Weekend

My weekend went pretty well.

For Easter, Melissa and I were using paints and dyes to decorate eggs and cards, although I'm pretty sure we ended up with more on us than the actual projects.. haha.

Not much has been going on.. Snow, Snow, and, you guessed it, More Snow!  Don't get me wrong, I love snow, but, honestly!  It's supposed to be Spring!

Well, I guess I should have expected as much- in Wyoming, we like to say we have 2 seasons: Winter and Construction.

For now, I have to focus alot on my schooling.. I need to get far ahead of my classes, because I'll be out of town for about 2 weeks, in Arizona, for the River Run. (Although I'm sure I'll go through shock adjusting to the warm weather, and then attempting to adapt to the cold again.. lol)  I don't want to have to make it up later.

For really good news, some of my Marines will be home soon!  (Obviously I can't say when, due to OPSEC)

That's it for now..

-Jeanne.

On Deployments

Deployments.

How many of you have experienced these?

I'm on my second deployment- Josh has been deployed again. He and Caleb were deployed last fall, but Caleb returned home, wounded.

They are always deployed together.

As I'm sure you can assume, the photos are of my brothers. The first one, is Josh, shortly after they returned from Fallujah in 2008.

The second, is Caleb, with his wife (Taken Early 2010). This was taken the first time they saw each other, after he was WIA (Fall 2009).

So, for those of you that have yet to experience, or on your first deployment, here is some advice:

Keep as busy as you can. Try not to leave yourself much time without having something to do.. If you don't have anything to do, then you tend to think of them alot (not that you don't do that already) and it's harder. I do anything I can.. Cook, clean, work, school, and, now, blogging..

I try to write everyday, let them know what is going on, talk to him about my problems, send photos, tell him things he doesn't know about me- my hopes, goals, etc, and recall old memories. Although I've never recieved a reply from him, it helps, just to talk about it.. Kind of like blogging, in a way, come to think of it.

Another tip? Use http://www.motomail.us/ to send letters, that are usually sent within 24 hours to your Marine. You can send photos through this site, too, although the limit is one photo per letter.. So just write alot!! :) 

I also send carepackages.. You can put pretty much anything in here.


Some popular requests are:


- Seasonings, for the MRE's, such as Lemon Pepper, and Season-All Salt.
- Games: Card, Board, Video, etc..
- Magazines: Sports, cars, etc.. Whatever he likes to read..
- Cake-in-a-Jar.. This is actually my first time trying this, but I'm hoping it will turn out alright.. I think it will be there in about a week.
- Notepads and pencils/pens
- DVD's
- Candies and snacks..
- Oreo's
- Cookies and crackers
- Instant soup (comes in packets, and you add it to hot water.  You can usually find this in Lipton and   Campbells.. Usually Chicken Noodle Soup.
- Powdered drink mixes, for water bottles and canteens
- Photos
- Boot socks and gloves.. If possible, get his sizes before he leaves.. You can find things he needs at the local  PX or a Military Surplus store.
- Letters and cards
- Etc.


Nights are Never easy. You'll be lonely, and scared for them... Even more so than you are during the day. You may have terrifying dreams- dreams that they are attacked, injured, or, even worse, killed. I know I've had these dreams before. I don't sleep much.. Yeah, I know this is bad for me, but it's difficult to sleep. Something that DOES help, however, is just having pillows lying next to you, it's a comfort, of sorts.. And, your phone right next to you, in case he calls. :D This deployment, I've only recieved phone calls- he doesn't have internet access, so no E-mails, but having E-mail on your phone, or sending alerts via text message, will let you know if anyone has written.. It helps, because if you wake up to this, you may be able to have time talking to your Marine, as opposed to finding out the next day that you missed them. I would gladly give up the little sleep I get, inorder to talk to him & the Marines that I have adopted... 


If you're interested in adopting a Marine, or any service member, for that matter, then visit this website: http://www.ryanrust.com/ I'm really glad I found it & it's a great program.. Check it out!! :)


It never gets easier.. You just get stronger.


I listen to music that he likes; I try and read up as much as I can about what's going on. I've made dozens of friends through Facebook- It's funny, how you meet so many others, and become friends in hope that they may understand what you're going through & be of some help to talk to..


I also have joined dozens of groups and fanpages in the hopes that I'll get some news on them.. Sometimes, I do get information that I would not have had otherwise..


I have a love/hate relation with OPSEC: I love that it's keeping them safe, but I hate not knowing what's going on..


Well, even the little bits of news I get help alot. I think I'd rather be informed, than ignorant to their situations.


That's it for now..


-Jeanne.

Meet the Family

So, out of sheer boredom, I'm going to start introducing you to my family.


My parents are still, 'together,' so to speak.

Dad:
My dad is a Marine; He served as an Aviation Ordnance-Man.  He worked on F-4's.. Phantoms.
I didn't see much of my father growing up- He was always on the road for work.
Right now, though, I see my dad nearly everyday. Dad is now working as an accounting manager. He, for some odd reason, actually seems to enjoy math.. I can assure you that he didn't pass that trait on to me...
I've always wanted my dad to be proud of me, but it seems I've always fallen a little short of that mark.

