Happy Birthday, Suzanne!

Its a party just for you!

Suzanne,
It has been a long day of packing because we are doing a DITY move. I just wanted to take the time to wish you Happy Birthday!
love, Stacey

Sarah wanted to be in on the fun too!

Suzanne,
I am very sad that Stacey and I couldn't take you out for dessert for your birthday like we did for Stacey's and mine but we want you to know that we are thinking about you. I pray that your day is filled with blessings from Above! You are such a treasured friend.
love,
Katie

Suzanne,
Hey girl!!! I can't express how much I miss you and your family. We have had so many fun times together and I know we have more to come. I hope this is one of the FEW Birthdays I miss with you. Love you lots!
Love
Shannon

14 THINGS A MILITARY WIFE GETS ANNOYED WITH

1. "Aren't you afraid that he'll be killed?"
(This one ranks in at number one on the "duh" list. Of course we're afraid. We're terrified. The thought always lingers at the backs of our minds ---but thanks brilliant, you just brought it back to the front. Maybe next you can go ask someone with cancer if they're scared of dying.)

2. "I don't know how you manage. I don't think I could do it."
(This is intended to be a compliment. Though, its just a little annoying. Here's why: it's not like all of us military wives have been dreaming since childhood of the day we'd get to be anxious single moms who carry cell phones with us to the bathroom and in the shower. We're not made of some mysterious matter that makes us more capable, we just got asked to take on a challenging job. So we rose to the challenge and found the strength to make sacrifices.)

3. "At least he's not in Iraq."
(This is the number one most annoying comment for those whose husbands are in Afghanistan. What do they think is happening in Afghanistan? An international game of golf? Guys are fighting and dying over there.)

4. "Do you think he'll get to come home for Christmas/anniversary/birthday/birth of a child/wedding/family reunion, etc?"
(Don't you watch the news? No! They don't get to come home for any of these things. Please don't ask again.)

5. "What are you going to do to keep yourself busy while he's gone?"
(Short answer: Try to keep my sanity. Maybe there's a military wife out there who gets bored when her husband leaves, but I have yet to meet her. For the rest of us, those with and without children, we find ourselves having to be two people. That keeps us plenty busy. We do get lonely, but we don't get bored, and drinking massive amounts of wine always helps keep me busy.)

6. "How much longer does he have until he can get out?"
(This one is annoying to many of us whether our husbands are deployed or not. Many of our husbands aren't counting down the days until they "can" get out. Many of them keep signing back up again and again because they actually love what they do or they VOLUNTEER AGAIN and AGAIN to go back to Iraq b/c there is work that needs to be done.)

7. "This deployment shouldn't be so bad, now that you're used to it."
(Sure, we do learn coping skills and its true the more deployments you've gone through, the easier dealing with it becomes. And we figure out ways to make life go smoother while the guys are gone. But it never gets "easy" and the bullets and bombs don't skip over our guys just because they've been there before. The worry never goes away.)

8. "My husband had to go to Europe for business once for three weeks. I totally know what you're going through."
(This one is similar to number two. Do not equate your husband's three week trip to London/Omaha/Tokyo/etc. with a 12-15 month or more deployment to a war zone. Aside from the obvious time difference, nobody shot at your husband or tried to blow him up with an I.E.D., your husband could call home pretty much any time he wanted to, he flew comfortably on a commercial plane, slept between crisp white sheets and ate well, paying for everything with an expense account. There is no comparison. We do not feel bonded to you in the slightest because of this comment and, if anything, we probably resent you a bit for it. Comparing a 12 month combat deployment to a few weeks business trip is like comparing a shitty ford taurus with mercedes convertible.)

9. "Wow you must miss him?"
(This one also gets another big "duh". Of course we miss our men. There are some wives who do not and they're now divorced.)

10. "Where is he exactly? Where is that?"
(I don't expect non-military folks to be able to find Anbar Province on a map, but they should know by now that it's in Iraq. Likewise, know that Kabul and Kandahar are in Afghanistan. Know that Muqtada al Sadr is the insurgent leader of the Mahdi Army in Iraq and that Sadr City is his home area. Know that Iran is a major threat to our country and that it is located between Afghanistan and Iraq. Our country has been at war in Afghanistan for seven years and at war in Iraq for five years. These basic facts are not secrets, they're on the news every night and in the papers every day ---and on maps everywhere.)

