I'm Back...again.

I'm probably the worst blogger ever when it comes to unexplained blogging sabbaticals. I haven't written since JULY! How crazy is that?! Here's the thing, stuff happened. I probably won't go into great detail on all the "stuff" but I'm back and here's a quick run down of what we've been up to...

*Most importantly, I'm still pregnant. We had a couple complications  (given my history, no real surprises there) but everything is going well now and I'm already huge which is good...mostly. 

*Joshua has a new civi job...this one takes a little explanation. His old civi job fired him. Yup. Fired. He's never been fired before and despite the fact that they always gave him glowing reviews and he's never had a complaint, they fired him...basically, they were tired of having to work around his Guard schedule and responsibilities so when he came back from his two week AT, they let him go. I wasn't surprised because they've been anti-military since day one but I was angry and if I think about it too much now, I'm still angry...but I'm also grateful. He hated that place. They were HORRIBLE. Not everyone who worked there of course but yeah, horrible is the only word for it. Just to give you an idea of the atmosphere, before he deployed they were interviewing people for an open position and he overheard one of the managers say that there was "no chance in hell we're hiring that guy-he's another Guard guy and that's the last thing we need." Then, when Joshua returned from deployment, several of his co-workers thought it was funny to surprise him with loud noises just to see if they could make him jump. Classy, right?! Anyway, I say I'm grateful because his new job is better. I mean it's not hard to be better than his old job but it's WAY better. Like God did an awesome thing better. The hours are a little odd but we're good with odd and he enjoys the work.

*We've started with our new homeschool group and curriculum-Classical Conversations if you're interested. It couldn't be going better. I'm tutoring the 4/5 yr old class which has been a blast and the boy is amazing us with how much he's learning. Actually, our little 2 yr old princess is even trying to get in on the action sometimes.

(1st day of CC-our homeschool group which meets once a week and our 1st day of homeschool at home-yup, in pjs)

(our favorite project this semester...we created a multi-level eco-system...I plan to write a post with more details to come but if you want to build one yourself, you can find the step-by-step tutorial we followed here)

*I was asked to be a pattern tester for a new "ruffle top" which I loved making but unfortunately in the process my sewing machine died :( so now I'm at a bit of a standstill when it comes to sewing.

(here's the finished project...once the pattern is available for purchase, I'll post a link to it)

*The boy is, at this very moment, on vacation with his grandparents at Disney World. I'm jealous. I'm really jealous. But I'm also really pregnant and on travel restrictions...kinda going crazy with cabin fever. I have, however, enjoyed the one-on-one time with our princess. We switched some of the kids furniture around in preparation for Baby 3.0 so now the princess is in a big girl bed and loving it-still waiting to find out the gender but Joshua's trying to convince me not to wait so we'll see if that changes.

That's been us the last couple of months. I plan on spending the next week reading all the blogs I love and have been missing to get caught up on your lives!

PS>I just got a pic from Grandma of our little man and a couple of his cousins at Disney World's Pirate's League...so wish I was with him!

A Heart-Wrenching Good Day

Two years ago tomorrow I was in a hospital in Oklahoma with my mom while my husband skyped from Afghanistan for our daughter’s delivery.

It’s been on my mind a lot this week. In part, of course, because our baby girl is turning two but also because Joshua is once again-thanks to the Army, out of town. He’s not deployed-it’s just a short (anything less than a month is considered short in my book) training separation but he’s still gone. He’s going to miss her birthday and being pregnant again (read: super hormonal), I can’t help but remember the overwhelming feelings of that day two years ago.

I say overwhelming because even now, two years later, I don’t have any other words. I don’t know if there even is a word to describe that sort of emotion. When we first found out I was pregnant, we knew he was going to deploy “soon” but with the Army soon is relative. For a short time, we believed he would still be stateside and would be able to be home for the delivery. Then, the deployment dates changed-or at least our understanding of them changed. Lastly, we were told he would have the option, if we chose, to come home for his R&R during the delivery. It was an agonizing decision. If we had him come home, most of his time would be spent with me and our baby at the hospital and relatively little with our son. Plus, we’d see him for two weeks and not again for over nine months.

We made the “logical” decision. He missed the birth and met us two months later in Florida where our son would have fun even if Daddy was engulfed with the baby. It was the best thing for our son. Daddy didn’t come home and leave again. Daddy wasn’t spending all his time with the baby.

But the logical decision didn’t mean so much when I was alone in the hospital with a newborn. It was  hallow for the next two months as I thought about the worst case scenario…desperately hoping, even praying that if something was going to happen, let it be after R&R-let it be after they met. Morbid, maybe but it was my prayer.

Her birth was the most emotional day of my life. More than when Joshua returned. More than the day I got married. More than when our son was born and I became a mom.

It was a heart-wrenching, good day.

