Building A Magical Christmas - Crafting Our Advent Calendar

I've talked a lot about traditions through the years. The most common ones you hear me reference is my family's tradition of opening new pajamas on Christmas Eve, baking Christmas cookies, and reading Twas' the Night Before Christmas (the soldier version) whilst hanging the Army sock by the fireplace in honor of the soldiers spending Christmas in a far away land. These all mean something very special to our family. I'm sure you all have your special traditions too.

When I was younger Christmas was the most wonderful time of the year. It was my grandma's very favorite holiday and she made sure it was extra special for us, her grandchildren. We decorated trees (yes multiple ones), baked tons of cookies, sang at the local retirement home, and crafted feasts fit for a King. We even had assigned parts in our Christmas Eve organized talent show. And yes, we opened Christmas Eve jammies and read Twas the Night Before Christmas EVERY Christmas Eve. I will never forget the sound of laughter on Christmas morning - that's how I woke up, to a house full of family and Santa's gifts under the tree. It was magical.

Somewhere along the line I stopped believing in Santa Claus but I never lost my Christmas spirit because it was so fun to do all of these things with grandma. The day she died Christmas somehow died with her. The family didn't get together as one large group. Everyone went their own separate "family" ways and broke into smaller groups of family. There were not multiple trees, no talent show, and not near as much laughter on Christmas morning. I lost some of my spirit. Determined to move forward with our traditions my mama and I managed to keep a small less "talent" version of our Christmas program "alive" along with the exchange of jammies. There was no denying it wasn't the same.

Well, that was until I had my girls. I got my Christmas groove back. Christmas through a child's eye is magical - and now I see that everything my Grandma did for us wasn't so much as she loved Christmas but she wanted US to love the togetherness and spirit of joy because SHE LOVED US! So when Christmastime rolls around each year I drag out the 17 Rubbermaid containers full of Christmas decor, decorate multiple trees, wrap like an elf, visit retirement homes, bake immense amounts of cookies, share handmade gifts with my neighbors, drive through tunnels of lights (multiple times), mail Christmas cards, have holiday parties, and do immense amounts of crafting. All in an effort to to share the joy of Christmas with my children/family. 

This year I thought I'd share a fun idea with you that I added to our "collection" of Christmas fun. We had a handmade Advent calendar given to us last year from a dear friend who scrapbooks. It is pretty amazing. So, this year I hunted down things to put into the drawers. Instead of tiny toys or candy I decided to go with Christmas related items that my children would enjoy every day. Here is the list that I made:

Read a Christmas book

Go to the movie theater

Eat a piece of Christmas candy

Sing jingle bells

Sing frosty the snowman

Think of 5 names for a snowman

Make a list of your favorite Christmas cookies

Recite the 12 days of Christmas

Make a paper snowflake

Watch elf

Make a picture of Santa

Write Santa a letter/email

Drive around to see the lights

Do a Christmas craft

Think of five stocking stuffers

Watch polar express

Make up a song about Christmas

Make reindeer food

Unwrap Christmas jammies

Research the real meaning of Christmas – tell the story

Wish someone merry Christmas today!

Write a story or draw a picture about Christmas

Wrap a Christmas present

Make a puffy snowman

Draw a picture of an elf

Once I printed them up I cut them into strips and assigned them a day by placing them in the box. I can hardly wait til' tomorrow when they open their first drawer. To me, that's magical. That joy is what grandma taught me and what the season is all about. 

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AWTR Show 343: Operation Rising Star

Presents Army Wife Talk Radio

Join the AWN team this week on Army Wife Talk Radio for a conversation with Operation Rising Star Winner Melissa Gomez. Find out what ORS is all about!

Resource of the Week: Class Six


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It's the Most BUSY time of the year

I don't know about you all, but Thanksgiving was just a few days ago, and I'm already exhausted from the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. It's great because I'm SO busy, but at the same time, when can I relax a little. Thank goodness for online shopping!

