Anniversary Gifts

This past weekend was our anniversary.  We took a mini-trip for the weekend so the gift exchange took place before we headed out for the weekend.  I of course, made sure everything I did was in our wedding colors.  This has been an obsession of mine from our wedding invites, to the actual wedding, to the wedding thank you cards, to now our anniversary.  I am sure it is a tradition I will keep forever.  So this is what the presentation of his gifts looked like...

I got him a framed photo of me (from the photos Acasha did back in Sept), his summer cologne which was a special edition and is not sold in stores anymore (so I had to search for it!), a new G-shock watch which he has been talking about getting one for months, and made a scrapbook of our last year from the wedding day on. It took a lot of time, and quite the effort to get all the pics rounded up, but it was so worth it. I added different blog entries that had a correlation to the pictures on that page. Looking at it, it really does mean a lot and speaks magnitudes by showing everything that has happened in such a trivial year in our lives.  Here it is...

A few days before we left, Chris came home and surprised me with a big edible arrangement.  It even had a pineapple cut in the shape of a "1".  I loved it, and it was definitely very yummy. It had pineaple, strawberries, apples, grapes, and cantaloupe.  All the fruit made me feel a little less guilty about all the yummy dark chocolate I was eating :)

He got me a very sweet card and a pretty necklace from Helzberg.  We love that store, and it is where we have bought all our jewlery.  He told me that the two hearts, symbolize us, and the key is because he believes I have been the key to his success in his recovery the last 8 months.  It was very sweet and I love and appreciate it so much.

♥ More marriages might survive if the partners realized that sometimes the better comes after the worse. ♥

Mini-Tri

So last Friday, the CFI (Center for Intrepid) had their 4th Annual Mini-Triathalon at Fort Sam.  Since Chris is like Dr. Hsu's (the ortho surgeon) wonder boy, he wanted him to do all 3 segments of the race.  This included a 10mile bike ride, 10 lap swim in an Olympic size pool, and a 2mile walk/run.  I had full confidence in my husband to complete it and do well, even if it killed him.  Can chalk that up to his extreme motivation and a tad bit of stubborness ;) The events took off just before 8am, we were lucky to have cloud cover for a little bit.  It was still pretty hot and definitely muggy though.  I could not have done it in that heat!  Here is Chris just before heading out for the first portion...

This is actually the first time ever seeing him on a bicycle...looks pretty good! He finished the bike ride just over half an hour I believe.  Then it was off to the swim.  Now keep in mind, up until this point he has not gotten into a pool since his injury.  SO not only had it been about 6-7 since he last swam, he is also carrying a heavy ex-fix on his right leg, and is lacking a foot on the left.  I was of course the worried wife for the swim.  It was definitely the hardest part of the triathalon for him, and a lot different trying to navigate with only one foot.  But he didn't give up and he did a great job.

By now the sunwas out and blazing hot, poor Chris was worn out from the pool.  But after chugging a gatorade and a quick kiss he was off to finish.  He was even running when he came through the finish line.  I was very proud of him and everyone else, to say the least.  Most people never run a mini-tri in their lifetime period.  So to see so many wounded soldiers (wounded Canadian soldiers even came), accomplish it was amazing and very motivating.  This experience is always trying and has many obstacles to oversome, but I can truly say I have met and been surrounded by some of the strongest most inspirational people we have in our country.

♥ Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence. ♥

Segs 4 Vets

So there is an organization called Segs4Vets, who donate Segways to wounded warriors in efforts to get them back to mobility. It is a very cool organization and stands for something great. It was a three day event they put on (this was about 2 weeks ago). The first day was the safety and training on the Segway, making sure the recipients knew all the needed to know on using it. The second night they hosted a very nice steak dinner downtown San Antonio at a place called Morton's. All the meals and drinks were paid for by the organization. They even presented all the wives with red roses for our support. It was really nice. The third day was the presentation of the Segways at The Alamo. It was super hot and muggy out but still nice to go and see Chris presented.  Here are some pics from the presentation.

Military Spouse Appreciation Day

First off, my apologies for not blogging for so long. I definitely haven't gotten to blog as much as I have wanted to. Anyways, a few things of noticeable mention I want to point out today.

1) This past Sunday, May 1, 2011 President Obama announced that Osama bin Laden was killed. I have heard many reactions over the past few days about the operation and him being killed and criticisms,etc. Here is what I think. I am glad the president and his administration put such an emphasis on finding him. I am glad he was diligent, along with our government agencies. And I am glad they killed him, the world its a better place without him. I have heard the argument that he should have been taken alive in order to get info out of him. Do you really think that man would tell us anything? He would have just been kept alive for a false hope of obtaining any useful information. I have also heard the argument he was killed unarmed. Uh yeah, and? How many unarmed people has he helped kill?