Goodbye Deployment

Today is so much more than just St Patrick's Day for us. Today marks the one year anniversary that Joshua has been home from deployment. To say I've been anticipating this date would be an understatement. I've been desperate for it...particularly for our children. Reintegration has been hard, at times as hard as the deployment was. Learning how to be a family of four, discovering our marriage again while also simultaneously helping Joshua adjust to how much our son had grown was difficult-Joshua left for the deployment when the boy was two and a half and was gone for 13 months but to be honest, Joshua really left for training when the boy was a year and a half and was gone 19 out of the next 24 months. It took a toll. I'm in awe of how well our son has done but there are remnants of the pain he felt. 

Last week when we took both the kids to the optometrist (neither needed glasses-more than a small miracle itself!), we were about half way through the 45 minutes route when the boy's eyes got huge and filled with tears. I was almost panicked, watching him struggle to get control of himself to be able to tell us what hurt/what was wrong and then he said it...

"Does this mean Daddy is going far, far away again?" 

His four year old mind had linked the one other time he remembered being at the optometrist with his Daddy being gone as it was shortly before Joshua had returned. 

It's not the first time he had asked it...when we were on our way to Disney last September, he had remembered the year before's R&R trip and had a small breakdown thinking we were all going to Florida but that his Daddy wouldn't be coming back with us.

I've been so ready for this day to come. To be able to say a year ago today my husband was home (or at least not being shot at) is a blessing that I treasure. The deployment taught me many lessons but one of the biggest was patience and what long-suffering love really is. It took long-suffering love to get through the deployment but it's also taken a long-suffering love to get through reintegration. We've made it to a year. We're still married...and I'm sad to say that isn't the case for everyone we've walked this journey with. Our children are healthy and happy and we've found our new normal. With Joshua still in the military, I don't take his being home for granted. I recognize and accept we may go through this same cycle again but today, we celebrate the time we've had together.

Maybe it's providential that this anniversary falls on St Patrick's Day. Many mistakenly assume he brought Christianity to Ireland (or miraculously rid it of snakes-although that would certainly be something to celebrate) but what he really did, according to Jon Sweeny who wrote a book about St Patrick, was organize, inspire and expand Christianity within Ireland but he didn't even do that right away. He spent six years as a slave-which is where he discovered his faith and then decades studying before he returned to Ireland. 

Regardless of what the future may hold...what deployments, training separations or anything else we may face, St Patrick's Day will always stand as a personal reminder to "rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces perseverance, and perseverance produces character, and character produces hope."

The Time I Made A Teenager Cry

It all happened because I went to Walmart. I hate Walmart but we live in the middle-of-nowhere and the middle-of-nowhere for us means one way-over-priced, not-very-good grocery store, a mini-version of a Walmart Supercenter, two gas stations and a handful of fast food joints. Everything else is at least 45 minutes away. So, last night when I needed butter for dinner, I bit the bullet and went to Walmart. 

Wandering the aisles was a teenage couple who looked to be about 17 (apparently Walmart rats are the middle-of-nowhere's version of mall rats). On any other day I may not have even noticed them at all but the boy was wearing something that caught my eye.

He was wearing a crisp, new ACU top.

He was clearly not a soldier and had never been a soldier.

I was immediately annoyed and indignant. In fact, I tweeted about it...

"Seriously people. Military uniforms are not fashion statements. PS> You look like an idiot #hippiedumbass"


As I walked away looking for wrapping paper (because although I had gone just for butter, as usual, I ended up buying five other things too) it dawned on me that he probably didn't understand. So, when I turned the corner and ran into him again, I confronted him. 

First, I asked him where he got it and why he wore it. It came from an Army Surplus Store and he didn't have a reason why he wore it except that he thought it "looked cool." So, we had a discussion (I use that term loosely, it was more of a lecture) about the sweat and blood that soldiers give for that uniform. I told him about the tears of the families and how disrespectful it is to see someone walking around wearing a uniform they didn't earn.

He teared up and she looked a little uncomfortable...I feel bad for calling him out in front of a girl he clearly cares for but I couldn't hold my tongue. I'm tired of white-washed patriotism from a generation that has grown up knowing almost nothing about American exceptionalism and the sacrifices made to achieve it. Hollywood, propelled by the the masses, is quick to use the former service member/PTSD murderer archetype or cart out the strong mil-wife with a gaggle of children hanging onto her for an emotional homecoming with her beloved or more accurately for ratings but when it comes to educating our children about respect and honor, Americans are falling dreadfully short. This generation of children has grown up with the longest war in American history but many of them, and their parents, can't even locate Afghanistan on a map.

It's frustrating to be a military family in a civilian world that claims adoration for the military but knows little to nothing of it.

My Dysfunctional Veteran

It's been a couple weeks since I somewhat mysteriously disappeared. I mentioned that we had some medical issues to deal with and to be honest, as much as blogging saves my sanity, I just didn't have the energy for it. 

I need to back up.

