Another episode in My Dorky Life

Ok, my neighbors AND the maintenance dept. for our apts. all hate me now.......went to do a load of laundry a little while ago, and the one working washer we have in the second floor laundry room was unplugged.(We're on the first floor) No 'out of order' sign or anything, and since people unplug the washers and dryers all the time, thought nothing of it because the washer seemed to be working fine when I put in the coins and started it.

Well, the WASHER was fine......just seems that the DRAIN was clogged up!!!!So, when I went up after a half hour to put my clothes in the dryer......I stepped into a water wonderland on the second floor, soap suds and all....edging out into the hallway from the laundry room. And thought to myself(this explains the gushing water sound in the maintenance room next to my door on the first floor!Wondered what that was when I walked by it.)

Just so happens some of the maintenance guys were already working on the third floor...I swam back to the stairs! and spied one of them starting up and said,"Ummm.....I think there's a problem up here.and also in your maintenance room on the first floor." I'm not gonna repeat what he said!

Next thing, the hallway is filled with maintenance guys, one of whom tells me'well, we DID have an out of order sign on the washer, someone must have taken it down!"Plus, there's an audience of 5 little boys who were for some reason inline skating on the third floor hallway, all pointing and laughing.(side thought, it's 65 degrees out and the sun is shining and it's a gorgeous day...why would you be skating on the third floor INSIDE the building...but anyway)

So now, I am sitting here quietly in my apt trying to pretend that I don't exist...and I can hear the guys in the hallways cussing and yelling back and forth as they try to snake out the drain and clean up the water.

While it occurs to me that they could have avoided this problem all together if they had just shut the laundry room door and locked it and put the 'Out of Order' sign THERE....there's another part of me that thinks,sigh, this was just another inevitable part of my dorky life.....doing laundry is just a normal occurence for some people, but apparently NOT for a card-carrying member of the 'Dork' club!

So.....how was YOUR day?

Free Magazine subscriptions for Deployed Soldiers

Saw this on The Soldiers Angels Forums, and thought I'd pass it along.

Free magazine subscriptions for troops serving overseas
Guns & Ammo, Skateboarder among titles offered by publisher

By Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Wednesday, March 29, 2006


WASHINGTON — A New York publishing firm wants to send troops free subscriptions to its magazines — including Guns & Ammo, MotorTrend and even Soap Opera Digest — as a “thank you” for serving in the military.

Primedia Inc. is making 47 of its magazines available for free to any active-duty servicemember, regardless of where they’re serving.

Company spokeswoman Anne Marie O’Keefe said the program launched last year, but only recently increased its scope to include more titles and more readers.

The company has been running ads and editorials in the magazines asking its regular subscribers to help pay for the service, and O’Keefe said officials have been thrilled with the response. More than $140,000 has been donated, with $15,000 from corporate sponsors and the rest from private citizens.

The offer is open to any troops on active duty serving overseas. Troops must have an APO or FPO address to receive the magazines, and they are limited to three subscriptions at a time.

Other magazines available in the catalog include Hunting, ATV Rider, Skateboarder and The Shooting Times. The company has also made available a pair of photography magazines and four crafts publications.

“Guns & Ammo is by far the most requested, but we do have 102 requests for Soap Opera Digest and another 90 for Simple Scrapbooks,” O’Keefe said.

The subscriptions should take eight to 12 weeks to start up, once the request is filed, she said. Troops can receive an e-mail confirmation letting them know the subscriptions have begun when they register.

Information on the program, and how to donate, is available at www.subscriptionsforsoldiers.com. Troops looking for more information on how to sign up for the free subscriptions can e-mail information@subscriptionsforsoldiers.com.