11. "Well, he signed up for it, so it's his own fault whatever happens over there.
(Yes, ignorant, he did sign up. Each and every day he protects your right to make stupid comments like that. He didn't sign up and ask to be hit by anything, he signed up to protect his country. Oh, and by the way, he asked me to tell you that "You're welcome." He's still fighting for your freedom.)

12. "Don't you miss sex! I couldn't do it!"
(hmmm, no i don't miss sex. i'm a robot. seriously...military spouses learn quickly that our relationships must be founded on something greater than sex. We learn to appreciate the important things, like simply hearing their voices, seeing their faces, being able to have dinner together every night. And the hard truth is, most relationships probably couldn't withstand 12 months of sex deprivation.)

13. "Well in my opinion....."
(Stop right there. Yo, I didn't ask for you your personal political opinions. Hey, I love a heated political debate, but not in the grocery store, not in Jamba Juice, not at Nordstrom, not in a bar when I'm out with my girls trying to forget the war, and CERTAINLY NOT AT WORK. We tell co-workers about deployments so when we have to spend lunch hours running our asses off doing errands and taking care of the house, dog, and kids, they have an understanding. We do not tell co-workers and colleagues because we are giving an invitation to ramble about politics or because we so eagerly want to hear how much they hate the President, esp. while we're trying to heat up our lean cuisines in the crappy office microwaves.)

last but not least....

14. "OH, that's horrible...I'm so sorry!"
(He's doing his job.Don't be sorry. Be appreciative and please take a moment out of your comfortable American lives to realize that our soldiers fight the wars abroad so those wars stay abroad.)



If you want to say anything, say thank you. After all, we are sexually deprived for your freedom

A few things about me...

WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? no
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? when Sarah asked to hold her daddy's hand to pray at dinner
DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? sometimes
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? ham
DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Cory & Sarah, Zoe is in Heaven
IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? yea
DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? no
DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?No
WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? No
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?Frosted Flakes
DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? no
DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?no
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?vanilla with caramel syrup

WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?their hair
RED OR PINK?red
WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?my health problems
WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?my husband currently
WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? none

WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? a cup of hot coco
WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? peace and quiet
IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?red
FAVORITE SMELLS? the cold with wood burning stoves
WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Udeen
FAVORITE SPORT TO WATCH? volleyball

HAIR COLOR? strawberry blond

EYE COLOR?blue
DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?no
FAVORITE FOOD? Wing Stop
SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? happy endings
LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? I don't even know
WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? brown
SUMMER OR WINTER? both

HUGS OR KISSES? both

FAVORITE DESSERT? cheesecake
WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? the Bible, Shepherding a Child's Heart, 40 Days of Prayer
WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? a bunch of random notes

WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T. V. LAST NIGHT? nothing

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SOUND? The quiet in the house after my kids go to bed
ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? neither
WHAT IS THE FURTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Texas
DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? I consider myself a jack-of-all-trades but a master of none
WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Worland, WY

Here you go Sarah & Rachel....

For me, for once

I am deciding to do something for myself for once. It has been 8 really hard months. I really have not done anything for myself. I got a pedicure once in Texas (that has now warn off and I have half of the polish on my toes, gross). I had a hair cut a few days after Mike left in July. I am trying to see the positive things that have happened but it is just been rough. Sarah is now waking up in the middle of the night screaming! I know it is because Mike is gone. Girls we really do need security and so do our daughters. I realize that Sarah has only been alive for 2 years but she is smart and knows what is going on. Every night at dinner we hold hands to pray for the meal and she asks for daddy's hand to hold. It totally breaks my heart. Its only a season...... this too shall pass....

So here it is...
I am selling Uppercase Living!
I told myself I was not going to sell something like this again but this is just way too cool to not share with my friends and family. We all want our houses to look like a home and have sayings and scriptures to make that happen. I have been dreaming up these murals that I want to put on the wall with scripture but I was not sure how I was going to do the lettering. Now I do! You are welcome to go check it out!
My Demonstrator's ID is: 741224
My Token is: welcome

My soldier... my hero

I have posted 100 times. WOW! I thought I would share these AWESOME pictures of Mike in Iraq. Someone he works with loves taking pictures and they took this one evening. I think they are so cool.

