Ummmmmmm? THAT IS AMAZING! I want it right now! And yes I totally agree....we don't ever need a reason to eat sweets...but if there's something to celebrate then hell why not! I cannot wait for this summer and our visits and adventures. SPAIN MUST HAPPEN I want it so bad!
That Shane thing is really funny. I loved that date night. Double dates together definitely were fun. Joe and I are going to the Aquarium then getting Beignets tomorrow for a date. I think it's pretty cute! That would be such a good Joe Abby Sky Shane date. I can't even imagine Shane in an aquarium I feel like he's be in a little-excited-boy trance or something hahaha.

I love you back to paper writing!!!

I just saw this and had to post it. I can't get back on facebook because I just said goodnight to Shane. We had the most awkward conversation that went along the lines of, "where the wild things are was on tv last night, i watched it and thought of you." to which i replied, "why do you think of me when you see where the wild things are"? (i thought he was making some snide comment about me being a drunk mess - a wild thing) and he then said its because we saw that on a date and it made him miss me and then i felt like a huge jerk and apologized and played it off because he didn't like the movie.

anywayyyyy back to the most important part and sole reason for this post. look at this recipe. it is going to happen when you come visit in july. it will be my belated your early birthday cake -- but really when do the 2 of us need a reason to eat sweets?!

http://www.biggirlssmallkitchen.com/2010/08/baking-for-others-watermelon-cake.html

this just looks so delicious! i love sorbet, i love watermelon, and i love summer. maybe i will make some sort of coordinating watermelon cocktail. to be determined. i am literally salivating right now.

143

LONG LIVE SKABBY! LOVE LIVE BLOGGING!!!

Letter to a Fallen Marine's Children

Letter to a Fallen Marine’s Children

Posted By kermitjr on January 31, 2009

I received the following and think that much of it embodies TLV.  I may comment more later, but for now I think it speaks for itself. – KJ


5 Months Before He Was Killed in Combat, Marine Maj. Doug Zembiec Wrote  a Letter to Keep Alive the Memory of a Fellow Officer Who Gave His Life
in Iraq
Widow Karen Mendoza asked her husband’s fellow Marine officers and  his men to write something about Maj. Ray J. Mendoza that his children, Kiana and Alek, could read when they were older. One of the officers who  responded was Maj. Doug Zembiec, a 1991 La Cueva High School graduate legendary among Marines in Iraq as the Lion of Fallujah.

Mendoza and Zembiec attended Expeditionary Warfare School together,  received their first commands together at Camp Pendleton and were both  deployed to Iraq in 2004.
Marine Maj. Ray J. Mendoza was killed in action along the Syrian  border Nov. 14, 2005.
Karen Mendoza writes that “Doug’s letter took some time to get to me, which I understood. … The last time I spoke with Doug before he deployed to Iraq this time, … he told me that he wanted to write the  letter in a good state of mind. He wanted the letter to be perfectly 20 clear, so Kiana and Alek would understand and feel their father.
“I did not allow my kids to read any of the letters until recently.  My daughter was in a speech contest at school. The topic was American  leader or hero. She chose her father. It was emotionally difficult for  her, and during the process I realized that she did not understand how  Ray was a leader. So I let her read some of the letters that his Marines  had written.
“The one letter I knew would explain her daddy the best was the  letter from Doug Zembiec. He nailed it. His words still send shivers  down my spine, because those are the exact words that I could now tell  his daughter, Fallyn, about Doug.”
Marine Maj. Doug Zembiec was killed May 11 leading a raid on Baghdad  insurgents. His letter to the children of a fallen comrade-in-arms:

