Today!

Today, when I awoke, I suddenly realized that this is the best day of my life, ever!

There were times when I wondered if I would make it to today; but I did!

And because I did I'm going to celebrate!

Today, I'm going to celebrate what an unbelievable life I have had so far: the accomplishments, the many blessings, and, yes, even the hardships because they have served to make me stronger.
I will go through this day with my head held high, and a happy heart.

I will marvel at God's seemingly simple gifts: the morning dew, the sun, the clouds, the trees, the flowers, the birds.
Today, none of these miraculous creations will escape my notice.

Today, I will share my excitement for life with other people.

I'll make someone smile.

I'll go out of my way to perform an unexpected act of kindness for someone I don't even know. Today, I'll give a sincere compliment to someone who seems down.

I'll tell a child how special he is, and I'll tell someone I love just how deeply I care for her and how much she means to me.
Today is the day I quit worrying about what I don't have and start being grateful for all the wonderful things I have already been given.

I'll remember that to worry is just a waste of time because my faith in the Divine Plan ensures everything will be just fine.

And tonight, before I go to bed, I'll go outside and Praise my eyes to the heavens and stand in awe at the beauty of the stars and the moon.
As the day ends and I lay my head down on my pillow, and be thankful for the best day of my life.

And I will sleep the sleep of a contented child, excited with expectation because I know tomorrow is going to be the best day of my life, ever!

George Carlin

Today George Carlin passed away of Heart Failure. He was 71. Those of you who know my husband, know what a huge fan he is of Mr. Carlin. (Gives you a clue of why Grant talks the way he does.) George Carlin was a pioneer of his kind, and he will be greatly missed.

The Rain In Fallon falls gently on the ????

Our cute little backyard garden got a very welcome drink!

We don't get a lot of rain, but we had a quick moving storm blow in this afternoon.

It only lasted a few minutes, but if you look close, you can see the driving rain!

Singing in the rain

Here's the boy playing on the back porch during our rain storm!

It really came down!

Here's Bluto hanging out in the rain! It was really really raining hard!

The Difference

The Difference

Over the years, we have heard alot about military spouses...how special they are and the price they pay for freedom too.

The funny thing about it, is most military spouses don't consider themselves different from other spouses.

They do what they have to do, bound together not by blood or merely friendship, but with a shared spirit whose origin is in the very essence of what love truly is.

Is there truly a difference?

I think there is, but you have to decide for yourself.

Other spouses get married and look forward to building equity in a home a putting down family roots.

Military spouses get married and know they'll live in base housing or rent, and their roots must be short so they can be transplanted frequently.

Other spouses decorate a home with flair and personality that will last a lifetime.

Military spouses decorate a home with flare tempered with the knowledge that no two base houses have the same size windows or same size rooms.

Curtains have to be flexible and mulitple sets are a plus.

Furniture must also fit like puzzle pieces.

Other spouses have living rooms that are immaculate and seldom used.

Military spouses have immaculate living room / dining room combos.

The coffee table got a scratch or two moving from Germany, but it still looks pretty good.

Other spouses say good-bye to their spouse for a business trip and know they won't see them for a week.

They are lonely, but can survive.

Military spouses say good-bye to their deploying spouse and know they won't see them for months, or for a remote, a year.

They are lonely, but will survive.

Other spouses, when a washer hose blows off, call maytag and then write a check out for getting the hose reconnected.

Military spouses will cut the water off and fix it themselves.

Other spouses get used to saying "hello" to new friends they see all the time.

Military spouses get used to saying "good bye " to friends made the last two years.

Other spouses worry about whether their child will be class president next year.

Military spouses worry about whether their child will be accepted in yet another school next year and whether that school will be the worst in the city...again.

Other spouses can count on spousal paprticipation in special events...birthdays, anniversaries, concerts, football games, graduation and even the birth of a child.

Military spouses only count on each other; because they realize that the Flag has to come first if freedom is to survive.

It has to be that way.

Other spouses put up yellow ribbons when the troops are imperiled across the globe and take them down when the troops come home.

Military spouses wear yellow ribbons around their hearts and they never go away.

Other spouses are touched by the television program showing an elderly putting a card down in front of a long, black wall that has names on it.

The card simply says, "Happy Birthday Sweetheart. You would have been sixty today."

A military spouse is the lady with the card. And the wall is the Vietnam memorial.

I would never say that military spouses are better or worse than other spouses are.

But I will say there is a difference.

And I will say that our country asks more of military spouses than is asked of other spouses. And I will say, without hesitation, that military spouses pay just as high a price for freedom as do their active duty husbands or wives.

Perhaps the price they pay is even higher.

Dying in service to our country isn't near as hard as loving someone who has died in service to our country, and having to live without them.

