AWTR Show 300: Savannah Derby Devils

Presents Army Wife Talk Radio

AWTR Show 300: Week of Jan 31, 2011

Join the AWN team this week on Army Wife Talk Radio for a conversation with Derby Devils www.savannahderby.com Army wife Maria Elena. We want to know what inspires her? How does she keep fit? Why the Derby? Resource of the Week: MilitaryDutyStations.com We’ll see you in LIVE CHAT starting at 8pm Eastern.

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Where are you at in our BOOK OF THE MONTH?

Hello Fellow Book clubbers! Hope you are all enjoying this months Under the Sabers Book! I am wondering where you stand so far as far as your thoughts and comments. I personally am really enjoying it, and can absolutely see the ties between the show and book and I am loving that there are so many differences. I do not want to spoil anything in case you aren't at the same spot as me, but I will just say- if I am comparing characters correctly, I am sure glad they kept some of them around on the show that didn't make it during the book. After being stationed at Fort Bragg, I have really enjoyed the specific details about post and its surrounding areas. I feel like I can picture in my mind EXACTLY where she is speaking about, like the Yadkin 500! If you haven't been there yet, I have to imagine that you are getting a really good picture of the area from her very good descriptions. I have done a bit of crying thus far...and something tells me there is more tear time in the tub (woa, say that three times fast!) to come. I look forward to the final review, when its time to announce next months book! So, let's hear it. Do you love it so far? Not really? What are your thoughts? (But remember, try not to spoil it in case we aren't all as far as you yet! We will have a final summary in a few weeks!) Happy Reading!

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Losing Weight? Looking for some INSPIRATION?

Greetings Army Wife Network fans! A few weeks ago we put a call out on our Facebook page asking for any Army wives that have had success in their weight loss journey. We knew, come late January that those of you who made your "weight loss resolution" would need a little extra dose of inspiration!

We had many submissions and we are so thankful for the great responses. Here are two Army wives we'd like to introduce you to that have made amazing strides in their goals. They were so kind to provide us pictures as well. Thanks for being great examples Jillian & Jennifer!

Jillian's Story:
Hi, my name is Jillian, I'm the wife of an Army National Guard soldier who is currently deployed.
Over the past 7yrs (with 3 pregnancies in there) I've lost 167lbs. I went from a huge size 24 and 3XL in most clothes to a size 8/10 and medium in clothes. I've done it all through eating well and exercising, tracking food intake, being consistent and making it all a lifestyle change. The journey has been through ups and downs as I said, with pregnancies in there and just life in general. But now, I don't let "life" get in the way of being healthy. Its a priority and just a part of my daily life.

Jillian Comparison

Jillian After

Jennifer's Story:

My husband, Ryan, and I both embarked on a healthier lifestyle in January of 2008. Ryan needed to lose 100+ pounds to join the Army and I thought I would be a good and helpful wife by joining him on his journey. He had tried to lose weight before but where I do all of the cooking, it was challenging for him to fix and enjoy a salad while we were enjoying a pasta dinner.

My sister recommended a FREE website called www.sparkpeople.com and it didn't take me long to find a variety of healthy substitutes for our favorite meals and to get our new recipes entered in to our sparkpeople account. Since it was winter, we joined a gym until Spring and went as a team for workouts. I only went once or twice per week but Ryan went as frequently as he could. I like to say that I am allergic to working out since it makes me break out - in a sweat, lol. Honestly, though, I am not fond of exercise and prefer dance-type workouts so that I can 'trick' myself into exercising.

At first it was challenging to monitor the foods we were eating and we quickly found that the days we didn't take the time to record what we were eating on SparkPeople, we ate more than we were supposed to. After a couple of months, it became a habit to record each meal and portion and we had created a great menu to rotate and avoid the typical dieting boredom. We were both committed to not let it become a diet but rather a life change. We didn't ever settle for subpar foods and discussed ways to make sure that we formed healthy habits that would benefit the children, as well as ourselves, as we all grew older.

