Pecans and Patience

Today is December 31, 2008 . The end of another holiday season and great celebration with family and friends. Spending our first Thanksgiving and Christmas with our new daughter-in-law was such a blessing. Hearing our son say, “Someone get the camera. Take a picture of my FIRST turkey.” So fun and definitely memories made. One of the young men we have prayed for over the last year stationed in Iraq was reunited with his family just in time for Christmas. Another Army family who was reunited this year earlier is expecting their fourth beautiful child.

I am typically a reflective person especially when it comes to family. I am very fortunate to have wonderful growing up memories. I am not at all saying life was perfect but it was a special childhood with parents who loved me and instilled a deep core value of family in me.

One of the favorite baking ingredients I use during the holiday season is pecans. I try to use them in as many special items as possible. They are in cookies, pies, breads and often even types of casseroles. YUM! This love of pecans came very early on in my childhood. Each holiday season my Dad would order a HUGE box of pecans and we would sit for hours shelling them and carefully getting the nuts out in one perfect half piece. Then my Mom would begin the baking.

About three years ago which turned out to be the last Christmas I would spend with my Dad he ordered a huge box of pecans from Georgia. I noticed each time I went to visit that the process was going a bit slowly for him this time around so I decided to sit down on a particular visit and ‘knock them out’ for him. He kept saying, “You are going too fast and not getting the pecan out in one piece.” I told him that if we didn’t get going on them they would never get finished.

Do you know where I am going with this? Had I only known this would be the final time of pecan preparation with him, I would have savored the moments as I watched him carefully and methodically crack and gently pull out the pecan half. I would have probably not even helped the process but just enjoyed watching as he patiently prepared them for his beloved wife of 62 years for her to begin baking.

So, as I reflected this year on that day with my Dad three years ago, I thought that as the New Year begins in 2009, I want to encourage all of us to slow down and remember that patience is not something that comes easily. It is something we practice over time and something that we deliberately choose. I think of my Dad's patience and the joy he received from the process. Spend quality patient time this year with your family and friends. Let’s all slow down and enjoy special moments and you might even remember the phrase PECANS AND PATIENCE when you are in that situation.

Blessings to all of you! Those of you who are patiently waiting for your loved one to return home…….. may you find joy in the journey with family and friends. Those of you who have been blessed to have them return recently enjoy some times of patiently loving on each other making a conscious effort to not let the activities of life get in the way.

HAPPY NEW YEAR PRECIOUS ARMY WIVES!!! YOU ARE AWESOME!!!!

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Heading into 2009

Some years just fly by before you know it, some years drag on. 2008 was one of those years that seemed to last a lifetime. I guess any year that has a deployment in it is a slow moving year, filled with emotion. What I did relearn from 2008 is cherish moments with your family and make each day count.
This is the time of year I sit back and review the old year and think about how to make the next year better and what steps I want to take to achieve the goals I have in my life. LOL In other words I write down my New Years resolutions. I find if you write a long enough list of them you can't possibly break them all with in the first week.LOL No, seriously this year I'm going for ones I can work at and actually achieve. I'm going to break down my big goals into little steps so I can feel some sort of accomplishment towards them.
I did get a jump on getting organized, I bought a bright red planner. Everyone has black. I have to be different. Yes I still do a planner, I'm not technically advanced enough for a PDA.
I always start the New Year with good thoughts and intentions!

Happy New Year!

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Emotional Ambush

The family and I went to American History museum in Washington D.C. yesterday. I was anxious to see the Medal of Honor citation for Audie Murphy. They also have his field jacket, bible, and dog tags. I was not prepared for the overwhelming emotion that accompanied the trip.

We started in the entertainment section because I thought the kids would like to see Kermit the Frog and Oscar the Grouch. The museum got crowded very quickly, so we hurried over to the Americans at War section. I was doing okay at first, we hurried through the Revolutionary War and the Civil War because the giant double stroller was getting harder to maneuver with all of the people and after reading the Audie Murphy memoir for book club, I really wanted to see the exhibit on Sgt Murphy. We turned the corner into the Vietnam War section and I was surprised to see a Huey helicopter. By the helicopter they had an injured soldier and his buddy waiting to be loaded onto the helicopter. My oldest son asked why his head was wrapped up and our other son said it must be because it was wet and I didn't correct them.


We have a deployment coming up in 2009 and I have been very carefully talking about how sometimes Dads and Moms have to go fight the bad guys. I hadn't anticipated injured soldiers being depicted in the museum exhibits. I am ready to talk about deployment, not injuries. There is a small section on Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. There are several desert uniforms and one is torn and accompanied by the Purple Heart that the soldier was awarded. I started getting choked up and was having a hard time explaining things. I was suddenly overwhelmed by the sacrifices I try hard not to think about at all. I don't want to think about the ultimate sacrifice that some soldiers make. My heart squeezed watching my innocent children walking around the war exhibit not understanding that our world is about to get turned upside down (again.) They don't understand the significance of the torn uniform blouse. My son asked why the soldiers uniforms had helmets and vests. My husband said to protect them, and my son asked from what. From what, you certainly can't tell a 5 year old what the real dangers are when Daddy goes to fight the bad guys, he would never sleep. I almost felt panicky, we were trapped in this war exhibit, one exit, one entrance. I was surrounded by war and all the things I have so carefully guarded my feelings from. The sounds of Taps, a Honor Guard soldier saluting the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, it is all there and I was so unprepared to face it. Fortunately someone needed the potty so I was able to channel my emotion into finding the closest bathroom and have an excuse to jog out of the exhibit.

