Soldier's Wife, Crazy Life

Military Life

Vision To Share

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This post is about “Vision To Share” which was created by  with a mission to help people see. They created “Vision to Share” to change the life of a veteran through America’s VetDogs.

There are 21.2 million U.S. Veterans, 1.5 million of them has a vision-threatening eye disease. Many have low vision and 160,000 are legally blind. They can also be at risk of an eye injury during their time in combat.

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During this campaign, VSP will donate $50,000 to train and match a guide dog with a veteran whose vision is impaired.

  • How it works:
    • All you need to do is share!
    • Visit  and click on “Vision to Share.”
    • Every time you share the video, VSP will donate to the care and training of a guide dog – up to $50,000!
  • America’s VetDogs provides highly trained guide dogs to help veterans lead active, independent lives. It costs $50,000 to raise and train each dog, given to the veteran at no cost.
    • Puppies are trained from birth for two years.
    • America’s VetDogs matches each dog’s skills and personality to the disabled veterans’ needs.
    • Dogs typically work with the veteran until they are 10 years old.
    • Retired dogs are adopted.

You can see more at the hashtag #SeeMuchMore

K5 Website Review

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Summer is over! At least for us here in Clarksville, TN. Back to the regular routine of the school year. I was glad that I was able to review the K5 reading program over the summer. My nine year old was the one who used it.

To start I had him take the Reading assessment to see what level he was at. This was helpful so I could see where he was. He has struggled with reading so it was helpful to know where he was at the start of the program.

Each time he went into the lesson I had him do three rounds. This took him about 15 minutes. What is so great about it too is that as a parent I can go in and see how he is doing. I can look up the assessment results as well as how he is doing overall on the lessons. He also has his own login which is nice. There is nothing to download. You just go to the site and login.

Here is a little bit more information about the program…

The K5 program includes:

  • an initial online assessment of each child’s math and reading skills, 
  •  award-winning, curricula based reading and math content, 
  • over 3,000 online multimedia activities, personalized for each child based on his or her assessment, 
  • a highly structured environment which allows the student to proceed through the lessons in a logical fashion at his own pace,
  • ease of use which allows even 4 or 5 year olds to work independently, 
  •  attention to child safety with no external links, advertisements, chat or similar,
  • comprehensive reporting to parents, 
  • 24/7 availability and no downloads

Overview

K5 Learning (www.k5learning.com) is an online reading and math program for kids from
kindergarten through grade 5. Our intent is to help kids build reading, math and study skills
through independent study. K5 is designed for home use and can be used for after-school,
weekend and summertime supplemental study or in conjunction with a homeschooling program.
How it Works
Kids complete an online assessment of 8 key reading and math skills, and then work
independently at their own pace through over 3,000 online lessons and activities. The lessons
are animated, interactive and simple enough that a 4-5 year old can use them independently. We
automatically choose lessons for students (based on their assessment and past lessons), track
student progress and provide reports for parents.
Benefits for Kids
K5 helps kids learn essential reading and math skills, develop good study habits, and fulfill their
academic potential.
Benefits for Parents
K5 makes life easier for parents by allowing for effective, independent study by kids. Simplified
interfaces, automatic lesson selection, student tracking and reporting all contribute to minimize
the amount of daily supervision required.
Who we are

K5 Learning was founded by parents who wanted better learning tools available to their kids for

home use. In 2010, we licensed the very best reading and math software, used by thousands of

students in hundreds of schools, from leading U.S. education companies. K5 Learning is
formed from the combination of this award winning software

 

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Program Costs
K5 is available on a subscription basis for $25/month or $199/year with substantial discounts for
siblings. Each subscription includes a free math and reading assessment and unlimited use of
each of K5’s four programs, K5 Reading, K5 Math, K5 Spelling and K5 Math Facts. A 14 day
free trial is available.

 

You can sign up for your free 14 day trial here!

 

* I was given a free six week trial of this product for review. Opinions are my own.