I am excited to say that by February 2009 I had lost the 52 pounds that I needed to lose in order to be smack in the middle of healthy with my BMI and Ryan lost 105 pounds! He has struggled with his weight since childhood. Almost a full year later, we have both managed to maintain our healthy weights and lifestyle. We continue to eat the same meals we discovered two years ago and enjoy trying new ones. When we encounter something we like that is not made with the best products, we substitute healthier meats and dairy products to reduce fat and calories. We regularly use ground turkey in place of ground beef and lower fat cheeses. Many of our meals include a variety of beans (kidney, pinto, great norther, etc) for protein. We've switched to skim milk and do not serve juices except for special occasions. By making these changes over the course of a couple of months, we did not encounter resistance from our 5 children and they always eat the same meals that we do. There are too many of us to serve multiple options at dinner time.


When friends ask how we did it, I am always proud to say, "with a lot of hard work." Losing weight should never mean that we eliminate any of the important dietary elements from our menus and should always be done slowly, a pound or two a month. It is unhealthy and usually short-term when people drop pounds using a new revolutionary weight loss system involving never before heard of roots from the Monkana Tree. Dietary suppressants are known to be unhealthy and cause undesired side effects and there are many 'natural' options that do not have sufficient research to convince me to put them in my body. Nope, we did it the old fashioned way; we ate less, we ate better, and we broke a sweat.

Jennifer Before & After

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AWTR Show 299: Goal Setting in a Military Lifestyle

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/awtr/2011/01/25/awtr-show-299-flylady.mp3

Presents Army Wife Talk Radio

AWTR Show 299: Week of Jan 24, 2011

Join the AWN team this week on Army Wife Talk Radio for a conversation with The Military Spouse Coach Krista Wells. We’re going to talk about setting goals. Resource of the Week: Stress Free Kids We’ll see you in LIVE CHAT starting at 8pm Eastern.
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Too Long Gone!

Finally, the bug for blogging has finally stung me once again! We are six months through this dreaded “D” and time has begun to rapidly pass once again…Thank goodness! Most of the soldiers from 3rd ID have returned to work and Ft Stewart is once again filled with people, traffic and activity. I must say that it is a little odd to me to go to the Commissary, just to find they are out of just about EVERYTHING I need; as are all of the other major grocery stores in the area. I guess even the Commissary must adjust to expanding by 100%! All is okay though, I just drive to my nearest Publix (which, consequently, is about 30 minutes away) and all is good again~ I love Publix! To top it all off, we are well within our R and R countdown!

With each New Year come many new opportunities for us all, and I am proud that Army Wife Network has afforded me the opportunity to grow with them. I am now heading up the News 6 department as well as taking on the revamping of the Post With the Most Segment. There will definitely be some quirks, and I definitely have a ton of learning to do, but I think this is going to be a very good thing for us all! Please bear with me as I try to find my niche, and tweak these to my personality. If any of you find anything at all lacking, please contact me and I will try my best to solve the issue.

All of that said; our very first Post With the Most for 2011 is Fort Bliss, Texas! Army wife Network’s Mandy has done most of the leg work on this one, but I am totally trying to find a fun way to get you guys all of the awesome information about this beautiful installation. I can tell you all from experience that Fort Bliss is “an experience”…. Crazy at first, but then you slowly conform to the way of life in the American Southwest, and it is truly a majestic place to be. I miss my time spent at Fort Bliss; after all, how many Army installations allow you to be within twenty minutes to 4 Targets? That’s right the shopping is GREAT in El Paso, but so are the new and amazing amenities at Fort Bliss! So, stay tuned!!!

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Support Our Troops and…Win A $500,000 Colorado Estate On 40 Wooded Acres or $200,000 in CASH!

Support Our Troops and…Win A $500,000 Colorado Estate On 40 Wooded Acres or $200,000 in CASH!

That’s right!

When you show your support for USA Cares today by participating in the “Support Our Troops-Win A Home!” raffle, you’re going to receive an opportunity to win an incredible custom built Southwestern style Straw Bale Home on 40 beautifully wooded acres in Western Colorado.

Don’t need a free & clear custom home? No problem… the Grand Prize winner will also have the option of pocketing a whopping $200,000 in CASH!

Lots more prizes are also being added (in addition to several Early Bird drawings of $5,000) so every ticket purchaser will receive multiple chances to WIN BIG during this one-of-a-kind nationwide raffle.

By the way, this amazingly unique 40 acre estate makes the perfect primary residence, vacation home, corporate retreat or horse property!

Oh, and while you can buy as many tickets as you’d like… many folks (families, friends, social networks, etc), groups, companies and organizations have chosen to pool their funds together to purchase blocks of raffle tickets in order to increase the odds of winning.

