Happy Halloween Memories!

Happy Halloween! Hopefully ghosts, goblins and ghouls will be in full form tonight.

For me this is a new thing. Until my husband and I married 5 years ago, I'd never celebrated Halloween.

When my husband learned I'd never dressed up, trick-or-treated or carved a pumpkin he set about to remedy that. My first pumpkin carving was in 2005. I had so much fun. This (pumpkin on left) was my first attempt.



That year we also dressed up Sgt. Major as ... a Handome Devil! Obviouly that first year he wasn't happy, but he got used to it when he realized he got more treats ... no tricks!



This was last year, Halloween 2007. Much better participation!



This year will will hand out candy, but we are spending the day at the hosptial with my FIL, but we did attend the Texas Ren. Festival last weekend and I found a drunk pumpkin and thought my visitors would love to see him! Click on the picture to see his droopy eyes! I loved it!



Until our next visit ...

Decisions ...

George's dad is getting better everyday and of course the time has come for us to chose a care facility (nursing home just envokes harsh memories of sad and ill elderly that my Family used to visit when I was a child.) The social worker stopped by to give us a list of facilities so of course we start doing Internet research. Then like long lost relatives visiting a lottery winner, representatives from various facilities begin to stop by. It has been overwhelming, but not as overwhelming as learning merely 15 minutes ago that they want to release his dad in the next 24-hours!

What!?! He' still on a feeding tube and we haven't even had a chance to visit any facilities! OMG! Time is of the essence! We've got to get busy on this, so if I don't get a chance to stop by your vlogs in the next few days, rest assured that I am still alive, just pulling my hair out! I'll post an update on these not-so-merry adventures when I get a chance!

Until our next cup of tea ...

Someone got bad news today ...

We are at the hospital again. George's dad developed pnemonia, so they admitted him to the hospital on Wednesday. It looks like he could be here through next week. I came down last night after George said that they asked him to define "what measures to go to save him" if something should happen. They said there was little likilhood that there would be any issues, but just in case.

His dad has been suffering memory loss and has been incoherant lately. He thought it was 1997 on Wednesday. We arrived here this morning just before 9 a.m. His dad called at 7 a.m. to ask George to come and get him because he wanted to go home. He asked George if he knew where he was. It was heartbreaking to hear George's side of the conversation.

I feel bad saying it, but if feels like we are on the death floor. I went to the refreshment room to get some tea and I overheard a doctor telling a Family there was nothing more they could do, but keep their relative comfortable.

I wonder if these walls could talk, how many of those conversations it could tell of. I wonder how many miles these floors have seen as Family members pace back and forth with worry as medical personnel scurry by deep in though or scrambling notes. I wonder how many doctors have stood in the rising elevators preparing to have "that talk" with Families or how many heavy hearts have rode down wondering how many more weeks, days, hours they will have with their loved one. I wonder how many tears have washed these floors.

They are optimist that his dad will pull through but we now must weigh the decisions of caring for him ourselves, home health care, or a residents service. Is there a book to tell you what the right decision is? How do you know waht to do or say?

Until our next cup of tea ...

The most beautiful of all photos ...

This past week has been exhausting. I'm at 33 hours awake on 3 hours of sleep, but it's all been worth it.

One of my deployed units was supposed to return on Tuesday but facing delays they did not return until last night. Telling the families that had gathered at the gymnasium onTuesday that their Soldier would not be arriving for another two days was one of the hardest thing I've done since taking this job over a year ago.

The welcome party met at the HQ building starting as early as 10 p.m. last night. I arrived just after 11 p.m. filled with coffee and trying to stay awake. We arrived at the airport just after 1 a.m. and waited ... and waited. Just after 2:30 a.m. we got the news that they had arrived. Out to the tarmac we go to welcome home our weary warriors. What an amazing experience.



Words cannot describe how tired these travelers were as they slowly exited the plane and walked down the stairs. Their pace quickened as saw the final steps of their journey came into view.

They filed into the hanger, turned in their weapons and settled onto the bleachers to await their final briefings before loading up on buses to travel the last hour seperating them from their loved ones.

A little after 3:30 a.m. the Soldiers loaded onto the buses and off we went for what many Soldiers describe as the longest road home.

As they filed into the gym, the excitement could be felt as the Families stood to their feet and the cheered. The tears flowed as the Soldiers stood in formation and the commanding general thanked them for their service. 15-months was too long for them and the general had barely ended him speech when children raced forwarded into the waiting arms of their parents.

These are the moments that make the life we life worth it.

Until our next cup of tea ...

Welcome to Our World ...

I'm sitting here watching TLC's Little People, Big World. Now I usually wait until the end of the season when they have the big marathon so I an get it all. But tonight I decided to watch because the father, Matt Roloff, was going to Iraq to help a family with dwarf children.

I am always intriqued to see out "civilians" will see and portray our troops when visiting Iraq and Afghanistan. It was good to see the support that they have for the tropps and how in a small way they see what military families go through on a daily basis. It's not 7 days for us, but 12, even 15 months.

As the mother Amy said, you can't call them, you have to wait for them to call you. And if they are injured, it could be days the family finds out. That's the hardest part ... the not knowing, the uncertainty.