Mom:

My mom is a home-maker, though she worked alot while I was growing up. She is the mother of 7 children. We don't really get along; We're polar opposites... I guess it's so difficult for me to be around her, because she's never hidden that she didn't want me.. I wouldn't be here except for my dad's intervention after I was born..


Josh:
My big brother, my best friend. Josh enlisted in the United States Marine Corps upon graduating from High school. Josh has been in for 8 years and is now a Sergeant. Josh was kind of my dad, growing up. He taught me so much, and always looked out for me (and still does) even when I thought I didn't need his help. He is dedicated, loyal, and brave. He is currently deployed, and I can't wait until his homecoming. I miss him so much, and worry about him all the time.
Josh has always been the one person that would encourage me to keep trying & pursuing my goals, while everyone else seemed to be shouting, "Give up!"

Sharon:
Sharon was a mother-figure in my life. She is caring, and loves freely. She has taught me so much.  My siblings really raised me, for the most part.. I guess that's why I grew up fast.. I needed to be able to fend for myself, not rely on others..

Ewerthon:
Sharon's fiance. They live in the same city- Sao Paulo, Brasil. His name is pronounced like Everton in English. Ewerthon is Brasilian, and is an amazing guy. He's really sweet, and I'm glad my sister has him. He teaches English, thankfully, because although I'm learning, my Portuguese is still pretty pathetic.. Ewerthon is going to be an amazing dad one day. He's really caring, and understanding. 

Caleb:
My fun-loving, movie-quoting brother. Caleb is also a Marine and drives LAV's. Caleb is married to a girl named Dorothy. Caleb is very creative, and inventive. Caleb is very talented. He is an amazing artist, and does well at whatever he tries. He likes to work on his white Datsun 280z and likes to ride his motorcycle. I want him to teach me how to ride it, as well, but I'll wait until he's recovered to bring it up... My poor brother is still in the hospital.. His LAV ran over an IED, and it messed up his back pretty badly. It kills me to see him in so much pain, but at the same time, I'm really just so grateful that he is alive.  Caleb is really strong for his wife (and stubborn!) and tries not to show his pain, but I can hear it in his voice, see it in his eyes..

Dorothy:
Caleb's wife. Dorothy and Caleb were married on April 11th, 2009, shortly before he left for pre-deployment training. Dorothy is a swimmer, and likes to run & play football with her husband and brothers.

Rosella:
Rosella, Lani, La, or Leilani, is one of my best friends. She and I plan on moving back to the island in about 2 years. We plan on living in Honolulu. Rosella is prone to car accidents- she's the one that is usually hit, though. She works as a front-ends manager at a local store, Alco. Rosella is named after my father's mother, Rosella Hardy Simnitt. Rosella acts like my Grandmother, but looks like my Aunt Beverley. I, on the other hand, look like my Grandmother Rosella, and act like my Aunt Beverley (My dad's sister).

Me:
I'm named after my dad's big sister (my father is the baby of his family and he and my aunt are the only ones left in their immeadiate family..) exactly: Beverley Jean Simnitt. I tend to go by Jean or Jeanne, though..
I love the outdoors & hate shopping for long periods of time. I dislike pink, while all my sisters & sister-in-law love it. My favorite colors are blue and green. I like the outdoors, volleyball, and running. A little dirt/grease/sweat doesn't scare me. I want to learn to surf, snowboard, and ride a motorcycle. I would like to go sky-diving and off-roading one day. I'm an artist- I love sketching and photography. I also love music!
My fault is probably that I'm really independant.. I'm stubborn & I don't like asking for help.
 (This photo is my Aunt Beverley Jean Simnitt holding a baby Beverley Jean Simnitt.. And you wonder why I go by Jeanne..)

Samuel:
My younger brother, he loves learning German and hopes to visit the country one day. He likes to sketch, specifically, dragons. He also lives to drive me insane. We don't get along & he does anything he can to get on my nerves.  (The date stamp is inaccurate, by the way..  Samuel is posing on on the left, next to Josh)

Melissa:
My music-loving baby sister. Melissa Darlene is four years old, and the baby of the family. Missy loves to pose for the camera and likes to dance. She loves to draw and play the piano. She likes to sit on my lap when I play, and set her hands on top of mine. She has recently told me, though, that she's not a baby any more, she's a, "Four-year-old girl." It's sad to see her growing up so fast. Do you ever have that feeling, when you think, "I can grow up, but YOU can't!" I get this feeling alot around Melissa. But, last night, was amazing. I was feeling kind of lonely & sad, but was happy/shocked to wake up to Melissa crawling into bed next to me. She usually will sleep next to Rosella, if she doesn't sleep in her own bed. It really touched me, and having her cuddle up next to me absolutely made my day. :)


That's if for the family!


-Jeanne.