What are you Thankful for?

So what are you thankful for this year? What will you say thanks at your Thanksgiving table tomorrow?

I know that I am thankful for so many blessings and I am sure that I’ve missed half of them. I am so thankful that we have a loving Father who forgives us and allows us sinners chance after chance. I am thankful that I am alive; I so thankful that this Thanksgiving meal will be celebrated at a table in the USA! (I was deployed last Thanksgiving). I am so thankful that my better half is my best friend and although this year has been rough, I know we can make it.

I am thankful that my brother-in-law is home and not deployed this year either. I however, will not forget…

my father who is deployed (Lord, keep him safe!) my friends who are in harms way and those that paid the ultimate sacrifice.

Please on your day of Thanksgiving, just remember there are those standing in harms way protecting our way of life and freedom. Please remember them as they spend their holiday away from family and loved ones. Don’t feel sorry for them, don’t feel pity for them either, we all wear the uniform proudly and only ask for your support and rememberance.

I hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving and if you are traveling, please travel safely!

follow me on twitter OliviaNunn

I had to share!

November 19, 2010 I am not one for quotes, however, I had to share one today. This is on Wounded Warrior Project’s Facebook page. Wounded Warrior Project is a great organization for our wounded heroes. I just had to share below because I think it speak volumes.

This quote applies to our heroes that defended our freedom in both World Wars as well as it is today as we find our heroes defending our way of life in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal.” -Albert Pike

I hope when this war is all said and done, our historians will remember the sacrifice, strength, commitment and dedication our Soldiers protrayed. I hope people will remember our Soldiers and I hope they will never forget the sacrifices they have made.

To all my friends who I have lost since 2003, I remember you well. I remember what you shared with me, I remember that you stood next to me and answered the nation’s call. I still remember the day I saluted your cross. Thank you for believing in something bigger than yourself. You have paid the ultimate sacrifice and for that, you can never be forgotten.

I feel good!

November 19, 2010 So, day 5 in a row of getting up and feeling better about myself and hitting the gym. I had a 1 hour spin class this morning. The guy tried to smoke us, but I wouldn’t let him. I was finally able to burn out all of the acid in my legs!!! YEAH!

We are having a lunch time potluck Thanksgiving meal in our office today. Super excited about it! Turkey, yum, yum! I love the holidays!

I just realized, this time last year I was in Baghdad, Iraq. I actually get to celebrate this year’s holiday season in the good old USA! I am so pumped. Since I moved from Texas this year and now live in NY, I might actually get my very first WHITE XMAS! I’m not a fan of the cold, but I could be happy with it just this year.

I truly have to say, GOD IS GOOD! I am blessed to have this life. I am blessed that I survived 3 tours to Iraq, I had too many close calls. I also am blessed to have a wonderful husband and family. I am blessed to have an awesome job. I am also blessed that I get to meet wonderful people on BS and share my life struggles.

I hope you all are having a great day. I hope you all realize the blessings you have. Just remember, your day can’t be any worse than a trooper that is currently deployed.

I blogged about this last night, if you can take a minute to check out www.greenbeanscoffee.com you can buy a cup of joe for a joe. its a small token and believe me, being able to sip on a great cup of coffee to help make your day better is worth it.

I hope you all have a great weekend! Army plays Notre Dame tomorrow! I am pumped!

GO ARMY! BEAT NOTRE DAME!!! The game after that is against Navy, Al this is for you, GO ARMY, BEAT NAVY!

follow me on twitter OliviaNunn

Give a cup of joe to a trooper!

November 18, 2010 BodySpace members, please remember as we prepare next week to spend time with our loved ones and share a fantastic holiday meal, that there are those serving our country and are deployed.