But regardless of how many tickets you choose to buy, you can rest assured that all net proceeds are being donated to USA Cares which means that our US Military families will ultimately benefit from your generous participation!
How did this all begin? Basically, a Colorado couple (Dan and Miryan O’Connor) found out about the great work that USA Cares relentlessly carries out to help our US Military families and an idea incubated including donating their vacation home to be awarded as the Grand Prize. Knowing little about conducting raffles, they contacted the Grand Mesa Little League (in their local community) and shared their vision. The awesome folks at Grand Mesa Little League “stepped up to the plate” without hesitation to lend a hand and the Support Our Troops-Win A Home Raffle was born!

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AWTR Show 298: Scream Free Parenting

Presents Army Wife Talk Radio

AWTR Show 298: Week of Jan 17, 2011
Join the AWN team this week on Army Wife Talk Radio for a conversation with Hal Kunkel from Scream Free Parenting. www.ScreamFree.org lends families a hand in learning to stay calm and connected. Resource of the Week: Army Online Social Media We’ll see you in LIVE CHAT starting at 8pm Eastern.

Visit Army Wife Network and Loving A Soldier Blog

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AWN BOOK CLUB: JANUARY READ

Hello out there Army Wife Network! I am so excited that I will be the new host of the AWN Book club! I enjoy reading so much, so this could not be more up my alley! My hopes and dreams for this are that as I read, you will read along with me and leave your comments about the book or about my reviews. If you love it and got wrinkled up in the bathtub you were in there so long reading, like it but only for a one time read or read 4 chapters and threw it out the window....we want to know! I will be announcing the book one week, and then you will find blogs pop up as I read about where I am at, what I am thinking, and that I WANT TO KNOW what you are thinking, too! I remind you, please be honest, however, please mind your P's and Q's as my momma always told me. Just remember to edit yourself before making your official "click to publish" move.

Now....drum roll please.......


HERE IS THE JANUARY BOOK OF THE MONTH!





Under the Sabers- Unwritten Code of Army Wives
by Tanya Biank

<----(Click this picture/link on the left to order the book at a great price!)
I chose this book because frankly, it is fabulous. I have read it about 3 times, and find myself picking it up once again after every PCS or Promotion. I have lent this book to countless Army Wives in the last 7 years, all who read it in a very quick amount of time and report back that it was amazing and they bought their own copy. Each time I read it, I learn something different or can relate to something different then I did the last time, all dependant on what was going on in life at that time, or what phase I was personally in as an Army Wife. It is my book club Book of the Month for January, because I just PCS'd and look forward to it, and I hope that you will join me in an amazing read (so good that it led itself to a TV show being based off of it) and that you will find it as wonderful as I do every time.

Make yourself a cup of something warm, find a nice comfy place to bunker down, and get reading. I look forward to you reading along with me, and having some great discussion!

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AWTR Show 297: Conquering Chaos

Presents Army Wife Talk Radio

AWTR Show 297: Week of Jan 10, 2011

Join the AWN team this week on Army Wife Talk Radio for a conversation with Jackie Brown of www.j-organize.ca. We’re talking about conquering chaos by maximizing your time and minimizing your stuff. Resource of the Week: Moms4FamilyTV We’ll see you in LIVE CHAT starting at 8pm Eastern.

Visit Army Wife Network and Loving A Soldier Blog
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Working Towards Change: Army Family Action Plan (AFAP)

I am sitting here tonight so excited! Why you may ask? Well I am getting ready to facilitate my first AFAP Conference tomorrow. This is my first year becoming involved with AFAP and I am so glad I took the time to find out about this valuable program.

I know a lot of us have had nagging complaints about army life and we all have certain things that just bug us and we wish we could change. Well AFAP is the way to do that. It is the Army’s primary way of communicating to leaders the concerns that are important to soldiers, retirees, DA civilians, and family members like me and you.

AFAP was actually started by an army spouse back in 1980 and the first HQDA AFAP Conference was held in July 1983. AFAP has helped to improve many aspects of army life. Some of the things that have been changed as a direct result of AFAP:

· ** Executive Order of Employment for Military Spouses

· ** Increased SGLI

· ** Family Separation Allowance increased

· ** GI Bill increased and transferable to a soldier’s family members

· ** Family Support Groups (FRG’s) were institutionalized

That is only a handful of the amazing improvements that AFAP has made for the army and our way of life. After experiencing this program for myself I would highly recommend that every spouse get involved with their local AFAP program. This is an excellent way to make your voice heard!! Contact your local ACS for more information.