During the deployment, Joshua's knee crapped out (that's a medical term you may not be aware of but it's totally scientific). So, around the end of July, Joshua went to the VA and the first thing they did was a basic check up including blood tests. Well, that first set of tests came back a little off so they took some more blood and when those results came back, they ordered an abdominal ultrasound which showed some irregularities with his liver.

More blood tests...those were especially fun because when the nurse took them, she was kind enough to share with us that she'd worked as a nurse for 15 years and had never run that particular blood test. 

So reassuring.

The next step, two weeks ago, was a liver biopsy. 

My husband is 31. He's too young to need a biopsy of anything and it was nerve wracking. The results came back (two days after they were supposed to be in but that's another story that ends with me rolling my eyes at the VA) and thankfully it doesn't look like the worst case scenario. We still don't technically have a diagnosis but we're hopeful that the abdominal CT scan Joshua had on Friday will give the doctors enough information to go forward. He has a consultation with the liver specialist next week to go over everything and it can't get here soon enough. 

Meanwhile, all this came from a simple blood test because his knee was hurting. Last week also brought a diagnosis on that front. Patellofemoral with a tear in the medial meniscus. After a quick Google search when Joshua texted me the diagnosis, I was able to translate that to mean torn cartilage and bone on bone pain. He's scheduled to see the ortho specialist in early December. 

Knowing is such a relief. Yes, Joshua will probably have surgery on his knee and possibly on his liver but we have direction. We have some answers so I'm thankful.

Even without answers, I'd be thankful...I have these three hooligans...

(cell phone pic...he saw this hat at the VA while waiting for his liver biopsy and HAD to have it...the print is small but reads "Dysfunctional Veteran Leave Me Alone"...he's classy like that)

Strong Bonds Marriage Retreat

Last weekend Joshua and I went to a marriage retreat put on by the Army...frightening, right?! At least it was for me before we got there. I was having nightmares of death by power point and rooms with hundreds of men dragged by their wives couples. For the record, Joshua is the one who signed us up.

Confession: I was that annoying kid who enjoyed sitting in the front of class learning new things. I liked to know the answer. Joshua, on the other hand, was less than a stellar student growing up and based on the amount of inappropriate laughing at the yellow ribbon events, most of the soldiers in his unit were also familiar with the back row antics of elementary and middle school but I digress.

This weekend wasn't really what I expected at all. Yes-there were power point slides but they weren't overwhelming and the class was small, only 24 couples (although they had apparently been approved to fund up to 100...but more on that below). The small size, for me, really kept the intimidation factor down. Another thing we found helpful was the lack of uniforms. Everyone, even the chaplains who ran it showed up in civi's which automatically made it more relaxed. The classes were good and the chaplains were both funny and helpful. 

The retreat was at a nice hotel about ten minutes from Bricktown (for those unfamiliar with OKC, Bricktown is the downtown area popular with restaurants, clubs and entertainment). Classes began on Saturday morning with several breaks including a long one for lunch and we were out by 4pm and strongly encouraged to go on a date...which we did and it was excellent. Then, Sunday, we had classes in the morning and were able to leave after lunch. The classes covered half a dozen different areas and although we used a workbook, we didn't go through the whole thing or even try to. We skipped around but still felt that we got a well-rounded and whole experience.

The only real downside (aside from the frigidly cold conference room-like put on a parka cold) was that so few people even knew about it. Originally the retreat was unit specific but because they didn't get the response they had expected, they opened it up to the entire 45th and yet, still only 24 couples went. The main reason, in my opinion, wasn't a lack of interest (because let's face it, at worst it's a free night at a hotel) but instead a lack of awareness. We basically stumbled upon it but I'm glad we did.

So, if you or your spouse is in the Oklahoma Army National Guard, know that there are Strong Bond Marriage retreats for you (you must be married not just engaged or dating and I have no idea how the Army handles same sex marriages). Whether you want to learn to communicate better, are in a good place and just want to make your marriage stronger or things aren't going so well and you need a good place to start contact your chaplain or the main chaplain office and sign up. There's another Strong Bond Marriage Retreat this fall and we were told they plan to apply for funding for a Strong Bond Family Retreat sometime in October (no idea if or when that funding will be approved and the retreat will take place but we're more than likely going to attend because let's face it, kids are a major area of stress on a marriage, even if your marriage is rock solid).

In a nutshell...

Would I do it again? Yes.

Would Joshua recommend it? (I specifically asked him before I wrote this post) Absolutely.

Did we learn new ways to communicate effectively? Yes.

Did it help our marriage? Most definitely.

Reintegration Update

It's been a while since I really wrote about reintegration but it's been on my mind a lot the last couple of days. My best friend is about to go through her husband's first deployment and I've recently written a post for a deployment series that should come out end of August/September-ish. I'll link up when the series begins. I'm really looking forward to reading everyone else's experiences with deployment. 

