The large box, which was going to Afghanistan and was full of comfort items for a female Soldier, wound up costing $15.50. I had $20 cash, which I got for the rolls I delivered New Year’s Eve, so I used that to pay for the box. I knew I was not going to be able to send all four of the flat rate boxes; I was going to be just under $1 short, which was a bummer. But at least I had enough for three of them. So I told the Postmistress (who happened to be the one on duty) that I had more boxes out in the car, and I would be back in a few minutes with them.

Now, the post office was pretty busy, almost as bad as the pre-Christmas rush. I went out to the car and got the three packages and the customs forms, and headed back inside. There were four or five people in line ahead of me, so I excused myself and asked if folks could move just enough for me to set the three packages on the counter right inside the door. I didn’t think I could hold them for the duration, and if I set them on the floor I’d have a hard time getting them picked up as crowded as it was. They cleared a spot so I could set my boxes down, and I patiently waited my turn.

When my turn came, I got the Postmistress’s window again. As she was processing the first customs form, she asked me if I had any help sending care packages, maybe a church or something, and I told her no, I was doing it on my own. Then she asked if I had family in the Military, and I told her no, I adopt Warriors from AnySoldier.com and do my best to spoil them rotten. She said “You’ve been doing this for years; you’ve always done it on your own?” and I told her yes, aside from an occasional donation of items for packages, it’s been my labor of love all this time. She raised her eyebrows and said “Wow…you’ve spent a fortune just on the shipping alone, and now it’s gone up again.” I agreed, and said our Warriors are worth every bit of time & money spent. I told her about my Raise Dough for the Troops fund raising efforts, and we continued chatting while she processed the final two boxes.

As she was working on the third package, I had my checkbook out, and she said “Wait a minute, don’t start writing yet. Is this all the boxes you have?” I said “No, I have one more out in the car,” and she said “Go get it while I get these ready to go.” I went out and got the final box, and when she got it processed, she handed me her credit card and said “Do me a favor and swipe this for me; I can’t reach the reader from here.” I was prepared for her to pay for the one box I didn’t have enough funds for, but y’all, she paid for all four of them… $50.  I was standing there with my check book out ready to write a check for the balance, and she said “You just put that away. I’ve got these. Happy New Year, Ms. Tracy.” After I picked my jaw up off the floor I stammered out a thank you and told her that my Warriors and I appreciated her generosity more than words could convey, then I headed out the door before I could make a fool of myself by crying or something.

Well, I made it out to the car without breaking into tears, but by the time I pulled out of the parking lot they were flowing pretty freely. That was the most awesome thing that’s happened in a long time. And that means I’ve still got $44 and change in the Troop Support account, so I can send three more packages even if I don’t get any bread orders any time soon…

Didn’t I tell you it was an Awesome Post Office Story?  Pleasant View Postmistress Betty Choate, you’re an angel in disguise!

I’ve already got one box filled up, the customs form filled out, and ready to seal. It’s not a Flat Rate Box; the items I’m sending wouldn’t fit in one of those, but I don’t think it’ll cost much more to send using Parcel Post, SAM (Space Available Mail). Nothing in it will spoil or be any less useful if it takes a day or two longer to get there. Besides, when you send priority mail, it only goes priority to the point at which the Military Postal Service picks it up, and from there on, all bets are off. It’s all pretty much “SAM” from there until it reaches its destination.

My first box of the year is for Any Female Soldier, and includes a set of rose-print flannel sheets, a set of rose pink bath towels, some feminine hygiene supplies, toothbrush/toothpaste, smell-good lotion, shampoo/conditioner, and a “Tranquility Fountain” that doesn’t take up much space but will bring a little bit of relaxation to a stressful place. Of course, a note and a Guardian Angel card are the last two things I’ll put in the box before I wrap a pound and a half of tape around the outside…Okay, so I’m exaggerating a little. More like a pound and a quarter of tape… Hey, I don’t want stuff falling out of the package on the way over to Afghanistan, right?