Dear Kiana and Alek,
Ray and I had a conversation late May in 2004 while we were deployed  to Iraq. He spoke of why he fought. He fought to give the people of Iraq  a chance. He fought to crush those who would terrorize and enslave  others. He fought to protect his fellow Marines.
The last thing he told me that day was, “I don’t want any of these  people (terrorists) telling my kids how to act, or how to dress. I don’t  want to worry about the safety of my children.” Kiana and Alek, your  father fought for many things, but always remember, he fought for you.
As you fight this battle we call life, you will find your challenges greater, your adversity larger, your enemies more numerous. The  beautiful thing is, you will grow stronger, smarter, faster, and you  will overcome the obstacles in your way.
No one could’ve better prepared you than your father. In the month and a half your family stayed with me in Laguna Niguel, Calif., while  waiting for base housing to open up, I saw how, with the help of your  incredible mother, he instilled in you the essentials to life:
· Live with integrity, for without integrity we deceive ourselves, we  live in a house of cards.· Fight for what you believe, for without valor, we lose our freedom.· Be willing to sacrifice, for anything worthy in life requires  sacrifice.· Be disciplined, for it is discipline that builds the foundation of  your success.
You will encounter misguided people in your life who may question  America’s attempt to help the people of Iraq and the Middle East. These  pathetic windbags, who have nothing so sacred in their lives that they  would be willing to fight for it, will argue and debate endlessly on  what we should’ve done.
While they criticize, they forget the truth, or conveniently  overlook the fact that it takes men and women of action, willing to make  a sacrifice, to free the enslaved, to advance the cause of freedom.
Our great nation was built on the shoulders of men like your father.  While the nay-sayers and cowards hid in the shadows sniveling that  nothing was worth dying for, men like your dad carved our liberty away from the English, freed the slaves and kept the Union together, saved  Europe from the Germans twice; rescued the Pacific away from the  Japanese, defeated communism, and right now, fight terrorism and plant  the seeds of democracy in the Middle East.
Your father was a warrior, but being a warrior is not always about  fighting. He was patient with those he led, and he understood people  make mistakes. He cared about the men he led as if they were his own  family. To him, they were. His work ethic was tremendous. But he made  time for his family, to enjoy life. He was balanced, at equilibrium. He  was an inspiration. He was my friend.
In your future, when you are pushed against a wall, in a tight spot,  outnumbered and seemingly overwhelmed, it may be tempting to give up, or  even use the absence of your father as a crutch, as an excuse for failure.
Don’t. Your father’s passing, while tragic, serves as an endless  source of your empowerment. Your father would not want you to wallow in  self-pity. I know you will honor him by living your life in the positive  example he set. Respect and remember him. Drive on with your lives. Serve something greater than yourself. Enjoy all the good things that  life has to offer. That is what he would want.
Kiana! I have never met a more capable young lady in my life. You are the most well-read, articulate, disciplined young person I know.  Often I tell people of the arm-bar you demonstrated on me in your  parents’ garage. When you become a worldwide Judo champion, I will say with great pride, “that woman nearly torqued my shoulder out when she  was 11 years old!”
If my daughter grows up with a quarter of the strength of your  principles, determination and intelligence, she will be an incredible  human being. Like your mother, you are a beautiful woman, a fact of  which you should be proud.
Alek! You are blessed with your father’s strength of character and  his unbreakable will and his broad shoulders. Your mother gave you her  determination and unwavering mental toughness.
Your mother told me the story of you hanging up the sign, “Be a  leader, not a follower.” My eyes well up every time that I think of you  doing that. My eyes fill not with tears of sadness, but of pride, to  know you grasped the mindset your father passed on to you. This mindset  will allow you to be a leader and protector like your father, and one  day, to raise an upright, solid-as-a-rock family of your own.
When I look in your eyes, I see your father. Courageous, determined  and resolute, your father embodied all that is virtuous in a warrior.  Even now, you strive to embody his same character. Remember, there will  never be any pressure for you to be exactly like your father. Be your  own man, but build your character in his image.
Many people may be concerned about your future because of the early  passing of your father. I don’t worry at all. Your dad gave you all you  ever need to become a great woman and a great man. I know your father  would have told you to be your own hero/heroine. Don’t wait for someone  to rise up and lead you to victory, to your goals. If you do, you might  wait for a very long time.
Ray died as a warrior, sword in hand, in service of his country, his  comrades and you, his loved ones. His spirit and example give us all hope, reaffirms our faith. Your father reminds us there are men willing to fight for people that they don’t even know so that all may live in peace.
I joined the Corps to serve beside men like your father. There is no other Marine I’d rather have protecting my flank in combat than your  dad. Even now, as I write this letter in Iraq, I will honor him on the  field of battle by slaying as many of our enemies as possible, and fight  until our mission is accomplished.
You will always be in our lives. Please stay in touch. We will  always be in your corner for assistance, advice or just conversation.  Pam and I plan to retire in Idaho and would love for you to visit us so  we can take you white-water rafting and mountain climbing.
Very Respectfully,
Doug

http://www.thelifevalue.com/archives/letter-to-a-fallen-marines-children/

Cougarlicious

Story first. Then the moral. 