We still have a lot of time left before the deployment, I can still feel scared, but for my own sanity and so I can sleep at night I have to stuff all that emotion back down. I guess I also need to avoid museums and monuments. I am trying to wrap myself up in our family time and being with our soldier. I wish I could wear this time like a fuzzy blanket. The giant deployment clock has started to tick and I can feel the time slipping through my fingers. I am going to try and stuff Deployment into a box and stick it on a shelf so I can enjoy the time we have.

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Another Christmas Come and Gone...

Wow as quickly as Christmas came.. POOF it was gone! Since we just got to Colorado, we decided not to go anywhere this Christmas. It was so nice just being the 4 of us. Nowhere we had to be... we just chilled all day Wednesday and Thursday. I know next year won't be the case but it was VERY NICE this year!

Like I said we didn't do much.. On Christmas Eve we basically watched Christmas movies, sang Christmas songs, and get things ready for the BIG Day!

Christmas morning... our lovely (use that word loosely) children decided to get up at 0-dark-thirty (530 AM ) to be exact to open presents. The kids certainly hit the motherload this year. Santa brought all kinds of presents(Barbie, High School Musical, Hannah, & Cheetah Girls stuff) but the coveted Wii was definitely the big hit.

I got a few things I wanted : a new MN Wild Hockey jersey (yes yes I know I live in Colorado now) , another "Atta Girl" to add to my collection (this one for the PCS move), and some other cool stuff. SGT Daddy got a new game for the xbox, some clothes, Master & Commander Books, and some HALO3 things. : )

The rest of the day we spent playing with our new toys, eating an awesome Christmas dinner with all the trimmings and had a great time!

Sgt Daddy and I bought ourselves a new printer which totally ROCKS! It's the new Kodak ESP 9 Printer .. you know the one with the cheaper priced ink. The best part about it is that the printer is wireless and the print quality is amazing. It took about 5 min to get it all setup and connected to the wireless network. I'll never have to leave the comfort of my sofa now when I'm working : ) (i'm not sure yet if that's a good thing or a bad thing)

Now that Christmas is over and 2009 is right around the corner, we get to start getting ready for training at Polk and the BIG D (no not Divorce or Dallas but Deployment). I guess Christmas was the benchmark so to speak.

The "I'm not going to think about it till after Christmas " deadline.

Now that it is here and gone, I'm thinking about Big D a lot wondering what life is going to be like, what deployment gremlins (aka problems) will arise, how the kids will tolerate Sgt Daddy not being around, How I will tolerate being a "married single parent"... ah the list goes on and on . Sometimes I think .. oh just hurry up and go so we can get it over with. (not really but you know what I mean)

Well I hear the Wii calling my name......

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The next stage

Well, it’s been a big year for my husband and I. We have made it through R&R, homecoming, a graduation, a very important test for me, a move, and the beginning of his current round of Army schooling. I had to deal with a new home, finding new friends and the fact that for basically the first time since I was four years old, I was neither employed nor in school. I feel like we’ve weathered all this with reasonable patience with each other (with some exceptions!), and learned to use our strengths and stretch our weaknesses.

Now I’m about to embark on a huge adventure… I get to find out, What IS the hardest job in the Army? Is it being a soldier, or being a soldier’s wife? In a few months, I join up and start active duty myself.

My husband is very excited – or at least he was, until we had to spend gobs and gobs of money on buying all my uniforms because I won’t be issued any! Our little part in helping the ailing economy rebound. I’m nervous, but also excited. I’ll be older than most of the people in my training course, so the physical side intimidates me, no matter how often he assures me it will be fine.

While it feels like joining the family after sort of being on the edges for a long time, I’m going to miss the friends I just made here – and am nervous about where we might get assigned next. I know my training will be tough, and it won’t always feel like it was the right choice (who in their right mind takes on a job like this that you can’t quit if you don’t like it?) But I suppose that if nothing else, it beats having to look for work in this economy! And I feel a big sense of pride at being the first person in my side of the family to serve in the military. My dad and husband are both so proud. It is a lot to live up to, but I’ll do my best, and with a little bit of luck and a LOT of hard work, that will be enough.

I'm not sure yet whether I'll be able to continue to blog once I am on active-duty - I'll keep you posted!

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New Yet Old

Happy New Year! I’m a fairly new yet old blogger here on the blog. Confused?? I used to be a regular blogger here about a year ago then had a personal crisis so I stepped down for a bit. Things are finally “normal” again so I’m so happy that be back. : )




I guess I’d better introduce myself again … My name is Tammy and I’ve been married to my husband Dan (aka SGT Daddy) for over 10 years and we have two kids, Kiersten & Becca. We've been living this military life 4 years next month. We just recently moved to Ft Carson (part of 4ID) and we’re getting ready for Sgt Daddy’s deployment to Afghanistan in the Spring. This is our first deployment so I’m a little concerned how life will be during that time.

