Freedom Has A Price

As you wake up today, please take some time and remind yourself that today is not about the extra sleep you will get, the paid day off of work, the sales you will find shopping, or the bbq's and beer you may find yourself consuming. Instead, take the time and remember the sole purpose of it and the ones that have died for your freedom. The lives that have been lost for you to have the extra sleep, shopping sales, paid day off of work, bbq's, beer and whatever else you may do. Remember the ones that have laid their lives on the line and paid the ultimate sacrifice for you to live in a country that has the freedoms. Keep in mind that we don't have the fear of men being drafted because people sign up on their own free will. Men and woman sign their names away to the government, to branches of the military to continue this fight for our country. Freedom really isn't free. So many people have paid the price. While you are now taking the time to remember them, also take that time to think of the spouses, children, parents, families, and friends that have been directly affected and left behind. The ones that choose to live this life out of standing beside the ones they love. The spouses and children that could not imagine their lives any other way, but to follow wherever the military sends us. Their past and their futures have been taken from them, and yet they stand proud of the one they had to lay to rest. The ones that on this day will face an emotion just as they do everyday that the vast majority of us will never understand or know.

Say a prayer for the safe return of the ones still overseas unselfishly serving our country. Say a prayer for their families that await their safe return. That live with their cell phone always beside them, waiting for that chance to just hear their voice. The simple, "I'm okays" and "I love you's" go such a long ways following the time we kiss our loved ones goodbye and patiently await their return home to us.

Say a prayer for the families that will start a normal day only to be faced with the dreaded knock on their front door that their spouse or child is not coming home because they sacrificed it all.

Not only have the ones that paid the price with their lives sacrificed, but so have the ones that remain on the homefront. Coming from a proud army wife, freedom is far from free. We live on sacrifices and prayers in order to get us by. We lean on each other, forming a bond between Army wives...or rather, military wives, that most will never know. Today is a day for everyone to pray and remember the ultimate sacrifices people have made to ensure our freedom. There are no words that could show my gratitude for the ones that have laid thie lives down for our country, for the ones who will in the future, and for the ones who go out everyday unaware and uncertain of the unknown.

To all the ones we have lost, to the ones Kevin has served beside, or the ones we have known growing up, you will NEVER be forgotten and always cherished! There are too many to try to list on here, and I don't want to list any without listing them all. This is a battle we all face everyday, one that at the end of the day we are proud of. As an Army wife, I could never explain to you the pride that arises when I see my husband in uniform or the tears that flow when I hear the National Anthem or God Bless the USA... To the families that have also paid the price with your loved one, you too will never be forgotten!
Happy Memorial Day. Please be careful today while you are out doing
whatever it is you may do. Next time you see a Vet, no matter what
their age, shake their hand and just say "thanks". Afterall, they were
one of the lucky ones that made it back home alive. They will never
show their pride or think of themselves as heroes. But to all of,
past, present, and future, they are our true American Heroes. Oh, and
don't forget that military family who also serves. They tend to go
unnoticed. They too go through more than most know. And, unless you
walk a day in the shoes of someone that has been off to war, sent
someone they love off to war, or fought in any way to keep our country
safe, you will probably never understand the sacrifices that are made
daily.

Sent from Britt's iPhone

Betta Time

While the girls were at school and Kev once again on CQ, Nicholas and I ended up at Petsmart looking at Betta fish. We ended up with three of them. Petsmart had an awesome sale on them! We picked up one male and two females. Of course, we had to have pink for the female, and decided to sport some FL colors for our males. Kevin has already made fun of us for it!

Dinomaniac

Nic and I were on a hunt for a fish bowl for the Betta fish that we were on our way to purchase. I could not find anything that I wanted and just did not see fit to spent $20 or so on something to keep it in. So, we decided to head to Savers, a secondhand store that has used and new items. We ended up finding something we liked and of course, we ended up wondering throughout the store. Nicholas discovered a dinosaur that we ended up buying for barely over $2. Can't beat that for one of his toys. However, he does find it necessary to take it EVERYWHERE he goes! It even eats dinner sitting right next to him and sleeps beside him.... yes, under the covers with its head on his pillow. Cute, I suppose. He has become obsessed with dinosaurs, Spiderman, Batman, and still Cars!

