Happy Birthday to the United States Marine Corps

Day Ten - Thirty Days of Thanksgiving

I married an active duty Marine (yes, it should always be capitalized!) and am grateful for the men and women who choose to serve in the military. It is not an easy life, but it is a good life. Four of our five children have served or are currently serving. All four services are represented in our family. But Dad is the longest serving, retiring after twenty-five and a half years of service. 

Today, 10 November 2025 is the Corps' 250th birthday, so Happy Birthday and Semper Fidelis!

Christmas A to Z: HOME

What more can I say? 

A Few of My Favorite Things

Count Your Blessings - Days 6 - 10

Pardon my busyness, please!

Rainbow after a shower; facing east

Facing west to the sunset opposite of the rainbow 

Hala from Iraq with Rozy after her (Hala's) lecture in Council Bluffs
I enjoy meeting people from other places and learning about their world.

My very own Marine - Happy Birthday!

My special Airman - Thank you for serving, 2011 - present

My other Marine - and another Happy Birthday

So grateful for all the veterans in my life - Here is my dad, my husband and my son.
Dad served in the US Army Air Corps 1944-1946
TopDad - USMC 1974-1999
Lt. Lehi - USMC Reserves  2014-present

Finally! A Picture

Graduation Day 30 May 2014

This is my family! L to R: JET, PW (Lt. Lehi), Dr. Hair (or Mr. Movie), TopDad, Dandylion, Noble, PFCMom, Grandpa (my dad)

Photo taken in Heritage Park, Old Town, San Diego on the occasion of PW's graduation from Marine Corps Recruit Training. We were all together for the first time in over four years. It was a glorious day!

After graduation we went to lunch at a Mexican restaurant in Old Town, had a delicious meal and lots of fun jabbering away with each other. When it was time to get the bill, TopDad was informed that the bill had been paid in full. We asked who, but were told that he wanted to remain anonymous. All the waitress would tell us was that he was in the Navy, had worked with Marines and thought Paul looked like an especially good Marine and he was proud and honored to pay for our meal. We teared up with gratitude and humility at being so honored by this good man.

We enjoyed a quiet Fourth this year, attending the local parade to see our boys play in the band and then relaxing at home. We had steak, potato salad, corn on the cob, and fruit to eat, and then just some more relaxing. The boys went to a nearby town to watch fireworks in the late evening.

I plan to post more pictures of our vacation, soon. A huge thank-you to my niece for taking the family photos.

A New Name

I've been trying to come up with a name for PW that suits him when I realized that he had come up with one for me. When he bought his truck he got personalized license plates that reflect his desire to live up to the name of one of his heroes. So from henceforth PW will be known as Lt. Lehi.

Well, Lt. Lehi is currently in San Diego at Marine Corps Recruit Training, also know as Boot Camp. The first few weeks were especially rough for him because he was sick with severe bronchitis and wanting to quit, which I knew was just the sickness talking because Lt. Lehi is not a quitter. Anyway, he's slowly gotten better, is totally motivated again and doing well.

With this week's letter he sent a poem he'd written. He loves writing poetry and has gotten better at it over the years.

The Brothers Gone . . .

Still pictures floating through mist and rain.
Silent figures march 'mid toil and pain.
Click-stomp, click-stomp, glazed boots on sunburned tar.
Click-stomp, click-stomp, training for a war afar.

Still pictures floating through fog and rain.
Silent faces form a solemn, nameless chain.
Left-right, left-right, onward toward the thunder sound.
Left-right, left-right, blinding lightening strikes the ground.

Still pictures floating through smoke and rain.
Silent marble memories on a serene plain.
Click-pow, click-pow, twenty-one for the brothers gone.
Click-pow, click-pow, no longer among us, their memory lives on.

Three More Things

Day Eleven of Count Your Blessings 2013

I seem to be incredibly busy this year. And I don't like it. So to catch up (again) here are three more things I'm grateful for.

1. Thermal underwear. Baby it's cold out there!

2. Slow cookers: which make it possible for me to serve a delicious meal even when I have a busy day. Tonight we had Black Bean Chili.

3. Today of all days, I'm so grateful for those who have served, are serving and will serve our country in the military.

• My father served in the Army Air Corps at the end of WWII
• My three brothers served in the Army and Air Force
• My brother-in-law served in the Army in Viet Nam
• My husband's grandfather served in the Army
• My husband's father served in the Navy
• My husband is a Retired Marine
• My daughter is serving in the Air Force
• My son is signing up for the US Marine Reserves
• Uncles, cousins, and friends have served in various branches of the service

All these loved ones and so many more who I don't know have served to keep us free. Not all have served in combat situations, but all are needed to keep things running smoothly. THANK YOU!

