Pax'd and Posted

Two more parcels posted off on Friday - the last of my overseas Christmas gifts being sent from Downunder (there are a few more gifts to go but I'll be using USA based suppliers to avoid the whole "Australia post charges like a wounded bull and then transports slow as a snail" problem).

Along with those gifts I found a cute & cuddly toy to send to a young Marine (a RAK - random act of kindness - for a young man known to a blogger friend of mine). Hopefully it will make him smile

Roo!

An Aussie Christmas card will also be shortly on it's way to the same young marine and a few others.

***I can afford to send an additional 10 or so Christmas cards next week [it's Aust $2.20 to post each card so you can see why I need to budget] so if you know a deployed service member that would like a random "oooh mail from Australia!" - drop me a note at my email account. paxford@gmail.com. You will need to include a valid mailing address but I promise to keep them all confidential to protect the OpSec***

In other news - I've added a link in my side bar for the fantastic "Cup of Joe for a Joe" coffee program that Green Beans Coffee runs.  Usual disclaimer that they aren't paying me anything to advertise for them - I just think this is a great way to show deployed military that people care about them.  For every US $2 that you donate, it's $2 off the service persons drink of choice.  And sometimes you receive an email saying thanks [fangirl squee... my last 'thank you' note came from a Colonel at Camp Phoenix.  That's my very first ranking officer encounter.  Painless one too :D]

I've made a few lovely friends from the CoJ system - those few that have asked me to write back and aren't

• A) hoping I'm single, young & exciting (sorry the reality is that I am... involved... older... tireder... and a bit dull)  and 
• B) hoping I match their viewpoints exactly on religion/sports/politics (all three points I prefer not to talk about - religion & politics because I think each to their own; and sport because I am both inept AND Australian... although I have a wondrous fascination for Ice Hockey :D). 

Sadly I've lost contact with a few really lovely people, due I think, from them realizing that I'm not in a "Conventional" relationship with Mr B (yes.. that's right... living in sin**... sorry about that but resolution of that situation would involve *him* asking and *me* accepting - both of which seem unlikely in this current reality)

Actually I do worry sometimes about how many people seem to see the Milsupport idea as a

"great way to hook up with someone". 

I *have* learnt to not reply to any email requests originating from anyone with an email address including the words "PlayaDude...." - so I guess it's a good learning curve :)

Those that I write to / send parcels to / say prayers for - definitely hold a place in my heart but it's not Loooove, Love... Ya know?  (It *is* however "Love" - unconditional caring involving thought, some financial sacrifice and the investment of time).  I don't find that I can switch off caring for someone simply because they are home safe & now not on my list of "must communicate with".  So I'll keep saying a quiet prayer for all "my" troops (and their friends - Hi D!! :D) - and hope that the downunder "warm & fuzzies" help to make a difference on the bad days.

Pax over & out for today.

**I would like to state for the record that "Living in Sin" sounds far more decadent & exciting that reality has it :(