Growing Up

Why is it that our kids have to grow up so fast? I remember with C, I couldn't wait for him to walk and talk... Now he's really grown up and goes to real school. I mean, I happy he is getting bigger, healthy and just a brilliant child. I'm just sad that time gets away so quickly.

B is the same way. I didn't hurry him as much, and tonight I noticed he is turning in to a little man too. The little chubby belly is beginning to lean out and he prefers to play with big boy toys. I find it a treat to watch Blues Clues or Thomas. There were days when we would have to use the free on demand to watch Thomas he loved it so much.

So where does the time go???? I don't know? I just know that time goes by so quickly...

HELP Support Breast Cancer Awareness

Some of you know I am a huge proponent of fighting cancer. I lost my grandmother to breast cancer and my Mom to lung cancer. Cancer is a disease that we need to knock out!

Since moving to TX, I met Amy. Amy lost her sister, Tammy to breast cancer a few years ago. Amy has been a huge inspiration to me and a huge supporter as I helped my Mom transition from life to death. Amy has listen to my cry, held my hand and been a huge support to me. Did I mention she too is part of a mobile army family that has taken her far from home? :)

Amy and Tammy's friend, Julie is climbing to help breast cancer funding. You can check her out here and track her progress here

She is trying to raise money for the Breast Cancer Fund through Climb Against the Odds She has raised almost $3,500, but has set a very aggressive goal of $15,000. Please help her reach her goal... Not just for Tammy and my friend Amy, but for yourself and your children... Raising money to stamp out breast cancer today is making things better for our children tomorrow.

Any amount helps the cause....

Healing...

It's funny how Spring has sprung here in TX. The trees are sprouting bright green leaves, and there are wildflowers along the highways. I think Spring is my favorite time of the year in TX anyway. (Sorry NC fans... No pine pollen here. WOO HOO!)

I also think that Spring is a time of healing and new growth. Today, I drove past a house where a soldier of my husband and his family once lived. In September, a massive house fire killed the soldier and burned most of the family's home and belongings. It was a sad time for us even though we were very new to the unit. For months, the house was draped in blue plastic; black char marks along the places that weren't burned away. I remember feeling a pang of sadness everytime I passed the house.

Today, I noticed that they have finally begun repairs on the house. The blue tarps are gone and the charred pieces have been removed. To those who pass the house and new to the area would think that it's just being rebuilt for some reason. Just the frame is visible in the burned parts. And I began thinking....

The loss of someone or the expereience of any type of loss is like a wound... At first it is sore and tender to the touch, but with time, patience and care the wound begins to heal. Even after the wound is fully healed, it isn't completely gone. We still run our fingers of the scar and are reminded of what was once there...

I have been trying to heal on so many levels over the past few months. Like the rebuilding of the house above, I had to wait until it was time to tear down the charred parts away and start to rebuild from the frame out. I still have bad days... Lonely days just like the house will experience delays in building because of rain. But in the end it will take on a new family just as I will go forward and take on new endeavors. That is the amazing thing about those who are among the living... Time goes forward. It doesn't look back. Our mistakes or lessons will be scars or badges of merit that we wear proudly... We can't erase them and sometimes we will feel them and be reminded of the things we have learned in the past.

I like Spring... It brings new beginnings on so many levels.

Mini Vans

Oh yeah!!! Most of you own one... You know it. For those of you who don't... Your time is a ticking. :)

Well, our minivan got the full work over yesterday. :) Bless her heart, for the last two years, she has become the troop carrier. Literally!!! She has hauled gear from DC to Fort Benning to Fort Knox back to DC to TX back to DC and she'll make yet another trip here in the next few months... She had hauled troopers all over the US. And she has been pretty good about it too only requesting the usual oil change and gas to make her go. All in all she has been a pretty good little van. :)

BUT... All of the troop carrying has taken a bit of a toll on her... She isn't the vibrant Wiggles singing rocking kid van she once was... She started to develop this weird "Man Smell." It was so bad we started calling her (affectionatly of course)... The Man Van . Everyone loves the Man Van to include Mike who compared her to a Dilorean. Err... Anyway...

I think she is missing M and all of her troop carrying... She decided (locally thank goodness) to run hot, so off to the mechanic she went for new brakes and a new water pump! She seems happier, but still she needed something... So, yesterday we fixed her up! She got the full body wash to get rid of all the dusty road mud off, steam cleaned carpets, washed interior windows, waxed, wiped the works! She is sporting it!

I'm happy to say... She doesn't have the "Man Smell" any longer. She has fresh clean smell of Cranberry Mango. So today, we call her troop carrier! :)

Tonight...

Tonight I miss my Mom. I'm not really sure why she popped into my mind earlier, but she has been there ever since. It isn't an important date or a time that I would remember her, but she is on my mind.

While cleaning, I found her wallet. I brought it back after the funeral so I could have it close to me & I needed to cancel the credit cards. I opened it tonight, and found a picture of her when she first started at ODU. She looked so healthy and full of color. I must have been a freshman or sophmore in college at the time. It was before all of her healthy issues started to get the better of her. Of course she had our family phtos in there. She was so proud of us. No matter what we did... How far we moved away, she always loved us and was so very proud of us.

Maybe it was packing up boxes for Mark that triggered these memories. Mom was always packing us boxes when we were in the EU. I always rushed to the post office to see what treats she had in store for us. She always had something for each of us. I miss those surprises. :)

Maybe it is the patience she always had??? I don't have patience like she did. And I so badly want to call her tonight and just have a good cry. I miss our talks. She was such a good listener and she loved me more than anything. I know that... She was amazing!

Well, the tears have come finally, so I am going to get this over with and plow forward... Death is a funny thing. It triggers so many random emotions! I miss you, Mom! Here is to you tonight... I hope Mark is waiting eagerly for my boxes too. :)



This is my Mom in her typical flair. She didn't wear her glasses often only for reading, but she always had a beautiful scarf around her neck. She is full of color here and her hair is the length & styled the way I always remember it. I'm not sure how she avoided the gray hair, but she never turned gray. :) Isn't she beautiful?

Spring Break

This has been an action packed Spring Break and one I have certainly enjoyed!!! Thank goodness we have had amazing weather (one of the best things about TX). I don't have any pictures from Monday, but we had an amazing dinner with friends... Picture it, three women cooking, kids playing... It really brought meaning to the phrase, "It takes a village..." We cooked, we chatted, we cleaned... It was fun!

On Tuesday, we had a picnic with friends. It was really the best fun we have had in a long time. A is my blond twin... She and I are so much alike. Our kids... Amazing together... Check it out:





Yes, I got into it too... I played follow the leader, chase and I even slid down the slide to a waiting Mom only to her surprise. :)


On Wednesday we started our traditional Spring Break couple of days away... We opted to go to a ranch & had some great fun!!! I HIGHLY recommend it!!!!







We drove a little further and enjoyed a day at the zoo. :)









Hello, Spring! We welcome you tomorrow. :) Hopefully, we will have a fun day tomorrow to wrap up the week. It will be hard to send the boys back to school after such a wonderful week, but hopefully the weather will warm up and stay warm and we'll have more outdoor adventures! :)