Great Cookie Send-Off

I visited Barry Elementary this morning.  At the Mr. B Day Ceremony that the school held in December, I gave the school a large picture of Josh.  The school has since hung it up on a bulletin board outside of the Cafeteria.  A heart is placed on the bulletin board each day that Josh is gone from school.  Mrs. Stark informed me that the kindergartners practice counting each day while they are waiting in line for lunch.  Here's a snapshot of the bulletin board...

Shortly after Josh's unit left for Ft. Bragg, one of the leaders from the local Brownie troop contacted me regarding coordinating a Brownie service project for Josh's unit.  Brownie Troop 38 hoped to send one box for each of the soldiers in Delta Company.   Family, friends, teachers, and local community members either purchased boxes or donated money toward the purchase of cookies.   This morning was the Great Cookie Send-Off.   Each of the cases below contains 12 boxes of cookies.  Far exceeding their goal, the girls were able to send roughly 24 cases or 288 boxes of cookies to Josh's Unit in Ft. Bragg.  

Brownie Troop 38 also wrote a poem for Josh and each of the girls in the troop wrote a letter to him.

5 boxes @ roughly 70 pounds each = 350 pounds of cookies!!  

Here is a picture of the Brownie and Girl Scout troops from the Cortland/Homer area, along with Mr. Amante (principal) and "Mrs. B".  

Thank you again to those of you who coordinated or contributed to the service project and for thinking of Josh's National Guard unit!  

Check back next week for an update on the unit's reaction to the cookie arrival!   Josh and some of the officers know that something "large" is coming, but has no idea on how much or of what!!  It should be a pleasant surprise and a nice treat after the MREs!  

An Upbeat Soldier

Josh called last night and was quite chatty and upbeat, which is always wonderful to hear. They got a new Humvee to train with and he was telling me about all of the things that he benefits from. For his turret, he gets a joystick to maneuver his positioning, which is a lot easier than the manual rotations that he had to do before. He also has a larger seat to sit on - kind of like a seat for a swing, so you can imagine how big the old one was. Each of the doors weigh 680 pounds and the whole truck weighs 10,000. He talked non-stop about this for awhile. He has mastered the art of the drop down for getting back into the truck as well. They only have this truck for a couple of weeks while they train, but will have trucks like this when they get to Afghanistan.

Of course, Josh's comical side is really starting to show through. One of the sgt.s told him the other day that he never knew he was such a comedian. He seems to be making everyone laugh, which is good for all, including Josh. And he always seems to say something that "floors" everyone else.

All of his packages and treats/ goodies that people send are allowing him to maintain his weight. He has been sharing everything and commented on the items that other people like that he does always get to enjoy. He has learned to love some of the things that he used to like, just because he knows that he is the only one who eats them (i.e. more for him!).

The weather has been really warm down there for the most part. They had some bad weather from last week's ice/snow storm that went up the coast, but that it didn't stop the training.

He spends his "spare" time watching his new favorite show -- Lost. He discovered it around Christmas and had downloaded Season 1 and most of Season 2 to his iPod. I sent him the full Season 2 and Season 3 for Valentine's Day. At the beginning of this month, the show began it's fourth season. I know that Josh wishes he could watch it. He is certainly hooked on the show.

One of the other guys in the platoon purchased a television receiver of sorts for his computer. He is able to pick up some of the local channels, including FOX. Any guesses on what they were actually watching one night? ... American Idol!

He is looking forward to March 1, with another month complete.

The Months Go Marching One by One... Hurrah! Hurrah!

Josh left a month ago today. At times it is hard to believe that it has already been a month, and then there are times, especially in the last week, when it feels like the year should be over with. Josh has been extremely busy for the past few weeks. We had a chance to catch up this weekend and there was so much that we wanted to share with each other that we were practically talking over one another. The excitement in each of our voices was very refreshing.

Josh continues to appreciate all of his "fan mail". Thursday should be a good mail day for him. With the holiday weekend, I have a small stack to mail to him this morning.

They were treated to steak dinner and COKE! on Saturday night and he said "it actually wasn't bad." And yes, he did take a few extra cans of soda with him! They eat MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) each day for lunch, unless they are at main post and have a chance to eat at the PX. He usually looks forward to dinner, as the MREs get boring really quickly. Here is a great link that I found about the 'ins and outs' of MREs. Depending on where they are in Afghanistan or what mission they are on, these meals could become a three-a-day affair! Thankfully, he has a nice supply of treats back in his tent with which he continues to role model appropriate kindergarten behavior and shares with his platoon!

The Flag is Back!

In early January, we spent time together putting up our new flag.  Shortly after Josh left, in a major wind storm, the flag pole bracket broke.  You can imagine how my heart raced when I woke up to it actually snapping.  It took some time, but I finally bought the new bracket and a new pole yesterday.  The old pole was fine, but I liked this new one better.  

Tonight, after eating dinner, I rolled up my "girl power" sleeves and got to work.  After several offers for help and a growing determination, I DID IT!  The flag pole is back up.  Of course, it was up, and just as my Dad would have done, I looked it over and decided that the bracket could be just a little tighter, so off came the pole and out came the screwdriver again. 

The wind is blowing again tonight.  Maybe it is not as bad as it sounds, I forgot how the flag really accentuates the power of the wind!  A lesson learned... as much as I want to keep the flag up, I'll take it down on the really windy days or nights.  

