I Adore My Husband

I am back in Balad after a long week visiting Al Asad, Al Taqaddum, and Camp Hit. I am beat up and tired but THIS cheered me up. I had a package waiting on me when I got back to the office. Greg sent me all kinds of goodies that we love to share - gummy letters, Flammin' hot Baked Cheetos, twizzlers, and then my personal favorite (not his), Diet Mountain Dew. The best part is the note he put on each and every one of the cans that came in the box - each a different reason for loving me. I cried for the first time since leaving him over a month ago. Not that I haven't been sad but I've been able to keep the tears at bay because it's wayyyy too early in the game for me to be crying all the time. I am trying to be strong and keep it together but after a great but very tiring week outside the wire, this amazing package from my incredibly sweet husband provoked real tears. They weren't just "i miss him" tears; they were also happy tears because he made me smile when I didn't feel like smiling. I married my best friend five months ago and these cans are just a reminder that I hit the husband jackpot.

PROS VS. GI JOES!!!

So a few posts ago, I mentioned that I had a little announcement to make! The reason I was waiting is because I was waiting on our website to go LIVE so I would have somewhere to send you so you can see what Greg and I have been working so hard on since June! Together, we have started a non-profit organization called PROS VS. GI JOES!

What we do is set up real-time video game competitions between professional athletes (the PROS) and troops stationed overseas (the GI JOES), primarily in Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghanistan, via the Internet using Xbox and an Xbox Live Gaming Tag!

Greg came up with the idea and soon after, we got to work! We filed the appropriate paperwork to get our official 501c3 status (although we are still awaiting our official tax exempt status; it takes a while for the paperwork to process) and started working out the details and getting support from sponsors we need to make this happen for our troops!

All of this happened before I knew I was being deployed but since I am here we are making the best of it and now, I am working as the overseas coordinator! Greg is the Chief Executive Officer and has been THE person to get all of the sponsorships for us! I am so proud of him and his dedication to making this happen! It’s so exciting!

PLEASE CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE by clicking HERE!! VOTE ON WHO THE FIRST PRO SHOULD BE (to the right of the screen) AND TELL US WHAT YOU THINK!

The first team we’ve partnered up with is the Arizona Cardinals! The guys on the team are ready to take on the troops and we’re getting everything lined up to make it perfect! We are currently working with individual USO Centers in the Middle East, where the GI JOES will play as well as ESPN Zones in the states, where the PROS will play!

It’s the perfect marriage of ideas because professional athletes play these games A LOT and so do the troops! Soldiers spend so much of their down time in front of a TV battling their buddies! Greg and I thought, “why don’t we give the troops a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go head-to-head against a PRO?”

We found a really great company called AWSSports to create, build, and essentially donate a fantastic website for us! Greg and I came up with all the content and the basic structure of the site. We got his friend Mo to help with the graphics and after months of design, format, and content negotiations, we went LIVE on October 1st! We will continue to improve on the design and add more content but are VERY PROUD of what we have been able to accomplish with the limited resources we have available to us.

We've also been able to secure product sponsorship from these great companies!

• EA Sports: they are donating tons of games like Madden 08, Tiger Woods, NBA Live, etc!

• Red Bull: donated product for the USO Celebrity Golf Championship at Trump National Golf Course (see pics below)

• Ultimate Game Chair: donated the coolest gaming chair in the business and will be donating chairs to put in USO Centers in the Middle East

• ArmyNavy.com: donated 6,000 pair of "PROS VS GI JOES" dogtags! Every person who donates get a pair!

• Fathead: providing images for USO Centers, where we will have a "PROS VS GI JOES" gaming area.

These are just a few of the companies who believe in what we are doing and see the potential of our organization! We're in talks with XBox to solidify that relationship and we are currently planning the first "PROS VS. GI JOES" Cross-Country Tour that will coincide with the NFL Playoffs!

Here is where you can help, if you would like. Please bookmark our website and send the link to as many people as possible, including members of the press! We need as much exposure and help we can get in order to make our vision a reality and truly SUPPORT OUR TROOPS BY GIVING THEM THE COOLEST MORALE BOOSTER AROUND!

Also, if anyone has contacts, associations, friends, etc. with PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES, CELEBRITIES, SPORTS ORGANIZATIONS, RADIO AND/OR TV SHOWS, and you think they would be interested in PROS VS. GI JOES, please email me at addie@prosvsgijoes.org. I have a lot of contacts and am utilizing them as much as possible but every little bit helps!

Also, we are a non-profit organization, and work solely on donations, so click HERE if you'd like to help SUPPORT THE TROOPS through PROS VS. GI JOES!

We are hoping to have our first match in November but we're still working out the details. In August, however, we were lucky enough to be invited to showcase our organization at the USO Celebrity Golf Tournament at Trump National Golf Course. We were truly the highlight of the day! This was just a simulation; not our official kick-off so we had troops stationed in Korea playing against the celebs and golfers. They had a blast and it was so much fun! The Airmen and Soldiers in Korea were even trash talking through the headphones even though they were on opposite sides of the world! Now imagine if they are talking smack with their favorite professional athlete?? It's gonna be awesome!




