In loving memory- by MW

All,

On this day, four years ago, a patrol from B Company, 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, from the 1st Infantry Division was ambushed in the streets of Tikrit Iraq. While driving down a street known as “RPG Alley” at 0300, the second vehicle in the patrol was attacked with an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and small arms fire that mortally wounded CPT John “Hans” Kurth and SPC Jason Ford.
As the Company Commander, CPT Kurth constantly made sacrifices for the soldiers in his command. On this night, only two weeks into the unit’s one year deployment, Hans assigned himself the midnight patrol. Being the third patrol of the day and the middle of the night, this was the hardest patrol to conduct. It was also the most critical, because it helped demonstrate to the good people in Iraq that coalition forces would not allow insurgents to move freely through the night and conduct acts of terror at will. Hans was a leader and always led from the front. This night was no different. Only, on 13 March 2004, Hans made the ultimate sacrifice, not only for his unit and his men, but for his country (each and every one of us). Hans was a father to a beautiful young boy, a great American Soldier, and a dear friend to many.
As the commander, Hans knew the strengths and weaknesses of each soldier in his unit and subsequently selected the best soldiers in the unit to accompany him as a part of his regular patrolling force. Not only was SPC Jason Ford selected to join the patrol, he was selected as the Radio Telephone Operator (RTO) to manage communications in commander’s vehicle. Jason was an outstanding soldier who knew his trade better than most. He knew how to manage the command group’s difficult communications setup, had a masterful understanding of all the weapons within the convoy, and was an expert marksman. Jason jumped at the opportunity to join this patrol group. Not only because he wanted to show that he was the best, but he knew that this group, led by CPT Kurth, would push itself to its limits to accomplish their mission. He knew that this group would be responsible for a positive impact on tens of thousands of lives in Saddam Hussein’s hometown of Tikrit, Iraq as they eliminated the violence and acts of terror that were present from insurgent forces. On 13 March 2004, Jason also made the ultimate sacrifice and gave his life for his country. He always had a positive attitude and was fun to be around. The officers and non-commissioned officers admired his motivation and the soldiers loved his sense of humor. He was a fine soldier and also a friend to many.
While I could write about how these great men and that night have impacted my life, I will not. There are over 3000 American soldiers who have sacrificed their lives in the line of duty in our current war on terror. Each have people whose lives they touched who could write a novel on their behalf, but that is not why these individuals choose to serve. There is an old phrase that is used everywhere from country songs to Hollywood movies stating, “Freedom Isn’t Free.” The freedoms that many of us take for granted were earned by the sacrifices of our forefathers over two hundred years ago and are maintained by our brave men and women in uniform today. Whether you agree with our current military campaigns or not, the service members and their family members are making tremendous sacrifices on a daily basis for each and every one of us. If you see a soldier, sailor, airman, marine, or their families…just take a second to say “Thank you” for the lives that they have chosen and the sacrifices that they have made.
There is no need to reply or forward this e-mail. The intent of this e-mail is to ask each of you to take a minute during your day today to stop and reflect on your own lives. Be thankful for the family, friends, and freedoms that each of us hold dear. This day is especially important to me since it is the anniversary of when a close friend lost his life and serves as a time for me to pause. All I am asking is that you add meaning to their sacrifice. Take a minute to appreciate all of the little things in life and remember what it takes for each of us to be able to enjoy them. Thank you for your time.

One hour. Big Change.

Mark this on your calendar- two posts in two days!

I just received a notice from the World Wildlife Foundation that I wanted to share with everyone. It reads:

On March 29, 2008, cities around the world will join together to literally turn off the lights for one hour to offer leadership and symbolize their commitment to finding climate change solutions. Individuals, local businesses and corporations will also be asked to turn off their lights. Will you join in?

I thought this sounded pretty neat- but then I realized that the time is from 8-9pm. So, 8-9pm where? EST, Central, What? I guess the idea is great even if it is on a rolling time clock. I think it is a simple way to join a cause and thought you may be interested.

So, mark your calendars to sit in the dark on 3/29 from 8-9pm!

...and by the way Earth Day this year is on April 22nd- don't forget to plant a tree!

This is Kermit the frog here reporting for the usual blogger that fills this space.

Have a great day- and remember "It's not easy being green!"

Bad blogger

Hey everyone- We have been super busy and I have not posted in a while. I do have some photos on my camera I need to post.

We have completed phase I of painting the inside of the house. I will post pictures one day. We also had a visit from Jo, Deric, and Kai two weeks ago. It was great fun seeing old friends. We hope to be able to see them again soon.

I took my first business trip last week and went to Detroit in Chicago. It was exhausting. I am glad to be back.
Bailey and Sam are doing well. Bailey is walking even better than before. I am so excited that he has shown new strength! I was starting to worry that he had fully healed with the limp, but my wonder dog is still proving to have more healing to do! Soon we should be able to take him swimming.

