A MILITARY WIFE/GIRLFRIEND...

+++THIS CAME FROM ANOTHER FORUM BUT I JUST HAD POST IT...VERY TRUE!!!!+++++

Military Wives/Girlfriends....

The average age of the military wife..girlfriend is 20 years old.She isn't old enough to buy a beer, but is old enough to manage a whole household on her own and maybe she has a kid or two.

She probably never saw herself loving a man who was in the military, but she loves him regardless. Her penmanship has improved over the last few months, due to the excessive letter writing she has been doing. She cries alot,because she misses the man she swore to love. Her life isn't complete without him.

She looks very tired, because of her many nights without sleep, due to a late night phone call that never came or a call that came and kept her up all night, just because she heard his voice, she is too overjoyed to sleep.

As a wife, she is classified as a dependent, but she is totally independent. She tends to her household, her kids, her school work, and her job, all without her husband.

She manages to wear a smile, even though inside she's crying. She understands that the man she loves has to go far away. She understand that he can be taken away from her in a moments notice. She feels a great sense of pride and probably cries whenever she hears the National Anthem, sees a flag blowing in the breeze, or watches the news and hears about another death in Iraq, she worries that it might be him. She goes weeks without a call or a letter, but she writes him whenever she gets a free moment.

She knows how to convert civilian time into military time. She knows how to iron his clothes and how to get the creases just right.

Before he left she used to complain if she didn't see him for a day or two, but now she gets annoyed when she hears someone complaining about not seeing their boyfriends. She may not have seen him for months but she remembers everything about him, every scar he has, the way he smells,whether or not he snores.

She has every picture of him and them out and in frames, she stares at them for hours on end, she has read every letter at least 40 times. Even though her man is a half a world away, she still manages to go on with her life, as he would want her to.

You may not know what she looks like, but as soon as you see her in the store you'll know that her husband is a world away without even having to speak to her. Shes the one who's half frowning half smiling, she has at least one Support Our Troops pin that she wears and a magnet on her car. Half her wardrobe is based on his military branch. She owns lots of stuff that has his branch on it. She never knew that she could love the color camouflage green,tan, navy blue, red or black so much.

Next time you see her, you'll know her, thank her for what the man she loves is doing. She will greatly appreciate it and she will smile and thank you, and just because you thanked her she will smile the rest of the day.

AUGUST UPDATE!!...WE ARE SO EXCITED!

Hola family and friends!

We hope everyone is doing GREAT!! As for us, well, AUGUST is a pretty busy month in our home!! We have enjoyed our time together as a FAMILY now since June 23rd!! it has been WONDERFUL having james HOME AGAIN!!!!

First, I MUST start with some WONDERFUL news that we received this week…..i am pretty sure you know that I think my WONDERFUL hubby is a HERO to our FAMILY, well, this week he got something so BIG and WONDERFUL given to him by the U.S. ARMY……our HERO got word that he will be receiving the THE BRONZE STAR MEDAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so PROUD OF HIM!!!!!!! This is such an HONOR for him and us and we could not be more proud of him!!!! I am not sure when they will be awarding him but I will let ya’ll know!!

Well on top of that news, this month, we have celebrated 2 special BIRTHDAYS!!!

On August 10th, we celebrated our big boys 6TH BIRTHDAY!!! YIPPEEE!!! So hard to believe that he is now 6 years old!!!!! AMAZING! We had a little party for him at a pizza place and we had a BLAST!!! It was really bittersweet because he actually asked james, after asking who was going to be there, “daddy, will you be there too?” and james said “of course I will be” and then he realized WHY he was asking, and he went on to hug him and told him that THIS YEAR daddy would be there for his birthday!! Awwww…..this last year he has grown SO MUCH…both physically and mentally! He is just such a smarty and is doing so well homeschooling!! We are really proud of him and all he has done this last year….He is starting 1st grade and we bought his FIRST true curriculum and we are so EXCITED!!! I can’t wait to get started…I know we will be a bit rusty but we sure are going TRY!! and he retains so much info, he can remember AMAZING facts!!! so awesome! he is excited about getting started doing class!! we ordered his curriculum and it is FAITH BASED so we will BOTH be learning so much about GOD and the world around us together!!

And then on August 25th, we celebrated our little baby’s 1st birthday!!!! WOWOWOW….hard hard hard to believe that he is ONE already!!! It seems like just YESTERDAY, I was in shock after finding out that on NEW YEARS 2007 that I was PREGNANT!!!! Awww, it has been just be such an awesome year….he has grown so much from that little bitty 6 lb 4 oz baby to a 17lb 8 oz little boy…he is pulling to stand, cruising, standing & babbling!! And his first word?!?!?! MAMAMAMAMA!!! AAWWWW!!!! I am so happy because that is my first baby that has EVER said my name FIRST!!! YIPPEEE!!! He is truly a mama’s boy and I am so happy! J FINALLY!!!! Anyway, he is doing well and such a little guy!! one bad habit is that he puts EVERYTHING---EVERYTHING IN HIS MOUTH!!! OMG, i have such a FEAR that he will choke on something! and i sweep and mop and this little one will FIND something to put in his mouth!!! AAARRRGGGGHHHH!!!! this is my first baby that has done that. i think because alex was our first and we kept him CONFINED to a specific area (because he was the only one) but now with 3 boys and a nurse, well, we can't and he has the run of the HOUSE!!! YIKES! We are so BLESSED to have him in our lives! And for his BIRTHDAY, he FELL OFF THE BED AT 3 AM!!!!! OMG, talk about SCARY!! Thank God he was just fine except he scared MOMMY AND DADDY like crazy!! Just our luck, after a YEAR of sleeping with us, his birthday would be the day he FALLS off the BED!!! He was fine, just scared himself and most of all US !!!! we are going to go out to eat at a favorite restaurant and just CELEBRATE his life!!!

Well, for the month of JUNE, and JULY we took some time off to be TOGETHER…we spent 2 wonderful weeks RV’ING together, just us, our little family of 5! It was really awesome to just BE together, without nurses, therapies and drs appts!! Wow, back to just being us….we spent our first week in ROCKPORT….we stayed at an RV PARK out there…it was WONDERFUL!! The ONLY bad part was MAN, those mosquitos were just about ready to TAKE US AWAY!!! Thank GOD we were SLIGHTLY smaller than THEY WERE!!!!!! Yep, they were pretty big and VERY BOLD….they would just STICK to you, without a thought on their mind except to eat off you!!! My little matthew and daddy got the worst of it (over 27 bites on matthew!)….anyway, it was nice just being together as a family….we did a lot of fun things around that area like the aquarium, fishing, the jetties, etc….very nice!!! We also took another 8 days at a WONDERFUL place called GUADALUPE RIVER RV RESORT….and I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT! It was just BEAUTIFUL and peaceful….defiently a place to go! They have lots of cabins if you don’t have an rv and if you do, well, YOU MUST CHECK IT OUT!!! We had so much fun in Kerrville , tx!! it was just really relaxing and peaceful and just having so much fun swiming and being together. and THE RAIN HELD OUT until we got HOME!!! yep, GOD sure BLESSED us because our whole trip, we had no rain and just BEAUTIFUL days....and on our way home, the HURRICANE that hit texas came in THAT DAY!! the rain even waited until we got EVERYTHING OUT OF THE TRAILER!!! THANK YOU GOD! Anyway, we have pictures up at FLICKR for anyone wanting to see some pictures!!! And if you are up to READING , you can check out my BLOG for a COMPLETE (J) account of our vacation…and I do mean COMPLETE!! And you KNOW I can WRITE!!!

