The weather was perfect....what a great way to start off the holiday weekend!
























Memories are a way of holding onto the things you love,the things you are,and the things you never want to lose. Follow along and become a part of my memories...
Posted by Julie Madera at 12:54 PM 4 comments
As you all know, I was in the military as well. While you're in the military you make great friends, but once you've served in Iraq...you've make lifelong relationships! While I was in Iraq, I became very close to a particular Sergent. His name was Staff Sergeant Greg Stancil. I'm sad to report that during his second tour of Iraq, he did not make it home!
Greg was an amazing person and a genuine Sergent. He truly cared for his soldiers and did everything he could to help them. Sometimes, I think if it wasn't for him, I don't know if I would have emotional ever made it over there. Once returning home in Colorado, Greg and I remained great friends, Chris and him got close also. Greg shortly moved onto another duty station out in Washington State. Once I decided to get out of the military and moved back to Ohio, we still stayed in touch. Sending emails and phone calls every few weeks, kept us close.
This past February, Greg left Washington with his wife and 3 kids and journeyed over to Germany. By May of '08 he was back in Iraq.
I received the devastating phone call earlier this afternoon from his wife. She was very sad to report that Greg was struck by a mortar attack. At that point he wasn't okay, but he was alive. The doctors had to amputate both of his legs, but he was in stable condition. Early the next morning, Greg went into cardiac arrest and they could not revive him. I'm sad to say he passed away on August 19, 2008.
Even though I hadn't seen Greg in a few years now, I still considered him a great friend of mine. I could talk to him about anything and he always had the best advice. I'm truly going to miss him, but I know God's watching over him now. I also know that when Chris deploys, Greg will be watching over him for me!
Posted by Julie Madera at 4:17 PM 2 comments
Plugging the other possible hole!
Posted by Julie Madera at 4:01 PM 1 comments
What a great picture of Aunt Jewwy and Bella! :-)
I love you Bella xoxo
Posted by Julie Madera at 8:39 PM 3 comments
Chris is finally home!! I picked Chris up Saturday evening at Cleveland airport. I was SO excited to see him. Even though we're away from each other a lot, it never seems to get easier. In fact, even though he was only gone this time for 2 weeks, it felt like 2 months! We missed each other so much and I'm just glad he's home.
While Chris was away in school, he'd keep me updated on how things were going! On Friday, he graduated from WLC (Warriors Leaders Course). He's officially a Sergeant....YAY!! From my understanding, Chris did a great job. He passed all courses and clearing a 90% in most sections. He passed his second PT test (physical training), which I'm very proud of. Chris has been injured for some time now, making it hard to do physical activity, so passing that was a huge deal to him!
Congratulations Chris, I'm very proud of you!!
Posted by Julie Madera at 2:26 PM 2 comments
The trap that did the job!!!
Posted by Julie Madera at 2:18 PM 3 comments
Well, I'm sad to report that we haven't caught anything yet! :-( I can say that I'm obsessed with checking the traps. I guess the idea of a dead mouse in my kitchen is something I'd want taken care of immediately!
So yesterday when I got home from work, as always, I checked the traps....Nothing! As I looked closer to the one in between the stove and the cabinet, I see that ALL the peanut butter is gone! I go to check the one is the basement, since that's where they live, again....ALL of the peanut butter is gone. The worse part, the traps never went off and they are still in my house!
We'll be trying different reinforcements in the next couple of days....stay tuned and keep your fingers crossed that we catch something! :-)
Posted by Julie Madera at 6:44 AM 4 comments
Posted by Julie Madera at 6:58 PM 5 comments
I wanted to wish my dad a very Happy Birthday (Aug. 5Th)! I'm sure you all know by now how close I am with my family. My dad and I have always been two peas in a pod. I'm defiantly 'the son he never had'! Growing up I was mostly a tomboy, always wanted to be with dad. As I got older, I may have gotten a little more 'girlie', but wanting to hang out with dad never changed! A lot of young girls are very close with their dads, 'daddy's girl you might say, but once they grow up they may not be as close. Not me, I feel very lucky to still have that close relationship with my dad. Even though I'm now a grown woman, I can still go to my dad for anything. If it's something I need handy experience with, or a silly questioned answered, or just someone to sit and talk to....I know my dad will always be there. So no matter how old I get, I'll always be your little girl, your baby!
I love you daddy and hope you have a great birthday! :-)
CHEERS....
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Posted by Julie Madera at 10:06 PM 2 comments
Back row: Cheryl, LaTosha, and Me
Posted by Julie Madera at 8:13 PM 1 comments