My Favorite Things

We all have things in life we treasure above all else.  Our FAVORITE things, if you will.

What do I treasure?  Well, for starters my incredible family.  I have two sweet boys that amaze me every day.  I have a daughter on the way that I cannot wait to meet, just 1 month from now.  I have a Marine that respects and loves me more each day than the last, and I could not be more proud of the Father, husband, and Marine he IS.  And I have family in Iowa and across the country that would do just about anything for me and each other.

I treasure my health.  My life.  My home.  My mission as a Mom and a wife to a Marine.

I treasure the Stroller Warriors, my personal calling of service.  They make me want to be better.  I treasure my military community and the family I've found with them.  We are an unstoppable team.

And above all else, I treasure my faith, God, and his amazing blessings and good favor.  Without him, these favorite things would not exist.

Yesterday, I was introduced to some of Oprah Winfrey's favorite things.  What are Oprah's treasured gifts?  Well, she LOVES people.  She loves service.  She loves the military.  She loves to give.  And she loves to buy presents...!!!!!!  ;)

Believe it or not, Oprah invited 30 military spouses from across the country, all current and former branch winners and finalists with Military Spouse Magazine's "Military Spouse of the Year" awards to be the recipients of her 2012 "Favorite Things" special.  And somehow, some way, I was included in this amazing group.

Needless to say, I'm still confused?!  And floored.  And ecstatic.  In awe.  In shock.  In denial?!  In LOVE with Oprah.  And humbled and HONORED.

Let me start with the beginning...

A couple weeks ago Babette Maxwell called me from Military Spouse Magazine and stated something very simple.  "Stephanie, there is something big you need to attend.  I can't tell you anything except the date.  And that you need to be there."  I responded, "Babette, I'll be almost 36 weeks pregnant!  I don't know..." She urged me to try.  It didn't take much urging.  Babette is one incredible lady and I'd do just about anything for her as she has done for me.  So I said, "Okay...I'll make it happen."  Never mind the fact I have two kiddos to care for, a baby nearly here, and a husband that travels incessantly and is currently the lead instructor for an 8-week school.  Buuuuuuuuuuuuut...sure.  I'll do it.  Why not.  Sounds like fun.  I dig surprises.

That night I got a phone call from a lady from OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network).  She sounded distant and quiet though and I could not quite understand what she was saying.  So idiot Stephanie figures it must be a mistake.  I deleted the voicemail.  Needless to say, she's a persistent woman and thank goodness she called again that next morning!  Now things were getting interesting!!!

I managed to convince my doctor to sign a letter authorizing me to fly.  I was 35 weeks and 4 days so I just barely slid in under that 36-week cut-off where Tricare would no longer cover me.  Whew.  I much preferred the prospect of flying versus spending hours in the car to get to Baltimore.  I have had a good pregnancy and have been feeling strong, so really I was not scared to travel.  I even ran a 5K last week!  I did not feel it was irresponsible given my current good health.  Plus, how could I possibly miss this mysterious occasion?!

Brian was completely on board with making this happen.  Between him and some very generous helpful Stroller Warriors in my neighborhood, the trip was seamless.  I left for 48 hours and it was almost as if I wasn't even gone.  So a big thank you to my "staff" including Brian, Cole's "Mom" for the day Heather Peroune, and Caden's "Mom" for the morning Rosie Newsom!

The travel went smoothly.  I had the privilege of traveling with the 2011 Military Spouse of the Year Bianca Strzalkowski.  She's one of my personal heroes.  I cannot believe I never snapped a picture with her this week.  UGH!  She's the best.  Although, she's not the best flyer.  She actually abhors flying and was really anxious.  On top of that, her travel buddy was an antsy prego in third trimester.  We made a motley crew!  Somehow we made it though.  I did learn to not let her be the navigator.  Let's just say they were closing the doors on the 2nd plane as we arrived.  Yipes.  Nothing like a little excitement.  As if all this wasn't enough already!

Upon arrival, we enjoyed dinner at Chilis with the entire crew and celebrated a birthday for our ELDERLY 2012 Military Spouse of the Year Jeremy Hilton.  He turned 40.  (Okay, I'm kidding...40 is NOT elderly Jeremy!  You make 40 look fabulous.  :)  The crew included branch winners and finalists for Military Spouse of the Year from the past three years.  We were hand-picked to be a part of this premier and every one of us was beyond excited.  The ONLY lingering disappointment was the fact we had been informed Oprah was unable to attend due to scheduling conflicts.  But even despite that, we were honored and thrilled.  How often do you get to be on TV, let alone promote an awesome new series featuring military spouses?!  Yeah, pretty much NEVER.  We were stoked.

That night we gathered for a meeting back at the hotel.  I figured they'd finally disclose some more details.  To that point, all had still been fairly secretive.  We still did not receive more information.  I started to feel a glimmer of hope that maybe, just maybe, the secretiveness was related to the fact perhaps Oprah WOULD be there?!  Hmmm.