Right now, I'm in the middle of a long term sub. gig. The teacher I'm subbing for just had a baby and so I'm teaching 5th grade Science. I'm certified in music, but this isn't too bad. Speaking of music, that keeps my life insane. I sing with a professional chorus where we live, and the number of concerts, rehearsals, and recordings that we're doing is just unreal. Someone counted between 11/14 and 12/18, we have 23 days of rehearsals, concerts, and/or recordings. While we're a professional group, we're also volunteers. Not to mention that I'm auditioning for summer opera festivals for Aspen (yes, Colorado) and Brevard (North Carolina). I've been putting in a lot of hours singing on my own, and recording. Wish me luck as I drive to an audition this weekend!

Then there's just the business of being a wife - an Army wife - and a step-mom. There is literally not a night of the week that I don't have something going on between now and Christmas. Somewhere in there, I need to find time to do laundry. I have to force myself to make some 'me' time. For me, that's taking 30 minutes a few days a week to run or do step aerobics or whatever.

Running has become such a BIG part of my life. I use that time to think, pray, reflect, de-stress, etc. I think that if it weren't for the fact that I make myself do that, then I'd probably be sick and seriously run down. I just keep on trucking along.

As we get into this festive time of year, don't forget to reflect on what this time of year is supposed to be about. Take a moment to sit down with a cup of tea, hot cocoa, coffee - whatever it is that you drink - and spend some time with family, friends, etc. Know how blessed you are to have people in your life that love you. No matter if your spouse is home or abroad, there are people somewhere who love you. We'll all make it through this busy season. We'll survive the 2011 holidays and then 2012 will be here. We're all doing this Army wife thing together. Let's remember to appreciate each other in this season.

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AWTR Show 342: 1001 Things To Love About Military Life

Presents Army Wife Talk Radio

Join the AWN team this week on Army Wife Talk Radio and learn 1001 Things To Love About Military Life. Authors Tara Crooks & Star Henderson share conversation with authors Kathie Hightower & Holly Scherer about their new book. This one is going to be fun!
Resource of the Week: alk Turkey Line - Butterbal


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You are what you eat.....

Growing up people in our lives would try to drive home that we "are what we eat". Now.... we do know this isn't entirely true. No matter how many ears of corn you eat you will never turn into a cob yourself(but I hear if you eat enough carrots your skin can turn a lil orangish). And if you eat a McDonald's Big Mac regularly you won't actually be smothered in "the secret sauce". But we all know now what the message meant, if we want to be healthy then we need to eat healthy.

I am not one to talk about eating healthy. In fact I am a cross between a banana split and tostino's pizza with a side of one of those "if you can eat this steak you will get it for free".

While I do not pay too close attention to what I eat, I do carefully select what I consume. And by that I mean what my mind consumes. I believe that with the way the media and Hollywood play out in our lives we are set up for some expectations of what life really isn't like. Women see a man on screen who is a bit of an oaf relationally yet somehow magically becomes a heartthrob by the end of the movie who not only woos the actress, but the hearts of the audience. As a guy I can tell ya seeing these guys on screen who romantically whisk these women away, it leaves me feeling a bit like I could never measure up to that.

As for the women portrayed in the media and in Hollywood, well, if only. But reality is not the seductress we see.

Then we have reality shows. Sure some of them are pretty good. I am not a fan of ANY of them, but from what I know, a show like The Amazing Race is fairly accurate to what something like that would be like if we were to really participate. But it's the rest of the shows that are way off, you know, all those "Housewives" shows or those folks who claim to be of Italian descent yet the country of Italy didn't even want them filming there. Or how about Biggest Loser like one of our other Loving A Soldier bloggers mentioned recently, "who loses 15 pounds in a week"? That's not reality unless you are living a life like those people are on the ranch. Sure the show can be inspiring, but DAMN! It makes me feel worse.

The closest thing I can ever recall looking like reality TV was the show that ran from 1988-1997 that starred Rosanne Barr-Arnold and John Goodman. The show "Rosanne" is hands down the closest thing I have ever seen resemble the reality of those around me.

I try my best to monitor what I view on the screen because life isn't like 2 1/2 Men and all about chasing "tail" and "scoring", and even though it's entertainment, I know I am what my mind is consumed by. And that goes for the music I listen to as well.