The second box, which I have almost got ready to tape shut and address, is a hygiene box intended for male Soldiers. Chock full of toothbrushes/toothpaste, chapstick, lotion for extremely dry skin, razors & shaving gel, macho body wash, deodorant, wet wipes, anti-bacterial wipes, stuff like that. Since you can’t mix hygiene gear and food in the same box, all the hygiene supplies I have on hand are going into this one box, and then I start on the goodie boxes.

I don’t know how many goodie boxes I will wind up with; it’s always hard to tell, looking at what you’ve got on hand, just how many boxes it will take to hold it all. Inevitably I will overestimate how much will actually fit into a large FRB while I’m at Sam’s stocking up on “stuff” for our Warriors, and one care package will turn into three or four. That’s not exactly a BAD thing, except for when I find I don’t have enough postage money to send that many. Then it’s frustrating…Maddog, if you read this, I KNOW you understand what I’m talking about…LOL!! I’m pretty sure you, Pam, and Phillis have also been there, done that and got the T-shirt.

Since my most recent bread order brought $20 for the Troop Support Account, rather than the $8 I was counting on, that means at least one more package I can send than I originally thought. That’s always a plus, for me AND for whoever that “one more package” winds up going to. Of course, Monday is when the postage goes up on mailing packages, but even recalculating based on the rise in postage, I can still send 5 packages instead of 3. There just won’t be any money left in the account to speak of…until the next bread orders start coming in.

Okay, I’m gonna get back to work, sorting stuff out and packing boxes. I’ll type at y’all later. Thanks again for reading my ramblings; I appreciate you taking the time to visit my blog. Chime in any time, whether you read it here on my website, or in my notes on facebook, your input is always more than welcome.

However, I have $44 and change left in the Troop Support Account, which is only enough to mail 3 large flat rate boxes. So I’m going to have to Raise MORE Dough for the Troops. Right before Christmas break, several people at Ashland City Elementary and the Annex Building discovered I was baking bread and placed some last-minute Christmas orders. They’re putting the word out to others, and I’m expecting some orders when school starts again in January. I even got a phone call from a lady who had some of my rolls at her cousin’s house on Thanksgiving who wanted to know if I could bake some for her to serve on New Year’s Eve. Of course I can!! She placed a small order; $8 worth, but that $8 put together with what’s left after mailing 3 large FRB’s will enable me to send an additional package – woo-hoo!! (Okay, so it doesn’t take a lot to excite me…LOL!)

I’ve gone through my Support Rolodex and cleared out all the contacts who are due to come home within the next 30 days. Their mail gets cut off about a month before they redeploy, so if you send anything after that point, chances are good that they’re not going to get it. I need to figure out which of my contacts are due for a package so when I have the postage available, I can go ahead and get one sent. I’m going to go ahead and pack boxes, and fill out customs forms, but not address anything until I know I can actually send it. I need to get started writing letters again, too. When I can’t send packages, I write letters so at least our Warriors know they haven’t been forgotten.

I got a message from one of our Soldiers who got a Christmas package. He was originally due to redeploy in March, but is actually going home in just a matter of days. So it’s kind of a miracle he got it. His unit will still be there, so I’ll just address anything else to one of his other Soldiers. I can’t recall exactly what all I put in that package but he mentioned the Nerf football and how much fun they were having with that…Yay, I made some Soldiers smile!!

Thanks for reading my ramblings. Feel free to leave a comment; it’s always good to see a comment on my blog, otherwise I can’t tell if anyone is actually reading this stuff or if I’m just writing for myself. If any of my Warriors are reading this – Y’all know the routine…blah blah blah, nag nag nag, STAY SAFE!! Don’t make me have to come over there… (No, seriously, don’t…I refuse to fly, and I don’t believe I can drive over in my little red Mazda – neither I nor my car can swim…) LOL!

