A Christmas Tree for my Son

I am preparing LCpl Honda's Christmas care package. Since he will not be here for the holidays I wanted to bring a little holiday spirit to him. I have been agonizing over what to send to him. He just keeps telling me he does not need anything. I know he is not deprived of anything since he is deployed on a Navy ship, but still I want to send him something!

Today I stopped at Walgreens and I this tree. I love it! The clerk loved it! Especially when she found out it was going to a deployed service member. Now my care package think tank is in full gear. Watch LCpl Honda, Christmas is coming!

Decorating Woes

My furniture is probably over ten years old. So I have been thinking about either replacing it or maybe covering it. It has a southwestern theme which is fine but I am kind of tired of it. I am striving for a simple decorating solution for my house. Although keeping Corvette from sitting out toy cars and machine gun shells from LCpl Honda is a challenge in itself.

I want to have a mix of Southwestern décor with a touch of modern motif. So of course, I resort to internet searches and I found a site that offers many options for my decorating dilemma. The Furniture Store has solutions for every room of the house. I really liked the selection of living room furniture.

I checked out the dinette sets because when we moved to our new house I bought a set that just does not work in our house. I want to sell it and get something that will work better in the space we have.

There is even a section for pets. I have been looking for a new affordable dog bed for Lucie for awhile now. I love my puppy but I am not willing to take out a loan for a dog bed. I found a large, plush dog bed for about $44.00. Not bad.

I am sure I will find what I am looking for. It just takes some time, but I will persevere in my quest to have my perfectly decorated home!

Sunday Brunch

Yesterday, family and friends came together and we planted Lolly's tree. The week before, I prayed for cooler weather and that prayer was answered. I was a little worried a major storm might interrupted the planting but that did not happen. The tree was a little bigger than I expected. I have a VW bug. The tree is about 5 feet tall and it actually fit in my car. I fell in love with it the moment I saw it. LCpl Honda dug the hole in the yard. Everyone arrived and we feasted on sub sandwiches and potato salad. Grandma M brought a carrot cake. Lolly loved baby carrots. Everyone took turns shoveling dirt into the hole. Then Butterfly and my friend's daughter, Big Brown Eyes helped Lolly's dad Tango make a well around the tree. Finally, we made a circle around Lolly's tree and said a prayer and asked God to bless the tree.

It was a wonderful day.

After the planting, I gave everyone a picture of Lolly's name in the sand.

I am posting our group picture, although we took many pictures that day. The rest I have chosen to keep private. I am also posting a picture of my dad, Grandpa DingDon, one of Lolly's namesakes. No recipe today. Yesterday was simple, kind of like a picnic. Everyone knows how to make a picnic. Yes?

We love you sweet boy. Donovan. Our Lolly Pop Kid.

I had to add this drawing, done by Butterfly, Lolly's sissy.

ps. The drawing was lying on my kitchen table today and my cat decided to walk on it. The blue background was done with pastel chalk. I just spent a whole bunch of time in my bathroom trying to wash the blue color off of my cat's feet. Fun.

Yea, I think that is all I have to say about that...

Military Monday - LCpl Honda at Sea.

Here is a pic of LCpl Honda working on the flight deck in Combat Cargo. He is the one one the right. The Marines are moving a net that is used to transport cargo, food and other supplies from the the cargo ships and between the Navy ships. Combat Cargo also aids in assisting visitors or military personnel arriving and departing from the ship. It does not matter how high up in rank the visitor may be. Combat Cargo personnel is in charge on the flight deck.

LCpl Honda will be home on leave this weekend and then will deploy in Sept. It is going to be a long 7 months. He will however get to visit quite a few ports in many countries. Anyway, here he is:

 

God Bless our Troops. Happy Military Monday!

Military Monday - At Sea

I am a little late with this. There is a new series, "At Sea" on the Military Channel featuring the US Navy and the US Marines. It actually started last night, Aug. 9th. It is a three episode special focusing on Naval ships.  The second episode airs tonight Aug. 10th at 10pm eastern time and concluding with the third episode on Tues. Aug. 11th. Hopefully it will repeat at another time. There is an excellent article about the series here.

