Happy Anniversary!

Now I know you will all find this shocking information but it's true, today Bob and I celebrate our 23 anniversary. Yes that's right 23 YEARS! I can't believe it myself. Today as it turns out is very much like this day 23 years ago. We had a light rain which turned to sleet and back again to rain. I remember arriving at the church that damp cold day. I wasn't about to allow the weather to dampen my spirits. I was filled with the joys and expectations of a life together with the man I love. Having no idea what the future was to bring.

Today here we stand as happy as we were all those years ago. Ready to face the challenges that are still to come.


**not sure why this pic is on its side since its upright on photobucket ... as usual I am having technical difficulties.

problems with the school lunches....

I've been getting reports from Nickie's nurses about problems with the way Nickie's lunches have been prepared. You see for her to eat by mouth her meals have to be pureed. She doesn't chew her food so essentially they need to be pre-chewed. I've met with the cafeteria staff to explain this giving them an example of medium oatmeal consistency not too wet, not too dry. I thought that would be simple enough to understand.

I guess I expected too much of the cafeteria personnel. Her last meal at school last week looked like this.....



Do you see any resemblance to puree or medium consistency oatmeal?

I didn't think so either!

sunrise

Speaks for itself

WE HAVE EGGS!

Goodbye 2006 Hello 2007

It's been a year of many things to be thankful for, not the least of which a full year in our home in the country. We quickly made the transition in this last year from being city dwellers to still learning country folk. Raising baby chicks to chickens ready to begin laying eggs soon. Let's not forget Aldo
and Frankie our goats.

We've made some great new friends in our community. Brandon has his homeschool friends and I have the wonderful mothers of those children. I've had ups and downs with the nursing care but in the end now have some wonderful nurses that are caring for Nickie. Some I'm proud to call friends as well.

We've had some set backs with some bouts of depression, though very minor, and our dealings with OCD which has become less of a daily issue with the help of medication. Though today the first day of this new year has been a dreary rainy day I refuse to believe it is a sign of things to come. I pray the new year will bring us happiness, health and prosperity. I wish the same for all my blogging friends and family.

Happy New Year!

I wanted to share this with you all!

Friends,
I received a copy of an email from a dear friend of mine, Karen. She is a huge supporter of our soldiers. She shared with me a letter from a Maj.Mark Aitken, I can't begin to express this nearly as well so with out any further hesitation here is his email.
Wolverine "5" Christmas Message

Yesterday, December 20, 2006, I sat down to write a Christmas message to all who have supported the officers, non-commissioned officers, and troopers of the 1st Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment (Wolverines), but was distracted by our President’s news conference and the plethora of bad news emanating out of Iraq. It disturbed me greatly to learn that our country is losing patience with the progress or lack thereof to date. These statements motivated me to alter my Christmas message from one of hope and support, to a message requesting one thing, "Time."

The United States Army, "Your Army," has a distinguished history of overcoming insurmountable adversities eventually resulting in decisive victories. There are many heroic battles, but none more famous than when the Continental Army under General George Washington, during the Revolutionary War, reversed the tide of British victories in 1776 by crossing the frozen Delaware River on Christmas Eve to defeat the Hessian Garrison at Trenton, New Jersey. This tradition continued through the years, and was again illustrated during World War II during the Battle of Bulge when elements of the 101st Airborne refused to surrender to advancing German Forces. General McAullife’s response of "Nuts" to the German Commanders request for surrender was a stroke of genius that motivated our soldiers to stand their ground against overwhelming odds. These are only two examples of the many heroic and valorous acts performed by our Armed Forces during the Christmas season. Many of our fellow countrymen believe that this is only in our history, but I remind you that our men and women in uniform continue these fine traditions and epitomize the values of what it means to be an American!

