Today is one of those harder to handle days... Happy Birthday Army!

Well today is the Army's 235Th birthday, and somehow its not a celebration. I am not quite sure why today is so much harder than yesterday, it might be because the one person in this world who helped me through days like these is restricted from being with us. Yes, we chose this life but I can say the roller coaster we hopped on is so much more intricate than i could have ever dreamed.

I have found myself often wondering today Why? I mean we don't even have control over our lives anymore. Yes we actually chose to abandon all the freedoms of a civilian (who by the way has absolutely no clue the battles we fight on a daily basis). I mean from training, to deploying all the missed birthdays, waking up and eating breakfast without daddy, countless nights in fear, missed phone calls. Having a new lasting friendship and having it end before it ever started good! My list could go on forever. My point is that my husband and so many others have chose to stand up and fight for us to have those freedoms while so many others sit on there couches and complain about what should be done.

Honestly I am saying if I knew then what I know now, our decision to be a military family would have been jaded to say the least. I really don't think its too much to ask for a little appreciation for the men who give up their lives and family's so others don't have to. Just saying.

On a much lighter note Our orders are for Ft. Campbell ,KY. This is our first duty station, and, this was our second choice. I have had the pleasure of meeting a few women there who are making me so excited to be there already!!! I almost want to leave VA. today to head to Tenn and set up where our life will finally begin together. Jeremy has about 5 and a half weeks left here at AIT and then we will as a family move to Clarksville, Tenn (HOME) to live together as a family for the first time in an entire year.

I am anxious to get there, yet I have recently found out a deployment will be in our very near future. As much as saying this out loud crushes me I know what my Soldier is doing is more admirable than anything I will ever accomplish. I am so proud of my husband I couldnt even express it in words. He is my Hero, my rock and the love of my life!

We are so close yet so far away! It seems like the harder I try to be stronger the more the cards are stacked against me and inevitably making me feel like the weakest link. Virginia has been a trying time in our very new military life. But I will be damned if I let this place get me down. HOOAH!!!

Today was a learning experience.

Hello, I guess as my first Blog ever... I should tell you a little about my self and how my family and I have gotten where we are now. I am Candice Johnson, and I am twenty-six years old. I am married to Jeremy and we have the two most loving and intriguing children ever imaginable. Katelyn Abigail is 6, wow that's a realization hard to swallow!! James Joseph is 4, and hes defiantly giving me a run for my money since the day he was born. I love all three of them with my heart and soul. I am originally from Naples, Fl. yes they actually do call us Krackers.. ha ha. Born and raised! My wonderful Husband is from Ellaville, Ga. hes a Peach! Wow, for your information, thats actually the smallest town I have ever had the chance of seeing.

Funny story Jeremy and I met at Felda Motors ports Park. If your wondering what that is it's a place where people (rednecks) take their trucks and 4-wheelers and Pay to play in the mud!!! So My good friend Marsha and I decided to take a ride out there and see what kind of trouble we could get into at the time. I was 19 years old and carefree. Long time ago now but thinking back to the first time we met is putting the biggest grin on my face! So after about half a day in the sun covered in mud, I see this beautiful F-250 4X4 ( which I later nicknamed Big Daddy) in the middle of this huge mud pit doing donuts around a half sunken 4-wheeler. I mean the tires stood almost as tall as me. I looked to may left and told Marsha " I don't care who he is he's gonna be mine." Spoken like a true rebel without a cause. Marsha says to me " How do you know hes not married or something?" My response to that was the best decision of my life. " I don't know yet, but I am going to find out.

Needless to say almost eight years later and we are still going strong. My husband just within the last year became a proud member of the United States Army!! His MOS is 15 Y which is an Apache helicopter Armament, Electronic and weaponry. Incredible job to have in the Military. I've absolutely been overwhelmed with pride and admiration for the man he has become. An American Soldier... HOOAH! Sorry sometimes it just comes out. I am an Army wife and I will stand behind him until the day we die!! I do have to say that this, this life has not come without hurdles and ticking clocks!!! Best way to put the whole "Hurry up and wait" lifestyle!!

As of last summer we have had the challenges of BCT- Basic Training, 12 weeks with little to no contact at all! Feb 13, 2009 Jeremy completed and graduated from Ft. Jackson,SC. this had to be the first of many proudest Army wife moments. I cried and shouted and just had the most overwhelming sense of pride for the choice my husband and so many others have made for their country. We are currently living in VA. near Ft Eustis, where Jeremy is in the last stages of AIT- technical training. Twenty- nine weeks and a few days we will have been here by the time he graduates. By far being close to my husband wasn't the bad choice everyone warned me it would be. I do have to say this though being so close yet so far away because of his schedule is by far the hardest part. We are lucky to see him twice a week, and most weekends if everything goes as planned, (which if u know Army...nothing ever does)! There's grueling hours for him. He is a night Gator, this means he goes to school from 1600 to 0100. He is up at 0630 and has PT and then usually tries to catch up on sleep. I am amazed by his ability he never ceases to amaze me and I cannot imagine my life with out my Big Daddy.

As I get older I have begun to realize every day is a new challenge. Today especially, the world has become a place where people take for granted what the important things really are in life. For me the most important things in life are right in front of you.. reach out and appreciate the little things like the mountains or the stars. Most of all sweating the things in life that don't matter take from u the things in the world that do matter.