I’ve had such a good response this year to my request for items to put in Christmas packages for our troops, and have also had a great response to “Help Raise Dough for the Troops,” which is going to allow me to send a lot more packages than I had hoped. I’m going to try to get four or five more packed up and ready to go out in Monday’s mail, and I don’t know how many more after that, but there will be more…

I’ll be baking tomorrow, but not a lot. There are three orders for Cinnamon Swirl bread, one loaf each, so I’ll be getting $15 on Monday. I’ll bake again Tuesday evening, two loaves of Cinnamon Swirl bread, and 2 dozen white rolls to be delivered on Wednesday, so there’s another $15. There are a LOT of orders for dinner rolls and some loaves of bread that people want delivered on the 23rd and 24th for Thanksgiving, and that’s going to boost the balance in the Troop Support account quite a bit. I’m seriously considering taking half a day off on the 23rd in order to get everything baked for Tuesday’s delivery. I have two personal days I haven’t used, and more than ten vacation days as well, so half a day off won’t hurt a thing.

When we went to Sam’s today, I bought 75 lbs. of bread flour, a huge package of cinnamon, a five pound bottle of honey, three dozen eggs, and ten more pounds of sugar – That ought to get me through the bread/roll requests until after Thanksgiving. I’ve got part of a pound of yeast in the fridge and two more one-pound packages in the pantry, so I’m good with that. Just gotta roll up my sleeves and GET BUSY BAKING!!

Thanks for reading my ramblings again. I have to write (otherwise, I’ll bust!) but you don’t have to read – so I appreciate you taking the time to do so.  Hugs to you {{{{family and friends}}}}

I’m setting up a collection box at the office for items to go in Christmas packages. In spite of the fact that I got practically NO contributions last year, I’m going to make the effort, anyway. There are several new people at the office this year, who came in at the beginning of the summer; maybe they will be more willing to help spread a little cheer to our Warriors than the people they replaced were. If not, so be it. I’ll do as much as I can with what I have to work with, same as always. Onward and upward…

I’ll make a flier with a picture of Captain Kru and the Christmas Tank at the top, with a list of suggested items underneath the picture and put one in everybody’s mailbox. I’ll put the same flier up on the refrigerator, one on the bulletin board, and one on the front of the interoffice mailboxes – shoot, maybe I’ll put one up in the ladies room and another above the toilet in the men’s room…nobody will be able to say they didn’t see the flier then. What do you think? Hmmmmm…

Well, I’m going to go write a reply to the letter that came today. I try to answer immediately; otherwise it tends to get lost in the shuffle, and I would hate to have one of our Warriors not get a response to a letter. If they can spend some of their precious little bit of down time writing a letter to someone they aren’t likely to even meet, the very least one can do is write back! Thanks for reading my ramblings once again – I’m sure you’ve got better things to do. ;~)

Over the last few days, I’ve gotten e-mails from three other troops we’ve previously adopted. One Marine who just arrived in Afghanistan (he was also in Iraq last time), and two Soldiers who will be deploying to Iraq again in the next couple or three months. The Marine sent his address and asked if they could count on our support again, and of course I added him to the Support Rolodex. Since he’s in a position to push mail out to over 200 other Marines, I shared his address with a couple of friends and fellow supporters – the more the merrier. He will be signing up with AnyMarine again, so he shouldn’t lack for supporters, but you never can tell. People do request addresses then fail to follow through, which is a crying shame.

Our Bronze Star winning tanker from Ft. Carson is one who will be deploying to the sandbox again shortly. He wanted to know if we’d support him and his guys again, and if I’d send him “that little newspaper you used to send in my care packages.” Now, that little newspaper is a free paper edited and published by the mayor of Pleasant View, titled “The I-24 Exchange.” We get it in the mail every Saturday, and mostly I check to see what the latest news regarding the Board of Ed is, read the obits and the arrest reports to make sure I’m not in them, and glance at the letters to the editor to see who’s bitching about what lately. Then we leave it laying around somewhere Maggie can find it and shred it to smithereens in place of chewing up the house while we’re gone to work. I refer to it as “All the news that isn’t fit to print.”

