There's No Place Like Home, There's No Place Like Home...

The motto all Army spouses live by!

There is no place like home.  We've been so privileged to make Kansas, Fort Riley, and Quarters One our home and be a small part of the history of the First Infantry Division. As we embark on our 17th move in 30 years I can't help but think of how grateful I am for our many, many blessings.

 I chose to add sunflowers to the traditional red rose bouquet given to the outgoing commander's spouse.

Kansas is truly the heart of America. I’ve never met people quite like those in Junction City, Manhattan and the surrounding towns. These are communities that love their military families and Soldiers.  If others in our nation have let their interest in the military and the war in Afghanistan wane, that is definitely NOT  the case in the Flint Hills. Pride and patriotism are alive and very well in the Sunflower state.

Sweet farewell notes saved in a hat box, thank you! 

My tenure at Fort Riley was made all the more wonderful because of the senior spouses known as the Victory Group.  Beth, Polly, Sherri, Frances, Sandy, Andrea, Sue, and Donna. Your capacity for giving to the community, and to each other, is boundless.  Together you have over 230 years of Army experience and I have been the grateful recipient of your wisdom and knowledge…thank you for being my friends!

One of our many adventures!

Frances, my battle buddy, we’ve literally traversed the country together. We have cursed, cried, and laughed a lot. And then laughed a whole lot more. You are always up for an adventure and I’m glad to have tagged along.

You are true and loyal and there are no words to tell you what you mean to me, my friend. 

Division Change of Command May 22, 2013

 The grand old house known affectionately as Quarters One is empty, the keys no longer in our possession. The farewells have been said and the flags have been passed. We are already on our way to a new adventure in this Army life. I am definitely going to miss Kansas and all of the dear friends I've made.  
But the sun rose over Fort Riley this morning, business as usual.  Life went on without missing a beat despite our absence...
just the way it is supposed to.
When I think of our time at Fort Riley and Quarters One, I am reminded of Charles Dickens who wrote "It was the best of times, it was the...."  oh wait, who am I kidding?
It was just the best of times.
Thanks for sharing this adventure with me, 'Til we meet again...
Duty First!

1 Barry Avenue

Danger 6 (Whiskey)
Out

  

Wishing You a Peaceful New Year

Happy New Year and Peace on earth from Quarters One!

Military families and Soldiers wish for peace more than anyone else in the world. I'm no exception. As an  Army spouse, and mother of two Soldiers, my fervent wish for the New Year is that there be Peace on Earth.
I truly believe that peace begins at home, in our own backyards and neighborhoods. That's why I am always surprised when I hear military spouses bickering, gossiping, and being generally unsupportive of each other. Our husbands, wives, sons, and daughters are fighting and dying in Afghanistan and still there are those who seem to care more about who passed who without saying hello or who didn't attend a function someone thought important.
"Let there be peace on Earth and let it begin with me" goes the 1955 song.  Let peace begin with us by thinking before we speak, tweet, post, or write an email criticizing someone. No matter how much we think we know...we can never truly understand the path someone has traveled to bring them to the place they are today. From simple observation, or living in close proximity, there may be no indications as to who might be fighting for their lives, caring for elderly parents, dealing with a death in their family.  We can have no idea who may be bearing financial burdens or dealing with emotional trauma.
We have no idea why someone makes the decisions to be somewhere or do something we don't understand.
I am not immune to the criticism of others. And, truthfully, I'm not innocent of judging others either. But, I have learned a lot from a lifetime as a military spouse and one of the biggest lessons I've learned is this: no matter what we think we know about another person, we can never know everything, and we have absolutely no right to stand in judgement of anyone.
Fortunately, more often than not, I see countless spouses build each other up and support one another.  I see them forgive each other, love each other, and come together as family in this crazy Army life. They are ready with a bottle of wine, a shoulder, whispers of encouragement, or just a hug. I see so many spouses speak kindly and thoughtfully...and lead by quiet, positive example.  These actions do not go unnoticed.
But, if you are one of the few that don't have it, I wish for you a peace that "passes all understanding".
That you may love your neighbor, accept them with all of their faults, and embrace your differences. I wish that you will think twice, and then once more, before you form an opinion of anyone and unleash a judgment that can not be taken back. "Water and words, easy to pour but impossible to recover".

Let there be peace on Earth and let it begin right here with all of us.
'Til next time...

Happy New Year, Duty First!

