Memorial Day ( I know it's late but I needed to think)

Memorial Day finds it's roots in post Civil War Charleston, SC. It was called Decoration Day and started by freed slaves. They exhumed the bodies Union Soldiers, slaves and even Confederate prisoners from a mass grave and gave them all proper funerals. This was done regardless of which side they fought for or what God they prayed too. It was done out of respect not just for human life but respect for the dead. The day is set aside for us to honor our men and women who defend our country and its ideals around the world.
This Memorial Day was definitely one of reflection in our house. The release of "War" by Sebastian Junger put the holiday into perspective. Junger followed 2nd Platoon Battle Company 2/503 173rd Airborne over a 15 month deployment in the Konar Province of Afghanistan. My husband was on the same deployment with Destined Company. His company was spread across the valley and some were with Battle Company. I knew what happened on the deployment from the family perspective. We received red line messages (emails or phone calls when a soldier was killed or seriously injured) with terrifying regularity. Reading this book showed me the other side. Now Restrepo was a unique outpost with a very unique group of men, it could be called the extreme of what can happen over there. I think that this book should be required reading for every American. I think that the real cost of freedom is something that most people just don't understand.

This is our first Memorial Day in the States in 4 years and I was horrified at how little was said about the true reason for the holiday. There were sales on everything from flip flops to cars advertised everywhere. When I looked for some activity to do in the Fort Campbell and all the way to Nashville area I found "you can watch Boy Scouts place flags in a cemetery. We made a point to discuss the day with our children. They told us about the soldiers that they know. I was so proud when my 8 year old said that the day shouldn't just be to remember the dead. He rattled off a list of people the he knows and how they were hurt in Afghanistan. He told me that it changed their lives. One friend lost both of his legs, whether he knows it or not he is a real hero to my boys. They talk about him frequently and think that his "robot legs" and wheel chair are so cool. I just wish that civilian kids had some idea of why we celebrate Memorial Day. My 15 year old sister told me that the pool opens that day and it's her last long weekend before the end of the school year. So sad.
If you forgot the meaning of the day. Not hard to imagine with a president that didn't even go to Arlington because he was on vacation. Take a few minutes now and be thankful for the men and women past and present that allow you to enjoy those sales and swimming pools.

What I've been up to...

It seems like time flies and sometimes it is so hard to keep up with my blog. Here is what we've been up to.
Baseball, Tee ball, and Softball has started for the kids.
My veggies are taking off. I'll have tomatoes soon. One hot pepper is almost ready and I have a bunch of sweet peppers that will are tiny right now.
We are currently trying to come up with a schedule for summer vacation. More posts soon.

Mother's Day

When I was a child Mother's Day gifts were hand made at school, a simple bouquet of flowers or flowers picked in the yard and breakfast in bed. I can remember bringing my mom soggy Cheerios, burnt toast, over sweet hot tea, and a glass with flowers picked outside. I was surprised by people over doing it. There is no need for extravagant jewelry or expensive meals out. Handmade jewelry, pictures drawn at school, and a home cooked meal prepared by someone else is all it takes to make me happy.
My husband and children always make breakfast for me and let me sleep in. This year I got wonderful handmade gifts from the boys, coupons from Avery, and a purse from everyone. The kids played a board game nicely at the table and I added a new blueberry bush and strawberry plant to my garden. It was a perfect day. John made a gourmet meal. This isn't out of the norm for a weekend for John though. He made prime rib, roasted potatoes seasoned with fresh chives, green beans with sauteed onion, and followed up with creme brulee. He is an amazing cook. To me the thought, time, and love put into a home cooked meal is one of the best gift a person can give.
To all of the Mom's out there I hope your day was a full of love and surprises as mine.

I have been neglecting my blog

My husband has been home for a few months now and I know that true to my habit I fell off the face of the earth for a while. Since his return we have started brewing beer, planted and herbs and veggies, gone on vacation, and decided that he will not reenlist in the Army if we can help it.
Brewing beer is fun and a much more cost effective way to have a ready supply. I like to have things to do but you can only bake so often without gaining a million pounds, crafts are great but can quickly turn to clutter if you don't have either people to buy them or just give them away too. Brewing beer on the other hand takes time to make and time to consume. It isn't ruined by forgetting about it for a few days at any point in the fermenting or carbonating process. This is my kind of hobby. Between kids sports (a blog for another time) keeping up with the ebb and flow of military life and maintaining a happy home who has time for hobbies that require constant up keep?
All of my plants are in pots. Unfortunately, we live on post and you aren't supposed to have a garden. My herbs are doing well. We have used lots of basil, cilantro, and chives. They taste so much better when you cut them right before you cook with them. This is the first time that I have grown potatoes. I found instructions for growing them in pots online. I have 4 pots going right now and they are doing better than all of the other plants. I can't wait to show them to you. I keep dreaming of the day that I can have a huge garden in my own yard.
Getting out of the Army seems like the best step forward for us. John has been stagnant in his career for a while now. Promotion points are high and he doesn't have the spare time for college courses. He was looking at ways to further his career while we were in Italy but our forced move to the Special Forces community at Campbell has made it impossible. He is no longer happy with his job. On our vacation to California we decided that we need to end up there. John was happy truly happy the whole time we were there and not just because he was away from work he was finally home. You can see the change in him as soon as his feet hit the sand. Now we are looking at jobs and cost of living. Trying to plan for our life after the Army.
My goal is to update at least once a week and include some pictures.

I'm back

Needless to say John is home. I usually drop off of the face of the earth for a few weeks at least when he comes back. Since I last wrote I have quit working and started trying to get everything squared away for John and I to both go back to school. I figure it will be summer semester before everything falls totally into place.
The tax office where I worked is closing down this week. I don't know if the people who own the franchise intend to keep it or sell it. We just weren't that busy. I believe that ethics are important in all that you do and the business practices of that franchise were not ethical. On top of the tax prep fees which were insanely high they added bank fees and technology fees as well as an efile fee. Now I looked into buying software myself, all professional tax software has free unlimited efiling. No need to charge people that extra $70. All told we were charging people around $400 at least in fees. That was after I gave every possible discount I could and still have a job. Every time I did someones taxes I felt like I was ripping them off. I didn't argue when people decided not to file with us because the fees were too high. I actually told a lot of people to file on irs.gov through freefile and save their money. I think next year I'll prepare taxes at home and keep my rates reasonable. I want people to be able to pay out of pocket.
I'll try to update at least once a week from now on. I'm thinking about trying to run a half marathon in November this year. I'll keep you updated.

Hurry up and wait...

the story of the Army. John's flight has been delayed a day. It happens every deployment but it makes me crazy everytime. Once you get down to it and you are counting days it really sucks to add more instead of subtract. The house is almost completely clean. I have a little more work to do upstairs and I need to mop the kitchen again. I figure I'll do that on Tuesday night. It's all good. I know he'll just be happy to be home.
Random kids stuff for the day... Ty told Avery that baby animals come out of their mom's bums and baby humans come out of their mom's belly buttons. Silly I know. She didn't correct him so I'm sure I'll have to address the misinformation at some point.
Off to fold even more laundry.

3 days and I'm so not ready yet.