One of My Personal Heroes

This man is one of my personal heroes. Rick Rescorla. This picture of him was on the cover of the book "We Were Soldiers Once...and Young" but I came to know who he was after September 11,2001. He was the head of security for Morgan Stanley Dean Witter in the South tower of the World Trade Center, and when the attack occurred, he evacuated all but 6 of the 2700 employees and then perished when the tower collapsed.I read about him in the book "Heart of A Soldier" .And his story has also since been told on the History Channel in "The Man Who Predicted 9/11"

I knew that his wife had been working to erect a memorial statue for him, and had not stopped by the site she has in his memory for awhile. Stopped by there today, and was pleased to see that the statue will be unveiled on April 1. Click here: Rick Rescorla.com  (Although she is asking for more contributions)

As it says on the site, Mr. Rescorla was..."A retired Army colonel, veteran of combat in three wars and a survivor of the 1993 bombing of the twin towers (in which he saved the lives of hundreds of Morgan Stanley employees), Rescorla was killed in the WTC attacks of September 11, 2001."

I just wanted to share a bit about one of my personal heroes with all of you.

Another Awesome blog

Via A Soldiers Perspective found a fantastic blog . My Rambling Mind   Go check her out!

Now I've seen everything.....lol

Click here: peep jousting     (got the link via a fellow Soldiers Angel member.)

Anysoldier.com needs our help!

On March 23, 2003, Sue and Marty Horn started an effort to support their son who was deployed in Iraq for the earliest stages of the war. Wanting to also help the soldiers serving with their son, Army SGT Brian Horn, Marty started Anysoldier.com in August of the same year.

Since the site was created two and a half years ago, about 430,000 troops have been helped. Packages have been sent to soldiers by individuals and large corporations alike. For those 2 1/2 years, they’ve gone out of their way to make sure as many soldiers as possible are taken care of.

But now, Anysoldier needs OUR help. They don’t charge for addresses to send care packages to as they operate solely on donations. Donations have been far below what is needed for AnySoldier.com to continue. Without the needed donations this web site stops. Soon. I’d like to ask my readers for help, regardless of what you can spare. I know that many of you are a part of different organizations and may feel like you’d be betraying that organization. I assure you that will not be the case. We’re all in the same fight. Here are some ways you can help:

1. DONATE using a credit card or mail. Click HERE.
(Suggestion: See if your employer will do a matching donation!)
2. Shop online HERE. There are many participating businesses that you probably already shop at.
3. Donate that vehicle you don’t use or get your neighbor to HERE.
4. Live in Texas or Louisiana? Shop at Kroger. Click HERE .
5. Buy some of their cool stuff HERE.
6. Join them on the cruise! See THIS .
7. Contact folks you know and get them involved.

Thank you for helping with this endeavor. Anyone willing to post this on their blog, please do so as well. Anything will help.

reposted here with permission from A Soldier's Perspective

For an addendum to the above list, Anysoldier also has this posted  

Register your Food Lion food card and help AnySoldier.com! Do your food shopping at Food Lion? Now you can register your MVP card with AnySoldier.com and a portion of the sale will benefit us! Click HERE to register today. Dont have a card? No problem! You can apply there as well. Food Lion Supermarkets are found in the following 11 states:

Delaware - Florida - Georgia - Kentucky - Maryland - North Carolina
Pennsylvania - South Carolina - Tennessee - Virginia - West Virginia   (So if you live in one of these statesand shop at Food Lion, click on their link above to the Food Lion site  and put MD as the state you are looking for, and LaPlata as the city...there are two LaPlata listings but you'll see the one for Anysoldier.com)  Every little bit helps, and this is another wonderful organization for supporting the troops!

 

Ways that Soldiers Angels support the troops....

I know, my 'Favorite Sites' list is getting rather large! I just keep coming across great blogs that I want to share:)

I've said before that reading milblogs is what brought me to Soldiers Angels...for me, once you read  http://journals.aol.com/charless20/DestinationIraq/#Entry1059

or thishttp://greenagain.typepad.com/green_again/2006/03/the_boy_grunt.html

well, I just wanted to do anything I could to let these folks and others like them know that we are thinking of them, keeping them in our prayers, and that we appreciate the job that they are doing on our behalf.

Some who read posts like that might respond by running out to join an antiwar rally? To each his own, but the thousands of members of Soldiers Angels, Adopt A Platoon, or Angels N Camouflage, or the people who stop by America Supports You or Anysoldier.com have chosen to do things like......

