where honor is do...

Honor Our Military

Let's honor our military,
The men and women who serve,
Whose dedication to our country
Does not falter, halt or swerve.

Let's respect them for their courage;
They're ready to do what's right
To keep America safe,
So we can sleep better at night.

Let's support and defend our soldiers,
Whose hardships are brutal and cruel,
Whose discipline we can't imagine,
Who follow each order and rule.

Here's to those who choose to be warriors
And their helpers good and true;
They're fighting for American values;
They're fighting for me and you.

By Joanna Fuchs 

Today we remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. Today we remembered the injured. Today we remember the wives of the fallen and injured. Today we remember the families of the fallen and injured. So many to remember, I wish it were not so. Alot of men and women have paid the ultimate sacrifice and alot of paid the injury sacrifice...fighting to get back to what they know how to do and to once again join the men they have fought with.

 

While in church today the congregation was asked to raise their hands if they were currently serving or had served. Ben raised his hands and put it back down. He likes to proudly say that he is a soldier but at the same time to humble to get the reccongnition. Our pastor once again asked for hands to be raised because much like Ben the others had put theirs down quickly. They were prayed over and it was a touching moment. Yes, they have done this before but this year all I could think in that moment was how Ben had been robbed from doing what he loves most...serving our country and doing his job well. I have not idea what the Lord saved him from but I do know in a way he was protected from something. It is hard to go on post, it is hard to see men in uniform...for both of us. Not that we have ashamed of anything or that we don't like it but rather that Ben is no longer able to do what he used to to. He loves his job and all he really talks about as far as his goals is to walk, get back to work, and scuff up some privates! Ben is a good leader, an amazing soldier and the Army has lost an amazing man to an horrific injury. He did state the other day though that when he "gets our of this situation and beats this injury" that he wants to become a therapist and help injured soldiers just like him. His heart for soldiers is amazing! I will continue to stand by him, love him...injured soldier and all!

 

I have not had the privilege of knowing the following young men but Ben knew most and a few were very good friends. They will forever be in our hearts...

 

Jason Kessler

Aaron Grider

Darren Hidalgo

Todd Weaver

David McDowell

Ricardo Barraza

 

The list of the injured we know could take days to list.

Please continue to lift up all families in your prayers and continually pray for those who are still fighting every day for our freedom. They deserve more then we will ever know!

13.1 done and done...

{love from my man at the finish line}

 

Well, yesterday was quite the busy and exausting morninng for us! I ran my first half marathon and Ben was there to watch and cheer me on! My motivation to run this was Ben. He works hard every single day and never gives up even when it gets so hard for him to move forward! Ben is a man who will not surrender to this brain injury and will not allow it to get the best of him. I needed something to do the same for me. Yes, it is challanging for me to live every single day in the brain injury world but I needed something outside of that to challange me. Sure, why not run 13.1 miles! Ha. When I told Ben that I was going to do this he said, "well if you are going to run the half why not just keep going and run the full marathon?" I told Ben that I would leave that to him and for now I would just focus on getting my feel across the start line and at least start!

The original plan was to run a 5 miler! I have never been in an organized running race before so I thought that it would be a good place for me to start. I asked my sister and she was in and then our lil bro's girlfriend joined in. About 5ish weeks before the race they came to me and said that I was easily running 5 miles already and so did we want to change it to running the half. I looked at them all crazy like and was like I run five miles easy...and you want to add 8 more miles to it?? Are you cray cray?

Well, I agreed to do it...a major challange was coming my way!

The training began! I continued to run my 5 miles and tried to add more to it. Because we have such lovely rainy spring weather here I did alot of my training on the treadmill! Thanks to Pandora I had some good tunes to get me through! It wasn't until about 3 weeks ago that I ran a lil over 8 miles indoors and about 1.5 weeks ago I ran 11 miles outside. I did not do any hill running at all and I knew that there were going to be a few but ehhh I would leave that to race day!