If you follow my personal blog, TheArmyWifeDUDE, then you get a taste of the music I let fill my ears and my mind. Sure it's a bit sappy at times, but what's so sappy(aka "bad") about love? And yes, I lean heavily on the Contemporary Christian music that I listen to, but I think finding hope and inspiration in the words of music is much better than reciting "you gotta lick it, before you stick it". And what is more, my kids won't be repeating some of those lyrics out there today. But maybe it's just me who sees something wrong with a 9 year old girl shaking her bom-bom and bellowing "I KISSED A GIRL AND I LIKED IT!".

So what does all this have to do with an AWN Loving A Soldier blog? My words to you are be careful what you are consumed by in this military life. In the new book recently released titled 1001 Things To Love About Military Life co-written by AWN co-founder's Tara Crooks and Starlett Henderson; as well as Kathie Hightower and Holly Scherer, the author's try their best to remind us of all the good in this life. And that can sometimes be hard to do considering all that we are surrounded by.

I have yet to really dig into this book but I am sold on the concept they are trying to get across. It totally plays into my mentality of "you are what you eat/what you let your mind consume(or should I say consume your mind)".

I really wish every Army spouse could be part of the Army Wife Network core team. I mean seriously, do you have any idea how inspiring it is to continually to be in contact with people who are so selfless? On top of the AWN team, my friends list on facebook is chalk full of other MILspouses who are literally awe inspiring. From the man I look up to most in the military MANspouse role(Tim Blake) to a woman(Melissa Seligman) who totally gets the roller coaster of emotions this life entails and wants to meet the spouses where they are at and not let any of them feel they are alone.

Regularly my status feed will light up with posts by Military Spouse Magazine's Military Spouse of the Year. Now you talk about someone who motivates me to do more in this life I have found myself in. Not taking away from The First Lady Michele Obama and Dr Jill Biden, but I swear, Bianca may be doing as much by herself for us military spouses and our families as they are. *Now I know that's a stretch, but seriously, the selfless behavior of this woman always has me wanting to do more in our community.*

I have also really begun clamping down on the facebook pages that I "like". No more negativity for me. No more "random questions" coming across my screen that are better left for the bedroom or the attorney. No more getting caught up in people complaining how bad things are when I know others have it worse than someones FRG.

What about out of the cyber world? Well I am so happy to be taking part in as many classes as I can possibly fit in my schedule. Going through the Army Family Team Building classes is not only teaching me many great things, but it is surrounding me with people who are looking to either be positively impacted in our world or are looking to positively impact people. I think there is something to be said about people who volunteer their time to learn. And even more so people who volunteer to teach.

There are "negative nillies" all around us, especially in the society we find ourselves in where we live and breathe social networking, as well as TV/movies/music/entertainment. But I for one am choosing carefully what I take in. I am what I eat. I am what I consume. I may not have Lady Gaga or Charlie Sheen fun, but I am winning anyway. And when it comes time for me to measure myself and my qualities, well I think there are better role models on my facebook friends list than there are on any mainstream TV network.

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ATTENTION Army Wives - SPREAD SOME HOLIDAY HOOAH!

It's that time - the time of the year to start spreading some Holiday joy - in the Army we call that HOOAH!

We took the traditional "jingle" or "elf" (the Christmas rendition of the "boo") and added a bit of Army pride. We hope you enjoy! Please feel free to share with us where you started this - we'd love to watch it sweep the nation.

First download the Holiday HOOAH instructions: 

http://www.armywifenetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Holiday-Hooah.pdf

Then download the Holiday HOOAH sign: 

http://www.armywifenetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Holiday-HooahSIGN.pdf

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I'd rather have a life of oh-well's than a life of I-should-have's.

As an FRG leader, I need to fundraise. For what, I am not entirely sure, but I know my husband’s commander wanted us to have a fundraiser. I am probably the least creative person on the planet, so we opted to have a bake sale. (I bet you didn’t see that one coming.) We had a fundraiser today at K16 (Seoul Air Base). Thankfully, it was a success. We sold almost everything on our table and raised quite a bit of money. I stole some cupcake ideas from Pinterest, and they were a hit. (If you don’t know what Pinterest is, be prepared to be addicted to something new. Visit Pinterest.com, and search for anything, like cupcakes. Get ready for your mind to be blown.)

