Today is Frankie's Birthday!!
Happy Birthday Frank!

[Submitted by Mom]

From the Army Times:

Soldiers earn citizenship on eve of deployment

The Associated PressPosted :
Sunday Jan 20, 2008 17:33:37 EST

TULSA, Okla. - Three Oklahoma National Guard members in El Paso, Texas, preparing for deployment to Iraq have become United States citizens.

Jamaica native Sgt. Gareth Wilson, 27; Spc. Oyewale Hotonu-Oyerinde, 28, from Nigeria; and Tulsan Sgt. Adam Ngotngamwong, whose father is from Thailand and whose mother is Canadian, all gained their citizenship on Friday, expedited by their service with Oklahoma’s 45th Infantry Brigade.

An executive order signed by President Bush shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks means the normal wait required for legal residents of the U.S. is waived for those serving in the military, along with the application fee.

"I just wanted to go to Iraq as an American citizen," said Tulsan Ngotngamwong, 25, who previously deployed in 2004 to Afghanistan. "It makes it closer to home. You are fighting for your country, instead of just being a legal citizen."

Wilson also is from Tulsa, and Hotonu-Oyerinde is from Oklahoma City.

The pending deployment of the three to Iraq underscored for them the opportunity to get their citizenship on the fast track. Initial headquarters elements of Oklahoma’s 45th are deploying over the next few days to their pending mission in Baghdad, Iraq. After a farewell formation Sunday, the unit will begin shipping its soldiers first to Kuwait for processing, then to Baghdad’s International Zone.

The mission can’t come soon enough for Wilson, who said he, like Ngotngamwong, chose to become a citizen on the eve of his deployment.

"I just wanted to be deployed as a citizen. Also, it’s an election year and I wanted to vote," he said.

For Hotonu-Oyerinde, citizenship provides a boost to his feelings about serving.

"I was already wanting to fight for the country. But this gives that more effort," Hotonu-Oyerinde said.

James Spurling, an officer with the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, said members of the 45th pleaded on behalf of the men to U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., and U.S. Rep. Mary Fallin, R-Okla., for help.

"Seventy-two hours after I submitted it, I had the results sitting on my desk," Spurling said. "A guy at the Nebraska service center found their applications in the middle of 10,000 others, and shepherded them through the process."

Posted on: Monday, January 21, 2008

Today is Jchon's Birthday!!

Happy Birthday, Jchon!!!

Today is Frank's (Dad's) Birthday!!!
Happy Birthday, Dad!!

Posted on: Monday, November 26, 2007

A News Item From Mom (Pat)

This is not really "news", but it is a timely reminder as Veterans Day approaches of those we need to be thinking of and praying for.

This post came from the "Hugs Project" yahoo group:

"This letter may never make it past the moderators in this group as I have not yet learned what is "acceptable" and what is not. If it does...great! If not, that is okay too. Just to put these thoughts in my head down in "writing" will hopefully bring the tears to a halt.

When I joined this group yesterday (or the day before...I can't remember for sure), I felt really good. I have been thinking about our troops for a long time and trying to think of a way I could "make a difference". I have signed up for "military pen-pal accounts", posted messages on "military blog boards" and I donate to every person/group that asks for support for our troops. Last year I bought every toothbrush and tube of toothpaste Dollar Tree had so I could put them in the boxes my company collected to ship to our soldiers in Iraq. I try to be a "good American" and do what is right. Who knows why this "mood" suddenly hit me today. Maybe it has been there all along..just waiting to come out. I just wish it hadn't hit so hard.

My day today started out pretty much as any other day. I hit the snooze alarm twice, finally rolled out of bed, took a hot shower and got dressed for work. I complained to my husband that my hair was going to get wet when I had to leave for work because I forgot my umbrella in my car. I live in a rural area and drive on a dirt road for 3 1/2 miles before hitting the "hard-top" (highway) which takes me to town and to work. I complained the pot-holes and wash-board road was going to ruin the front-end of my small SUV. I fussed that the idiot in front of me was driving 50 mph. It's only sprinkling...get out of the way or get off the road! I stopped at Starbucks on my way to work and paid almost five-dollars for a cup of coffee (which I didn't bat an eyelash at) but then complained that gas is back up to almost three-dollars a gallon.