1. Write a letter to a complete stranger, just because you want to let them know that you support them.  http://soldiersangelsforum.com/index.php?name=Sections&op=viewarticle&artid=6

2. 'Adopt' a soldier to support with letters and care packages.  http://www.soldiersangels.org/faq.php

3. Saw blankets for the wounded   http://www.soldiersangels.org/blankets_of_hope.php

4. Help to shower the babies of our deployed personnel   http://operationtopknot.com/

5. Send phone cards to deployed soldiers so they can call home to their loved ones.  http://www.soldiersangels.org/operation_phone_home.php

6. Send backpacks to wounded soldiers   http://www.soldiersangels.org/wounded_soldier_project.php

Or many other things   http://www.soldiersangels.org/angel_operations.php

During the Olympics, the world learned that Sasha Cohen was a member of Soldiers Angels  http://www.sashacohen.com/charity.shtml   (Scroll down her list of charities.)I love what she said on her site"Adopting a soldier is the best way I can say to our soldiers that I support you and I don’t take for granted your personal sacrifice to make my world safe. " Sasha Cohen

So,please consider becoming a member of  Soldiers Angels   http://www.soldiersangels.org/adopt_a_soldier.php

or at least consider checking out some of the other sites listed in my National Support the Troops post below.. The men and women serving our country are doing an awesome job and I will continue to support them. The motto of Soldiers Angels is 'May No Soldier Go Unloved.' Whatever route you choose to show your support, won't you consider helping to make that come true?

 

National Support the Troops Day today..things you can do.

Just a quick round up of ideas

Of course I'm going to suggest stopping by Soldiers Angels    www.soldiersangels.org      they currently have a waiting list of 1100 soldiers needing to be 'adopted',or you can check out the many other ways they have to support the troops.(Check out their links on the left of that page.)

Other places to go to support the troops:

www.anysoldier.com

www.angelsncamouflage.org

www.adoptaplatoon.org

www.americasupportsyou.mil

Kat over at Yikes! http://crazynightinga.blogspot.com/2006/03/operation-honor-hero-last-week.html  is doing a special project to honor a hero,please consider checking her out.

If you'd like to just send ONE letter or card? Bruce at Bruce's deployment to Afghanistan

http://journals.aol.com/bschoneboom/BrucesDeploymenttoAfghanistan/#Entry723

has a SPC who could use some mail!

There are two recovering wounded soldiers who might like to hear a word

http://www.caringbridge.org/cb/inputSiteName.do?method=search&siteName=NoahGa...

http://contactright.blogspot.com/

Or you can check out the MANY links I have to blogs from troops currently serving, and send a word their way!

See how many ways there are to support the troops?What are you waiting for?

Priceless!

This is a riot!:)

http://kristin-kay.blogspot.com/2006/03/future-blogger.html

Music and....Beef Jerky

Via Soldiers Angels, I came across a band with a great song thanking the troops.

http://www.korybrunsonband.com/    (click on the flag on the left of their page to take you to the song.)

Pam, a fellow Soldiers Angel blogging at "Iraq War Today" has posted more musical linksClick here: http://iraqwarnews.net/2006/03/singing-to-support-our-troops.html

And here's the Soldiers Angels Artists page

http://www.soldiersangels.com/angel_artists.php

For music BY soldiers,try Luke Stricklin www.lukestricklin.com

Or Nick Brown and JR Schultz  http://www.iraq-songs.com/

And I'm not exactly sure how music leads to beef jerky?lol.But House of Jerky has come up with an awesome fundraiser for Soldiers Angels.

Operation Beef Jerky has been enacted by the House of Jerky to raise $10,000 for the Soldier’s Angels Foundation. For every pound of jerky purchased through the www.houseofjerky.net/SA fund site, House of Jerky will donate $10 to help the Soldiers’ Angels Foundation continue to provide the love and support our armed forces desperately need.

