 yards will cover up to where the flowers go, 9 will cover the whole wreath)
Wooden letter of your choosing
2 silk hydrangea flower stems (make sure the stem has at least 2 full hydrangea blooms on it)
hot glue gun with glue
coordinating ribbon to hang. (cut to desired length)
Instructions:
1. First put a dot of hot glue on the end of the ribbon where you're going to start wrapping, and glue it to the back of the wreath form.
2. start wrapping the ribbon around the wreath form in wide sections, making sure you completely cover the wreath form, but still going wide enough to avoid wasting ribbon.
3. Periodically put dots of glue to hold the ribbon in place.
4. Once your wreath form is completely wrapped in ribbon (or it's wrapped to the sections where you want) you can begin gluing on the hydrangea blooms. Make sure you look at your placement before you start gluing so that you know where you need to cover.
5. Once your blooms are glued down securely, decide where you'd like to glue on your wooden letter. Use a generous amount of glue on the parts of the letter that will touch the wreath, and press down firmly and hold for a couple of minutes until the glue has dried.
6. measure where you'd like your wreath to sit on your door up to the base of the wreath hanger so you know how much ribbon you need for hanging. Cut ribbon to needed length. Make sure you add enough inches to create a bow.
7. Tie hanging ribbon onto the wreath form, and then an additional bow above that knot. Hang and admire!
Monday, June 18, 2012
Staying Flexible
I miss my husband.
We're sitting on 21 days since he was home, which is really no time when you consider other various events where the Army has taken him away for a bit... but the house is still far too quiet. I suppose the situation has seemed more somber since our hopeful plan of seeing each other in 11 days has changed. Originally his platoon had an extra LT so they were going to be able to go on a rotating schedule where they each had a day off every week. Now, the powers that be saw fit to use that extra asset elsewhere. I understand, and it's my job to be supportive, it just kind of stinks. I have learned over these last few years to be flexible and always be prepared for the possibility that plans will change. I count our blessings every day that we had some time to establish our relationship from the start in a military lifestyle. Granted, we've been spoiled these last 4 years while he was in school, but I think it has helped shift me back into this role much easier, with a little less heartache.
All in all though things are good! I've been spending my time trying to get all of our paperwork in order, shopping for wedding dresses with a friend, sitting poolside occasionally, and playing with the pup! I will say the house stays much cleaner with just one person living here ;) Jason is working long hours and I am bummed I can't be there for my sweet husband! He is out of his room by 5:30 every morning and hasn't been getting back until 9:30-10:00. Once back he still has to eat, shower, & possibly do laundry before he can hit the hay. He's staying very busy, so I'm praying that after the first few days things will settle down a bit so that he can rest! Right now we're looking at July 4th for our first visit so just a couple weeks longer than we thought!
We're also officially on the wait list for housing at Ft. Benning!! I'm thrilled! Praise God, it is definitely an answer to our prayers that everything went through.
Now to get a care package sent off for my love! Happy Monday everyone!
We're sitting on 21 days since he was home, which is really no time when you consider other various events where the Army has taken him away for a bit... but the house is still far too quiet. I suppose the situation has seemed more somber since our hopeful plan of seeing each other in 11 days has changed. Originally his platoon had an extra LT so they were going to be able to go on a rotating schedule where they each had a day off every week. Now, the powers that be saw fit to use that extra asset elsewhere. I understand, and it's my job to be supportive, it just kind of stinks. I have learned over these last few years to be flexible and always be prepared for the possibility that plans will change. I count our blessings every day that we had some time to establish our relationship from the start in a military lifestyle. Granted, we've been spoiled these last 4 years while he was in school, but I think it has helped shift me back into this role much easier, with a little less heartache.
All in all though things are good! I've been spending my time trying to get all of our paperwork in order, shopping for wedding dresses with a friend, sitting poolside occasionally, and playing with the pup! I will say the house stays much cleaner with just one person living here ;) Jason is working long hours and I am bummed I can't be there for my sweet husband! He is out of his room by 5:30 every morning and hasn't been getting back until 9:30-10:00. Once back he still has to eat, shower, & possibly do laundry before he can hit the hay. He's staying very busy, so I'm praying that after the first few days things will settle down a bit so that he can rest! Right now we're looking at July 4th for our first visit so just a couple weeks longer than we thought!
We're also officially on the wait list for housing at Ft. Benning!! I'm thrilled! Praise God, it is definitely an answer to our prayers that everything went through.
Now to get a care package sent off for my love! Happy Monday everyone!
