ArmyWifeToddlerMom: My Mother's Day/ White House post......

OK, I am here to check in with yawl, and long to write something, and anything. So I will attempt it, even if my skull is a jumble of fluff and mallow.

First off, Happy Mother's Day to all of the Mothers in the blogosphere. You each make it look effortless, and easy. And it is not. Motherhood is tough, and hard. And watching your children is like watching your heart with legs on it. So please continue to do your best.

Second, The White House trip was AMAZING to me. Seriously. I kept pinching myself. The trip was a military spouse appreciation event. In total there were 1,100 of us. I need to send the President and his staff a Thank You note, and must make the time to write several thank you notes this week.

Due to Southwest Airlines, (who only got my business, because I only had a couple of days to make arrangements) I was about 7 hours later getting to DC than I had hoped.
Which means I missed out on good wine, and conversation with many good friends. I did spend more time than I would have liked at Chicago MDWY.

As I blogged about earlier I forgot my makeup, many of you did not get the need I have to wear a mask...well it freaked me out. I am vain and a narcissist (hence the blog all about me). However, AFW, not only schlepped me from the airport, and all over the place, let me use her flavia, sleep on her sofa, AND she let me borrow her makeup. Thank You AFW! I forgot all about it....eventually

I put pantyhose on in front of like 5 women, and no one took photos! For those of you not familiar with pantyhose, let me assure you, it is one of the most humiliating tasks on the planet. Nothing pretty about sticking yourself in something much smaller than you.

I almost got in a fight with someone at the airport. She pulled in front of MY girls....I forget what I said, but I must have looked like I meant business because she moved.

Anywho, so we all woke early got pretty and went to the WH. A policeman identified our group as going to the WH. Unsure what that means...we must have looked EXCITED!

We get to the WH, and all I can think is amazing, AMAZING, I pinched myself once. And then of course, after they checked my ID and let me in, I pinched myself again. I was not sure if they would let me in.

I was in the backyard of the WH. More officially known as The South Lawn...I called my DH, and my Dad....had to. I informed them I was in the backyard of THE White House. But I kept wanting to call my Mom. Seriously folks. I kept having this conversation with my Mom in my head...

AWTM: "Mom, I am in the backyard of the White House."

Mom: "giggle"......

It was so strange, that I missed her soooo much that day. I think she may be the only person who would understand what a privilege it was for me to be able to visit that day. She might be the only person that might have understood why I kept getting teary...

My impressions The White House, is really as big as you think it would be. The gardens were lovely, and I wish I could have toured all of the gardens. The company for the day, was deserving of the treat. The White House Staff was personable, and kind. The red geraniums do look perfect on the veranda. The women and men being honored at the event were so humble.

Here is an excerpt from The President's speech...

So here’s why this event is happening. Twenty-four years ago, President Ronald Reagan signed a proclamation recognizing Military Spouses Day. And my own judgment is, is that we need to recognize military spouses every day. (Applause.) But this is the time of year that we honor the wives and husbands who support our men and women in uniform. And today, it’s my honor to welcome you here to the White House. I can’t think of a better place in which to say thanks. Whether you’re signed up for military life at the recruiting station or at the altar rail, each person — (laughter) — each person is a volunteer. And when you married your soldier, sailor, airman, Marine, or Coast Guardsman, you became more than just part of a family — you became part of our nation’s military family.

It’s not an easy life being in the military, particularly when we’re at war, and I understand that. For many of you it means packing up your belongings and moving on short notice. I suspect a lot of you have been on the move much more than you thought you’d be on the move. (Laughter.) For others it means living in a foreign land, which can be exciting, but it also means you’re far away from your extended family, and that’s hard. And for many of you, it means missing a spouse as he or she serves on the front lines in this battle to secure our country and to spread freedom for the sake of peace.

Being left behind when a loved one goes to war has got to be one of the hardest jobs in the United States military. Talked to a lot of folks who have been in the theater, as well as spouses, and it is clear to me the harder job in many ways is to be the person at home taking care of the kids and having sleepless nights as you pray for safe return.

You’re carrying out the burdens — you’re serving our country. And it’s noble service. And it’s necessary service. And the United States [of] America owes you a huge debt of gratitude. And so, on behalf of our people, thank you for what you’re doing. (Applause.)

One of the things I have learned in seven and a half years as the President is, as you’ve served our country, you also serve each other. I’ve spent a lot of time visiting our military bases here in America and across the world. And it’s been a great experience. What I’ve found is that there’s always a close-knit community, people who are sharing a special bond, and people who take time to look out after people. It’s a — it’s been an amazing experience to see the fabric of our military communities firsthand, and today we’re going to honor six military spouses who have done a little extra to serve your communities and serve the nation.

Here is a link to the EVENT, and in it there is a link to a video, in which you can hear Secretary of Defense Gates thanking not only the Spouses, but he wanted to make sure we knew what a privilege it was for him to lead our men and women. You can hear Phil Vasser singing The National Anthem, and then hear President Bush speak to all military spouses....

In the same article, you can read more about the AWARDEES, as well.
This year’s awardees were: Colleen Saffron, an Army wife; Ramona Vazquez, a Coast Guard wife; Bob Davidson, an Air Force husband; Ellen Patton, a Navy wife; Dawnle Scheetz, an Army Reserve wife; and Kaprece James, a Marine Corps wife.