Our Honeymoon 12 Years Later

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I thought it would be fun to tell you about my honeymoon, 12 years after the fact. I might not remember everything about that week but I do remember enough.

photo 2We got married on August 3rd, 2002 in Santa Rosa, CA. The reception ended about 4 or 5 in the afternoon and after that we drove to San Francisco where we were going to spend the first night. We paid a lot for that hotel room but this was a once in a life thing. The room was tiny. I was kind of shocked but it worked well. We were starving, especially me. I didn’t eat anything at the reception. I should have as the food was really good. We decided to eat at Bubba Gumps. That was where we had our first meal as Husband and Wife.

The next day we drove down to San Luis Obispo for our 2nd night at the Madonna Inn. What a fun hotel! Our room was blue with a circle bed. I had heard a lot of stories of the place but it was the first time I had been there. I don’t remember too much about the area other than finding a buffet to eat at.

The next morning we drove to Long Beach to park the car. We got on a ship and headed for Catalina Island where we would spend the rest of our honeymoon. We thought a lot about where to go. We thought about Hawaii but being on a budget it just wouldn’t have worked. Catalina is an Island off the cost of Southern California and is the next best thing.

We checked into our bed and breakfast and thought it was too cute. Our room even had a book with all the other people who had stayed there. We had to add our names of course.

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We spent four nights on the island and it was so much fun. My bridesmaids had gotten together to buy us a few fun packages. I can’t quite remember all of them but one was a kayak trip which was so much fun we went back and did it again. We went out on it and found a small little beach. We had bought these amazing sandwiches, put them in a waterproof case and had a picnic on this little beach. It was the best. We also saw a movie at the old casino turned movie theator, I think it was the movie Signs. We also spent time at the beach and ate ate ate. I recently found an Instagram account for a Catalina Food Tour. I told Ben we should look into that next time and he told me that we already did our own tour and that was true. When you are there for that many meals, you get to try a lot of different places.

What I love about Catalina is just the laid back vacation like atmosphere. It was nice. It was such a great week to bond as husband and wife. We did not live together before we got married so staying together like that was new. I started to see Ben as my husband, not my boyfriend anymore. It was the time we needed to bond as a couple.

 

photo 3After those four nights we headed back to our car then drove back to Santa Rosa to really start our lives together. We returned home to a living room full of presents, a fridge full of cake and flowers and a bed filled with jelly beans courtesy of the wedding party.

Looking back that trip seems like such a long time ago. Getting married was such a long time ago. I was only 23! Now I am looking towards 36. Big difference.

We were able to go back to Catalina for our 7th anniversary that hit over R&R. That was an amazing trip as well but so very different from our honeymoon. It was also a little strange since Ben had been gone for 8 months before R&R. We knew each other but also needed to get back to being “us” again. It was also a time to regroup and bond but for a different reason.

I am hoping we can go back for another anniversary in the future. Maybe next year?

 

Why I Started A Blog

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It was fall of 2009 and we were almost at the end of our 2nd deployment. I was in Germany with an almost three-year old and a five-year old.

I was stressed out and ready for my husband to get back home. I didn’t know too many other Army wives at the time. Only a handful I had met over the few years in Germany. I knew I wasn’t the only one who felt tired and worn down from deployments with no real end in sight.

Awifehad tried starting a similar blog before but I didn’t really do much with it. I also had a blog for just friends and family that I started when I was pregnant with my oldest. Now that Facebook was getting more and more popular, I didn’t think I needed a blog to update friends and family anymore.

So when I decided to make this new blog, I wanted it to be different.  I wanted to share my stories and connect with other Military spouses. I had no idea how big the Milspouse blogging community was.

I found myself on Twitter and met a few other spouses and started visiting their blogs.

Within a few months I had several followers and I loved where my blog was going.

It’s been almost five years since that time. My blog has changed names, remember when I was Julie the Army wife? We have been through two more deployments, we left Germany and my husband got out of active duty and is now in the National Guard. We even had another baby.

Looking back over the changes in my life I am so glad I blogged through all of them. I can look back and read about it and remember those times.

When it comes to why I still blog, it is because I enjoy having a place to express myself. I also hope my readers can relate to what I am talking about whether it is something about having children or something about a deployment or a new book I read.

At this point I am not sure what the next three years will look like Military wise. Most likely we won’t be going through any deployments. Because we still live near Ft. Campbell, we still have a lot of Military in our lives. From the Commissary to the people I meet and hang out with. It will be interesting to see how my blog changes during these post Active duty years.

