Where to Next?

I'm glad the wait of knowing where the Army is sending us is over but things are just starting to get rolling.  We know the location but there is a difference in knowing WHERE we are going and knowing the area WHERE we are going to.  Does that make sense?  I hope so.

I must say...I am starting to feel overwhelmed.

The post where we have been assigned is actually located in two different states, with the state line running down the middle. If we live on post or off post (KY or TN), there are three different school districts represented.

I can google homes to rent or to purchase but finding out if the address of the house you found online is located in a decent area is another thing.  I have talked to people who live or have lived in this area but I am getting conflicting information.  I have heard that there are no "bad areas" and then I have heard that yes, there are some bad areas but I don't know where...I live in the other state.

I am praying that things work out and that the girls and I can return to the United States a few weeks early so I can do some recon on the area where we will be moving.  Since this is only our second duty station in the United States, I am wondering how do military families do it?

How do they move so often, to such different Army posts and find the right place to call home?  So if you've done this before and have any advice to offer me, I'm all ears.  Please, let me in on the secrets or tricks of the trade.  I'm ready with a pen in hand.

Make New Friends....

One summer when I was little, my mom helped at a local Girl Scout camp.  My sister and I went along as my mom volunteered.  I remember learning a song that week that went like this.

Make new friends

Keep the old

One is silver

And the other gold.

This song hits home to me as we count down to our upcoming PCS (military move).  While at each duty station, we make friends and build relationships with people.  Some of those individuals become like family to us.  And then it happens.  You get new orders and it's time to move again.

I know many people in the military who will never say "Goodbye."  Instead they say "See you later." 

There are those of you that I will miss as we move on.  There are those who I went to high school with that I will get to see again, once we are back in the states.  And there are the new friends that I continue to meet and will meet in the future. 

You are all precious to me and I thank God for you.  So whether you are a silver or a gold friend, know that you are appreciated. 

Philippians 1: 3-4

I thank my God every time I remember you. 

In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy.

A Story I Read on Facebook

Lately I have seen a story being posted around on Facebook.  I did some investigating to see where it came from and if it was true, but I did not find a confirmation of whether it was truthful or made up.  But I thought it shared some interesting insights, so I decided to share it with you.


An economics professor at a local college made a statement that he had never failed a single student before, but had recently failed an entire class. That class had insisted that Obama's socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer. 

 The professor then said, "OK, we will have an experiment in this class on Obama's plan". All grades will be averaged and everyone will receive the same grade so no one will fail and no one will receive an A.... (substituting grades for dollars - something closer to home and more readily understood by all).
After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B. The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy. As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little.

 The second test average was a D! No one was happy. When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F. As the tests proceeded, the scores never increased as bickering, blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else. To their great surprise, ALL FAILED and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great, but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed. It could not be any simpler than that.

 Remember, there IS a test coming up. The 2012 elections.

These are possibly the 5 best sentences you'll ever read and all applicable to this experiment:

 1. You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity.

 2. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving.

 3. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.

 4. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it!

 5. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that is the beginning of the end of any nation.

Random Acts of Kindness

The girls and I were heading to post for PWOC(Protestant Women of the Chapel) Bible Study.  The weather was quite colder than it has been.  The average temperature has been around 22F but this particular morning, it was only 14F. 

Since the Army is in the middle of hiring new gate guards, soldiers have been tasked with the responsibility of manning the gates and checking vehicles and IDs. As we pulled up to the gate, I mentioned to the soldiers that it was quite a morning to be working outside.  I told them what they needed what a cup of hot chocolate to warm them up.  One of the soldiers said, "Yeh, that would be nice" while his partner told me not to listen to that guy.

I asked them how long their shift would be and they informed me they would be there until 4:00PM.  I told them that I would be back....with some hot chocolate.

So the girls and I went to Bible Study, had lunch, and went in search of hot chocolate.  I wasn't sure how many soldiers would be manning this particular gate, so we made 6 cups and headed out.  I had to go off post, to come back on post. 