The series focus is to let the American people know how the Navy and Marines work together and what these joined forces do when they are at sea. Our armed forces are made up of real people who have chosen to serve the American people and the series conveys this message to the viewer.

LCpl Honda is currently on the USS Bonhomme Richard preparing for an upcoming  MEU. This is why I am especially interested in this program. He currently works on the fight deck in Combat Cargo. He and other Marines and Sailors are responsible for loading and unloading cargo and making sure that people get on and off the Helicopters safely.

Go to the Military Channel website and you can explore an aircraft carrier interactively, find out more about the program, "At Sea" and learn about ships of the future.

Surprise, Surpise

So last night my phone rings and it is LCpl Honda. He tells me,  "Make a wish and then tell me when you are done." So I did. Then he tells me, "Guess what? Your dream just came true!"

Huh? Right about that time the phone disconnects and the doorbell rings. I was thinking, "Who the heck is ringing my doorbell at 7:30 in the evening?" As Corvette went to answer the door, I put the phone down and went out in the garage to open the door to let some of the heat out. Since we live in the Desert Southwest it gets incredibly hot out there and I like to let it air out a little at night.  I stayed in the garage for a few minutes and then went back in the house.

Surprise!, Surprise! LCpl Honda was standing in my living room!

He was supposed to be here on Saturday to bring home some of his things before deployment. He was also only supposed to be here overnight. So lucky us!

My nephew Sgt. Red once surprised my sister Crafty in the middle of the night by climbing through the dog door. Thank goodness his dogs knew it was him. I told LCpl Honda not try any middle of the night entries or come in when we are not home (he has a key) because he will set off the alarm and then he will have some explaining to do. To the cops. Marine or no.

Oh, that wasn't exactly my wish, but I will take it.

Just a Fun Ole Friday

Well, today I don't have anything very profound to speak about, just some announcements and comments concerning my life.

First of all: Ta Da

I just ordered a new computer! Yes, I decided to take the plunge because:

#1 My computer is about 5 years old which makes it ancient in computer land.

#2 I am pretty sure my current computer has a few creepy crawlers because it does not always cooperate.

#3 New computer comes equipped with a wireless router so I can take that sucker in my bathroom/walk-in closet/"3rd" bedroom (those of you that have seen it know what I mean) if I so desire.

It should arrive either Monday or Tues. Here is a picture of my new favorite piece of electronics.

Ohh yes baby, it's red.

In other news, I have an update on the arrival date of Hippie Guy and Flower Child's twins. Looks like the second week of August if they don't decide to make an appearance earlier. All is well with mother and children and Hippie Guy no longer has a deer in the headlight look. So we are looking forward to the birth and the baby shower next weekend with family and friends.

Other great news is Sgt. Red should be arriving from the Sandbox in the next couple of weeks. This has been a long year deployment and his family especially Crafty will be glad to have him home. His detachment was successful in the training of Iraqi Army soldiers. Apparently the IA no longer have trouble handling their own weapons as they have quit shooting themselves in the foot so to speak. Congratulation Sgt Red and the rest of your team!

LCpl Honda had been out floating with the Navy for about a week now in preparation for his upcoming deployment. Haven't heard anything but I expected that.

So I saved the best news for last. Cinderella called the other night to tell me that she will be a college graduate on Oct 23, 2009!!! Way to go Cinderella. We are all so proud of you!!!! Look forward to seeing you in your cap and gown! (and beware, because I am sure you remember what you did to me at my graduation)  ;) She also told me that she bought Miley Cyrus tickets for Butterfly and will surprise her with those in Sept. So everyone SSHHHH!!! It's a secret!

I think that is about it except Happy Father's Day to all. Be seeing you on Sunday Dad!

I am going to leave with a joke that was sent to me by my SIL, Ocean Girl (yea sweetie, you got a bloggie name now!) It is about Forrest Gump and considering the name of this blog I just had to post it here. Enjoy All!

FORREST GUMP GOES TO HEAVEN.The day finally arrived.
Forrest Gump dies and goes to Heaven.

