Dancing Deer Baking Co is currently on top of things this holiday season. With the deployed troops in thier thoughts, they have offered to send 1 awesome package of holiday cookies for every “Like” they receive on their Facebook page – http://www.facebook.com/dancingdeer . It takes just a second of your time to visit and “like” …. and then another second to spread the word. Just think of all of the cookies and joy we can bring to our military members who are unable to be home for the holidays.
Directions:
To send these out properly and avoid any wounded (crushed/broken) brownies leading to sad soldiers, please place the finished product in quality air-tight containers along with a single slice of bread. Also take care when putting them in the shipping box that you have secured these containers with ample padding to protect them even further. They have to travel a long way and we want to ensure that they are in perfect condition upon arrival. There was nothing worse than knowing something was edible until it was handled by the post-office.
Just in time for the holidays… so start those ovens and send out some love to our men and women overseas!
I have been keeping up with all news, blogs, feeds and videos that have been dealing with everything PTSD the past few months. Today I came across something that made me actually sit and think… What if you had been telling yourself that you were the victim this entire time? A day would not pass where your mind did not pull negative thoughts and memories that drag you down. You would dwell in the past where no healing could possibly take place.
The things that happened in the past may have been traumatic and life changing, but you are still alive. Think of the strength that got you through it and the force that drove you to go on be it family, love, etc. Use that mysterious inner strength to heal yourself by staying positive and showing yourself that it IS possible to move forward. I know, it brings a new angle of light into this dark room.
For the last few years, I have tried many different things to battle my PTSD and have learned much about myself. I worked in steps to overcome triggers, sought out help from therapists and God, pushed through frightening territory, and really focused on my family as my support and strength. There were times when my wife would wake up to me not breathing and literally paralyzed in bed. Heck, there is even close calls where she unintentionally woke me by dropping something and I have almost mistaken her as the enemy. All because the negative was hiding somewhere in the back of my mind waiting for that opportunity to show its ugly self. I was not thinking as a survivor… I was thinking as a victim. The lesson:
You are not a victim – You are a SURVIVOR!
I hope this gives everyone a little food for thought and a different perspective on the subject. Please feel free to leave your comments below.
Over the last month I have received many emails, messages and comments regarding where to go to help our past and present military members. Coming to the conclusion that it would be a great idea to put them all in one place, I have compiled them for you here. If you know of another charity that is not listed…. please comment or message me and I will be sure to add it to the list.
Thank you and God bless.
Airborne Angels
http://www.airborneangelcadets.com
Always Brothers
http://www.alwaysbrothers.org
American Legion
http://www.legion.org
American Snipers
http://www.americansnipers.org
The Arms Forces
http://ww.thearmsforces.org
Boot Campaign
http://www.bootcampaign.com
Dinner With Warriors
http://www.dinnerwithwarriors.com
Disabled American Veterans
http://dav.org
Drum Hike
http://drumhike.com
EOD Memorial Foundation
http://www.eodmemorial.org
Give An Hour
http://www.giveanhour.org
Green Beret Foundation
http://greenberetfoundation.org
Helping Hometown Heroes
http://www.helpinghometownheroes.org
Homes For Our Troops
http://www.homesforourtroops.org
Hope For The Warriors
http://www.hopeforthewarriors.org
Iraq And Afghanistan Veterans Of America
http://iava.org
Let’s Bring ‘Em Home
http://www.lbeh.org
Lone Survivor Foundation
http://www.facebook.com/lonesurvivorfoundation
Night Stalker Association
http://www.nsa160.com
Navy SEAL Foundation
http://www.nswfoundation.org
Navy SEALs Fund
http://www.navysealsfund.org
Ohio Combat Veterans
http://www.ohiocombatveterans.org
Pin Ups for Patriots
http://www.pinupsforpatriots.com
Pin Ups for Soldiers
http://www.pinupsforsoldiers.org
Save-A-Vet
http://www.save-a-vet.org
Semper Fidelis Health & Wellness
http://www.SemperFidelisHealthandWellness.org
Semper Fi Fund
http://semperfifund.org
Soldiers’ Angels
http://soldiersangels.org
Special Operations Warrior Foundation
http://www.specialops.org
Team X-T.R.E.M.E.
http://www.teamxtremerunning.org/
This Ain’t Free
http://www.thisshitaintfree.com
Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors
http://www.taps.org
Vets 4 Vets
http://www.vets4vets.us
Veterans of Foreign Wars USA
http://www.vfw.org
Wounded EOD Warrior Foundation
http://www.woundedeodwarrior.org
Wounded Warrior Project
http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org
Yellow Ribbon Fund
http://www.yellowribbonfund.org
Mystery? Yes… mystery.