I’m also a full time wahm specializing in milblogging and social media (Blogging, Twitter, Facebook, video, etc). I’ve been working from home for 10 years mostly in web design and graphics. If you’re looking to work from home as a milspouse, there is I’m working on a special event just for the military WAHM.

Ok so that a bit about me… if you have anything else you’d like to know, just leave a comment and I’ll answer it. :)

Thanks again Tara for having me back as part of the team!

TammyM.

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Merry Chrismas Eve!

Today has been a great day so far. I weighed in at WW and lost 2.4 pounds this week. I have lost 24 pounds and it's the 24th of the month. I guess that should be good luck.
We decided to let the kids open a present from my mom today. If I were home we would open presents at my mom's and my grandpa's today.
I really need some prayers over the next few days. My grandma passed this summer. I thought I could handle today but there are so many emotions coming out I don't know what to do with them all. For the first 24 years of my life we went to my grandma's on Christmas Eve. I have managed to make it home a couple of years since we started moving around and we have always done Christmas Eve at my grandma's. I can remember playing the violin when I was younger and playing Christmas music before we opened presents. My grandma helped raise when I was younger. After my parents divorced. I realized today how much I truly miss her.
It will be a great Christmas because my husband is home. We are blessed in so many ways I don't think I have enough fingers and toes to count it all up. I wish many blessing for you and your family this holiday season.

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I am SO blessed

So, this morning, I drug myself out of bed because I had my Army Physical at 8:30. I woke up with a tummy ache and I told Matt that my stomach hurt and it was an anxiety type stomach ache. He asked me why and I said I don't know. He then ran down a list of possible things - and it was none of those. I got in my car and got on the interstate. I changed to the middle lane because when I got into Ohio, I knew the interstates would split and I-75 goes to the left. Before I could get to the next exit, I was rear-ended by a Semi. I have no idea what happened or how. The next thing I knew, I was spinning across two lanes of traffic and finally sliding to a stop on the left shoulder. The first thing I then did was call 911. The semi pulled over on the right shoulder. While I was waiting for the cops to appear, I called Matt and told him what happened. He, of course, was horrified and scared. He left the house (he thankfully works from home) and came to check on me. I am fine - no injuries. This was during what is normally rush hour traffic and this part of the interstate is always packed solid at this time in the morning. I was SO blessed that God and his angel were with me and watching over me. As I spun across the highway, I did not hit anyone or anything else. There were no cars that were in those two lanes at that particular time. I don't know if my tummy was trying to tell me something when I woke up this morning or what, but I do know that this VERY EASILY could have been a lot worse and I could have been killed. It is truly by the grace of God that the trucker hit my passenger side bumper and nowhere else. After the police toook down my info, he said I was free to go and told me that in a day or so I could obtain a copy of the report and to call my insurance agency. Thankfully, I have USAA for my auto insurance. I called and spoke to someone to start the claim and as I was explaining what happened she just said how lucky I was. I then went onto my doctor appointment, becuase believe it or not my car is driveable. At my appointment, the nurse told me that God sent his angels to watch over me this morning. After the appointment,I went to the autobody shop that was recommended by USAA. When I told them what happened they were speechless. When they did the estimate, they said it looks worse than it probably is and then tacked up my bumper and gave me an appointment date. In the meantime, the claims adjustor assigned to my case called me back to do the formal what happened and all that stuff. Even she was kind of speechless. I am so very blessed. When I finally got home this afternoon, Matt just hugged me and held me. It wasn't until then that I cried. I've been in some scary situations, but this one.....just to think - if he were just a foot further up or over how much worse this could have been. With this being the Christmas holiday, I am just SO thankful for everyone in my life and everything that I have.

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SNOW!!!

Looks like after this weekend we will be having a white Christmas this year. We were hit with two snow storms over the weekend. We got LOTS of snow! Outside looks like a winter wonderland. The picture is from my backyard today.I thought I'd share some snow with everyone, since we have so much of it LOL!

Snow is such a funny thing you both love it and hate it! You miss it and you can't wait for it to go away.

I took the kids sledding. This was really fun and a great work out. I'm not a stand around type of person, I went down the hill with them.

Children don't need high tech toys to be amused. I watched my children and the neighborhood children play for hours with the banks of snow the snow plow had made.

I watch a morning news show and last week they had a spot on how simple toys are coming back in style due to the recession. When did things like boardgames go out of style?

Happy Hanukkah!

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Merry Christmas!

