FREE packaging for care packages

The United States Postal Service is offering free
packing materials to spouses and families of military
members who are deployed overseas. To take advantage
of this service call: 1-800-610-8734

229th Marine Corp Ball pictures - Carrie & RJ

These pictues were sent to us by Lizette. Click on the small picture to view a larger version.

http://reagh.uberdesigns.com/pages/CarrieRJphotos.html
(if this link isn't active from this post, copy and paste it into your browser)

I'd be happy to create a page for all of our pictures. If you have pictures to share, send them! I'll work on a page for us!

Enjoy!

-Carrie

Books on relationships and the Military

I went to Border's last night (a dangerous store for me!) in search of a specific military book and came across one that I thought I'd share with you. It's called Married to the Military. A Survival Guide for Military Wives, Girlfriends, and Women in Uniform. I read through it last night and found it to be very informative. However, it pertains more to the married Military family than it does the girlfriends.

The author of the book, Meredith Leyva, has a website (www.cinchouse.com) that has a plethora of information as well. Again, targeting married couples but the rest of us can still find some helpful tidbits.

I just ordered a book called, The Survival Guide to Marriage in the Military. There is a little more to the title but I don't recall what it is. It's for married and dating couples. RJ told me about it (he bought it) and I wanted to read it as well. It isn't targeting women as the other book is. I had to order it and when I get it, have a chance to read it, I'll post my thoughts on it. Hopefully it will be a bit more informative for those of us that aren't married as that info and helpful tidbits are a bit harder to come by. I'll let ya know! It was hard to find too. Not offered on Amazon or on Borders.com or the Borders store. If you'd like to read more about it you can find it here: http://plaintec.net/

If anyone has read either of these books and would like to share their thoughts on them, let me know. I'd love to hear all about it.

later gators!

Semper Fi! Hang tough.
(is there a Navy version or motto like that?)

-Carrie

Care package change-up!

Hey ladies...

In case you missed reading a comment Jodi shared about what we can send to the guys (some great points made!) here it is:

"Just a quickie here.
This is some great info, but here a few things I have learned. The guys get tootsie rolls in their MRE's ALL the time, so they kinda get sick of them. But tootsie makes fruit flavored ones and they don't get them very much, but they ship well. Crystal light makes individual sized packets (the size of suger packets) that are just the right size for one canteen. (they are being sold @ Marc's right now) They get tons of peanut butter in their MRE's also.
And socks! they need lots of socks. The best kind are ALL COTTON WHITE socks. These are the best on the feet. The colored ones tend to cause problems due to the amount of sweating they do and it causes yucky foot conditions. (I have over 75 pairs here ready to be shipped, so moe can just throw his away after a couple of days. Found tons @ places like Big Lots, Wal-Mart, and Value City, really cheap)

Ok, so this wasn't that quick, but it is just the tip of the iceberg."

Thanks Jodi! Much appreciated. Just the kind of info we need! :)

My only comment on that is the RJ preferred to have Wick-Dry socks, not cotton. Wick-dry is more expensive but helps keep their feet dry. It "wicks" the sweat away from the foot. I think this may be a personal preference thing. I'll have to ask RJ about the option of just throwing them away after a couple uses, see if he changes his mind. He just might.

-Carrie

The Daffodil Principle

Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, "Mother, you must come see the daffodils before they are over." I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from Laguna to Lake Arrowhead. "I will come next Tuesday, " I promised, a little reluctantly, on her third call.

Next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy. Still, I had promised, and so I drove there. When I finally walked into Carolyn's house and hugged and greeted my grandchildren, I said, "Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! The road is invisible in the clouds and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and these children that I want to see bad enough to drive another inch!"

My daughter smiled calmly and said, "We drive in this all the time, Mother." "Well, you won't get me back on the road until it clears, and then I'm heading for home!" I assured her. "I was hoping you'd take me over to the garage to pick up my car." "How far will we have to drive?" "Just a few blocks," Carolyn said. "I'll drive. I'm used to this." After several minutes, I had to ask, "Where are we going? This isn't the way to the garage!"

