LONG POST!!! It has been crazy for the past 2 weeks. First, there was my wild weekend in the French Quarter for Tales of the Cocktail. I came home for a few days and then flew off to DC to represent Soldiers’ Angels in a meeting with the American Legion. This meeting was monumental and The Legion, with it’s strong and solid background, is moving forward in the right direction. I was honored to sit with the others invited and meet some of the most amazing Legion workers (all Veterans). Oh…I promised you a roundup of some amazing people I spent time with in DC:

* TSO from This Ain’t Hell is the most warped human being I’ve ever had the pleasure of calling a friend. He is a Veteran and still serves his Country every day in so many capacities.

* Leta AKA Tanker Babe does so much for this Country it blows me away. She is an amazing American. If anyone deserves an award for their work – Leta does!

* Matt Burden from Blackfive, who now also sits on the board for Soldiers’ Angels and also co-founded the Warrior Legacy Foundation. Matt is one of the most quality guys I’ve ever met. He served his County and does so much for our wounded and our military – I just can’t say enough good things about him. Oh – and he drink Guinness beers like nobody else I know.

* Geneveieve “Eve” Chase is still in the Reserves and has founded American Woman Veterans. Her Facebook group is very strong She is doing so much for our women in uniform and does it all with class, style and gusto!

* Donna Cranston ounded Defenders of Freedom . She is at the Dallas airport every day greeting the troops, sends items overseas and does so much more with her organization. A true Patriot!

* JP Borda from Milblogging.com was my first Milblogging friend. JP was the camera man behind Bad Voodoo and is still in the Reserves.

* Matt Flavin is the Director of Veterans and Wounded Warrior Policy. Wow – a most impressive guy and I believe he will make a difference! Matt served in the Navy and really cares about the men and women in uniform. You can learn so much about a person over a beer!

* Lisa Dixon is the most amazing Soldiers’ Angel. Her blog is here. One Saturday a month, Lisa organizes a luncheon at Bethesda Medical Center for the staff, patients and their families. Wow- what a difference one person can make!

* Cliff Stanbeck runs the front desk of the Mologne House at Walter Reed. He has a heart of gold as do all the staff there I met!

* Don Patterson of Oohrah.net served as a Marine and won’t stop helping our men and women in uniform. He is up at Bethesda checking on wounded heroes all the time on behalf of their families. He also gets cool canes for out veterans!

* Tom Amenta from Ranger Up. I love all the guys from this company and it was awesome to get to know Tom better!

The purpose of this visit was to have a meeting on Friday, but let’s just say – so much more came with it. Friday night we headed to Walter Reed and picked up some heroes to take out for dinner. The time I got to spend with some of these amazing men was so unbelievable. I won’t talk about them or the conversations that went on, but there were some big hugs given out by yours truly. These great heroes reinforce why I work so hard for Soldiers’ Angels – we can’t do enough for them! Saturday, Lisa Dixon let me tag along to her monthly luncheon at Bethesda. There again, I was reminded how much the smallest efforts can mean. A sandwich and a soda can mean so much to a visiting parent of a wounded hero or a hero that may have missed lunch because he was in for a test. The end of the weekend was topped off with lunch with JP and is lovely bride.

My flight from DC headed directly to Fort Walton Beach. Hubby gets bonus points in heaven for driving to North Georgia to pick up#2 son, then heading to Atlanta, then Pelham for his family reunion then to Destin and to the airport to get me in 3 days! Phew! Our vacation was perfect, the water was clear all week long and the weather was perfect. The adults enjoyed the days on the beach as the kids ran back and forth from the beach to the pool all day long. We got some relaxation and quality family time!

My radio show on Saturday was also a huge success and Congressman Steve Scalise had a lot to say about healthcare! I’ll let you know when the podcast is up! School starts August 7th – OMG!!!

c/p at Hooah Wife