I love baking, honestly. Any reason for me to bake cupcakes, I’m all over it. You just had toe surgery? Well, let me make you some cupcakes. Cleaned your kitchen? What kind of cupcakes do you want? I’m that girl, so I was all about the fundraiser. The one thing that scared the crap out of me was the selling part. What I *really* wanted to do was drop off my cupcakes and wish the other two women in our FRG the best of luck. Here’s why… I live with Social Anxiety Disorder. To the tenth degree. In the worst way humanly possible. I remember when I first met my husband when we were in college. He wanted to go to parties, and the very idea sent my heart racing. I don’t like small talk. Let’s just skip that whole awkward “How ‘bout that weather?” conversation and just get to ignoring each other. One time my husband went to a party, and I told him I needed to use the restroom. And I left. I just left. I drove home. I couldn’t stand being there anymore. I felt like everyone was looking at me and judging me, wondering why that good-looking guy is with that ugly fat girl. I was so flippin’ worried about what people thought, it was crippling. I didn’t like to leave the house. I didn’t like to socialize. I just wanted to be left alone with a good book, a slice of pizza, and some soda. Maybe some ice cream, too. Oohh, and some cake. Chocolate cake.

Fast forward to 2010. My husband is graduating from OCS. I had to go to his graudation formal. Well, crap. I can’t get out of that, I remember thinking. My in-laws came with us and my mother-in-law was particularly wonderful that day. She walked me through everything I needed to know. When to sit, stand, say something… It was almost like a Catholic mass with its rituals. I was scared out of my mind the whole time, and I remember thinking, Please don’t look at me. Please, God, don’t let Tom introduce me to anyone.

After OCS, we were assigned to Fort Rucker, AL, our first duty station. We went to the newcomers’ FRG meetings, despite my best efforts and my biggest tantrums. There was a dinner we had to attend, and I was terrified to go. I stressed for a couple of weeks about it, like if my life depended on it. Thankfully, children were welcome. In those kinds of situations, I am so glad I have my son, Matthew. He is not only the social butterfly his mother isn’t, but he’s super cute and hilarious. He is my icebreaker. If it weren’t for him, I don’t know if I would’ve met as many wonderful people as I have. (Except for Shawna, of course. I can thank the Army Wife Network for her.) You know, it doesn’t help that my husband is a quiet, reserved guy. I have to go to these functions because of him AND I have to fend myself, too. Thanks, Tom.

One of the things I am most thankful for concerning Army wife life is, I just have to get over my issues. Quickly. You don’t have time. You don’t have time to worry about what people think, because, chances are, they are PCSing next month. You don’t have years to develop a long-lasting relationships. All you have for sure in the Army is right now. Right this very moment. I had to learn how to get over myself and put my best foot forward. So what someone doesn’t like me? I can personally guarantee that they are missing out on probably the best friend they’d ever have. I’m a loyal, compassionate, giving person with a horribly inappropriate sense of humor who will do her best to make you laugh just to see you smile. And you want to miss out on this? Sucks to be you.

I still struggle with my fears every single day. I get nervous when I have to have an FRG meeting or when I have to attend a group function. I don’t exactly go out of my way to attend spouses’ functions, but you know what? I do a heck of a lot more now that I’m an Army wife than I would have ever done in civilian life. If you had asked me five, six, seven, even 10 years ago to do some of the things I’ve had to do as an Army wife, I would’ve told you where to go. This is one of the things I love about being a military spouse; learning how to get over myself.

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The greatest oak was once a little nut who held its ground.

You know, sometimes this whole losing-weight thing is a flippin' drag. I can think of a thousand ways I could spend my day, and none of which would include working out for at least an hour a day and not losing an ounce of weight. <-- That right there? Load. Of. Crap.