Please check out this link =”UntrustedLink.bootstrap($(this), “e36f4″, event);” href=”http://www.greenbeanscoffee.com/coj/faq.php” target=”_blank” class=”word_break” />m/coj/faq.php

You can donate a few bucks to help buy a cup of joe for a joe! I know having been deployed 3 times, that the one nice thing to do is to take a mental break and enjoy a great tasting latte or mocha. Its not much, but its always the little things that help you get through deployments. Please donate a cup and say thank you to a trooper who is in harms way during this upcoming holiday!

thanks!

Day 3 and sore

November 17, 2010 Well, on Monday I made a committment to myself again, to hit the gym and change what I don’t like about me (physically speaking). Along this change wagon, I also see a counselor once a week to help me work through the issues of 3 deployments. I also go to church every Sunday with my husband now, this was definately something that I needed.

I’m happy to say that my gray world looks a little brighter now. I did CrossFit on Monday and did a spin class on Tuesday. I went to bodypump on Tuesday afternoon but to only end up not being able to move. I went a little hard on Monday and now the soreness in my legs is really getting to me. I didnt feel bad about not doing the bodypump, I’m just glad I made it there. I did however, make it to the gym this morning. I did another short and easy CrossFit workout. I could barely push out the squats this morning, my legs are on fire!

I feel good that I’ve done something for myself 3 days in a row. I’ll keep chipping away at it.

I meant to share something on Monday from Sunday’s sermon.

Q: Do you know why the grass is greener on the other side?

A: Because there’s more poop on that side!

I laughed so hard when the pastor said this, but its so true. His sermon was about how we allow the heat or stress of life to push us to other things. We run to porn, other people instead of our spouses, alcohol, drugs, etc. Instead of remembering to run to the Lord, that he is enough to help us through our heat. The other issues is that we look at the other side of the fence thinking that if only, another woman will understand me better, another man could provide more, the drugs will help me get through life, fill in the blank it all fits. The grass isn’t greener on the other side because its great, its filled with lots of poop!

Anyways, I thought it was something great and wanted to share it.

I hope you all are having a great day!

follow me on twitter OliviaNunn

Feeling the pain, but its a good thing!

November 16, 2010 Yesterday, I made a plan to get on the training wagon again, I felt good about the commitment that I made to myself yesterday. I hit the gym yesterday during lunch, it was great!

Today, I woke up early, I actually felt like waking up! I hit the gym and did a 1 hour spin class. It wasn’t the toughest cardio workout, but it got me going. I definately like my tri bike better. I even started off my morning with a protein shake and oatmeal. I feel great, well except for the burning sensation in my legs!

Yesterday’s workout was squats and this morning was all pedaling, yeah my legs are bit sore. Walking to work wasn’t fun this morning, but I know its worth it! I have plans to hit body pump at lunch today, my bag is packed and its on my calendar. We’ll just see what chaos hits the fan today, hopefully nothing so I can escape!

I hope you all are having a great morning!

follow me on twitter OliviaNunn

Getting out of the dump

So, ever since my half marathon last month, I pretty much have been a non-player at the gym. I really jacked up my knees during my half and took time off to recover. In that process I pretty much lost the drive to do anything. I finally ran this SAT, I did a 5K Turky Trot. Oh boy, I could tell that me being a couch potato really got to me. (OK, so I’m not exactly a couch potato, work keeps me busy).

So today, I actually packed my gym bag, I doubled checked all the items. I even just finished filling out workout times throughout the next 3 weeks. I even made a bet with a co-worker of mine, she is also trying to slim down. So we are going to see who hits the gym the most amount of times.

I hope this will get me out of the dump. I also see the light at the end of tunnel, part of depression and lack of going to the gym is I have been dealing with trying to support my folks who are financially hurting as well as my grandmother. The responsibilities of trying to take care of my family coupled with my issues with 3 deployments all came to head these past 30 days.