Pave the road for change…..it begins with you!

Much Success……

Janet J

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Army Wife Network Newsletter, January 2011

You can sign up on the sidebar for blog updates, show announcements and newsletters right to your inbox. Or for January's newsletter, just click HERE!

Our downloadable newsletters are in a printable format in order that you may distribute--easily--to your spouse clubs, family groups, your chain of command and concern, and others within your Army Wife Network. They are two-sided, single sheets, which offer the best resources, URLs, and articles we gather each month.

They are created and copyrighted by Army Wife Network, but they are YOURS to personalize and circulate.

There are small editable regions for you to update your local network on calendar events and contact data. You can brand it with your name as subtext to the Army Wife Network name.

Send the issues home with the service member, post them on unit bulletin boards, email them to your distro list, or post them to your Web site. Tell us the ways you've found best to get the word out. We can share that as a "hot tip" in our next newsletter.
Happy New Year Army Wives!


I can't believe that 2010 has come and gone already. What an amazing year for Army Wife Network!

So many wonderful things happened in 2010 but some of my favorite highlights were when AWN "crowned" Kirsten Smith our new 2011 Household 6 and the fact that through hard work and generous sponsors we accomplished visits to four installations to present our Field Exercise(TM) Spouse Conference.

I cannot leave out the amazing guests we had on our radio show Army Wife Talk Radio, the success of our blog at http://www.lovingasoldier.com/, the strong following at www.Twitter.com/armywifenetwork, and earning the distinction of one of the most resourceful military spouse support sites on the web.

Still, our best accomplishment is Y-O-U! In 2010 we grew our AWN Facebook page from 6,000 to 24,000+ military spouses & military family supporters. That's an amazing amount of network members supporting each other on our journey!

We hope that in 2011 we can continue to be your go-to network for military family related answers and resources. Don't worry - we're ready to earn our keep. We have a wonderful line up of guests and information ready for you starting Jan 10th on our radio show. We're poised with a new show format that still includes our very popular live chat feature. Join us at 8pm EST every Monday night! We will continue to bring you expert advice columns, care package ideas, newbie resources, Field Problems(TM) answers, and up to date military related information through all of our outlets. Just be the sponge ready to absorb them.

Here's to a great start to 2011!

Your Lipstick 6,

Tara Crooks

Ps. Speaking of resources and the New Year - here are a few military sites to help you with your New Year's resolution!

Health & Fitness
Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA), http://www.commissaries.com/, you could enlist the help of their Dietitian to assist you with snacking snafus.

Perhaps exercise is your priority? Check out the Armed Forces YMCA at http://www.asymca.org/.

Career
If you are looking to start your own business, change career paths or seize a telecommuting opportunity check out military community resources like http://milspouse.org/ and the Military Spouse Corporate Career Network at http://www.msccn.org/.

Personal Finance
Log on to the Department of Defense's Financial Readiness Program, Military Saves. Digging into the Web site, http://militarysaves.org/, reveals advice from investing in the Thrift Savings Plan to how to shop around for an inexpensive loan.

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Our First Holidays in Germany Army Family Style ...

