So much to say and so little time. Isn't that how life goes for most of us?

First of all ... please keep our deployed Marines in your prayers even harder this week as they advance in Afghanistan through Taliban territory. You can read more about that at this link: Marines launch massive assault in Afghanistan

Secondly ... our little 'nugget' is growing fast and reached the halfway point in his preparation for entering the world yesterday. Patty is scheduled to have another ultrasound on May 7th and believe me when I say there will be PICS! Hopefully they will find out the sex (although Eric and I are both convinced nugget is definitely 'Eric Junior' at the rate he is growing) since Patty is on pins and needles waiting to find out so she can buy color appropriate clothing for the little Marine. Now if 'nugget' just cooperates and doesn't hide those body parts during the ultrasound LOL! Here is a pic of Patty during her 18th week. I don't really think 'nugget' is actually just a nugget anymore! But isn't Patty just the beautiful picture of a glowing new mom!

And lastly ... for those of you who are really interested in scientific discoveries as I am and heard about the capture of a 'Colossal Squid' last year ... the New Zealand museum that the large chunk of frozen calamari was donated to is about to unfreeze and examine it before preserving it for posterity and display at their facility. They have LIVE video cams showing it defrosting at the moment but sometime today they are going to unfold it and do the examinations. For those of you not in the know on this amazing discovery - it weighs in at 990 lbs and is the largest and ONLY adult colossal squid to ever be examined although they have had what they believe to be juvenile colossal squids to examine before. There are a lot of great stories about how it was found and stored available at the museum site as well as links to the live webcams. The Discovery Channel is going to be doing a whole show about the entire thing later this year. I am definitely hoping to catch the webcam just as they are unfolding this huge sea creature (it was folded and stuff into a container before being frozen so they could transport it). See the highlighted text below for the museum and cam links:

Museum of New Zealand

Live WebCam Link

Stay tuned for the news of nugget's sex and if Eric and I are right about nugget being a boy! We'll be happy either way but we are betting on boy!

Semper Fi and God bless you all. And keep all our troops in your prayers as I do please.

Okay - normally I would cut and paste my posts here from my Spaces blog but I kind of got out of the habit doing that (much to my chagrin).

Going to try to start doing it again.

A lot has happened in my life since October (my last post here). Eric got back safely from Iraq in November the day before Thanksgiving. So MUCH to be thankful for there. His battalion came back with all the people that went with him thank you God!!!

He and Patty came to visit over the holidays. They were here for Christmas and New Year's - yay! I had moved into my boyfriends house about a month before that thinking he was truly my 'soulmate'. Well - things went okay there till he started trying to control everything I did around the house. And if I didn't do things the way he wanted - well let's just say things got unpleasant.

About this time Eric and Patty told me good news. They are going to make me a grandma! That's my Marine hehe! Patty is happily pregnant and due about the middle of September. 'Nugget' (as we have been calling the baby) is healthy and growing fast too. The 7th of May Patty has another ultrasound and we will hopefully find out Nugget's sex. Eric and I both are betting on boy hehe. Boy or girl though we will be equally happy as long as Nugget is healthy. I think Patty wants a girl first (well Patty LOVES pink) but she is thinking that Eric and I may be right.

I think the fact that Eric is about to become a father for the first made a major difference in his desicion not to re-enlist in the Marine Corps in October 2008. So for now - the plan is that Eric and Patty are coming here to make their home in Oct and staying with me for a few months. I am looking forward to it.

So - I am about to be a grandma - and I now live alone again since the relationship with my EX-boyfriend degenerated rapidly when he realized that he couldn't control me the way he controls his daughters. Now bear in mind that I never did anything actually wrong - just wrong in his eyes. I would get yelled at for really stupid stuff. Like if I wanted to let the dishes soak in the sink for a couple of hours. And he was mean to my dog. I think when I told him I was moving out he was really mad because he decided I loved my dog more than I loved him LOL. By that time - it was probably true!!

In any case I am happily living alone with my dog in a house big enough to let Eric, Patty and Nugget stay with me for the winter at least when they come home this fall.

Thanks about it for me. But I will post my last post on Spaces here and start mirroring what I write there again for my blogger friends. Its a good idea to double up your posts anyway - in a way I don't trust Spaces not to lose everything I write!!!

Update on Patty: She's doing good. Took some furniture and Eric's car (it was being worked on) to their house on base yesterday so she will have some furniture there when she moves there later this month. She is still slowly improving from her short-term memory loss but she still isn't back to par yet. Hopefully in the next month things will get a lot better for her so she can move over there soon.

Hope everyone is having a great day today. Mine is busy like it has been a lot lately but I did want to pass on new information about 'Veterans of Valor'. I talked about this some after meeting the young Marine who was severely wounded in Iraq, Cpl Klay South. He started it a few months ago and finally got some new info to post on it from his mother, Janet.