The party is over

Our trip to Texas was a sucess. I was not sure that I was going to get there ever but it finally happened. I drove from here to Spokane because the tickets were cheaper. After a long delay in Denver (luckily they have a USO) I made it to TX. I stayed three weeks with my Aunt Keatha and Uncle Todd. There I finished sewing my stockings and make some Christmas goodies. It seems as if all we did while we were there was celebrate. Justine's birthday was celebrated right after I got there. Her fiance is in the Marines and they are getting married in August. Congrats! We also celebrated my Uncle Todd & Uncle Scott's birthday and Aunt Cody's birthday.

I attended the Crossroads ladies Christmas gathering and had a blast with my aunts, grandma, and cousins. My uncles watched Cory and Sarah and they really had fun. I had found out just a few weeks before I left that I was expecting our third child. I was still going through the morning sickness and needing a lot of sleep when I got there. Shortly before Christmas I moved to my Uncle Scott and Aunt Cody's. My uncles only live a few miles apart and so this worked out well. My kids were blessed with all kids of toys and clothes that I was not sure that I was going to be able to get back on the plane with all of this stuff! I got to see all of the fun traditions that each of these families have. Such as Scott & Cody have a code for each person and you do not know until Christmas morning which of your gifts under the tree are yours. This makes for 3 anxious girls. We were up at 7am on Christmas morning because there was no more waiting! We went and saw a really neat light show of Christmas lights. It was a little cooler there than I thought it would be. As you can see I put the kids stocking hats on them. The weekend before New Years we were heading to Six Flags over Texas and we got a call from my aunt in Wyoming saying that my uncle had had a heart attack. We decided not to go to six flags. Shortly before that I had started spotting and was really concerned. My aunt Cody and Keatha took me to the emergency room and I found out that I had miscarried. I was heart broken. I stayed home from church on Sunday because I had been so restless all night I just needed some sleep. I finally got a hold of Mike in the middle of the night. It was truly torture not being able to tell him what was going on. That evening God showed me a picture of my little Zoe. She was cute as a button. Her face was round just like Cory & Sarah's she had adorable pig tails in. This was God telling me that He had her in His hands and that she was well taken care of. Late Sunday night I went into labor (I was not expecting that). My aunt Cody fortunately was still up and helped me through that awful time. Because I was bleeding so much we decided to go back to the ER and spent a few hours there. We found out that I had birthed the baby. New Years was very uneventful but relaxing. My plan was to make cabbage burgers for everyone and Todd & Keatha ended up making them for me. Mike was very concerned for me and we went through the Red Cross to see if Mike to get emergency leave to get home. The first message was denied. The people working with Mike were concerned about me getting home with the two kids alone and still feeling really punk. For something fun we decided to go to the Fort Worth Zoo. We all had a blast and I found out that Sarah really does know her animals. We would walk up to look at an animal and she would know what it was. She is very smart! I went back to the ER yet again because I was so weak and having issues with my heart racing. I was talking to my dr. on the phone and she was concerned that I was anemic. I was tested and that was not the case. I had low blood pressure and was very depressed. I took a short break from all of the phone calls and had lunch with Angie Powell! It was so much fun to see her again. Thanks, Angie! Before I left we had to have one more party. Cory's Birthday! My baby turned 1! We were going to have it on the night of his birthday but my brother Cam came and visited everyone in TX for the weekend so we decided to wait until Friday night. Then I got a phone call from Mike early Friday morning saying that he was in Kuwait and to pick him up at the Dallas airport at noon on Saturday. Luckily the Fredericks are flexible because we changed Cory's birthday party yet again so that Mike could be there to celebrate with us. I am so greatful that he was able to come home. They let him come home to fly me from Dallas to Spokane and drive me back home. I have been home for a little over a week now. Mike left early Thursday morning back for Iraq. Last I talked to him he had been traveling for 55 hours and still was not at his destination. I am so thankful for the time that I had in TX and that I was there during this really hard time. I can't thank them enough for all that they have done for me. Now back to my boring routine....

Zoe Lynn Glathar

Today I not only morn your death but celebrate your life in heaven. As I go through the pain of carrying you I am thankful for the hope given to me that you are safe in the arms of Jesus. He has shown me your beautiful face; round and perfect just like your siblings. As you wave good bye I know that I will meet you face to face some day. I am so thankful for the time given to me to get to know you. I will never understand why I could not hold you, Zoe but only the Lord knows what is best. I love you, my daughter!

Happy New Year

I just want to wish you all a Happy New Year!

Update...

