Mid August catch up

Well I had half a post all written up but decided that it was utterly boring (unusual for me I know! ...looks sternly at the balcony section and asks them to shush J ) so you don't get to see that one.

How about a bit of a quick catch up on where everything Troop Treatie is at instead?

Soldiers' Angels adoptees -

Marine J is almost on his way home so I'm sending up prayers that he has a safe and quick trip home (not going via Mumbai and any International incidents I hope!).  He's no longer officially one of my Adoptees, however he has said he'd like to keep in touch once he gets home which I would love.

National Guard E is toiling away at his appointed task and (I hope) staying safe.

Airforce M just had a birthday!  He's a Buffalo Bills fan (that's an American football team and NOT a cowboy... just in case other Non-USAians like me get confused) and not having much inkling of what would make him smile the most I sent him one of these

Mr Potato Head does sports... How Spudly of him!

He assures me that it did indeed make him laugh so I am a Happy Pax!

Newest Adoptee does not yet know he has acquired the "Goofy Aussie Chick" to hug him and squeeze him and call him George to send him letters and postcards and parcels of treats.  Hopefully he won't run screaming like a girlie at the prospect [he is USA Army so I think they discourage that sort of thing]  First parcel to him will be from the Soldiers' Angels store so he should hopefully be seeing that in the next week or two (I now try to make sure the Lads and Laddies know who they have as an Angel prior to sending the more strange Australian items... that way they know who to blame!)

UPDATED TO ADD BREAKING NEWS: I have just managed to acquire a New Newest Adoptee.  Another Airforce member (sorry Navyone - still no Sailors on my list).  Parcel from Soldiers' Angels store is now hopefully on it's way to him with (most probably) some of the wrong data on the shipment sheet [seems SA's order computer got confused by the Pax way of doing things - whoops!].  I'll keep a small feverant chant going that the parcel does reach the correct destination.

And I have just had an email from my friend Landon - he is safe if hot (said that it was 130 degrees F the other day).  Must see if I can find one of those cool scarf things to send him.   I met Landon via the Green Beans Cup of Joe program (where you donate $$ and the troops get drink vouchers) and we have kept up a correspondence via email.

Oh and speaking of Green Beans. I just received a lovely item in the mail from them.  Last month they ran a promotion that if you sent more than a certain amount of donations, you would be sent a t-shirt. 

Very cool! - Maybe I should wear it to Starbucks (okay.. maybe if I ever go to a $tarbucks. We do have
them over here but I find the average clientele annoyingly pretentious at the store closest to me)

Ah.. and a question recently asked of me :- 
"How do you manage to afford to send off these treats? Are you independently wealthy?"

And the answer... "Independently wealthy!! Oh how I wish!"
Actually it involves a monthly budget which I try to stick to.  Other than special parcels for birthdays,  I attempt to send something of equal cost and quality to each of the adoptees per month.

My personal financial rules are:- pay mortgage and bills first; buy groceries; treat troops.  I am not much of a clothes or shoes shopper (I think that part of the "girl-gene" got missed on me since I'd rather buy books) and I don't have much of a social life at the moment so funds can be rerouted from there.  And with my rather nice tax refund financing a few extra treats for friends downrange and in other zones, my fiscal line is staying mostly in the black.

I also do not think of the Troop Treating as an task. To me it is a joy to know that I may be making someone thousands of miles away smile and feel appreciated. And of course there is the added bonus that some of the more whacky items cause such amusing feedback from my adoptees. So the smiles are shared back and forth.

Whoops.. okay that was not a *quick* post at all.  Sorry about that Chief!

Pax - over and out and heading for sleep.