I hit a plateau just over a month ago. I was stuck at 244 pounds (70 pounds down) for a whole month. Do you have any idea how long a month is in Emily years? That’s, like, forever. I know that losing 70 pounds is an awesome feat. Being able to inspire people to get healthy and change their lives is probably one of the most incredible feelings regarding this journey. But. Newsflash! Plateaus are discouraging. They make you want to give up. They make you forget why you are doing this in the first place. Plateaus are simply evil.

So, I tried to shake things up. I changed my routine. I ate more, changed my workout. No weight loss. Ate less, changed my workout. Nothing. Said screw the diet and exercise; I’m going to eat that sleeve of Oreos and not feel bad about it. I not only proceeded to feel bad about it, but I gained a pound. Really? REALLY? *headwall*

I have been going at this regimen for about eight months now. I’ve come to expect a certain amount of weight loss every week, and that went flying out the window last month. I needed a change. I needed to be inspired. I needed to know there are people going through this same journey as I, and even though they are struggling, they are pushing through it anyway. So, what did I do? I started watching the Biggest Loser on Netflix. Okay, so here’s the thing. I never liked the Biggest Loser. I hated the idea of taking something as serious to me as diet and exercise and making a silly competition out of it. Losing two pounds in one week on that show could get you sent home?! Really?! A two-pound weekly weight loss in the real world is incredible, and I felt like they were trivializing weight loss. I felt like they were telling America that if you don’t lose at least 15 pounds a week, you’re a failure. I didn’t need that in my life. With that being said, my battle buddy, Shawna said she watches it, and, like a sheep, I decided to give it a whirl. If Shawna likes it, it must be fantastic, right? (If you knew her, you’d be saying “Right!”)

I started watching season 1 and got through it in a week or so. I didn’t care much for the competitions and the silly things they had to do, but to see them lose weight from start to finish was inspiring. Just what I needed! To see people workout as hard as they could, hit plateaus, continue to persevere, and ultimately reach their goal. That was incredible to watch. And not to mention, I admire those folks getting up on that scale half-naked for the world to not only see how much they weigh but their unclothed fat, too. I don’t think I could do it. Well, actually, ask me that next year. :)

I decided to stop feeling back for myself, put on my big girl panties, and keep on keeping on. I cannot wish this weight away. (Trust me. I have tried wishing it away, willing it away with my mind, yelling at it… It doesn’t work.) I have to work at it every single day. Every day is a battle. Shawna recommended walking the stairs in my apartment building as an alternative workout. I was resistant to it at first, because, well, that’s hard. I needed to shake things up, so eventually I caved. I walked up and down 15 floors and left pieces of my body behind. Eventually I started going up and down 26 floors, twice a day. It hurt. A lot. A. LOT. I did that for a few days, and wouldn’t you know it – I said good bye to that plateau. Well, for now anyway. It’ll come back. And when it does, I’ll make sure not to have any Oreos nearby.

Don’t give up. Just keep going. And don’t wait until tomorrow either. Tomorrow will never come. I mean, really… if not now, when?

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AWTR Show 341: Fort Living Room

Presents Army Wife Talk Radio

Join the AWN team this week on Army Wife Talk Radio for a talk about careers with Chazz Pratt. Chazz is on the team of managers for USAA’s Military Spouse Community and author of “Fort Living Room”.

Resource of the Week: LoveLastChance.org


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Visit Army Wife Network and Loving A Soldier Blog

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Thankful thoughts

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, classrooms everywhere are preparing. In my 3 year old class, we are learning about the Letter T, and what it means to be Thankful. It is very hard for children that age to grasp that idea. Today, as I sat in class and spent a few moments with each student, it really tugged my heartstrings, as I gave thanks for them and their innocent little minds. I was making a craft about being thankful, and to make it a bit easier for them, we talked about what makes them "Happy", an emotion we had covered earlier.
It was at this time, that I felt like I got smacked right back to where I should be. While as adults, we find ourselves almost constantly stressed out or worried about something, and often times griping more about holiday shopping and weather than remembering the purpose for the season, these kids were so refreshing.
The concept of being thankful this season for those little things in life. Yes, spouses are deployed, the economy is in crisis, and negative things are happening all around us, but have you really stopped to enjoy your "peanut butter sandwhich"?
I learned today all about how thankful the children are for the teddy bears they sleep with, the silly pictures daddy draws in the lunch box, the apples mommy cuts up, the funny dances that I do in class and teach the kids, and the times that that childs sister shared their barbie, and peanut butter and jelly sandwhiches.
Reality check. This reminded me to stop looking at so many big things, and hop on board with enjoying all those amazing little things that we take for granted and forget to be thankful for.
I hope that this Holiday offers you a few moments to look back and remember all the little things that tug at your heart and you can appreciate.