I'd like to say I haven't written about reintegration in a while because it's been a cake walk and hasn't been on my mind at all but that's not really the case. It hasn't been bad, it just hasn't been easy. First, I didn't know how to write about it and in many ways, I still don't. Then, there's some stuff I just can't write about...at least not yet. Nothing to do with my relationship with my husband or his relationship with our children...those relationships have remained strong and are growing. Just Joshua's transition from active duty, full-time, war-zone Army life to a civilian job where 99% of the people don't get it and have no interest in educating themselves about military life isn't easy.

Joshua's not the only one from his deployment to struggle with the drastic change to civilian life. I've learned more about PTSD and I've realized that I had, at least on some level, stereotyped "those" people. Whenever I heard those four letters I used to think of emotionally wounded, violent men who beat their wives. Now, I know people with PTSD. They're good men.

As for Joshua specifically, he's doing really well. He's going back to the VA in a couple days for his knee-he injured it while he was deployed and has been on a running profile (I'm probably not wording that correctly and he'll say something if he reads this but basically his knee is jacked up and he can't run like he would like to) which has been super annoying for him because he says I'm "making [him] fat." To which I say, "I only make the yummy meals, you decide how much of it to eat." 

Meanwhile, our Princess has him wrapped around her finger like he never missed a day. The Boy is still very much a Daddy's boy and has really grown since Joshua returned. His verbal skills have improved and although he sometimes struggles with separation anxiety, it's generally not too bad. I'm hopeful that with a little more family time, any remnant anxiety will fade away.

 By the way, if you're facing a deployment of your own with a little one at home, we HIGHLY recommend the Sesame St DVD Talk, Listen, Connect: Deployments, Homecomings and Changes. It set us up for success with the boy. You can get it from Military One Source and it's often handed out at pre-deployment yellow ribbon events. Just keep in mind there are two DVDs. Deployment/Homecomings are two chapters on one DVD and Changes is the other DVD. I've heard (read: I'm a wuss and haven't had the emotional fortitude to find out for myself) that the Changes DVD is to be used to help explain the situation in pre-school terms if your service member comes home injured. Don't mix the two up! Also, you may want to pre-view the Deployment chapter alone so you can ball your eyes out before you watch it with your children.

As for Joshua and I, we're scheduled to go to a Strong Bonds seminar next month and although I think we're both a little nervous about it-we've never done a marriage retreat and anything led by the Army tends to keep me a bit guarded, I think it should be fun. We've had good friends go through it with nothing but positive things to say. 

I guess that's the update...we're still truckin' along. It's not always easy. It's often frustrating. But we're learning what our new normal is and so far, it's not too bad.

Freedom Isn't Free

I hope everyone had a happy and safe 4th of July. I really wanted to write about our plans but in addition to splashing in the kids' pool, taking some holiday pics and grilling steaks, we spent the night eating and blowing things up with some Army friends as a surprise birthday/4th of July party with some of the guys Joshua deployed with. 

It was good to get together especially because the birthday boy (aka Hopper) is a guy whom Joshua hasn't seen since Hopper was seriously injured and air-lifted out. He and his wife have been in my prayers for months. I know that they've both struggled with the injury but they're really an inspiration in strength. Our nation's birth and growth continue because of the sacrifices of men and women like Hopper and their families. 

Adventure Is Out There! Part 2

Our adventure in El Paso continued after the gun range (and a taco break) when we hopped in the truck and drove out to White Sands for some Sand Dune Sledding. 

Sounds awesome, right?!

It was pretty cool but it was also a lot of work to get back up the sand dunes and it's really not like snow sledding at all. 

(it was awesome to get away from the kids, just the two of us...first time in almost 3 years)

(pigtails were helpful to keep my hair out of my face until they tried to kill me...this pic wasn't moments before "the incident" where my pigtail got caught under the sled and made me wipe out...graceful, as always)

The rest of our time in El Paso was spent playing games...I'm now just a little bit obsessed with dominoes...eating and just hanging out. The boys cleaned the guns while JG and I played with our nails.

We stayed in El Paso until just about the last possible moment. We got to my parents' house (which is about three hours from our place) at 0200. They had to leave for the airport at 0400...they're in Belize for two weeks (must be rough). We stayed at their house until both Joshua and I had enough sleep to get back on the road which took a while because the kids woke up way too early and we ended up taking shifts napping. We managed to pick up the dog from a local farm where he goes while we're out of town and get home with enough time in the afternoon for the kids to lay down while I got some laundry going...exciting stuff. But we were still in a rush because the boy had his first t-ball game that night.

(the boy in the 1st inning...he hit...he ran...unfortunately, he ran to the pitcher's mound before he ran to first base...thankfully, in the second inning he managed to run the correct direction and even scored)

(it was sort of a David vs Goliath situation...except that Goliath won...the other team was clearly older and much more experienced than our kiddos but they had a great time)

(in the 2nd inning, our boy was the catcher...isn't he just the cutest little thing!)