2)On another note, today is military spouse appreciation day. I think it is awesome there is finally some kind of acknowledgement for us, the silent ranks. I think it takes a lot of pride, courage, strength, and inner beauty in a person to stand behind a soldier. I am not just trying to toot my own horn, I am referring to many of the military spouses I know. I just happen to know first hand what those sacrifices are, and what it means to be a military spouse. And beyond that, what it means to be the spouse of a soldier in combat, on the front line. Attached is a link to the White House blog in regards to this day. If you are a military spouse, from one to another, trust me you are appreciated and very special. For everyone else, take time to acknowledge the military spouses you know.

White House Blog Link

Catch Up

Goodness, goodness where to start.  I know I haven't blogged much lately, and definitely not as much as I have wanted.  However, I have not had access to internet from my laptop much lately.  And I resfuse to even attempt to blog from my cell phone. Last weekend we moved out of the Fisher House finally, and in with a very nice man who used to workk with my mom.  He is a retired Army Major who lives in a very nice part of San antonio.  He has a 5 bedroom house, lives there alone and is rarely ever home.  So it is a very good set up for us for right now.  However, we don't have the password for Wi-Fi right now sooo no internet for me.  I was not thrilled about the move, just for the simple fact that was the SIXTH time since August I have had to move.

1. I moved from CO Springs to Denver when Chris deployed in August.
2. I moved from Denver down to the hotel in San Antonio.
3. I moved from the 4h floor of hotel to the 5th floor.
4. I moved from the 5th floor to the 1st floor so Chris could get discharged.
5. The 1st floor ended up not bring ADA, so then I moved from the hotel over to the Fisher House.
6. Out the Fisher House, and into the hous ein Stone Oak.

So need less to say I HATE MOVING!!!!  But now that we are moved it is nice to be in an actual house again with a full fridge, more then one small room, and no cock roaches.  It is a little bit of a sdrive to BAMC so we have to work out the vehicle situation some days since we only have one car down here, but we're making it work.

On another note, last Wednesday was a very exciting day for me.  Mrs Obama and Mrs Biden started a new champaign called "Joining Forces".  The jist of it is they want American families to be more aware and supportive of military families and the hardships we face.  Anyways, as a part of this they are traveling across the country visitn g military posts and such.  They came to BAMC on Wednesday.  Myself and a friend went over to the Warrior Family Support Center to wait around until they came.  It took much longer then anticipated but I was glad I waited because it's not every day you get a chance to meet the 1st and 2nd lady of the country.  We got to shake their hands, and meet them.  The best part for me was when Jill Biden shook my hand, then stopped and sincerely said "Well how are you doing here?"  I got a few pics on my cell, but my friend has the good ones on her camera.  So once I get them I will share them with you all.

♥ No road is too long for him who advances slowly and does not hurry, and no attainment is beyond his reach who equips himself with patience to achieve it. ♥

San Antonio Zoo

So a couple of days ago we decided to go check out the zoo down here.  Granted nothing can compare to the Cheyenne Mtn Zoo in the Springs because it is literally on the side of the mountain, and you can feed giraffes there, but I love animals regardless where they are!  I took several pics throughout the day to share on my blog :)









































Home Sweet Home

So last week I went back home to visit.  It was so good to be back in CO.  The air was crisp, no humidity, and no big bugs. I got to see my closest friends and family, which was great!  I kept thinking how weird this winter was for me without seeing any snow.  So on my first morning there when I woke up to see snow I was thrilled!  It was of course melted by the afternoon...typical spring snow in Colorado.  But it totally made my day.

Here are some highlights from my week at home:
-I got a haircut/color.  Which was well needed and I am so happy to have hair I love again.
-I had dinner in the Springs with Megan and her crazy cute kiddos.  I decided I may have to steal her daughter, which she is well aware of.
-I got to see Misty and my sweet little Kaden, who I still can't believe is 4 now!  He kept saying he didn't want me to go, and how much he would miss me.  I love that little angel face.

- I got to see my dear friend Acasha, and my kids from my old preschool.  They are all so cute, and always makes me feel good to know they still know who "Ms. Angela" is.
-I went to my awesome chiropractor twice.  It was very much needed and I felt great afterward.
-I had one of our famour pizookie nights with Acasha and Cassie at BJs restaurant, always a good time.
-I enjoyed wine and Jersey Shore with my sis Heather and her hubby on Thursday night.
-I had a good time at McCabe's with the Goddard Gang (the first preschool I worked at), watching them sing karaoke.  Cassie did a great job!
-I got class stuff set up at CCA.

Home is always good and I am so happy I got to spend time with my awesome friends.

♥ Home is not where you live, but where they understand you. ♥