Well, MATTHEW is doing AWESOME!! We are so happy! Since late MAY early JUNE, he has been CLEAR IN THE LUNGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wowowowow, it has been so NICE to not have him SICK!!! ONE WHOLE YEAR of it…james likes to credit HIMSELF for matthew getting BETTER saying that he just missed daddy and that is why he was so sick for the past year…..pawsha!!! I told him it was the ANTIBIOTICS that he has been on since april/may and will continue to be on thru the winter….just as a precaution! So far so good!!! We are just trying to get him STRONG so that he can learn to WALK and TALK!! He is just getting BIGGER…he is such a HAPPY boy and now with daddy home, well, he is that much more HAPPIER!! He LOVES wrestling with his BROTHERS and boy, he is REALLY good at it!!! His baby brother enjoys tormenting him and vice versa….he is now got an ATTITUDE and before, if someone took something from him, he would just watch him do it and not say ANYTHING, well, NOW, boy, he lets you know if you are doing something he does not want you to do!!! He YELLS AT US!!! It is too cute to hear him just go off!! NEVER before has he really showed that kind of EMOTION and it is so awesome to see!!! And to see him get mad….josh doesn’t know what to make of it when he does it but he usually backs off if he does!!! He will be starting school soon and get back into the rhythm of it all!! YAYAy!

Well, as for james, apart from being home again, THANK YOU GOD, he is also back at work after over 40 days on leave!!! We are now starting to get into that kind of rhythm but we are so happy because he is now on working 4 days a week so that means we get him for 3 WHOLE DAYS….awww…that is so awesome and we are so happy about that! We can take a quick trip out of town if we wanted to…very nice!!! But he is back to working out and keeping in shape….we are just so happy to have him HOME!!

AS FOR ME, well, I am just hanging out with all my boys! It has been so AWESOME having my family back together. We are just EXCITED on everything…it is kinda bittersweet because whenever we do something, we always seem to ask our self, when was the last time we did this and sometimes it is almost 2 years ago!!! We lost a WHOLE YEAR TOGETHER….it sometimes doesn’t hit you until you think about that. And then there are the things we are doing that we realize it has been OVER a YEAR since we did it together….like going to CHURCH, going to eat somewhere, etc…just today, we started home school and how nice it was to have james here to ask alex how his day went and all of that…he even got to help get alex study area set up!! Anyway, it was just really nice!! I finally got a diagnosis for my arm that has been paining me in FOREVER…TENNIS ELBOW!!! Yeah, you know with all the time I have, I do SOOOOO MUCH tennis playing at the local country club….yeah right!!! I know that you can get it with out that but what a diagnosis…and with the FIBRO, it just amplifys the pain I am in!!! after josh is weaned, I hope to finally get some PAIN RELIEF from my FIBRO….i can’t even IMAGINE what it feels like to be PAIN FREE….soooooonnn!!

sooo, that is our AUGUST for 2008!! we are SO PROUD of JAMES and his BRONZE STAR METAL!!! just amazed and so happy that he is who he IS!! and then our boys turning one year older....we feel SOOOOO BLESSED, THANK YOU GOD!!

i put together some MONTAGES for both boys!! i hope you check them out!!

ALEX'S video montage


James Alex Turns 6!

JOSHUA'S video montage


Happy Birthday, Joshua Michael!

well, that is it for now...i know it has been a LONG TIME since i have kept up with ya'll and my blog but that will GOD WILING change now....

Maria
Proud Army wife to James, mommy to Alex(5), Matthew(4) & Baby Joshua (1)

JAMES IS HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THANK YOU GOD, he is HOME HOME HOME!!!!!! YIIIIPPPEEEEEEEEEEE!!! FINALLY, the post that i have wanted to write is here.....he is HOME HOME HOME!!! (can you tell i am EXCITED?) HEHEHEHEHEHE...this is just the BEST DAY in a LONG TIME...we got the news LATE AFTERNOON that he would be able to come home....it was kinda crazy because unitl about 3pm he was not sure if he could be home TODAY or tomorrow!! AND the last plane left at 5pm!!! so, he got his ticket, and literally RAN to get his stuff and find a RIDE to the airport and MAKE it to his flight!!! one guy didn't make it and thru james, was able to rebook a later flight...it was CRAZY!! soooo, he came in at 1030pm and we were waiting in the CELL PHONE LOT and 2 out 3 kiddos were awake to greet him in the car when we picked him up!!! and that would be our PARTY ANIMAL MATTHEW!! yep, he was WIDE AWAKE!! such a cutie!! and all he wanted to do was give daddy hugs but man, if you have not been in that area where you pick up people at the airport, MAN IT IS CRAZY!!! there was a TRAFFIC JAM and we were FINALLY able to get him and GET OUT!! CRAZY! but he is HOME HOME HOME!!! :) as far as i know, he will be OFF for at LEAST 30 DAYS!!! and we are making PLANS for a RV VACATION for at least 2 of those weeks and we are sooooooo happy and excited about that! that is something that we have been looking forward to and talking about now since DAY ONE of his DEPLOYMENT!! really, that was something that we CLUNG TO, DREAMED and PLANNED and THOUGHT OF during our year apart!Soooo......YYYYIIIIPPPPPEEEEEEE!!!!!

there was something else that i thought of was that joshua has only seen daddy for TWENTY-NINE DAYS out of his 10 months of life!!! amazing...and sad!! but we are going to change that......daddy scared joshua when he woke up in the car and saw daddy kissing on him....awww...

AND on a SIDE NOTE, matthew will be going to have an ANGIO CT done on JULY 2nd...any thoughts and prayers for him would be GREATLY appreciated!!!

anyway, THANK YOU ALL for all the LOVE, PRAYERS AND SUPPORT this last year!! we are SO BLESSED to have people there for us during this whole year!! thank you as ALWAYS! this year has been an EXPERIENCE that was DEFINETLY a time of GROWTH and of just learning to trust in GOD for everything.....we have grown closer as a family as the days and months passed us by....we relied on each other for SUPPORT and LOVE because we knew that THAT was what was going to keep us STRONG....it was hard to be a way from each other, we knew that THRU GOD, all would be well and we would JOYFULLY WAIT for the day that we could be back together as a FAMILY....and here we ARE!! WE MADE IT!! what seemed so long ago may/june 2007 when the day that we DREADED when we found out that he would be deployed and KNOWING that he would be gone for SO LONG.....and now we have gone thru a YEAR of GROWTH with the addition to our family with joshua and just the growing of our boys matthew and alex....what a STORY we tell our children.....something they will never forget...AND NOW we will learn to be together again, enjoy EVERY SECOND we have together and just remember how LONG we had not been together and just CHERISH and HOLD each other close because we KNOW how it felt to be apart...we are just so PROUD of our HERO JAMES...THANK YOU GOD for bringing him home SAFETLY....

