Farewell, 2013!

What a year.

Hands down the most difficult year of my life.

I feel like I say that every year but this one takes the cake.

It wasn't all bad though.

I launched this blog on January 1, 2013 as a hobby. Something to keep

my mind occupied while my husband was serving overseas.

I didn't take it too seriously. I really wasn't expecting anyone to read it or

actually enjoy it. I just wanted to share some things that were working in

my life with some of my friends in hopes of inspiring them a little bit.

It turns out, I might be kind of good at this.

I started getting contacted by companies and businesses wanting my help

in promoting their causes. I started getting paid sponsorships. I even won an

award for being one of the Top 10 Military Mom Bloggers of 2013!

I took more "bloggy breaks" than I had planned due to some unexpected 

occurrences in my personal life. But my readers continued to stand by me and

were there when I returned.

I owe a lot to anyone who has come to my blog and read a post, left a comment,

or shared something I wrote on Facebook.

Here are my top 5 posts from 2013, in my own opinon!

These posts were important to me in one way or another and deserve a 2nd shout out.

5. Keys to Surviving Deployment 2/6/2013

4. Losing My Best Friend 4/29/2013

3. Live Your Dash 6/25/2013

2. Moving To Twentynine Palms 7/4/2013

1. Funny Thursday 8/15/2013

Stay tuned to see what 2014 brings me. Lots of new stuff for the new year!

L. Ron Hubbard {Book Review & Giveaway}

I recently had the opportunity to review a couple of books.

However, before I begin this review, I should disclose that although I love to read,

this is an area of fictional novels I was very unfamiliar with!

They call them "Stories from the Golden Age" and I learned that "pulp fiction"

is a lot more than just a John Travolta movie.

For those who are as clueless as I am, American pulp magazines were collections of fictional

stories published from the late 1800's all the way to the 1950's. They were known for

their eye-catching illustrations and dramatic tales with genres such as western and romance.

One author who found much success during this time was L. Ron Hubbard.

Between 1934 and 1940, Hubbard had somewhere around 140 titles published in the pulps.

As an avid researcher, traveler and military serviceman, people were drawn to Hubbard's

writings by his real-life experiences.

"He writes the way he does, brothers, because he’s been there, seen it and done it!"

The two books I had the pleasure of reading were Red Dragon and On Blazing Wings.

Some of my favorite things about reading is escaping to another world, exploring the

unfamiliar and learning about a different way of life.

 These stories were written in 1935 and 1940 and allowed me the opportunity to go back to

that time and experience a little bit of what the world was like.

Red Dragon is full of adventure and suspense with a romantic twist. The main characters,
Michael Stuart and Betty Sheldon, are on a daring quest around Asia in search of a mysterious
black chest. Stuart, who is also known as "The Red Dragon", is a former lieutenent in the US
Marines and is now known as a renegade, traitor and thief. Their search is compromised by his
reputation and the people who are out to get him.

Inspired by real-life events: "It was on Hubbard’s second journey to East Asia that he met British Secret Service agent, Major Ian MacBean, who introduced him to “The Great Game,” the geopolitical tug-of-war between China, Japan, and Britain. Hubbard also learned of the trade in stolen Chinese treasures, and was exposed to the secret criminal society known as The Red Dragon—inspiring this story of the same name. He has captured a singular time in this storied land."

~~~~~

On Blazing Wings is a thrilling tale about an American fighter pilot, David Duane, who leaves
for war with nothing to lose. Finding himself fighting in Finland against the Russians, his plane is shot down and Duane finds himself in enemy territory. A mix of politics, romance, and adventure, this story makes you think about how much control we really have over our own destiny.

Inspiration: "As a barnstorming pilot in the early days of aviation, Hubbard was dubbed “Flash” Hubbard by the aviation magazines of the day. His unique personal and pioneering knowledge of flight streaks across the page in novels like On Blazing Wings."

Reading these books were wonderful, but after watching this video, I think I want to check out
the audio books as well! They sound like quite an experience...

Need some new reading material?

Would you like a chance to win a copy of "The Red Dragon" or "On Blazing Wings"?

Enter here...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

For more information about these books and more by L. Ron Hubbard, please visit

http://www.goldenagestories.com/

Walmart's Holiday Salute to Military Families

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walmart. All opinions are 100% mine.

Last year, for the first time since having our kids, my husband was deployed during the holidays. He left at the beginning of December for six months overseas. Even though it was my favorite time of the year, the fact that my husband couldn’t be here to enjoy it with us made it bittersweet. I single-handedly had to manage all of the parental tasks that come along with the holiday season. He was able to Skype with us Christmas morning, but between the chaos of opening gifts and weak internet service overseas, it was difficult for him to hear or see what was going on. It ended up being more frustrating than anything.

We are fortunate to have him home this year, but not everyone is so lucky. I have many close friends who are feeling that void as well as thousands more across the country. Many of us are not stationed near family and find it financially straining to organize a trip home. We end up spending the holidays alone, doing what we can to make it special for the kids. For me, one thing that eases this heartache is knowing that America recognizes us and appreciates the sacrifices our families are making.

This year, Walmart is showing their support with their “Holiday Salute to Military Families”. This initiative is offering 2 million dollars in grants for toys, meals and lodging assistance to military families, as well as bringing many active duty service members home for the holidays. They have partnered with Operation Homefront and Fisher House in a salute to military families.  

December 3^rd is #GivingTuesday, a global campaign to join together and give! Helping our military families is a great way to participate. Join in our Holiday Salute to Military Families by visiting fisherhouse.org/Walmart and operationhomefront.net/Walmart for more information.

Let’s take this time to recognize our country’s heroes. Please share this post and tag a military member you are grateful for. For my military community, are you spending the holidays away from your loved one this year? Have you in years past? I want to hear your story. Let’s come together to show our support and remind military families nationwide that they are not forgotten.