Do you have a blog? Why did you start it and what keeps you going?

My Trip To St. Louis And The Scentsy Family Reunion

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St. Louis Arch

I just got back from St. Louis and had an amazing time! I was there for the 10th anniversary Scentsy Family Reunion!

I had SO much fun!

I got to spend time with Scentsy sisters, see a new city, learn about new products and get inspired. I was also able to go to lunch with a high school friend I had not seen in years!

Scentsy Sisters

I arrived on Tuesday and met up with one of my roommates. We hadn’t met before but had connected on Facebook. Since our other two roommates were getting in later, her friend picked us up and took us to the hotel. We stayed at the Hampton Inn and it was great. I was impressed by the free breakfast that they had each morning. We dropped our stuff off and headed back to the airport to pick up the other two. One of them was my Scentsy “niece” I had met last year and the other was a friend of our other roommate.

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Later that night I got to go to a Sarah Bareilles concert. Now I knew some her of songs but I didn’t know a thing about her. I loved the concert. She was a lot of fun. Found out she is exactly my age and from California too. I am claiming her song Brave as my theme song for the rest of the year 🙂

On Wednesday morning we had a 5K put on by Scentsy. My group walked and made it in about an hour. We all had to wear silly socks which was fun. After the walk I didn’t take the bus back with everyone else. I waited for my friend Heather to come pick me up. I met Heather in high school. We were both on the swim team but she moved to Rhode Island when we were 16. We have kept in touch and my mom and I got to visit her when we were 19. We also got to go to her wedding in 2005 and that was the last time we had seen each other. I am so glad it worked out to visit with her. She is now a mom of three kids too and I love that. It is a great feeling being friends with someone for so long.

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We went to eat at Fitz’s which was great. You can watch them bottle the drinks while you are eating. We then walked around a little and went to the Arch. We didn’t go inside but it was nice to see it up close.

Fitz's Rootbear

She dropped me off at my hotel and I met up with my Scentsy friends again. We had a dinner together and then went to the Scentsy pep rally and Train concert. We got to see a lot of the new warmers and scents coming out in the fall. In Oprah like fashion, they gave everyone in the audience a set of mini testers for the fall. That was super fun and exciting! Train was amazing too.

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Thursday we started all the sessions. This year in addition to the general sessions we had “breakout” ones too. We got to pick which classes we wanted to go to based on what we wanted to learn about. It was great! Thursday was free night but I had gotten some free tickets to the Cardinal’s game so me and three others went together. After the game we decided to hit the Scentsy store again and then a friend and I went to have a very late dinner at the pub under our hotel. We sat there looking through the new catalog which was nice.

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Friday was a bunch of inspirational speakers including John O’Leary. If you have not heard of him, go like his page. He has been through a lot but he is so encouraging and has a great sense of humor too. We got to listen to a few consultant speakers as well. I love that. I love hearing from people who have had so much success with the company. It really inspires me.

After the last session it was time for me to head home. I had to go early because Ben had drill the next day. It was hard to leave but in the end it worked out okay. They still hadn’t announced where the new Reunion was going to be and what our incentive trip was. I was waiting to hear from friends and got the news right before I boarded the plane. It was pretty much all I thought about on the flight.

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Next year the Scentsy Family Reunion will be in Las Vegas! I am SO excited about this!

Our incentive will be a cruise in Puerto Rico which is super exciting! I love cruises so I will be trying my hardest to win this one.

I would really encourage anyone in direct sales to try to attend their annual conference. It is investing in your business, allowing you the opportunity to meet and bond with others and inspiring you for the next year. And learning about the new products ahead of time is also a big plus.

I also loved that I got to visit St. Louis. My Mom lived there for a few years and it was great to see party of a city that my Grandparents called home for a time.