Speaking of dogs- check out this pup! He was working hard to help build his dad's waterfall in the back yard, but he got so tired...

He took a puppy nap. Not to be confused with a cat nap!

Hope all is well.....

My new brother in law

Brace yourselves. This may be the cutest little puppy that has come along since Sam and Bailey! I would like to announce the arrival of Hemingway's Pale Brandy. The newest member of the Wanish clan. As reported by the proud papa:

We are pleased to announce that yesterday, we added a “little one” to our family. It’s a BOY!
He weighs in at 8 lb 3 oz.
He is 24 inches (dog measures 9 inch leg and 9 inch from shoulder to hip).
He was born in Bloomingburg, Ohio on 12January, 2007 (six weeks when we got him)
He is a English Yellow Labrador and is named “Hemingway’s pale brandy” (or probably “Hemi” for short).

Who couldn't love that face?

Color

This past weekend we had some of the rooms in our house painted! It looks so nice having color on the walls. As some of you know we had our entire house painted in NJ right away. We have waited until now to start coloring the walls here. It makes the home instantly more comfortable and ours. We painted the livingroom a color called: Spicy Hugh- it is a cinnamon orange sort of color. It is very warm and matches are things perfectly. The black and white room I posted photos of a while back is finally complete with gray walls and finally, the room off of the master is Svelte Sage- the name of the color says it all! We are working on the master bath- the painter does not remove wallpaper (go figure) so we have begun tearing it down ourselves so he can paint. I will be so excited when that is done! I will get pictures up soon of the changes.

Weekend Recap

Friday night we went to this new tiny little cafe like place that sells only wine and cheese and crackers. They do wine tastings for $5 to taste five wines. It was very quaint and a lot of fun. We will definitely go back. It is almost walking distance from our house, only the street is so busy to get there and there are no sidewalks. So, we drive.

Holy WIND yesterday. The weather was gorgeous with the exception of the strong winds. The gutter blew off of the side of the hosue- that was fun. And then, I had to go find the cushions to the outdoor chairs since they were blowing down the driveway and into neighbors yards. It was quite impressive. The rest of the day was not however. It was very nice to just rest a bit. We rearranged the furniture in the family room and I like it much better. It opens the room up and is just an all around better look. So, I am happy about that. I also planted pansies. The weather here has been great. In MA it is still snowy and frozen and I am already seeing my bulbs come up and doing my "Spring clean up." The yard needs lot's of love, but luckily I enjoy it.

Still here

Hey Everyone. I know I am now officially a bad blogger and it has been ages since I had steady posts. To our defense, we have been very busy!

When we returned from Florida my workload exploded! I have been so busy at work that when I get home I do very little. I am beat. We did have friends come to visit for my birthday and it was a great time! We had a full house for an evening and an extended stay from our old neighbors in NJ. It is always so nice to see old friends. Sometimes I wonder if I will ever have that good of friends here - locally. The week following our visitors MW had knee surgery. Apparently, during one of his "jumps" in the military he landed off enough that he had torn cartillage. It started to bother him more often and they decided to operate. When they got "in there" they found a torn miniscus as well. So, the surgery was a little more than expected, but went well. He is pretty much recovered from a day to day stand point, but is still unable to run or bik or play hockey for another couple of weeks. Hopefully, his pain level will be muc lower now.
MW also switched jobs and is working at the better bank in town! I am glad we finally saw eye to eye on that one : )

We missed our planned trip to Fayetteville due MW's recovering from surgery, but we hope to visit there soon. Marie- I will let you know when we are in the neighborhood!

I have finally gotten a grip on my lazy self and started running again. It is cyclical for me and I don't get why I punish myself like this. It is easier to continue running than to stop and have the pain of building up the stamina again. Last night I ran to my mom's house for the first time since she moved there. It was really nice to run over, visit, and then get a ride home! Eventually I will work up to running there and back, but I am not up for 10K just yet. I am looking for some "fun runs" to do to keep me going. This city is a very active running city and is full of running clubs and things, but I prefer to run alone- unless it is a race.

Bailey is doing well. He is starting to have a little more confidence climbing stairs. He still is unable to climb more than a few on his own, but is making some progress. The pretty princess is still the same. It is her birthday month! We don't know when exactly she was born, but we do know that this month she is 8! Are baby is growing up! I have to get photos of their Christmas presents. They got "adirondog chairs." Most of you probably know what an adirondack chair is for people, so picture a dog specific one. They are on the back deck and Bailey loves them!

OK- That is what is new here. This weekend I am lookinf forward to a little yard work and relaxation!
Take care and I will post again. Sorry to be such a bad blogger!