I am still here, I promise. Like everyone else, I have been busy with the holidays and in addition, finishing up finals. When I was younger and going to school, I never really thought about Christmas until finals were over. Now, I have two young children and I HAD to think about it before finals were over because my last test was one week before Christmas. So....I had to get all my stuff done early so to speak. I am not really one of those people who gets stressed about Christmas (though it was a little harder this year). I try to relax, start early, and let everything fall into place---I am also a black friday shopper who this year landed a star wars lego set that was $50 cheaper than usual! Anyway, this year was a little tougher but we still got there. I even threw my kids a "polar express" party to kick off the season. They LOVED it and I must say that I thought it was pretty cute. I am certain I won't get away without throwing one next year. Of course, my husband says I am striving to be like Bree Vandecamp. He couldn't be more wrong! I just strive to see that look of joy and excitement on my children's faces and know that I am the one that put it there. I do the same thing with birthday parties. Someday my kids will be old enough to tell me that instead of a really fun party they just want an ipod so I am enjoying it while I can. I LOVE the fact that they hang all the ornaments at the bottom of the tree, put too many sprinkles on the cookies (and eat all the dough), and move all my christmas decorations around the house. I relish the fact that they tell people "Merry Christmas" and "Merry Christmas to you too" and they they remind me everyday that Christmas is Jesus' birthday. It really is the little things that make Christmas special. I hope that in the midst of traveling, separations, and all the hustle and bustle that you can find some small joys to celebrate as I have! Merry Christmas to you all!

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Can't I open just one present? PUH-LEASE????

So says the 7 year old. Tradition in our family is that we wrap the presents from mom and dad and put them under the tree. Santa leaves his treats for the kids unwrapped(or wrapped different) under the tree on Christmas Eve.
Last night Ted and I wrapped and put the presents under the tree. The kids were good about it. They looked and counted presents.(only the two youngest did that, they had to make sure it was even of course)
Today we went to the yearly traditional Christmas breakfast at one of the unit members house. They have four wheelers and fun stuff for the kids. They also have a secret santa type game.(think Chinese gift exchange)Kids or adults can play. So both my boys played and Ted and I just watched. Well, we ended up with the white elephant presents and Parker really didn't like his. He gave it to his sister. Then says to me, "Mom, since I did a good thing and gave my present to Miranda can't I PUH-LEASE open one of my presents under the tree?" Of course I said no. I later thought I should have let him open his PJ's, he didn't specify which present he wanted to open, just that he wanted to open one. I didn't let him open any. They have to wait 4 more days just like everyone else. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

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Pics of Our New Post Home

Upon request here are a few photos of our on post home. We have not received our HHG's yet but this is just a few simple photos. I hope this helps the newbies get an idea of what housing can be like. Just remember every post is different :) Have a great weekend all!

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Track Santa

For the children and the children at heart don't forget to track Santa http://www.noradsanta.org/en/home.html
This is a cute site. Thank you to all the men and women at Norad who take the time to do this each and every year for the children.

My children have tracked Santa with Norad each and every year. Last year my husband was deployed to Iraq. Last year there was a phone number to call into. The first time we called and put the operator on speaker phone Santa was in Iraq! The kids faces just lit up. What a great memory!

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Full Swing

Full Swing

My holiday season is in full swing!!! I am more than blessed to have my husband home safely! We were unable to share last Christmas together…so I am so thankful to God to share this Christmas with him and the entire JW family. Between celebrations we are preparing for TDY and a move to Maryland!



Thanks to my fellow bloggers… I have been given great tips on Fort Meade and how to make a hotel suite feel like home for 4 months! But until then I will be enjoying family and friends….and eating sweets!!!! I do not care about the extra 5 lbs I will gain…since I have to lose 15 lbs already! Lol …I will get started on that road after the holidays….but until then I will continue enjoying recipes like those below! Have a wonderful Christmas!!!!
As always wishing you the best,
Tara JW

White Chocolate, Cranberry, and Macadamia Nut Cookies
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups dried cranberries (about 6 ounces)
• 1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips (about 8 1/2 ounces)
• 1 cup coarsely chopped roasted salted macadamia nuts (about 4 1/2 ounces)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Sift first 3 ingredients into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until fluffy. Add both sugars and beat until blended. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, then vanilla. Add dry ingredients and beat just until blended. Using spatula, stir in cranberries, white chocolate chips, and nuts.
For large cookies, drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls onto prepared sheets, spacing 21/2 inches apart. For small cookies, drop dough by level tablespoonfuls onto sheets, spacing 11/2 inches apart.
Bake cookies until just golden, about 18 minutes for large cookies and about 15 minutes for small cookies. Cool on sheets. Do ahead Can be made ahead. Store airtight at room temperature up to 2 days or freeze up to 2 weeks.

Raspberry Snowball Cookies

The raspberry snowball cookie recipe squeezes raspberry jam between two buttery almond cookies!
Ingredients
Cookie:
2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped
Filling:
1/3 cup raspberry jam
Topping:
1/3 cup powdered sugar
Hardware
Large bowl
1-quart saucepan
Cookie sheets
Mixer
Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 2: In a large bowl, combine butter and powdered sugar. Beat at medium speed until creamy.
Step 3: Add vanilla and almond extract, beat until mixed.
Step 4: Reduce speed to low and gradually add flour and salt. Beat just until combined.
Step 5: Stir in chopped pecans, mixture will be dry and crumbly.
Step 6: Shape dough into 3/4-inch size balls. Place 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet; flatten slightly.
Step 7: Bake 8-11 minutes or until cookies are set.
Filling:
Step 1: In a 1-quart sauce pan over medium-low heat, melt jam. Stir constantly until mixture comes to a boil. Cook for 1 minute. Let cool for 15 minutes.
Step 2: For each snowball sandwich, spread a thin layer of jam on flat-side of cookie. Top with second cookie; press together slightly. Step 3: When all cookies are together, sprinkle on side with powdered sugar.
Makes 36 cookies.