SOOOOO THE NEWS IS....HE IS HOME HOME HOME, THANK YOU GOD!!! and if you have not had a chance to visit his montage, here is the LINK to it:

A Year Without Daddy....Deployment.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY...montage of deployment!

hello everyone...

we hope everyone is doing GREAT!!! as for us, we are doing just fine...we are ANXIOUSLY awaiting james coming home from BNCOC out in LOUISIANA!!! ! yep, he will GOD WILLING be home MAYBE next weekend!! we did spend an AWESOME 11 days together before he had to go back and we crammed AS MUCH as we could in that time!!! it was pretty awesome to have him here!!

well, we wanted to wish all the FATHER'S out there HAPPY FATHER'S DAY from our family to yours! james will be missing yet ANOTHER fathers day so we will end up celebrating when he get's home, GOD WILLING! SOON!!

SO, for fathers day, i made a picture MONTAGE of james year of deployment! i hope ya'll will go check it out! here is the link to the video:

A Year Without Daddy....Deployment.

welllll, since i am already bothering ya'll, i might as well give a LITTLE update on our family!! i promise it won't be THAT long!! heheheheh

ok, start off with alex, he is doing GREAT!! he is almost 6 years old and he is such a SMARTIE! i am constantly AMAZED at his ablity to pick everything up!! he LOVES to read and he LOVES to learn stuff...one day, i decided to teach him his days of the week, and i asked him if he knew them, and he just SAID THEM!! so i said, ooookkkkk, let's learn the months of the year....AND AGAIN, he just started to say them!!! i hadn't got to that YET and he already KNEW THEM!!! and then we started to do the STATES and we used this online map activity and by then end of the day, he knew ALL the states and where they went on a BLANK MAP!! :) anyway, i am excited about getting him started on 1st grade now...i know he will do soooo well!! THANK YOU GOD!

then onto MATTHEW...hmmm. ..what can i say except....HE IS STILL SICK OVER A YEAR LATER!!!! can you believe it? i can't....it is so fustrating to hear him junky and yucky!! i don't know if we should just ACCEPT that this is his normal now?! i don't know what ELSE to think?! he has been on ANTIBIOTICS for almost a year and for over 3 months SOLID....he has also went thru 2 rounds of oral steroids in less than a MONTH!! that's a LOT......we just can't clear him UP!! why? any prayers on this would be GREATLY appreciated! ! we have been in and out of his pulmonologist office...we also went to the CARDIOLOGIST this month and she said she was in AWE on how he looks!! she was concerned that because of his congestion, that MAYBE it had to do with his HEART and not his lungs....that got me worried...but she said that his ECHO looked good...we are going to have an ANGIO CT done on 7/2/08 under sedation to see what the anatomy of his heart looks like....so PLEASE any good thoughts on that would be appreciated! we also found out WHICH tapvr he had and it was TAPVR INFRADIAPHRAGMATIC, which is the WORST kind, just a little something we found out about...well, over all, he is doing GREAT!! he is pulling up to STAND and also CRUISING...he is also eating more when he is NOT too sick....but he impressed james by pointing out letters and numbers, colors and objects!! awww...he is such a CUTIE!!! we are just so proud of him and now he is FOUR.....AMAZING! !

and then there was little JOSHUA...wow, he is almost 10 months OLD!! and he is CRAWLING ALL OVER THE PLACE!!! yes, he started crawling right before james came HOME! and he is GOOD!! i don't remember alex getting into as much stuff as this little guy is! he is also putting EVERYTHING in his MOUTH!!! YIKES!! even if i sweep and mop, he will find that ONE piece that i missed and put it in his MOUTH!! he is something ELSE! and he is ALL over the place...it is so cute to watch! and WATCH i do!! he is eating baby food now and also just started on the CHERIEOS!! and he loves them! he is also wanting EVERYTHING that someone has! and he is VERY stuborn when he wants something and you take him away from it by putting him in another room, he will IMMEDIATELY crawl back over there as FAST as he can! and he looks like he wants to start pulling to stand...so WATCH OUT! I am just GLAD that all our gates and stuff are still up!! he already took a tumble out the back door when brother decided he wanted him to join us outside!! and he got pretty banged up from it...:( anyway, too cute!

james is doing fine..he is VERY TIRED because his school has been pretty TOUGH!! he has really been working HARD and LONG...he said ALMOST as bad as bucca!! he get's up at 4am and doesn't finish class until 7pm and then he has TONS of homework.... but he is doing fine...he is not to far away in louisiana... we are just PRAYING for the day he can come HOME!!!

as for me, well, i am doing fine...i am TIRED and ready for james to come home for good! i told him that once he is home, i can finally go to the drs and get my arm checked out, my fibro looked at to get it under control (i hope) and then...drum roll please....MY BRACES PUT ON!! yes, i will be metal mouth for about 2 years...i sure don't WANT them but i don't get a choice...YIKES! ! i know i will not enjoy the next 2 years...i just hope i can handle the PAIN along with the pain from my FIBRO!!! i don't know! i am kinda nervous about it! i wanted to wait until james came home because i didn't want to SCARE HIM OFF!!

oookkkk, not toooo bad, right? i dont' think it was THAT long...i could do WORST! :) don't forget to visit our BLOG (www.blessingsinmyli fe.blogspot. com) for some pictures.... ANYWAY, i hope everyone has a GREAT weekend and father days! know that we think of all our FAMILY and FRIENDS all the time!! take care and GOD BLESS

ok...had to share with ya'll....

some awesome SHORT VIDEOS that a fellow soldier of james unit MADE while he was over there in IRAQ...they are just OUT THERE and i am just AMAZED at his imagination!! i know that you will LOVE THEM!!! they put such a SPIN on things!! ALL the soldiers that you see on the video are from my dh compound....you will see pictures of BUCCA and the surrounding area...but be warned, there is SOME foul language involved...not much but some....i know that you will enjoy them! please let me know what you think.... leave a comment on his MYSPACE thing so you can tell him too...his website is WWW.WALRUSFLIX.COM....i think he is very talented!!!

here is MY FAVORITE:
CAMP BUCCA ADVERTISMENT:
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=34757716

AND MY SECOND FAVORITE:
EVERYWHERE:
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=32536431

VACATION MCGREGOR:
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=25837561

COLD SODA:
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=34340475

OPERATION ESCAPE: (TONS OF SOLDIERS GOING HOME!) my dh comes out on this one..
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=34759825

TALES FROM THE SANDBOX: CARE PACKAGE
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=22561246

TALES FROM THE SANDBOX: ROCK MAIL
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=23142514


TALES FROMT HE SANDBOX: FORMATION
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=23071839

TALES FROM THE SANDBOX: RIOT
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=24726411

UPDATE FROM JAMES....