Have I mentioned that we had a whirlwind week and a half?! Because we did and even after the t-ball game, it wasn't over. We got home and repacked the suitcase for an overnight yellow ribbon event about an hour and a half from where we live. Thankfully, this time around it wasn't death by power point and a few of the speakers seemed to really have the attention of the audience which when you're talking about a few hundred soldiers who were made to attend and spouses who were only trying to be supportive, it's no small thing to keep their attention. It was good to hang out with some of the guys Joshua deployed with and having a couple free hotel rooms for the night (one for the kids and one for us-adjoining of course) didn't suck but I'm glad to be home. Other than going out for the 4th, I plan to stay home for nice stretch, if only to recover from the last two weeks.

I hope everyone has a happy and safe Independence Day. Let's celebrate our nation's freedom by blowing a piece of it away...it's the American way.

Deployment...the not-so-friendly ghost

Father's Day was officially three months since Joshua returned and although I'm thrilled/relieved/humbled to say that we've managed the reintegration better than I expected, there are moments when the deployment seems like a ghost in the corner invisible to all but us. Like last month when we went to the local arts festival and a balloon popped. Joshua jumped. Not a huge jump. Not really even out of fear. I was probably the only person who noticed but it threw me back to the nights when I didn't sleep and jumped when someone knocked at the door. Our little ghost is coming around less and less often and although I don't think we'll ever really be free of him, he has less of an impact. 


The thing that does still carry a punch is when I hear someone belittle my husband's service (or any other service member's sacrifice). Being a Guard family, we live in two worlds. It's sometimes a blessing and sometimes a burden. The benefits are obvious...we don't have to move, Joshua will (theoretically) deploy less often and we're not always inside the "Army bubble." Unfortunately, the biggest downside is that many people we live and work with don't understand our life. It's arguable whether that's because the can't understand it or they just won't but either way, it can hurt.


Yesterday, Joshua went to his civilian job with his multi-cam back pack (it's how he prefers to carry his laptop) and a woman he works with (whom I will refer to as L and who knows he's still in the Guard and scheduled to go active duty again soon) stopped him and asked "What's up with the camo bag?"


I don't think Joshua totally understood the question or the reason for it and replied "It's what was issued and I like it." 


L: "But it's not like you're really in the military now."


The room got silent (which at his job is hard to do) and I'm thankful that someone else stepped up and corrected L so that Joshua didn't have to. I understand what she meant by it but it's the attitude behind it that stings. Sometimes, I wish people with that attitude could see our little ghost. Maybe then they'd understand.

Disney World Military Discount Explained

(photo credit: dcaligari.blogspot.com)

***UPDATE***

The 2012 Military Room and Ticket Discounts which end at the end of September (explained below) has been extended from October 2012 to September 28th, 2013 with the tickets at a slightly higher price. The four day park hopper tickets will be $156 per person

Block out dates are as follows...

• Nov. 22 – Nov. 24, 2012
• Dec. 23 – Dec. 31, 2012
• Mar. 25 – Apr. 4, 2013

******

Over the last couple of years, there's been some great discounts at Disney World for military families but with all things Disney, it can appear complicated so I thought I'd break it down in the most simplistic way I can...

There are two separate discounts...one on tickets and one on resort stays. You can have both of those discounts BUT you cannot add another discount like free dining. In fact, with packages (where the tickets, resorts and sometimes a dining plan are bundled) you may only have ONE discount which is why you need to do the numbers to see what discount gives you more for your money. 

The current offer (which is basically the same offer just renewed for the last couple of years) ENDS September 30th, 2012. There is no word yet on whether or not the offer will be extended another year but I'll update this page as soon I know more.

Who is eligible?

Active or retired members of the U.S. Military INCLUDING National Guard, Reservists and U.S. Coast Guard and their spouses may purchase the tickets for themselves, friends and family (more details in the fine print section...)

Tickets

You must PURCHASE tickets on or before September 27th, 2012.

Also, you must USE all the tickets on or before September 30th, 2012.

The cost is $138 and gives you 4 days of park hopper tickets. The cost is per person 3 years and up regardless of age. To give you an example of the savings...rack rate for an adult 4 day park hopper is normally $313, for a child (3-9 yrs) it's $296 so it can absolutely save you a ton of money.

If you wish to spend some time at one of the two Disney water parks (in addition to the four theme parks), you can upgrade your tickets for $27 each and have up to four days in the water parks in addition to four days worth of park hopper theme park tickets.

You buy your tickets at the ITT...MWR...whatever the morale center is called at your base...post...port...fort...camp...wherever you are at and whatever they call it...that's where you buy them (I know that didn't make sense but really military life doesn't require learning another language, it requires learning five new languages). Because you buy them "on base" it's tax free.