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I didn't forget!

The second picture is my sister, her husband, me and then my husband. The first is both families together. We have the foud kids to the left of the picture and my sister has the baby and her older son standing in the back. I would highly recommend the picture people. They are AWESOME!

You may or may not have wondered where I have been. Well, let me say life has a funny way of creeping up on you and then before you know it it's a month or more later.
I don't even remember what I wrote about last time. So here's what's been going on.
Ted came home. Again. Reason enough to not remember what day it is. He'll only be here for a few more weeks before we are struck with another TDY trip for 30 days and then he'll be home for a weekend and then gone TDY for another 2-3 weeks. Thus the life of special operations. Oh well. At least we get him for the holidays.

We took a trip to Wisconsin to see my family for Thanksgiving. My sister had a baby in September and we were finally able to see him. I personally think that he is the absolute cutest baby ever. We got snowed in the day we were supposed to leave. But it was okay because we got to spend another day with my sister and her family. The hardest part of leaving Wisconsin was knowing that the next time I get to see baby Jackson he will be big enough to realize that I am a stranger to him. Big enough to walk and maybe speak.
My sister and haven't always been close. It's only over the last few years that we have grown closer and talk on the phone almost everyday. Maybe that makes it harder for me to leave her. Knowing that I don't get to see her and the family but once a year, knowing that many things will happen that I won't hear about because we are miles and miles apart. I'm thankful that after all the years of not being able to be in the same room together that we look forward to the next visit. No matter when or where, how long or short, we can't wait to see each other again. We were able to have pictures done together when I was home. I love them. I can't wait to purchase frames so I can get them on the wall of the living room.

Oh, off to get kids and run them in all directions. Will the chaos ever end?

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Life in On-Post Housing

Fort Stewart is a beautiful post and has tons to offer military families. It was fun upon my arrival to just take in the street names alone. Such titles as: Hero Road, Liberty Drive, Division Avenue. I feel so patriotic. I arrived here about 2 days before my husband’s return and homecoming. I had set up all the housing information in advance and we were set to move into our new home. I should mention that we did not set up our HHG (household goods) to be moved yet. I only brought with me the bare essentials until after his block leave. I did the walk thru and signed the lease without my soldier there to help, which was very empowering. It was not until later that night with keys in hand, items unpacked from my car and “WELCOME HOME” sign hung out front that I realized I HAD NO DOORS! Well let me clarify… no door to my bedroom and closet. I had been smart enough to make sure the water ran, was clean and got hot; that the toilet worked, that the sink disposal worked accordingly. I looked for mold. I checked the cabinets. I had even made a point to see that the fire alarm was working. Never once did it cross my mind to open and close all doors. Later, my first night in my new home, I go to close my bedroom door and get some rest and it’s not there! I totally laughed out loud! How could I have missed this one??? Only me. This whole homecoming, PCS, military thing is definitely an adventure. All-in-all our home is very nice. It’s cozy and it’s definitely not what we had back north but I do like it. It’s perfect for our family. I am so excited to start this journey here with my husband. I just thought I had to share with you all the silly things I over look when under all these changes! So if you are planning a PCS and are moving on post… be sure to check for doors!

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I’m a DORKFISH

Yeah, that’s me. Here I have guarded that military ID with all my heart for nearly 2 years and now, once on post for less than a week I have already lost and replaced it. Serves me right! I have been so paranoid about that dang plastic thing that one day it just decided to grow legs and walk away. Maybe it was the ID’s way of sticking it to the man. It was kind of funny because as my soldier and I were driving off post we both looked to make sure I had it tucked away to get back on post easily. Sometime between the light shopping and driving back that silly ID ran off!!!! I literally just wanted to cry! My husband’s two pals were with us in our vehicle so I tried to keep it cool, returning to the store we were last at and digging through the trash can where I had tossed my shopping list just in case I accidently tossed it with the list. What a great thing to do the first time you meet your husband’s friends! I can just hear it now, “Miller’s wife is a dumpster diver”. I was angry and embarrassed. I just wanted to make him proud, to prove that I could handle this life.
The greatest thing about Doc is he is a prankster. No, that doesn’t mean that he hid it as a joke and we found it easily, but simply that he was sweet enough to laugh it off and tell me it was no big deal, that these things happen, even though it was killing me that I had ‘dropped the ball’. The next morning I stopped by the MP station and had a report written up and also was issued a new ID. I was very stressed in the moment, wanting so badly to be the ‘perfect’ Army wife. (Does that even exist???) The good news is that I really didn’t like the picture in my first one anyway! HA! I can’t even express to you in words how awful it was to look at. So maybe instead of being so upset I should have looked at it as an opportunity to freshen my new look since I was last photographed.