I got to work, met up with some friends in the lobby and laughed about how fun it was to see all the little kids trick-or-treating last night. Yesterday was my birthday (the big four-0) and we talked about the nice dinner my family took me out for. I got to office and slipped on a sweater I keep on the back of my chair as I complained that we should do something about the a/c. It doesn't need to be this cold in here.

I sat at my computer...read through a few e-mails...ran a few reports. I realized I am missing a few reports so until I can get those from other departments, I guess I will just surf the net. I checked my personal e-mail and then came to this site. That is where things started going down hill. I was actually doing pretty good until I got to the section under "Files" called "Interesting Reading". "hmmmmmmm", I thought..."What is this all about?" I clicked on the link and started reading. I didn't make it make the first "letter" before it hit me. By the time I got to the story about the little girl holding the bear and sitting in the road, I had to get up and close my office door.

What happened to me? How did I become this person I am today? I use to think about our military personnel and pray for them every day. When did I stop doing that? I use to be so thankful for everything I had...a home, healthy children and then grandchildren, a nice car to drive, nice places to eat. When did I start taking all of those things for granted? When did I start thinking that "everything will be fine"? I remember this is exactly how I felt just 6 years ago....before 9-11. This is how a lot of us felt. Now we are at war yet to see people going about their daily lives it is like nothing is happening at all. History is being made as I type these words, yet here in my office, in my "little corner of the world", everything is perfect. But it's not...not really. Young men and women (and some not so young) are out there dying so that I can take a hot shower any time I want, drive in an air conditioned car, pay $5 for a cup of coffee and work in a nice office. I am a woman yet I can dress however I want, say whatever I want and do whatever I want (all within the law of course) and there is no "man" that can stop me. I can be whoever and whatever I choose to be because so many of my "brothers/ sisters/ aunts/ uncles/ mothers/ fathers/ friends/ neighbors" have all said "I will go and I will die so you can be free".

Shortly before I started writing this, a co-worker stuck her head in my office. Seeing the look on my face, she stepped in and asked anxiously "what's wrong?" I replied simply, "we are at war".

When I saw the look on her face and heard her say "Oh my God. When? What happened?!?!?", I knew then that something is terribly wrong. When did we "forget" that we have hundreds? thousands? of men and women in other countries, risking their lives and dying every single day? When did it cease to be "news"?

As I sit here in my office, with my door firmly closed again and with tears rolling down my cheeks, I say a prayer---not only for our troops but for me as well.

Dear God, please watch over the wonderful, brave men and women who are in our military making our country a safe place to live. I pray you bring each of them home safe to their families and friends. God bless their families and help those who have been and will be left- behind, deal with the loss of losing someone they love. Help heal their hearts and let them know that their loved-one is in your arms now. They will not feel pain or suffer. Most of all, let their families know that their loved ones did not die in vain.

Be with our President and the leaders of this great country. Be with the leaders of the other countries, even those who do not believe in You. God, I also ask that you please touch my heart daily and remind me how lucky I am to live in such a great country. Let me always remember that freedom doesn't come free and help me remember those who died so that I may live the life I choose.

God please bless us all...we need you now, more than ever.

Amen"

Posted on: Friday, November 02, 2007

 I AM NOT EVEN GOING TO SAY shhhh (31)

I WILL NOT ACCEPT THAT MY YOUNGEST SON IS 31 . . . THIS IS JUST A REALLY BAD DREAM . . .

BUT, EVEN THOUGH YOU ARE REALLY OLD!!!

 Happy Birthday

William!  have fun and enjoy.  We love you!  Hope school and everything else are going well.

