Being A Soldier's Wife

Opposite of most wives - I'm one of the women that married my husband before he joined the military. My husband and I met as high school sweethearts; he was 16 and I was 15 years old. Well, to make our lives interesting we decided to get married before graduating. So we did. After about six months, he decided to join the U.S. Army, and that is where my life of being a " Soldier's Wife " began.

During Basic Training and AIT, he was stationed in Kentucky. This is a schooling program to make sure the soldiers know their specific job.

After graduating from this school, we went straight to Germany. This is where we had our first baby; the 12 months later we had our second baby. We were in Germany for four and a half years.

Then in 2003, we moved to Colorado, and we were so happy to be back stateside. We have lived in Colorado for six years. In these six years, my husband has been deployed to Iraq three times:
The first time......... ( April 2003- March 2004 )
The second time.....( November 2005- December 2006 )
His third tour over there was the longest tour that he has done...... 15 months long!!

Wow, I don't know how I was able to do this, but I did! ( December 2007- February 2009)

My husband has served the military for 10 years from November 1998 to present, and he has just re-enlisted for another six years. This summer we are leaving Colorado to go to a different duty station. So being a soldiers wife is challenging everyday, yet it is worth it.

I am so proud of him, and what he is doing for our country. Our children look up to him, and thank him everyday for doing what he does.

Too Close For Comfort

I remember a tremendous comfort I felt, after my daughter found a little piece of root.

It was eleven years ago.

We already had plans to move to the United States, but that was impossible for me, because first, I had to be, see and breathe at a place I lived so happy with my family when I was a child, before my mom died.She died when I was twelve years old, and I am the oldest of six.

There is a beautiful place I remember! Every summer my dad made a circle fence with barbed wire, just in front of the river were two big wanavana trees. Those were around five feet apart from each other, those made the arc of the door.

In the circle was only one room to sleep, the kitchen was under the trees, like camping. Some times my brothers, sisters and I were eating and we stood up and ran to jump in the river. It was so fun, unexplainable.

At that time, before we came to the U.S.A. I lived in Guadalajara Jalisco Mexico.

My kids already knew about this special place for me, and they wanted to be there too. We took a bus from Guadalajara to Talpa, then other bus from Talpa to Llano Grande, then a truck to the river. When we arrived there, my kids said, "Where is it mom? Where is it?"

"Do you see those big rocks, and those trees?" I said, "There it is!" My kids started to run to be first. Just gotten there my oldest daughter, Lili, bent down and said, "Mom see, look I found it!" It was an amazing dried root, but it is like a circle, it grew back around in it self. I never saw something like that. For me it is very special. It is like a symbol, made together by my mom, my daughter, and me. It's why when we came to Colorado I could not leave it behind. I did not care if I didn't have room in the luggage. My priority was to bring my root.

It is always in the living room, reminding me of the power of God, my childhood, from where I am and who I am.

CHANGE OF LIFE

When I knew I was pregnant I had both feelings, fear and happiness. Fear because I didn't know how I could be a good mom and my life will be transformed for ever, and happiness because I'll be able to discover it.

All the nine months of my pregnancy were too hard, because I was very sick, with nausea, dizziness and a high blood pressure that kept me on bed almost all the time.

When I was ready to labor, something happened that I couldn't have a natural labor, so it was a C-section. I'd been tolerating so much pain, but when I saw my baby for the first time, I forgot it all.

I spent four days in the hospital and I didn't recover my health for a long time.

It was 5 years ago and today I'm so happy to have a son like this. I love him so much and he's the purpose for my life. His name is Gabriel.

Music teacher

I was a good student all of my school years. I was quiet and calm always. I wasn't smart enough to study. I was an average student. Science and music were my worse subjects all of my school years. These two subjects were under average always. I couldn't even open my mouth to sing. I never had any trouble and no teacher picked on me except one. The music teacher was unhappy with me and she told my home room teacher, and she gave me a warning the first time. The music teacher complained that I made too much noise in the music class room. I couldn't understand why she complained. The second time, my home room teacher gave to me punishment. I still didn't understand what was wrong with me. After that, I sat in a chair by myself and I didn't talk to anybody in the music class room, before and after class. I was always alone and paid attention to my behavior in the music class room. It wasn't easy, but I wanted to fix that problem. I was totally alone all of the last semester in the music class room. I was in shock when I got my report card. It was the highest grade I got in all of my years in school! I didn't have any communications with any teachers, home room or music. Some times, I think about that situation and I ask myself,"Did I really make noise in the music class room?" I still don't know, but I fixed that problem.

wow!

I am impressed with all the posting that happened in my absence last Thursday!