So below you will find the info and links that I received in an email from his mother.


Dear Friends,

As you know, Klay has started a not for profit called Veterans of Valor. The mission of VoV is to assist the combat wounded who have 6 months or more of recovery. VoV provides live wire backpacks that can be attached to a wheelchair or conveniently carried. The value of the live wire feature is the ease of operating the ipod design for user friendly easy touch on the straps of the backpack…a great advantage to sight impairment, wounded limbs, or missing limbs. Each back pack also comes with a PSP to occupy the mind during long recovery hours between treatment, therapy, and surgeries. Breakaway pants are a welcome addition as leg wounds are common and clothing is a challenge for the wounded legs. Veterans of Valor has several other needed benefits to the combat wounded as well and is unlike other organizations.

Veterans of Valor does not fund salaries so the commitment is purely from the heart. The recipients reap the benefit of all the dedicated volunteer board members and help.

Klay’s determination to keep Veterans of Valor funded and active was planned with the long term in mind. Klay decided he needed a company to fund VoV as well as donors. Operation Care Package 247 (www.operationcarepackage247.com) was launched by Klay as well. OCP247 will be live and ready to use in just a few short days. Operation Care Package 247 offers the best care packages available and from someone who has been there and stays connected with those who are actively serving. OCP247 has the convenience of shopping while supporting those who have greatly sacrificed. Other care package sites may have good intentions or even be a not for profit…however, Operation Care Package 247 www.operationcarepackage247.com is the only web site owned and founded by a wounded veteran AND is committed to supporting our wounded Heroes. I urge you to consider purchasing care packages from http://www.operationcarepackage247.com/ when it goes live in the next few days. Please pass the web site onto others.

You will find the prices competitive, products comprehensive, and the very best selection with name brand products.

I will send out an email when it goes live and ready to order.

Warmest Regards,

Janet South
Event Media Coordinator

First off -- HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY SON, ERIC!! I got to talk to him yesterday and he said although things are better where he is, things still do happen (vague as always). But he and his platoon are all well and for that that I am grateful. I sent him the last three books in Stenphen King's Dark Tower series so he is estastic about his incoming birthday present hehe. I'm glad he called since I didn't get it sent out in time to get to him by today. We are at the less than 60 day mark for his homecoming now. When he gets home we will have to celebrate his 23rd birthday right!

Now I want you to go and watch this video and then come back and tell me what is wrong with these people?!?

Marines Mistreated

BTW - This is the SECOND time in less than a month that I have heard disparaging stuff coming out of the Bay area concerning our Marines. Are they not part of the United States?!? GRRRRRR.

Semper Fi and God bless all our Marines, troops, and their familes.

OORAH to the Marine Corps! Just a quick update here on the slogan competition going on. The Marine Corps great slogan "The Few, The Proud, The Marines" won! Thanks to everyone that took the time to vote! Click the link below if you want to read the article about it in the Marine Corp Times.

Corps slogan takes out the competition

The Marine Corps’ legendary recruiting pitch, “The Few, The Proud, The Marines,” defeated such famous ad slogans such as “Just Do It,” “Have It Your Way,” “Take a Bite Out of Crime” and “Think Outside the Bun” for a spot on the advertising industry’s Walk of Fame in New York City. --- (click the title above to read the rest of the article)

First of all Patty is doing well as is Eric who is still in Iraq. Patty still has some healing to do and her memory is a still a bit fuzzy at times (getting better everyday) but the main reason for the surgery seems to have been a complete success. Her brain is processing the fluid correctly so she no longer needs the shunt she has lived with all her life. Keep the prayers coming though for both of them! And thank you for that!

Secondly, 32 years ago today I had a miraculous thing happen to me. I found out I could love another human being with all my heart when my oldest son was born to me (yeah ... I can't believe I have a 32 y/o son either!). Now he is grown and married to a great girl. And working at becoming a professional writer of the fantasy/scfi genre! He regularly posts excerpts from his writings as well as short stories on his myspace blog (which is open to read by anyone). If he will let me I want to publish one of his short stories here. We'll see.

Give him a BIG birthday present and head over here (copy and paste the link below in your browser if it doesn't take you there by clicking on it):

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.ListAll&friendID=167880853

and read his great writings. One of these days he will be famous, I guarantee it!

Happy birthday and know that I love you Jason!

Semper fi and God bless our troops and all of you.

Patty (Eric's beautiful wife) had her brain surgery in California Tuesday. According to the doctors it was a success and will allow her to live without the shunt that has been part of her life since she was born. But that said, she is still struggling with some of the aftermath of any kind of surgery like this. She could use prayers. She told Eric she would be strong and so far she is trying. Hopefully she will be doing better today when I talk to her.

Thanks, God bless you and Semper Fi