God Bless our military and their spouses for all they freely give.

And God Bless America!

Thursday night

Here's my boys on our way out to dinner. (that's how they roll!)

Here's Casey looking tough..You go boy!

Happy 13th Otis

Tonight we celebrated Otis the Cat's 13th Birthday. We also got to meet the newest Forsch Family member, Ashley. She is beautiful, smart, and funny. She fits in well!

Here's Courtney and Otis...

Otis got to have some frosting..

Macen at the Pool with Day Camp

He didn't want me to take his picture...He was busy swimming..

He just came up from jumping in to the pool

Macen at Day Camp

Here's Macen with Miss Tracy. She's the director!

Here's Macen with Miss Kendra

And Miss Charlene!

The Power of the Almighty Chief Petty Officer

The Power of the Almighty Chief Petty Officer

As a crowded airliner is about to take-off, the peace is suddenly shattered by a five-year-old boy who picks that moment to throw a wild temper tantrum.

No matter what his frustrated, embarrassed mother does to try to calm him down, the boy continues to cream furiously and kick the seats around him.

Suddenly, from the rear of the plane, an older man in the uniform of a US Navy Chief begins to make his way up the aisle.

Stopping the frustrated mother's upraised hand, the white haired, courtly, soft-spoken Chief leans down and, motioning toward his collar, whispers something into the boy's ear.

Instantly, the boy calms down, gently takes his mother's hand, and quietly fastens his seat belt.

All the other passengers burst into spontaneous applause.

As theChief slowly makes his way back to his seat, one of the cabin attendants touches his sleeve.

"Excuse me Chief", she asks quietly, "could I ask you what magic words you used on that little boy?"

The Chief smiled serenelyand gently confides,

"I showed him my anchors, service stripes, and battle ribbons, and then explained to him that they entitled me to throw one passenger out of the plane."

Be Content to be Yourself

Weekly update

Hello all! It's another update from the Caufield Clan! There's a lot going on so sit back and enjoy the blog!
Macen has just finished his first full week of Day Camp over at the Youth Activity Center here on base. He loves it! He's been swimming, bowling, roller skating, and a field trip to the grocery store...and that's just in a week! It's helping him prepare for full days at school! I'm glad he's having fun, but I find myself missing him throughout the day.
Congratulations to my sister Kim. She had the lap band surgery this past week and she's doing great! She feels good, and she sounds like her old self again!
Also, Congrats to my niece Kaylee. She's done with 8th grade. Way to go beautiful!
Happy Anniversary to my mom and dad...How many years has it been? 48?
Happy Birthday to Susan and Janet...I hope you had an awesome celebration!
Congratulations to Tiffany. She and Drew just moved in to their own home!
Well that's about it. Check out the rest of the blog. We went to the races this weekend and I got some great pictures!
Don't forget to take the poll, and leace a comment if you want!
Uncle Doug, keep those emails coming. You are the best story teller in the world. (I don't think you know how much you inspire me!)
Happy belated Father's day to all you dad's out there!
I love you and have a great week!

Kaylee's 8th grade promotion

My beautiful niece Kaylee finished 8th grade! Way to go! Doesn't she look gorgeous?

Here's another shot....I'm humming the song "sunrise sunset" as I look at it. She's getting so mature!

Here she is accepting her certificate.

Lucas Oil and Octane Fest

This past weekend, our little town of Fallon held it's annual Octane Fest. It's huge! We have a raceway on the outskirts of town called "Top Gun" (appropriately enough) Cars from all over come for 3 days of racing. One of the big racers happens to like Grant so he let Macen get in his car. (I truly believe that Macen will be a race car driver when he gets older)

Here's some of the Chiefs. Every year the CPOA (Chief Petty Officer Association) gets to work at the races. They make good money and have a great time. Macen and I help Grant sell ice. (It's a very hot weekend and no one has time to go to town to buy ice, so we do it for them) Macen loves it, and I have a fun time checking out the sights!

One of the races

Here's Patron racing.

This car broke down at the starting line. He had the long sad trip back to the pit!

Here's the "Attitude" car driving back to the pit after a great race!

Octane Fest

We have a lot of company sponsors at the octane fest. See's Candy was awesome! They gave a whole bunch of candy to the crowd.

Patron is another big racer. We also had Korbel, and a whole bunch more that I didn't get pictures of.

This is one of my favorite cars. The guy is from Idaho, and he loves coming here!

Lucas Oil / Octane Fest

Here's one of my favorite cars at the festival

These people spend thousands of dollars on these cars, and they truly love what they do!

A close up of one of the winners!

Lucas Oil Octane Fest

Here's one of the bikes that race during the Octane fest

Macen loved this car!

And this car