I'm back!

I've been trying for quite sometime to remember my password for this account, and have had great difficulty resetting the password. Good news is, I finally figured it out and this time I've written it down in a safe place. Lots of things have happened since I last posted, so many so that I don't even know where to start. I was appointed last year as the Family Readiness Group (FRG) Chairperson for SgtDub's unit (Bravo Company/45th BSTB). This basically means that since he's the Acting First Sgt, I was volunteered for the position. I really don't mind, since there is not much to do during a non-deployment situation. However, that is about to change. The Guard has finally made family programs a top priority and is doing everything possible to promote and encourage the FRG's. My first FRG exposure came during SgtDub's first deployment to Afghanistan. The FRG was formed as the soldiers were leaving town. It was a group of spouses, parents, grandparents, sisters, brothers, friends, etc. Basically anyone supporting a service member. There was an advisory committee consisting of spouses of the "Top Brass". These women supervised and directed everything that the group did, from meetings to socials to the welcome home ceremony. I volunteered and served in a leadership position during this deployment. SgtDub's second deployment involved a unit from another town, and because of the distance, I was not involved with the FRG. The goal now is to get the FRG's established and functioning on a regular basis, and not just in a deployment situation, which is a GREAT idea! FRGs should be in place and operational year round and the families and friends should know that whatever needs they may have, that the FRG is available to assist them. My main goal as the FRG Chairperson is to be assessible to the soldiers and their families, provide support and resources, and to lay the foundation for a strong and sustainable Family Readiness Group!

"Work Day"

Here are some pics from our "work day" around the homestead. We got alot done, but still have so much more to do. Just keep waiting for Dub to win the lotto. Guess he's going to want this own tractor now.

Memorial Day . . . May 25th . . . It is NOT just a day off from work!

I am normally not a frequent reader of the daily newspaper, but this week I've been housesitting for my parents and have had access to their paper. I happened upon an article that said deadline approaching to nominate a Veteran (in our town) for an extreme landscape makeover. I decided Sgt.Dub would be a deserving Veteran, so I nominated him.

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing to nominate my husband as a Veteran deserving of an “Extreme Landscape Makeover”. My husband joined the Oklahoma Army National Guard in 1994, shortly after our daughter was born. From a very young age, he had a burning desire to serve his country. He attempted to enlist during Operation Desert Shield in 1990, but was turned away due to a knee injury. However, he didn’t let that stop him! He continued working hard, furthering his education, and providing a safe and secure life for our family. During the time that he was away at basic training, the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building occurred. This random act of terrorism only solidified his need and desire to serve his country. When he returned to Oklahoma, he began a new career field as a police officer with the Oklahoma Capitol Patrol, and for the last 10 years, has served with the Oklahoma City Police Department (due in large part for his strong desire to serve, protect and ensure a better life for his family and the citizens he serves).

I am extremely proud of my husband, and it is difficult to find the words to explain why I feel he deserves to be considered for this prize. When I hear the word “Veteran”, I immediately think of someone from past generations -- someone who has served in a World War, Korea, Vietnam, Gulf War, etc. As far as “Veterans” are concerned, my husband is a fairly “new” one. However, all Veterans are the same . . . they ALL deserve our respect and appreciation! Veterans have placed their lives on the line in service of our country. They have left behind family, friends, jobs, etc. to be placed on the frontlines of battle, protecting our freedom and this great Nation!

A little background on my husband . . . he was first deployed with the Oklahoma Army National Guard in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in August 2003 to August 2004. Prior to my husband’s first deployment, we lived in a cramped housing addition in south OKC. During the deployment, with the help of family and friends, we managed to maintain the house and yard and keep everything running while he was away serving our country. My husband’s lifelong dream was to own land and horses. As soon as he returned in 2004, we began searching for land in the area, and eventually settled down on 5 acres west of town. We had grand plans for our new home (which included landscaping and planting lots of trees!) Our plans (and lives) were put on hold yet again when he deployed once again to Afghanistan in 2006. Needless to say, our yard suffered during his absence. He was kind enough to purchase a new lawn tractor before he left, which made life a little easier.