OIF 2007-2008
Camp Bucca, Iraq
20080518

Well hello to all! This letter is the closing letter from this place. I am sorry I have not sent much out to anybody as far as emails, letters, & phone calls. This place keeps me pretty busy. I have been blessed with the most beautiful wife in the world to always be sending me care packages. I have also received great care packages from the best mother in the world (my mom). Thanks. It has been a very different experience that I wish no other would have to do. All in all it has been okay. We don’t have as many mortar and rocket attacks like other places get to experience but that is just okay with me. I can always deal without them. I have developed a small case of forgetfulness but I guess it is the heat and that this place can do that to you. I can’t wait to get back to the states so I can regain my thought of sense. I will soon be able to do that in the NEAR FUTURE. I can’t say dates or times; it’s for the safety of the soldiers.
My time and experience here in Iraq has been different. I have experienced the following here in Bucca; lots of sand storms, tons of smoke (from burning trash), learning some of the culture, I’ve learned a couple of phrases and some words in Arabic, learned to take 4 minute or less showers to conserve water, learned that there are a lot of movies out there.
On my free time when I had off, I spent a lot of time in the gym and watching movies. There really is not a lot to do here in Bucca. The chow hall feeds you really good too; they give you the truckers special (like my dad would say). If you don’t watch out, you can put on the pounds easy over here. There was this one girl here who sent an email to her father and told him that she wasn’t getting feed but one time on a 13 hour shift. Well, what they do is bring one hot meal out to you and then they have MRE’s if you want to eat that. With the hours that we work, it’s all about time management. You have to make a schedule out for yourself so you can have time to do laundry, gym, call home, check email (time permitting), what ever else you want to do and of course time for eating. I had at least 2 hot meals in a 24 hour time. When I was on day schedule I would eat lunch after the gym before going in to work, then they would take us a hot meal out at the compound. Once you got off you had the opportunity to go get another hot meal if you wanted. By the time I got off, all I wanted to do was sleep. Then when I got moved to the night shift I would go to gym then eat breakfast then go to work and then they would bring breakfast out again, then once off you had the opportunity to go eat a hot meal if you wanted to. Like I said earlier, I was too tired to go eat that other hot meal. But, let me tell you I ate pretty well over here, so I had to make sure I went to the gym. I came over here at the heaviest I have ever been at 187lbs and now I am down to normal weight of 161lbs. I kind of fluctuate between 157 to 162 now. Now I just have to maintain that once I get home.
Now for the getting home part, once I get home, I have to leave again for school. That is kind of a bummer but it’s for my career so I got’s to do it. Right now I have all of my bags packed so that pretty much tells ya’ll how fast I am coming home. I have no sheets on the bed and no rug on the floor, YEAH! I can’t wait. Boy howdy, let me tell ya’ll. I have been waiting for this for the longest time now. Buenos, I have to go now. I got to go see a couple of buddies off and I’ll see ya’ll soon. Take care and God Bless!

Love, SSG Gonzo

sooooo close....

it is just really sinking in that in as close as a WHOLE BUNCH OF DAYS (could be more than few and less than a ton)(i can't say EXACT DAYS) our family WILL BE COMPLETE AGAIN, GOD WILLING!!! OMG, it is so hard to imagine him home with us...it has been more than 11 months since he LEFT!!!! soooo close....the butterflies are FLYING right now when i think of it....soooo close.....i talked to him and his last day working was on friday and i am SOOOO HAPPY ABOUT THAT! he has worked so hard out there....12+ hours shifts 7 days a week sometimes....in sand, heat, cold, etc....away from his family....so close....

he called today, early in the morning...it was so good to hear from him. well, he said, HIS BAGS ARE PACKED, EVERYTHING BUT HIS COMPUTER and he is just waiting for the call.........WOWOWOWOW....i am so happy and so excited...it really can't sink in yet that he is ALMOST HOME!! i am sitting here ANXIOUSLY waiting for a CALL from him saying SOMETHING....whatever that may be....wow, SO CLOSE!!!!

WELL.....there has been a delay....

my beautiful dh who was going to be home SOON, is being DELAYED due to something that the whole of the military had ABSOLUTELY no control over!!! it is absolutely FUSTRATING...i sure wish this had happend NEXT MONTH....GGGRRRRRRR....we don't know WHEN....i wish i could say MORE about it but it is truely FUSTRATING because it was not something PLANNED...not something they can controlled.....but JUST FUSTRATING...now i am not sure WHEN WHEN WHEN...just sooooo upseting because i could almost FEEL him and can almost SMELL him and i can almost TASTE him....i can't even describe to anyone how i feel right now....just so sad and fustrated...we are over 11 months into this deployment and to be SOOOO CLOSE and for thing at the VERY last moment to go wrong...words can not DESCRIBE how i feel right now...as long as he COMES HOME SAFETLY is the main thing at this point....

anyway, any PRAYERS for these troops...those waiting to GO to their duty station to RELIEVE those troops having done their duty and ready to GET HOME TO THEIR FAMILIES.......for this "issue" to be resolved QUICKLY and that things to get back on SCHEDULED would be soooooo appreciated....

VIDEO ON CNN ON CAMP BUCCA...

hey there everyone!! just wanted to let everyone know that there is video of camp bucca on CNN TODAY!!! here is the LINK to the site:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/04/28/btsc.iraqprison/index.html

it is very interesting to see where james has been these last almost 9 months!! there are 2 videos there and the first one shows james compound!! #30 james had told me that they had been there and i had been anxiously been looking for the feed every day!!....anyway, i hope ya'll will check it out!!! my beautiful HERO IS ALMOST HOME!!! THANK YOU GOD!!

where has the time gone??

yep, it feels like FOREVER since i posted on here!! life has been FLYING BY with just james coming home and just ready for that!!! we have been having FUN going out to SEA WORLD!!! yep, we got season passes and i GIVE BIG KUDOS to them because they offer season passes that ALLOW A PERSON WITH A NURSE TO BRING THEIR NURSE IN FREE!! YES, that is right, on MATTHEW pass, he has his name plus escort!!!!!! what a BIG HELP!!! FIESTA TEXAS DOES NOT HAVE THAT!!! and that is why i chose sea world and i am so happy i did!!! it has been so much fun and it is so close by our home!! we just zip on over during the week for a couple of hours and have a BLAST!! we also meet up with a couple of other mommies and their kids and have a BLAST!!! SOOOO MUCH FUN! we enjoy ourselves soooo much!! today, we headed out there and who would have THOUGHT there was going to be that many people on THURSDAY during the school year??! but there WAS!! i always wonder if these kids are also homeschooled or on vacation or WHAT?! anyway, today, matthew nurse took him onto the PLAY YARD with all the ladder/net tunnels and such and he did such a GREAT JOB!! matthew had a blast!! i also took him on the SHAMU EXPRESS roller coaster and he LOVED IT!! i think we got on it a couple of times and he kept signing MORE! alex, who had NOT wanted to get on it, at the VERY LAST MINUTE decided he wanted to get on with his buddy and then we couldn't get him OFF OF IT!! loved it!! i of course loved just TALKING to my 2 great friends and just enjoying our mommy time!! SO MUCH FUN!! i can't wait to go again!!!

