Visitors!

Last weekend was filled with lots of fun friends and babies!

We had our first visitors to Ft. Leonard Wood! Todd, Liz, Olivia, and Toby came to visit! We had a great time watching basketball, going for a walk, and playing with Olivia. We even got to introduce the Arasmith's to skype. :)

Here are some pictures from their visit!




Olivia wasn't too excited about having to put her coat on...it was funny having everyone try to cheer her up.

Look at this awesome stroller!!

Then, we headed over to our friends Johanna and Jean's house to help with/attend Gabriella's 1st birthday party. She is too cute, and she really likes to laugh with Josh and I. Here are some pictures:

Can you see me in the mirror making faces at Gaby? Reminds me of helping with someones Christmas card picture.... :) My hair will never be the same. ha ha ha.

Josh doesn't like this picture but I think it's so cute. Gaby sat on his lap playing with the pinwheel for the longest time.


Are you seeing this cake?!??!! It was awesome! And yummy!

Jean made all the food himself. Including some Puerto Rican specialties...mashed potatoes and rice...it was very good!

I've really enjoyed having Johanna down the street. Her and her husband were stationed at Leavenworth with us, too. It's been awesome to have someone I know here...It's been fun to be able to play with Gaby and hang out with Johanna often. Soon, (I'm sad!) they will be off to their next assignment, and we will leave soon after that...and we'll be about 3 hours apart...hopefully we'll get to visit each other at our next stations also!

A Closer Look:

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A Sneak Peek!

So since this blog is appropriately named 'A Day in the Life of the Army' I thought I would share with you something that is very typical. Something we have been reminded of yet again! Plans change!

We are not going to Germany any more. Our orders are now taking us to Fort Gordon, Georgia! Since I am an Exceptional Family Member (there's more to that story for another day, maybe), the gaining base (where we're going) has to approve me to go there. Basically EFMP is for family members who require specialized medical care. And, the gaining installation (Germany) said that adequate care was unavailable in a near enough proximity for their comfort. So they changed our orders. We were sad.

BUT, Ft. Gordon is not too shabby! Does anyone know what HUGE event happens in the adjoining city every April? I'll give you a hint...the city is Augusta, Georgia. Ft. Gordon is located on the GA/SC border, an hour from Charleston and the beach, and 2 hours east of Atlanta. We really wanted to live in the southeast and now we have our chance! And, more than likely (remember, Army plans change on a dime) Josh will be commanding the base Law Enforcement Detachment, which he is super excited about.

Sooo I bet you're surprised, because we sure were! You know, God works in mysterious and GOOD ways. :) We totally trust that His plans are waaay better than ours. So when you want to scare off your Casper the Friendly Ghost skin, give us a call! We'll be in the sun!

Class Banquet!

Monday night we got all dressed up for the Career Course class banquet. We had a good time and the food was great! I dressed like a bridesmaid in my own wedding! Here's us looking fabulous. :)

To WISC and back!

I'm back from a very short weekend away to Wisconsin! I got to spend 1/2 of Thursday and Friday with some friends from summer project. We had so much fun! I actually WON a game of Settlers! :) Who knew! We ate some good food, quoted and watched The Office, got ice cream to celebrate Miranda's birthday a little early (HAPPY BDAY TOMORROW MIRANDA!!!), and we toured where Holly works at the UW-Madison. So much fun! Here's a picture from that...I was really bad and didn't take many at all. Boo hiss for me.


The "You're going down" look from Holly. She's very good at Settlers.


Then I went to Oconomowoc for my Uncle's wedding. Rather than re-invent the wheel, I will link you to all the pictures, that my sis posted on her blog. CLICK ME!

It was so fun to see everyone - even if it was very short.

AND we found out when we are going to Germany! We fly out June 9th or 10th. We really wanted to be able to stay around for my brother's wedding so that we could avoid flying back and forth within weeks of arriving to Germany, and we got permission to do that! So, we will stay here between Josh's graduation (9 April), and Memorial Day! We are very excited! We have a lot to do before then!

Back in Action!

So our monitor went ka-put last week. After many phone calls, automated systems, and being placed on hold many times, we were told our monitor was beyond repair. Who knew. That is why there have been no pictures lately. Because, we did not have access to our main computer. NOT handy. But, I will catch you up. NOT correct grammar.