I told Ron if they need toilet paper over there, I’ll gladly send the good stuff, no need to resort to newspaper. He said “No, we actually enjoyed reading that paper. It reminded us of home.” Huh…go figure…and I only used it to fill in the empty spaces in the care packages. Well, okay, we’ll have to find something else for Maggie to shred when Ron deploys again. Wonder what Mayor McCarver would think if he knew a group of tankers from Colorado liked his newspaper? Should I tell him? Hmmmm….

We got a nice e-mail from a contact who just received the package we’d sent. He said they got it a couple of days ago, and his Soldiers were still smiling. Among other items, they had requested hot cocoa. So I made up a package with a box of 60 packets of Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa Mix, a large bag of miniature marshmallows, plastic spoons, and styrofoam cups. Oh, and in the empty spaces, an assortment of Willy Wonka candies – Laffy Taffy, Nerds, Everlasting Gobstoppers, Bottle Caps…you know the big bags you can get at Sam’s… Anyway, it got there fairly quickly – I was kind of amazed, and I was glad it brought smiles to Soldiers’ faces. That’s what makes it all worth while.

I’ve got to get up from here and get to bed. I’m getting a bit on the drowsy side, and Jack and the dogs have already hit the hay without me. Bosco isn’t a problem; he sleeps in a laundry basket with a blanket in it, beside the bed. Maggie, on the other hand, is probably on my pillow and ready to grumble at me when I make her move. Wish me luck…LOL! Thanks for reading my ramblings, and feel free to chime in at any time.

It’s time to start collecting stuff for Christmas care packages. I went to the outlet section at JCPenney.com and found some cool electronic items that were marked waaaaaaayyy down, so I placed an order with Christmas for our troops in mind. I just need to remember to buy an ample supply of batteries to send with the stuff I bought. A handful of our guys and gals are going to be home just in time for Christmas, which is awesome. But we’ve got a lot who will be away from their loved ones for the holidays. Hopefully we can help make it a little less depressing for those Warriors.

Jennifer and her friend Lynn are getting their classes involved in sending letters and care packages to the troops now, and I’m going to provide a list of things that would be nice to send over for Christmas. Nothing expensive – things like gloves, sock hats, puzzle books, candy – you know, stocking-stuffer kinds of things. I need to go to Dollar Tree or somewhere like that and see if I can’t find some fillers, as well. I’m so excited to finally have someone willing to help support the troops. Jennifer, if you’re reading this….YOU ROCK!!

Did I mention that Jennifer got another bread order for me today, AND a $25 donation? I’ve been doing the Happy Dance all evening…so you see, she really does rock! I’m not just saying that because she’s my daughter-in-law! It was her idea to put a flier up at Harpeth Middle School for my Raising Dough project, and she has gotten more orders for bread than I ever thought possible. It’s just freakin’ awesome, plain and simple.

Randy hasn’t got the pillows I sent yet. I’d have thought that box would have gotten there by now. I reckon Cletus the Slack-Jawed Snail must have been on duty the day I mailed it, and you know Cletus; he moves so slowly that his slime trail acts like super glue, and he tends to get stuck to the tarmac. Holds up the mail every stinkin’ time. Give me Zippy the Super Snail any day. If he’d been on duty, Randy would be sleeping more comfortably by now, with two cushy pillows and plenty of pillow cases so when it’s laundry time he would have a clean set to use. Oh, well…maybe someone will finally realize that Cletus is stuck and will get that package moving again soon.

I’m going to go read my latest Jodi Picoult book for awhile, at least until I fall asleep and drool on the page I read six times while doing the rubber-chicken head bob. Oh, c’mon, y’all know what I’m talking about – admit it, you do the same thing! Thanks for reading my ramblings once again. Feel free to chime in at any time; I love feedback from my “fans.” ;~)

I went to Wal-Mart after work and spent some of the money from the last orders of bread on care package stuff. I have a new contact who wants beef jerky, trail mix, spicy ramen noodles, and other snacky things. So I picked up two boxes of Cheez-It crackers, two packs of beef jerky, some Cajun Trail Mix, some banana chips, some powdered energy drink mixes, tuna lunch kits, chicken salad lunch kits, several varieties of spicy ramen noodles, and some tropical mix dried fruit. I’ve probably got enough for two or three boxes; that’s what I usually wind up with. But now I’ll have postage for however many boxes I come up with. That’s pretty darn awesome in my book.