As the meeting concluded, we decided that it would be nice to get to know each other a little better.  So each individual took a minute or two to introduce themselves, their family, and their passion.  Frankly, I was floored.  I could not believe their stories.  Each person had a special gift that they have utilized to the fullest to help others.  They have built massive organizations, businesses, nonprofits, and do whatever they can to make a difference every day.  On particular individual brought me to tears.  Karen, the founder of the Semper Fi fund, sat just 10 feet from me.  She spoke of her passion, helping military families and wounded warriors gain the resources, equipment, and essentially anything they need.  Little did she know, I was one of those families she had helped.  Cole will be receiving a trailer for his wheelchair because of assistance from this amazing organization, something she built from nothing.  Needless to say, she got a lot of attention, tears, and hugs on my behalf.

This is just the tip of the ice berg.  By about the tenth person, I felt downright uncomfortable to even be sitting with them.  These people were OUTSTANDING.  How can I be counted among them?!  Every story inspired me though and by the 30th person, I left feeling like a million bucks.  I also felt like I needed to do more, be more, CHANGE THE WORLD.  And that's okay too. Whatever the case, I started to fully grasp what an incredible honor it was to simply be gathered with these people.

This is a photo of me with two of those incredible people and my personal heroes.

Nicki Bunting founded "Bubba's Belly Run" after her husband Brian "Bubba" Bunting was killed in combat in Afghanistan in 2009.  She's raised thousands upon thousands upon thousands of dollars for families of fallen service members.  Stroller Warriors hosted a satellite 5K of her race in 2010 and 2011.  I never dreamed I'd actually get to meet her and through not only that connection but now these events.  She's become a dear friend.  And she might be the funniest person on planet Earth.

Jeremy Hilton is probably THE greatest leader and advocate for military families and special needs children whom I have ever met.  He's an incredible resource, and awesome friend, and an honor to stand beside.  We also feed each other a lot of crap just for kicks.  That gets an A+ in my book.

The next morning was a whirlwind.  I did not sleep much as I could not wait to see what the day would hold.  Coordinators from the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) were downstairs waiting for us.  One of the coordinaters knew me immediately.  "You're Stephanie, right?"  Whoa.  How did you know that, I said?!  He responded, "Oh, we've looked over your profile a few times."  Hmmm.  That's impressive that he knew me just by sight!  Wonder why though?!  We're just guests in the crowd after all.

We loaded on the bus and made it to Baltimore in good time.  Of all places, they chose the Marine Corps Barracks of Washington D.C., the Commandant's home, for this event.  What an incredible honor!  I had the privilege of being their for the Award Announcement in May, and now again for this?!  Too good to be true.

We enjoyed yummy sandwiches from Panera and milled about the historic building, waiting for whatever came next.  They put microphones on 9 of us and for whatever reason I was chosen.  They interviewed me personally, asking me for my perspectives and assumptions on what the day would hold, what I hoped for the new series, and whether or not the baby was excited.  Ha!

Finally it was TIME.  We were led across the building through a tunnel of saluting Marines to the set.  We walked into a room with beautiful plush chairs in a semi-circle facing large televisions.  Lights blinded us and the smiling staff and videographers awaited.  They had assigned us specific seats.  I got to sit in the front row next to Karen, of all people, and also near all three of the recent Military Spouses of the Year, 2010-2012.  An empty chair was next to Jeremy.  Wonder who that was reserved for?  Maybe Babette, the founder and editor of Military Spouse Magazine.  But Babette had retreated to a dark corner of the room, watching and smiling from afar.

The producer addressed us first, speaking about why we were there.  "Married to the Army: Alaska" is a new series that will premier on OWN November 18th at 9:00 central time.  http://www.oprah.com/own-married-to-the-army-alaska/Married-to-the-Army-Alaska-About-the-Show.  She welcomed us and thanked us for being there to watch the show and share our perspectives afterwards.  She told us we were the first ones to see it and this would be valuable in promoting the series.

We settled in to watch the show, but wait...who was that approaching from the back corner?  She's in a beautiful green dress and she's...

oh my gosh...

that's...





OPRAH!

 

Of course the room erupted in mania.  We were all standing and clapping and could not believe she was actually there!  Any glimmer of disappointment any of us had disappeared in an instant.  OPRAH!  The woman I have watched and known since I was a child.  A woman that gives so selflessly to so many and makes it her goal in life to HELP.  And here she was, in front of me, shaking my hand.

So wow.  THAT was a priceless moment.

She sat down next to Jeremy and suddenly that open seat made sense.  She was mere seats away from me!  She spoke to us as well about how excited she was to gather us for this special event. She thanked us for all that we each give and do, and spent some time chatting with a few people.  Then she said she had to leave but would be back later.

We settled in to watch the premier.  The show looked awesome!  And I'm not a reality TV show person but I was engaged within 2 minutes.  But then...the TVs went haywire.  Huh.  Weird.  They reset and started again.  Another minute goes by and once again...static.  At this point I thought, maybe they should have practiced this a bit more.  Or brought in more experienced interns for the day!