we also celebrated my MIL birthday yesterday!! woooo-hoooo!!! we went to eat at GOLDEN CORAL, one of our fav place and the kids had a BLAST!!! alex always eats so well there because he has such a VARIETY to eat and matthew LOVES to go there too because he loves to CHOW DOWN on what they have to offer!!! i just love the variety (but i always end up getting the SAME THING each time!!! go figure!) we ended up getting a DIGITAL CAMERA for my MIL and i got such a GREAT DEAL on a camera/printer bundle pack plus a SD card...really happy with it!! and she LOVED IT!! she had still been using DISPOSABLE camera's so it was definetly a step up!! i got a REALLY EASY one so she wouldn't be over whelmed....i know she will come to enjoy it!! SLOWLY!!! this is such a SMALL THING because she has just done sooooo much for our family while james has been away!!! i TRULY APPRECIATE HER!!

well, NEXT MONTH, GOD WILLING, james will be HOME, I PRAY!!! i don't know WHEN but just that SOOOOOOOOOONNNNNN!!!! i am getting more ANXIOUS by the minute and so is he!! is starting to sound a bit sad...like it is hurting him more now to be away! i know that it is just hurting him so that he is so close to coming home!!! but SOON! i am so happy and excited! OVER 10 MONTHS!!! wowowowow.....

i am starting to plan matthew birthday party.....FOUR YEARS OLD, OUR LITTLE MIRACLE!! GOD WILLING he will NOT give us another BIRTHDAY SCARE like last year....

FLAT STANLEY has made it to IRAQ!

just wanted to share with you some pics.....a dear friend of mine son was doing a FLAT STANLEY project with his 1st grade class and he sent it to JAMES in IRAQ!! yep, it was sent to him and james was able to show FLAT STANLEY around CAMP and he had a BLAST!! here is the letter he sent and here are the pictures of FLAT STANLEY!

Flat Stanley’s Adventure at
Camp Bucca, Iraq
OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM 2007-2008

Hello,
First of all I would like to thank you for sending Flat Stanley over here in Iraq to visit. This letter is to let you know how Flat Stanley’s adventure was here in Iraq. Our day together was a wonderful Sunday on April 6, 2008. The first place that we went to was to the chow hall to get a good breakfast. I had an omelet, ham, and some hash browns. Flat Stanley was not to hungry because he was excited about the day’s schedule. All that Flat Stanley had was a biscuit with butter and jelly. We sat there and had some coffee and talked for a bit. After breakfast I took Flat Stanley over to see how it is to be inside the bunkers here. He thought that was cool. After that we went to Church. After church we sat on the swing just right in front of the chapel. We had a nice relaxing time just sitting there swinging along. I told Flat Stanley about this cool defense system that the Iraqi’s had prior to the United States Armed Forces being here at this Camp, so he wanted to go and see it.
After seeing that defense weapon system we decided to go back to the Pod (little house) where I live at and watch a movie. After the movie we just sat outside on the patio and talked about some of his other trips. Well, that about closes out Flat Stanley’s trip here at Camp Bucca. Thanks for sending Flat Stanley over for the visit, we had a blast.

Love from your friend in Iraq,
James

JAMES and FLAT STANLEY having breakfast!


FLAT STANLEY at the MILE MARKER in CAMP!


JAMES and FLAT STANLEY watching a movie!! (G RATED of course!!:)


at the swing in front of the CHURCH...


FLAT STANLEY on the chair outside the POD!!

just got some news from james...

well, i just got off the phone with james and he JUST recieved an emailed that we both felt had MIXED FEELINGS.....that email said that he will be GOING TO BNOC SCHOOL!! while that is EXCITING NEWS...what is NOT exciting is that it will be in LOUISIANA and will start on JUNE 7TH!!! yes, you saw right, probably within a WEEK of him coming home, he will AGAIN leave for another 2 weeks!!!!! how to explain that to the kids?!?!?!?!?!?! i am so sad for all of us because we had been looking FORWARD to him coming home and spending some quality family time with him....an now, he will be coming home to just turn around and leave again...i don't know how alex will feel about that....alex says to me that when daddy comes home, he will only be home for a little bit before he has to go back to IRAQ!! i don't know where he got that from but i have been trying to reassure him that when daddy comes home, he will be home with us for a long time...and now i am going to have to let him know that he will have to leave SOON after he gets home!!! AWWWWWGGGRRRHHHH!!! i am HAPPY for james because it will help him for advancement which we want but so sad for him and the boys....i know that we will have to CHERISH those days that he comes home....man...

FAMILY UPDATE!!

Hello everyone!!

we hope that everyone is doing GREAT!!! as for all of us, well, we are just doing fine...trucking right along over 10 months into the deployment!! hard to believe, huh?? i know that it seems soooo much more!! i can't believe that almost YEAR has gone by!!! wowowowow....

well, we are doing well....we are all just anxious for james to COME HOME!! we are sooo hapy and just so excited that in less than 2 months, GOD WILLING he will be home!! i am pretty sure that ya'll remembered that email i sent out about a year ago letting ya'll know that he was about to be deployed and here we are, almost a year later...wowow....just hard to believe...

well, the boy are all doing well....alex is just about finished with his kinderbooks....i am now looking around for hi 1st grade curriculum!! and there are MANY TO CHOSE FROM!!! i am just so happy there are so many options, now i have to find the right one!!! i am excited especially finding out what everyone thinks of every type of curriculum out there....anyway, he is doing really well...reading WONDERFUL and just a little sponge that is taking everything in....i can't wait to really get into the HOMESCHOOL area where he can learn about science and such...i know it will be FUN!! i can't wait! and he is starting to get really anxious about daddy coming home SOON...he knows it is not much longer now...he always says, "june is almost here!!' i sure hope it is BEFORE june!! we can't wait!!

onto matthew, matthew is doing ok....has many of you know he has been sick since JUNE and it just continues on....well, he was admitted into the hospital the first week of MARCH for 5 day due to all his congestion and since then, he cleared up for a bit...well, we continued on for 30 days + of antibiotics to try to keep him CLEAR until the 25th for his CT SCAN...well, he came off his antibiotic on the 24th, had his CT on the 25th (which showed that his lungs are REALLY scared and show CHRONIC LUNG DISEASE and instead of being mainly BLACK on the scan, they are mainly WHITE which is all the scarring!! and his sinus right side looked FINE but the left one showed a bit of swelling)...she said that if he got sick again 7- 10 days later, then we could probably say that it was his SINUS....well, by THURSDAY morning, he woke up at 4am with a FEVER 102.5 AND CONGESTED!! it didn't even take him more than 2 days for him to get SICK AGAIN....i didn't know if should LAUGH, SCREAM OR CRY so i started to laugh! i bet he thought something was wrong with ME! i am just so fustrated with this...i can only imagine what he must be feeling!! so, i called the pulmologist and she started us up AGAIN on a 10 day dose of OMNICEPH and then to have him continuing on AMOXICIL until we find out what the problem is...we are going to go to an ENT to see what he can do for us!! i have an INTERESTING theory but i won't bore you with it here...you can read about it on my blog (3/31/08)..ANYWAY, he is doing well on eating...he has slowed down a TON since he got sick again....*sigh* he was doing AMAZING, it just hurts so bad that he is back down to very little.....anyway, he is also working really hard on standing and walking...we just keep TRUCKING ALONG! and he is doing WONDERFUL on his school!! he can sort correctly at about 90% of the time and he recognizes so many things now and can POINT with his pointer!! wowowowow! he is also so funny! just crack me UP!! oh, and yesterday, he ate CHOCOLATE CANDY and he loved it sooo much he was trying to climb all over his nurse to GET TO IT!!! YUM!