First of all on Saturday, February 28th, we got 9 inches of snow, here's what that looked like:

This picture is not of the correct snow storm (we've had 3 total snows all winter (maybe I shouldn't say that out loud)) but I misplaced my snow car picture. It was much taller than the pile you see here.

This does not do the 'cycle nearly enough justice...it was huge.

Then, it got back to normal warm...and on Monday (March 2nd), here's what we saw:



Yup. Green grass and flowers in our front yard. And no more scary ice fountain.

One thing about our hotel in St Louis that Josh forgot to mention (see blog directly underneath this one) is that it was very spread out. We literally walked for 5 minutes to get to our room. Here's the path from our room back to the front desk, every time we made a turn, we took a picture. I am hiding in 3 of them. See if you spot me. And no, the one of me finally pointing to the elevators does not count. Ok pictures:










We call this Genie Butt:

You can find may in St. Louiaaayyy...

Hello! Josh here. Just wanted to enlighten you all on our short trip to St. Louis this past weekend. We arrived at the Westin St. Louis Friday evening; this hotel is sweet! It sits directly across the street from Busch Stadium (where the Cardinals play) in the heart of downtown...and it's only minutes away from the Arch. Neato! So Friday night, Erin and I are enjoying some daiquiris in the hotel lounge/restaurant. As we were sitting there, we noticed several people wearing yellow and black...yep, none other than the Wichita State Shockers...who knew we would be in the presence of such an elite men's basketball program!? Turns out, the Missouri Valley Conference men's tournament was in St. Louis last weekend and the WSU Shockers' team hotel was the Westin. So, Erin and I are witnessing all of these boosters, men, women, and children throw themselves all over the players and coaches. Wow. Unfortunately for WSU, they lost a heart breaker Friday night to the Creighton Bluejays. Quick recap: WSU is down big most of the game, but comes back to take a one-point lead on a clutch jump shot with 1.9 seconds left in the game. Creighton inbounds the ball...dribble, dribble, shoot...ball goes in and Creighton wins by one, 63-62. Ouch for the Shockers. So their tournament hopes are now dashed. After finishing our drinks, Erin and I headed back to our room to call it a day.

We wake up Saturday morning and head down to the lobby for breakfast. As usual, I was torn between ordering pancakes (for $10) or getting some form of the buffet ($12 - $15). I caved and ordered the buffet, stuffing myself yet again. Crap. Erin was smart and ordered her usual breakfast delight, French Toast. So, we're finishing our meal, talking about our plans for the day, when I look over Erin's shoulder and see none other than the man himself, DICK BUTKUS! You have got to be kidding me! I tell Erin that she won't believe who is sitting no more than 10 feet away...and then I tell her who it is and she couldn't believe it either. A small part of me was unsure at first; however, my instincts were solidified when another Dick walked up to Butkus' table, said hello, and sat down. The second Dick I'm referring to is the one and only Dick Enberg, a CBS college basketball analyst. Oh man, now I'm going crazy, smiling and telling Erin how cool this is. I mean, what do you really say to a Hall of Fame linebacker when he's enjoying a nice, hot meal? Something like this, perhaps: "Good morning, Mr. Butkus, my name is Josh and this is my wife, Erin. I couldn't help but notice your presence in this lovely restaurant; I felt compelled to come over and introduce myself. Well, that's about it...have a great day!" Ummm, no!! You don't say anything for Pete's sake! Let the man enjoy his food with his friends...and that is exactly what we did. But it was still awesome.

Ok, now to the main event...the St. Louis Arch. The Gateway to the West. I had never been in the Arch, so I was stoked. We purchased our tickets and boarded the capsule that takes people up the vertical beams of the Arch. Kinda cramped, I'm not gonna lie. Five people in one capsule that was built in the 1960s...right. Once we reached the top, we were ready for picture mania. It was so awesome to be up that high and have such an incredible view of the city and landscape!! The Arch is 630 feet tall, which is taller than the Washington Monument and the Statue of Liberty. Very cool...up until the point that the Arch started swaying because of the high winds. At that point it was not so cool. We decided it was time to leave and get back to ground level. Good call, Erin. We then toured the historical museum at the base of the Arch; it was awesome to see how our country expanded during the 19th Century. I learned that the Cincinnati Red Stockings (Reds) baseball team was the first all-professional team in history; they were created during the Grant administration. Erin learned that a third U.S. president, James Garfield, had been assassinated; he was shot by a disgruntled employee and died two months later from the wound. Alright, so maybe not the typical assassination compared to Lincoln and Kennedy, but the argument could be made, yes?

