Military Troops Calendar

In August of 2006, after the death of LCPL Randy Newman, one of our local soldiers who was stationed in Iraq, a handful of people set out on a mission to find a way to support our troops who serve both stateside and overseas. The inspiration resulted in the Military Troops Calendar. It is a tribute to ALL U.S. soldiers who bravely serve and for those who have given their life so that others may have freedom.

A soldier who received copies of the 2008 calendar and is stationed in Iraq recently wrote:

"I wanted to convey my thanks once again for sending me the 50 calendars. I have distributed them to more than 6 separate units in the Army and Air Force to be shared by more than 1000 troops as they are hung in common areas. The Soldiers and Airman have expressed their thanks for the gift of these calendars and I wanted to forward those thanks on to you. You have raised morale a small bit, and every bit counts when you are so far away from home for so long. Again, on behalf of the Airmen and Soldiers serving in the Diyala and Sala ad Din Provinces of Iraq, we salute you, and thank you."

It is humbling and an honor for those of us at Military Troops Calendar, to do what we can to help boost morale and show our support of all the brave men and women who serve in the Armed Forces.

Check out our website at http://www.militarytroopscalendar.com/ and feel free to give us a shout out - we'd love to hear from you.

And They Thought They Had it Rough...

Everyone is talking about the state of our union lately. Gas prices have skyrocketed, home values have taken a dive, sales are at a standstill and foreclosures are at an all-time high. The dollar doesn't goes as far at the grocery store, businesses are closing their doors and the list of an economy in the tank goes on. I bet the same concerns and then some were voiced by the masses

in years past and this is what they were saying 50 years ago (that would be the late 1950's).

'I'll tell you one thing, if things keep going the way they are, it's going to be impossible to buy a week's groceries for $20.00.'

'Have you seen the new cars coming out next year? It won't be long before $2,000.00 will only buy a used one.'

'If cigarettes keep going up in price, I'm going to quit. A quarter a pack is ridiculous.

'Did you hear the post office is thinking about charging a dime just to mail a letter?'

'If they raise the minimum wage to $1.00, nobody will be able to hire outside help at the store.'

'When I first started driving, who would have thought gas would someday cost 29 cents a gallon. Guess we'd be better off leaving the car in the garage.'

'Kids today are impossible. Those duck tail hair cuts make it impossible to stay groomed. Next thing you know, boys will be wearing their hair as long as the girls.'

'I'm afraid to send my kids to the movies any more. Ever since they let Clark Gable get by with saying 'damn' in 'Gone With The Wind', it seems every new movie has either hell or damn in it.'

'I read the other day where some scientist thinks it's possible to put a man on the moon by the end of the century. They even have some fellows they call astronauts preparing for it down in Texas .'

'Did you see where some baseball player just signed a contract for $75,000 a year just to play ball? It wouldn't surprise me if someday they'll be making more than the President.'

'I never thought I'd see the day all our kitchen appliances would be electric. They are even making electric typewriters now.'

It's too bad things are so tough nowadays. I see where a few married women are having to work to make ends meet.'

'It won't be long before young couples are going to have to hire someone to watch their kids so they can both work.'

'Marriage doesn't mean a thing any more, those Hollywood stars seem to be getting divorced at the drop of a hat.'

'I'm afraid the Volkswagen car is going to open the door to a whole lot of foreign business.'

'Thank goodness I won't live to see the day when the Government takes half our income in taxes I sometimes wonder if we are electing the best people to congress'

'The drive-in restaurant is convenient in nice weather, but I seriously doubt they will ever catch on.'

'There is no sense going to Lincoln or Omaha anymore for a weekend, it costs nearly $15.00 a night to stay in a hotel.'

'No one can afford to be sick anymore, at $35.00 a day in the hospital it's too rich for my blood.'

'If they think I'll pay 50 cents for a hair cut, forget it.'

Good times folks.

Happy Place

Everyone should have a happy place and mine is Mexico. I love it there. So much so that my kids tell me I'm obsessed with it. I can't help it. Time stands still there. No phones, computers, television, people in a hurry - just white beach, blue water, lazy days, ceviche and Pacifico... We recently discovered the wonderful town of Tulum and fell in love with it. I'm thinking I need another Happy Place fix...