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Daddy's Little Girl
My dad is FUNNY. He has a quick wit and sense of humor that will lighten your spirits in an instant. So many times my brothers and sister and I will sit around and laugh telling stories about things Dad has said. He's a hard worker. He has worked in the construction business for 25 + years and can build or remodel anything. One of my favorite things to do when I'm home is ask about his latest build and then meet him at the job site for a tour. His skin is a permanent reddish tint from years of working outside in the sun and he still wears the same wrangler style jeans he's worn my entire life when he heads off to work in the morning. My Daddy is incredibly loving. He tells me all the time how proud he is of me and that he loves me. He gives big hugs and will go out of his way to ask if we need anything. He is intelligent. He gives great advice and is honest in his opinion. He is Godly. At our wedding instead of a guest book we did a wishing tree - little tags with a note "Advice and Wishes for the Mr. and Mrs." at the top. My Dad's advice was this "Forgive each other as Christ has forgiven us, and love one another as Christ loves you." He instilled in us the desire to pray in all things, for all things.
I LOVE my Daddy! He is the best. I don't think I tell him enough how much he means to me, but I hope he knows what a profound impact he has had on my life.
Happy Father's Day Daddy!
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Lesson #472 in Army-wifedom
"Primary Contact" in Army speak is not necessarily what it looks like. For example, we will be moving (PCSing to be exact) to Ft. Benning in August and since Jason is TDY (temporary duty) until August as well, I will be taking care of all of the moving needs by myself. So in essence, I would be the primary contact regarding this move. However, primary contact in the Army means your sponsor (spouse/husband/etc). So, After entering all of MY personal information into the online registration portal and getting set up, I had to go back and re-do it all about half way through so that it was basically as if Jason were filling it out. I really should have known better, as I'm not so new to all of this to be completely lost, I think I just got a little hopeful for a second there :).
All is well now though. The application for our HHG (household goods) shipment has been submitted and now I just wait for my PPSO (personal property shipment office) to contact me with the exact dates! It feels good to have that out of the way. Now all we need to do is find a place down at Ft. Benning! We're still dying to live on post, but we're unable to submit the application until after he gets his first pay stub (LES) so we've got a few more days. I'm dreading to hear what the wait-list looks like right now... and just praying that we'll have something available by the time we get down there. As I'm trying to be realistic though, we're still looking around town for anything that may seem fitting. Our worst case scenario would be living in a hotel for a month while our pets are with us or boarded.
More good news to report from Jason as well - it looks like I will be able to go visit him in about 11 days!! I am pumped... it's been quite some time since we were apart for so long so I'm liking the idea of baby steps back into it ;) the house has been far too quiet.
Well, I'm off to get ready for Crossfit and then maybe happy hour to celebrate my small moving victory of the day! Have a good evening all!
All is well now though. The application for our HHG (household goods) shipment has been submitted and now I just wait for my PPSO (personal property shipment office) to contact me with the exact dates! It feels good to have that out of the way. Now all we need to do is find a place down at Ft. Benning! We're still dying to live on post, but we're unable to submit the application until after he gets his first pay stub (LES) so we've got a few more days. I'm dreading to hear what the wait-list looks like right now... and just praying that we'll have something available by the time we get down there. As I'm trying to be realistic though, we're still looking around town for anything that may seem fitting. Our worst case scenario would be living in a hotel for a month while our pets are with us or boarded.
More good news to report from Jason as well - it looks like I will be able to go visit him in about 11 days!! I am pumped... it's been quite some time since we were apart for so long so I'm liking the idea of baby steps back into it ;) the house has been far too quiet.
Well, I'm off to get ready for Crossfit and then maybe happy hour to celebrate my small moving victory of the day! Have a good evening all!
Sunday, June 10, 2012
What a weekend!
This last week I was nervous and busy getting ready for my very first Crossfit competition! Unfortunately Jason wasn't able to make it, but he was texting me encouragement all morning before my first heat. The competition was so much fun, and I'm glad I finally took the jump and tried it. There were 16 others competing from my gym so we all had a good time hanging out and cheering each other on. After 3 events in my division (beginners) I placed 2nd overall! Not bad for my first time :)
Jason is doing well up at Ft. Knox. He's got a really great group of cadre to work with and I think it will be a good summer for him. Their first bunch of cadets arrive Wednesday, so I'm eager to see how it goes once everything really kicks off. He's been staying pretty busy, with only a little time off every day. They're even working on the weekends, like today where they're out on a land nav course until 11 tonight! We're hoping that he will have a day off next week where I can drive up to see him, so, fingers crossed! I'm definitely missing my husband!! We've been spoiled by all this time together these last few years.
Still on hold with our housing application... I won't be able to turn it in until the 15th so I'm hoping it won't put us too far behind on the waitlist. This week, I'm going to go through the briefing for setting up our move and then hopefully scheduling a date! It makes me nervous... but I'm ready to get the ball rolling. I know that the summer is the busy season for PCS moves so I'm trying to stay as ahead of the game as possible.