On race day it was not supposed to rain until the afternoon but guess what, right as we lined up to at the start line we felt rain drops...then rain and it didn't stop the whole time! It was actually a warmer temp and humid out so the rain actually felt fine!

All three of us girls started out together and we came across our first incline hill, and then it flattened out a bit and then another! I found myself cheering inside at a hill because I knew that I would get to go down in just a few moments! About mile 5 I was setting my own pace and the girls were a lil ahead. My eye doctor (known him forever because of church too) whom we had seen at the beginning of the race just happened to sneak up on us. We set a good pace for each other. The girls would come back and check on me and I told them just to go. I didn't want to slow Dr. B down so I told him he could go too. He didn't want to because he said that I was setting a good pace for him. So the girls went ahead. They would have stayed with me if I wanted but I knew that I would be fune! Ben and the rest of my fam was at about mile marker 6ish and when I got close I saw Ben sipping on Starbucks, a white chocolate mocha! How dare him! He did take a break to yell good job and give me a kiss before I took off again! I was happy to see mile 7, 8, 9....oh not to shabby, one foot in front of the other. Then there was one last hill, yup forgot about this one! It was grueling but I did it! I was by no means sprinting but I was jogging and still moving! When we got to the half way point I knew that I could do it...just felt so good to get to the half way point! After mile 10 Dr B was in unknown territory, after mile 11 I was in the unknown! We just kept telling each other mile 10!! Mile 11!! Mile 12 was an amazing marker to see but also the most grueling because my body was really starting to feel it! My hands felt like they were so swollen and I started getting some pain in my hamstring and then working its way to my knee! The amazing part is that I never felt winded to my lungs. I think from just all the running I had done that my breathing and lungs had really been built up! If I were running with lungs alone I could have gone on forever! Every time I wanted to stop I would think of Ben...I couldn't walk, I couldn't stop! Every step mattered! There is something that he says often and I said it to myself, "my healing is so close that I can just taste it." I said that but just inserted "the finish."

We were on the last stent, We saw the finish line ahead! One step in front of the other! We heard the crowd as we got closer! As we got closer the girls came back because they wanted to cross over with me! They had already got their time but of course it was nice of them to come back! Ben was there again to cheer me through the finish line and he was smiling!

We crossed and my legs turned to rubber! I could walk but standing was more difficult. I just had to keep moving for a bit or I felt like I would fall over! I think I downed some water, coconut water and chocolate milk. I got emotional as Ben, from his chair, kept telling me that I did a great job and that I finished. I told him I did and that I did it for him. He said I was amazing and someday soon he would be running one with me! We got some photos and then the chill set it and it was time to go and get a shower...a hot one! I did it! I finished! I didn't stop running! I beat my goal time!

**I actually just got off the phone with Dr. B who was calling to check up on me**

Stats from the half marathon...

My time: 2:13.32 (goal was 2:30 for my first one)

Average time/mile: 10:11

69/128 for age group

390/804 in women's group

756/1253 overall

Number of finishers: 1253

Female finishers: 804

Male finishers: 449

{pre race:starting to rain}

 

{were ready!}

 

{doc b and i}

{super close to the finish!}

{finished! good job from my man}

 

{done and done}

 

{and more done}

 

{i did it}

 

{finishers...still smiling}

We had thought about matching in blue but then decided not to...we all showed up in a shade of coral! Ha! I guess it was meant to be!

Thank you to all of you who knew we were going to be doing this race and sent prayers of strength and protection our way! Thank you also to all our family and friends who were there in the rain to cheer us on! It was fun to look forward to the cheers at the viewing points and get some good encouragement!!

blog what...

...i be in a bloggin

...we be

...and 

...i have lots of photos and updates to post but we have been so busy and like i said in a blog funk. we will be back to normal posting (if i ever was normal) super soon, maybe even tomorrow! ha!

just know that we are good and we so appreciate your continued support and all your prayers - keep them coming cuz we need them! many blessings!

military spouses...

Today is Military Spouse Appreciation Day. One of my friends posted this on her blog and I thought that I would repost it! I have met some amazing ladies in my military life and some of those I still have in my life today. What amazing ladies they are and I treasure their friendship!