The Sneezing Baby Panda

Kev and I were bored around midnight and decided to watch funny videos on youtube.com from my cell phone. We came across one of a baby panda sneezing and ended up watching it numerous times. Once Kevin fell asleep, I found myself watching the video again, laughing. The kids saw it today and the three of them watched it over and over again, all full of giggles! Click on the link below to check it out for yourself! You can't help but to smile!

Check out this video on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzRH3iTQPrk&feature=youtube_gdata

Sent from Britt's iPhone

As Reality Has Set In

I have been debating for the past few days what to write, where to start, or how to even express myself. This may be all over the place. Please excuse me if it is. I can’t seem to stay focused today. I have also never written anything so personal on this blog. Today, however, I just feel the need to write. Two years and two days ago my family was struck with the tragedy of losing someone that that was so full of life and had such and an amazing heart. Someone who would do anything for anyone. I will never forget the night of May 25, 2008. It was around 11pm when Kevin and I were sitting at home watching a movie, just enjoying the night. My cell phone started to ring, of course at that hour; you normally know that is not a good thing. I looked at it and saw my Dad’s name. At that point, I knew for certain that I truly did not want to answer the call. There is no way it would be good news. When I said “hello” I could hear the shakiness of his voice and it took all he had to tell me that something terrible had happened. Never could I have imagined that something terrible would be the death of my cousin, Scott. He was two days away from turning 26. My dad went on to tell me that he had died in a car wreck from someone else hitting him head on. At that point it was all he knew. All I could do was hand Kevin my phone because I couldn’t take anything else in. Within a matter of seconds the lives of so many people had changed for the worse. No amount of words could make this situation better. It wouldn’t bring him back no matter what anyone said or did. All I wanted was to wake up and realize I had just had one of the most unimaginable nightmares that a person should be allowed to have. But, I had to face the reality of it all. My Aunt was faced with the knock on her door earlier that no one should ever have to be faced with. The cops informing her of the wreck and the loss of her only child, her son, her entire life. She lived for Scott. At that time we did not have all the details of what went wrong. Of course, we all assumed, sadly our assumptions being write. Scott died on impact. Thankfully he did not have to suffer through any of this. That was the only consoling part of it all. Aunt Beverly and Uncle Mike ended up flying into Arkansas to be there with Aunt Jeanette and my grandmother through this time. Kevin, Nicholas, and I were able to make it out there a month after his death and spent a few nights there with everyone. It was great to visit and be there, but there was an emptiness of Scott not just walking through the door like he had just the summer prior to that when I was in town.

In 2007 I made a trip to Mena to visit with the kids. Scott made it a point to come into town while I was there. I had not seen him in a few years due to us living in Germany. To this day, it has left me with wonderful memories of us talking and laughing. I am not even sure how late we stayed up talking after everyone else was asleep. It was the first and last time we were able to sit and talk as adults. We were able to see how we had each grown and matured. I found out things about him and was able to have great conversations. I know we are told to not live with regrets, but I can’t help but to have one in this situation. My biggest regret is that we didn’t take pictures! He and I are both into taking pictures in order to have the visualization of memories and to share with everyone. Scott was especially one to take pictures of everything! He has taken some of the most amazing photographs from all over the world. Scott had so many talents in photography and journalism and had such an amazing life ahead of him. I will forever have the memories of our childhood together and the last time I saw him. I hold them close to me and very dearly.
I remember growing up we would pick on each other for so many things, get the other person in trouble with Grandmama just because we could, all at the same time loving the time we had to spend together. I remember one time giving him a hard time for calling Aunt Jeanette “Mommy”. Lol. Now I look back at it and am so grateful that the two of them were able to share a bond that so many other Mother’s are not blessed to have with their children. What a bond that was too. I have never seen a mother and son like the two of them were. When he moved out, he would still talk to her numerous times throughout the day and week. Aunt Jeanette was truly blessed with the time she had and with the amazing son she raised. Looking back on all of this now makes me strive to be that much better as a mother to my kids. We never know what the future holds, even more so what tomorrow holds. From day to day, hour to hour, and even minute to minute things change. They change for the better and sadly for the worse. We learn to put more of our faith in God and lead our lives in ways we may not have lead them before. I look at my kids differently that I did before Scott’s death. It is not the love I have for them and the way I love them that has changed. It’s just the pure fact of the unknown. This tragedy has opened my eyes to so much more in life.