Soldiers’ Angels Foundation is a not for profit organization that is dedicated to ensuring that our military know they are loved and supported during and after their deployment into harms way. With the donations by House of Jerky, Soldiers’ Angels will be able to continue to provide aid and support not only to our military hero’s, but also their families. Projects like “Blankets of Hope” that provides homemade blankets given with love to wounded heroes and “Armor Up” which provides Kevlar blankets for under supplied troops are examples of the many beneficial Soldiers’ Angels projects..

Join Operation Beef Jerky and help House of Jerky support our troops, purchase jerky for yourself, or purchase jerky for any soldier with free shipping to APO addresses. .House of Jerky, “the best jerky in any house”, is one of our troops most requested items. Go to www.houseofjerky.net/SA fund site today or call (812) 624-0186.

Now,JP over at Milblogging.com

Click here: Milblogging.com : The World's Largest Index of Military Blogs (Milblogs)

 

actually once started a major campaign AGAINST beef jerky while he was stationed in Afghanistan,lol. But I have seen too many submissions from soldiers that include the words   "would love to have some beef jerky"   

so I know there's an awful lot of soldiers who would appreciate getting some beef jerky in the mail!!!

 

And I think that covers musicians and beef jerky, a combination that hadn't ocurred to me until I became a member of  Soldiers Angels!

 

 

NATIONAL SUPPORT OUR TROOPS DAY-MARCH 26

Press Release

Soldier’s Angels Salutes Michigan Teenager and Legislators on Efforts To Establish March 26, 2006 as first National Support The Troops Day

Patti Patton-Bader
Founder
Soldiers’ Angels
info@soldiersangels.org
(615) 676-0239

Pasadena, CA, March 21, 2006 (Open Release) – The Soldiers’ Angels salute Michigan teenager, Alexandra McGregor, Michigan State Representative Robert Knollenberg and Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow for the recent passage of legislation in both the US Congress and US Senate to establish a National Support The Troops Day. This is intended for recognition of our active duty troops and the first date is set for March 26, 2006.

In a statement from the website of Representative Knollenberg , the Congressman encourages the following: “Our service men and women make enormous sacrifices to keep us safe and to protect our freedoms. They leave their homes and families, work in highly stressful and dangerous conditions, and ensure that all of us here at home are safe and secure. We need to honor these men and women and show them that Americans across the country are appreciative of their work and sacrifice,” Congressman Knollenberg said. … “With this resolution, it is my hope that our troops will know that the American people – from the 16 year girl in Waterford (Alexandra McGregor) to the Members of the U.S. House of Representatives – are grateful for their service. Our country is at war and it is more important than ever to show our appreciation for our brave and dedicated men and women in uniform.”

The legislation states “all Americans should participate in a moment of silence to reflect upon the service and sacrifice of members of the United States Armed Forces both at home and abroad.”

Soldiers Angels would like to also encourage Americans to take advantage of the National Support The Troops Day to pray for our troops and to find a way to let our troops know that they are appreciated through the sending of letters and care packages or any of the many other ways that our troops need assistance. For those citizens who do not have time to participate in such projects, but who wish to support the military members stationed far away to guard our freedom, cash donations can be made quickly at the Soldiers’ Angels website and are put to use in the purchase of supplies for our deployed and for wounded soldiers and their families overseas and at home.

For more information, please check the Soldiers’ Angels website at www.soldiersangels.org
Email questions to info@soldiersangels.org
Or Call (615) 676-0239

Website for Representative Knollenberg: http://www.house.gov/knollenberg/mediacenter/press/2006/3-14-06.htm

 

P.S. and check out Hooah! Radio   

Click here: HOOAH!!!! Radio - Operation "Rip The Knob Off!"

It's....snowing and sleeting...Happy Spring?

Here in the 'great state of Virginia' it has started snowing/sleeting.Yuck!I love snow,but I hate that old 'wintry mix' as they call it. Although we need the moisture,hadn't gotten much of anything this winter.

Of course, on a day like today....good day to be inside! And I can write some more letters!

Hadn't been on the computer much lately, my daughter was in the school play this past weekend.They did a good job ("The Lion,the Witch, and the Wardrobe") Drama has been a wonderful opportunity for my daughter, she has been involved in it these past 3 years in middle school. Next year the last 'chick' in the nest heads to high school...yikes....time flies!But my oldest son and his fiancee are going to be providing me with a grandchild, so the old 'circle of life' continues on.