It definately takes a strong person to live this life. There have been numberous times when I was on the phone with George and he said, "Baby, I've got to go" and the line goes dead. You don't know why, sometimes there is thunderous sounds in the background, other times it terrifyingly quiet. It could be days before I heard from him again.

As military families it is easier for us to remember that every moement we have is precious, and by treasuring those memories, we are given a gift that few others cherish. It is our reward for doing what we do ...

Until our next cup of tea ...

A trip down memory lane

For those long-time blogger friends, you have know me as Rose Michelle, but have switched to "Spanish Princess" as a reminder of a memory of childhood playtime at my grandmother's when I played with her silver teaset and pretended to be a Spanish Princess in a faraway land.

I've also restarted my second blog, The Teacup Collector's Cottage. Some of my longtime readers may have seen it before, but a few years ago, I'd reached a very busy time in my life and deleted it. My original goal on this one was military life, but some home and crafts found their way here after that one was closed. But there are so many things that I am looking forward to doing and I don't want to combine the two here. It is still in the beginning stages and will see some changes over the next few weeks/months, but I am very excited about it.

Until our next cup of tea ...

One of kind ... like my husband

O.k. I've spent forever looking but cannot find the post I was looking for ... so let me explain. During the first deployment (Afghanistan) I commissioned a piece of art for George, given to him upcon his return. It was entitled, Homefront Guardian, and done by a military spouse artist whom I had interviewed for the newspaper when she did a piece depicting New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. (If you click on it to enlarge, you see that Sgt. Major has the SGM rank on his collar.)



His reaction was much better than I expected. He really loved it and pointed it out to anyone who came to visit over the next year. So this deployment, I wanted to do something that he would enjoy just as much. The spouse of his Battalion's previous commander gave me the name of another military spouse artist who could recreate anything using the person name or a word or phrase. To be more specific she creates a picture by writing a word over and over in different ways to give depth and demension. I had it framed and gave it to George last week, after it was decided that he would be put on the unit's rear detachment to be with his father who had been diagnosed with terminal cancer.



Go ahead, click on the picture for a closer look. If you'd like the artist's contact information, just leave your email address and I'll send it to you.

I also had one done with my name using a picture of one of my grandmother's teacups. I'll post it when I get it framed.



Until our next cup of tea ...

What happens in Vegas ... eventually gets posted on my blog!

O.k. so despite the many hours at the hopstial while George was on R&R, we did get a chance to go to Las Vegas ... Crazy fun! We were joined my out closest friends Gordon and Mindy for a 2.5 day whirlwind of fun.

After transferring flights because his dad was in the hospital and then getting a delayed flight, we finally left out at midnight on a Friday night ... first class baby!! Because of the time change, we arrived at 1 a.m. and were met my our limo. We stopped by the hotel and picked up Gordon and Mindy who had taken the original, earlier flight. The we were off for a impromtu guided tour via limo of the Strip and the Freemont Street. It was great.

After heading back to the hotel and checking in (we stayed at the Venitian), we dropped our bags off and headed to the Lux Restaurant where we ate dinner/breakfast at 3 a.m. before heading off to our rooms for a few hours of sleep. This was the entry into the Vienitian (right).

The suite was amazing as well. We stayed in the Venitian tower, where you needed a access card just to get in the elevators. The room was all blue an gold and gave me lots of inspiration for our livingroom. There was a sitting area and dining area. The bed was on a platform and the bathroom was HUGE!

The next day we walked around exploring, played a little at the casino after enjoying the breakfast spread in the Tower Lounge. We also found out that the lounge had a semi-formal tea (LOVED IT!!!) and happy hour.



That night we had dinner at Emeril Lagasse's Delmonico Steakhouse where we had steaks and pork loin (I wanted something different so George and I could share) and a bottle of wine. After dinner George and I went to see the Phantom of the Opera and then Gordon and Mindy joined us for a Showgirls Show. So much fun, after which we stopped by and played at some of the local casinos late into the night before dragging ourselves to bed for a few hours.

The next day we had the breakfast at an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet that have EVERY type of breakfast cusine possible, organized by ethnicity. In the words of Rachael Ray ... Yumm-O!!!Afterwards, George and I went to Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum where George got upclose with Jessica Simpson and I spend a little time in bed with Hugh Hefner (I know, it creeps me out just to type that!) I also married George Clooney and George stared down The Rock.

We actually had so much more fun than we thought, but I think it was because we were open to trying something new. Outside of our comfort sone. I also took a picture with Julia Roberts, Bette Midler and Jackie O. George could be seen with the Duke, shook hands with President George W. Bush and dunked on Shaq. They even had a small haunted house that scared the crap out of me!

After that we walked around the inside of the Venitian's shopping area where they had a gondola ride. If you look at the picture you would bet money that it was outside but that sky was actually painted on the ceiling of of shopping area. Even standing beneath it, it was hard to believe that you were not outside.