My husband is always drawing plans, bringing home samples, colors and ideas to make our yard extraordinary. However, these are only dreams, as we struggle to make ends meet (as so many other Oklahomans do), and landscaping is just “not in the budget”. Our dream is to create a sanctuary around our home, a place where we can sit and enjoy a beautiful Oklahoma sunrise or sunset. Our life is truly blessed, and we are grateful for what we have. We realize that there are so many deserving Veterans, and your decision will be difficult. It is our hope and prayer that perhaps this day, you will select Sgt.Dub as the Recipient of the “Extreme Landscape Makeover”!

God Bless the USA, and God Bless All of our Men and Women Who Serve in the Armed Forces!

Sincerely,
Mrs. Dub

My Journey Begins . . . and now I'm sore!

After watching NBC's "The Biggest Loser" this season, I've decided (with encouragement from the hubby) to set a goal to walk/run/crawl in a 5K race one year from now. One of the contestants (Helen, who is 48ish) just ran a full marathon last week, and completed it. This got me thinking that if someone (who is a few years old, and was in a lot worse shape than me) can do it, then WHY CAN'T I? I'll give you a little background on myself ... during school, I never really considered myself overweight. I was a cheerleader in junior high, and was always asked to be at the bottom of the pyramid and launch the "skinny chick" onto my shoulders, but I didn't stress over being "fat". My Grandpa used to tease my mom by calling her "Crisco" because he thought she had a big butt. Needless to say, he called me "Crisco Jr.", and thus I began to think of myself as being overweight. I weighed 107 lbs when I graduated high school, and was quite comfortable in my skin. I was never "skinny", and I was okay with that. I could still buy cute clothes and I didn't let it get me down. When SgtDub and I got married (1991) I weighed 122 lbs. He thought I was cute, and that's all that mattered. (NOTE: SgtDub was quite the hunk in 1991). As soon as we got married, we began to expand. We ate fast food all the time and never cooked at home or exercised. When I found out that I was pregnant in 1993, I weighed 150 lbs (oops, forgot to tell you that I'm 5'0"). I had a normal, but stressful pregnancy and ended up on bed rest at the end due to preclampsia (not sure about how that's spelled). By the time MissDub was born (2 weeks late via c-section), I looked like an elephant and felt like one too (I don't even recall how much I weighed at that time, but it was a lot). During the pregnancy, SgtDub was wonderful to me. I would come home from work, throw on my pjs and lay on the couch. He would go pick up dinner and rub my feet and I just laid there (looking like that "Jabba the Hut" dude from StarWars) and got bigger and bigger. (Note to pregnant ladies -- get off the couch and move around - you'll feel better, trust me). Once I reached my "maximum capacity", I decided to join WeightWatchers with one of my girlfriends. I joined around the time of my birthday, so my friend paid my initiation fee and that got me started. I starting keep a food journal, counting points and walking. Guess What? You can lose weight by doing that! It was awesome . . . I was averaging about 1 lb per week and reached my goal in about 8 months (128 lbs). I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT! After maintaining my goal weight for a certain amount of time, I became a Lifetime Member and can attend meetings for free (provided I stay close to my goal weight). I managed to keep the weight off for several years, and then slowly (unnoticeable) it started creeping back. I went from a size 8 to size ?? (after I swore I would never wear that size again). This time, I did it on my own. I started keeping track of my calories and walked like crazy. I would walk on my lunch hour and during breaks - the more I walked, the more I wanted to walk. I now weigh 135 lbs and I'm happy with that. I've gotten rid of all my "fat clothes" and am now wearing a comfortable size 10. Don't misunderstand, I do want to look and feel better, and I'm starting now to take steps to make that happen. I realize that I'm 40-something and "gravity happens". My body will never be perfect, and I don't want it to be. I want to be healthy - I want to eat better - and most important, I want to be a good role model for my daughter! Tomorrow I will tell you about our first "family walk in the park" . . . (note to self, NEVER attempt to walk, jog and do lunges on the first day!)