In my time (all of 29 years) I have only spilled a little bit of my life story. No social media has been able to capture all of my secrets, imperfections, or my “geeky” side. Today I am going to feed you a different side of me… and you can take it however you like. Join me or judge me, but I will never change. Besides, I am already married with a wonderful family so who do I have to impress?
Over the time of my blog I have covered a lot about war, death, personal changes and the fight I give to make it through everyday. It starts to wear on me after a while with majority of it being able to be undone or affected in any way. With this being said, I feel like kicking my blog into a different perspective. One that shows my happy side and the things that keep me that way as well as help to combat my thoughts and turn down my anxiety attacks and PTSD. I have found that as long as I remain engaged in a surrounding that I enjoy, things seem to slow down and allow my mind to be free.
Hobbies can describe many different things due to a “hobby” being anything someone enjoys to do. Well, I have a hobby of hobbies…. kind of like an addiction. Don’t worry though, it is a good addiction and only catches a little bit of flak from my wife. That is why I love her so much. I will now describe each of my hobbies to you below in no particular order for your viewing and joke-making enjoyment.
1) RC Car Racing – Before you start falling out of your chair from laughing so hard… these are not the RC cars you grew up loving from Radio Shack. These are purebred racing machines that are very involved and technical. I’m talking full suspension, nitro engine powered or electric-powered insanity… both on and off-road. Tracks are spread throughout the US and internationally with events ranging from the Regionals, National Championships, and even World Championships… for 1/12th – 1/5th (many other scales available as well).
Companies in this industry are booming and the recognition of the racing is growing. Sponsors from supercross and full scale off-road racing are jumping into the industry as well to include Monster Energy, Rockstar and Metal Mulisha. Some of the top drivers are even making serious money for racing, testing and promoting RC cars. Talk about a dream job.
While there is the competitive realm of RC racing… it is also a great family hobby. The days at the track watching your kids or wife (or both in my case) taking on the biggest smiles and spending time together is enough to sell me. The people are friendly and helpful, with new friendships always growing. It has been a truly rewarding experience, and with there being no age limit.. I will be doing this for the rest of my life.
Please check out http://www.amainhobbies.com or shoot me a comment or email if you’d like to get involved.
2) Surfing – One of the most healing forms of therapy for the mind and soul. In a dark time where I could not get a hold of myself, my emotions, or find time to heal… I took up surfing and shaping. Being in Southern California was a blessing with all of my new friends I have met through surfing to include Casey Sershon of Identity Surfboards (http://www.facebook.com/identitysurf/), Ricky..Rusty.. and Cory Whitlock of Whitlock Industries (http://whitlockink.com/), and Bobby Diamonds (http://bobbydiamonds.blogspot.com/). Waking up every morning to the sound of the ocean and cool people was a big step in the right direction for me. Yet another thing I will do for the rest of my life.
3) Streetbike Stunts – Something I took up for the fun and challenge. I enjoyed riding the streets… but after many tickets and the birth of my little girl, I took a step back and decided to let this one go. I must say, it was fun… very expensive.. and got me into trouble in more ways than one. If you do have an interest in this, please keep it in the parking lots and stay within your limits. Nothing will ruin your day like watching some newbie try to impress his girl with a 100 mph power wheelie and eating it.
4) Motocross – One of my most enjoyed sports of all-time! I love the adrenaline, the speed, the dirt and the people. After sustaining injuries overseas… I was unable to continue racing, but would like to ride every once in a while. The bike is still around and will be receiving some love soon. The wife and I wanted to find a sport to enjoy together as well, so we picked motocross/supercross. It was great seeing her enjoying it just as much as I do as we attend the events in the Southwest. Needless to say that her favorite is Mr. Ryan Dungey himself.
5) Martial Arts – After being involved in martial arts since I was 4 years old I have lived in Japan for 6 months, fought in amateur and professional matches, taught many kids how to defend themselves and remain disciplined.. and have taken an utmost appreciation for the arts themselves. Nothing like being where it all started to really give you a true understanding. I am a black belt in a full-contact budo art as well as the US Master. One day I’d like to open up my own dojo to help guide kids and adults alike… and share the opportunities that were given to me.
Okay…. now that I have either bored you to death, or completely astonished you, let me list a few more of my hobbies that I am still learning but absolutely enjoy:
So… there you have it, the cat is out of the bag as far as my hobby side goes. Like I said, this is stuff that makes me happy and takes my mind away from where it should not be…. which, in turn, keeps me out of trouble. I am thankful for having such an amazing family to not only share these with, but also for putting up with me and my many fascinations in life.
Please feel free to leave some of your hobbies in the comments below or question my craziness. Thank you for reading!
Heck… November already? Where did the time go?