 

He is at the Pearly Gates, met by St. Peter himself.
However, the gates are closed,
and Forrest approaches the gatekeeper.

St. Peter said, 'Well, Forrest,
it is certainly good to see you.
We have heard a lot about you.
I must tell you, though,
that the place is filling up fast,
and we have been administering
an entrance examination for everyone.
The test is short, but you have to
pass it before you can get into Heaven.'

Forrest responds, 'It sure is
good to be here, St. Peter, sir.
But nobody ever told me about any entrance exam.
I sure hope that the test ain't too hard.
Life was a big enough test as it was.'

St. Peter continued, 'Yes, I
know, Forrest,
but the test is only three questions.
First:
What two days of the week begin with the letter T?
Second:
How many seconds are there in a year?
Third:
What is God's first name?'

Forrest leaves to think the questions over.
He returns the next day and sees St. Peter,
who waves him up, and says,
'Now that you have had a chance
to think the questions over,
tell me your answers'

Forrest replied, 'Well, the
first one --
which two days in the week begins with the letter 'T'?
Shucks, that one is easy.
That would be Today and Tomorrow.'

The Saint's eyes opened wide and
he exclaimed, 'Forrest,
that is not what I was thinking,
but you do have a point,
and I guess I did not specify,
so I will give you credit for that answer.
How about the next one?' asked St... Peter.

'How many seconds in a year?
Now that one is harder,' replied Forrest,
but I thunk and thunk about that,
and I guess the only answer can be twelve.'

Astounded, St. Peter said, 'Twelve?
Twelve? Forrest,
how in Heaven's name could you come
up with twelve seconds in a year?'

Forrest replied, 'Shucks, there's
got to be twelve:
January 2nd, February 2nd, March 2nd... '

'Hold it,' interrupts St. Peter.
'I see where you are going with this, and I see your point,
though that was not quite what I had in mind....
but I will have to give
you credit for that one, too.
Let us go on with the third and final question.
Can you tell me God's first name'?

'Sure,' Forrest replied,
'it's Andy.'

'Andy?' exclaimed an exasperated
and frustrated St Peter.

'Ok, I can understand how you
came up with your answers to my first two questions,
but just how in the world
did you come up with the name Andy
as the first name of God?'

'Shucks, that was the easiest
one of all,' Forrest replied. '
I learnt it from the song,
'ANDY WALKS WITH ME,
ANDY TALKS WITH ME,
ANDY TELLS ME I AM HIS OWN.'

St. Peter opened the Pearly Gates,
and said:
'RUN Forrest, RUN.'

Give me a sense of humor, Lord.
Give me the ability to understand a clean joke,
To get some humor out of life,
And to pass it on to other folks.

A Mouse in the House

I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day Weekend and took time to honor our fallen.

 LCpl Honda made it home for the holiday and our granddaughter Butterfly was able to spend the weekend with us too. We had a fun weekend, which included swimming and movie viewing. Just let me say that if you are any kind of a Star Trek fan go see this movie. Most people my age probably will remember the original series on TV. For Corvette and I it was like a walk in the past except with different actors playing the original characters. Capt Kirk is just a hunky. Mr. Spock was dead-on. Bones just as cantankerous as always. Lt Uhura, Mr. Scott, Mr. Sulu and Mr. Chekov, all played perfectly. I will not spoil the movie for anyone but it reveals the answers to many questions and of course makes you think. Loved it.

 Well you would think that all this would be enough excitement for one weekend. But NO!! We came home from the store on Sunday and LCpl Honda informed us that we have another guest. Sort of. Somehow, a mouse got in my house and took up residence in my stove. Nice.

 So, back to the store goes Corvette to pick up some traps and after repeatedly reassuring Butterfly that no, the mouse will not get you and do not worry we will catch it by tonight and it will be over with we set out on the mission to rid the stove of the little squatter. Or so we thought...

