B2B-Day2: 101st Airborne Div. -Fort Campbell

This week I will be participating in a Back to Blogging challenge hosted by SITS girls for a chance to win an Electrolux Washer/Dryer set sponsored by Standards of Excellence, Westar Kitchen and Bath and Florida Builder Appliances.

Each day this week there will be a writing prompt, Today's is: A Post You Wish More People Had Read.

Here is mine, posted on Nov 6, 2008:

101st Airborne Div. - Fort Campbell
I drove Michael to Fort Campbell very early Mon. Morning. It was dark, and there was a short blanket of fog. As we drove onto the base I could see ok thru the fog. There was lots of empty space between large buildings. I was focused on the directions Michael was giving me so that I wouldn't get lost on my way out, and out of the corner of my eye, I thought I had seen a small grouping of soldiers, poised in combat position. I recall seeing a grouping of helmets, and the points of guns, thru the fog. It was a strange feeling. It felt like I was driving thru the middle of a military operation. All I could think was - it can't be and if it is then they are training.

I dropped Michael off, and drove back to Nashville. The Sun came up as I was driving. And again all I could notice was the wonderful color scheme. I stopped and took some pictures. I thought to myself I can use these in an color excersice that Susan does, where you pull color from a picture.

So here it is before:



And the color scheme I pulled:

and another picture that would be good for the excersice.

Michael called around Noon, so I drove back out to Fort Campbell to pick him up. I couldn't stand the not knowing about what I saw that morning so I asked him. "Is there a field out here where I might have seen a Military exercise this morning, I remember seeing helmets and riffles thru the fog"

He said no, but there is a new memorial that has soldiers standing on a large grassy field. It's just around the corner, want to go. I said sure!

It wasn't the picture that I conjured in my head, but I can see how I would have taken key elements of the memorial and created a different vision in my mind.




Michael is part of the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, they have had some high honors in most war's the US has been involved in.

The Marbel itchings were stunning:







And it was surrounded by soilder's names from all war's after WWII as they were new in WWII.





The statue's had such attention to detail that Michael was able to point at all the gear and tell me what everything was used for.


I was so glad that I asked. We then drove home (hotel) had lunch there, then went to the Mall and walked around. Then went to Target, and bought the game of life, we like board games. By then it was time for dinner so we went to dinner, and then came back home (hotel) and played the game of life. Michael and Stephanie wrestled they like to do that. They jumped on the bed. Like I said it feels like I still have 4 year olds. Then we went to bed, as I was going to have to drive Michael back to the base, before we drove out to the airport. We had two great days.

What follows for Michael is a tough adjustment period. He will be at Fort Campbell for 90 days before they let him get out. That will be a homecoming. Until then all we were able to due for him, is make him feel like home for a couple of days.

At this point I had been blogging for almost a year, I'm a very reserved person. My life is mine to deal with and not to be told around town, was and to some degree still is the way I think. Michael coming stateside after being in Iraq for 12 months was very emotional and I was having trouble telling people around me anything, so I chose to express some of it on the blog. This post gives a small insight as to my family life that's why I like it. but I love it because of the great history that exists on most military bases they are museums in and of themselves.

Not a mommy Blog??

So my daughter walks into my office a couple of days ago and I'm reading Top Mommy Blogs.com and she says to me 'Yours isn't a mommy blog you haven't posted about me in a long time!"

Well my child - first of all your not the only child! And 2nd of all if you would like me to post to the world the mistakes my children have been getting themselves into - I can do that!

Stephanie came home from her freshman year at college for the summer, to find a job, buy a car and save some money to go back to college.

Well she didn't find a job because she couldn't figure out how to drive stick shift, so my spoiled rotten child was waiting until after our Hawaii vacation to come home and figure out how much money she had so she could buy a car and then go find a job.

Well she came back from Hawaii with $100. That doesn't buy much of a car! So she did learn how to drive Stick shift! This was your accomplishment for the summer honey! Good Job, not being sarcastic really!

And she has announced she's not going back to college! And darling child of mine - for the whole past year my children have been telling me to get a life! I did I got one and then you guys came back - sorry it doesn't work backwards! You are all grown up.