Wait, is it January already?

I'm still alive. I wish I had one of those devices that Hermione had in one of the Harry Potter movies that allowed her to be in two places at the same time or whatever.

In October I was asked to serve as the President of our church's womens organization, the Relief Society. Those who know what that means know why I haven't been blogging lately.

News: Topdad is having some procedures to ease the pain of his arthritic knees, hoping to put off have total knee replacements for a while longer. School is going well and he is happy with his classes. Noble is in Texas for her tech school before heading for Korea. PW finished his first semester at school in Utah, is now working fulltime and transferring to BYU-Idaho in the spring. JET has joined the USMC and will be leaving for Basic Training in March. We weren't planning on any vacations this summer, but how can we pass up an opportunity to attend a Marine Corps event! Dr. Hair and Dandylion have been sick; Dandy the worst of all. When all my home remedies failed to get him better we took him in and he is getting well on some antibiotics.

Nothing much new on the homemaking front; I'm participating in a decluttering challenge over at Nourishing Minimalism, 2,013 in 2013. It is helping to focus on taking action instead of procrastinating removal of "thing, stuff and junk" from the house and my life.

My frugality these days consists of being mindful of preparing food and using it up, not wasting it. Someday I'll share some ideas.

One thing I wanted to share but can't do more photos yet is the great fabric gift bags I made for Christmas. I'm never going to use paper again. We loved them!

I take just enough time to read my favorite blogs and some news online, answer my emails and that's about it these days. Things in Relief Society are settling into a routine so my hopes are high that I'll be able to get back to blogging regularly, but who knows. Thanks for reading!

Vacation or Where Was My Brain

We spent almost a whole week with my Dad in San Diego and I didn't even think about taking a picture of him with our boys. ARGHHHHH. Where was my brain?

We had a great time in Utah and California; especially San Diego where the weather was perfect.

Here are the few pictures I did take, such as they are.

Dandylion, Dr. Hair and PW ready for take-off

Topdad the Captain

"Captain, we've lost two of our crew."

Lincoln Monument at the highest elevation on Interstate 80

Dr. Hair

PW and Dr. Hair at the Purple Heart Trail Marker (same spot on I 80)

Smoke from fire near Scipio, Utah

Another view of smoke

Crew restored and ready -- well, maybe just restored

Moonrise over Southern California, north of San Diego

Dr. Hair wanted to go the the San Diego Automotive Museum to see his beloved DeLorean and to his astonishment and delight there was a Steampunk exhibit:

Fantastical Flying Car - We thought it looked just like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Another fabulous creation with our three boys to the left

Side view of the wild buggy

Hats and goggles and other gizmos and gadgets

Different Angle - Same stuff

(When I got home and caught up on my blogs I found a link to this scrumptious collection of Prada clothes for men from their fall collection. Check it out for great Steampunk looks.)

We spent an afternoon at Coronado Beach, named one of the top ten beaches in the country, of course, one of our favorites (San Diego is my home town, after all).

Dandylion and Dr. Hair

Dandylion warming up in his cocoon of sand

Dr. Hair gloating

We toured the aircraft carrier USS Midway and were awestruck at the immensity of it. We covered only one deck besides the flight deck before we were tired. Just enormous.

PW -- future pilot

We stopped for gas in Las Vegas -- check out the temperature!

And that's about it. Doesn't look like much, but my journal entries tell the whole story. We had a great time together and accomplished all our goals.

Now back in Iowa we're enduring a killer heat wave! Our local church leaders have asked us to join in a day of fasting and prayer this Sunday (July 29) for drought relief. We sure need it.

Happy Birthday!

Day Ten of Count Your Blessings

Today is the 236th birthday of the United States Marine Corps.  Their motto is Semper Fideles - Always Faithful (for non-Latin readers).

I'm thankful for all the Marines (as well as soldiers, sailors and airmen) who serve day in and day out for less pay and more hazard than they deserve, without complaint, and with much pride and loyalty.  I'm especially thankful for my Marine who sometimes thinks he didn't do much.  But he was on call 24/7 for twenty-five and a half years, and served others without thought for himself.  Semper Fi, Topdad.

Topdad at Recruit Training Graduation (age 17)

Topdad on our Wedding Day (age 31)

Topdad at present (age 54)

Once a Marine, Always a Marine!  I love you!