R&BKing

I have to admit, this past Memorial Day I had a brand new appreciation and respect for military and their families. I'm grateful for all those who have served and still do.  I saw these pictures on the TF Chosin page. I'm not sure if Ryan got to participate in the events but I hope so.  I was spending my Memorial weekend participating in the Lamb bike hike and the annual Utica Ward Picnic.

My dad shared a fact with me today, "This is the most rain northern NY has received in 500 years."  I believe we've had 3 days of sun since April and it's almost June.  I finally wanted something to represent spring so 1 of the 3 sun days I picked up some flowers and created my own "spring"on our porch. Now the test begins...can I keep them alive?

Here's a few pictures from the Battle Company facebook page.  Interesting to see the landscape of the area.

That's a question I ask myself all throughout the day..."I wonder what Ryan is doing?"  I don't know many details but he has shared a few with me. Currently it's very hot where they are at, already reaching above 100 degrees and it's only April. It will be one long, sweaty summer. He's in a tent with 15 guys and their air conditioning broke, he's not too happy about that one. Some of the newer guys in his company and squad just arrived. They've been busy working on training them. They had a nice Easter. The chow hall (eating area) served beef, rice, stuffing, corn on the cob, mashed potatoes and cookies. They even decorated it all up. They had the rare occasion of eating ice cream a few nights ago. I sent sprinkles in a package and they arrived just in time. I must have been inspired to send those! I also sent the graham crackers and frosting to go along with them. They've been busy building up their mortar pits and making sure the area is secu...

Here is the project I've been working on. I decided this would go perfect in our bathroom along with the world map shower curtain. I used 50 different fabric scraps (thanks mom). A big project, one I probably won't repeat, but a fun one.

The best way to get through deployment they say is to stay busy. So here's a few things keeping me busy. I recently took a sewing class on the base. Here's what I made (pajama pants). They didn't come out too bad. I forced myself to keep the sewing machine on a slow speed so I could work on the skill, instead of zooming to get done! I spent a great weekend at my parents house. It began Friday afternoon by mowing the lawn. It only took 3 hours, the riding lawn mower is not working (flooded by water). I threw the baseball with Ben. My arm hasn't been this sore in years, probably not since volleyball season back in high school. And the best part, sewing with mom and Aunt Donna. We had a "sew sweet" weekend. I'm working on a major project and will showcase my work as soon as it is done.

Today I had a fun surprise.  On the TF Chosin facebook page they often post pictures from the Battalion. I always check to see if there's any of Ryan. Today they had one :)

Here's an update from Ryan's Commanding Officer: Hello Battle Ready family! A quick note on Soldiers and their progress here in country. Battle Company is leading the way for the BN. We have successfully transitioned one of the most dangerous villages in the BN AO to US and ANA favor with aggressive patrolling and relentless pursuit of the Taliban enemy. Your Soldiers have shown a level of commitment that is unparalleled. Everyday we are finding and removing IEDs from the battlefield, most of them the locals lead us to which indicates their trust in our ability to keep them safe and our ability to keep the area and their families secure.