As some of you may remember this past summer I PCS'd with my five out of seven daughters to Germany to join my husband. We have been enjoying exploring our new post and the surrounding areas Germany is a beautiful country. I wanted to share with other new Army wives how my first big holiday went being 1 away from our "home state" and  2 being in a completely different country for an American holiday. 
So normally Halloween comes we have pumpkins decorated, goblins in the yard and Halloween decorations eerily peeking at us from every corner but not here in Germany no Halloween to kick off my Holiday spirit then Thanksgiving isn't a holiday here in Germany either so I had a little trouble getting into the holiday spirit but then I took a step back and realized what Thanksgiving means to me and my family to us it means:
Family, Friendship, togetherness, laughter to me those are the things that come to mind when I think of the perfect Thanksgiving. I will admit this years Thanksgiving Pot Luck was all of the above the only thing missing was our daughter Julianna but she will be here next year. I couldn't stop myself from inviting the people who we share our lives with some single soldiers far away from home, some married couples, some with kids and some without. I will admit the guest list just grew wild I honestly have no idea how many people we actually had most likely 30...some were here start to finish, some were here in time to eat then were off to visit other friends and some came later to end the night with some laughs. According to the boys it was Epic.
Thanksgiving was boisterous and full of laughter I laughed so hard at times I swear I strained some abdominal muscles. I was asked that night if we could do it again so Christmas Eve seemed like a good chance to get together again. I can honestly say I loved every second of it there was no running around rushing to get ready, no spending all day in the kitchen cooking and since it was pot luck I wasn't burdened with a giant grocery bill. I could fill a book if I listed all the food we had that day but I am sure you can imagine it was like feeding an Army.
Our friends are all different they all have interesting personalities they all bring something unique to each get together. Someone said to me the other day "you and your friends are always laughing and having so much fun I think I need to be your friend too" I say if you aren't enjoying life, family and friends then take a step back and figure out what needs fixed because life is suppose to be full of laughter and happiness.
A major reminder was given to us in November with the loss of a battle buddy, a friend, a neighbor..His unexpected death was a giant blaring billboard that says to me life is short, laugh, smile, love, skip the dishes and cuddle your family, go window shopping with the girls, have random dinners with friends, don't put off life and always tell the people you love that you love them...

As we move into preparations for EPIC Christmas Eve Pot Luck I am relaxed, excited and looking forward to spending the day with my family and friends. It will be full of laughter, good food, funny stories, Kodak Moments I will take too many photos, eggnog will be passed around, Christmas Carols will be sung off key, they will rock band, do some call of duty, maybe a little EPIC sledding, the kids will complain that Santa is taking too long and then the night will end. but for weeks we will still be talking about it and debating on what the next big holiday will be that we open our haus to an EPIC family and friend event.
So my advice to all my followers is don't be in a rush this Holiday or for that matter any day take your time the holidays should be enjoyable not a stressed out day have a potluck or make cooking the meal a family event have your kids join in just remember to laugh and enjoy that time together those out the memories your family and friends will always remember.

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It's Been a While

Well, it's been more than 'a while', it's been a LONG while since I have added anything to the LAS blog. 2010 was a long year. Many of you can relate to the roller coaster of emotions and energy drain that is brought on by a deployment. Ironically, I spent a large portion of the last year writing. It was my release, my catharsis. Each time I finished writing a piece, I would let it simmer for a day or two and then realize I couldn't post it. I was worried. Worried my words may offend, that my emotions were too raw, or that I was giving away too much of myself. Looking back, with more rested eyes, I realized that the words were the truth being spoken in my heart and soul as I wrestled with the challenges of this life we all share. The words were me. While the words may not touch each reader the same way, they may reach just the right person when they need to hear them the most.

So, I am back. Ready to share. Sometimes it's funny, sometimes it's sad, sometimes it is downright frustrating. It is the life we have all chosen to lead - and one I wouldn't dream of changing - the life of Loving a Soldier.

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Nice to Meet You

My name is Kristen Smith, and I am the Army Wife Network’s 2011 Household 6. If you missed all the excitement back in October, you can read all about it here.

Since the beginning of November I’ve been busy learning my way around all the fabulous offerings of Army Wife Network. From the radio show to the blog to Facebook to the truly impressive collection of resources, there sure is a lot to learn about! In addition, I’ve been making full use of the Household 6 scholarship to Kathy Peel’s Family Manager University.

But what does all that mean for you?


My goal is to bring you tips and strategies for turning your responsibilities as your soldier’s Household 6 into an opportunity to thrive and grow. Recipes, organization, planning, and all the other building blocks of our lives- I believe that accomplishing the small things prepares us to achieve the great things.

Want to know who is bringing you these tips and strategies?

I have been associated with the military all my life. My family has a strong tradition of service, had representatives in most of the modern conflicts and lost an uncle in Vietnam. I believe that growing up in a family rooted in service gave me the best possible foundation. I learned early the value of history and the contribution that an individual can make.

With all that experience, I would have said that the military life was not for me. Then I met my husband and changed my mind.  The best advice I was given on starting my life as an Army Wife came from my Great Aunt Bobbie. She told me during my engagement that the biggest challenge and greatest reward for the Army Wife was that we get to meet and fall in love with our Soldiers many times through out our marriages. She was speaking of the adjustments that come along with trainings, long hours, deployments and the life changes that accompany all those events. As Household 6, we do what can to meet that challenge and enjoy the reward!