After our visit to the Arch, Erin and I headed to one of our favorite restaurants, P.F. Chang's. After a slight detour getting there, we finally arrived and enjoyed some delicious food: Lettuce wraps, Kung Pao Chicken, Chicken with Black Bean Sauce, and brown rice. Plus, we loaded up on the veggies...and it was dang good! Our intent was to get dessert at the Cold Stone next door, so we did NOT order the Great Wall of Chocolate. I know, I know, what has happened to me?! The Great Wall is one of the most amazing desserts of all-time; rarely, if ever, have I not gone to a P.F. Chang's and ordered this massive dessert. But, Cold Stone is Cold Stone...so leave me alone!!! =)

Turns out, Cold Stone must have went bankrupt because that particular location was no longer open for business. Crap. What now? Well, we go to the mall across the street and check out our options there, that's what. On our way in, we notice two young girls running to their car and laughing. They appear to be in a hurry, but as to why I had to clue. Just then, a police officer is seen running towards us. Erin says, "white Pontiac," as he passes; the next thing we see is the officer tapping his huge flashlight on the windshield (of a white Pontiac, no less), telling the driver to stop the car and shut it off. Yep, you guessed it...shoplifters. What a privilege for us!! I will tell you that those two young women were not laughing anymore. All of that for two pairs of jeans and a shirt from the Gap. Wow.

Unfortunately, we couldn't decide on dessert, so we left St. Louis and headed for home. On the way, we noticed a Dairy Queen, which is always a fan favorite in the Barricklow home. AND, the blizzard of the month...Mint Oreo. Yep, my favorite. As you can imagine, I ordered a medium with extra Oreos. Wow. Erin's chocolate dipped cone left something to be desired; I believe "piss poor" was her description of said cone. Ouch.

All in all, we had an awesome time and shared some great memories. I LOVE MY WIFE! WOOT WOOT. =)

Soldiers make me proud!

The other day, I listened to President Obama give a speech to Marines and Soldiers at Camp Lejeune. He was discussing his Iraq and Afghanistan plans for the next few years. I'm not sure if you got a chance to see it...





I was at the gym on a treadmill at the time....so afterwards I was thinking about life the last few months that Josh and I have been living on base. I tell you what, there are a couple things that Pres. Obama said that really stuck out to me. It was important to me that he mentioned the injuries of war in this day and age. It meant a lot that he mentioned health care and the commitment to helping those who have served. Soldiers that this applies to have names and faces for Josh and I. We see WT (Warrior in Transition) Soldiers all the time. What makes it really hard is when these Soldiers want so badly to go back to the job they love, but the Army can't let them because of the trauma their bodies have already experienced. The second such statement was when he talked about Soldiers deserving great thanks and respect for doing their jobs, and the American people needed to step up and do that. So many times our political views can cloud our view of the military. It's hard to remember that they are real people, who know they are putting their lives on the line for people they have never met (American and Iraqi alike!). When Josh was deployed, I can't even begin to tell you what people would tell me about my husband's job or Soldiers in general.

I must admit, had I not become a military spouse, I would probably have the same tendencies of ignorance and neglect. Living here has opened my eyes even more to what life in the military is like. Especially living on a Basic Training base. A lot of these new soldiers are 18-20 years old, joining the military in a war time, knowing deployments are inevitable. It is so important to recognize selfless behavior and dedication to something other than ourselves. I know that not all intentions are noble when it comes to Soldiers, but noble or not, they are committing to stay the course, and the sacrifices are incredibly numerous. The Marines that live across the street from us are training outside all the time. My house shakes when things blow up, I hear cadences from soldier formations on the nearby streets, see Soldiers driving all kinds of military equipment to practice for when the time comes. It's pretty amazing to witness everyday!

If you ever want a boost of patriotism...come visit us. We would love to have you!