Lots of moving...Moving...Moving...Moving far from home...
Moving two cars, three kids and one dog...all riding with HER of course.
Moving sofas to basements because they won't go in THIS house;

Moving curtains that won't fit. Moving jobs and certifications and professional development hours.
Moving away from friends. Moving toward new friends.
Moving her most important luggage: her trunk full of memories.

Often waiting...Waiting...Waiting... Waiting for housing, Waiting for orders.
Waiting for deployments. Waiting for phone calls.
Waiting for reunions. Waiting for the new curtains to arrive.
Waiting for him to come home, for dinner...AGAIN!

They call her 'Military Dependent', but she knows better:
She is fiercely In-Dependent.

She can balance a check book; handle the yard work;
Fix a noisy toilet; bury the family pet...

She is intimately familiar with drywall anchors and toggle bolts.
She can file the taxes, sell a house, buy a car;
Or set up a move...all with ONE Power of Attorney.

She welcomes neighbors that don't welcome her.
She reinvents her career with every PCS; locates a house in the desert, The Arctic, Or the deep south.
And learns to call them all 'home'. She MAKES them all home.

Military Wives are somewhat hasty...They leap into:
Decorating, Leadership, Volunteering, Career alternatives, Churches,
and friendships. They don't have 15 years to get to know people.
Their roots are short but flexible. They plant annuals for themselves and

perennials for those who come after them.

Military Wives quickly learn to value each other: they connect over coffee,
rely on the spouse network, accept offers of friendship and favors.
record addresses in pencil...

Military Wives have a common bond. The Military Wife has a husband unlike other husbands;

his commitment is unique. He doesn't have a 'JOB.' He has a 'MISSION' that he can't just decide to quit...
He's on-call for his country 24/7. But for her, he's the most unreliable guy in town!
His language is foreign: TDY, PCS, OPR, SOS, ACC, BDU, ACU, BAR, CIB, TAD...
And so, a Military Wife is a translator for her family and his.
She is the long- distance link to keep them informed; the glue that holds them together.

A Military Wife has her moments. She wants to wring his neck,
Dye his uniform pink, refuse to move to Siberia, but she pulls herself together.
Give her a few days, a travel brochure, a long hot bath, a pledge to the flag,
a wedding picture, and she goes, she packs, he moves, she follows.

Why? What for? How come? You may think it is because she has lost her mind.
But actually it is because she has lost her heart. It was stolen from her by a man,
who puts duty first, who longs to deploy, who salutes the flag,
And whose boots in the doorway remind her that as long as he is her Military Husband,

she will remain his military wife and would have it no other way.

get your vote on...

Ok, this post is not about Ben and I but for a special lady that we know who is going up for Miss USA!

When we first moved found a church with some amazing people that we are still good friends with to this day. Their family had us over for our first Christmas there and the extended family was there...that was the first time we met Katherine! She was beautiful inside and out! It was Christmas so when I mean she was beautiful on the out she was, without being made up!

We were able to see Katherine again this past July while we were GA and she was just as cool. She didn't even tell us that she was running for Miss Alabama at the time but spoke of her job at Chick-fil-a and some travel engagements. I just always remember her as being super sweet and was able to hang with the best of us! :)

After finishing her degree, which she said she had to accomplish before she would compete in a pageant again, she won Miss Alabama in January of 2012!

Many people are so proud of her! You can go to Miss USA and read her bio and watch a short video about her!

So, we need your help! We need, want, expect, desire, plead, and say pretty please for your vote!

The winner secures a place in the semifinals! Voting starts on May 1st and ends on June 2nd at 12:00PM ET. You can vote up to 10 times per day per account/valid email address. Keep voting!

Click HERE to go and vote for Katherine!

She is easy to find on the website since she is the first one listed, Miss Alabama, Katherine Webb!

Thank you for taking time to do this! She deserves this win and we are so proud of her!

Vote, Vote, Vote!!