Tuesday, August 10, 2010

An Exciting New Project!

As many of you know, I have made some wonderful friends along the short Army journey that Tyler and I have shared. Together we have met some pretty extraordinary people who all have adventures and stories to tell. Now, I am going on a new adventure with two "Army Wife" friends, please read below:

Dear Friends,

We have an idea- and we need your help!

Recently, as my husband and I entered the crossroads of deciding whether or not he should stay in the Army now that his obligations are coming to an end, I have been surprised by the number of people that ask the question "Well you want him to get out right??" I suppose I should be more clear by saying it is not the question itself, but the presumptive tone in which it is constantly delivered. And even though we have to worry about deployments and uncertainties, it bothers me that people assume our life in the Army is all bad. Consequently, several emails about this topic to my good friends and fellow Army Wives, Ginna and Martha, led to this idea:

We want to compile a collection of essays about being an Army Wife and hopefully create a book about our experiences. Right now, we are simply asking if you are interested in contributing. We would accept traditional essays, poems, letters or anything you feel shares your experience or a specific moment of your life as an Army Wife. We are also hoping for a chapter on "Homecoming" which would only be pictures of that event, because as we all know, words cannot do that moment justice! So if writing is not your thing, perhaps that is a way you could contribute. Even if you choose to share of the frustrations or sadness, the overall tone of the book is to be positive (think a type of Chicken Noodle Soup for the Army Wife's Soul if you will...).

So what to do now?

If you are interested, please email us back. At that point, we will send out a more specific letter about the process and the parameters for submissions. Also, please forward this to anyone you think might be interested. Submissions can come from anyone who was an Army Wife (or a wife in the Army!) at any time, it is not limited to active duty.

We sincerely hope you are inspired by this idea and want to share your story. As women in all different stages in our lives as Army Wives, we feel incredibly connected to each other through that experience. And we have realized it is not only important to be there for one another, but to show the world that the life of an Army Wife is full of love, pride, community and service.

We can be contacted at armywivesbook@gmail.com and we look forward to hearing from you.

Blessings,
Kate Larrabee, Ginna Van Zandt and Martha Metzler


I hope that if you know anyone who falls in the category of an 'Army Wife', you will pass this along to them. Or just leave a comment to let me know that as a civilian, you would be interested in what we have to share! Thanks for your support!