I am excited about being a grandmother, and at the same time I feel FAR too young to be one,lol.

Was honored to be included in Holly Aho's listings on Sunday of Soldiers Angels blogs

Click here: Soldiers' Angel - Holly Aho - Angel Blog Round-Up

 

Thanks!Holly:)

 

Got a nice email from a soldier I had sent a card to in Iraq(I always include my email address in letters/cards)   it said in part......"IT WAS NICE TO KNOW THAT THERE IS PEOPLE OUT THERE THAT CARE ABOUT US AND THINK ABOUT US.".....and also...." THANK U FOR THE LETTERS IT REALLY HELP US TO KEEP GOING ".

 

When you get a response like that, how can you NOT want to spend the time it takes to keep sending those cards and letters? So, I'm off to work on some more.And if YOU were wondering how you can join the Soldiers Angels Letter Writing Team?

Click here: Soldiers Angels Forums

 

Happy St.Patrick's Day!(and stories I send in letters for Soldiers Angels)

Happy St.Patrick's Day!

When I first joined the Letter Writing Team of Soldiers Angels, I was wondering what to write to total strangers.As I said earlier(see 'What Kind of People Join Soldiers Angels" entry)I am sort of a 'dork'as my family so affectionately puts it:)I realized when searching for what to write that this can be a blessing,because at least it gives you something interesting to write in your letters.

So, after starting the letter by thanking them for their service to our country, I include stories like this:

I had previously had an experience where I hit the metal 'Children's Miracle Network' donation thing at the Dairy Queen drive-thru window while pulling up to pay, and thought I was the only person who'd ever done this.

However, I was very excited the other day to meet someone else who'd done the same thing!I went home from Subways(which is next to Dairy Queen) and told my boyfriend"Hey, I met someone else who hit the donation thing at the drive-thru window at Dairy Queen!"

He asked me,"Exactly HOW would this subject ever come up in the first place?"

 I said"well, when I was in Subways, I was reading the menu on the board and walking sideways at the same time(doing 2 things at once again, when will I learn?) and I sort of bumped into the chips display and it kind of got caught on my jeans pocket for a second.....and then the poor kid behind the counter tried to stifle a laugh,so I looked at him and said 'yeah, I am a dork' .

(The boyfriend said,"I'm not sure you needed to tell him that, he might have already figured that out!")

and I went on to tell the kid...'not too long ago I ran into the Children's Miracle network donation thing while pulling up to the drive thru over at Dairy Queen" and the kid told me 'Oh, I've done that!"

and I was just so HAPPY to learn that someone else had done it!

Well, both my boyfriend and my daughter were convulsed with laughter while I was happily telling them this story, and then my boyfriend finally managed to gasp out....."the picture of you walking thru Subways with the chips display attached to you in my head!"......and doubled over laughing again.And I said "Hey! It was only caught on my jeans pocket for just a second!"

I emailed this story to my family(who are used to stories like this ) and my MOM emailed back later in the day and said "This is hysterical.I keep rereading this just to laugh."(which I thought mothers were supposed to be a little more sympathetic?lol)

I share this story of things I write in my letters NOT to say that you have to be uncoordinated to write to the troops!<smile>but just to give you the idea of writing happenings in your everyday life.Just write like you would to your friends or family(hopefully a family more sympathetic than mine?)and it's easy!:)

How shopping changes when you're an Angel....

Was talking with another Soldiers Angel member yesterday, and we were laughing over how shopping changes when you're an angel.

She asked me"Have you ever gone in the store to get something and you end up seeing something you want to send to the troops and you end up leaving the store without getting what you came for in the first place?"