well, joshua is getting so big! he is now 7 months old and he is sitting on his own and just so darn CUTE!! he has the best smile and laugh and he loves to EAT!! either me or his food he loves it all. i got some GREAT video of him eating his first watermellon...OMG, i am tempted to send it to funny videos! he was just adorable! i will download it and put it up on my BLOG today so ya'll can check it out! he is also getting long and big! he is just such a good little boy! is reaching and wanting EVERYTHING and he loves to give me big open mouth kisses and hugs....awww...he melts my heart! and he LOVES his brother ALEX!! as soon as he sees him he start to scream and laugh and just smile....can't keep his eyes off him! and with matthew, it is a WHOLE OTHER STORY!!! it is too funny! he sees matthew coming and boy, he doesn't know what to do! matthew wants to just LOVE on him...so he ends up knocking him over or just holding josh soooo tight! it is so cute to watch! matthew loves to give him love and kisses!! awwwww.....

as for james, he is ALMOST HOME!!!! he said on midnight on the 1st of april, he was SOOOOO HAPPY cause he could finally say, 'NEXT MONTH I SHOULD BE COMING HOME!!" he has waited such a long time to say that! he is anxious to come home and be with his family!! we can't WAIT to get him home!!! he is doing well...he says he is just sooooo tired! he has been working 13+ hour shifts 6 days a week!! this weekend and last weekend were the FIRST time in a VERY long time that he had 2 days off!! when he would call to say hi, he always sounded sooooo tired and he was JUST GETTING INTO WORK! poor guy! but he can't wait to get home...he told me how much he weighs and i am a bit jealous cause he weighs about what i weigh!! he says he hasn't weighed that much since high school!!!! he says he will probably put it all back on when he gets home...awww...he wants to get the boat checked out BEFORE he comes home cause he want's it READY AND WAITING so he can go out on the water!!! he is so excited!!

as for me, i am doing fine...just TIRED and my fibro has been kicking my booty! it is very painful and just annoying...i don't like to feel this way!! one day, i actually had to take something for it because i couldn't stand it any longer!!! i am getting excted to get my man home....sooooo close!!! but other than that, i am SOOO READY to get him HERE!! i am excited!!

and a quick update for those that heard about my friend DIXIE'S mom....WONDERFUL NEWS....after many scans, NO CANCER WAS FOUND ANYWHERE ELSE IN HER BODY, THANK YOU GOD! sooo, now, after being told she DID have cancer in the liver, they think that it might be just a FLUID FILLED SAC in the liver and although they are going to take the fluid in for testing, they don't THINK it is CANCER after ALL!! WHAT A RELIEF!! and what a SCARE for that family!!! soooo, PRAYERS DO WORK!!! i thank GOD that that is the case...i am so happy for them....the family thanks all those that said prayers for her!!

well, that is it!! i have posted some pictures of the boys on the BLOG (www.blessingsinmylife.blogspot.com) if you want to check them out...i will also upload the cute VIDEO of my little guy!! he is eating his watermellon!! AWWW.....if new pics are not done TODAY, please check back with us.,...

well, tons of love from our family to yours!! thanks for all the thoughts and prayers for our family during this deployment....we are ALMOST THRU!!! THANK YOU GOD!

GOD BLESS and TAKE CARE....
love to all,
JAMES, MARIA, ALEX, MATTHEW, & JOSHUA

Tonight (News) midnight for me & 1600hrs your time back home

Tonight at midnight, I will finally be able to say I
am going home next month. I have been waiting for
this moment for a long time and can not wait. My boys
have grown so much and mamma is doing such a great job
taking care of them back home. She is the true Hero.
Ya'll take care and I'll talk to ya'll later. I have
to go to bed now, I go in at midnight my time. Bueno.
James

james is sick right now...

yep, my dh is not feeling well AT ALL!! i feel so bad for him...wheni talked to him on the phone, he sounded HORRIBLE!! he emailed me and said he just felt aweful but that he was going to "suck it up" because he said that as MUCH as matthew goes thru and doesn't complain, he wants to be just like him! we have always said that matthew is our ISPIRATION and our STRENGTH because he is always so happy and strong no matthew what is going on....but i hope that he takes care of himself...he needs to be HEALTHY out there!!! and then he is REALLY HURTING with the new schedule that they have out there!! he is now working OPPOSITE of what he was working about a week ago!! so now he is going from am to pm!! and he is having a HARD TIME adjusting! when i talked to him, he sounded SOOOOOOO TIRED, like you just want to go to sleep tired and i told him "aren't you gettingready to go in?" and he said yes, i told him he sound so tired...he said that they have been SOOOOO BUSY there in his compound that it is not even funny....they he has been sick...

so, any thoughts and prayers for him and his buddies would be appreciated....he doesn't sound good at all!!!

SANDY DAY.....from james at bucca...

Hello all! How are ya'll doing? I am doing fine.
Today was a very Sandy and Windy Day here in Bucca.
We where out at the compound doing some upgrades and
boy howdy let me tell you. So how is the weather
there in your town?
I am in this little club right now. Its a running
club and I am 1.99 miles short of hitting the 100 mile
mark in less than a month. Once i hit that i will be
getting this nice little certificate for hitting the
100 mile mark. Bueno, just wanted to say hello. Take
care and God Bless.
SSG Gonzo

FAMILY UPDATE!!

HELLO FAMILY AND FRIENDS!!

i hope everyone is doing GREAT!!! it has been a while since i last EMAILED but all is well, THANK YOU GOD!! ....we have been enjoying the BEAUTIFUL WEATHER!! who would have thought that last weekend, we were FREEZING with temps just about 40's all day and this week, it has been AWESOME with high's about 80!! we actually had to put the AIR CONDITIONER ON again!!! amazing! we have been going out side everyday and the boys have been playing on their bikes and just enjoying the beautiful days and breeze!!! we are just missing ONE THING to make things soooo much better....daddy!! :( but time is going by soooo fast!!!

well, i will give a little bit of update on the boys!! here they go...