So, as you may or may not know, I have officially been "off the market" for 4 months now. This is wild and crazy times in the life of Skyler Coleman. Well, yesterday (post-shooting range) I got my first taste of what it must be like to be a cougar. Clif is really good fishing buddies with this beautiful man named Mason. Mason is a linebacker at Navy (I creepy sent you his roster pic in the fall) and now its not even like that at all. BUT he rents an apartment with like 6 other teammates and we stopped by on Saturday. We were in the parking lot and I talked to his friend Garret for a few minutes while Clif talked to some of the other guys. Garret was only 1 of 2 guys out of 8 that I didn't know. AND HE HIT ON ME!!!  Then I realized I hadn't been hit on in probably 4 months! And now I have a soft spot in my heart for those cougars who go 4 YEARS or hell, 20 years without any male attention aside from their husband. Needless to say, it put a little spring in my step, gave me an awesome confidence boost and I just stood a little taller all day today. But seriously, I was half way in the truck, and he came running (ok hop/skip/jump/jog) over and said,

"It was really nice to meet you Skyler - awkward head tilt smile - bring it in" 

and we hugged. But it was NOT a "you're my friend's gf hug" - it was a "you're a real cool girl and have a nice ass" hug AND he smelled the back of my neck! Granted I was wearing perfume and smelled real delicious.

Dear Abby,

 What I wanted to say is, I hope that you also come across a male or 2 or 87 in your day-to-day activities who makes you remember how awesome you really are, that you are not just a piece of meat, or a nice ass to honk at, but you are a beautiful, loveable lady, and someone worth woo-ing. If you ever find yourself in a position where you are a cougar, it will be because you chose to be one. Because any man who is stupid enough to let you go, or get in a trivial argument with you and not cherish ever single car ride with you, doesn't know who he's dating. And he better take better care of my best friend! I wish I had told Joe to 

"make everyday better than the one before or I'd chop off his favorite man parts."  

Best threat from a best friend ever. Ever. Hands down.

See.. this was entirely too long to text and too long a wait for snail mail.
I.LOVE.YOU.143.

parentals.

sorry I snapped at you the last time we chit-chatted and you asked for an update on my parents. as of tuesday, dad is officially moving back in at the end of March when his lease is up. this is not yay nor is it boo - it just "is." and i still don't want to talk about it but i thought i'd let you know.

Enjoy every minute

hahaha I will listen to those songs asap but I'm in willow right now! I'm getting my hair done in 30 minutes and I'm freaking out that I'm going to have another prom-fail-incident. Ahhh!

P.S. Really sad note: Charlotte's best life long friend who she thought she would marry some day and who is so close to her family that he spends a ton of nights over at her house even when she's not there...died. His mom had passed away from cancer last year and he has been a mess ever since. He apparently lost a ton of weight and was on depression meds...and he came home from working out on Tuesday and took his meds then just died. His heart couldn't handle it. Very sad. I knew him really well too just from Charlotte because he was her neighbor and would always come to Maine too...I had even been over to his house and met his family and everything a few years ago.

So the message today is enjoy every minute you have. And tell everyone how important they are to you. I love you so much Sky!!

Let's Fight

Thompson Square. New awesome country duo. They met and got set up singing together and ended up getting married!! They have 2 singles out -- Are you gonna kiss me or not? and Let's Fight. When I heard lets fight I knew I had to send it to you but I didn't know if Joe would get mad that I knew you had gotten into a fight blah blah blah this is why we have a blog! haha


Let's Fight

Are you gonna kiss me or not?!

gah i tried to embed the videos. blogfail.