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Where I've been

In all of the business of the typical “everyday” I, just like you, I’m sure, forget to take the moment to absorb the goings on around me. Lately I have tried to make a real effort to do things on a whim and off the cusp. Cancer does that, I guess. It makes the people around those infected realize the purity in the little things and the awesomeness of those big.

My dad was diagnosed roughly 3 months ago with stage 3 throat cancer. This week will be his final radiation and chemo treatments for this round; which will, hopefully, help to put his body into remission after 8 weeks of daily radiation combined with one 5 hour chemo trip per week. I am one of those people who think cancers live within us all… negative? I don’t think so… I think it is just a way of life. However, watching the strongest man you have ever known be humbled to the point of nearly breaking can be quite a strain on the mental well being of anyone, including myself; who has just gone through yet another year long deployment. To say that my mental capacity for such things was not ready for another blow is to put it mildly. Eric and I barely had time to reintegrate at all, and here I am traveling back and forth to Florida to do as much of “this” with my mom as I can. Throat cancer is no fun… no cancer is, but this one for me takes the cake. You see, this is not my first rodeo with the cancer “experience”. At seventeen, I watched my best friend fight stage 4 melanoma while injecting himself every other day with a test drug called interferon. While interferon does not make you lose your hair, it makes you sick…..very, very sick. He did that for a year and has now been in remission for 13 years. At nineteen, I was diagnosed with cervical cancer and while the treatments were no rival to those of my best friend or my father, it was an experience for sure. But throat cancer, it’s different; the treatment is different.

Throat cancer is treated by shooting radiation into the jaw five times a week. Can you imagine what that does to a person? Radiation kills the muscle in the jaw and leaves the throat swollen to the point of completely closing. My father cannot eat or even drink a few sips of water right now… he gets all nutrition via my mother and a feeding tube in his abdomen. It’s terrible, but it is worth it. He may lose his teeth, which have also been affected by the strength of the radiation, but that too, will be okay.

So, if you have been wondering where I have been lately, it’s here. Doing something we don’t talk about often, but that I am sure a lot of us do. I just want you to know, that for all of the happy posts I write, I am still real and real things still happen. I hope that some of you can relate, so that you know there is someone here who has been touched by something like this. I’m here and I’ll listen always. I just felt you all deserved an explanation of my absence lately….

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It's the end of an era...the beginning of a new

Last night I watched as my youngest child, my only son, the boy I thought I could never relate to since I had three girls prior to him, donned his pads and uniform and ran out onto the field for what turned out to be his very last high school football game. The very last time he will ever kick an extra point or the thrilling game winning field goal for his high school team, the Franklin High School Rebels. I have to tell you, I am surprisingly a bit melancholy about the whole thing. This truly is an end of an era not only for him but me as well.

It's amazing that we rarely stop to think in our younger years that days like these are coming quicker than we ever anticipated. I can remember being so proud when my oldest daughter graduated high school eight years ago. I wasn't thinking it was an end of an era but a beginning to a bright new future for her and all the wonderful things she would embark on. And it truly was and has been. Then my next two daughters graduated high school in rapid succession, or at least it seemed to me. Now, here we are at the end of the line, per se. My son will graduate high school next May. And the end of another era.

Our lives as military families have more than our share of era endings and new beginnings don't they? It's far from a "normal" (as the majority of the world identifies) lifestyle but one most of us embrace as exciting and new - not one looked on with sadness. After all, we would not be where we are today if it weren't for some eras ending in our lives. They could have been good or bad, our choice or someone else's, or just the cycle of life.