The gondolas were amazing as they snaked though on building and shops. We were going to ride them but the line was long and I was a little weirded out that people stood at the rails and watched you like stalkers as you rode through. Besides there was no way I wanted to miss the Afternoon Tea at the tower. We had gone the day before with Gordon and Mindy, but them found out that their package didn't include it for them, so they opted not to pay. So they went shopping when we headed to the Wax Museum. The tea was amazing and had some great scones (though I kept saying crumpets because I love tea and crumpets.) I have now discovered that I love rasberry jelly. Who knew!

For dinner we met Gordon and Mindy at the Wolfgang Puck restaurant, Postrio. It was good, we opted for gormet pizzas. Afterwards, we grabbed a taxi and headed off to see The Amazing Johnathan, one of George's favorite comedians.

Aftwards we managed to make it back to Freemont Street to see the midnight light show, then spend a few hours at the casinos until the early hours.

The next morning, Monday, was headed back to reality, but not before grabbing some chocolate covered strawberries at a local gormet shop before heading to the limo.

All in all, it was a great experience and we are saving up to return and see some of the things we didn't get to do and see, like the Bellagio's water show, I always loved those fountain shows. By the end of our whirlwind weekend, we were pretty exhausted with little sleep, but loved every minute of it. My list for next time is already started!



Until our next cup of tea ...

Legacy is not a curse, but reminder of what is precious

I'm sitting here at the chemo and radiation clinic, in the middle of hour number 4, as my father-in-law sleeps quietly behind me, the silence pierced but the clicking of his IV machine and the quiet hum of the nurses at the nearby station. I've got school books at my feet, a 20-page paper minimized on my desktop, and cell phone by my arm as I take in the peace and quiet around me to catch up on a myriad of stuff to be done ... papers to be written, preparing families for the Soldiers (in my unit) comming home, scheduling a major banner creation party, etc.

Oddly, for me the busy world inside of a hospital is comforting ... but let me start at the beginning.

For as long as I can remember, cancer has been a part of my life ... my legacy, of sort. My mother was diagnosed with cancer while pregnant with me and not much hope was given, but she fought and we are both driving each other crazy still today. (Seriously, we can't be together more than an hour, how did we surivive 9 months!) My maternal grandmother was diagnosed, fought and over came cancer as well. So did my aunt, grandfather and step-grandfather (mother's step-father). I have spend many nights in the hospital reading books, walking the halls, running to get food for family visiting. You see, it is my family's legacy to fight for life, not to die from cancer. They have all survived. We are survivors. As a child, I did not wish to never have cancer, but instead to be as strong as my family had been when my time comes. It was like a rite of passage in my eyes.

No matter how far apart we are, the hospital has been a place where we came together and share our stories, greet new cousins and ward off questions about when we will be settling down/having children/graduating college from senior family members. I come from a large Hispanic family, and while we are not close in distance, we come together at a moment's notice when one of us is sick.

Just two weeks ago, my mom called to say her father was at the VA Hospital and they didn't give him much hope of recovery, cancer and masses in his liver and lungs or something. He was one step below ICU. But 4 days later, he walked out complaining that they made wouldn't let him wear his fedora and (I'm sure) looking for a beer and "decent food."

I've searched my memories and I cannot think of one Family member who died under the age of 75 ... my great-grandparents were in their 90s when they passed.

It's weird sitting here alone now, though my family has repeated asked George if he'd like them to visit or bring food or magazines, but he continues to decline. For him its a show of weakness to be seen like this I think, but for my family is a chance to show you care. Even if they don't know his father well, they know and love George. But my family is fighters, and I am scared to imagine what my "tough as nails at a mere 5-feet tall" grandmother would do when his dad starts talking about just giving up or letting him go to a hospice and us going back to our lives. She's the feisty one in the bunch and she'd tell him exactly what she thinks about giving up.

It's a hard legacy to live up to, but I've got a lot of people showing me the way, and I plan make them proud!

Until our next cup of tea ...

Honoring Unsung Heroes

Time is running out to nominate outstanding military spouses for Military Spouse magazine's 2009 Military Spouse of the Year award.

As the Oct. 8 deadline approaches, 252 Army spouses had been nominated at last count, along with 74 Navy and 70 Air Force spouses. The Coast Guard, with 22 nominations, was edging out the Marine Corps by one nominee.

The Military Spouse of the Year honoree represents millions of unsung heroes who maintain the home front, give selflessly to their communities and provide support to the nation's troops.

The winner will make additional public appearances, write a monthly column to appear in Military Spouse magazine, and maintain a blog during his or her reign, which will last through May 2010.

Last year's award generated hundreds of nominations from across the country, culminating in the selection of Army wife Chelle Brewer as Military Spouse of the Year for 2008.

Nominees must be the spouse of a current member of the U.S. armed forces. Criteria for selecting the winner include impact on community change, volunteerism, personal sacrifice, education and career pursuits and other military spouse-related efforts.

Nominations can be made online at www.msoy.milspouse.com, and must be received by Oct. 8.

The winner will be announced nationally in the magazine's June issue and will be honored during the second annual Military Spouse of the Year awards ceremony here in conjunction with National Military Spouse Appreciation Week in May.

The Military Spouse of the Year award is sponsored by USAA, a financial services company that serves military members and their families.

Until our next cup of tea ...