"We're going to my garage the long way," Carolyn smiled, "by way of the daffodils." "Carolyn," I said sternly, "please turn around." "It's all right, Mother, I promise. You will never forgive yourself if you miss this experience." After about twenty minutes, we turned onto a small gravel road and I saw a small church. On the far side of the church, I saw a hand lettered sign that read, "Daffodil Garden."

We got out of the car and each took a child's hand, and I followed Carolyn down the path. Then, we turned a corner of the path, and I looked up and gasped. Before me lay the most glorious sight. It looked as though someone had taken a great vat of gold and poured it down over the mountain peak and slopes. The flowers were planted in majestic, swirling patterns – great ribbons and swaths of deep orange, white, lemon yellow, salmon pink, saffron, and butter yellow. Each different-colored variety was planted as a group so that it swirled and flowed like its own river with its own unique hue. There were five acres of flowers. "But who has done this?" I asked Carolyn. "It's just one woman," Carolyn answered. "She lives on the property. That's her home." Carolyn pointed to a well kept A-frame house that looked small and modest in the midst of all that glory.

We walked up to the house. On the patio, we saw a poster. "Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking" was the headline. The first answer was a simple one. "50,000 bulbs," it read. The second answer was, "One at a time, by one woman. Two hands, two feet, and very little brain." The third answer was, "Began in 1958." There it was, The Daffodil Principle. For me, that moment was a life-changing experience. I thought of this woman whom I had never met, who, more than forty years before, had begun - one bulb at a time - to bring her vision of beauty and joy to an obscure mountaintop. Still, just planting one bulb at a time, year after year, had changed the world.

This unknown woman had forever changed the world in which she lived. She had created something of indescribable magnificence, beauty, and inspiration. The principle her daffodil garden taught is one of the greatest principles of celebration. That is, learning to move toward our goals and desires one step at a time - often just one baby-step at a time - and learning to love the doing; learning to use the accumulation of time. When we multiply tiny pieces of time with small increments of daily effort, we too will find we can accomplish magnificent things. We can change the world.

"It makes me sad in a way," I admitted to Carolyn. "What might I have accomplished if I had thought of a wonderful goal thirty-five or forty years ago and had worked away at it 'one bulb at a time' through all those years. Just think what I might have been able to achieve!"
My daughter summed up the message of the day in her usual direct way. "Start tomorrow," she said. It's so pointless to think of the lost hours of yesterdays. The way to make learning a lesson of celebration instead of a cause for regret is to only ask, "How can I put this to use today?"

So, stop waiting until ...
your car or home is paid off
you get a new car or home
your new job comes along
your kids leave the house
you go back to school
you finish school
you lose 10 lbs.
you gain 10 lbs.
you get married
you get a divorce
you have kids
you retire
summer
spring
winter
fall
you die...

There is no better time than right now to be happy. Happiness is a journey, not a destination.

"So work like you don't need money, Love like you've never been hurt, and dance like no one's watching."

Simple, Fun & Inexpensive Ways to Support our Troops

Here are 10 simple, inexpensive (some free!) and FUN ways to support our troops.

1. Collect hotel and sample sized toiletries. Everyone has a bag full at home! Ask your local drug store for free samples of lotion, etc. Tell your neighbors, church, and club groups, too. At conventions, ask those with you to give you their unused toiletries. Casinos will donate playing cards, too. Ask insurance and real estate agents for small calendars.

2. Call your dentist and ask for a donation of toothbrushes, floss, toothpaste and mouthwash. Ask other dentists, too. I happened to see an office, walked in, and received a call the next week to pick up 300 (each) toothbrushes, floss, and toothpaste! Call your medical doctor, dermatologist, etc. and ask for samples!

3. Collect those free charity greeting cards and stickers that come in the mail, and onesy twosy boxed cards that you have left from the holidays. They can all be sent to the troops to send home! Ask your local card shop for unused envelopes. Stickers are also great. We send them to the troops to use on their letters home.

