My Thoughts on Boston
I haven’t blogged about Boston until now. I have been wanting to but I have been at a loss of what to say. Even now while typing this I am still struggling with coming up with words to describe how I feel about it.
In addition to that, I am not sure if I can say anything that hasn’t already been said by others. Not much can top this awesome letter or this post that sparked a global movement.
Despite all of that, I can’t not write a post about Boston.
When I first heard about the what happened at the Marathon my emotions were all over the board. I was shocked, sad, upset, disgusted, heart broken, angry, afraid and many many more.
For a brief fleeting moment I even thought to myself, “Maybe I shouldn’t run big races anymore.” That was a thought out of fear and it was immediately replaced with “Hell no, I am going to run whatever sized race wherever and whenever I want to. End of story.” I refuse to make decisions that are based on fear. I will not allow myself to be controlled by others.
I almost forgot to mention another emotion that I felt and still feel in light of these events. Proud. I have never been more proud to be part of the running community. I have always known that runners are generous and supportive people and the stories that are coming out of this tragedy are amazing. Like the runners who finished the marathon and then continued to run to the hospital to donate blood, or those who ran towards the bombing area instead of away from it to see what they could do to help and the person who finished the race and gave his medal to someone who wasn’t able to finish it.
I may not be able to help in the ways that the runners I mentioned were able to help. But I am going to help in my own way.
1. I purchased one of these shirts in which all of the proceeds go to The One Fund Boston, Inc.
They are now sold out but you can also donate directly to the fund if you wish.
2. I am going to run. I can’t think of a better way to honor those that lost their lives or were injured than to put on my running shoes and log some miles. There are many group runs being planned for today all over the world!
Here are a couple that I know of that are happening in the Detroit area.
1. The New Balance store in Farmington Hills is hosting a Runners for Boston run. Click here for more info.
2. The Hanson’s Running Shop in Royal Oak will be hosting a group run at 6:30pm.
Let me know what you are doing to honor Boston. Did you blog about it? Leave your link in the comments! Did you plan an event? Leave that link below as well.
Christmas 2012
On Christmas night I laid in bed unable to sleep because I was lost in thought about all the wonderfulness that I got to experience.
I got some wonderful gifts.
Like this bracelet and bead from Mr. Sarcastic’s family.
I love the running shoe!
And these goodies from Mr. Sarcastic himself.
Does he know me, or what?!
But that wasn’t the main reason behind my inability to sleep.
Little B also got some great presents.
He got a Kindle from Santa. (Technically Santa got it for me AND Little B.)
He’s such a techie!
And lots of Spiderman goodies.
Spiderman Shooters?!?! Score!
And even some musical instruments.
Those headphones are a blessing!
But again, that wasn’t the reason behind my sleeplessness.
Why couldn’t I fall asleep?
Because I was in awe of the happiness and contentedness I was feeling.
I got to wake up on Christmas morning and feel and see the magic of the holiday through Little B as he excitedly sat up in bed and said “I wanna see if Santa ate the cookies!!!” I got to see the amazement in his eyes when he saw that Santa did in fact, eat the cookies! I got to watch him open all of his presents and see how excited he was about each and every one of them.
All that was left was cookie & carrot crumbs!
I got to spend some time with Mr. Sarcastic who a year ago was someone I didn’t even know existed but has since made me a happier and better person for knowing him.
Aren’t we cute?
I also got the pleasure of spending Christmas Eve with Mr. Sarcastic’s family who has always been so warm and welcoming of Little B and I. We both left their house on Christmas Eve with wonderful gifts but most importantly a feeling of happiness and belonging.
Christmas was definitely very magical this year and I have to say that it’s an amazing feeling to lie in bed unable to sleep because of happiness.
How was your Christmas?
Birthday Week Recap
I am sad to say that my birthday week is over. 
But on the bright side it was as amazingly awesome week filled with everything I wanted and more! 
I am lucky to have great people in my life who went out of their way to ensure that I felt special each and every day. Most especially my friend Stacey and Mr. Sarcastic (Who btw would like to be known as my super fantastic sarcastic all knowing boyfriend but for blog purposes I am standing firm with the abbreviated title).
Here are some highlights from my week. (Well, the ones I am willing to share here anyways.)
1. Candlelight dinners.
2. This card.
3. A trip to the Detroit Zoo.
Seeing the animals in person is overrated. Brennen liked the plaques and anything with buttons.
4. Brennen saying “Happy Birthday Mommy.”
5. Not one but TWO ice cream cakes from Cold Stone.
6. Quality time with Brennen, Mr. Sarcastic and friends.
7. Fireworks
Not a firework. But this was Brennen’s first experience with sparklers!