So, there you go! Our GREAT idea is turning in to a GREAT thing for our TROOPS! I will keep you updated here but PLEASE check out our site often for all the updates and latest news on PROS VS. GI JOES! The more support we have from you the more support we'll get from sponsors!

Iraq

I've finally arrived in Iraq. I got here at 4:30 this morning. It was quite a trip. I flew from Kuwait to Qatar to Balad on a C130. Not the most comfortable plane but after a few years in the military I've come to expect that comfort, or lack thereof, simply comes with the territory. It's pretty funny what I've become accustomed to after living like a nomad for a few weeks. I realized the other day that I haven't flushed a toilet in over two weeks. Think about it. What that means is for over two weeks I haven't had a nice, relaxing....well, you know. I've only used porto potties that are shared by thousands of soldiers. Gross. Beyond gross. But funny nonetheless. Too candid? My sincere apologies but I did tell you I would share the good and the bad about this deployment and now I guess I've ventured into toilet humor (yes, pun absolutely intended). Hey, it's no treat for me either. When I finally flushed today, I started to laugh. Perhaps the humor doesn't transfer very well here but to me, it's funny.

Thankfully, I'm moving on. I've met up with my team in Balad which consists of 8 soldiers from a reserve unit in California. The other 13 are in Baghdad at Camp Victory. I've worked with most of them before so it was nice to finally see some recognizable faces! After three weeks of traveling solo and having inner conversations, I really freaked myself out a few days ago when I actually verbalized part of my conversation! The trip to Balad couldn't come fast enough.

Luckily, they are giving me a few days to get comfortable and finish all of the administration stuff before I hit the ground running. It was VERY nice to have mail here waiting on me when I get here so THANK YOU Mom and Chuck, Gail, Mike and Jen, Mom Mom, Whitney, and Judy!!! It was like Christmas!! The only real negative thing so far is my BlackBerry doesn't work here like it did in Kuwait so I started to panic when I got here and realized there is no commercial cell phone use. I had no way to let Greg know I arrived, and arrived safely. It really bummed me out (see picture below). Greg calls that my Sad Fish Face. I admit it, I was sad. I really wanted to talk to him and I was feeling alone and helpless. But I'm fine now and before that, I was staying positive during my trip (see smiling picture below). Besides, I do have access to the Internet and the mail definitely cheered me up (see other smiling pic)! Enjoy the pics and I'll be in touch soon!

PS...if you want to email me you can at addiecollins@gmail.com!

Oh, and my name tag still says Collins because it takes a lot of paperwork to officially change your name in the Army....I start that tomorrow to become SSG ZINONE!! Yay!!

Georgia...Maine...Ireland...Kuwait...Iraq

I'm currently on the third stop of my of my two city, three country adventure. Ireland, where the Guiness is thick and the spirit is high. As we came off the plane and in to the terminal, the crowd erupted into spontaneous applause. That feels good because considering where we are heading, I anticipate that will be the last standing ovation we receive until we return home.

I have just a few minutes before we have to reboard but since I have an internet connection, I wanted to check in to let you know I am doing well. The week at Fort Benning was quick and easy. Greg was able to come down from Tuesday to Friday and although we didn't have as much time as we wanted, I was luckier than most because everyone else said goodbye to their family before leaving for Benning. That said, the final goodbye yesterday was/is gut-wrenching. It doesn't seem real to me that I will not return home in a week and fall in to his hug. In fact, when I wake up from sleeping on the plane, I painfully realize all over again that with each flight I am flying further and further away from the love of my life. I know it's only nine or ten months but right now, that does little to comfort me. One. Day. At. A. Time.

I've met some really great people in the airport just since I've been typing this. One very nice couple from Connecticut and a young man from West Virginia. Two West Virginian's meeting in an Irish Airport Hanger...who would have thought?

Time to go...from here, it only gets tougher so I have to psych myself up for this next leg! Next time you hear from me I should be there. I'm not sure when I can update because I have no idea what my living/working situation will be. But know I am doing well and concentrating on that return home! Until then, keep us all in your prayers and know all of us are serving with your Freedoms and safety foremost in our minds.

Family Time

Okay, so I'm sorry for the long delay! I'm thinking the three people who read this didn't even notice but there was something wrong with my blog settings, something that I did apparently, and I had no idea how to fix it! I am fairly savy with computers, and I've blogged before, but there is so much computer jargon I don't understand...html, scripts, tags, encoding, etc. OY. It gives me a headache. I finally fixed it so let's get to it.

The last week has been great. Nothing but pure FAMILY TIME with Greg, Gumata, and me. We're coveting every little minute we have together. We took our little girl to the beach last weekend and although she was really timid and shy around other people, we think she enjoyed it! If she is anything like her father, she will learn to love it! After the beach, we took her to play with some other doggies but she wanted to hang with us instead! We got Gumata from a Mastiff Rescue organization, which may explain why she is so timid around people. For the first six months of her life, she lived in five different homes! She is very comfortable around us, but she's still super shy around others. We're working on it though! We take her everywhere we go....and yes, it's Dad who deals with most of her doggy doo! Okay so that will be the only poo picture I post on here. Sorry about that but I didn't want to waste that picture by not sharing it with everyone!!!