4. Conduct a neighborhood scavenger hunt. Take the “shopping list” and have kids go through the neighborhood asking for donations. Give the list to your kids/grandkids and let them go through your house! You may also conduct a neighborhood drive by asking a grocery store for brown bags and stapling the shopping list to it. Write on the list a day that you will drive by and collect the bags left on front porches. This could also be done through a church or school, handing each person a bag with list.

5. Know of a company going out of business, or changing their name? Ask for their tradeshow items with their old name/logo. We’ve received tee shirts, Frisbees, pens, pads, etc. from companies that have been acquired!

6. Utilize your connections. If you know hotel workers, ask about hygiene products, etc.

7. Donate condiment packets from restaurants. Soy sauce, catsup, etc. make those MREs a bit tastier. (Be sure to pack in zip locks in case they break open!)

8. Volunteer your time at a care package assembly event! (let's post locations of these as they are hard to find and very difficult to start-up)

9. Start a letter writing campaign in your local schools, churches, and organizations. Getting mail from “home” is the highlight of the Troops’ day. Young children can draw pictures. Be sure to add a return address so the Troops can write back!

10. Ask people to donate money to cover shipping costs. At roughly $1 a pound, it is the program’s largest expense. 100% of all donations are used for care package items, or to pay shipping costs! (ask to whom the check should be written)

-compliments of WWW.OSOT.US (Red Cross Operation Care & Comfort in Santa Clara)

PEACE IN EVERY STEP, THOUGHT & ACTION

"During WWII, American were urged to 'keep the home fires burning' for the day when the men and women of the U.S. military would be coming back to their families after securing victory abroad. That firm and hopeful resolve came to mind after the horrific events of September 11, 2001, when the whole nation was awakened to an insidious new threat to our freedom and way of life. Promptly and spontaneously, as in other towns and cities across the country, the American flag proudly showed itself throughout our own rural village of 1,700 people. The Stars and Stripes was seen flying from poles, draped upon barn doors, hanging in living-room windows, and unfurled on the radio antennae of pickup trucks and SUV's. A huge handpainted sign on the porch of our one-of-a-kind Main Street hardware store said, simply:
PEACE IN EVERY STEP, THOUGHT & ACTION"

-Excerpt from the "from the editor" entry to County Living Magazine editor Carol Sheehan.

What can be mailed (and how) to our Troops?

I came across this link today while in search of something else and thought I'd share it with you all. You probably already know all the in's and out's of care packages... but just in case:

The following is a list of highly desirable items for deployed troops. It is recommend that you keep the boxes small, about the size of shoe box or a Postal Service Express mailing box for easy transportation.

Books Cameras (disposable) Camper style foods Candy Cards Chapstick Dental floss Facial tissues Fast food Hot Sauce packets Flashlights Girl Scout cookies Gum Magazines Nerf toys (small footballs, etc.) Odor Eaters (for boots) Pencils Pens New DVDs, CDs and players Handheld electronic games Battery Operated Fans, Misty Mates or other cooling products Commercially wrapped packets of Trail Mix, Beef Jerky, Nuts, Ready To Eat Tuna or Chicken Salad kits Individual packets of moist towelettes Packets of Stationary Travel Size containers of Foot Powder Tobacco Products Unsealed personal cards and letters

Personal message Phone cards Playing cards Postage Powdered drink mix (non-alcoholic) Razors Sardine Sheets of stationery Snacks* (cookies, granola bars) Tea bags Toiletries (travel sizes) Toothbrushes Toothpaste Travel games Travel mugs Disposable Cameras Valentines Puzzle, Word Game and Crossword books Cookies, Energy Bars, Sunflower Seeds, Candy Packets of Powdered Cold Beverages Commercially sealed Lip Balm Novelty Items New Knit Hats and Gloves New T-shirts (sizes Large and Extra Large)

How to Send Care Packages:
Keep the packages small (no bigger than a shoe box). Larger packages take longer to be delivered and are more cumbersome for your Marine to haul around. Smaller, more frequent packages are likely your better option. The U.S. Postal Service offers FREE boxes for Priority Mail. You can also order free boxes from the USPS online store (for use with Priority Mail shipping ONLY). The Recommended size is the #4 or #7 box.