"The Bunny"

In 1986, I gave my dad a white-chocolate bunny for Easter. The following year, my dad gave that same bunny back to me, and thus began the "passing of the bunny". Twenty-three years later, the bunny (pictured above) has gone back and forth between us. Each year, the bunny is pulled from the freezer and removed from his ziplock bag, and whoever is giving the bunny away writes their name and date on the box. We take a picture and then send the bunny back to the deep freeze, where he waits for the next Easter. After our daughter (MissDub) was born, my dad and her started sharing their own bunny, and even SgtDub and MissDub have a bunny together. I know this ritual may sound really goofy and gross to some people, but to us, it's a family tradition that we're proud of, and I hope the bunny lives forever! Easter Blessings to All!

Catching up

I find myself at a loss for words when it comes to blogging, but I will try to come up with something interesting to report. Life around the farm has been fairly decent for the past 5 1/2 months considering SgtDub's gone again. For those of you who are keeping up with his blog, know that he's been in Arizona learning to speak Arabic. He's almost done and should be back home by Dec. 20th! Just in time for Christmas!! We had a great Thanksgiving. Dub got in around 8pm on Nov. 26th and stayed until Nov. 30th. We had everyone out to our place for the "feast", and it was wonderful! For as long as I can remember, my parents have hosted Thanksgiving at their house. Last year my dad decided it was time to start having it at our place. The only problem is, I don't cook! So everything had to be brought in and cooked on site. I did manage to make sweet potato casserole (which was delicious), and two pies (pumpkin & chocolate). Our house is bigger than my parents (except for the kitchen). My parents bought our old house when we moved to the country, and it had a great kitchen, and I miss it alot. SgtDub's planning to remodel our kitchen as soon as he gets home. We purchased a double oven last year, and it's just been sitting in the garage waiting to be brought inside. My hope is that everything will be done by next Thanksgiving, and I will be able to host everyone in our spacious new kitchen. But once I get a nice new kitchen, I think I will be expected to use it! My mom always complains that my kitchen is pretty to look it, but not very "user-friendly". In other words, don't make a mess! MissDub's doing great - she turned 15 on Nov. 4th, and is quickly approaching the driving age (argh!!!) I've been letting her drive on the back roads, and plan to enroll her in driving school in the spring. I will pay whatever price is necessary to avoid having to do it myself. It's worth the $300 to let them take her for the driving test. SgtDub is already making plans to install a GPS on her vehicle, so he can track her every move. This should be interesting. Knowing MissDub, she will figure out a way to disable the device, and will have him chasing a cow down by the river. My job is going well - it's either feast or famine. Some of you may know that I work for an "elected official", which means I will be without a job in two years. I don't have a clue about my future plans, but hope that something will come around that will keep me employed for a little while longer -- at least until SgtDub wins the lottery, and I can stay home and play. I hope everyone enjoyed a Happy Thanksgiving with family and friends, and I hope everyone will have a very Merry Christmas (or Holiday or whatever it is you celebrate). With love from our home to yours!

My day off!

Yesterday was my "day off" from work, and I spent it running around having fun. I absolutely love "flex time", and I will hate to see it end next month. I would love to continue on this schedule, but after school starts, I'll have to stop. I suppose I could make MissDub ride the school bus, but that would require her getting up and getting ready on her own, which makes me very nervous. My mom and I have rented a booth at the local antique store and are trying to make some extra money. Between us, we've got a lot of stuff (antiques, collectibles, junk and more junk). My favorite thing to do is scour the local thrift stores for treasurers. I love it when I can pay $1.00 and turn around and sell it for $10. So far, my favorite item was the old garden gate that we had been using on the goat pen. It was about to go in the trash, when I decided to take it to the booth for display. I stuck a price tag on it, and low and behold, someone bought it for $30! I also collect vintage Fiestaware and have approximately 100 pieces. I purchased the Fiestaware in 1989 for $300, and it is now worth around $2500. SgtDub bought me some new Fiestaware Collector books, which were full of information and current pricing guides. I went through and tried to identify each piece by color, size, value and condition. Now I'm trying to decide if I should sell the collection in the booth, or just put it away and hope that it increases in value. Who knows, maybe it could fund MissDub's college fund (ha ha!) So if anyone out there is a Fiestaware collector and has info to share, I'd love to hear from you. MissDub and I went to see "Mama Mia" and thought it was a great movie. The music is awesome and I'm ready to see it again, and I definetely want to purchase the soundtrack. I gotta go for now, more later!