Coming Home!

I am so sorry for not catching up. Life on my end has been extremely busy and not allowed much time for catch up!! SO my MANY MANY MANY apologies!!

I don't hear much from Bri. They have been very busy with missions and other things in Afghanistan. I know she is doing well though! Bri just posted on Facebook that there are 20 days left for her before she gets to come home!! They are supposed to be leaving on the 1st of June. I don't know any official news of when she will actually be in the states.

It is getting closer! So exciting!!!

I'll try to keep up- but I am making no promises!!

Lots of love-

Meghan and Brianna

Catching Up!

Hello everyone! So sorry I haven't checked in for a while. Life here has been pretty busy. Thank you though for sticking with us and checking in. There is a lot to report and fill you in on. So without further a do.

Brianna is doing well. Her voice for the most part sounds really positive. As you all know Bri turned 21 this October and I can hardly believe that she is already that old. I still feel like I haven't even made it that far so it makes it all the harder to believe. Although she wasn't here to celebrate I did some for her with a fun little strawberry cake. It was a pretty tough day to celebrate without her. Bri tried to call me on her birthday but I was teaching and just missed the call. When you miss a call you beat yourself up about it, I felt so guilty.

Bri has been pretty bummed lately. One of her good friends was transferred elsewhere in Afghanistan so she has been missing him a ton, however she still has some of her other close friends with her which makes it a little easier. Bri has been pretty busy over there and has had little time to chat with us, so please continue to keep her in your prayers!

As for me- I have been teaching/subbing like crazy. I have had a job every day that there is school. So it keeps me pretty busy. My school has also been a great support system for me. My cooperating teacher, Jo Anna had her students write letters to Bri's troop and is excited to send christmas letters to them as well. A parent of a former student of mine from student teaching approached me and wanted to get involved in supporting and encouraging Bri's troop as well. She got two teachers involved in writing letters and getting supplies for the troop. It didn't stop there. Other teachers got word of the idea and have also started to do the same. Many of the teachers remember when "Specialist Lauer" was here visiting me before deployment. The students can still recall doing push ups with her, her uniform, and hearing stories of how big her truck was. It is very exciting to see how the students and teachers have come together to support her and her troop. Some of their letters are very heartfelt and others are drop dead hilarious! So thank you to the teachers and students who have supported us in this crazy adventure of deployment. I also showed some of the pictures of Bri in Afghanistan and the students are completely wowed. There were also some skydiving pictures in there and students think that we are the coolest people ever for jumping out of a plane. I got a ton of questions about that... :)

Again thank you so much for your support. There are no words that can express our gratitude for all your thoughts, prayers, words of encouragement and hugs. They are truly a blessing especially at this time while we get closer to celebrating the holidays without her. You feel like you have lost someone even though they are here. The emotional rollercoaster is a tough one to ride and without you it would be lonely and hard to swallow all the more.

Please keep our family in your prayers especially over the next few weeks. There are some things that we have been hit with unexpectedly and will need all the prayers possible. I will be able to explain at a later date. Thank you for stopping by!

With great thanks and gratitude and of course love,

Meghan and Brianna Lauer

First I would like to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRI, you are 21 today, and I hope your day is a very good day - enjoy, celebrate and be safe...

Brianna's unit lost their first soldier, this month and it was hard for everyone in the unit - Spc Cauley, will be forever an American Hero and missed. On October 7th, His truck hit a road side device, and at first they thought there was only 2 wounded, I was okay enough to stay at the base and Cauley was being flown out to Germany, somewhere between Afghanistan and Germany - they saw Cauley had more serious injuries than they thought, and he did not make it to Germany. They had a memorial for him on Friday October 16th at Leatherneck and he was flown back home and his service was on Tuesday October, 20th. It was a very sad day for all.

Brianna is doing okay and the unit is continuing their missions. They are all very strong people and I hope God watches over them all to keep them safe.

Bri said they got treated, Outback Steakhouse flew over there and fed the a meal filled with Steak, lobster and shrimp and that a few Celebrities were ther too - she got pictures and autographs from them and said they all really needed that treat. They got to play games and have just a fun & realxing night.

I know she has been very busy, and I don't get to hear from her much but believe me when I do it is the most awesome thing in the world, just to see her typing words or actually hearing her voice. She says thank you to every on who has been keeping her in their prayers & thoughts, and she really has been enjoying her letters and care packages from home, in her words she said they are just amazing Mom they really are. So thank you to each of you who cont. to send her letters and boxes and keep her and her unit in your prayers, as a mom I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

I will write more later, but I just wanted to say Please take a moment and think about the 114th Trans Co Wolfpack, and Bri and if you get time tell Bri Happy 21st Birthday as she is spending in the desert, and living the dream. Happy Birthday my Soldier Girl. JUst stay safe, be strong, Army Strong, work as a team so all of you can come home, I will have the party going on that day!!!