 

 

 

See’s Candies Invites Consumers to Visit Local Shops to Write Personalized Thank-You Notes for U.S. Service Members

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I love See’s Candies! Here is some information on how they support the troops 🙂

See’s Candies Invites Consumers to Visit Local Shops to Write Personalized Thank-You Notes for U.S. Service Members

See’s Candies Expands Partnership with Operation Gratitude to Show Appreciation for Men and Women in Uniform

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LOS ANGELES – June 26, 2014 – See’s Candies, one of the most trusted and timeless candy makers in the country, is expanding its partnership with Operation Gratitude to support members of the U.S. military.  Starting Saturday (June 28) through July 6, See’s will provide materials in its shops for customers to write personal notes of gratitude to our troops. Shop associates will collect these notes which will be delivered to Operation Gratitude, to include in their care packages and send to service members who are stationed all over the world.

See’s has worked with Operation Gratitude since 2006, providing candy for care packages. The organization assembles packages year-round and delivers them to veterans, first responders, recruits, wounded warriors, care givers, and U.S. service members deployed overseas. Their mission is to lift spirits and meet the evolving needs of the active-duty and veteran communities, and provide volunteer opportunities for all Americans to express their appreciation to members of our Military. See’s fans and customers can now join the candy maker in showing their own appreciation by visiting a shop and writing a personalized message for the troops.

“As we approach Independence Day, we at See’s think it’s important to make sure our military know how grateful we are for their service,” said Brad Kinstler, president & CEO of See’s Candies. “We’ve been working with Operation Gratitude for years to share our American-made chocolate with U.S. service members.  We’re pleased that we can now invite our customers to join us in supporting our troops by sharing their thanks in personalized, handwritten letters.”

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See’s fans and customers who are unable to visit a shop before July 6 can show their support by visiting www.sees.com/operationgratitude and completing an online form with their personal messages for U.S. service members. See’s will print the notes and deliver them to Operation Gratitude for inclusion in their care packages.

The troops often express surprise and appreciation when they receive these special care packages and personalized notes.  In response to receiving a package, one lieutenant colonel wrote, “I received an unexpected care package from you today and it is a little embarrassing how touched I was by your generosity. I have been sitting here trying to understand why this care package was so different from the others. I think it’s because you don’t know me. We expect to get things from friends and family, but you sent me something out of a deep respect for your country and its defenders. That’s powerful. I wanted you to know that your thoughtfulness made today better for all of us.”

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About Operation Gratitude:

Operation Gratitude annually sends 150,000+ care packages filled with snacks, entertainment, hygiene and hand-made items, plus personal letters of support, to Veterans, First Responders, Recruits, Wounded Warriors, Care Givers and to individually named U.S. Service Members deployed overseas. Our mission is to lift the spirits and meet the evolving needs of our Active Duty and Veteran communities, and provide volunteer opportunities for all Americans to express their appreciation to members of our Military. Each package contains donated product valued at $75-100 and costs the organization $15 to assemble and ship. Since its inception in 2003, Operation Gratitude volunteers have shipped more than One Million Care Packages.

About See’s Candies:

Delivering deliciousness since 1921, we happily continue to make candy Mary See’s way, using only the finest ingredients — with no added preservatives. Our chocolates and treats are American-made in our own candy kitchens, from our decadent truffles and chocolate-covered nuts to gourmet lollypops and our crunchy Peanut Brittle, its quality you can taste in every piece.

Step inside one of our shops, and you’ll see a crisp, clean black-and-white checkered motif inspired by Mary’s original kitchen.  Each day, visitors are welcomed with the friendliest service and can choose a delicious piece of candy to try.

Headquartered in sunny California, we have over 200 retail shops across the country and an online shop that serves See’s fans around the world. We continue to uphold our commitment to delivering the highest level of taste, quality, tradition and service.

Mary would be proud.

Living in Monterey, California

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Living in Monterey, California

When the orders for Monterey, Calif., arrive, you will rejoice because you get to live at one of the most picturesque places in the world. Then you will calculate the cost of living in Monterey and thank the military that you will only live there for a short period of time. Monterey’s cost of living is 68 percent higher than the U.S. average.

 

The Monterey Bay Coastal Recreation Trail is great for biking, walking and running in Monterey. The trail runs along the coast. Here is one view from the trail near Pacific Grove.

The Monterey Bay Coastal Recreation Trail is great for biking, walking and running in Monterey. The trail runs along the coast. Here is one view from the trail near Pacific Grove.