well, friday, both older boys (awww...i can't believe i can say that!!) went to the dentist and i am SOOOOOOOOO VERY PROUD OF ALEX!! OMG, it was such a CHALLENGE to take him to the dentist at the begining...i mean, screaming, crying and just TERRIFIED of the dentist!!! well, today, he was my BIG BOY and he did NOT CRY and he has known about the appt since about a month ago and he had NO PROBLEMS with it!! we got there and he let them clean his teeth, look at his teath, scrape his teeth, take XRAYS, floss them and EVERYTHING!! with no DRAMA at all!! awwww...my BIG BOY!!! he has been riding his big boy bike (with the training wheels) like crazy!! he loves it and he looks really cute! and he wears his helmet and everything! i am so proud of him! in class, well, we have been having issues in that area where he has not wanted to DO class!! i have had to really get on him and try to get him back on it! he LOVES it but i gues i need to move him up a grade level to keep him interested! we are still doing the kinder curriculum because i don't want to stress him out....i am moving up on the math part to 1st grade but everything else...it is just review...i am excited about next year because i really can't wait to challenge him....i hope to do better in that grade with him...he loves to read and we have reading time where he reads me a book!!! and then writing, he is doing great!! he i working HARD to get those letters looking good! i am so proud of him! and he still just AMAZES ME on his IMAGINATION!!! this little boy LOVES his LEGOS and he is forever playing with them and making such AMAZING ROBOTS, TRUCKS, AIRPLANES YOU NAME IT!! and i just got him a TRAIN one that is for older kids and BOY, ALL BY HIMSELF, reading the directions he made all 3 trains you can make with this kit!! and those are TINY little legos!!! i am just in awe of him! he can also draw on his writing board and he loves to draw transformers and robots....just in awe...

now, matthew, on the other hand, was just FREAKING OUT at the dentist, poor baby! he did NOT like it at all!!! soooo, GOD WILLING, he will be having a ANGIO CT SCAN in june-ish or so and they will be doing it under general anesthesia, HOPEFULLY the dentist can go and do whatever it is she needs to do (scraping and such) WITHOUT fear of aspiration!! it is scary!! but we can not do it any other way because he starts to gag and wretch and just scream and cry! i hope that MAYBE someday he will get over it but i just don't think so! i know how scary the dentist are!! they just about OWN MY TEETH!! anyway, he is doing great in school too! his teacher comes out 2 times a week for 2 hours and he is learning soooo much...i KNEW he was a smarty but he has shown me how MUCH of a smarty he is! he is able to SORT objects by color and thing, he is learning to talk more and he is such a SMARTY!! example...teacher tells him to give her a RED block, and in front of him are 5 block of different color with the red one right in front...he will procede to hand her EVERY BLOCK BUT THE RED ONE and just be smiling and laughing about it!! he is such a STINKER sometimes!!! he can be a bit stubborn but i will TAKE THAT!! :) matthew is getting some NEW AFO'S that the ankle actually flexes!! that will be nice as he is learning to walk more and is doing more!! i am just so proud of his accomplishments! we have been concerned because he has been getting really tired recenlty and we are just closely monitoring him with that!!! GOD WILLING it is nothing......AND just this week alone, matthew has had 3 SEIZURES already with the one on FRIDAY NIGHT (which is RARE in itself) happening WHILE HE WAS AWAKE!! that freaked me out because that happened when he was going to sleep and apparently, he started to stare at the cieling fan that was on and it caused him to go into this totally unresponsive state...i had gone in to turn off the tv that he was watching when i noticed he was STILL AWAKE, or so i thought, until i went over to him and noticed his HUGE PUPILS and just blank stare...man, i was worried!! i had JUST called my MIL to come over because i thought i was going to have to call EMS cause he was TOTALLY not responding when, BAMMM, he takes this HUGE BREATH and snaps out of it! i don't know HOW LONG he was acutually IN IT before i FOUND him and he was in it for at least 10 mins when i got to him....man, that was REALLY scary cause i was soooo sure i was getting ready to call EMS....please, give a thought or prayer for this little guy that he does NOT have a seizure....so scary!

anyway, joshua has learned a couple of new things this week...he FOUND HIS HAIR(which is JUST coming back in after falling out)!! he looks sooooo cute when he reaches up there and starts to scratch it!! awww...and then he found his FEET!! he LOVES to grab them and try to EAT THEM!!! TOOOO CUTE! he has also started to blow rasberries (i think that is what they are called) so he sounds soooooo cute!!! and of course, he gets the other boys into it and they are ALL doing it at the same time and ALL are cracking up together!!! it is a sight to see! he also has JUST started to sit by himself! he can sit there for at least a couple of minutes before he over corrects and falls over! and this little guy is the first little one that will CRY when he topples over! he is our drama boy too! such a CUTIE!!

well, james is doing well! he is just struggling with the work...he calculated that he is working about 81 hours a WEEK!!! that is ALOT OF TIME!! and he is just exhausted!! they recently had to move from their compound to another one while the original one was being worked on......i know that his compound that he works at, has been COMMENTED on that it is one of the best one out there and the soldiers are doing an AMAZING job there!! they also are the only ones with a CATWALK (that they built) running over the compound that allows them to see down on the people and the higher ups where REALLY impressed with that!! i am so proud of him!!! his unit is a mixture of several different states so they call themselves CHAOS!! awwww..anyway, we are able to talk to each other more on the internet because he FINALLY got internet acces from his room!!! yayayayaya!! he does NOT need to be out in the bitter cold to get on the internet...what a BLESSING!! so now he can get on for a couple of minutes, call me, and then i can jump on the computer and we can video chat with each other and he can see the kids....it is GREAT!!! the boys LOVE to talk to daddy!! i have just posted his latest UPDATE from bucca over at our blog!!! so, if you would like to read it, please go right over!! :)

well, as for me, i am doing fine....just trucking along here at home just WAITING for my hubby! we just celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary on the 1st of the month....AWWWWW! i am so in love with that beautiful man! i have been just busy with the boys and making sure we are doing everything we can! the nurses schedule is kinda different so i don't have ANY nurse on thursday and that is kinda right in the middle of the week but we have handled it just fine. i don't normally go anywhere on that day...just relax! my FIBROMYALGIA is REALLY acting up lately...it is so hard in the morning to get out of bed and walk down those stairs to get the door for the nurses...it is so painful....i can't even describe to you have much it HURTS! not to mention the REST of my body! i feel like such an old lady somedays....i have had to take some MOTRIN to help ease some of the pain....it helps somewhat but man! i just deal with it!! i can't take what is prescribed for me because of the kiddos...those things would KNOCK ME OUT if i took them! anyway, all is well! i just can't WAIT to get daddy home!!!

CHD Awareness Week has officially started FEB 7-14! MLH of SA is excited to let you know that we have received a state and city proclamation from Texas Governor Rick Perry and San Antonio Mayor Phil Hardberger in recognition of CHD awareness.....FINALLY! there is something in san antonio to HELP spread awareness of CONGENITAL HEART DEFECTS!!! unfortunatly, i was unable to be much help this year with the booth and such but i KNOW they are doing a WONDERFUL JOB at any and all events!!

well, that is it for the update....if you have not been by our BLOG (www.blessingsinmylife.blogspot.com) in a while, come check out all the NEW pictures of the boys!! they are growing sooooo fast! i also backtracked all our time with DADDY on our blog (look for date of dec 23rd to current) to see what happened, pictures of our time and also some current pics and videos too!!

GOD BLESS EVERYONE!! we are doing fine just waiting for james to COME HOME SAFELTY!!!!

take care and thanks for reading,
JAMES, MARIA, ALEX, MATTHEW, & JOSHUA!! :)

BUCCA UPDATE....love james...