EITHER the service member OR his/her spouse may purchase the tickets (which is great if your service member is otherwise occupied...like deployed and coming home for R&R). 

The fine print...

No more than SIX (6) four day tickets can be purchased, activated and/or used per service member/spouse TOTAL. If you're family is larger than six people 3 years and up, you'll have to buy separate tickets for the additional people. Either the service member or his/her spouse must be present and use one of the 4 day tickets.

As always, with the fine print, feel free to email me for more information, call Disney at 407-WDW-7675 or call your local ITT, MWR office.

Resort Stays

Unless you have a time share, if you're going to use the Disney military discount for tickets, you're going to need a place to stay. Where you should stay is always a big question when planning a trip to Disney and although normally I understand the dilemma, with the military discount, you really can't go wrong staying on property especially combined with the discounted tickets. You'll have access to the dining plans (at full price but still very convenient) as well as all the other great benefits to staying on property...you can go HERE for a breakdown of the on-property/off-property options including the military resort Shades of Green.

There are 3 levels of resorts at Disney...value, moderate and deluxe and offer a wide array of amenities, themes and decor. The military discount on resorts varies also by the level of resort that you choose. 

Value resorts will give you a 30% discount.

Moderate resorts will give you a 35% discount.

Deluxe resorts will give you a 40% discount.

The fine print...

Valid military ID is required at check in. If you arrive on either a Friday or Saturday there may be a minimum length of stay required based on the time of year you are visiting. There is a limited number of rooms set aside for this discount so be sure to book as soon as possible. Each service member/spouse may book up to three rooms per service member at the discounted rate.

Bottom Line

The discounts are great! Especially if it's your first time, you only plan to visit the mouse for a few days and you aren't as interested in the higher priced restaurants. If you're like my husband and I and you prefer a longer trip with several sit down meals, other discounts like the free dining offer that is available from time to time can be a greater discount. It depends first on your length of stay, second on how many people you have with you and lastly on what you want to do for meals. For example, we're going for eight days in September and have a free dining discount because it's the most economical thing for us but I'm hoping that Disney renews the military discount for my marathon weekend in January when I'm only going to be in Orlando for four or five days. 

Whatever you decide to do, I hope you have a great trip!-be sure to check out all my other Disney links on the left to help you plan out your adventure.

Military Spouse Appreciation Day Blog Hop

Hello Military Spouse Appreciation Day Blog Hoppers! (that's a mouthful!) I'm linking up with Household 6 and Riding the Roller Coaster and can't wait to meet some new (to me) military bloggers.

I'm Brianna. I'm a stay at home/first generation homeschooling mom and Army Wife.

We have a huge dog that we adore (a Rhodesian Ridgeback named Balak-aka Bubba)...

and two AMAZING kids...

the boy will be FOUR next month...

and the girl will be ONE in July!

She was born while my husband was in Afghanistan on his first deployment. He came home two months ago and we're starting to all get used to this whole family of four thing. As a family, our favorite thing to do is go to Disney World...yeah, we're those people...we go as often as we can and we love all things Disney.

In addition to Disney planning, I'm a big fan of photography and I'm really getting into sewing. The other time suck for me right now is (and can't believe I'm writing this) training for a half marathon! It's kind of a big deal because I have a heart condition but I've been cleared to train and I'm looking forward to standing at the finish line with the finisher medal in my hands...not really looking forward to actually running.

Hope you have a great time hopping around! I'm excited to meet some new blogging buddies!

Joshua's Home.

We picked up Joshua on Saturday morning and have had a blast avoiding our phones, laptops and pretty much everything but our four and no more for the last couple days. I don't really have anything wise or introspective looking back at the last 13 months. This deployment was hard. It sucked. There were some good things that came from it too but mostly I'm just glad it's over. My husband is home and safe. There are 14 families that won't have the joy of homecoming that we were blessed to have. 


* Second Lt. Jered W. Ewy, 33, of Edmond, on June 29
* Spc. Augustus J. Vicari, 22, of Broken Arrow, on July 29
* Staff Sgt. Kirk Avery Owen, 37, of Sapulpa, on Aug. 2
* Sgt. Anthony Del Mar Peterson, 24, of Chelsea, on Aug. 4
* Second Lt. Joe L. Cunningham, 27, of Kingston, on Aug. 13
* Lt. Damon Leehan, 30, of Moore, on Aug. 14
* Spc. Joshua Michael Seals, 21, of Porter, on Aug. 16
* Pfc. Tony J. Potter Jr., 20, of Okmulgee, on Sept. 9
* Spc. Christopher D. Horton, 26, of Collinsville, on Sept. 9
* Sgt. Bret D. Isenhower, 26, of Lamar, on Sept. 9
* Sgt. Mycal L. Prince, 28, of Minco, on Sept. 15
* Spc. Francisco J. Briseno-Alvarez Jr., 27, of Oklahoma City, on Sept. 25
* Pfc. Sarina Butcher, 19, of Checotah, on Nov. 1
* Spc. Chris Gailey, 26, of Ochelata, on Nov. 1 


We will never forget their sacrifice.