Well, let us just say that I have been one busy man for the past couple of months. I returned to my family in the early days of September and have been running around ever since. I have been working hard to try and get my VA situation squared away…. what fun that is… as well as trying to get my money for my short-term disability. It is crazy how “supportive” the big name corporations are out there.
Other than trying to find the money that is owed to me, I have been loving my time home with my family. There is nothing that can describe the look on my little girls face when she saw daddy at the door, or the love I have for my wife as she held the fort together… preggo and all. In just a couple of weeks our family is going to grow yet again and that is a dream come true in itself. Amazing how time flies and things that we may take for granted.
I hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween experience this year. Some of the costumes I saw posted all over Facebook were amazing. I don’t know what it was with the sugar skull costumes this year though, but they were everywhere! The coolest thing about this years festivities was that my little one understood “Trick or Treat” … and she was the cutest ladybug I ever did see. Next year I will be holding one of the most competitive Halloween competitions to ever grace the internet… so keep checking back and subscribe if you haven’t already.
Along with the holidays of Fall/ Winter… we always get the crazy talk about how the world is going to end. All of the posts and emails about this vision of how the YU55 meteor and Elenin comet are going to hit the moon, Earth, etc. To be honest, it was very annoying. Who knows what the conspiracy theory people are working up for 11/11/11 … but I can only imagine. Maybe when these days pass by without any happenings everyone will settle down and enjoy life. Maybe not.
Finally…. I want to send out the love to my brothers and sisters in the Armed Forces, as well as their supportive families and friends. Happy Veteran’s Day. It was great to fight alongside you and now it is my turn to always support you. Stay safe. Stay warm.
It has been way too long since my last update, and for that I apologize. It has been stressful over here due to things way out of my control…. based on decisions being made by politicians that have seen or done nothing except graduate from college. It is, by far, the most disappointing thing about being here.
I must say that progress in this hell hole is going nowhere fast. It may even be going backwards… if that is possible. Like trying to turn dirt into, well, more dirt…. or shit into gold. Just not going to happen. Democracy cannot be implemented in a place that does not welcome it. Trying to bring change by winning the hearts and minds to insurgents is nothing less than a death trap and a way of hiding what we are really here “fighting” for – natural resources. Hell… %75 of who we are fighting here are not even from, or currently residing in, Afghanistan. Strange. No matter what we do… if we ever leave.. it will just go right back to the stone age with violence, murder, etc. Don’t believe me, just take a quick glance at Iraq. All the young men and women, fathers and mothers, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, lost for what?
Last week I was hit hard by the news of lost brothers. 30 Americans…. 12 of whom I personally knew. In our line of work… we have no fear of dying. We do not fear pain… or what lies ahead. We take care of business, and we do it better than anybody. In this unfortunate night… we lost some of the greatest warriors and friends that served our country and fought for freedom. My thoughts and prayers to their families and friends. Please donate to support the families and community that was taken back from this:
http://nswfoundation.org/donate.htm
http://www.woundedeodwarrior.org/
Rest in Peace my brothers… I am sorry for not being with you, and will see you on the other side:
Matthew Mason
Jason Workman
Jon Tumilson
Brian Bill
Kevin Houston
Michael Strange
Aaron Carson Vaughn
Robert James Reeves
Jonas Kelsall
Chris Campbell
Nicholas Spehar
Jared William Day
John Faas
Heath M. Robinson
Thomas Ratzlaff
Darrik Benson
Jesse Pittman
Louis Langlais
Kraig Vickers – US Navy EOD
Nick Null – US Navy EOD
Prior to this incident, we had lost another EOD brother, TSGT Daniel Douville…. one of whom I had just had lunch with the same day. He was a family man and a great leader… and his teammates stood strong following the loss. I had some FK-EVIL shirts sent out here made just for them, in honor of Daniel. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.
We then lost another EOD brother last week…. in a run of bad times. Sgt. Daniel Patron… only 26 years old. He gave his life to protect others in a selfless and brave move. Again, my thoughts and prayers to his family and friends. All of the EOD Technicians can be supported by donating to the EOD Wounded Warrior Foundation (link above).
It has been a tough couple of months…. ones many could do without. All of the support in the world should be given to the families of these fallen Heroes.
As an update as what is going on with me…..
I have only a couple more weeks before I return home to my family. We will be having a little boy named Cris in December (look out world!), and my little Dahlia is talking up a storm…. showing daddy how smart she is over the phone. Even on the roughest of days, hearing her voice helps me get by. I am thankful for what I have every day.
I hope everyone that reads this takes time to visit the donation pages for my SEAL and EOD brothers… as every little bit helps the families with their loss, and shows your support to the most feared warriors protecting America’s Freedom.
Until next time.