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Just the Beginning of the Journey

Well my angel has now been home for about a week. Wow, living on post is very different. It’s not bad-different, just different. I have to use my military spouse ID for EVERYTHING!!! LOL I use it at the library, the gym, even to just slip of post for an afternoon drive and come back. It’s kind of neat actually. I feel like I am finally part of my husband’s military life. He has been an active duty soldier/combat medic for nearly 21 months but this is the first time we have lived the life together. It’s exciting to wake up to the loud speaker tooting some military ditty. It’s neat to see a town so welcoming to the troops returning home. I am especially excited to be meeting other Army spouses. Living in Ohio while he was deployed (we never had time to set up the PCS before he left so I stayed in our home) was nice. I had family with in literally a mile and friends who knew my husband and spent many nights praying with me or keeping me busy. However, here in Georgia these women know my joys, hurts, laughs, they know the stories our boys have from serving together overseas. It’s a relief to finally have folks in my life who understand. The civilian community where we are from is so kind and always helpful, but it is just so nice to finally have someone “get it”. From our new on post house to losing my ID in the first week here, I am sure to have plenty of “newbie” stuff to share! Though I’ve been a military spouse for 2 years, I feel like I am truly just beginning.

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Back in MY ARMS!

Doc is OFFICIALLY HOME!!! This was our first deployment and that also means our first homecoming ceremony. WOW! The excitement! I got to the parade field about 3 hours early (yes, I’m that girl). It was already dark out because my boy was coming home so late in the evening. The field was surrounded by Christmas lights and patriotic music was being pumped in until the band arrived. Once the flights landed they announced it on the speaker overhead, followed by an every 10-20 minute update. Every time that man spoke over the system I got chills from head to toe. And I won’t lie I felt like I might vomit! I know that might be too much information, but I was just so excited. I couldn’t even eat that day! It was all very surreal. As if I was watching this happen from the outside looking in. This was it. He was finally coming home. This deployment was ALMOST over. We survived.
The sight of those white busses rounding the corner and heading toward us was enough to make me swoon. I sat with and met two other ladies that night and we all immediately stopped gabbing. Our attention torn away and our hearts in our throats, tummies in KNOTS! That’s when my tears started. I knew at that point I could not see him but indeed he was here, he was safe. Finally. The next few minutes felt like ETERNITY!!! The band playing, the boys taking formation (which we could barely see due to them being in a lot behind the far side of the field), the crowd cheering: “HURRY UP! HURRY UP! HURRY UP!” There were children dressed in red, white and blue. Hundreds of welcome home so-and-so signs, air horns, and the main thing I remember was holding my breath. Then as if magic they came marching from behind a row of trees across the field toward us. My mind was in a chaotic state. Where are you Doc? I searched high, low and all around… and then our eyes met. Can I just tell you, if you haven’t experience this yet, the waiting for the song singing, marching, and speeches on the field is just ridiculous!!! The 10 minutes total felt like forever when you are ready to pounce and attack your man! ;)
I had brought a bright, neon orange sign that I had cut into an arrow shape that simply read “I’m RIGHT Here!” and it led my baby to my arms upon his release from formation.
For that moment, that hug and kiss, his voice… Everything in the world was well. It was peaceful and it was quiet in our little bubble. I had just a couple small tears. They were from the shear relief of this finale and from touching him and knowing he was real and all in one piece. Those tears quickly turned to laughter as some of his other soldiers came over to join our hug. They are home. They are safe. We are blessed and because of them: WE ARE FREE!!!

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What do you want to know?

We're booking guests for AWTR shows for 2009. Our show is for Army wives, by Army wives and so it's important that we are featuring guests and topics that are of interest to you! We would love your help. Do you have a guest you'd like to recommend? Is there a topic you want us to explore?

Twitter, IM, Email or leave the topic/guest suggestion here on the blog. We NEED your suggestions!

Nothing is too small or too big - including the guest- we want super famous authors and gurus, sure, but we also want to hear from you! Do you have something that you want to share?

Give us your suggestions!

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Update on Aimee

A few weeks ago, I blogged about a little girl from where I grew up who had an inoperable brain tumor. On Friday afternoon, Aimee passed away. Here is the link to her obit. http://www.legacy.com/TheTimes-Tribune/Obituaries.asp?Page=Lifestory&PersonId=121448753

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AWTR Mess Hall: Christmas Edition

Tonight we shared Christmas recipes. Here are two of my favorites:

Russian Teacakes/Mexican Wedding Cakes
These buttery melt-in-your-mouth cookie balls go by many names in recipe collections, including Mexican Wedding Cakes. They always contain finely chopped nuts and are twice rolled in powdered sugar.

1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
3/4 cup finely chopped nuts
1/4 teaspoon salt
Powdered sugar
1. Heat oven to 400ºF.
2. Mix butter, 1/2 cup powdered sugar and the vanilla in large bowl. Stir in flour, nuts and salt until dough holds together.
3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
4. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until set but not brown. Remove from cookie sheet. Cool slightly on wire rack.
5. Roll warm cookies in powdered sugar; cool on wire rack. Roll in powdered sugar again.