Therefore, this Christmas I am asking for "Time." Time for us to do our jobs and bring peace and stability to the country of Iraq! We don’t need tanks, airplanes, artillery, or even more soldiers; we just need "Time!" We need "Time" to develop the Iraqi Army, improve security, and eventually show the local population how to enjoy the privileges of freedom. I know it is difficult to fathom but in the years following World War II, our country maintained large numbers of troops in both Europe and Japan in order to sustain peace and stability. It is interesting to note that even today we retain troops in both of these countries. I doubt that either Japan or Germany would have flourished and grown as democracies if we had abandoned the "Marshall Plan" and withdrawn our troops because of setbacks or casualties.

In closing, I would like to remind everyone of a conversation between General Washington and Congressman Benjamin Rush on the eve of their crossing the Delaware River. They were both concerned of the state of the militia army and their capability to execute a nighttime attack in extremely bad weather. During the course of the conversation Congressman Rush noticed General Washington holding a small crushed piece of paper in his hand. When queried regarding the contents of the paper he showed there were three words, "Victory or Death." This note, while profound during that time, affected me deeply here in Iraq. While most Americans today can not fathom or understand that kind of dedication, our troops serving in Iraq fully understand its implications. If we fail here, we may not perish, but all the good that we have accomplished over the past five years will wither and die! With that, I wish all a Merry Christmas, and pray that God grants our government and people the patience in order that we, the men and women of your Army, can emerge victorious.

MAJ Mark Aitken

1st Squadron, 89th United States Cavalry

FOB Striker, Iraq

We began something we need to finish. I agree with this man 110% and I only wish I could thank him personally for all he has done for this great country.

Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!!!

I'll return soon with pictures from our Christmas! I wish you all a merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous new year!

Diva Lunch!

Today Bob and I had lunch with the Diva herself! I was able to prove that she in fact does exist in more than my imagination. I speak of the Diva often but Bob had no proof that she was real until today! I'm not sure if he thought that she was imaginary or if he thought "Diva" was the code name I'd given my boyfriend. I can assure you if I ever have a boyfriend he won't be a Diva! Besides we know my boyfriend is busy with Angelina these days! Some years ago Bob and I made a pact that the only people we could have affairs with would be, Brad Pitt and Meg Ryan. I haven't heard that Brad is secretly craving plump Latina's, yeah I know I'm being kind using plump but well I'm nice to me that way!


Our lunch time flew by and Bob agreed the Diva is all I've said she is. She's a cutie and he admitted conversation didn't lag a bit. My next trip to Richmond I hope to see her again perhaps I'll be lucky enough to meet her better half, if indeed he does exist! Just kidding Diva I know he does. Diva is half way through her first pregnancy and I have to tell ya she is just glowing!
We stopped for a picture together as we departed! The Diva and the Diva wannabe! It was great seeing you D!
I can't wait to see that bundle of joy you are carrying, I need to get my baby fix and remember any time you need me Auntie Lillie is just a call away!

Christmas has come early for me

Though it is not customary for me to receive a present early DH thought I'd waited long enough since the death of my last digital camera. I had to agree with him! I made my decision after hours of research. I decided on this.
I love this camera! I will get the chance to break it in a bit tomorrow. The Diva herself is traveling out to my neck of the woods to meet for lunch at Ruby Tuesday's! I'll have pictures of the blogger meeting to post tomorrow. I should be back to a more regular blogging schedule now that I have a camera to inspire some posts. I'm sure you are all excited.

Proud to support....

My family is proud to be supporting our military by adopting a soldier. We just received the name and address of a soldier in Iraq. I can't and won't divulge any information here I just wanted to say I'm so happy to be apart of this. I've just sent our first letter of introduction. I'm not sure that I will receive any information from him in time for the holidays so I'm searching for some tasty items to send as well as generic items I think he could use. I'd offer to bake some items myself except I can't bake and I don't think he needs to be a guinea pig in addition to the horrors of his day. I was forwarded a couple of wonderful blogs written from the perspective of Marines. The most recent posts describe Thanksgiving from the perspective of soldiers so far from home. I thought you might like to visit them. first there is http://www.sandgram.blogspot.com/ and also http://www.onemarinesview.com/one_marines_view/