Waiting for the buses...

The buses were an hour late...it was rough

Ok...he's more choking than hugging here

So excited!

He's back.

We were ready to get out of there!

Up and Down

Without going into details that may cross that ever important OPSEC line, the last few days have been an emotional roller coaster. We've been given dates and locations...had those dates and locations changed...and changed...and changed. STUPID BROKEN PLANES. Most of it was expected...but no less stressful. I finally gave up yesterday, went to the store and bought a 6-pack and cookie dough which I plan to eat in it's entirety without baking (no judgments please). Between that and the retail therapy...I had to buy some new unmentionables...I'm surviving the pre-homecoming jitters. Speaking of buying those fun little clothes, after I dropped off the boy for a playdate, I discovered I should have found someone to watch the girl also because every time I tried something on, she thought it was time to nurse which of course slowed the whole process down dramatically.


Anyway, I don't have this week's Disney post ready and I just don't have the time or mental clarity to work on it so I'm skipping this week. Sorry. I promise that I'll have the first half of the Disney Deluxe Resorts done and ready for you next week...we're going to cover the monorail resorts first because those are often the ones people think of when they think of Disney Resorts.


Here's hoping that I'll have pics to post soon of our family together again.

Anniversary

Normally, I'm not one to post twice in a day but I was looking at the calendar and it dawned on me that Joshua left for deployment a year ago today. He left for training and although we saw him for a few days in March and the boy saw him again in June for a few days (I was too pregnant to travel) before he left the country, it's been a year since he's lived at home. I don't really know what to say and I'm not entirely certain why I thought I should blog about it which is odd for me because I usually only blog when I have a clear idea in mind or I need to vent. Neither is the case today. I'm not upset by the fact that it's been a year. I don't have any pearls of wisdom. It just seemed like it was something that shouldn't go by without at least an acknowledgement. It has been both the hardest year of my life but not entirely bad. I feel closer to Joshua than before he left. We have a beautiful daughter who was born healthy and happy. Our son is thriving. I feel weird saying it but it's been a good year. Of course, every single good moment was bitter sweet. It's been a year. We're almost done.

Disney Resorts...on-property vs off-property & Shades of Green

One of the biggest expenses and first decisions you need to make with a Disney World Vacation is where you decide to stay. So this week we're starting a series covering the many options.

First, let's talk about Disney-owned versus non-Disney resorts. Often referred to as the "on-property versus off-property" decision but that's a bit of a misnomer because there are a handful of resorts that are technically on Disney property but are not owned or operated by Disney employees. The one resort that falls into this quasi-Disney category that I think most of you who read my blog regularly would be interested in is the Shades of Green...aka the military resort. It is an AFRC (Armed Forces Recreation Center) and as such requires a military ID and current LES print out upon check in. Price-wise the Shades of Green nightly fees are based on military or civilian grade (in addition to active duty, Guard and Reserve members, some DoD employees and foreign military service members are eligible to stay). To make a reservation you can either go to the Shades of Green website or just call 1-888-593-2242. Although, Shades of Green is not owned or operated by Disney their guests can still enjoy some of the same perks of staying at a Disney-owned and operated resort. Speaking of which, below are a list of the benefits to saying at a Disney-owned resort.

*Package delivery...when you buy a souvenir in the parks but don't want to carry it around all day, you can have Disney send it (FOR FREE) back to your resort's gift shop

*Extra Magic Hours...every day ONE park will EITHER open an hour early OR stay open up to three hours late only for resort guests (Shades of Green guests are eligible for this perk...they are the ONLY non-Disney-owned resort guests eligible for extra magic hours)

*Disney's Magical Express...if you fly into Orlando International Airport (from another airport within the continental US) and stay at a Disney-owned resort, Disney will mail you luggage tags a few weeks before your trip to attach to all your checked luggage so that when you arrive in Orlando, all you have to do is get on a bus. A couple hours after you arrive, your bags will be delivered to your room. This is FREE resort amenity offered, just be sure to let Disney know your flight itinerary if you don't book your airfare with your Disney package 

*Free parking at all Disney Parks...otherwise it's currently $14/day but if you hop from one park to another, the original fee is all you pay...one price per day regardless of how many parks (Shades of Green guests are eligible for free parking at Disney parks with a valid SoG guest ID)

*Disney's internal transportation system...they'll bus you from your resort to any of the parks. The buses come frequently enough that, in our experience, it's been rare to wait more than 10 or 15 minutes for a bus and usually it's closer to 5 minutes. There's also the monorail between Epcot, Magic Kingdom and the transportation/ticket center as well as boats to and from Magic Kingdom and Downtown Disney for resorts along the water way (Shades of Green and many other "off-property" resorts also have a busing system to get their guests back and forth from their resort to the parks)

