Canvas Art: A Giveaway

Hello all, I hope you all had a wonderful Easter. Ours was ok, of course missed the Mr. intensely today, as not only was it a holiday but also the 3 week marker. We did carry on though, of course, and enjoyed the day as much as possible. Today, though, my dear blog friends. I'd like to first offer an exceptionally huge THANK YOU. Thank you all for your caring words, your thoughts, and your prayers. Thank you to every one who has taken the time to stop by and let me know you're thinking of us and for those who have blogged about us on your own pages. Thank you so very much for this incredible amount of support. I am so blown away by how much support we have gotten from all over the country. That being said, I'd like to take a moment to offer something back to you.

Stephanie from Geezees Canvas Art has come to me with a wonderful opportunity for my readers. She would like to sponsor a giveaway for all you amazing bloggers who have been taking the time to send me notes of love, encouragement, and prayer.
Her art is incredibly beautiful. She is also offering one to me, which means I'm going to have to make more decisions and pick what I want on my canvas (yikes!). The winner will receive one 10x10 piece of canvas art which can feature words, photos, or both, an $89 value. Take a minute to go to her website and get some ideas for what you would want on your art if you were to win.

To enter the giveaway, all you must simply do is leave a comment telling me of a time when you were particularly proud of our military or a time in your life when the military positively effected you. This giveaway is open to all readers, not just milbloggers, but of course it's going to have some sort of military theme ;-) Make sure you leave an email address so I can reach you if you win, no email address will void your entry.

Also, for those of you who really want to win this, an extra 3 entries will be given to anyone who donates to the Run for Warriors event I am participating in (even a dollar donation, every dollar counts!). This applies for those of you who have already donated, you don't have to leave another donation. Obviously, this is not necessary to participate in the giveaway, just for extra entries. If you choose to do this, make sure you leave a seperate comment for each entry and include your name so I who you are on the donation page (it sends me an email of each person who donated, I know who you are!! haha).

Feel free to share about this giveaway on your pages and include all your friends
This giveaway will be closed on Sunday 11 April 2010 at 11:59pm EST, that gives you one whole week to think of your story! I am excited to hear all these stories, good luck to all who enter!

Semper Fi,

Rachel's Hope for the Warriors Donation Page

What To Say

Sometimes, I blog in my head. Seriously... the way my mind works, a lot of the time I'm thinking the way I'd write it out. I've been head-blogging an update for the past few days. That I've been doing alright. I've been carrying on. It isn't easy, not in the slightest, but I do the only thing I can do and I carry on. I've got lows. I've got some very low lows. But I've been lucky enough to have some... decents too. I call them decents because they aren't really highs but I can find time to laugh and be semi-normal.
Sometimes when this happens I feel awful. How can I be normal when I'm mourning? How can I laugh when laughter will never escape those lips I loved so much again? I am told this is all part of grief, that I shouldn't feel guilty, that I need to carry on with my life, and that it is what Jonny would want. That last part, I know is true. He made me promise before deployment "No Moping!" and I am trying so very, very hard to keep my promise. It ain't easy, but dammit, Jonny Porto, I'm trying.
Tonight, however, I'm just pissed. Anger is an emotion that is always at the back of mind. Angry at the situation, at the choices made... it's expected, it's also part of grief, apparently. But tonight my anger is geared a little different than it is normally. I am angry that this continues to happen to other families. I am angry that I keep learning of another husband, daddy, brother, son, or even wife, mommy, sister... has fallen.
I am not here to make a political standpoint. I consider myself a fairly-well-educated woman, however I do not know enough about politics to speak on it, and I feel if you aren't well educated in a certain area you should not try to debate that subject. That being said, please don't flood me with comments about why we need to be there when I say I want our boys (and girls) OUT of there! I do not want to read about another person, young or old, giving their life in this war. I do not want to hear about more families being torn apart. I do not want any more new widows joining this family that none us of choose to be a part of. I do not want to continue to worry about my friend's husbands, my husband's brothers, my own friends who remain in country. I am just so full of anger toward this whole war. And then, I am back to my everyday anger, I am angry that he is not here any more to tell me it'll be ok. The one person who made things right... gone. Why do there have to keep being more? When is enough, enough?

That being said, it's 0239 and I should be in bed. I'm having trouble sleeping after learning of more fallen Marines, so I'm blogging. I'm supposed to be sleeping because I am going to go running in the morning (yeah, not something I typically do). I am running, though, to honor my husband. To honor all Marines who have given their lives or parts of their lives. I am running a 5k (gasp) for Hope for the Warriors. Since I don't know when I'll be blogging next, I'll take this opportunity to post as well about the Run for the Warriors 5K that my friends and I are taking part in on 15 May 2010. Please take a moment to check out my Hope for the Warriors page and if you are feeling generous, add a donation. I figure if all the people who now follow this blog, plus the people who don't follow and just stop by, donate just ONE DOLLAR, I'd have collected quite a chunk of change to contribute to Hope for the Warriors. Take a second to thank a Warrior who has given his or her life, limb, or general well-being for your freedom.

Rachel's Hope for the Warriors Donation Page

Semper Fi,

2 weeks.

It's funny the things you find yourself counting the days of. How long I'd been pregnant. How long he'd been deployed. How long he's been gone. It's crazy that it changes from how long until he gets back to how long since I'd last heard his voice.

To say I'm sad would be an understatement. Jonny was the ultimate when it came to love. I have never loved a man the way I love him. And no one has ever loved me the way he did. It was intense, it was passionate, it was unconditional. I think back on our lives together and it really was intense. It still is. Now I have this intense sadness, anger, and longing to hear from him. I have a constant drop-feeling in the pit of my stomach. I wake up each morning hoping to have woken up from this disastrous nightmare to be disappointed that things are just the way they were the day before. I wonder constantly what I am to do next, how I'm supposed to go on without him. I yell at him, for breaking his promises and for leaving us behind. I remind him how much I love him. I remind him how much I am proud of him. I hope he hears me. I'm constantly afraid that reality hasn't hit me yet. It's like there's a piece of my brain that still wants to believe he's just on deployment and I have to keep telling myself he's gone. I'm afraid if I don't remind myself of that then I'll start waiting again. Although, that's all I'm doing anyway... waiting... Waiting until we are together again. A life of waiting.

2 weeks since you've been gone and a lifetime until I will see you again.

Final Details EDIT

PLEASE NOTE
The time Jonny is arriving to MacDill has been changed (from 1400 to 1316), please note below

The details are now set in stone. For those of you who would like to pay your respects, here they are:

Cpl Jonathan D. Porto
arrives home to St. Petersburg, FL on Monday 22 March 2010 @ 1316 **
He will be flying in to MacDill AFB
and from there a processional will be held to
Anderson-McQueen Family Life Tribute Center
2201 Dr. M. L. King Street North
St. Petersburg FL 33704

A visitation period (wake) will be held Tuesday from 1700-2000
at Anderson-McQueen

Funeral services will be held on Wednesday 24 March at Bay Pines National Cemetery St. Petersburg, FL @ 1100
Processional will be held from Anderson-McQueen to Bay Pines, Anyone riding in processional should be ready to leave Anderson-McQueen at 1000.

Thank you again for all of your continuing love, support, and prayers.

May the Lord watch between me and Thee,
while we are absent, one from another

I Love You Jonny, and I'm with you every step of the way.

Semper Fi,