Strong Bonds

What a weekend!
( I am not sure about other branches, so when I am writing this... I am referring to my experience with the Army National Guard.)

The Guard has what is called a Yellow Ribbon Service.
Basically, it helps with the service member (and the spouse) with coming home and reintegrating into civilian life. We actually got to go to a Yellow Ribbon Service BEFORE Marc deployed (to give the spouses information as to what resources were available to us during the deployment.)
Once Marc was home, they had another one, just to remind everyone that they were there for us.

This past weekend... There was a Yellow Ribbon Service as well as a Strong Bonds retreat.

What is Strong Bonds? Basically... It was a marriage retreat.
We went and I think we both had a great time.
All the guys were there... and not in uniform, so I am sure they liked that better than the normal drill each month. They put us up in really nice hotels...

We actually stayed at the Westin in Savannah.
Our hotel was beautiful.
The room was nice...
The toiletries were Green Tea Aloe... LOVED IT! :)
Our room had a view overlooking the Savannah River.

The Yellow Ribbon Service and the Strong Bonds were held at our hotel... and at the convention center next door... So it was very convenient.

With the Yellow Ribbon, they had different schools there... And potential employers.
They also had booths set up with information on activities for children...
Including reading material to help children with the readjustment of their loved one returning from deployment... (Broxton got a really cute book/photo book... Will be talking about that soon)

As for the Strong Bonds...
We had "class" for 2 days...
It was not that bad though...
Yes, as anyone in the military knows... THEY LOVE POWER POINT...
So there was plenty of Power Point going on...
But they also included video (some pretty funny ones too!) to get the message across.
Also, they gave you titles of several books if you were interested in reading...

The message of Strong Bonds?
Communication is key for a strong and healthy marriage.
They had Chaplains leading the class....

The best part?
At the end of the weekend...
Those that wanted to...
Could renew their vows.

They said that renewing your vows was a renewal of your commitment to one another.
You know, that no matter what lies ahead...
Good or Bad, you are there through it all!

And yes...
Marc and I renewed our vows.
It was sweet... They gave all the women a rose...
and then the Chaplain spoke...
Then the guys said their vows.... then we said ours...
You know me...
I CRIED...
but, I was not the only one...
We even have a certificate saying we renewed them.

It was a great ending to a weekend...
How was yours?

Comments

  1. HBSeptember 2, 2010 at 8:58 AM

    We did the same thing in the Marine Corps when Sean got home. We stayed in this really cute town out in Cali for the weekend in a retreat and had classes with PPTs led by Chaplains. Then at the end of the weekend we renewed our vows. It was awesome. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Liz MaysSeptember 2, 2010 at 4:41 PM

    You renewed your vows? That's so wonderful!!!! I can imagine that separations can be difficult on marriages. It's wonderful that they do this kind of thing to help them stay strong!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Colette SSeptember 3, 2010 at 3:47 PM

    Wow. What a fantastic thing they are doing to help the families! Gosh I feel so happy for you!

    Keep it strong and grounded you both :)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Please leave a comment!

Popular posts from this blog

PowerMat - Review and Giveaway

Image
Please let me go ahead and just say... I think/KNOW that the PowerMat will be one of the HOTTEST items this year! Have you heard of this? I mean, seriously! This is Awesome and I am using that since I can not think of any other way to explain it... (Are there really words that would explain something this cool?!) Okay, let me just cut to the heart of it... The PowerMat is just that... A MAT full of POWER! It is a little bit longer than an average book... Thinner than a cell phone. It looks like a skateboard (in my opinion.) and it charges 3 different technological gadgets at once! Do you know what that means? You NO LONGER need 3 cords, no more messy tangles... Just one cord to plug the mat in and you are done!!!! I was sent the PowerMat for review and I am so very impressed! The PowerMat can charge 3 different items... Marc and I have blackberries... (They can now BOTH charge on here AT THE SAME TIME!) We also have several IPods ... The docking station for the IPod can charge my...
Read more

Fire Fly Toothbrushes - #giveaway

Image
Is it a hassle to get your younger kids to brush their teeth? Broxton loves it and asks throughout the day if he can go and brush his... Now that he has a new toothbrush!!! We were sent a couple toothbrushes from Fire Fly Toothbrushes and I just love the concept! With Fire Fly, they light up! You just press the button and they light up for a solid minute. What we do here is a little system. First, Broxton brushes his teeth for the first minute. (just a teeny bit of toothpaste) Then, I brush the next minute (once again, minimal toothpaste.) Finally, he gets to brush them a final minute (no toothpaste.) The system is working and his teeth are clean! During the day, when he wants to brush them.. He can, but with no toothpaste. He really just likes the way it lights up. Doesn't hurt that the toothbrush is a hot wheels car!!! He also has one to leave at my parents house.. It is a snoopy one and lights up blue! Talk about a cool item to show the grandparents!!! Not only c...
Read more

Hurry Up! Review & Giveaway

Image
The Holidays are getting closer and closer! Some may want the days leading up to them to "Hurry Up!" So, with that in mind... I want to kick things off with a pretty cool giveaway!!!!!!! Hurry Up! The Dice Game is kicking things off for us... Check back daily to see what is in store!! Hurry Up! The Dice Game, by Random Line is a hit around here already! True enough, Marc and I did not follow the directions, exactly as we were supposed to, but that was because I did not read them all the way! In our defense, we just wanted to see how much fun it would be to prepare for when the boys are here again! (Note, it will be a big hit! I can see it already!!) This game is super fun and as the name says... Hurry Up!!!! You have 6 die and 6 challenges... One dice is blue... and that adds for lots of fun!!! You only have 30 seconds to complete the challenge... and you might think that 30 seconds is a long time, but in actuality, it is NOT as long as you need it for some challenge!!!!...
Read more