There is a special place in my heart for soldiers.  They give and give and often get very little thanks.  When we lived in Colorado Springs, I saw soldiers in uniform daily in everyday places.  I always made a point of looking them in the eye and saying a simple “thank you”.  Whether you agree with a specific mission or not, the soldiers are still doing their duty and it behooves all of us to think of ways to show appreciation for their service.

The photo here is a blanket that went to a local soldier and his wife last Valentines day.  It was the product of one of our fun contests at Initial Impressions.  It started with the first baby of the new year contest. Over the years, that has gotten quite competitive. To provide for more winners, we then expanded it to two winners - the last baby of the old year and the first baby of the new year.

This valentine contest was to reward and thank a soldier who has served abroad. Our winner was Eddie Dispenette and his sweetheart Angie. Eddie has served in Iraq and for that we all owe him our thanks!

We sent them this blanket. May they cuddle under it with pride. Thank you Eddie for your service and Angie who served in her own way too.