Here's a little assignment for you today, if you so choose to do it. We have learned a plethora of new words over the past two weeks. (What do you think "plethora" means? Can you figure it out from context?) :-)

I'm going to list some of them here. Choose one or two and write sentences using that word in the comments. I'll be happy to look them over for you before publishing if you would like.

crouched
indistinctly
strode on
untrodden
flung
glaring
quivering
suffused with
wailed
pattering
malice

Have fun!

Search for a cure

I was in a good condition physically and emotionally when I started the school year. My memory was very sharp, and my brain worked almost perfectly. I had fun and enjoyed reading books, finding new Vocabulary words. I thought I recovered totally from last year's physical tragedy. I had a bad cold a couple of months after I started school. I rarely catch a cold because I am taking zinc. I had a bad cough and I worried about my teacher. She is in chemotherapy. I didn't want to give her my bad cold, so I dropped out of class until Christmas vacation. I tried many different ways to stop coughing. First, I searched for good food to get rid of the bad cold and cough. Next, I bought many different kinds of medications. I am on medication for high blood pressure, so I have to be careful of cold medicine. I tried many different ways to stop coughing, but it didn't work out. I saw a TV commercial for cough medicine, and I feel that the medicine works for my cough. Finally, my cough stopped after I took that medication. I could go to school after Christmas vacation. I noticed I had high blood pressure after a couple of weeks of school. I am fighting my high blood pressure many different ways. I don't want to see the doctor for high blood pressure, because many medications make me worse. I hope I will find a natural cure, so I won't have bad side effects.

Kisun

" Accidents "

Well - where do I start? First off being the age that I am now - growing up was pretty easy. There are a few things that haven't happened to me.

1. Never had any childhood diseases:
Like Chickenpox, Measles, or Mumps.

My mom tried putting me around kids that had them, but I just didn't seem to want to catch them.

2. Never had any broken bones.
( Knock on Wood)

3. Never had any operations.....yet!

4. Or Stitches of any kind.....
Until now -

My first pair of stitches - just so you guys know - my pain tolerance is Zero! If there is pain - there is me wailing like a little baby.

To start off my story, needless to say on Wednesday my day changed for the opposite -

I guess people learn from dumb mistakes - and let me tell you, I was being DUMB. I was using a dull, rusted, razor blade on my car trying to take off the emblem from the side of it. Well, I was doing pretty well...... until the end. When I turned around I must have sliced my finger, because when I turned back around, I saw a lot of blood. And a piece of the top of my finger was just hanging there! Disgusting! Yuck!!
I rushed to the hospital to see if I was o.k.! The nurse came into the room after about an hour saying, " You won't need anything, but just a band-aid." I was relieve, because I was told by my husband that I might need stitches, so I got a little worried. But when the doctor came in, the first thing she said after seeing my finger, " Oh yeah, you are definitely going to need stitches! " I said, " What?! " And I explained to her that this has never happened before. She told me, " It's not going to heal right if we don't use stitches! " So, I agreed. But let me tell you - the shot that the doctor gave me to make my finger numb was so much worse than slicing my finger!

Go Steelers!!!

6 time super bowl champs is what I think of when I think of the Pittsburgh Steelers. I was born and raised here in Colorado but born a Steeler fan. Everyone ask's me why iam a Steeler fan and not a Bronco fan when I was born here. It begins with my dad who also was born here but has been watching the Steelers since the early 60's. My dad gave me and my brothers a choice on who we wanted to cheer for. My whole family is Bronco fans we had to have something to argue about so thats why I chose the Steelers.

People tell me iam one of the biggest Steeler fans they've ever met. You go to my house and theres Steeler stuff every were from my Terrible Towel,closet full of jerseys tradeing cards pictures,etc...... but my most prised possesion besides my wife and kids is my autographed football by the 2006 Steelers. My cousin was in Pittsburgh and was at a game against the Broncos. He had gotten me a football signed and brought it back to me were it sits in a glass case my dad made for me.

The schedule came out for 2008-2009 and I was shocked to see that we had the hardest schedule in the NFL. It kinda had me worried but as we got through the season with only lossing 4 games I wasn't to worried. We made it through the playoffs beating the Chargers and the Ravens advancing us to the Super Bowl against the Cardnials. Man was I excited to watch my team go to the super bowl, It was going to be history in the making. The Steelers with 5 super bowl rings trying to be the only team with 6, and Cardinals who have never been to the super bowl ever.

Feb 1 came around the day of the big game and I knew it was going to be a good game with both teams playing there hearts out. The first three quaters the Steelers had the bame in there pocket until the Crads came back with 3 touchdowns and a safety to put them in the lead with 45 seconds left in the game. Man was I on the edge of my seat nervous as heck. But then all of a sudden Big Ben our quaterback takes us down the field with a game winning touch down to Santonio Holmes our reciver in the corner of the end zone. With that win we are the only team in NFL history to have 6 Super Bowl rings. Go Steelers!!!!!!!!