Jake’s News!

Take a close look at these pictures:


Notice anything different between them?
Well, in the first picture Jake is a Staff Sergeant and in the next he is a Sergeant First Class! That’s right! He got a promotion! I am so proud of him. He works hard to make sure that the job gets done right, and I’m not the only one that has noticed. He definitely earned that praise.
His promotion has earned him not just an extra rocker on his rank patch, but also a lot of extra responsibility and status. His new official title is Battalion S4 NCOIC (Non Commissioned Officer In Charge) of the 1-148th Field Artillery. This pretty much means that his is the Senior Supply Guy who is in charge of all the other supply guys in the Field Artillery Battalion.  He is working mainly out of Pocatello now, which means a lot of commuting back and forth and sleeping in his office, but I think that once we establish a routine and he becomes familiar with his new duties he is really going to love his job.
I’m proud of you Sweetheart! I love you! xxoo

Hip Hip Hooray!

Yea! Jake made it home last night! It has been one full year that he has been gone and I have missed him like crazy! I don’t have any pictures to post or any really great stories to share at the moment, but I just thought I should announce that my soldier is home safe and sound!  It was a wonderful feeling to come home from work today and find him sitting in front of his new computer. I think things are going back to normal!

A Speedy Send-Off

Nobody likes to say goodbye. So what if we just avoid it all together? What if instead of hugs and kisses and tears and then more hugs, we just gave a quick peck on the cheek and yelled, “Go… I love you!” Well, that’s kind of how I sent Jake back to work this morning.

Due to technical alarm clock difficulties, we overslept – by almost two hours! Instead of checking into the airport at 5:30, we awoke at 5:47 when Teddi called from the airport to find out where we were. I pulled into the airport at 6:02, an insane 15 speed-infused minutes later.  Within another 15 minutes Jacob was boarding the plane amidst applause from the other passengers. 

When I came back home I found globs of shaving cream splattered all over the bathroom countertop, the house in disarray- evidence of our speedy morning.  It’s very quiet here now, empty. We had a fabulous fun-filled two weeks, that I will probably post about later.  Now,  I’m going to grab a nap and a shower and hope that Jake gets one too.

Since I didn’t get a chance to say good bye this is to my soldier: I love you. Be safe. I am already counting down the days until you come home again. You are the light of my life. . . xxoo

Something in the Air

Maybe it’s just me, but it seems that:

• the sun is shining brighter,
• the flowers are blooming prettier,
• the sky is looking bluer,
• the grass is growing greener,
• and my heart is feeling lighter. . .

Yep! My Sara must be on her way to visit!

Maybe I’m Dreaming. . .

When I woke up today I thought maybe I had dreamed all of this:

Nope, he is actually sitting at the kitchen counter this morning. It’s too good to be true!

Greetings from N'awlins- the Home of Comfort Food

Welcome to New Orleans! Where the music is loud, the streets are dirty, the architecture is beautiful, and the food is TO DIE FOR!!

I am going to just skip right to the food. I love comfort food and if I had all of the money in the world, I would fly to New Orleans everytime I was in need of some comfort. We haven't had a disappointing meal yet. Yesterday for breakfast we went to Daisy Duke's where contrary to the name no one was wearing shorts, but where Jake's omelet was so full of flavor it practically ate itself. Then for lunch/dinner we were walking down Canal St. in search of a nice restaurant when a large black man with long dreads came out of a bar and handed us a menu. He convinced us that we were missing out by not eating at the Big Easy Bar. So we tried it. And he was right. My pot roast po'boy and french fries were drenched in gravy that got all over my face with every bite. The bartender kind of laughed at me, but I didn't care. I was in heaven!!

Today was even better! The hotel staff recommended a fancy restaurant called the Oceana with a famous breakfast menu, and on the way there we saw a little sidewalk sign advertising $5.oo breakfasts. At the back of a long dark hallway was a wooden door with a rough old sign that said "best kept secret in New Orleans". I guess so, it was the tiniest little "restaurant" I've ever seen. Walking down that hallway, I was pretty sure we were going to be mugged and shot. We walked up to a counter, where a large black woman yelled at us to go ahead and order. We yelled our order back and then went and sat down at a little table in the middle of the little, windowless room. I have never seen so much food piled onto just one small styrofoam plate in my whole life! Nor has it ever tasted so good. I wish that I had had my camera with me to take a picture of that pancake special. Have I mentioned that I this food is to die for? And all for $4.45 each!

Tonight we were again walking toward the Oceana grill for a dinner that would be about $18.00+ a plate when we passed a little corner joint blasting mexican music. We didn't even look at the name of the place, we just walked right in and proceeded to order the best pork carnita burritos and nachos I have ever eaten. They were juicy, flavorful, and "fantaverous" (fantasically carniverous, to quote Jake). I actually cleaned my plate, and then helped Jake finish off his. On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at Mr. Apple's Gourmet Apples and bought a cheesecake caramel apple. It's good (but not as good as Z's) and its the perfect way to end this day.

I am going to come back at least 10 pounds heavier, and I don't even care. Every gravy covered, syrup drenched, caramel coated bite is totally worth it!

To the 116th Armor Cavalry Brigade

   As Southern Idaho prepares to send the Idaho Army National Guard off to another hemisphere of the world, to help wrap up a war on foreign soils, we here at home must remember to thank these wonderful men and women for their service to our country.  They are fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, husbands, and wives.  As individuals they each joined the army for their respective reasons. Now they are joined together with a collective goal of helping to establish peace across the sea.  They have been training and preparing for this deployment overseas for many months. Now it is time for them to begin packing their bags, kissing their loved ones, and flying off to foreign and exotic places. (Mississippi to begin with.)  Here at home we pray that they see interesting sights, but stay far away from any that are dangerous.  We pray that they make a difference in someone’s life, but that they don’t have to sacrifice theirs in the process.

  I have heard of this deployment being compared to sports.  While it’s fun to practice often, there’s not much point in all that practice if you don’t get to play.  Well, our men and women have been practicing and now they are getting ready to play in the big game.  I admire these people who are willing to spend a year of their lives in potentially dangerous situations. Like high school athletes, many of them look forward to the opportunity to prove themselves as the warriors they are training to be.  I, for one, am not the type of person who would look forward to the heat, sand, and stress. But I kind of wish that I was.  At a recent family event, my husband’s sweet grandparents shared with me an antique book in which I found the following poem. It applies to many of the people who are serving in our local National Guard.

A Patriotic Wish

I’d like to be the sort of man the flag could boast about;

I’d like to be the sort of man it cannot live without;

I’d like to be the type of man

That really is American:

The head-erect and shoulders-square

Clean-minded fellow, just and fair,

That all men picture when they see

The glorious banner of the free.

 

I’d like to be the sort of man the flag now typifies,

The kind of man we really want the flag to symbolize;

The loyal brother to a trust,

The big, unselfish soul and just,

The friend of every man oppressed,

The strong support of all that’s best,

The sturdy chap the banner’s meant

Where’er it flies, to represent.

 

I’d like to be the sort of man the flag’s supposed to mean,

The man that all in fancy see wherever it is seen,

The chap that’s ready for a fight

Whenever there’s a wrong to right,

The friend in every time of need,

The doer of the daring deed,

The clean and generous handed man

That is a real American.

Guest, Edgar A. A Heap O’ Livin’. “A Patriotic Wish.” The Reilly & Lee Co. 1916. p112.

Thank you 116th! Come home safely! We miss you already.