One-In-A-Million Shot

I recently took my kids to Virginia to visit my brother, sister-in-law and 11 of their 12 children. Yes, I said 12 and no, they are neither Mormon nor Catholic. They just wanted a big family. Period. We had a ton of fun and after being with them for a week I think big families probably have more fun than the average American family with their 2.5 children.

I got to take the older kids to Washington DC for a day and one of the sights we took in was the Iwo Jima Memorial. This memorial is massively awesome and I was, of course, snap-happy with the camera trying to make sure I got a good picture of the kids standing in front of the memorial. When I was going through the pictures much later, I was shocked to see how one of the pictures turned out. Now that is my one-in-a-million shot.

My Ridiculously Irritating Irritation

There must be a full moon or something because I am irritated today – at little dumb things that don’t normally irritate me to the extent that I’m irritated. I was totally convicted of my irritation and how I let it seep out when my husband pointed out how overly-harsh I was being when I replied to an email he sent.

I hate when I have to be convicted like that. It’s that little God-tap on your shoulder and he’s saying ‘Uh, Annie K, check the ol’ heart there sistah – it’s looking a little on the sketchy side right now.’ Darn it if my humanness doesn’t get the best of me sometimes. Thankfully God has put people in my life (gracias Juan) who can ever-so-subtly and lovingly put me in heart check mode when I need it most. Now that is a ridiculously excellent thing.

You've Got to Like Your Spouse

I know married people who don’t like their spouse - which is quite sad really. I happen to like my husband, a lot. I know that you’re supposed to marry someone who you love, cherish, and share similar interests, dreams and goals with and yes, that is important. But I think it’s a pretty big deal to like your spouse.

I’ll admit that at times he’s stubborn to the max, frustrates the heck out of me and I can get ‘mad-seeing-red’ at him. But I throw enough grief his way to make up for those times so I guess we’re pretty even as far as that goes. Honestly though, I think the biggest reason I like him is because we have so much fun together. We have the same sense of humor, think a lot alike, have great conversations, share similar interests and are even one of those ‘I can finish the others sentence’ kind of couple who have our own secret handshake. Corny? Maybe. But through all the good, bad and downright ugly that we have been through, by the grace of God we still really like each other. And that, most definitely, is a very cool thing.

How Step-Parents Really Feel About Their Step-Kids

Ok, I'll admit that I do not feel that 'I gave birth to you and you're of my flesh and blood' love towards my step-kids. And just for the record, my husband doesn't feel that way towards my kids either. Is it morally wrong? Absolutely not. Is it normal? Absolutely.

I'll admit though that I've become rather fond of my husbands youngest son. At first he drove me nuts. He is what we call undiagnosed ADHD to the max (and before all of you 'you're not a doctor and don't self-diagnose or put a label on kids' type of people get your panties in a wad, please know that I have done hours of research and read all the books because I happen to have a teenage daughter that is diagnosed ADD and on medication so I kind of know what I'm talking about. And if you're going to 'Tom Cruise Sciontology drugs are glib' on me, I will happily debate you but know that I am going to totally 'mama-bear-matrix-ninja-jackie-chan-your-butt into tomorrow when all is said and done).

So, back to my step-son and why he has driven me nuts for three years is a kunundrum in itself because he and my daughter are so much alike - except for the hyperactivity thing. But in the past few months, I really have seen a different side of this kid and to be honest, get quite a kick out of him. I think part of it is that I am ultra-competitive and so is he. Not that we necessarily threaten to have 'throw-downs' and do the ultimate smack talk thing, but when he invited me to ride a pretty tricky bike trail and I had to take a rain check he knew I was serious when I said "Dang, I have to get ready for our 4th of July BBQ, but next time you ask me I'll be happy to show you how to ride those trails like a real woman." OK - so maybe I didn't word it quite that way, but I did mention eating dust and make some reference to him sucking air behind me. Anyway, it'll be fun to ride with him and see what he's made of.

I guess the biggest thing for me is just seeing my step-son for who he is and accepting that. I don't know that I'll ever love him like my own, but when I made the decision to just see the cool stuff about him and quit focusing on what drove me nuts that's when it changed. What do I like most about him? That I can throw down a challenge and he'll say "Bring it on Sistah." That indeed is a kid after my own heart.