I think I see the light, I hope this gets me out of the dump. My first scheduled gym time is today at lunch. I made an announcement in my office and everyone will know where to find me, at the gym doing CrossFit!

hope you all are having a great day!

follow me on twitter OliviaNunn

Too blunt and too emotional

So, I was doing some reflection today as I was running around all day at work due to some stress of unknown media coverage. Anyways, I was told (on diferrent occasions) that sometimes I’m too blunt or I’m too emotional that I’m hard to work with. Hmmm, I thought how could anyone who cares about their jobs not be emotional.

I have also been told that women are passive agressive #itches! Excuse me! So when I asked you the first time nicely you obviously took me being nice as you ignoring my tasking as a joke. So when I came back to check on you/the job and you failed to get it done, I had to resort to a more aggressive means which than I was told I’m a #itch!

So really, how is that if I had a pair of balls and said the same thing would have caused results in the beginning but since I don’t have a pair of balls I’m considered a passive agressive #itch?

I don’t think I’m too blunt nor too emotional. I think I just give a damn too much. I care about the work that I do, I care about the responsibilities that my job requires of me. I care that the products that I create have my name on them and I want to build a reputation of great work.

I’m sorry that you can’t handle a 5 foot 1 inch female that has guts and balls bigger than you. I’m sorry that I demand the best and expect you to perform the job that you have been hired to do. I’m sorry that you can’t be man enough to realize that it doesn’t require boobs or balls to get a job done, what matters is the person that is getting the job done is capable.

Sorry to vent, I’m just irritated that because I’m a "small" person that I obviously lack some bite. Try me, I’ll bite you hard and you better get your job done! If you hate your job, stop working and collecting your paycheck, I know there are thousands of people out of job and would love yours!

Hopefully you are having a better day than me.

Follow me on twitter OliviaNunn

Veterans Day

In honor of Veterans Day tomorrow, I changed my profile picture. This picture is a bit older, it was taken in 2008. I am with my husband and this shot was taken after I took the guideon (flag) of my troop. In Army tradition, the guideon is given to the Troop Commander by the either the battalion or brigade commander, depending upon the relationship of the troop. This guideon was given to my by the brigade commander.

I was given the opportunity to lead some fine troopers. The unit that I commanded for 19 months was Headquarters and Headquarters Troop of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division out of Fort Hood, Texas. I was lucky to have commanded a great organization with great leaders. Sometimes the task of leading a troop (mine was over 300 Soldiers) can be daunting, exciting, and stressful; but its the best job in the Army. I was truly lucky that my previous boss gave me the opportunity to take on the task of leading this unit. I trained with this unit, both at Fort Hood and at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, CA as well as leading this unit into combat. I am so thankful that everyone of my troopers came home from our last deployment this past February alive.

To all the veterans who are serving and to those that have served, THANK YOU!

A special thanks to my father, who as a non-commissioned officer in the Army when I was a child. My father set the example, showed me the way and told me to never settle for less than the best. He told me to demand the best from your subordinates everyday, but make sure they know that you will take care of them. When you have gained their trust and confidence a Soldier will go to hell and back for you. I was lucky that my dad showed me the example of serving a higher purpose than myself. I was lucky that he told me that true leaders lead from the front. Thanks dad!

ESPN SportsNation at West Point

Today, the Cowherd radio show will broadcast live from the Academy. His show is on air from 1000-1300 or for those not familiar with military time 10am to 1pm. Also today at 1600 or 4pm live from the Academy SportsNation will broadcast their show. The set looks awesome, its currently between our beautiful library and what we call here the Honor Plaza. (The Honor Plaza is a monument with the following words carved into it, "A Cadet will not lie, cheat, steal nor tolerate those who do." This belief, this honor code is taught from the very first day to the cadets here at the Academy.) It looks amazing and we can’t wait for the show to begin!

The show will end just after 1700 or 5pm. At 5pm we lower the American Flag and during that time ESPN will capture how the cadets pay their respect and salute as the flag is lowered. This occurs everyday on any military installation and today, if you tune into ESPN you’ll be able to catch the cadets!