Grandma’s Breakfast Casserole
4-5 slices of white bread (buttered and strips)
¼ tsp salt, pepper, paprika, and dry mustard (each)
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1 4 oz pkg cheddar cheese
8 slices of bacon (crumbled)

Spray 8 x 8 x 2 pan. Line with bread, sprinkle with seasoning blend. Beat eggs, add milk. Pour over bread. Add cheese and bacon. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Bake at 325 for 50 min.

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Merry Christmas - A Present for You from AWTR HH6!

Merry Christmas! Tonight we have our last show before Christmas break. I wanted to give each of you a present for Christmas from my house to yours...or rather in this case, from my kitchen to yours.

Through our Army journey we have been so blessed to meet so many wonderful friends and neighbors. Each time we had a get together every person had their "signature" thing they had to bring. It's funny how you get "known" for a certain dish. We've adopted many of these as our family favorites and so we wanted to give them to you, our listeners, supporters, family, friends...for Christmas.

Happy Holidays! Love, The Crooks



View and Save FAMILY FAVORITES COOKBOOK by Crooks - Holiday 2008 - CLICK HERE

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Post with the most? Sarah would be proud....

Sarah News 6 is putting together our book for Post with the Most. One of her suggestions for Fort Sill was the Dry Beaver Supper Club. I nearly died laughing. Who would eat at the Dry Beaver? It doesn't even SOUND good. Well come to find out - it IS!! It was the best steak I've had in a LONG TIME. The salad was hilarious served out of an old claw bathtub. It was a small, quaint, out of the way place with NO SIGN and we got lost trying to find it. BUT....it was worth it. Great staff and just a fun night. It was really "down home OK" cooking.

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The Last Lecture

You can watch the video of The Last Lecture given by Randu Pausch online. The link is: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=362421849901825950&hl=en

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What a great time!

WOW I think I am finally in "recovery" from this past week. What an amazing time we had at the Field Exercise at Fort Campbell, KY! We arrived on Wed afternoon where Star and I met up at the Nashville, TN airport. I had brought with me my new friends from AAFES, Tami and Eric. They were on the plane from Dallas to Nashville to attend our event. We drove from TN to KY and headed on post to the AAFES admin offices to meet Joelle their General manager. We picked up our care package donations (WOW) and headed over to meet Jessica at the Family Readiness Center. It was awesome! The staff there was so welcoming and fun! They had moved their "club" and the FRC was the old club so that had alot of space. Good thing though because we filled up an office and 1/2 of the ball room with all of our goodies we had shipped in. We said our goodbyes and "see you in the mornings" and headed to check into our hotel. Upon arrival to our hotel we met LEAH!!!! It was so cool to get to see her in person. We also met up with my good friend Wendy from Navy Wife Radio. We all headed out to dinner at Applebee's and had some really good GIRL time!! You should have been with us by the time we got slap happy and took a trip to Walmart!! What a hoot! After a good night's sleep we headed out Thursday morning.

On Thursday they gave us a soldier detail to help us out with setup. They were ADORABLE. Brand new little soldiers that were fresh out of basic. They were such a great help and we couldn't have done it without them. We also had some great help from our friends at Military Avenue, AAFES, USAA, and more! We were able to get all of our stuff done ahead of time and head back for a bit of relaxation before the evening event.

The evening event went off without a hitch! It was amazing how calm we were! The crowd was early and they had great energy! We even finished on time!!! All in all a huge success. We got all set up for the next day and headed out for a few appetizers and beverages to relax. It was a late night but it was worth it - we got to hang out and talk with all of our girlfriends. It was hard to go to sleep, but we were definitely exhausted. I must admit - I felt old!!! :)

The next morning was an early one. The daytime event had a WONDERFUL energy - almost better than the evening one. They girls were having so much fun!! SO WERE WE for that matter...I am always amazed at the fun that everyone has. I mean, I know it's fun don't get me wrong, but everyone is just so glad to be able to network and have the bags and the awesome prizes. I guess I would be too! We gave away so many wonderful things from such awesome vendors.

We had to head back to Nashville pretty quickly after the event as our flights left 2 hours after we finished. We took this road that had an airplane on it and then thought we got lost. Eventually the airport was in sight! THANK GOD! I made it home ok as planned. Unfortunately Star got stuck in NC. She did get a good nights' rest though. Leah was able to drive from KY to GA in two days and spent the weekend with Star.

It's amazing to me what Army wives can do. I'm constantly amazed at the amount of support for our program. I am also amazed at the attendance. We had such a wonderful time this week meeting new friends and seeing some that were "old" for the first time. What an amazing life full of blessings we lead.

I'll say though when I arrived home I was thoroughly exhausted. It took me until Monday afternoon to even feel like I could take a breath. Today, finally, I feel like I can actually sit down and be productive. It's a good exhaustion though. It was a TON of fun!

Till the next time!! Where or where will we go next?

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Meet my good friends at AAFES!