When it was my turn at the gate, I handed over our ID cards and proceeded to hand out the hot chocolate. The guys began laughing...asking if I was serious.  Of course, I told them yes and that I had six cups.  I hoped it was enough.  They told me I didn't have to do that....and really I didn't BUT I wanted them to know that they were appreciated and in the middle of a cold day, they could use a little cheering up. 

They were thankful and it was wonderful to see the smiles on their faces.

So my question to you today is, what have you done for someone else today?  What COULD you do for someone today that would bless them?  Your random act of kindness may touch someone's life and leave an imprint of God's love for them.  I encourage you, take a moment this week to do something special for someone else.

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you,

so you must love one another. ³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

John 13:34-35

The news we've been waiting for...

You may have noticed that I am a bit late for posting Tuesday's post. Actually the day had an unexpected turn of events.

We had decided last week that when my husband received his next duty assignment, that he would tell us to "make dessert."  So yesterday, he called me and asked if I got his email.  I told him that I had not been on my computer for a few hours since our oldest daughter was using it for her online school.  He said to check my email.  I asked him if he could just tell me what he sent....then he said to make dessert.

Of course I had to ask him if he was serious and he said yes.  I asked if he could tell me and he said that as long as I don't tell the girls, so I agreed. 

Holding a secret from your kids is hard...especially when they see you making dessert.  See we don't make dessert during the week, so they knew that something was up.  Marissa and I made an apple pie as she pondered the news....where might we be going?

As soon as my husband got home from work, he was bombarded by excited children.  We calmed them down, sat them down and broke the news.

Well, we didn't get anything on our list (dream sheet of where we would like to go). We will be going back to the United States.  We will be within 14 hours driving of family. 

They all gave their guesses as to where we would be moving next, but none of the girls guessed correctly

So in case you are not on facebook and have seen my post, we are heading to Fort Campbell, KY.

Happy Lunar New Year!

While the eve of January 1st brings much celebration for those who live in the United States, the Lunar New Year is a big holiday here in Korea.  Our celebrations are done according to the calendar year but in Korea, China and other Asian countries, the lunar calendar decides when the celebrating begins.

Here in Korea, the Lunar New Year is a time when people return to their hometowns to pay their respect to their relatives.  Many people are travelling during this time and we were warned not to travel during this holiday, which lasts three days.  Someone told my husband that that a 4 hour trip might end up taking 20 hours to reach your destination.  Since I really don't need to shop or do some site seeing that bad, our family opted to just stay home during this holiday.

Since my husband was off for the day, we took a walk on the trails near our apartment and went into town to see if by chance any of the stores were open where we could get a snack.  Most of the restaurants and businesses were closed with the exception of a few convenience stores, fast food, Dunkin Donuts and Baskin Robbins.

Since it was only 23 degrees today, Baskin Robbins would not do....so Dunkin Donuts it was!  We had an enjoyable family time in spite of the cold weather.  When we arrived home we warmed up with some hot chocolate. 

So whether you celebrate a calendar or lunar new year.....  HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Free Tax Filing for Military

With the tax season almost upon us, it is time to start thinking about filing your taxes.  All Active Duty W-2s will be available online at myPay.gov on January 24th and many tax centers on Army posts will begin to open soon after.  One of the great advantages of being military is that you can have your taxes done for free at the tax center on your local post.

If you would rather not take the time to wait at the tax center you can go to MilitaryOneSource where, through H &R Block, you can prepare your own taxes at home using their software and file them for free.

If your solider is deployed, you can still take advantage of the free tax filing service offered by the military.  Just make sure you have a Power of Attorney with you when you go for your appointment at the tax center.  For more information on filing your taxes while your spouse is deployed, click here.

While I have not used H & R Block's free tax filing service before, I have filed our taxes using the on post tax center.  Check them out and find what will work best for your family and situation.  Happy Tax Filing!