HAPPY 30TH BIRTHDAY HUBBY!

I bet you all didn't know that I am rocking the cradle with Greg, did you? Well, I am....I've got a good 15 1/2 months on my man. On July 2nd, he turned the big 3-0. We didn't really do anything but chill at the house and have cake with LD and Paul. It was a good time had by all.

Oh, I bet you are wondering what GUMATA means. Well, Greg is very proud of his Italian heritage and as some of you may know, when an Italian man has a mistress or "a girl on the side", she is known as their GUMATA. So, we named her GUMATA since she is the only woman besides me and the women in his family that he is allowed to love! I know it's weird but we love it!

The rest of the week was fairly uneventful. We had a great time in Costa Mesa with our friends Michelle and Steve for the 4th of July. I am praying I will be back by this time next year so we can do it again because we had a blast! I hope everyone remembers all the sacrifices people are making to maintain our independence and freedom, not just on patriotic holidays. Somehow I feel most people just think of BBQ's, fireworks, and vacations on Independence Day. Hopefully that will change. We're so lucky; I just hope people remind themselves of that on a daily basis.

Unfortunately, I don't have any more updates about when I am leaving for Iraq. It's very frustrating but there is a lot of paperwork to process in order to get one soldier out and another soldier in. I imagine Greg and I will be heading back East to visit family in about two weeks. When we get back from there, I'll probably have just a few days before I have to leave. It still makes me sad - especially when I look at Greg and Gumata and think about how much I'll miss them - but it's getting easier to accept as the days go on. Plus, I have an incredibly strong support system and that makes me feel great!

I know how depressing talking about Iraq can be so I'll end this post with a few more cute pictures to make you smile. Isn't Gumata the cutest!!?? Have a great week and I'll keep you posted on developments from beautiful and sunny California.

Here We Go Again

A litte over a week ago I received a call alerting me that I am headed back to Iraq. For those who know me, you know the deal. For those who don't, I spent a year in Iraq from November 2003 to November 2004. I spent a month or so in Balad, but mostly I was stationed in Baghdad.
I've been home for a while now; long enough to meet a (wonderful) man and marry him.




I blogged about my experience the first time, but I used my maiden name. This time is different, for several reasons: (1) I have a different name. I'm Addie Zinone (proudly) (2) I have a child...granted, my child has four legs, not two, but I love her just the same (3) I have a meaningful job that brings attention to the people and organizations I believe truly deserve it (4) I'm older, wiser, stronger, prouder (5) I'm also a lot more sad.

I'm not writing all of this to garner sympathy; I'm simply writing to provide a voice, if I may be so bold, for many soldiers like me who find themselves in a very similar situation. It's clearly more dangerous than it was a few years ago but the danger isn't my biggest fear. My biggest fear is the saddness I am going to feel leaving my husband and now my little doggy, the FAMILY I love so much!


I hope I am not offending anyone, particularly my mother, by saying this deployment will be harder for me. It's never easy to leave anyone in your family but the truth is, throughout college and because of the various jobs I've had over the years, I've been home very little. So I'm used to it. It's sad, of course, but it's a different kind of sad. Leaving my husband, someone I have been around consistently for two-and-a-half years, is something I can't fathom. And I'm petrified of that final hug goodbye.

When I went to Iraq the first time, I didn't have the additional burden of leaving a husband behind. I felt little guilt; but now I feel a little guilty because I am leaving Greg to worry about me in ways I can not imagine. I am leaving him to care for our dog alone, to sit alone on the couch watching tv shows we used to watch together, and to love from a distance. It stinks!!

One of the good things about this tour, however, is I am filling in for someone who has to come home. I am not sure why he is leaving; all I know is I am going. As such, I will only have to serve 9 or 10 months in Iraq. I am headed to Balad, which is about 65 miles north of Baghdad. It's an old Iraqi airfield that is home to about 28,000 soldiers. I will have plenty of company. But not the company I want!!! Take care of my husband! I will miss him terribly.....and I know he will miss me too.

My future sister-in-law, Lindsey, forwarded me an email about having "perspective" - about how those of us in the states need to take a break from complaining so much because the men and women serving in our military have to deal with really terrible things on a daily basis. The very last line of the email was "the only thing harder than being a soldier is loving one". It's so true! It's much harder for our friends and family, particularly a spouse, to deal with a deployment, especially in a war zone, because they feel fear and desperation about the unknown. I know Greg will be constantly thinking, "Is Addie okay? Is she in danger? Is she being careful?" because that is what my mom was always thinking! It's completely natural to worry like that and, I can only imagine, it makes for an awfully long year for them.

So what I'm trying to do this time is blog about my deployment more frequently. All of it, from now until the end, the good, the bad, the scary, and the ugly. Because, I feel, the more informed and aware my family, friends, and Greg are about what I am up to, the easier it will be for them. And that's all I want: to know they are okay. Then I will be okay.

More later. I'm off to enjoy one of the few weekends I have left with my family.