For the first time this past March I was finally able to bring myself to visit the cemetery. Kevin, the kids, and I followed Aunt Jeanette to where Scott is now laid to rest. As soon as I got out I broke down. I could no longer hold it in. Reality really struck at that point. He’s really gone. To see his name on the headstone makes it that much more real. I think that is what makes the anniversary of his death this year that much harder, as well as his birthday two days later. Today is May 27, 2010, Scott’s 28th birthday. Happy birthday my dear cousin. You are forever missed and loved so very much.

David Scott Berry was two days shy of his 26th birthday when he lost his life. He had spent the day with his mom, my Aunt Jeanette in Mena, AR and was on his way home in Russville, AR when someone made a careless decision. The other driver was more than two times the legal limit and crossed the yellow line going 90MPH, from what I was told. His irresponsible and selfish decision not only cost himself his own life, but Scott’s as well. Everyday my family is faced with an emptiness that can never be filled because of a drunk driver. A mother and father go to bed every night and wake up every morning with their son in Heaven. Two sisters are faced with the reality that they can no longer visit with their baby brother. A family lives in an emotional state that just doesn’t go away. Time may heal the amount of breakdowns that occur but it never takes away the pain that has been brought into our lives. We have all been faced with the reality that no matter what none of us can just pick up the phone or send a card to him anymore. Our lives are forever changed. The whole point on what I am trying to get at is to think before you make a life altering decision. You can’t undo something like this. I can never stress the importance to not drink and drive. We are all faced with the outcomes of decisions we make as an individual, but while you are deciding what to do, please think of the others that will be around you. No family should ever be faced with a loss over someone’s carelessness and selfishness. I have always been and always will be against intoxicated driving and wish everyone else would be the same.

Life is too short. At times, shorter for some over others. Make decisions that you can be proud to make and that you can hold your head high to. Live everyday as though it could be your last. One of these days you will be right on that. Love the ones you are with and always give your all to those. Never let a day pass that you go without telling those you love how you feel. Never live in regret. Be the best parent, spouse, aunt, uncle, cousin, friend and family a person could ever have. Give your all in everything you do. Hold the ones you love close and never let go. If today were your last, who would you call and what would you say?

Scott, thank you for being an inspiration to so many people and leading such an amazing life at such a young age. Aunt Jeanette and David, you raised such an amazing son. Anyone that has been blessed to have Scott apart of their lives and to have the memories he has left us to, is incredibly lucky. I know he is watching over us all and we will all one day see him again. Until then, think about all that I have written. I do apologize for this possibly being all over the place if you find it that way. Today is the first time I have truly put some of my thoughts into words in place of holding them all in.

Scott's Memorial page on Facebook is:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=510211208#!/group.php?gid=18143501979&v=wall&ref=ts

As you are out this weekend and any other weekend or night, please remind yourself of the dangers of drinking and driving. These dangers not only affect you, but also the people around you.

David Scott Berry

May 27, 1982 - May 25, 2008

This picture was taken in March 2008

In Shock... Asparagus & Squash

For dinner tonight, we thought we would try something new with the kids. We baked some great tasting ribs in the oven and wanted to have something different and tasty for our sides. Kevin made asparagus and squash. We have never made that before and it turned out wonderful! Personally, I was not crazy about the asparagus. The flavor was great, but I could not handle the texture. Just one of those things. Next time we are going to keep it a little more crunchy. We made it with garlic powder and almonds. We also made squash, which surprisingly to me, turned out to be very tasty! Breanna picked at her, Nicholas ate his, and Caitlin inhaled her dinner and not only wanted second, but thirds as well! She NEVER eats like that, so it really caught us off guard. We are thrilled that the kids actually ate so well! Of course we made a back up for the just incase... Mac and Cheese! We had to have that, which the kids also ate a lot of.