But you are still my life - and this blog is also about my life! So I'm sure when something comes up that is all about Stephanie I will blog about it!!! Sorry you are feeling left out. Just for kicks I went through and labeled your Blog posts and Michael's - Stephanie that number is a little high compared to all the rest of them!

Plus my dear Stephanie you also have a blog - why don't you do us all a favor and do a blog post and tell us all why you are not going back to college we would all love to know because I'm really not fully understanding it. Then come back and put the URL in the comments!

Stephanie I love you - and this is a Mommy Blog - it just belongs to a Mommy that for a whole year didn't have any children that were communicating with her on a regular basis because they were busy!

The house if Full

This past week has been a whirlwind I think it was so bad that I rubbed off on mother nature - here is the view that was outside my window yesterday:




The tree completely covered the street the big boys had to come take care of it. Darn you can tell my husband was gone for 7 days no one mowed the lawn :-)



Monday I woke up at 4 AM got in the car and drove, and drove and drove some more - picked up my daughter in Vallejo, CA and turned around and drove and drove and drove some more until we got home at 2 AM. Here is the room that used to have 4 desks in it! My daughter is home from college for the summer:



For those of you who read the post a while back about my son just getting up one morning and getting married to some girl we had never met - well here he is. It didn't workout and he's back home. Here is the room that used to be Stephanie's room (it's smaller than the other one):



And here is all his stuff in the middle of my "formal living area" that is my sewing area - I thought I was done with kids so my priorities shifted, and I refuse to shift them back if we don't fit in the family room because it is smaller - then they'll just have to sit on the floor!



And my husband is back:



I think I just figured out why I got into the organizing kick I was on - for the first time in my life it was just me (and my husband but he lets me do whatever I want) and if I organized it there was no one to unorganize it. As you can see from the pictures above those living with me are not into organizing. So I have a dilemma I want the house organized but I recall a lot of arguments, I don't think I want to pay that price. I'm going to have to find a way. How does one turn an unorganized person into an organized one????

I was ok when I only had to follow behind one person - but now there are 3!

Lake Hemet

Well we spent Thursday night and all day Friday by the lake, the boys went fishing (they didn't catch anything), it was still fun. None of us used sun screen so we all turn red. It was cold the first night, so we didn't stay the second night. Plus there were coyotes howling all night, which made the dog bark all night - so I didn't sleep at all, and well that just wasn't relaxing.

I think I need to plan a one nighter more often. Just go veg by the lake!

101st Airborne Div. - Fort Campbell

I drove Michael to Fort Campbell very early Mon. Morning. It was dark, and there was a short blanket of fog. As we drove onto the base I could see ok thru the fog. There was lots of empty space between large buildings. I was focused on the directions Michael was giving me so that I wouldn't get lost on my way out, and out of the corner of my eye, I thought I had seen a small grouping of soldiers, poised in combat position. I recall seeing a grouping of helmets, and the points of guns, thru the fog. It was a strange feeling. It felt like I was driving thru the middle of a military operation. All I could think was - it can't be and if it is then they are training.

I dropped Michael off, and drove back to Nashville. The Sun came up as I was driving. And again all I could notice was the wonderful color scheme. I stopped and took some pictures. I thought to myself I can use these in an color excersice that Susan does, where you pull color from a picture.

So here it is before:



And the color scheme I pulled:

and another picture that would be good for the excersice.

Michael called around Noon, so I drove back out to Fort Campbell to pick him up. I couldn't stand the not knowing about what I saw that morning so I asked him. "Is there a field out here where I might have seen a Military exercise this morning, I remember seeing helmets and riffles thru the fog"

He said no, but there is a new memorial that has soldiers standing on a large grassy field. It's just around the corner, want to go. I said sure!

It wasn't the picture that I conjured in my head, but I can see how I would have taken key elements of the memorial and created a different vision in my mind.




Michael is part of the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, they have had some high honors in most war's the US has been involved in.

The Marbel itchings were stunning:







And it was surrounded by soilder's names from all war's after WWII as they were new in WWII.





The statue's had such attention to detail that Michael was able to point at all the gear and tell me what everything was used for.


