Memorial Day

I just want to take a moment to remember, to reflect, to honor those who have served in our military for us. Those who have lost their lives fighting and those who have served and continue to serve.

James Weldon, my dad's uncle...served in WW II. He was a POW (Prisoner of War)

He did come home safe but passed away later of a disease.

This is my Papaw (Jack Nixon) who served in WWII in Japan.
He lived a long happy life with my Nannie and then passed away right after their 50th Anniversary of lung cancer. But I know how proud he was to be a marine. I wish so badly he could have met Luis. I'm sure he would have given him hell for being in the Army vs Marines. haha.

Miss you Papaw.

The man in the middle is my mom's first husband, Jeff Cowley. He served in the Army and died in Vietnam when my brother was just a baby. I always think of him on days like today knowing his sacrifice affected parts of my family on a deeper level.

And of course I have to honor my husband for serving in the Army during the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2002-2003. He was sent to Korea and then to Afghanistan. He probably doesn't know how proud of him that I am. He tends to think that it wasn't a big deal, that he doesn't need recognition but I disagree. I'm blessed that he came home to me. My heart aches deeply for all those wives and families that their soldier didn't come home. I am proud that my husband served in the Army for 10 years and made a difference, helped save so many lives in the job that he did and I'm going to miss 'parts' of the Army life ;)
I still get teary eyed hearing the National Anthem and watching our country's patriotism. There are many more family members that served in the military. There are other close friends that we lost that I don't have pictures for. But know that we will REMEMBER.

I am so thankful to those who have served our country and those that continue to serve.

If you see a soldier walking by or a veteran that still wears his hat proud, don't hesitate to tell him or her the 2 words that mean the most,

"THANK YOU"

Today of all days, we remember you and say Thank you for your sacrifice.

R.I.P Roger Pena JR

R.I.P Jeffrey E Cowley

Update

Well life in my shoes right now is just slow. We are STILL waiting for the Austin Police Dept. This constant waiting and unknowing is driving us insane. Luis was supposed to start in March, budget cuts pushed it back to June, then again to Sept. Well, now, City Manager wants APD to cut back more (they already cut 5million) so now Luis' class is on the chopping block. It's so frustrating. There are over 200 police officers up for retirement this year. They are already low on officers on the streets and then to cancel this class? Mark Otts is focusing on $$$$ instead of safety! URGH!! It just makes me so mad. IF Luis' class starts in Sept, he won't be working on the streets until next summer so imagine if they cancel his class all together, that's less cops on the streets for a long time!
So we have to continue to have faith and trust in God to show us the path we are meant to take. There are other options but that doesnt neccessarily keep us in Austin :(
So please pray for us. We are so tired of being in limbo and not knowing.

Day at the beach

Wow it's been awhile, huh? Guess we are starting to use FB more than blogging. I thought I'd update a little. We spent a little over a week in Laredo again and one day we decided to up and go to Corpus for the day and take Ashlyn to the beach for the first time. We started first by going to the TX State Aquarium, then to lunch at Snoopys, then to the beach. She LOVED the beach. She got that from her mama ;) She's a water baby just like I am. We had such a great time and can't wait to go back, even if it is Corpus beach ha.

Mother's Day

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day. We were in Laredo this year. Ashlyn got me a travel bag for all my accessories like makeup, hair stuff etc. Something I have been needing for awhile. I also got chocolate covered strawberries Sunday morning which I loved. We had dinner that evening with Luis' family. It's been so nice to be able to be with both families so often. We are truly blessed.