 

Monterey was our No. 1 choice for Navy orders. Actually it was our dream location. We have been in Monterey for 11 months and are scheduled to move before the end of the year. This is our fifth duty station and it’s above and beyond my favorite location. I love the relaxed atmosphere of the community, the availability of fresh produce yearround and the Mediterranean climate. It’s the first place we’ve been stationed at where I feel I could live here for the rest of my life. I won’t discuss leaving Monterey. I’m completely in denial.

If you are stationed in Monterey, plan to spend time exploring Highway 1 at Big Sur. In the winter, you can spot whales in the ocean while photographing Bixby Bridge, one of the most photographic bridges along the Pacific Coast.

If you are stationed in Monterey, plan to spend time exploring Highway 1 at Big Sur. In the winter, you can spot whales in the ocean while photographing Bixby Bridge, one of the most photographic bridges along the Pacific Coast.

Service members who find themselves in Monterey are either students or instructors. More than 3,500 soldiers, Marines, sailors, airmen and DOD employers attend the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center at the Presidio of Monterey. Hundreds of service members arrive straight from boot camp to become proficient in a variety of languages ranging from French to Farsi.

Less than 4 miles away is the Naval Postgraduate School, a fully accredited research university operated by the Navy since 1954. At this university, military officers from the United States and 48 other countries earn master’s degrees and doctoral degrees. Notable graduates include Admiral Michael Mullen, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and General Michael W. Hagee, 33rd Commandant of the Marine Corps.

Monterey, located nearly 120 miles south of San Francisco along the Pacific Coast, is a location where you want spend every day exploring locally owned shops, sipping wine at the tasting rooms in Carmel, tasting farm-to-table restaurants, or kayaking in the bay. But as a military spouse be prepared to make friends quickly because for either DLI or NPS students, the curriculum is intensive and your soldier will find himself studying more than 8 hours a day and on the weekends. We thought my husband would have tons of free time when we moved here. He doesn’t have weekend and evening duty, which is a blessing, but he does spend a lot more time in classroom then we expected.

In our time in Monterey, we've taken family photos among the redwoods, near Cannery Row and at the beach. This photo was taken at Point Lobos State Natural Reserve.

In our time in Monterey, we’ve taken family photos among the redwoods, near Cannery Row and at the beach. This photo was taken at Point Lobos State Natural Reserve.

The majority of military families live in military housing. There are two main options. Families live either at The Parks of Monterey Bay, a privatized housing area managed by Pinnacle or the Ord Military Community, which is located on the former Fort Ord. Both housing areas have indoor pools, childcare facilities and elementary schools. The commissary, exchange and gas station are located at the Ord Military Community.

If you are moving to Monterey, get your name on the waiting list for military housing as soon as you have orders. There is always a waiting list for housing in Monterey. The same can be said for daycare.

Is Monterey an ideal location? Not for everyone. The weather is foggy, damp and chilly. The beaches are breathtaking, but don’t expect to wear your bikini in Monterey. The average high temperature is 72 degrees in the summer months. Some military spouses miss the heat and humidity. Not this spouse. I got my abundance of heat when we were stationed in Yuma, Ariz., and Okinawa, Japan in the past. I love the clouds and don’t mind wearing a jacket in June.

Monterey is also a “buy local” city so if you love certain national chain restaurants, such as Olive Garden, you will complain about Monterey. If you buy all your craft supplies at Hobby Lobby, you will complain about Monterey. If you want drive-thru fast food, you will complain about Monterey.

If you like locally-owned cafes where they only accept cash, you will love Monterey. If you like buying locally-grown produce, you will have the option of a farmers market every day of the week. If you like the sounds of seals barking in the water to the loud music of nightclubs, you will enjoy your time in Monterey. If you don’t mind battling tourists for a view at the Monterey Bay Aquarium or a camping spot in Big Sur, you will love your time in Monterey.

I am a fan of Monterey and recommend it. I just hope I don’t go broke loving my life in Monterey.

Freelance writer Michelle Volkmann is a Navy spouse and mother to 2 Disney-obsessed daughters. She has worked for newspapers and magazines around the world. She survives on bacon and coffee and hates washing dishes. She is scheduled to move in December, but she doesn’t know where the Navy is sending her family. Please stop asking.