And I started cracking up and replied"oh my gosh!I did exactly that thing today! I went in the store to get some Aleve, and happened across a stationery sale, and started grabbing the stationery.Paid for it,and walked out to my car and said 'D'oh!I totally forgot to get the Aleve!"Had to turn around and go back in the store again:)

As I said, I mostly write letters to the troops due to a limited budget. But, there are times we send packages, or perhaps if someone is asking for something small(pens and stationery)I'll try to include that. And I unwittingly 'tricked' my boyfriend when we sent some magazines. You know all the services have kind of a friendly rivalry between them?  I had gotten to know a very nice sailor who sent an email in response to a letter I'd written, and asked the boyfriend, "Hey,do you think we can send him some of your recent magazines?"

So, we packaged them up and sent them off and awhile later I heard from the sailor thanking us for sending them, and mentioned to the boyfriend "Heard from that sailor that he got the magazines." and the boyfriend (former Army) exclaims "A NAVY guy! You never said we were sending the magazines to a NAVY guy!!!!" He was just joking,of course:) but now whenever we do try to send something besides a letter, he'll always look at me and ask suspiciously "WHAT branch of the service is this person in??"    (Don't worry, we always mail it out even if they're NOT in the Army!)

And don't refrain from doing something to support the troops because you're thinking that you're obligated to send 'care packages'. There are so many other ways you can support them on a budget. For instance, Kat in Georgia over at Yikes!

Click here: Yikes!

 

is always doing something special for the guys in the 48th BCT that she and her family support.

Click here: The 48th goes to war | ajc.com

 

and when she's preparing one of her 'specials' for them,she always asks for people to send emails that she will print out and include in her packages she's sending. That's how I met her and the troops she supports, by responding to one of her requests at Christmas and sending some emails.

I was pleasantly surprised (and honored) to receive some 'thank you' emails from those who had gotten my messages, and have since heard from them often. Several new friendships with some extraordinary heroes which started all because I sent an email that someone else printed out and mailed.(Thank you,Kat, for giving me this opportunity, and thanks to those troops,some of the finest people I've met!)

Now,Kat belongs to a different 'Angel' group,lol (Angels N Camouflage).....but as a fellow Soldiers Angel said yesterday "in the end, it's all about supporting the troops,it doesn't matter how you do it."

 

Just be aware that it may change your shopping habits!:)

Let Us Never Forget

Got this email yesterday:

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

When the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation began less than a year ago it was asked to raise the money to build, own and operate the Memorial and the Museum at Ground Zero. 

Today, we officially began to build the Memorial.  This morning at 8 a.m. laborers and carpenters arrived. Their initial site preparation work will take approximately 4-8 weeks and include debris removal, engineering and surveying work, delivery of construction materials, as well as protection of the box beam columns of the original Twin Towers. No concrete will be poured.  While not dramatic work, it is important and necessary, and signals a true beginning. 

We invite you to continue to follow the building progress on our website http://www.buildthememorial.org/ where today we posted two beautiful new renderings of what the Memorial will become when it opens in 2009. 

This was a momentous day - real and substantive. Thank you for your support.

Best regards,

Gretchen Dykstra
President & CEO
World Trade Center Memorial Foundation

Let us never forget.

An Irish Wish

For all those serving and their families,for St.Patrick's Day.( A poem I came across via Soldiers Angels,Author Unknown, and added pics to.)

Thanks,JP!

I said in the beginning that I found out about Soldiers Angels by reading 'milblogs'. Back when I was first starting to read milblogs, I came across one written by a National Guardsman serving in Afghanistan(that blog is now defunct.)The blogger had a hilarious listing called "Golden Rules of Care Packages"(mostly telling you what NOT to send) that I happened to read right after joining SA. So, I emailed him and told him I had joined but was nervous after reading his 'rules'....he emailed back and encouraged me to continue with my plans to join Soldiers Angels,and take his 'rules' as the joke they were.

After he safely returned home, he started 'Milblogging.com', which is a listing of military blogs, military family blogs, etc......so that they are all easily listed in one place.I still keep in touch with him, and am a faithful and frequent visitor to www.milblogging.com 

What an unexpected and pleasant surprise to see that he'd put a thank you to me for submitting milblogs on his site today! Thanks,JP!

And thanks for the hours you have put, and continue to put, into your site so we can hear the voices from the front, and the voices of those waiting at home.