I asked Randy if he needed anything at the moment, and he said he was good for now. So I reckon my new guys will get two boxes. I’ve already sent them a card with a Guardian Angel in it for each of them, plus an extra for the guy who lets them use his microwave. I like being able to “spoil” our warriors a little bit. They don’t ask for much, and expect even less; not to mention all the sacrifices they and their families make while they’re deployed. Gotta love ‘em!

I have a friend on facebook who teaches at Harpeth High School, drives a school bus, and is (unbeknownst to me until Jennifer told me) a musician. He’s going to donate some of his CD’s to put in care packages for our troops. How is that on the awesome scale, huh?? Things are going along great these days; might as well make the most of every opportunity that presents itself! In case he happens to read this – Thanks, Dave Parks! Our Warriors will enjoy your music.

Thanks y’all, for reading my ramblings once again. I’ve got rolls fixing to come out of the oven, and a care package or two to put together, so I’ll catch y’all later. If any of my Warriors are reading this…you know the routine: Blah blah blah, nag nag nag, STAY SAFE!!! Don’t make me have to come over there…

Too many of our Warriors are afraid to call attention to the fact that they are dealing with issues bigger than themselves and wind up being like a train wreck waiting to happen. Not all wounds and scars are visible ones, and it’s no crime to ask for help. It is, however, both a sin and a shame when the very men and women who have been through hell on our behalf don’t get the assistance they need to deal with PTSD.

Kenneth is also home enjoying his new Harley and spending time with his wife and family. Well, maybe I should have said spending time with his wife and family and enjoying his new Harley…whatever, whichever you put first, the important part is that he made it home safe and sound. Thank God for that!

Randy is home for R&R. He’s also enjoying spending time with his wife and kids (they’ve got some adorable young’uns!), and I’m guessing it’s harder going back over than the initial deployment was. Our guys have to cram so much living into those two weeks of R&R, it’s like a whirlwind. In the few days since he arrived home Randy’s bought a boat, gone golfing with friends, is taking the kids to Sea World (free, thanks to Anheuser Busch)…there’s no telling what other plans are in store before he heads back.

A couple of our other Warriors have just gone back from their R&R. Bert is in Kuwait, on his way back to his post. And Ian – well, he’s just gone over not long ago. He’s got every “Mama” from the AnySoldier chat room nagging him to stay safe…LOL!! And I do mean that literally, as in “blah blah blah, nag nag nag, STAY SAFE! Don’t make me have to come over there!” (I’ve got that Mama glare down to a science; just ask my boys… *grin!*)

I haven’t heard any news on the Marine we’ve been praying for, who nearly drowned at Camp Pendleton, CA. If Vicki posts any updates, I’ll be sure to let y’all know by posting another blog, as well as e-mailing those I have e-mail addresses for. Hopefully it’ll be all good news…

I updated my “Shout Out to Donors” page. I had listed the donors since this page opened; now I’ve gone in and added the previous donors, including those that I have dates for because their donations were mailed and I put the letters/envelopes in my ring binders with my letters from the troops.  Also included folks who have walked up and handed me items for care packages, or a book of stamps, or money to buy stuff and pay postage, which I didn’t mark down with dates, but I know who they were. If I’ve left anybody out, feel free to kick me in the shins and say “Hey, don’t you remember when I gave you…” whatever it was you contributed to the cause.

I’m going to hit the hay. I’ve been roped into babysitting Jeremy and Ana while Jini and Shawn are at work tomorrow. I’m such a sucker. I won’t get anything accomplished tomorrow while they’re here; I can’t turn my back on them for a minute without Ana doing something to make Jeremy scream like a banshee, or Jeremy getting into the trash can – he likes to throw things away and dig them back out….eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!! Goofy little boy-child. Anyway, y’all have a good’un, and thanks for reading my posts. When you leave a comment, that lets me know I’m not just writing to myself…*nudge!*