JEEPIN!!

On Friday, my parents and my brother and sister came up to our new house to spend the night so we could go 4 wheeling this morning. It was awesome! My brother leaves again on Monday so it was especially nice to have the whole family together. I made one of his favorite meals for dinner and we took photos of him in all his Marine uniforms after we ate. I woke up early and cooked breakfast for everyone, then we were off. All of us had such a great time. I was totally surprised at how much Mom and Dad enjoyed it too. I wouldn't be surprised if "Craig" had one of his own jeeps by next weekend! haha! I've attached some photos (Serg - yellow, Cam - blue). It got just a little bit muddy! :D Thank you family for such an awesome day...I love being with each and every one of you!

Welcome Home Party for Cam

The smoke clouded the picture...but thats me with my little brother and little sister. I love them more than they will ever know.

Cam acting like a Drill Instructor to his good friend Kyle.

Serg and Kyle against Cam and Sean (both Marines) in the Bear Crawl, HAHA

Graduation - Parris Island

Me and Cam

Cam and my sister Megann

Here are pictures from Graduation. Cameron was one of 5 guys in his platoon that was meritoriously promoted to Private First Class. There were 75 guys in his platoon. It is a HUGE accomplishment. We are so proud of him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He was so excited to get off that island and we were so excited to have him back!!

Family Day - Parris Island

Family Day was...well awesome. Words can't describe the feeling and the countless emotions you feel once you see your loved one after so long. Especially knowing how hard he has worked. I am so proud of him.
We arrived at Parris Island around 6am for the Motivational Run. Basically its a ton of guys wearing girl shorts, haha. After the Moto Run we went to an indoor weather facility for a briefing. Following the briefing they brought all the platoons in for a short Liberty Ceremony. At the end of the ceremony everyone was allowed to finally talk and hug there boy. It was so exciting!! We were all sooo happy!! For lunch we went to a small picnic area and ate. He told tons of stories from his experience. We only had 5 hours with him before he had to be back, and boy did time fly. I've included some photos from the Liberty Ceremony and of his squad bay(where he lived/slept for 13 weeks.)

Made it to Parris Island!

Well we made it to Parris Island. We got in late last night. We actually went on the base today and got to see Cameron. Oh my gosh, it was soo exciting! I think all of us, even Dad and Serg cried a little bit. We didn't get to talk to him at all but we got to see each other. He couldn't stop smiling! Serg and I thought that he was going to get in trouble. Tomorrow is Family Day and we will get to spend the afternoon with him. Friday is graduation and then we will be heading home. I've attached some pictures of the ride down, his battalion sign and pictures of Cam. I thank God that he got Cam through basic. I can't express how proud of him I am.

Here We Come Parris Island!!

We are off to pick up my brother! I'm soo excited! It's been a long 14 weeks! We miss him soo much! He was able to call my parents Sunday during "Liberty Sunday" and he told them that he got through the Crucible fine, even though it was really hard. We are so proud of him! Family Day is Thursday and then he will Graduate on Friday. We'll come home with a United States Marine!

Our New Home

On Saturday with the help of my parents and my aunt and uncle we moved from Virginia to Maryland. It was a beautiful day to move. The 2 full flights of stairs are an adjustment and so is not being 6 miles from my parents. I love our new place though. Sergio has room for a studio and we have plenty of storage space. Kenzie is loving the backyard! I've attached some photos, more will come later.

Cute MacKenzie

Took this of Kenzie today...she was waiting for me to come inside! :D

Armed Forces Day

In the United States, Armed Forces Day is celebrated on the third Saturday in May. The day was created in 1949, and was a result of the consolidation of the military services in the Department of Defense. It was intended to replace the separate Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Days, but observance of these days, especially within each particular service, continues to this day. The purpose of Armed Forces day is to honor Americans serving in the five services - the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and Coast Guard. Today, please take time to honor the men and women in your life that have fought so selflessly for our freedom.

SGT. Sergio Rangel, US Army
Today, first and foremost I want to honor my husband, Sergio. He has done things in his 28 years that some will never do in a lifetime. He has seen and heard things that normal people only see on TV. He is courageous and brave, yet extremely humble. He is not a braggart. Just meeting Serg, I don't think anyone would know that he once served on the front lines of a war. I even joke with him that how could anyone so loud and hyper have a job that requires so much discipline and order. I tell him that I think it's all a hoax, that I can't imagine him staying quiet long enough to listen to orders! :) But he has served, and continues to serve. He has sacrificed much more than just 9 years of his life. I am so proud of everything that he has done and continues to do, because he's not just a fantastic soldier, he's the best husband I could have ever dreamed to have. Our country is lucky to have such a man serving them. I love you Sergio with all my heart. Thank you for your service and your sacrifice. Click Here

