THE TRAVELING GARDNERS

I am so proud of Dan. He loves the boys and I so much. He works so hard to provide for our family. He is our protector. And he is our soldier. Thank you Dan for all of your hard work. Thank you for putting your all into everything you do. You give 110%. And I admire that so much. I am bursting with pride to see you graduate from your training. You have learned a new job and you are exceeding at it so well. Your soldiers that you lead look up to you. And as the boys watch your hard work, the boys have learned to respect you in a new way. So, you go enjoy your free meals at Applebees, Outback, and Chili's! You deserve it! I am also so proud of my family members that have or serve now in the military. My brother Daniel is in the Army. My step brother Ricky is currently serving with the Army in Afghanistan. My step brother Jeremy served in the Air Force. My Papa Jr is retired Navy and Air Force. My Aunt Judy is retired Navy. And my step dad served in the Navy. And don...

We can almost see the finish line! Dan will graduate from his training November 18th. We have enjoyed Arizona and all that we have been able to do. But, we are SO ready to be settled and stay in one spot longer than 6 months. Wrigley is done being an apartment dog. And the boys miss their toys that have been locked up in our storage unit. And most of all, I miss belonging to a family ward and not being a visitor. So November 1st, we bid farewell to our tiny furnished apartment. Dan is living with his Mom for a few weeks. (She is moving to Illinois soon and Dan has been helping her pack up her house.) And the boys, the dog, and myself headed to Phoenix for a week to stay with Uncle Gary and Pete. We then drove back to Ft Huachuca for the weekend. My Aunt Judy drove down from Tucson to join us and came down for Ben's last soccer game! We all stayed in a hotel on base. While Wrigley was babysat at Grandma Liz's house. Then, Monday the boys, the dog, and I headed to San Die...

We have been married over 5 years. We have lived in 3 different states. And this Saturday will mark the 6th time we have moved together as a married couple. Two times have been due to PCS moves by the Army. Two times are thanks to base housing renovations. And two times in 2008 was due to Dan's deployment. This next move is one of the base renovations move, with a combination of a growing family. We have outgrown our 2 bedroom and 1 1/2 bath. And perfect timing brings new housing offered to us that was just built on our base. New housing that has a backyard twice as big as ours now, a master bath, 2 walk in closets in master, boys will have their own bath to share for bubble bath time, larger garage, and much, much, more. We really enjoy living on base. Even though we are far from close friends who live south of us, we enjoy it here. We love our ward(church congregation). We love the free gyms, movie theatre, commisary, exchange, bank, gas station, playgrounds, and dog park(because...

My little brother Daniel graduated Army boot camp. So, my wonderful hubby offered to watch the boys, while my Mom and I had a girls trip to the south! We flew in to Atlanta, Georgia and first met up at the airport. We then drove to Alabama to visit my best friend Brenda who is stationed there for a few months with her family and the Army. Her hubby is finishing up his helicopter pilot schooling. After being spoiled by Brenda, the next morning we woke up and hit the road to meet up with my brother in South Carolina. On our way to South Carolina, driving through Georgia, we found a treasure of the trip. THE ORCHARDS is my new favorite place to buy presents for friends and myself! I found a vintage looking apron that I am in love with. We finally made it to Fort Jackson and found Daniel. We enjoyed a few hours with him and took him out to dinner. We were also able to see him in formation with his company that he went through basic with. After switching hotels once, we got some beauty slee...

Appropriately celebrated every May on the Friday before Mother’s Day, Military Spouse Appreciation Day is a recognized as part of National Military Appreciation Month. At a celebration at the White House, Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates fittingly referred to military spouses as the “power behind the power.” I would like to give myself a pat on the back. And also, my friends and family who are "the power behind the power". It's not easy being a military spouse. But, I love my husband and I will support and stand beside him. I am grateful for his sacrifice to this country. And I am grateful for all of the friends, families, and military programs that help take care of Ben, the bean, and I while Dan is away from us. HAPPY MILITARY SPOUSE APPRECIATION DAY! HAPPY MILITARY APPRECIATION MONTH!

Operation Home front helps out families of deployed soldiers. They have an office based out of California. Since I knew we would be in San Diego around Easter, I checked out their website a few weeks ago. They were doing a Easter basket give away on the morning of the 15th of March. We went to this event. Ben was able to meet the Easter bunny, get his face painted, get delicious cookies, and receive an awesome Easter basket. It had play dough, a soft fuzzy bear, candy, and a Hot Wheels San Diego Padres edition motorcycle. Ben was hesitant of the bunny at first. But in the end he didn't want to leave and kept saying, "BYE BUNNY! BYE BUNNY!" Here he is munching on his cookies with his Easter egg stamp on his cheek. So excited about his Easter basket! The Operation Home Front van Mommy and me all finished and heading home to get ready for Chuck E Cheese!

This is Dan posting right now - The question has been posed as what it means to support our troops. This was originally asked by one of Leah's friends, Megan. I took it upon myself to write a few of my thoughts on the topic. Quick thought before I explain that came to my mind, is that there is a misconception that in order to support our troops, we must support the war. I feel that this is not necessary. As a Soldier we are trained to fight and win the nations wars. The Soldiers are not the individuals that start or decide about wars. What does it mean to support our troops? To me, it means that we do not blame the Soldiers for the tragedies, we give thanks to those that serve to protect our freedoms and assist those that have not been blessed with the same freedoms that we have. It also means that we do not protest against the Soldiers, but that does not limit anyone from protesting the war (Soldiers are just the tool that we use to fight wars). It also means respecting the ...

When my dear friend Megan put up her blog posting on her feelings towards the fourth of July, it stirred many feelings inside of me. Instead of replying back to her, I decided to write my own post. Megan - you start such wonderful discussions. I can't wait to move to Utah and drink hot cocoa while having moving hot topic discussions like this. I love you Meg. Even though we might differ in our political and or world views, I think we create the perfect balance if I do say so myself. Dan is in the Army - I'm a military wife. I live on a military base. I shop for my groceries at a military store. Every time I drive on to base where I live I show my military ID. My son was born at a military hospital. Flags, soldiers, and everything that comes with patriotism is a part of my every day life. I also come from a military family. I don't know if it's a combination of being a military spouse and/or relative(granddaughter/niece/cousin/step daughter/step sister) of a former milit...