(You can follow Quarters One on Facebook at www.facebook.com/QuartersOne)

A Ghost Story



Quarters One shortly after construction in the late 1880s

Every evening she wanders through the large and lonely rooms of Quarters One, softly crying in the dark, waiting an eternity for her true love to return from the war...
Eek! Brakes... record scratch, wait a minute...that would be me, wrong story...sorry!
Now, let me start again...
You can not live in 123 year old quarters on an old Army post in the mid-west without there being many tales of ghosts. I've heard first hand accounts from my neighbors who have had some very unnerving experiences in their own quarters. Windows and drawers opening mysteriously, beds shaking, and angry banging of doors and stomping of feet. I hope, as I write this, that these ghosts don't have migratory patterns! I'm not sure about my own beliefs in ghosts. I do believe, however, that if an idea seeps into your sub-conscious it can manifest itself in some very strange ways.
I'll share some stories with you...
 When we first moved in, our dog Camy, would jump up in the middle of the night, (I was never sure what she heard as she was nearly deaf) run down the hall, down the stairs, and then race around the dining room table. After several nights of this exhausting behavior I asked out loud, to no one in particular, that this stop and it did.  As I mentioned in my previous blog, the night I brought Camy's ashes home I heard the pitter patter of her paws down our hall and it was so startling I jumped out of my chair to investigate.  
One afternoon, when my daughter was home alone, she heard someone calling Bill's name. We all thought it was her imagination until a few days later when I heard the same thing! It turned out to be a lady on tv calling for "help" not "Bill". At least that's the story I'm sticking to. Once during a dinner party our dining room chandelier faded on and off each time I denied the presence of ghosts in the house. We discovered there was an electrical issue, but, I'm still not sure how the timing was so exact?
 
I've never seen the "night watchman" who is supposed to guard the grounds between Quarters One and Two. The detached garage was built in the 1940's so I'm not sure if that has interfered with his path or it just blocks my view of him. Once or twice I have seen a shadowy figure on the front porch, could this be the watchman in search of a better spot to keep watch? 

The detached garage at Quarters One was built in the 1940s

One of the previous occupants reported that pictures had mysteriously been switched from one location to another. When we first moved into Quarters One, I was told by an interior decorator  that I had "excellent picture placement" and the next day my neighbor had 4 pictures randomly taken off her wall and placed on the floor. So, maybe ghosts do roam once their purpose is served?!

   Almost everyone who has slept in the guest bedroom at the top of the stairs has reported hearing footsteps coming up the stairs or from the rooms above. Although, I haven't heard them personally, I have noticed on some occasions that the bedspread on this bed sometimes looks as if someone has been sitting on it when I am the only one home.

This is a beautiful staircase but there is another back staircase used by servants in the early days of Q1.  Our pup refused to go up and down the back staircase and I never use them either.

Several other residents of Quarters One have reported seeing a man sitting on this bench that looks out towards Forsythe Ave. and the Cavalry Parade field. Maybe he chooses to pause here before he makes his way up the stairs at night?

Great spot for reflecting on a beautiful Kansas evening

Music and rustling skirts has been reported coming from the third floor "ballroom" of Quarters One, but contrary to popular belief, there was never a ballroom on this floor of the house so I don't think these reports are accurate. This floor was designed as servants quarters in 1888 and serves as bedrooms for us today.

We made the common area on the third floor into another bedroom.

As imposing as Quarters One seems, it is truly a lovely home. It is full of 123 years of love and happy memories.  While occasionally the sheer size of the house makes me feel like I should look over my shoulder, most of the time I am not afraid when I'm in Quarters One alone. I feel blessed to be a small part of it's rich history. 
If you are in the Fort Riley area be sure to check out the Ghost Tours on October 28, 2012 from 4-7 sponsored by the Historical and Archaeological Society of Fort Riley. 
And remember, you shouldn't believe everything you hear...
or should you?
For more about Quarters One follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/quartersone. 
'Til next time...Duty First! 

UPDATE: While looking back over this post, I wanted to add that shortly after my husband re-deployed we BOTH began hearing footsteps coming down the hall on the second floor…can't explain it but we did hear them!

Brown Dog

Camy

She came tumbling out of a box of six small puppies on the front lawn of Campground Methodist Church in Fayetteville, NC. Some blond, some black, and one feisty brown and red.  She couldn't have been more than 4 pounds of fluff. Her owner said she was almost 6 weeks old, a mix between and long-haired Dachshund and a Pomeranian. They named her "Juliette" but we called her Camy. An acronym of sorts for my children Chas, Andrew, Margie. (The 'y' came later since all names seem cuter with a 'y' at the end.) For some reason, Bill always called her "Brown Dog".

We brought  Camy home and she quickly won us all over...except maybe our black lab, Tinley, who was not quite sure what to make of this ball of energy. Camy ruled the roost. I think she firmly believed she was also a black lab and acted accordingly. Chasing much larger neighborhood dogs and other creatures, she was fearless. She was also full of joy. She loved the woods, the ocean (she was a great swimmer) and kept up with her much larger companion with out a misstep.  She always seemed thoroughly  mortified if anyone picked her up. She would get this look on her sweet face that said "You know I'm a black lab, right?"  We even started to tell everyone that's what she was!