And most of all, Thank You for your service to our country!

Apparently.....

In my previous entry, I wrote about my difficulty with stamps. Apparently, I have the same trouble with using the phone?      I was helping my boyfriend install DSL, and we had a glitch that said "contact tech. support." So I dutifully called, and then while talking to the tech and describing my problem,she makes a suggestion that perhaps I need to switch something on the phone line/DSL connection.....which I proceed to do!

And he, across the room, is realizing what I am doing and trying to say...."DON'T do that while you are ON the phone, you'll get disconnected!" (which I realized like immediately as I was already pulling the line out...just that second too late:)But all he managed to get out was the 'D" before I was talking to dead air and saying "umm.....that was dumb."

Happily, we reconnected with tech support and got the problem solved.

But you know you're addicted to writing support letters when somewhere in the back of your head while all this is happening, there's a little voice saying 'hey, I can put this story in a letter!"

What kind of people join Soldiers Angels?

They're young and old....a lot of them are mothers or fathers.....some are veterans, and some have never had any contact with anything military before. Some are even from other countries.

In my own case......I'm sort of a 'dork',lol. I always seem to manage to have kind of unusual experiences. Like not too long ago, I somehow managed when pulling up to the drive-thru window at Dairy Queen to hit the metal 'Children's Miracle Network' donation thing hanging down from their window with my side mirror. I think this might have happened because I was trying to do two things at once! and you'd think after all these years that I'd have realized that's a recipe for potential disaster. (I was driving and getting my cash out at the same time.) Which my sister informed me after I told her about it that SOME people CAN accomplish without hitting anything.But I am apparently NOT one of those people.

But the nice thing about Soldiers Angels is that even people like me can join and write letters! Although recently I sent my boyfriend into convulsions of laughter when I was addressing a letter and putting the stamp on, and I suddenly said to him,"Hey! Did you know these stamps are of the Statue of Liberty? You're supposed to put them with the Statue upright,I guess....I think I have been putting my stamps on wrong! I just saw that white writing on the side that said "first class mail" and made sure that was upright. I never knew what the picture was that was on the stamp till today...probably because when you put the words upright, the picture is sideways. I always wondered what the picture was, it looked kind of funny?"

When he finally stopped laughing and was wiping the tears from his eyes, he just shook his head and said "only you." A phrase I've heard from people before, and expect I will again.

But I share these stories so you'll know that ANYONE can support the troops. 

Why I started this journal

February and March has seen Soldiers Angels receive a HUGE influx of names submitted for support, and supply can't keep up with demand.

When you receive your names to write to for the Soldiers Angels letter writing team, they often include info sent along with the submission. When you are reading requests like:  

"No specific request just letters to deployed soldiers to show them that someone still cares for them would be great."

OR

"....it gets really lonely over here."     "...... receives almost no mail."        

Well, it just makes you want to do all you can to let these people know we DO care.

I don't think I'm Ms.Wonderful Writer, but I run  a private blog on AOL for my family and friends and I posted there all the time about supporting the troops..... which wasn't going to get the word out to anyone new!(and I'm sure by this point they are all rolling their eyes and saying 'she's not writing about that AGAIN!":)

But after thinking about it, I thought 'well, I COULD try a 'public' journal on AOL. Then,if even one person stumbles across it......that's maybe one more person writing a letter!or sending a care package. or sending a card.

I was mainly thinking that doing SOMETHING is a lot better than doing NOTHING,so it was worth a try.    Of course, the hit counter on these journals seems to go up every time you do anything to them, which means it's totally useless as far as knowing if anyone besides myself has ever seen this page <smile>

But, if you were saying to yourself "what can I do to support the troops?".......maybe this page will lead you to that.  I hope so:)

Because the end result would then be someone at mail call getting their name called, and walking away with a smile and the knowledge that someone cares.

How to be an 'Angel'

If you're looking for ways to support the troops, and don't know where to go:

Soldiers Angels  Click here: Soldiers' Angels

Anysoldier    www.anysoldier.com

Angels N Camouflage  www.angelsncamouflage.org

America Supports You   www.americasupportsyou.mil

Adopt A Platoon   www.adoptaplatoon.org

Operation Military Pride   www.operationmilitarypride.org

There are many,many more places you can go check out...but hopefully this will point the way! And God bless you.