 PAT . . . MAY TODAY BE ONLY A SHORT PAST WITH A LONG FUTURE AHEAD . . .

THIS IS WHY WE GOT MARRIED  . . . . I KNEW YOU WOULD FORGET HALF OF WHAT I SAID . . . .

Mom and I met 40 years ago Sunday. We married 35 years ago today. Mom has forgotten at least 10 anniversaries . . . probably more . . . It is supposed to be the husband who messes them up.

So, to the kids without whom our lives would be less fulfilled, . . .

To the grandkids we are doing our best to spoil . . . .

To a wife who, when grandma Crawford was alive called "the Bobbsey Twins"because we were almost always together, in spirit if not side by side, (Most of you will probably have to look on Google to see who they are.)

To a wife who has laughed with me as we finished each others thoughts and/or words . . . or for that matter, just laughs with me . . . (Okay, at me as well.) . . .

To a wife who has steadfastly stood at my side, not just when we were without challenge, but every time SHE KNEW I needed her most, whether I knew or not . . .

To a wife who struggled to make a home and happy life for six kids who she (we) said our sole purpose in raising them was to know if something ever happened to us, each would be able to face the world with confidence and an attitude of "THERE IS NOTHING OUT THERE I CAN'T DO!!!) . . . and each can . . .

And to not only my wife and partner, not just here and now, but forever and ever . . . the only woman in the world I could ever say is hands down, my VERY best friend. . . .

May everyone reading this post, family or not, find a soul mate who is so much a part of you that whether you are holding hands together or 25,000 miles apart, you remain one in the universe around you as we do, with nothing separating us in mind and spirit, only time and space  . . .

To my wife . . . I an SO happy you took a chance on me, blemishes and all . . . you stood by when needed and gave a little shove when needed, (Okay, sometimes a REALLY hard push.) and let us evolve into who we are . . . two as one . . .

Not recalling the number of year we have been together is nothing compared to knowing we will always be together, throughout time, two as one  . . .

Pat, you are, and without hesitation I say, will always be . . .

MLLB

 oh geeezzz..

You guys get so hung up on dates...59/60...30/35...it's not the years the count, but what you do in them...(whew....got out of that one!)

 Ummm...am I not counting right?

I thought this was 35 years?

 Happy Anniversary!

 30 years....wow

As I was standing there next to Dad 30 years ago, I knew I loved him, I knew I wanted to spend my life with him and raise a family with him. I knew it would be exciting, full of work, but with lots of good times and love. What I didn't fully understand was how much our love would grow and change over the course of the next 30 years.

Today, it is SO much bigger, the depth is so much deeper and the friendship is so much broader. He truly is my very best friend.

We have been through all the words of the vows, the richer and poorer, the sickness and health etc, but still it doesn't matter...as long as we are doing whatever it is together, then the world is right.

Thank you, my husband, for making my life the envy of many woman and for always being there for me. I love you more than you can know (but you do..:) )

 Just trying this to see if it works....

This should be posting a link to the Kohl's Cares site where you can vote for my school to get $500,000.  Please go vote!

 Some Corrections To Frankie's Post

I have just posted a revision of Frankie's original post. Most of the things changed were typographical and grammar. I did make some changes that more accurately describe what Frankie has himself said to me.

In my last post I think my views are clear.

 For Those Of You Who Have No Clue About My Last 8 Months

I am going to lay it all out for all to know why my attitude is not right towards other family member right now so here goes:

 I didn't know...

I knew most of what you described - but not the extent!  Goodness gracious!

I love reading this post though - it's awesome to "hear" the passion you have for your family.  Truly awesome. 

I have this image of you in my mind from back when we were in middle/highschool... and to juxtapose that image with the image you paint of yourself in recent years is... well, it's cool.

Certainly makes me wish we lived closer to you guys - I really believe my boys are missing out by not having a relationship with their Aunt, Uncle & cousin! (although JJ still talks about all 3 of you)

We certainly need to see what we can to plan a trip to Colorado!