She loved to swim

Always looking for the next adventure

She was a great traveler, as all Army Brats are.  We moved with Camy and Tinley to Newport, RI then to Vicenza, Italy and next to Stuttgart, Germany.  We lost Tinley in Germany. She went down quickly which I guess was a blessing. We mourned for her...all of us, including Camy, who seemed to looked for her everywhere.  

When we moved back to NC Camy was 10 years old. Her little face starting to gray but mind and body still behaving like a puppy. She would run for golf balls, leap after squirrels, bark at the doorbell, and welcome anyone into the house with unconditional love. 

The children went to college, Bill deployed, and she was my constant companion. She would jump happily into my Mini Cooper and we would take off to visit friends and family.

In February of 2012 she turned 14 and I could tell her hearing wasn't as sharp but her spirit was going strong. Bill  deployed again and I was grateful to have this pup here at Quarters One.  She was a small dog but she had enough energy to fill up  9,000 square feet of old house.

Ever watchful on the porch at Quarters One

For Camy, the end came quickly, too. Our veterinarian, Dr. Casey Thomas, was caring and kind.  To be alone and have to make the decision to let my old girl go was the hardest, and saddest, decision of my life. The final day of summer I said good-bye.

 I miss her boundless joy and her happiness for just being alive. I miss her companionship and devotion. I spent more time with Camy in the past 14 years than I have with my husband. I literally walk around  Quarters One crying shoulder shaking sobs. My heart is broken and my soul is bruised. Her bed sits empty, I can't bear to move it since it still has the imprint of her little body the last time she lay there. Her ashes are tucked safely in a small box and someday, when we go home, we'll free them unto the places she loved the most.
I  swear the night I brought them home I heard the tip tapping of her little paws on our hardwood floors, ever so briefly, just to say goodbye before she ran off after a new adventure.

My sweet friend, I will always miss you I feel blessed to have loved and been loved by you

Thank you to my amazing group of neighbors, friends and family who understand what it means to lose a pet who is so dear to your heart...I sincerely thank you for your support.
'Til Next Time...Duty First

Remembrance

All over the country, and indeed, all over the world a few days ago we remembered the acts both terrible and heroic of September 11, 2001. Eleven years ago I sat with my best friend, Lisa, in a parking lot  in Newport, RI drinking Dunkin Donuts coffee and listening to the radio.  We were incredulous that such news about the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and a remote field in Pennsylvania was unfolding before us.  I remember being thankful that our children were tucked safely in school and we could shield them from the horror of the day.

I could never have imagined that we would be where we are eleven years later.  Like so many others, the tempo of our lives forever changed that day.  Between us, Lisa and I have five children that have graduated or are attending the United States Military Academy.  My oldest son has deployed twice and my youngest son deploys this winter....all having followed their fathers' footsteps into what we proudly, and a little grudgingly, call "the family business".

My sons have lost more friends than any one should at such young ages. I grieve with my children and for my children over the deaths of their brave and honorable friends. 

At our 9/11 Memorial ceremony, I sat and listened to the roll call of names of the Big Red One Soldiers that gave their lives this year and I couldn't help but think of their mothers. Each name, so thoughtfully picked out when they were born.  Each mother tenderly holding that sweet new baby whispering blessings for a long and prosperous life filled with love and laughter.  No mother thinking of a time that her precious child, whose name she chose ever so carefully, would grow up to have their name read at a public memorial ceremony honoring their ultimate sacrifice.  My heart is broken in a million pieces for mothers who will never have another night of peaceful sleep.  

Almost everyone I know wears a KIA bracelet. Mine bears the name of SGT Andrew McConnell, a high school classmate of my sons'. An Army brat, Andrew was a serious, goal oriented young man and the oldest of five sisters.  I remember him fondly and his burning desire to join the Army.  Andrew was killed Sept 14, 2009 in Afghanistan.  I think of his mother often and I grieve with her from afar.

I don't believe we live in a fully grateful nation. I believe there are far too many of our fellow citizens who 'do not know and do not care to know how we live' and the sacrifices our sons and daughters make of their own free will.  This small group of amazing people, "the less than 1%",  sacrifice so that we ALL may live without fear....I remember them, I remember their mothers, everyday...not just September 11th.... and you should too.

In memory of 

Ed Murphy

Andrew McConnell

Chase Prasnicki

Todd Lambka
Dimitri DelCastillo
Michael Cerrone
Faith Hinkley
David Lodwick