I’m looking forward to learning about what you struggle with in managing your home and working with you to find the solution!

Kristen
Army Wife Network’s 2011 Household 6

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A New Year Under Construction

It’s the New Year and like many others I am faced with the traditional question “what is your New Year’s resolution?” Every year this question taunts me into the status quo. I find myself struggling with what resolution to set and what I will have to do to keep it. I’m a goal junkie but when it comes to New Year resolutions something just doesn’t sit right with me. I think it’s because it’s so cliché. One time a year people are encouraged to set goals? Are you kidding me? What do you do the rest of the year? Ninety-two percent of those that set them never achieve them and a whopping forty-five percent fail before the end of January? That doesn’t sound like a successful New Year. It sounds like a tradition that has already failed me. So this year, I resolved not to resolve anything. In fact, to protest the impending failure of a resolution, I am hanging a large orange triangle with big black letters around my neck, “UNDER CONSTRUCTION”. That’s right I’m under construction, a constant work in progress.
Maybe it is because I am knocking on the door of “middle age” that I have had this epiphany, but, I’ve come to realize that I can find a whole lot of happiness with just a little bit of self acceptance. Some things are easier to accept than others like the fact that I am 5’4’ and I’m never going to get any taller. Sure, I can spend thousands on cute high heeled shoes or I can just accept the world as I see it (which just so happens to be right below your chin).

Ok you got me that was an easy one to accept. It was a bit harder to come to terms with the number on the scale and the height and weight chart that assures me that my height and that scale number is not a good match. I have learned that resolving to do some big makeover weight loss production with lofty goals of super models dancing in my head was not only asking for failure it was completely unrealistic. I could go insane at the gym four hours a day seven days a week feasting on protein shakes and carrot sticks or I could be content with a moderate schedule of one hour four days a week and keeping myself a comfortable healthy weight by choosing fruit over French fries.

The same is true in other areas of my life. One year I resolved to keep our house clean. I was going to reach this goal by setting daily chores and doing a full family-style cooperative cleaning mission every weekend. This turned into a stressful time of me lining my family up like little soldiers and barking orders for all of Saturday. Fail. Instead, I accepted the fact that a little bit of “out to dinner” funds towards a house cleaner could give me a clean house, time to go to the commissary to buy the food for a home cooked meal, and a happy family to enjoy it.

I remember the year that I resolved to build stronger friendships. Each week I tasked myself with goals of thank you notes, “how are you doing?” emails, and building a Facebook database of every connection known to man. The result was friends who thought I might be dying and a Facebook profile page full of people I didn’t even like in high school.

Then there was the year I chose my resolution to be a better listener. This is always something I work towards as a personal goal and that year I had had one too many people make the comment that I talked too much. Taking those comments to heart, I spent the first few weeks of January practicing to shut my mouth and open my ears. I ended up with a bunch of concerned faces and questions about whether or not I was “okay” because “you’re so quiet”. I really don’t know what I was thinking. I am a talk radio show host, of course I talk too much. It’s my job.

The irony of life is that the grass will always be greener on the other side. No matter where you are or who you are, there will always be something you want to fix. I think the Serenity Prayer says it best:

Grant me the serenity

To accept the things I cannot change;

Courage to change the things I can;

And wisdom to know the difference.

Join me in my protest, don’t resolve to fail. Make 2011 the year you are “UNDER CONSTRUCTION”. The year you take constant manageable and sustainable strides towards being the best person you think you can be and amazing strides in accepting the person you are already.

©Tara Crooks

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A New Year - A New Adventure!

As we begin 2011 I want to start by wishing all my fellow spouses a very happy new year. I hope 2011 brings you all the best. My new year has started off well. I have gotten myself organized and geared up for 2011 but change is over the horizon. My husband found out towards the end of 2010 that he would be going to recruiting school. This news brought with it excitement, stress, sadness, anticipation, and fear.