OMG I'm dying laughing....for those of you who were privileged enough to meet Eric (Ken) and Tami (Barbie) of AAFES at the Fort Campbell event you know what I'm talking about. For those of you who didn't - I SWEAR TO YOU that Eric looks JUST LIKE a KEN DOLL! So ....for the crew at AAFES - here's to you!



Who knew they had Army Barbie and Ken? Cool!!!

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Holiday Card Confession

I have to say one of things during the Holiday season I look forward to is getting Holiday cards. I love to go to the mailbox and pull out all those envelopes of all shapes and colors. I love to look at the post marks of where they are from. Being a Military/Government family the postmarks come from all over the country and all over the world. This is my most favorite time of day. I grab a cup of coco and open each one and get caught up with that family. I love to see the different cards.

I have confession I'm one of those people who love those family newsletters people send in their cards. I like to see what people have been doing all year. Letter writing is a lost art that comes back to life at this time a year.

Last year I saw a Hallmark movie that is out on DVD called the Christmas Card. If you get a chance to see the movie, it is pretty good. It is about a woman who sends cards to the Soldiers and a Soldier who gets her card goes to find her.

I've gotten to a late start on my card writing. I'm still doing it. I'm usually done by now. This year I hope I'll be done by the time the Holidays are over! LOL I do hear there is a new trend for New Year cards maybe I should switch to that. Nah I'm old fashion... it wouldn't be the same.

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The Time of My Life!

The Time of My Life!

All I can say is that it feels like Heaven to have my husband back in my arms! We are still out of town enjoying this special time alone. I am enjoying the simple moments of watching him sleep or eat his favorite meal. This is definitely a very important moment in our life together. A time to cherish each other and create beautiful memories together…and believe me we are in the mist of doing just that!


Honestly…it is actually snowing outside and I have my soldier to keep me warm!!! I wish I could fully express my joy through this method…but words are not enough to do so! All I know is I love and adore MW with all my heart and I can see love in his eyes every time our eyes meet. It’s funny…I am reminded of the most beautiful song by Nat King Cole.

Wishing you the best~
Tara JW

(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons Lyrics
Artist(Band):Nat King Cole
written by Deek Watson and William Best


I love you for sentimental reasons
I hope you do believe me
I'll give you my heart

I love you
And you alone were meant for me
Please give your loving heart to me
And say we'll never part

I think of you every morning
Dream of you every night
Darling I'm never lonely
Whenever you're in sight

I love you for sentimental reasons
I hope you do believe me
I've given you my heart

I think of you every morning
Dream of you every night
Darling I'm never lonely
Whenever you're in sight

I love you for sentimental reasons
I hope you do believe me
I've given you my heart

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Videos from FE: Campbell

SEE ALL of the videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/armywifetalkradio

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Spouses learn tricks to ease deployments

Leaf Chronicle
Hannah Luusua did not know what to expect Friday when she walked into Spouse Field Exercise held Friday at Fort Campbell.

The exercise, put on by Armywifetalkradio.com hosts Tara Crooks and Star Henderson, was an energizing outlet for military spouses to share care package ideas for the holidays, deployment survival tips and simply meet with other spouses.

It seemed Crooks and Henderson achieved their goal.

"Actually it was really enjoyable," Luusua said after the event wrapped up Friday afternoon.

Luusua's friend, Jodi Bechtel, also found the event better than the predeployment briefs family members can attend on post. Bechtel and Luusua's husbands are roommates and deployed together to Iraq.

"It was great to come and relax and get away from everyday worries," Bechtel said.

Alleviating the worries and stresses of being away from loved ones and creating relationships with other military spouses was the whole goal for Crooks and Henderson, also military wives.

"We're making a lot of friends and putting a lot of smiles on people's faces," Henderson said.

The event was offered over two days, and several hundred spouses attended the Friday event alone. Each seminar offered the same material — a few tips and tricks to make deployments and the difficulty of letting go of a loved one as manageable as possible.

"It's a positive spin and real life," Crooks said. "It's 'this is what's going to happen, you're gonna feel like this, and this is how to cope.'"

The radio duo also don't shy away from the taboo topics either — such as shaving legs.


"We just bring them out here and go 'all right, everybody's thinking this, nobody's saying it, here's the story,'" Crooks added.

In addition to the interaction with Crooks and Henderson, USAA also provided a few financial tips for the attending spouses, or "ways that we can make their lives easier," said Mike Kelly, a spokesman for USAA.

"That's why we're here ... if we can help them through a difficult stage in their life, that's what we want to do," he said. "The wives are the one running the show at home, they're (chief financial officers) of the house."

Kelly said the one key piece of advice he can offer to military families during the holiday season is just to live within their means.

"Really, just pay attention to what you're spending your money on, have a plan and stick to it," Kelly said, stressing to "avoid using the credit card like magic money."

The bottom line, however, was to instill happiness among the spouses.

"The biggest lesson to be learned is (military spouses) are normal," Henderson said.

"Our happiness is a choice, and it's an ultimate responsibility, and (deployment) drags, and it stinks, but you can cope with it or don't," she added. "We can make that choice (to cope)."

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More FE pics

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More Fort Campbell FE Pictures

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FE pictures!

The first of several posts with pictures from the Fort Campbell FE!

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