20080209- 0627hrs your time and 1527hrs my time

Hello all! How are ya‘ll doing? I am doing fine over here in the Middle East. The trip here has been an experience that will not be forgotten. Sorry I have not sent many emails out lately but the time here has been really busy. It has taken a toll on the body physically and not as much mentally. I have been on a 6 and 1 schedule lately and over 80hrs of work time in a 6 day work week. When I have that one day off all I want to do is absolutely nothing. I try to call mamma and the boys as much as I can and it just fells so good to talk to them when I can. I love it when I talk to them and it makes me feel so good. I always look forward to talking to mamma and the boys. There still isn’t much to talk about over here on the net or phone. Everything you say on the phone is being monitored and everything you send on the net is being watched. Boy I can’t wait till I get home. Everything on this end is pretty much the same ol same. My time here still consists of the following:
1 go to work
2 go to sleep
3 go to gym
4 take shower
5 go eat
6 go to work
7 go to sleep
8 go to gym
9 take a shower
10 go eat
11 go to work
It’s the same thing day in day out. I turn in laundry when I need to in between the schedule. I know these letters have probably been the same but I’ll try to change it up every once and a while. I just wanted to basically let all know that I am dong just fine.
Chayo’s and my moms care packages have been outstanding and they keep me in good spirits and make me feel good. I have received other care packages from friends and I thank them for keeping me in mind. The one that is the true hero here is mamma back at home taking care of my 3 lovely boys. She has such a busy schedule with them and is doing such a great job. It is nice that we have a nurse that comes over to help out with Matthew. My boys are doing great. They are all growing and missing their daddy, but soon I will be home with them and my wife. I can’t wait to see everybody again when I get home. There is a lot of things that I want to do when I get home. Well, ya’ll take care and have a good day. I will talk to you later.

Love from Iraq,
SSG Gonzalez, James A

I WOULD LOVE TO THANK THESE PEOPLE....

http://mainetroopgreeters.com/Site/Home-1.html

WOW, someone posted this link to a WONDERFUL group of BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE that i so wish to THANK!! who, might you ask? this is the LINK to the group of people that were THERE AT THE AIRPORT in BANGOR, MAIN when my wonderful husband landed there on his way to IRAQ!!! isn't that awesome? these people did something i could NOT do because i was sooooooo far away, and that is WELCOME them to BANGOR, MAIN and then WISH THEM WELL, GIVE THEM THANKS, AND GIVE THEM BLESSINGS as they made their way BACK on their plane that would take them far far away......i was on the phone with james as he made his way thru the group lining the hallway leading back into the plane and i could hear the men & women saying "thank you" and "be safe" and i remember starting to CRY because i was SOOOOO HAPPY THAT SOMEONE WAS THERE TO SEE THEM OFF because i could not be there and I WOULD have been there if i could have!!! i can NEVER thank them enough for giving james a WARM LOVING send off...and GOD WILLING, when they arrive BACK in the U.S. they are SUPPOSE to go back thru there...

here are a couple of statments from their webtie:

"The Maine Troop Greeters consider it an honor to meet and greet our military troops regardless of the weather or time of night and with thunderous ovations and warm welcoming smiles, have greeted over 400,000 troops. "

"It is the Troop Greeters mission to make sure that no military person will ever step back onto American soil to an ungrateful nation. These troops have left behind all the comforts of home and most importantly; they have left behind their loved ones. The greeters feel it is an honor and a privilege to welcome them to Bangor, Maine. "

"Bangor is the last American soil our troops set foot on before going over seas and the first American soil our troops set foot on when returning to the United States."


so, if you would like, take a moment and check out this site and see what they do for OUR TROOPS! it is just amazing and such heartfelt way of saying THANK YOU to our troops.....they also have PHOTOS of ALL the troops that have been thru there...i tried looking for james but could not find him! i hope someone can find their love ones.....

awww...my hubby is FREEZING!!

well, i spoke to james today and my poor guy....he told me he is FREEZING!! he called me at 7pm our time (4am his time) to tell me that he HAD to get up because he was sooooooooooo cold (30 degrees or less) and he just could not get warm...they are sleeping in tents with NO HEATERS and all he has is his 2 SMALL LIGHT blankets and his jacket...he was sleeping in FULL UNIFORM with boots and all, with his jacket on and his 2 little blankets TRYING to keep warm! he told me he had to get up and he went to the DSN lines are because those places are HEATED!!! I asked him if he was the only one and he said, no, all you see is everyone SHIVERING because they are sooooo cold! i felt so bad for him! i wish there was SOMETHING i could do for him....

well, we started homeschool classes again today...it was nice for ME to get back into the swing of things...alex on the other hand is having a HARD TIME! he got a bit lazy and it will take a while to get him back on track! but i am still so proud of him.....he knows how to count by TWOS, THREES, FOURS, FIVES, SIX, SEVEN...etc!! i asked him to count by 10's ...no problem!! he even tried to count by 11, 12 etc! he is SUCH A SMARTIE!! i mean, i am in AWE of this little boy! he can add and subtract with 2 numbers!! (20-5=15 etc)he LOVES math!! i love this guy soooo much! i am so proud of him! he is doing reallhy good on the bike that santa got him! he looks so cute when he is riding it!!

matthew is doing really well too in school. our new teacher comes out 2 times a week for 2 hours each. they do learning, music, art etc...much better than the 1 hour 4 times a week! i really like it and he seems to really like her! she TALKS TO HIM! trust me, that makes a difference! on a BAD note, he has had FOUR sz since the new year....2 small ones lasting LESS than a minute on the 4th & 8th and then just this SUNDAY morning at 3 am, he had 2 MAJOR ONES!! yes, he woke up at 2:30am and i went in and changed his diaper and then i just had a BAD FEELING about it so i stayed up and watched him from my room and then BAMMMM at 3:45am he started to have a sz...it lasted for about 5 mins!! so after that, i watched him again and then BAMMM at 4:19am he started to go at it AGAIN for another almost 5 mins!!! i was really starting to worry that i might end up in the HOSPITAL and call EMS because he sometimes does it that the 3rd time is a CHARM!! but THANK YOU GOD he stopped and slept...of course, i didn't sleep!! i think i had a total of about 2 hours of sleep that night....my poor baby! i was already planning and trying to remember where my pants where who i was going to call etc....i just PRAY that he stays HEALTHY with NO SZS!!!!

joshua is doing GREAT!! he is such a cutie! we love him soooo much! just today, he started SITTING!! yes, you read right...before when we would have him sit, he woudl immediatley topple over...but today, he sat up for about 20 secs or so before he went over and that was because he was reaching for something!! toooo cute! i need to take a pic of him!

well, james should be back at base camp tomorrow...i hope so for him because he needs to be where thereis a HEATER!!

and...i added some music on here that i LOVE!! just GOOD MUSIC...james and i love these artist and these songs...we say that when he gets back, GOD WILLING, we are going to DANCE to these songs...even if it is on our PATIO!! :) so enjoy! i will be changing songs as i go...