So for Josh, the light shines again on the flag reminding those who pass by that they have one more person fighting for their freedom and a household that is praying for peace.  

Happy Valentine's Day

I actually received these a day early - on Wednesday, which made them even more enjoyable.  They are beautiful and Josh knows how much I love tulips!  

Valentine's Day was actually "nice" for both Josh and I.  By all means, being together would have made it much nicer, but with the support of family and friends for both of us, we got through our first "holiday" (I say that lightly) apart.  

 

Last night, Josh received 4 packages and 5 letters in the mail.  He had hit the mail jackpot yet again, and again, people in his platoon were a bit "green with envy".  I can't begin to tell you how much getting the letters and cards really does brighten his day.   Mail arrives at night, so it is a great treat for him just before bed.  He does save some to read for the days when mail is "light" or on Sundays.  Though we didn't get to talk today, we did pass along a text message to each other.    

My Valentine's celebration involved two of the cutest guys I know right now... Dominic and Jonathan!  Let me tell you they were night and day from each other.  Dominic was asleep.  He actually wasn't feeling well, but days in the UPK classroom do tucker him out.  Jonathan, on the other hand, ate dinner next to me at the table without his shirt on.  Can you guess which one is which?  

My evening started off with the kids giving me each 

a rose, some gifts and a very teary valentine card.  Shortly after, Cassie was off to bed and I had some nice one-on-one time with Jonathan.  Dinner was delicious of course!  And a great glass (or two) of wine made it more enjoyable.  My night ended with watching Toy Story with Jonathan falling asleep on me.  Of course, I think it made my sister's night because he has been staying up an hour or so later every other night this week.   

Times like this really do remind Josh and I how fortunate we are to have the support from family and friends and all the different ways that the support is offered.   Thank you!

First Letter from Josh

Josh mailed his first letter to me and I received it on Friday, February 8. It was such a wonderful sight in the mailbox. I knew that it was coming, but after almost a week of waiting, it had finally arrived. Three simple words sum it up... they are busy! They have spent several days at the range zeroing their weapons and qualifying. A couple of days have been spent in language classes. With Josh's TESOL Master's degree, I think he is enjoying that aspect of the training. There are some times where they are waiting around, but at the same time, they have to be ready to go at the drop of a hat.

A busy schedule leaves little time for calling or writing. His cell phone service is sporadic, at best. So, he calls when he can and tries to find time to write, but typically only on the weekends. Before long, all cell phones will probably be turned off to simulate the actual Afghanistan experience. From then on, I believe that we will rely on calling cards to hear from him, but they might get to use their phone. It's all a mystery until it happens the first time. I know that people are shocked when they ask about how often we get to chat, but really it is in the best interest of everyone, to prepare us for what is ahead. As hard as it is, it is just something that we have to accept. We won't get to talk to them everyday, or even every week.

Josh likes to call it "the middle of nowhere Ft. Bragg", hence the low cell phone signals. They are in a pretty remote area of the base. Living quarters consist of tents filled with about 2,000 soldiers. There are approximately 1,400 NY Guardsmen there, and the rest is a combination of Marines, Air Force and Navy who are attached to the mission. Their tent was missing the liner, which helps to insulate it. You wouldn't think it would be needed in North Carolina, but it was 32 the day they arrived. After looking at the tags on the tent, the company was from Binghamton, NY. The platoon sergeant's wife, also from Binghamton, called the company and they shipped the liner to the platoon for free!! They were all very excited and appreciative of the gesture. Since then, the temperatures have been warmer, but the nights are still cooler. They have had a few days of 70 - 80 degree weather!

Of course tight living quarters means... sickness. Pretty much everyone has had their share of the flu or cold. In combination with some more shots and wearing 75 - 100 pounds of gear and armor, their bodies were just worn down. I think at this point everyone is starting to feel better.

They were able to watch the Superbowl last Sunday and were very excited for the Giant's win!

For those of you who know Josh well, you know that he LOVES his Coke! He enjoys every opportunity to go to the Main Post and PX to enjoy a piece of pizza and an ice cold coke, while everyone else shops at the PX. He has stashed a few bottles back in his tent too.

He would like to thank everyone who has mailed him letters, cards and packages! He is quite popular for receiving mail. Even some of the officers in the unit have joked with him about how the mailbox should be renamed from Delta Company to Bacigalupi. He really enjoys reading it all and said that he appreciates everyone's support.

I hosted some other soldier's wives and children at the house this weekend. We had a wonderful time together and enjoyed each other's company. We discovered after the guys left that we all enjoyed scrapbooking, so we got together for the weekend, but only showed each other what we had done, and didn't do anything new. It really was just a nice opportunity for us to hang out, drink some wine, eat good food, share stories and support one another. One of the soldiers is no longer in Josh's truck. He was an extra for the platoon and would be assigned to any truck as needed to fill-in for any number of reasons. Since arriving at Ft. Bragg, he has already filled a permanent position within the platoon. We made several batches of cookies and I shipped out a large package for the guys on Monday morning. We are pretty sure that they will enjoy all of the goodies that we packed. A nice mid-week treat for them. I think my favorite moment was when one of the soldiers called and talked to his two year old son. We were able to take a picture on our phones of the little boy talking to his Daddy and send it to him. He was just so excited to be talking to his Daddy.