I was so glad that I asked. We then drove home (hotel) had lunch there, then went to the Mall and walked around. Then went to Target, and bought the game of life, we like board games. By then it was time for dinner so we went to dinner, and then came back home (hotel) and played the game of life. Michael and Stephanie wrestled they like to do that. They jumped on the bed. Like I said it feels like I still have 4 year olds. Then we went to bed, as I was going to have to drive Michael back to the base, before we drove out to the airport. We had two great days.

What follows for Michael is a tough adjustment period. He will be at Fort Campbell for 90 days before they let him get out. That will be a homecoming. Until then all we were able to due for him, is make him feel like home for a couple of days.

Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

This was now my 3rd trip to Nashville in the past 4 years. 1st when Michael graduated from bootcamp, The whole family drove. 2nd time when Michael graduated from Basic, that time I flew by myself, and this 3rd time there was no way my husband and daughter were going to let me go alone, and there was no way I was going to drive the family cross country again, the first time was enough.

In the previous trips, I had seen everything in Memphis and Nashville I had wanted to see, but my family wouldn't come with me to the museum, after all the Plantations, and Historical building, they had enough. I love Country, country decor, country music, country living, everything country.

So we loaded in the car after lunch and I told them we were going "downtown Nashville", and Michael and Randy growned when we pulled up to the Museum, Stephanie has grown a lot since her last trip to Nashville 4 years ago, at almost 18 she has developed a passion for Art and Culture.



It was great I loved looking at all the costumes, all the memorobilia, and listening to all the old country music roots.


Elvis Gold Piano:



Wall of Records:



A dress I liked and I can't find my notes of who wore it:



There has always been a reason that I don't feel my children are old and that's because they has always, no matter how old they are acted like children, here they are coloring:





That was our Sunday, Michael had to check in for work at 6AM Monday morning so we went back to the hotel and rested, as I was going to have to wake up early and drive him into Fort Campbell.

Nov. off to a good start.

It has been a great weekend. As you can tell from the previous post, Michael did arrive while we were in Nashville. We checked into the hotel on Friday night, and then we just sat around all day Saturday and waited for a phone call. Finally around 3 PM they call and tell us his plane is due to arrive at 3:50 AM Sunday Morning. So we went and got something to eat, and came back and waited, there was no sleep that night.

It's about an hour and a half drive from Nashville to Fort Campbell, so we left way early since we would be traveling in the dark. It is a beautiful courtry area, I love the old buildings, and Ranches/Farms along the side of the road. I saw two shooting stars on the drive in. November was off to a good start.

We sat in a very, very large airplane hanger on bleachers. Then when it came time, we moved outside and waited on the tarmack and watched the plane fly in, and all the soldiers get off one by one, all 300 or so, we all yelled, screamed and hollerd. There were two adorable children standing in front of us, and every soldier to then as 'daddy'. I would post pictures. But they all look like this:


It was way to dark. The video came out great, my new video camara has NightShot. I'll have to figure out how to edit and post video.

They then lined up and walked into the airplaine hanger, again we all screamed, and shouted. There was a short ceremony, and then they released the soldiers. Just thinking of all the emotion in that room, I get choked up. It is an indiscriable feeling. My sleepless nights will no longer be because of the news I watched that night about Iraq.



We then took him home (hotel room), it was a Suite with a full kitchen that I had stocked the night before. A 24 year old boy can eat. We sat around and eat lunch and figured out that we were all wide awake even though none of us had been to bed. So we went to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

Michael is State side

3 airline tickets from Palm Springs to Nashville with 3 days notice: $1,800.00

4 days hotel: $630.00

4 days car rental: $120

Food & Gas for 4 days: $400.00

Being able to hug your son/brother after 15 months in Iraq: Priceless






I don't know what credit card company this commerial is from, but mine was brought to me with help from the Cochenille American Express Business Card, Thanks to Susan. I'll be back in the office on Wednesday, to start paying this back.

I've got one answer.

I got an answer from the Army - "It is most likely that your son will be coming home on ####, something, something, yara yara. . ." I have no clue what all the exceptions and disclaimers were.

But, That was the best answer I was going to get, so I have just spent lots of money I can't get back - and I'll have to hope and pray that he arrives, while we are there if not, I have just spent 2 months salary on a 3 day vacation to Nashville.

Finger crossed - I hope the rest of the answer's that come to me in life aren't as vague.