 So first off, Corvette set the traps with peanut butter and sets them on the floor next the stove. Bad move already. I am getting dinner ready and I am not too happy about the traps near my toes but I figure I will keep my eyes open. There is only one thing we did not think about. You see we have a Chihuahua, Buddy. Note: small dog with large appetite. Likes to stand in kitchen while I cook in hopes of catching a falling crumb. Are you getting the picture? All of a sudden, we hear one of the traps spring and at first, we are overjoyed at catching the little uninvited guest. Yea. no. I look down and see my dog exiting the kitchen and a rather fast pace with a not-so-happy look on his face. More like an almost barring teeth look. I am just glad his nose was not caught in the trap or we would have added trip to the vet to our weekend activities. Needless to say the traps then were moved.

 Ok, as I said I was in the middle of cooking dinner and I turned on the stove to preheat the oven. I walk outside for a few minutes and when I come back and walk to the stove Yikkkkes! It is the mouse on its way back into the stove. Ok so after some simultaneous screaming on me and Butterfly's part things return to normal and we get on with the day and our resolve to catch the damn thing.

 Fast foreword to later that night. Corvette goes in the kitchen what does he see? Empty mousetraps licked clean. Stupid mouse. Ok so we go to bed with assurance that we will have that pesky creature in the morning. Right? Wrong. We get up and once again, empty mousetraps licked clean. Smart mouse. Same story the rest of the day. Same story this morning. Damn ingenious mouse.

 So I guess the next step is decon. Did not really want to go there but SuperMouse has left us no choice. Because we will prevail. I hope.

 By the way, we do have a cat. She apparently was off duty this weekend.

hmmm...

BuildASign.com

I want to let you know about BuildASign.com, a generous company that has been supporting our Nation’s Troops for the past year. They have already donated over 20,000 welcome home banners to military families like ours and they want to continue their support of the military community in the future. They also proudly display welcome home stories and pictures from military families on their website. I believe we should support the companies who support us, which is why I am asking you to help me get the word out about this company. If you or someone you know needs a sign or banner, please tell them to buy from BuildASign.com. BuildASign.com is offering us a special 25% off all of their products through the end of June to help them continue their support of our troops. I hope you will help support this company that has done so much for military families around the country. This is a generic copy of the jumbo card I sent my nephew in the Sand for Christmas last year. It measured 18" x 24". CpL Red now (Sgt) loved it! Sshhh. I think LCpl Honda will get one during his upcoming deployment.

25% Off All Products at BuildASign.com

(If this link does not work, you can use the promo code NEWFRIENDS09 to get 25% off your order at checkout.)

A Mother's Silent Scream: Coping with Impending Deployment

This is my newest post to appear on Parent's Zone

My son, LCpl Honda is set to deploy to the Sandbox later this year. It is still a few months off so I decided I just cannot freak out and go out of my mind with worry just yet. Nevertheless, I have to admit that each day that comes to pass, I feel a scream welling up inside of me. I know that this is probably normal and I know that I am not alone in feeling this way.

When my nephew, Cpl Red went on his first deployment I watched my sister, Crafty go through this process. I was with her when she had to say goodbye as his unit left. That experience is forever stamped in my memory. I watched other parents, wives, girlfriends and children say goodbye to their loved ones. I saw the look on their faces. I came home and told my mom, "I don't want to ever have to do this again." However, in my heart I know I would.

I remember when I was very young and Vietnam ended. I naively thought that there would not really be any more wars. Why? I guess because I was young and not very informed about the way of the world. I never ever thought that a child of mine might have to go off to combat. I think after 911 that changed. With my daughter, Cinderella, active duty army at the time, for the first time ever, I felt the fear that I feel now.

I have only told family about LCpl Honda's deployment. I cannot bear to divulge this information to other friends and co-workers just yet. LCpl Honda worked at the same place I worked before going off to boot camp. So everyone there likes him and knows him well. I just cannot bear the sympatric looks that I know will come. Please do not get me wrong. I know people mean well, but non-military families just do not have the understanding. It is not their fault. They are just not in the situation.

I have also found that I purposely do not do things like watch war movies. My husband wanted to watch 'Saving Private Ryan' this past weekend. I could not do it. HBO is replaying 'Taking Chance' at the end of the month. It is about a fallen Marine being escorted home. I plan to record it, but I do not think I will watch it until this deployment is over and my son and nephew are home safe.