It has been a while since I have blogged and I thought I needed to give an update. I am currently in Texas for 6 weeks. Since Mike is in Iraq I did not want to be home for the holidays and so down south is where I headed. It is really hot here. It has been in the 70's and very humid. A little of a weather shock coming from 12 below on Thanksgiving and leaving Great Falls in a blizzard. It is very nice to have someone coming home to us every night. When the kids are crabby between 4 and 6 I have someone else to help me through that time. Not to mention just the change of pase is great. I am hoping that this will help make the time go fast while Mike is gone. My aunt's neighbors are lending us some toys. That has been really nice to have different toys to play with. I pray that you all are having a blessed holiday season!!

Getting fat on Thanksgiving....

Check out LB's blog...

I decided to take the test for myself and see how long of a walk I am going to have to take Thanksgiving Day. I don't think that I could walk that far in one shot.

A glass of cider or juice, Half a cup of mixed, raw veggies, Half a cup of fresh fruit, One tablespoon ranch dressing, Six ounces of white and dark turkey, Half a cup of stuffing, Half a cup of cranberry sauce, Half a cup of mashed potatoes, Half a cup of gravy, Half a cup of green bean casserole, A dinner roll, A pat of butter, A slice of pumpkin pie, Half a cup of whipped cream, A turkey sandwich with mayo and cranberry sauce, ...that comes to 2375 calories.

You will need to walk 23.75 miles, 38.30 kilometers, or 47500 steps, assuming you cover one mile in 2,000 steps.

Flashback

Sorry Susie, its not Friday but I decided to publish this. I have recently gone through all of my old toys and tried to figure out what I was going to keep, what Sarah was going to be allowed to play with, and what I was going to use for decoration. Here you go! Remember these! Do you have any of yours? These things are coming back... they don't look quite the same though.

Single parenting stinks...

If anyone has wisdom for me on strong willed children I need it. We are really pushing the mommy buttons. Sarah is really usually easy to put to bed but it is not so much fun right now. After a few times being disciplined she will finally go to bed but hopefully my persistence will kick in soon.

Also, my brother Cam is living in Hunttington Beach, CA and working into the music business. They have a sample of their Christmas stuff out. It is really awesome! GO CHECK IT OUT!

Support our troops....

ist

Here is how life goes at the Glathar's....

Mike got home the end of Sept. for 3 weeks. We had a wonderful time together. He fixed a few things for me. We got the garage sorted so that I could finish it later.

Mike left for his deployment on Oct 23rd. It has been a roller coaster ride from there out. The next day I took the kids to the Dr and Cory had a double ear infection and Sarah had one ear infected (no wonder they were so crabby). Then the computer crashed (that is the main way that Mike and I communicate now). I reformatted my computer and am slowly getting everything back on it. My grandma has been here since the middle of August helping me with the kids. I needed to take her back to meet the plane in Spokane. We left Sunday afternoon to go to Missoula to stay with my parents for a couple days before going to Spokane. When we got to Missoula there were some major things going wrong with our Tahoe. As God worked it all together, I talked to Frank Durham and I bought a Honda Odyssey. I spent a couple days with my friend Sarah. We had a blast! We went to Eastern Washington University (where we met) and took a step back into time as we walked around campus. My trip back from Spokane was uneventful and a lot easier with a DVD player! I am now back at home trying to get the kids back on a schedule and trying to be the woman with many hats. We are hoping to go to Texas for Christmas. Thats the latest!

Do you?

Mike & I were talking on our way home from shopping about dancing. He knows that I can jitter bug. I asked him if he would ever want to learn. He is still thinking about it...

Do you know how to jitter bug? If so, who did you learn from? If not, would you like to learn?

My new home...

I moved on to base mid-July (the day before Mike left for training) and have been slowly trying to get things put away. I have gone to Missoula for over a week and brought my grandma back to help me with the kids. I also spent 10 days in Wyoming with my mom's family. All of that said it has taken me a while to get things put away and decorate. I was really getting tired of my white bare walls and so Laura Beth and Stacy came over on Tuesday and we did a little decorating. Since I have finished the BIG job and so I would share. I am sure that it is not everyone's style but I am very proud of my creation. It looks a lot better in person so if you would like to take a look, lets have coffee...

A cherished friend

I want to tell you about my friend that just started her own blog. Ali Brown is an amazing woman. She has a band called Thirty 9 and has a beautiful voice. Ali has two boys, Ashton & Parker, that are all that boys are meant to be. Her artistic abilities are unbelievable. I love you my friend!

check out Ali's blog!

Welcome to the world of blogging, Ali!