The temperatures today are on the cold side! The wind is blowing and whipping all around us. The leaves have definately turned and the scenery is beautiful! So if you have time today, check out ESPN SportsNation. You’ll get to see me do what I love, my job! Go Army!

follow me on twitter OliviaNunn

What an Army Football game looks like

I took some photos during the Army vs Air Force football game this past weekend. Sadly, Army lost to Air Force. BUT, we have one more big show down this season… Army vs Navy! GO ARMY! BEAT NAVY!

I thought you might like the photos below. Also, part of my job here at the Academy I assist CBS College Sports. There is a cadet sideline reporter that reports during the game. Its my job to get that cadet and ensure that he or she reports well on live tv! I love what I do and working with great people makes my job even better. While working this football season, I was lucky to meet Dave Ryan and Jason Sehorn! What a great set of professionals and they helped make the football season evern more fun and entertaining.

Thanks to the awesome crew at CBS College Sports!

Follow me on twitter OliviaNunn

Are you committed?

So the past 3 weeks I have attended services at a church. The church’s senior pastor is amazing and I think this might be the church family that I need. The lessons we have been learning is about heat. The heat refers to the stresses in life: martial issues, finances, death, loss, etc. We are learning that these trials or heat helps shape and mold us to live the life that God wants us to live. So during these trials do we run to the Lord or do you run to those sins: other people instead of your spouse, alcohol, drugs, gambling, etc to self medicate.

These lessons have been very eye opening. I learned that when we try to self medicate instead of trusting in the Lord we have essentially told our father that he isn’t good enough, that we can’t trust him to help us with our problems. I also learned that God will give you only what you can handle. The problems, the trials you face are those that the Lord knows you can handle. It made me realize that if only people realize this instead of blaming that their faith would be strengthen not weakened. I also realized that I needed to turn to the Lord and not run.

So how committed are you? How committed are you to the Lord, to trust our father that you can get through your trial?

On another note, Army sadly lost to Air Force. Air Force takes the Commander in Chief Trophy this year. Navy had it last year. Well, next year! But I still came to the game with my game face on! We are still one game away from a bowl bid! We play Kent State this Saturday, I can smell the victory!

We still have another huge game next month, Army vs Navy! A very long tradition. Go Army! Beat Navy!

Hope you all are having a great start to your week!

Follow me on twitter OliviaNunn

Go Army! Beat Air Force!

yesterday, my whole public affairs office went to a spirit luncheon. It was my first luncheon and the first social gathering with the PA crew. I have to say, it was really a lot of fun! The cheerleaders were out in the audience along with our mascot and spirit band! The United States Military Academy playing against the Air Force Academy is a long tradition. Tomorrow, with great respect for one another, the teams will face off on the football field here at Michie Stadium.

This is the first year in a long time that Army’s Football team has done this well. We are close to a bowl bid and the spirit here in the Academy is contagious! Go Army Black Knights!

I hope you all have a great weekend!

follow me on twitter OliviaNunn

Halloween 2010

I haven’t completely emerged from my blue state just yet, but I can feel the shift. I know that my focus need to be and need to continue to be the Lord.

I also started a game yesterday with my husband. I have a really bad habit of talking with 4 letter words. The Army is an environment where foul language is the norm. Its not pretty, I hate to say, but it happens. So, yesterday the game was the number of times we cursed. The count yesterday was my husband 5 me 0!

Today I have been good at not swearing either! yippie!

Now, if only today would speed by quickly, I am exhausted from this weekend! I was lucky and i got to hang out at CBS College Sports Studios in NYC. One of our cadets was invited to the studio along with cadets from the other service academies to discuss their school’s football game. Army played VMI this past SAT and we WON! We are close this year to a bowl bid!!!

Below are photos from my Halloween costume (maquerade) and my time at CBS College Sports studios.

Hope you all had a great weekend and Halloween adventure!

follow me on twitter OliviaNunn