Brought A Smile

Most of you know I ended back in the hospital over the weekend. I was admitted Saturday night and stayed until Monday evening. Kevin had to take me to the ER for severe pelvic pain. I had been in pain for the past month and the week prior I stayed so sick. I was unable to keep anything down and lost over 12 lbs in a seven day period. Kind of scary! We did discover that I am having problems with ovarian cysts again and more than likely the endometreosis has grown back into a severe case. We have medically tried many different types of pills and other things trying to put a stop to the endometreosis and cysts. As you all know I did have a partial hysterectomy in October 2008. I had my uterus removed, not by choice, and was able to keep my ovaries and cervix. However, now it does look as though I am going to have to have my ovaries and cervix removed. There have just been too many complications since I was 14 and I can no longer face these battles. It is interfering in my daily life. Not to mention that the cysts rupturing set off toxins if they are not handled properly and in a timely manner. We cannot risk this to continue happening with Kevin being away as often as he is and just the simple fact it is not good for me. I do have an appointment July 6 with the gynocologist in order to get everything going. We are trying to get me in sooner because the pain is continuing as it was before the hospital. I did not realize the extent of the pain until the day after I was released. It is amazing how much the pain medication in the hospital took away! Once I was completely off of them it was an eye opener to how severe it has been. It makes me question how I have been functioning like I have with the pain! It is unreal. I am looking forward to hopefully feeling better soon!

Kevin and the kids visited with me about twice a day while I was admitted. They brought me flowers one day. I posted pictures below of the flowers. I have come to the conclusion, that I have all I could ever ask for and so much more with these four.

Field Trip

Trendy Tuesday

Kevin is on CQ tonight so it was just the kids and I at home watching American Idol before they headed off to bed. The girls have a field trip tomorrow to watch the 4th graders at the school perform at the Plaza Theater out here. They are so excited because they get to dress in something cute and not in school uniforms! Of course, that led to Caitlin wanting me to straighten her hair...and we all know what a funky mess that is! Haha. I ended up drying and straightening both girls hair then realized they each had split ends and had to trim their hair, which led to hairstyles that are slightly different, but so cute! They each love their hair. Caitlin checked it out in the bathroom and then ran into the living room in excitement, yelling, "I look so beautiful! Thank you so much Mom". It made my night! I have not trimmed or cut their hair since we were in Germany. I use to do Bre's all the time out there! We decided to add before and after pictures! I will post more tomorrow with how they look before they go to school.

Bre after we straightened, but before the cut...

Bre after her cut.

Caitlin after we dried her hair, but before we straightened and cut...

Caitlin after we cut and straightened. So different but so cute! We love it!

Happy Mother's Day

Kevin, the kids, and I just wanted to take a moment to wish all the moms and moms-to-be a very Happy Mother's Day! We hope everyone has had a wonderful day! We all wish we could have been closer to home to share this day with you all! We love and miss you all!

Also, thank you so much for all the birthday wishes today. I cannot put into words how much they all mean to me! Kevin is on CQ today/tonight and will not be home until tomorrow. The kids helped him make me a surprise birthday cake yesterday in order for us to celebrate a day early. It was such a special day for me with the four that have my world! I could not ask for a better husband or kids! Today, the kids and I started to get a little restless, so we decided to head over to post and see Kevin for a short while. The kids had fun and we really enjoyed some time. As you know, for the past seven birthdays of mine (and Mother's Day), the army has managed to have Kevin in place of us! All other years, we were separated by deployments, field props, school, Germany (before the kids and I flew over), and now CQ.

Thank you again to everyone who made today even more special for me!

Rolling

After crazy schedules lately we had to get out and walk around the park with the kids! While Kevin was changing the tire on Nic's jogging stroller Breanna showed Nicholas how to roll down a hill. Of course, I had to get the kids on a video during this! Once we got home all the girls could do was talk about how itchy they were!