I want to also thank our family and friends who have served or continue to serve:
My Father, Doug Carpenter, US Navy
My Uncle, Bruce LaPolla, US Army
My Paternal Grandfather, Benjamin Carpenter, US Army
My Maternal Grandfather, Richard Bickford, US Navy
My Uncle, John Bickford, US Navy
My Cousin, CPT. David Gursky (Ret.), US Army
My Brother, PVT. Cameron Carpenter, USMC
Serg's Dad, Simon Rangel, US Army
Serg's Cousin, Michael Bustos, US Army
Serg's Cousin, Stephen Rangel, US Army
Serg's Cousin, Richard Ruiz, US Navy
Serg's Uncle, Juan Rangel, US Army
Serg's Uncle, Ernesto Rangel, USMC
Serg's Uncle, Richard Fuentes, USMC
Serg's Uncle, Alfonso Fuentes, USMC
Serg's Uncle, Israel Fuentes, USAF
Serg's Uncle, Rudolfo Fuentes, USMC
Serg's Uncle, Ezequiel Fuentes, USMC
Serg's Uncle, Ismael Fuentes, USMC
Serg's Uncle, Enrique Fuentes, USMC
Serg's Uncle, Marcos Fuentes, USMC
Serg's Uncle, David Fuentes, USMC
PFC. Chad Smithey, US Army
SGT. Sergio Villafane, US Army
Anthony Bernardo, US Army
Derrick Mosely, US Army
Corey Dennis, US Army
Jose Sanchez, US Army
Eric Rhodes, US Navy
and
SFC. Mickey Zaun, US Army, who paid the ultimate price in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He will NEVER be forgotten.

From the bottom of my heart, and I know Sergio would agree, thank each and everyone of you, and your families for your service and sacrifice. Our country wouldn't be free without brave men like you, and the strong families that support them.

Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands.
Protect them as they protect us.
Bless them and their families for the selfless acts
they perform for us in our time of need. Amen.

Remember our troops today, thank them for their service, and most of all, pray for them.

Kate's Last Day of Work

Today was my last day of work. Pretty sad. The girls took me out to lunch, we had a ton of fun. Everyone also got me a huge cookie from Mrs. Fields. It was delicious. I will miss everyone!

Happy Birthday Meg!!

Happy 17th Birthday!!
I'm so proud of you Freak! I can't believe you're almost a senior!

A Soldier's Wish List

I wanted to let everyone know of a great opportunity that Sergio and I took on in recent weeks. We've "adopted" 2 soldiers through a program called "A Soldier's Wish List". This non-profit organization takes troops that are in need while deployed and serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo, South Korea, Kuwait and Qatar and match them with people who wish to donate. You can enter your information and then you're assigned a soldier. You can send letters, care packages or both. It helps give the soldier's a taste of home and lets them know we support them. I think while getting on with our day to day lives its easy to forget that thousands of men and women are in a war zone fighting for YOU. These soldiers, marines, airman and seamen are separated from their families for up to 15 months at a time. They miss the birth of their children, birthdays, holidays and graduations. They themselves and their families sacrifice so much for us and our freedom. I encourage everyone to take the time to adopt a solider and let them know they are supported, even if you don't agree with the mission. I thank God everyday for the men and women risking their lives daily, for me.

God Bless you all!
Love,
Kate

Click Here to Adopt a Soldier

Update on....Everything

This month has been crazy to say the least. My last day of work is Friday. Sergio is working full time at Fort Meade, so he's only coming home a few nights a week. I'm left to pack the house up. I'm not very good at that but it is what it is. Come Saturday we'll be Marylander's....haha I think I just made that word up. I don't know what people from Maryland are called. We have family and friends helping us move, thank God for all of them! Serg and I don't think we have that much stuff but I'm sure after loading it then unloading it...it will seem like a lot! We're praying for good weather too! I'll try to post pictures of the new place early next week. Then on Tuesday we leave for South Carolina. I'm already feeling so many different emotions that next week will be emotionally draining. I just can't wait though. I've missed him so much!
Well thats all for now.....I hope that you all are having a great Tuesday. God bless each and everyone of you! We love you!

Last Letter to my Brother

On Friday I sent my last letter to my brother. Boot camp is 88% complete, only a week and a half until graduation. On Wednesday night he will start the Crucible, where he will march over 40 miles in full ruck while completing other obstacles. It is the last graduation requirement. We are praying for him. We are so proud of you Richard! Can't wait until next Thursday!
**My brother is the guy in the front on the left. Carpenter is on his nametape. Parents that go down for graduations take photos of guys that they see around Parris Island. We won't be leaving for South Carolina for another week.

Report to Active Duty

Sergio reported to Active Duty on Monday with 1st Army East, as a combat camera. He will be up at Fort Meade, MD for 2 weeks before I join him on the 17th. This is a great opportunity for him and we are both very excited!

Good luck Serg, I'm very proud of you!

Serg's Last Day of Work

Way to go Serg!

Department of the Navy....the Marine Corps...what?!? haha!

Today was Serg's last day of work at JMNO (Joint Mobile Network Operations at Quantico Marine Corps Base). He will be starting Active Duty service with the Army on Monday. The Colonel in charge of the mission wrote a letter to the contractor, Serg's boss. Here is an excerpt from the letter:

"Mr. Rangel has been a welcome addition to the JMNO effort. He is an accomplished and creative artist, a strong team-player and a reliable and responsible contributor. His absence and efforts will surely be missed. We at JMNO wish him all the best in his future with the Army Reserve and your company. Mr. Rangel has related that QinetiQ has stepped forward to support him during this period of active service and I applaud you and your company for that support."

I am so proud of him and all his hard work. Included are pictures of the certificate he received.

We got the house!

We got a call this morning from our Realtor and everything with the rental application went through. We will sign the lease next week. It's bittersweet....I guess it just hit me that I should probably start packing up the house if we're moving in two weeks! Haha! I will post pictures in the next couple days of the front of the house. It's a 3 level town home with a great deck and a yard for Mackenzie. Say a pray for us that everything goes smoothly! Thanks and love you all!