Packaging Tips:
Use plastic bags with zip-style closures for everything. They keep out sand, they keep out rain. Resourceful Marines are re-using them for all sorts of things. Quart size are great to keep their wallets and personal photos with them, in one of their many pockets, and they stay dry. If you're shipping a liquid (shampoo, eye drops), or items that are likely to melt or drip (Chapstick, deodorants, chocolate) be sure to pop it into a tightly sealed plastic bag first. That will help keep the rest of the items from getting gooey or ruined, just in case.

The following items are PROHIBITED:

• Illegal substances
• Alcoholic beverages
• Explosives, including fireworks.
• Offensive or obscene materials, including photos, drawings or any other material which may have the potential to offend members of the opposite sex, members of another race, background, nationality or ethnicity; anything which would make uncomfortable, someone who is deeply religious, conservative or modest

[The page where I found this info: http://www.usmc-mccs.org/News/deploy/mailtotroops.asp]

More Ideas for Care Packages

Not sure what to gather or keep in mind to send to troops? Here are a few more ideas....also check out the post entitled "Care Packages" from November 04 for more ideas.

Food/Treats:

• Individually wrapped hard candy ( Twizzlers, Tootsie Rolls, Tootsie Pops, Skittles, lollipops, Life Savers, Jolly Ranchers, Sweet Tarts, etc)
• Chewing Gum, Bubble Gum, Mints, Breath Strips
• Nuts, Seeds, Pretzels, Cookies, Chips (Pringle type containers best), Cracker Jacks, Crackers, Jiffy Pop Popcorn
• Trail Mix, Energy Bars, Breakfast and Granola Bars
• Kraft Easy Mac, Ramen, Cup a Noodles
• Powdered, Sweetened Drink Mixes (Gatorade, Crystal Light, Kool-Aid)
• Ground or Instant Coffee, Tea Bags, Hot Chocolate, Cider Mix
• Canned Tuna and Chicken (NO PORK!) Beef/Turkey Jerky
• Canned Stews, Chili , Raviolis, Soups, Fruit (NO PORK! Pop-top Cans, if Possible)
  

They cannot accept chocolate candy or bars (during heat conditions) or any homemade items (security).


Personal, Hygiene and Toiletries (Hotel/Sample Sizes are great!):

• Disposable Razors, Non-Aerosol Shaving Cream
• Toothbrushes, Toothpaste, Dental Floss, Mouthwash
• Unscented Bar Soap, Body wash, Shampoo, Conditioner, Hair Gel, Hand Sanitizer, Body Lotions
• Foot and Body powders, Anti-Fungal Creams, Gel Deodorant
• Unscented Baby Wipes, Wet wipes, Feminine Wipes, Tampons, Pads
• Sunscreen, Non-Aerosol Bug Repellant, Lip Balm, Eye drops, Saline Nose Drops, Q-Tips
• Toilet Paper (2 ply), Kleenix Packets
• White or Black Socks, Tee Shirts, Briefs, Panties, Sports Bras
• DVDs, CDs, Puzzle Books, Small Handheld Games, AA Batteries, Stationary, Envelopes, Pens

Let's get it started...

Hello girls!

This is a forum in which we can use to communicate to one another and keep track of news.

You can post "comments" to each post, email me if there's something you'd like to post vs. making it just a comment. We can post them later if you like (emails will not be a link so as to avoid SP*AM).

I've started a blog for RJ's family too entitled "Thacker-Jabber". It is for more than just RJ info but at the moment, that's what's there. You're welcome to visit it at: http://thackerjabber.blogspot.com/

I spoke with Jodi Moriarty today about starting this group. I understand she has a list of people that has a significant other going off to Iraq (I think I talked her ear off, sorry Jodi!). It's nice to talk to someone going through the same thing and I think this group is an excellant idea. I was hoping someone would start one and I was going to if she didn't. Go Jodi! I'm looking forward to this happening and the support we'll be able to offer one another. It's good to know there will be people that understand and together we can be there for one another to help out in a variety of ways.

So that's it for now. Use this as another form of communication to review past posts and add new ones. New news, funny thoughts, concerns, anything...

Sincerely,

Carrie Reagh