SUDDENLY...the screens changed.  Oprah re-emerged.  The room transformed.  This all happened within mere seconds.  And we sat their completely shocked.  WHAT IS HAPPENING?!  I honestly did not grasp what was happening even after the gifts started pouring in.  After about 15 minutes, I turned to Lori Bell, the 2010 Military Spouse of the Year, and dumbfounded, I said, "Lori, we're not watching the premier are we?  Or is it later?!  I'm so confused?!"  She responded, "I don't know.  I don't know.  I don't know?!"  This was the confusion and glee we ALL felt.  Was this real?!

We were not allowed to bring cameras but a few gals had camera phones so they snapped these pics of me with Oprah's BFF Gayle!  I got a pic with Oprah too!!!  Hope to have that treasured "evidence" soon.






For obvious reasons, and also for your own enjoyment and anticipation, I am not going to share many more details than that!!!  Please watch the show so you can see the spectacular experience for yourself.  But I will say, it is beyond anything I could have EVER fathomed in a million years.  I have seen Oprah put on those shows in the past and always thought to myself, "Now THAT is awesome."  And watching the genuine surprise and appreciation on the faces of the recipients...well, it's beyond outstanding.  So to see my friends and colleagues experience that was simply awesome.

On top of that, Babette Maxwell continued to stand in that dark corner, watching, smiling, GLOWING.  She was watching her "kids" open Christmas.  And she could not have possibly been happier if those gifts were for her.  She didn't need that.  And she actually did not receive one single gift.  Her gift was our joy.  She is a true testament to the generosity that yesterday encompassed.

And even though I was IN that moment, it still seemed like a dream.  Even today.  As I sit here in pajamas, in my messy house, my adorable 3-year-old playing with books and toys in the next room, and I'm writing this story...I STILL cannot quite grasp that it really happened.

All I can say is that I am blessed.  I listed my favorite things above.  No amount of gifts or television coverage could replace those favorite things.  But yesterday...yesterday was something I will NEVER forget.  I will always be thankful and grateful, humbled and honored.  Those men and women in that room with me were so deserving and I am just in absolute awe that somehow, some way, I was counted among them.

This goes without saying, but Oprah has some kickin' gifts.  Don't bother asking what...I'm making you wait.  But Brian is even over the moon excited.  The gifts will arrive sometime right before the show airs!

Brian's reaction to it all was fun.  I don't think he fully grasped what I was spewing to him over the phone, talking a million miles a minute.  I got in super late last night so the only time we've had to talk was about 5 minutes this morning before he left for work.  I got a big hug and, "So what'd you win again?!"  He's completely stoked, and pretty excited to receive a few of those favorite things.  New play toys.  I had a lot of fun sharing the news with my Mom, my sister, my inlaws, and friends.  Facebook is an absolute zoo right now with comments and postings.  Everyone is so genuinely happy for me and I keep wondering, how am I THIS lucky?! 

The big lingering questions...WHEN CAN YOU WATCH?!?!  It will air the same night of the premier of "Married to the Army: Alaska."  NOVEMBER 18TH!  So please mark your calendar and I'll write you again at a later date to remind you.  It's a two-hour special.  Holy smokes.  Anyone care to watch it with me?!  I'm going to have to see it to believe this actualy happened.

http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/10/12/oprahs-favorite-things-returns-to-television-in-a-two-hour-special-event-sunday-november-18-on-own/152734/

I want to conclude with thanking all of you.  When I launched Stroller Warriors almost three years ago, I simply wanted to get in a workout, meet some friends, and maybe help some military families along the way.  It's grown to something that far exceeds anything I could have even dreamed.  1500 women in 7 chapters across the world make my dreams come true every day.  Just this past Tuesday, a Stroller Warrior from Okinawa, Brittany Love, showed up at a Lejeune workout.  She was visiting her brother and wanted to join forces from afar.  I had a billion things to do that day to prep for my travel the following morning, but there was no way I was going to miss giving that fellow Warrior and FRIEND from afar, a HUGE hug and thanking her.  She was THE EXAMPLE of what I have dreamed of.  Military wives around the world, connected by a common mission, and dedicated to each other no matter where we go.  I love them.  And am so blessed by them, EVERY DAY.

Somehow, that journey with this club, those women, has brought me here today.  But only through the support of them, YOU, and even people I have never met.  God has truly blessed me and I cannot thank you all enough.

One last note...I am really sorry I have fallen off the planet with blogging.  Life has been so busy this year!  There's a million things I need to share about our summer, about Cole's wheelchair and his progress, about Caden starting school, about the baby's fast-approaching arrival, the progress of Stroller Warriors, Brian's work...the list goes on.  I never even blogged about the award in May!  :(  I apologize that I have neglected you!  I miss talking to you.  So expect another blog soon, before baby girl arrives.

Much love to all of you.  And wow...I love me some Oprah.  I think she's among my favorite things.