8. This present.
9. Dinner at Carrabba’s, my favorite restaurant!
10. Brennen getting a haircut!
I am Stubborn and I Know It!
I will be the first to admit that I am stubborn.
I can’t take all of the credit for it though, I got it from my Dad. My Dad gave me his love of country music, his competitive spirit, his athleticism and his stubbornness. You gotta take the bad with the good right? And in all honesty being stubborn is a bit of a family tradition. EVERYONE on my Dad’s side of the family is stubborn. You should see us when we all get together!
In honor of being stubborn, I should confess that I may have “injured” myself at the Tough Mudder. I say “injured” because I can’t pinpoint what or when exactly it happened but I know that ever since the Tough Mudder my back and my left knee have been hurting. Hurting to the point that it brought me to tears during a run last week. Common sense would say to back off from running and give my body a rest. And if it were you asking me for advice, I would tell you just that, let you body recover. But I don’t like to rest. I like to run. And when I am being told I can’t run, even if it is by my own body, I am determined to run even more. For me running is more than exercise, it is the one thing that I can do that keeps me mentally strong. No other form of exercise has that same effect on me. I NEED to run.
In retrospect, running my impromptu half marathon just a couple weeks before the Tough Mudder was probably not the greatest of ideas. I had no taper week before the half and no rest week after the half. I was after all, training for the Tough Mudder. Perhaps that is what did me in. But I got a PR!!!!
I ran again this past Sunday. A short and easy 3 miler. The first half was pain free but the second half was mildly painful. And then when I woke up the next day I was in full fledged pain again. And of course I tried to run, but only made it a half mile before I gave up and jumped onto the elliptical. Being a runner who all of a sudden can’t run is very demoralizing. Ugh! So I finally caved. I have not ran since Monday. I have done other types of workouts that are low impact. But not running. I’ve also been doing lots of icing, stretching, taping and foam rolling.
I’m crossing every body part that I have that I can get back to some sort of a normal running routine next week. Hopefully the running Gods will be smiling on me again very soon! As a side note, I feel very badly for the people that have had to endure my crankiness for the past week or so. I promise I will be back to normal as soon as I can run again!
How do you cope with not being able to run?
Soldier Story Saturday: A Tale of Two Soldiers
Today’s Soldier Story Saturday is written by my friend Lani who also happens to be a Michigan girl at heart! On top of being a Wife, a Mother and a Soldier Lani is also a runner who is currently training for the Rock ‘n’ Roll half marathon in Phoenix on January the 15th as a member of Team in Training. I should also mention that Lani’s youngest son is just shy of 3 months old!!! Big props to Lani for training for such a big race so soon after having a baby! If you would like to donate to Lani’s fundraiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, please click here. Now here is Lani’s story!
Him: It was March of 1989 and he was ready to get away from New Mexico and his home. He joined the Army and became a Paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division. Barely 18, he was sent on a plane to jump into Panama to go after Noriega. That was just the start of much combat experience for this Soldier. He spent time in Haiti. He’s been places many people don’t even know existed. He was deployed to Iraq during Desert Storm and saw stuff that still haunts his dreams to this day.
Her: A college senior was doing her student teaching in a band room in central Michigan. She wanted to be a band director, but felt there was something missing with her life. One day, an Army Recruiter and a Band Liaison came to talk to the high school band about the life of an Army bandsman. She auditioned for and was accepted into the Army band program and signed her enlistment contract soon thereafter. Graduation was just a couple of months away, and graduate she did – and then she headed to Basic Training. That was the summer of 1999.
Lani leading the band as the Drum Major.
Him: 14 June 2000 (that’s how we do the dates in the Army) was not a good day. Or was it? He was on a routine training jump when things went wrong. His parachute collapsed and he fell from the sky 200 feet up. He landed on his head and was in a coma for a week. He woke up from the coma and was sent back to his unit for light duty. During this time, he was assigned to work at the post museum, in charge of the Soldiers mowing the grass and doing other work. But he also started researching the Vietnam War and acquiring equipment and uniforms from that time. One of his first (or maybe THE first) events as a living historian was at an air show in Columbia, SC.
Her: Ft. Jackson, SC, was her first duty station, and as a member of the band, she played concerts, ceremonies, and parades all over the state. But that day she was playing at an air show in Columbia, where Ft. Jackson is located. Since her apartment was less than a mile from the air show site, she decided to drive to this performance. After the band was done performing, she decided to walk around and look at the displays, being a history buff. And then she wandered into “Vietnam” and there he was. He had an extra ticket to that evening’s USO (United Services Organization) dance and he invited her to attend. He also gave her $20 in case the ticket didn’t work. Well, she had to go to the dance, if nothing else than to give him his $20 back.