Recommending a Book

Wanted to recommend a book written by a fellow Soldier's Angel

Click here: Holly Aho Online - Home 

She's written about how she got started supporting the troops, and has letters from the troops in there. (and I haven't gotten my copy yet,lol, but I was already hooked on her blog before I even became a Soldier's Angel.)

And here's the link to her blog

http://sablogs.com/

Plus, she's also willing to send free copies to soldiers.

Letters

While I never got involved with writing letters to the troops EXPECTING to get a response.......it can be discouraging to write letter after letter and never receive ANY responses at all. You wonder, am I really making a difference at all for someone by writing?Does this really mean anything to someone?

But, just when you think that you're not making any difference at all, you get a reply letter in the mail like this:

"Thank you for taking the time to send me a card and for the prayers. I just want to tell you that I will save your card and the others that I have received and put them up on a frame that I will hold on to for a long time.      They mean a lot to us."

Or like this:

"I just think that when someone takes the time to write a letter to a perfect stranger, just in hopes that it might bring that person a smile...it's only right to write back and say thank you for putting a smile on my face."

And then you feel renewed,and encouraged to keep writing,even if it's a long time before you receive another response. Because you realize you ARE making a difference for someone.

Remember, though, replies are just icing on the cake. The real satisfaction comes from doing something nice for someone you never met, and probably never WILL meet....just to let them know that someone cares:)

How It Started

Almost two years ago, I started reading 'milblogs'. (Military weblogs.) As I read the words of those deployed, I wanted a way to let them know that there were some folks back here who were supporting them. Who were keeping them in our prayers daily. And who were proud of them, and proud of being Americans.

I came across an organization called Soldiers Angels, and decided to join their Letter Writing Team. I didn't realize at the time that this would become an addiction,lol. Nine months later, I have probably written almost 200 letters. Plus somewhere along the way, I have decided to join other groups in Soldiers Angels. So now I'm also involved in sending out cards for the Cards team.....birthday cards, cards to the wounded who are recovering,and just plain old encouragement cards for someone who might need an extra bit of TLC. And also emailing 'E-pals.':)

I started this with the wholehearted support of my boyfriend ,who's former Army, who insists whenever I might feel discouraged...."You have NO IDEA how IMPORTANT Mail Call is!"He says,"Picture 20 guys standing around and someone is handing out letters....and they're all thinking...'will my name be called today?will I get a note that lets me know that someone cares?'"He says"Even if you don't know the person who wrote the letter, it's like getting a small vacation .....a piece of the outside world that takes you away for just a moment from where you are."

I didn't get into this for any 'political' reasons. It was just that mostly as the mother of 2 sons who are the same age as so many of those currently deployed, the 'mom' in me wanted to say to all those young men and women...."yes, we ARE thinking of you back here at home, we have NOT forgotten you, and we CARE about you!"

As the daughter of a veteran, I was raised to respect military service. What better way to honor and respect those who are serving than to write a 'Thank You' note?

I never got into this expecting anything in return. I felt it all boiled down to one human being telling another human being...."I am grateful for you and the job that you are doing."(And Soldiers Angels stresses over and over not to expect people to write back....they are, after all, in the middle of a war.)

So it has been an unexpected blessing TO hear back from those I've written to sometimes. I have had the privilege of getting to know some extraordinary people, who give me great hope for the future of our country.And it'salso been an unexpected blessing to get to know some of the other 'Angels'. They range from young to old,but they are all passionately committed to letting our troops know that they care.

I am not a rich person.....I wish I could afford to send packages and packages to those deployed, as yet another way to let them know we are thinking of them.But I CAN write letters.

If you are looking for a way to support our troops....consider Soldiers Angels, or check out one of the other organizations listed to the left.

All it really boils down to is one person taking the time to let another person know that they are important. So easy,really:)

So,please,consider doing something today!