In Iraq...Again!

Chelsea received an e-mail from Steve today. He is now in Iraq. It seems that he is not too thrilled to be there, but is making the best of a bad situation. It must be hard to be so far from home, family and the comforts you are accustomed to. You can keep track of how long Steve's been away by checking the "ticker" at the bottom of the blog. His absence reminds me to be happy and grateful-even when I'm having a rough day. My fussy son is no match to being in the middle of a war zone.

Priceless Phone Calls

I am soliciting calling cards! I would greatly appreciate it if anyone would be willing to donate AT&T global calling cards to Steve. This would make it possible for him to call home to his wife, son and other family members. He will be gone for over a year and it would be great for him to stay in contact. Once again, I am willing to donate a 2 movie tickets to the winner of most donations! Thanks so much...you have no idea how much Chelsea and Logan would appreciate this. -Lacey

Steve's Deployment

This is a picture of Steve as he is leaving from Killeen, Texas for Iraq. Thankfully we have people like Steve who are willing to defend our country! Operation Stocking Stuffer will be making a special shipment to Steve's unit this holiday season. Normally, the organization focuses on The Marines (but Steve's a pretty good exception to make). I'm sure Chelsea will be sewing a very special stocking to send over to him! *Steve is the tallest pictured, with his weapon pointed to his left.

New Day, New Blog!

I am dedicating an entire blog to my brother and brother-in-law. I feel it is only necessary since Chad and Steve are both serving our country and giving up things you and I enjoy daily . This blog will include posts updating you on their where abouts and also info. about "Operation Stocking Stuffer".

Since enlisting last December, Chad has been in San Diego, California until recently being re-stationed. Chad is now stationed in 29 Palms, California where he is continuing training. He has moved from the ocean to sand! I don't know the technical term, but I believe he is training for amphibious assault vehicles. Chad remains single but meets a new girl (or two) every weekend! He loves where his life has taken him. *Pictured top

Steve on the other hand has been enlisted since around late 2003. He and Chelsea met and married in December of 2005. They have a new son, Logan (who is Steve's "mini me"). Steve recently left for his second tour of Iraq on September 9th. He is still in Kuwait waiting to make the final leg of his trip and should arrive in Iraq in about 1 week. He will be there for a little over a year, but will be able to take a short leave and come home sometime. Please keep your thoughts and prayers with Steve as he needs to return safely to his family. *Pictured bottom

Lastly, Operation Stocking Stuffer is a program that is dedicated to helping soldiers. While I am new to this, it is a group of people (mostly having a soldier in the family) who give their time and energy to making sure soldiers are remembered during the holidays. They collect items year round for stockings-which they hand make-to fill and send to soldiers all over. It is a charitable organization and these families depend on our donations to keep this up and running. They are always accepting donations of items, skilled labor (ie sewing) or monetary contributions. If you are interested in helping, feel free to e-mail me at laceylturner@msn.com