Them: They had a great time at the dance although they didn’t dance much. They enjoyed the big band music of the 40s and talked a lot, getting to know each other. He asked her out and she said yes. That was 10 years ago, and now former Staff Sergeant Ryan and current Staff Sergeant Lani have been married for almost 9 years. They have endured three major separations – their engagement and first few months of marriage while Lani was in Korea (they got married during her mid-tour leave) and then two deployments – 6 months to Afghanistan and a year to Iraq. Lani and Ryan have two sons, Robert (age 7) and Thomas (age 2 1/2 months). Lani is currently stationed at Ft. Huachuca, AZ, and is still with the band after 12 years of service to her country with the U.S. Army. Ryan is a disabled veteran who enjoys golfing, doing ceramics, and riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle.
Their Wedding Day!
I
Happy Brothers! <3
f you are interested in contributing a story to the Soldier Story Saturday series, please contact me by email at bamoats@gmail.com If this story or any of the other stories featured in the series have moved you enough to donate to my Wounded Warrior Project fundraiser, please click here to do so. Thank you.
Memories of my Dad, 19 Years Later
Do you remember where you were 19 years ago today?
I do. And it is a day that I will never forget. It was November 28th, 1992 and it was just two days after Thanksgiving. What started out as a normal Saturday eventually ended as a very life changing day. That day became the day that my Dad passed away. He died suddenly of a heart attack at 32 years of age. I was 13, my brother was 10 and my Mom was 33. And our lives and many others were forever changed.
As much as this day and this time of the year pains me, I make a conscious effort to not let that day overshadow all of the great memories I have of my Dad. Today I choose to celebrate my Dad and the time that I had with him. And to keep his memory alive, I am going to share some of my favorite memories and stories of him with you.
My Dad was a guys guy. He loved sports, cars, hunting, fishing, country music, and beer. And above all, he loved his family. I have had many family members mention that he was the glue that held everyone together.
My Dad was the oldest of his siblings and perhaps due to being the oldest he had a very protective nature about him. My Uncle Greg said that when he went hunting with my Dad, my Dad would always make sure that he was in a safe spot where my Dad could see him at all times. My Uncle Greg said that my Dad always made him feel safe when he was around. I know I certainly felt safe and secure when I was with my Dad.
Although my Dad was the protective one in the family, he was also highly competitive, especially when it came to sports. My Uncle Ray told me a story about a basketball game when he was in the 7th grade and my Dad was in the 8th grade. The 7th graders played their game first and my Uncle Ray scored 22 points. Not to be outdone, when my Dad played he scored 23 points! Let’s just say no one let my Uncle Ray live that down!
My Dad’s love of sports got him into trouble at times when he was younger. My Grandma did not want him to play football because she felt it was too dangerous. One day my Dad came home from school complaining of chest pains and was having difficulty breathing. After a trip to the emergency room determined that there was nothing physically wrong with my Dad, my Dad fessed up and told my Grandma that he was playing football behind her back and he was worried that she would find out. She eventually decided to let him play once she realized how important it was to him. I guess I get my persistence from my Dad!
Throughout his life my Dad had many “toys.” From cars to motorcycles to snowmobiles. But perhaps the one that he loved the most was his boat. We went out on the boat all of the time. Most of the time we spent on the boat was spent fishing. I remember being squeamish about touching the worms and the fish that I caught, so my Dad would always do that part for me. It was very calming being out on the water surrounded by the people I loved.
As you might imagine, my love of country music came from my Dad. I have fond memories of waking up in the morning to the sound of country music playing on the radio. My Dad was a huge Garth Brooks fan. He owned every tape that Garth made. I am thankful that just listening to a Garth song can automatically make me feel reconnected with my Dad. Music certainly has the power to take me back to a simpler time and for that I am grateful.
I am grateful for many things about my time with my Dad. But most importantly I am grateful I got to experience those 13 years with him. It would be easy for me to dwell on the experiences that I didn’t get to have with him. Afterall , most of my friends got to have their Dad walk them down the aisle on their wedding day and introduce their child to their Grandpa. But dwelling on what could have been will not bring my Dad back and living anything but a full life would not do my Dad’s memory any justice. So to honor my Dad, I choose to live. And not just live, but to experience a happy and full life. I am not perfect in my quest. But I do my best to remember that life is short and that we only get one chance to live it. I try to always be grateful for the time that I have with my loved ones and most importantly I try to tell those who are close to me how much I love them and how much I care about them. And for that, I think my Dad would be proud!
If you were lucky enough to know my Dad, I would love for you to share your favorite memory of him!