*Disney Dining Plan is ONLY available to resort guests staying at Disney-owned and operated resorts. Also, it is offered from time to time as a FREE package inclusion for their guests which can certainly offset the additional cost of staying at a Disney resort. To be honest, the dining plan is probably the biggest reason we stay at Disney-owned resorts. Whether or not it's included as a free package inclusion, it's just really convenient to go and know we don't have to budge X amount of money per day for food...it's already been taken care of

*Convenience. It might sound silly but when you stay at a Disney-owned resort, everything can be on your "Key to the World"...it's your room key, your dining card (if you are on a Disney Dining Plan), your charge card (if you decide to add charging options to it-not required and not recommended on kid's cards) and during extra magic hours, it's how you show you're a Disney resort guest

There are only three real downsides I can see to staying at a Disney-owned and operated resort. 

1-Price. You can almost certainly get the same amount of space/amenities...if not more, for less than you will pay for a Disney-owned and operated resort. 

2-Inconvenience to other non-Disney parks like Universal Studios or Sea World. Unless you bring your own vehicle or rent a car, you'll pay a significant fee for taxi service to another non-Disney park. 

3-Finding someplace to stay if you have a large family. There are suites for families of six or less, some villas in the DVC resorts can hold those extra large families ($$$!) and you can always book multiple rooms but Disney really doesn't have many options especially for larger families on a budget.

In the end, it comes down first to what you can afford as a family and then what you want. Staying "on-property" certainly has it's perks and rooms start around $100/night but if you're a larger family or a family on a tighter budget, staying "off-property" might be a better fit. One of my favorite planning sites, Allears.net has a list of preferred "off-site" properties with some great discounts.

Over the next few weeks, we'll cover your various Disney Resort options starting next week with Disney Value Resorts.

Stop Stirring and Start Talking

By now, many of you have probably read a certain Army Wife from Vermont's self-admitted blog rant about the differences she sees between active Army and Guardsmen. To say it was one-sided would be kind. She relegated the entire Vermont Army National Guard to no better than uneducated, step-child status...in fact, she made it clear that they are classless, prone to PTSD, sacrifice less and aren't even "soldiers."


I'm a Guardsman's wife so I clearly am biased but as much as I'd like to return fire for fire...and I could especially considering most of her contentions were factually wrong, it's pointless. She's clearly an "upper" and it wouldn't do any good. So, I'm ignoring her and addressing the rest of the military blogging community. Instead of attacking an entire branch of the US military, why can't we have a grown up discussion over the differences. 


Every branch is different. 


Every branch makes sacrifices the others don't. 


Every branch has perks the others don't.


As a Guard family, my husband will, over the course of his career, most likely deploy less frequently than an active duty Army family. We knew that when he joined. It's one of the reasons he went Guard. Although, let's be honest, the idea that it will be four years before he deploys again is almost laughable...actually it is laughable because once he returns he's only considered non-deployable for two and a half years. And then, of course, you have to take into consideration the bill proposed by President Obama which will shrink the military 10-15% over the next ten years. When asked how the military will compensate for the inevitable troop shortage, Obama has said the federal government will rely more heavily on Guard and Reserve components. Now, if you want to talk about how Guard units are first and foremost a state militia....how they should be at home protecting the interests of the state and not abroad fighting for the federal government, that's a valid contention. That's something we can discuss. But let's be honest, that's not the current situation. Right now, Guard and Reserve units fight and die next to active duty units every day.


Another difference: PCSing. We don't. Active duty families do. I can only imagine how difficult it must be to have to pack up and move every three years. How much of a strain that must be on children and the military spouse's career. But I can also see it as an exciting way to travel the country, even the world. As a Guard family, we don't PCS to another base...in fact, we don't live anywhere near a base. The two closest military installations are both Air Force bases and each over an hour away. To make it to a monthly FRG meeting my kids and I have to drive up to three hours each way...for a meeting that generally lasts less than two hours but we do it because our every day lives are surrounded by civilians who often just don't understand and that short window every month we're with people who know what we know and feel what we feel.


Which brings me to the last difference I'm going to write about today: civilian jobs. It's true active duty guys don't come home to civilian lives. They're surrounded by the Army their entire careers. When my husband returns from his deployment, he'll go back to work for a civilian company. He'll be at a job where people won't understand why in the beginning he might flinch when there's a loud noise. We live with the knowledge that although there's legal protection for his civilian job, there's also an economic reality and a Guardsman cannot always give what a civilian can give to a civilian job. The fact is promotions can be negatively affected. It's understandable too from the employers perspective.


We constantly live in two worlds. That doesn't make us classless. That doesn't make my husband more likely to have PTSD when he returns. That doesn't make our sacrifices any less. That doesn't make us less than an active duty Army family. It makes us different.