Bri's Mom

It's hard to believe summer is over and fall is here, what a busy time for everyone.

Meghan is looking for a teaching job, and has been doing some Subbing and still doing alot of Nanny work, She said she had a couple of interviews coming up and I hope they are something she is looking for. As always she stays pretty busy and doesn't get a lot of free time for herself. I just Pray that God will lead her to the right place so she can feel a sense of security in her life. Keep me posted Meghan and let me know how things turn out.

Brianna, is very busy in her deployment, at our FRG meeting in September we were told that her unit has already put in over 40,000 miles, that's a lot of miles in a short time and her captain wrote a letter stating that they were very proud of the unit and things were going well.

Right now she is living in a very remote area and they are not fully equiped with services - not sure how long it will be till they get more service. They are living in tents and Brianna said they were moving in other females from a different unit which means they will have to bunk.

I guess they have had some sand storms and they said they were almost worse then a snowstorm. The temperture were very high and the sun was strong, but Bri said the temps are starting to come down, but still need alot of protection, especially for the lips. Send alot of Chapstick with SPF.

I don't get to hear from Bri very often, but when I do It is such a relief just even if its an email - I at least know she is okay. Thanks for Keeping her and her unit in your prayers and in your thoughts it is very much appreciated. and I hope I will be back with more to share soon.

Stay in touch and God Bless us all.

Meghan & Brianna's Mom

September 11...

Today I was lucky enough to sub at my school where I did my student teaching. I have not yet found a teaching job so have decided to do some subbing. I love subbing! I miss the classroom so much and have been a little sad when I help my teacher friends because I wish to have my own room. Soon, is what I need to tell myself.

Anyways. At school today we had a small assembly in memory of September 11, 2001. I was thinking back to this day 8 years ago. I remember sitting in my 9th grade Ag class in Glencoe. Many of us were laughing, because we believed that some stupid pilot hit a tall building- we all were thinking, how could you not see a building that tall. When the 2nd plane hit, we knew that something was wrong. The whole day was so slow and overwhelming in trying to grasp what was happening. I don't think we did anything in school all day, except for my math class, maybe 10 min of work. I remember a lot about what I was thinking and remember watching the images play over and over again. But I know what I wasn't thinking. That in 8 years from that day my sister would be one of those people in Afghanistan fighting for this freedom that many were trying to take away from us. I am sitting and watching a 9/11 documentary right now and can't help but be taken back to that day and remember how shaken we all were.

I am so proud that my sister is over there fighting for the freedom that I take forgranted all too often. What a gift freedom is and that we have men and women over there to keep what we hold so dear in this country fighting to maintain that.

Today (or whenever you read this) my hope and prayer is that for 1 minute you and I can put all the frustrations of this country, the leaders, and things going on in your life and remember all those who so suddenly lost their lives on this day 8 years ago. And no matter how you feel about this war, please remember those who are there fighting for the freedom we have because of those in the past, present and future. Support the people even if you don't support the war. The reality is, someone you love and care for may be over there someday, I didn't think I would be one of those people and yet I have had a cousin and a sister over there.

Bri- I love you tons and am so proud of you. Keep fighting the good fight. Be safe. I love ya. Ain't no mountain high, ain't no valley low...

Love from one who remembers,

Meghan

Good Morning Everyone,

Just wanted to update everyone, I really don't know too much more - but I have had 1 phone call from Bri - about 1-2 weeks ago, and she sounded very positive and upbeat and it was great to hear her voice, I mainly hear from her by messages on email/facebook, and it is good to just rec' them too.

She said as soon as she can she will be sending me a list of things she needs and I will try to post that as soon as I get that, I know she would really love and appreciate letters from home and hear what is new and how family and friends are doing, So I ask that if ycu have a moment, could you please take the time to write to her. I have sent her a couple of letters and 4 packages already and she is eagerly waiting for them. Again I thank you for all you and your cont. support for her and her unit. It really does mean alot to her and us, her family.

Bri has said she has been on a couple of missions already, one of the first ones she said was to be a 5-6 hour mission and it ended up being an 11 hour mission, Apparently a couple of the trucks got sucked into the sand and they had to dig them out, she said it wasn't good, and very hot out there - but they got them and were happy to get back to where they needed to be. She said there temp has been around 140 degrees give or take some, and the food is not the greatest. She had asked me to send some snacks over, because there PX had none that she would really eat. She went one another mission and said that one went much better then the first one, and she was getting ready to head out on the next one, she was getting alittle time to rest - and was helping the next group get ready for theirs - she said most of her group would be one that one.

As I hear more - I will cont. to share with you all - Please keep Brianna and the 114th Tran Co Wolf Pack in your thoughts and prayers, Your support means the world to of them & their friends & famliy. Go Bri show them how Army Strong you are and always remember How Proud of YOU we all are.

Love & Peace to you all!!

Brenda Meyer - (Bri's Mom)