In Memorial… Giveaway

I am a military wife. A military daughter. A military granddaughter. A military granddaughter-in-law. Like for many others, this upcoming Memorial Day is not just a “day off” from work or school, or a day to fire up the BBQ grill to me. I hope people of our nation recognize this day of remembrance for what it is… a specific time to acknowledge the lives lost and sacrifices families make when their loved one dies as a result of combat (whether it is killed in action or a life lost later but in direct connection to the effects of combat).

With that being said, I wanted to do something to acknowledge this Memorial Day by sending a Survival Strap to a deployed service member so that he/she may have this tool to save his/her own life or the life of a fellow freedom protector.

but I need your help!

Although, I know a few people who are currently deployed I want to give this wonderful community an opportunity to join in the giving. On Memorial Day, a participant will randomly be chosen to have a Survival Straps Military Care Package sent on his or her behalf to a deployed loved one or a randomly chosen deployed service member. (Randomly chosen by Survival Straps not me!)

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What is a Survival Strap?: A Survival Strap is a bracelet made of military spec parachute cord that can be unraveled in an emergency situation to save their own life or the life of another. If a Survival Strap is utilized share your story and your Survival Strap will be replaced in exchange for the cost of shipping.

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What is included in this care package?: A black or OD green Survival Strap, a bag of small candies, and a personal note from YOU!

How to enter: In the comments below, leave a message about Memorial Day, a service member (or all service members) you’d like to thank, or let us know if you or a family member has served. Make sure your valid email is entered where indicated. One entry per valid email please.

Drawing held: Monday, May 27th, Memorial Day 6pm EST via Random.org. Entries will not be valid after 5pm EST. I will announce the individual on this blog and also send a congratulatory email requesting the name, address, and your personal message to your service member. The name and address of your service member will not be disclosed to anyone without his or her permission and your personal message will remain between you two as well. I am just the messenger. Your message will be sent as written so please make sure the name, address, and message are all typed as intended. If you choose to send it to a random service member you do not need to provide a name or address; just a personal note.

Restrictions: The care package will only be sent to an overseas active deployment address (APO/COB/COP/FOB). I will not disclose the name or address of your service member to anyone without his or her permission. Please do not include a message that can be misconstrued as offensive or derogatory.

Bonus!: Survival Straps donates $5 per care package to the Wounded Warrior Project.

You do not have to share this on your blog or social media (I mean you can if you want to, but don’t feel like you have to).

Please note: I have no affiliation with Survival Straps or Wounded Warrior Project. I am not receiving any kind of compensation for conducting this drawing or mentioning their product/service. I’m just a supporter. Neither my name nor blog name will be present on this care package. This is just me trying to do a small act of kindness for someone you appreciate for service of our country. This package will be of no cost to you but if you do not win I encourage you to check out the website and consider sending one yourself.

GPS watch

This is my last week before I start marathon training. I’m trying to keep my expectations realistic. Really, I’m just trying to get ahead of myself. If I actually think about the final product (running 26.2 miles) I get a little queasy. Right now I’m just focused on making sure I have all the tools I need to be successful at my disposal. First on my list is to acquire a GPS watch (ordered it today!!!). I didn’t want to drop hundreds of dollars on a watch I’ll wear for a fraction of my day, but I want one that will serve it’s purpose and be easy to use. I’m looking at a Soleus GPS Fit 1.0. It tracks distance, pace, speed, calories, and even has a rechargeable battery. But I’m mostly attracted to the simplicity that the site claims… “Everything you need and nothing you don’t.” Bring it, Soleus.

Soleus Fit 1.0

I don’t normally go for bright pink… well, anything… but sometimes you need to embrace your inner frilliness (that’s in a dictionary somewhere right?). It will also have the added benefit of being easy to find amidst the chaos and clutter. I really feel like this will help my marathon training. I can just head out the door and run without worrying about getting on Google Maps and planning out my run to make sure I get in a decent amount of mileage.

Anyone have any rave reviews about their own GPS enabled watch? I have a feeling that this watch is about to become my new best friend :)… either that or we’re going to be frenemies. I’ll let you know how it goes down.

Treadmill Wishes & Home Gym Dreams

I love free stuff! Who doesn’t? And thanks to the blizzard of ’13 that occurred in New England recently, I will soon be the proud owner of a used treadmill.

You look confused. Let me explain.

My mother and stepfather absolutely, positively do NOT want to spend another cold and soggy winter in New England. They’ve opted to move to a place with sunnier skies. I give them less than a year to miss the seasonal changes. On the plus side, they’ll be closer to me and my family and have year round tans. Win-win right?

So rather than haul all of their furniture and electronics and other household items, they’re having tag sales and ebay/craigslist adventures. Although, I’m sad that they’re getting rid of some fun “toys”, I was more than happy to offer to buy their treadmill from them. I’ve been scouring craigslist and clearance sections of sporting goods stores for a while now. I obviously want a treadmill that can hold up for longer training runs, but I don’t want to and really can’t afford to shell out big bucks for a gym quality machine. Thank goodness that they have taken pity on me and said we can have it for FREE! Yep, your eyes did not deceive you. Zero. Nada. Zilch. Of course, being that there’s a good 13 hours of driving between me and my new best friend, I have to figure out how and when I’m going to pick this heavy sucker up! Stay tuned on that development…

I’d love to pick it up sooner than later so that I can get in some runs if it’s late at night (I’m plagued by random bouts of insomnia), I can’t find a babysitter for an hour, or my husband is away for military training and I want to keep up with my marathon training. Basically, run just whenever I want to run without waiting on my husband to get home or even losing the motivation to get out there as the day goes on. Like most runners I know, training on a treadmill isn’t preferable, but now there is no excuse! Is it weird I’m excited to run on a treadmill?

In a fantasy perfect world and if I had a million dollars, I’d have an at home gym complete with the following:

• free-weights, bars, and benches
• Roman chair (this is for hyperextension back exercises mostly)
• treadmill
• spin bike
• pull-up bar
• ergometer (indoor rowing machine)
• punching bag
• cryotherapy tub (no joke! ice baths are awesome!)
• sauna (hey, a girl can dream!)
• a rock climbing wall (this actually seems pretty doable if you don’t mind a big DIY project)

I’m sure my husband would love to have his own shooting range (I wonder what kind of permits would be needed for that?). Like probably ever person who will read this, I definitely would much rather get outside to run/bike/row/etc. but sometimes the weather or life in general just does not want to cooperate with your personal preferences. As of this point, I have a pull-up bar and the treadmill. Hey, it’s a start! This would actually be my version of a Man Cave. The Workout Cave?!?!

So here’s a big and incredibly gracious THANK YOU to my mom and stepdad!!! You are both so generous!

What would be in your dream home gym? Maybe a virtual golf range? A batting cage? A smoothie bar? A military obstacle course? Dream big! It could happen one day!