So, here's to you my son, Connor Alexander, even though you are sad at what you see as an end of an era, remember it is just the beginning of a new one! I love you and am so very proud of you. Now, let's bring on the spring soccer season! Go Rebels!

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We are going...WHERE?

No, seriously. Where ARE we going? After a few innocuous duty stations from his branch manager, it was sounding last month like Big Sarge was just going to stay here at Fort Blistering after his deployment to Afghanistan. Which I was totally okay with. And then the big news came today that we are leaving the eastern seaboard for points west. How far west? REALLY west. Really north and west, like ALASKA.
Again, I am totally okay with this as well. As the saying goes, "I cast my lot in with a soldier, and where he was, was home to me". Who was not okay with this? The soldier in question, Big Sarge. After a few choice words about what an adventure this would be and how much fun we would have and how perhaps it is time to broaden one's horizons past the mighty Mississippi, Big Sarge is slightly more okay with it.
Why am I making this the subject of my (day late) blog post? I want to encourage all of you out there to choose your words and your attitudes carefully. Whether it be with our spouses or with our children, our friends or aquaintances, if we put forth a good attitude about things, it will generally cause others to have a good attitude about things as well. I could have just as easily said, "Alaska??!? Whiskey Tango Hotel? Who wants to live there in an igloo? I hate the cold. Forget it, buster!" This would not have helped at all. Besides, I'm reasonably certain that Alaskans live in houses. Most have indoor plumbing, right? :) I kid, I kid.
Attitude is everything. Every single person I have told, either on the phone or on Facebook, that we have orders to Alaska has been nothing but supportive. Their attitude has improved mine. Am I happy that once again, I will be several time zones away from my family? Nope. Am I happy that the movers are going to lay hands on my stuff again? A resounding NO. Am I happy to leave my friends? Nyet. But we can't dwell on the negative things. We have to think of what awaits us! Mountains, a white Christmas, new friends, a house with a decent property manager (please God), more time zones between me and my mother-in-law...
The only thing I would like to know is this- where ARE we going? Because Big Sarge was too upset to look very closely at his orders.

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Make Your Own Stir Fry

This month's Mess Hall recipe is a review of Eating Well's Stir-Fried & Chile Beef Broccoli.
This recipe was featured on p 22 of Eating Well's fall digital edition or printed Eat Healthy Your Way: Fall 2011 available at commissaires each quarter.

Check back soon for the review! Try it out and let us know what you think!

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USAA & Military.com announce TOP 10 Best Places for Military Retirement

USAA and Military.com commissioned Sperling's Best Places to create this ranking to help military retirees launch a second career by highlighting the best places in the nation for jobs that match their skill sets.

The rankings are a resource to help military retirees overcome common transition challenges, such as effectively translating job skills and managing a new financial landscape.

Find out more by visiting USAA. 

Overall Top 10 List

1.       Oklahoma City, OK

2.       Norfolk, VA

3.       Richmond, VA

4.       Austin, TX

5.       San Antonio, TX

6.       Madison, WI

7.       Philadelphia, PA

8.       Raleigh, NC

9.       Omaha, NE

10.   Manchester, NH

Top 10 Premier Metros List

1.       Nassau, NY

2.       Washington, D.C.

3.       Cambridge, MA

4.       Honolulu, HI

5.       Bethesda, MD

6.       Baltimore, MD

7.       Edison, NJ

8.       Boston, MA

9.       New York, NY

10.   Seattle, WA

Top 10 Medium Metros List

1.       Manchester, NH

2.       Anchorage, AK

3.       Killeen, TX

4.       Huntsville, AL

5.       Ann Arbor, MI

6.       Rockingham County, NH

7.       York, PA

8.       Roanoke, VA

9.       Topeka, KS

10.   Lexington, KY

Top 10 Small Metros List

1.       Cheyenne, WY

2.       La Crosse, WI

3.       Rapid City, SD

4.       Columbia, MO

5.       Lebanon, PA

6.       State College, PA

7.       Wichita Falls, TX

8.       Warner Robins, GA

9.       Jefferson City, MO

10.   Lawton, OK

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