MHS Megaphone Cookies

These are some cookies I did over the weekend for Martin Cheerleaders for their Nationals Showoff.  They were sugar cookies with a modified royal icing and outlined with sugar crystals.

Merry Christmas from both sides of the World

Hope that this Christmas is filled with love and many blessings!

Love,

Mark and Alisha

Santa, Have You Seen My Soldier??

This is a tribute video to my FAVORITE soldier.  Hopefully he will get to see this...Turn up the volume and enjoy!  Thanks for watching!!!!

A glimpse into the life of the CPT

I ran across these pictures on someone's facebook.  They are way too great not to share.  I'm loving this first picture!  Can you imagine if you saw that little scenario here?  So..we have two children walking the donkey with two children riding it.  Do you think the parents are around?  And...please note that 2 of the kids are wearing ski bibs.  I'm not thinking they do much skiing over there.  I'm guessing you don't need a saddle to ride a donkey...you just hop on and away you go.  Please note the smiles on the kid's faces...really cute!

This next picture is the CPT giving his intro speech to his new company.  I hope they were all paying close attention.  :)

Here...he is meeting with what appears to be some important people.  I have no idea who they are.  It is a cute pic though!

Sneak Preview

Things I love about the new house:

-Laundry Room: It is amazing! It has a counter top where I can fold the laundry before it ever leaves the laundry room. It will never have to land on the couch or the bed. It also has great storage! I want to paint this room Tiffany Blue.

-The View: The view out the back windows is amazing...If there wasn't a glare from the window you might be able to see that there is a lake just past the tree line.

-The Master Closet: It is now my sewing room...get this! It has a window. I plan to set up my sewing machine in there on a desk. Heck...I might even put a TV in there. It is the new wife cave.

Things I don't really love:

-White walls everywhere!!!!! That will be changing...have no fear!

-Baseboards are vinyl....odd!

-Fireplace has no mantel...that will also be changing.

Project List...so far:

-Paint walls

-Hang a mantel

-Sew curtains

-Create a command center in the kitchen with a blackboard calendar...possibly painted on the wall.

Army Lingo 101

I had a comment on my last blog asking me what happens if the commander has no wife. I'm guessing it was in reference to the flower giving tradition. Since most of my followers are not military I decided to write this informative little post. I am definitely no expert, but I am learning.

First off...if the commander doesn't have a wife...well, they don't get flowers. I think they just skip over that part.

FAQ:

What is FRG?

FRG stands for Family Readiness Group. It is a command sponsored organization of family members, volunteers, soldiers, and civilians belonging to unit that provides an avenue of support and assistance and a network of communications among families, the chain of command and community resources.

Why do I have to do FRG?

I do not HAVE TO DO it. It is pretty traditional that if the commander is married, she will take the responsibility of FRG. This isn't always the case. If the commander isn't married, he selects someone to fill this role.

What does an FRG leader do?

• Supports the commander's family readiness goals
• Provides overall leadership of the FRG
• Recruits other volunteers to serve on FRG committees
• Delegates FRG responsibilities to selected volunteers as committee chairpersons, or presides over their elections
• Serves as a member of the battalion-level steering committee
• Identifies needs or unique problems of unit families
• Acts as unit FRG spokesperson for communicating family members' concerns and ideas to the unit commander and, if needed, the battalion-level FRG leader

What is a Change of Command?

This is the formal ceremony where the company is passed from the outgoing commander to the incoming commander. It symbolizes the continuity of authority of the company.

How many people are in a company?

I think there are around 150 in our company.

What does live on post mean?

On Post means that we live in government quarters on Fort Lewis.

What is the PX/Commissary?

The PX is the Post Exchange....basically Wal-Mart without groceries. It also has a food court. The commissary is the grocery store on post.

Change of Command

It is official! Last night was the Change of Command ceremony for Mark's new company. As a surprise to M. & R. the ceremony was skyped it while the ladies gathered together at the outgoing CO's house. It was AWESOME!!!!! I am always amazed by what technology has the capability to do...when it wants to cooperate. We gathered last night around 11PM Pacific time...we enjoyed coffee, cheesecake and good company. The first picture is M. giving his incoming speech. He sounded great and he is so excited. This is going to be an amazing ride!

It is tradition for the outgoing wife to receive red roses and the incoming to receive yellow. 1SG's wife presented them to us and this is where the guys got the surprise. They said "As a surprise to M and R, their wives are together watching this ceremony and will now receive the traditional roses. Pretty cool, huh?

After the ceremony, M. came over to the screen to tell me that he loves me and will call soon. He looks great...sounds great...and I don't think that smile is leaving his face for a while.