I am not sure how well I will cope in the days ahead, but I will at least try to "soldier on" and if anybody asks, I will just reply with, "Good to go."

 

Predeployment Training: Making Warriors

This is my newest post to Parent's Zone.


LCpl Honda is currently training for an upcoming deployment. Since I am always interested in what he is doing, I decided to ask him some questions and get his take on the training he is receiving.

Predeployment training is very intense and designed to teach the Marines what conditions could arise on a combat deployment. Marines train in realistic towns with actual Iraqi people playing citizens and terrorists alike. These "actors" prepare the Marines to react a certain way when they are deployed to places like Iraq and Afghanistan. It is vital that the Marines learn how to interact and in turn to watch reactions of the people playing these parts in order to ensure the most utmost safety conditions.

Marines learn how to conduct raids under live fire-like conditions. They learn the safest ways of securing a town or building. One technique is using buddy rushing by running and covering each other while advancing on a target. A squad may start out together but end split up into two "buddies.”

Jumping out of helicopters is another vital training exercise because that might be the only means of getting the Marines to a location. Marines are trained to slide down a fast rope and be able to land without injuring themselves on the ground. They are instructed on how to deal with the rotor wash air coming down from the rotors and the brown out dirt that is kicked up from the ground. LCpl Honda says that the instructors are very good at helping the Marines to jump successfully.

LCpl Honda says that the most important thing about the training is working together. This has been emphasized since the Marines were recruits in Boot Camp. "You have to look out for the guy next to you and he has the do the same." said LCpl Honda. The training is really a dress rehearsal for the actual theater.

The Marines have no idea what will happen during training. There could be a riot, a sniper on a roof or terrorist hold up in a building. The element of surprise prepares them to expect anything during deployment. Better to make a mistake during training than during actual combat situations.

I asked LCpl Honda if he felt he was ready for deployment. "Well," he said, "I am not through with training yet so not quite." but he continued, "I will be." He also said that most of the Marines feel the same way as him.

He closed with, "We get the best training possible." and more importantly, he added, "Our leaders and instructors prepare all of us to come home."

I found pictures of LCpl Honda's unit in training here. I don't know if he is in any but it illustrates a lot of the training.

Marines in Training

LCpl Honda is doing some serious month-long training. His unit recently went to 29 Palms to train for their upcoming deployment. He said it is very intense but he is having fun doing it.

He called last weekend to say they were on their way to a base near Oakland to jump out of helicopters. HE was overjoyed! Makes me a little bit queasy. I am just glad he is happy and enjoying his training.

So I was browsing around Marines.mil and I came across this article about his unit and their training. I thought it was interesting. There are a few pictures too and I wondered if LCpl was in any of them. Hard to tell because they all look alike in their camo and gear.

Apparently the training is pretty grueling and challenges both the Marines’ abilities to work in unison as squads and their individual physical endurance. Also,the scenario mirrors combat situations in Afghanistan, where they may be deploying.

“The course is physically exhausting,” said Staff Sgt. Shawn M. Skaggs, 26, from Pilot Grove, Mo. “In combat, you have adrenaline and the will to survive to keep you going. In training, you don’t have that; you have to have that physical will to drive yourself.”

You can read the full article here.

Please say a prayer for my son and his unit. I know they get the best training possible but a little divine intervention can not hurt.

Military Monday

I have decided to start a new weekly addition to my blog. Military Monday. I hope to highlight some event each week on Monday.

But I am going to start this with the focus on my son, LCpl Honda. You see he is in an intense month-long training away from his base. He called me this weekend and I'm sure some of you know that he is supposed to deploy on a ship in Sept and sail around the ocean for a few months.

Side note: This changes on a weekly basis.

So now he is pretty sure the deployment will involve either Iraq of Afghanistan. This does not surprise me. The caveat is he confided in me that he is scared. I am sure this is normal but it is hard when your 29 year son tells you he is afraid. I just continue to be strong and tell him to buck up buddy! He reads this blog sometimes so maybe some of you can pray for him and think about him.