If you want the original gouge go here.
If you would like to see who has supported for this Summer Shipping Drive and doesn't mind me saying so go here. (I will be updating supporter and link lists tonight.)
You are probably overcome with a burning, all consuming curiosity about how I wound up in military support. I know. I get that all the time. Everyone is just dying to know about me. It's 
embarrassing really. *laughing hard!* I can't even type that with a straight face.
embarrassing really. *laughing hard!* I can't even type that with a straight face.But hey money is involved. That is. I'm asking for money, so you have a right to know what this is all about. I've been milsupport, medium and smaller scale for so long I forget those who aren't, might be interested in the details--what with the aforementioned, cold, hard cash some of you just put up.
Milsupport started for my family in 2007. Getting cut out of a car and being laid up for a while afterwards drove me street rat crazy helped me think about what I had accomplished and not accomplished with my allotted stint on the planet thus far. It violently rearranged without my permissionre-prioritized some elements in my life which I hadn't realized needed re-prioritizing.
Military support was one of those Gee, if I ever have the time I think it would be important to do that kind of things that came up while I sat in my bed or chair and became amused at how quickly the two year old recognized the reach range of mom's crutches.
At the time of my accident I ran a home school and a couponing group. The latter born of simply having too many coupons to use myself, so I turned to my members asked who wanted to learn about this stuff and started giving them the coupons I wasn't using.This is Sarah, at left, Coupon Queen. I taught her everything I knew and before long the Grasshopper became the master. Hence her user name at Blogger.hee. She's my TV show, music, brownie connection. The man I stuck left the homeschool group to run, Michael, is one of my movie connections.
It was a good network. We all, as families, had a huge surplus from couponing, we initially had donated to local shelters and the like, but when the topic of military support came up it dovetailed 
nicely with the community service and so we adopted supporting the military as our primary philanthropy. As now, we always had the supplies, we just needed to work on shipping. Which we did, then with fundraising homeschool projects and now, like I am doing with my blogging friends and when teaching last year, I did through my school.
nicely with the community service and so we adopted supporting the military as our primary philanthropy. As now, we always had the supplies, we just needed to work on shipping. Which we did, then with fundraising homeschool projects and now, like I am doing with my blogging friends and when teaching last year, I did through my school.Incidentally, I am completely surprised at the number of people linking this drive. We've 
collected about 450 dollars which will buy whatever it is not in stock and necessary or pay for shipping, printer ink, blank DVDs, and vacuum seal plastic for about a month.
collected about 450 dollars which will buy whatever it is not in stock and necessary or pay for shipping, printer ink, blank DVDs, and vacuum seal plastic for about a month. Milsupport has always been an exercise in faith, whether I was at odds with the Big Guy/ Universe or not. I just trust what I need will be there for them when I need it and it always has. There's nothing like some stranger at a car show pressing a fifty in your hand for his brothers, or getting a check out of the blue from a past adoptee or even a certain irascible blogger who has an uncanny radar for picking up this sort of thing which will carry me through to my next package or letter. He has from the start even when he barely knew me. That's how he rolls.
But back to my story...
Time moved on. I went back to work and continued the military support on my own in a scaled down version until January of this year. At that time thinking I was on my way to Iraq, I finished my current deployments with shops and units in Iraq and Djibouti and got ready to go to work at the Taji Vocational Institute training Iraqi Army officers to be instructors. A passport, vacation cruise and a going away party were had and then two days before I was due out the contract fell though.
I was out of job, the kids were in school and suddenly I was home with no groups to run, no Marines to take care of since the plan was I'd be over in the sand box with them, and a half pissy attitude, if I have to be honest. Back up plan after back up plan fell through until finally, hallelujah!! I thought there was some light at the end of the proverbial tunnel.
I was going to Officer Candidate School. I was healthy, fit, age qualified and gung ho. Alas, each turn in that road had some sort of family or timing roadblock. Pursuing OCS was one long obstacle course. I kept facing a family or timing challenge, muttering oh shit under my breath, overcoming it, seeing some open track, feeling optimistic only to get hammered with another challenge which always seemed to pop up out of nowhere.
In the end I would have not been able to graduate OCS before my 42nd birthday. I was short by four or five days.
Ticked off and on my butt in the dirt, I couldn't find a soul to feel sorry for me. So I had my tantrum, fine- tantrums, amusing my friends unmoved by the whining and merely ready to point out with metaphoric commentary ranging from "Heh, you know you can see right up your skirt when you flail around on the ground like that" to flat out "shut your piehole, get up and work the problem."
They totally ruined my midlife crisis for me.
Shortly thereafter, when I wasn't quite so whiteknuckled about everything, I heard from some old adoptees who, you guessed, had this friend and did I think I could..."
So here I am.
Doing what I can't seem to stop doing.
It's like flicking a booger really.
Only not as boogery.
Laughing.
Inhaling...
There you go.
I have more story to tell.
Man are you people going to drop a jaw.
For now I'll leave you to absorb my awe inspiring tale thus far and to wait with bated breath for my next post or to recover from this one. Whichever. ;)
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3 comments:
I didn't know about the boxes at the PO and it cost me $22 to send the MM to Mike. I know better, now. I'll be more prepared next time.
What a story! I cannot wait to hear more about you. I usually do a rally between Thanksgiving & X-mas and send all the goodies (that my friends, family & co-workers) out through Any Soldier. I must admit that donating $$ to you (to do all the hard work) is much more easier ;o)
You should have ended that one with, "...and NOW, you know the REST of the story..." Or do we?