I felt excitement because this was a new adventure, a new place, a new opportunity. I was feeling stress just thinking about all this news meant: PCS, Paperwork, me in the middle of college, and my kids. I felt sadness at the thought of leaving some amazing friends behind. I had built a lot of great friendships here in Virginia and I was going to miss a lot of wonderful people. I felt anticipation at the thought of getting ready to embark on this new journey. Part of me was really ready and I knew there would be a lot of new opportunities for me. The fear I felt came from the fear of the unknown. I have never experienced life away from an installation. I have always been surrounded by my military family and resources. I realized for the first time that this would be a real change. What would it feel like to almost be living a civilian life away from the military? Where would we be recruiting? What would it be like? Would my husband like it? Would I like it?

So in true military spouse fashion, I drew on my now fourteen years of experience with the army and started empowering myself by searching out the answers. I began by writing down all my questions on a piece of paper and then I went straight to Google and of course my beloved Army Wife Network. I found so many women who were already on their recruiting journey and some that were just embarking on it like I was. I have received some amazing tips and advice. I have begun to learn more about the recruiting command how it has changed over the years. I soon realized that the wonderful part of this life is I am never truly alone. I can always find spouses who relate to what I am going through and can give me some amazing insight into what lies ahead.

Now as I sit and wait to find out where we are going, I feel less dread and stress and more excitement and determination. I feel determined because I have the tools to empower myself thanks to some amazing resources and some truly amazing spouses. I am looking forward to this next chapter of my army wife life and I also look forward to getting to share my experiences with you and hopefully give other spouses that same excitement and drive!

Janet :)

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The Joys of Long Distance Communication

One of the best ways of communication with my deployed husband has been to use Skype. So far I “enjoy” the use of technology during this difficult phase in our lives. For my husband to see the children for two birthdays, 1 Thanksgiving, 1 Christmas, and 1 New Year’s Eve.

To have this technology working is fantastic and a super disappointment when it DOES NOT work one way or the other-for him or me. You see, technology is great when it works and only when it works correctly. I have found myself in a dilemma recently— Internet is not working at my home. Now, also, with that dilemma also comes a special issue when that Internet is connected by a different country/language.

Okay, so I am in Germany. I know how to order lunch, but I don’t know how to set up a new router when the wizard help is in German. Believe me when I say, I have been to the ‘internet company’ several times in two weeks, called three different ‘Customer Service HELP lines,’ got a new splitter, and one expensive router, and one visit (paid) from a local tech guy—and still no Internet.


By process of elimination, yes, I pay the bills, I have had internet here in this house for the last two years, the DSL cable is connected to the phone jack, etc. etc. Oh where oh where did my Internet go??? It’s really frustrating for both my husband and for me to not be able to communicate the only way most people know how to do!!

With all the iTouch, iPads, iPods, Blackberry’s, and whatever is available….imagine having all that---without the Internet. It’s worthless. Okay, I am being a little dramatic I suppose, but when I pay for something, I want it to work the way it should right??

It’s just another trial during this deployment, and I am sure that EVENTUALLY it will be corrected, but for now…it’s really a thorn at my side.

So, after all this we have resorted to having just a phone call here and there. He called me today…and it was SUPER COMICAL.

He has to dial like 25 numbers just to connect to me…he called, phone line dropped twice. Finally, I get a call back. We start to talk. “Happy New Year, Honey!” “Happy New Year to you Honey!”

Then, I started to talk about last night, about how our great neighbors, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, invited us over….

He said, “It sounds like you’re talking through a pipe.”

“Well, I am not.” “Can you understand me, now?”

He chuckled, “You sound like Charlie Brown’s teacher.”

“Can you understand me now?” “Can you hear me?”

“Yeah, I heard you say, can you hear me.”

So I started talking some more….and then with his hearty laugh he said,

“I can hear you, but I can’t understand what you’re saying…it sounds like: wah, wah, wah, wah, wah, wah.” (If you have ever watched a Charlie Brown classic---pay attention when adults talk---that’s what he said I sounded like)

I started to laugh, he started to laugh –Then we laughed some more.

He said, “Well, this is a challenge.” “I am having a one person conversation.”

“Ugh.”

“Well, Honey, I will call my mom and I’ll call you back and hopefully we can actually talk.”

“Okay bye.” (In a soft voice)

“Oh, I actually heard that. Say something else.”

“We went to the neighbor’s house last night and the kids had fun.”

~Silence~

“Umm—nope I didn’t understand…that didn’t help either.” As he was laughing out loud…

Good thing I have a sense of humor—is all I can say.

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