My favorite picture of my Dad and I!
Soldier Story Saturday: Renée’s Hero
Today’s Soldier Story Saturday is written by 8-year-old Renée about her dad who is a Sergeant in the army. Renée is in the 3rd grade and is an aspiring fashion designer. She has a younger sister, an awesome mom and a plethora of family and friends that support her. Here is Renée’s story.
My Hero
My name is Renée, I am 8 years old and my dad is in the Army.
When I first found out that my dad will be leaving I was very sad, all I could think about was who would keep me safe if dad is away and how much I was going to miss him.
We did not see dad for 3 months as he attended Basic Training and I was looking forward to going to Fort Jackson, South Carolina for his graduation. I was very excited on the way there and all that was going through my mind was how I was going to run to him and give him the biggest hug ever. The graduation ceremony was phenomenal and I met lots of soldiers and officers that came and shook my dad’s hand because he was the best soldier in his class. Seeing all these soldiers together made me realize that it takes a lot of hard work to keep our country safe.
My dad was deployed to Iraq last year and that was the longest time that we did not get to see him. We were very worried about him and we prayed to God to protect him and bring him back home safe. We even prepared care packages and drew a lot of pictures to send to him.
My dad is a very good Sergeant and he has a lot of awards from the army. His soldiers respect him and love him.
Now I know that my dad can still keep me safe even if he is away, he is working with other soldiers to keep all of us safe and I am very thankful for all the sacrifices they make.
Even though my dad is back from deployment, I still pray every night to God to keep my daddy and all the other soldiers safe so that we can enjoy our FREEDOM.
I want to be just like my dad when I grow up that is why he is my HERO.
Renee's Hero
If you are interested in contributing a story to the Soldier Story Saturday series, please contact me by email at bamoats@gmail.com If this story or any of the other stories featured in the series have moved you enough to donate to my Wounded Warrior Project fundraiser, please click here to do. Thank you.
Soldier Story Saturday: MSgt Amee Jo Bergmann
I am very excited to share the first edition of the Soldier Story Saturday series! I have great respect for all soldiers and their families but this soldier in particular holds a special place in my heart. Amee is my sister (in-law) and she continuously amazes me with her commitment to her family, her friends, her job and her country. Her story was written by her proud husband, Wayne Bergmann, as a surprise! Wayne & Amee have been married for just over a year now and their love for each other and their family is worthy of a story of its own. Here is MSgt Amee Jo Bergmann’s story.
MSgt Amee Jo Bergmann is stationed at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton Ohio and has been proudly serving her county for over 19 years. She is a devoted mother to two of her own children and to her four step children but she would tell you they are all hers, no “step” involved. Amee is at the top of her career field in the Air Force, which is HARM or Host Aviation Resource Management. Amee is an E-7 or Master Sargent in the Air Force having worked very hard to achieve the stature and reputation she holds. She mentors the Airmen under her while holding them to the high standards that not only the Air Force requires, but those that she requires of herself. Never cutting corners just to make things fit, Amee puts in tremendous hours at her work and she is finishing her Masters of Education degree on top of everything else. Amee has held not only the position of superintendent of the 88th OSS/OSO squadron at Wright Patterson AFB but, has been a First Sgt as extra duty.
Amee, like all Airmen, started her journey at Lackland AFB in San Antonio Texas. After boot camp Amee’s will power to do the best at what ever she is tasked to do became evident. Amee was awarded the 2004 Aviation Resource Management Instructor of the year while at Dyess AFB serving at the 436th training squadron. She has been awarded countless quarterly awards for her performance as a Senior NCO Non-Commissioned Officer as well as awards for performance in her career field. Amee prides herself on being the best soldier she can be, from keeping herself physically fit and battle ready, to wearing the uniform of the USAF with pride. She has held station in such places as Japan (two deployments), Korea (two deployments), Kuwait in dessert storm (two deployments), Guam, Italy, Afghanistan and many duty assignments in the United States as well, Regardless of where she is stationed she always serves with pride in her country .
Amee Jo Bergmann is an amazing soldier who gives 110 percent of herself to serving her country. She is an accomplished scholar about to achieve a Master’s Degree in Education. She is a devoted wife and a loving caring mother. And she is a cherished sister to 7 siblings.
Thank you, Master Sergeant Amee Jo Bergmann for you dedication and sacrifice to your country! Freedom isn’t free, people like you pay the price for all of us to be free and for that we thank you!
If you are interested in contributing a story to the Soldier Story Saturday series, please contact me by email at bamoats@gmail.com If this story or any of the other stories featured in the series have moved you enough to donate to my Wounded Warrior Project fundraiser, please click here to do. Thank you.