Well, I'm off to enjoy to enjoy the rest of my Sunday. Have a blessed day!
Jason is doing well up at Ft. Knox. He's got a really great group of cadre to work with and I think it will be a good summer for him. Their first bunch of cadets arrive Wednesday, so I'm eager to see how it goes once everything really kicks off. He's been staying pretty busy, with only a little time off every day. They're even working on the weekends, like today where they're out on a land nav course until 11 tonight! We're hoping that he will have a day off next week where I can drive up to see him, so, fingers crossed! I'm definitely missing my husband!! We've been spoiled by all this time together these last few years.
Still on hold with our housing application... I won't be able to turn it in until the 15th so I'm hoping it won't put us too far behind on the waitlist. This week, I'm going to go through the briefing for setting up our move and then hopefully scheduling a date! It makes me nervous... but I'm ready to get the ball rolling. I know that the summer is the busy season for PCS moves so I'm trying to stay as ahead of the game as possible.
Well, I'm off to enjoy to enjoy the rest of my Sunday. Have a blessed day!
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Getting the ball rolling
Things here are going good, although I'm definitely missing my other half! Last week was kind of boring. I was so used to having him here those last few weeks after his commissioning that it took a few days to get used to the quiet. I started this week off ready to get some things accomplished for the upcoming move! Yesterday I went to get my ID card updated now that Jason is officially back on active duty (there was much speculation over what color it would be. Spoiler alert: It's peach) and then spoke with the transportation offices at Ft. Benning and Ft. Campbell. I thought that Ft. Benning would be the ones moving us since that's where we're going and we don't have a current duty station, but it turns out in that case you're moved by the closest military installation to you. You learn something new every day. Luckily the people at Ft. Campbell were really nice and helpful. You always hear horror stories about different offices on post and transportation was no exception, but I've been pleasantly surprised! Hopefully my good luck will continue throughout the rest of this PCS.
We also found out what Jason's job will be this summer at Ft. Knox. He's going to be a STO (Squad Tactical Officer) which means he will have a squad of cadets that he will teach/train and be responsible for. This means longer hours for him but I kind of expected him to get assigned to that position. If I can brag on my husband a little bit for a second - Jason was prior service as an NCO with two combat tours under his belt, as a cadet he assessed as number 76 in the country (out of all the 6,000 something cadets that assessed this year, Jason was number SEVENTY SIX people) which means he was in the top 1% of cadets in the country. At LDAC (the month long training that cadets entering their senior year have to complete before they can commission) he got an "E" which is the highest score you can get and he was also voted top 5 in his platoon. Basically, my husband is a stud. So, going into this I told him that if I was in charge of LTC this summer I would definitely be putting him as a squad tac. He's exactly the type of officer you want training potential cadets. As usual, I was right ;) Overall he's happy just to be back on active duty, and the STO position will definitely make the time go by faster.
Today I am sending off our application for on-post housing (say a prayer for us!) and going to look at wedding gowns with a newly engaged friend of mine. Have a great day everyone!
We also found out what Jason's job will be this summer at Ft. Knox. He's going to be a STO (Squad Tactical Officer) which means he will have a squad of cadets that he will teach/train and be responsible for. This means longer hours for him but I kind of expected him to get assigned to that position. If I can brag on my husband a little bit for a second - Jason was prior service as an NCO with two combat tours under his belt, as a cadet he assessed as number 76 in the country (out of all the 6,000 something cadets that assessed this year, Jason was number SEVENTY SIX people) which means he was in the top 1% of cadets in the country. At LDAC (the month long training that cadets entering their senior year have to complete before they can commission) he got an "E" which is the highest score you can get and he was also voted top 5 in his platoon. Basically, my husband is a stud. So, going into this I told him that if I was in charge of LTC this summer I would definitely be putting him as a squad tac. He's exactly the type of officer you want training potential cadets. As usual, I was right ;) Overall he's happy just to be back on active duty, and the STO position will definitely make the time go by faster.
Today I am sending off our application for on-post housing (say a prayer for us!) and going to look at wedding gowns with a newly engaged friend of mine. Have a great day everyone!
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Off we go!
Hi Everyone! Here we are, off to the next chapter of our lives. Jason just commissioned as an Army Infantry officer this May and is now on TDY (Temporary Duty) for the summer in Kentucky. I'm holding the fort down here in Tennessee before the big move to Georgia this August! Hopefully this will be a great outlet to keep our friends and family updated on our lives as we go along. I will be posting more soon! So glad you stopped by!
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