OPERATON: VALENTINE 2008

*Please note this post will stay up top until after January 30. New posts will follow below!

OPERATION: VALENTINE
Valentine’s Day Card Drive for Troops

Let's show our troops we love and support them!! Let’s help them chase away those after-
Christmas blues!! We are now collecting Valentine's cards to send to our troops stationed in Iraq
and Afghanistan. If you wish to participate, please send light-hearted, silly, cheerful cards to this address:

Mrs. Kat Orr
Operation Valentine
P.O. Box 1660
Loganville, GA 30052

Please make sure to leave the envelopes unsealed – every card is read before it is shipped, to
ensure appropriate content.

I am also collecting “Hershey’s Kisses” and “Hershey’s Hugs” candy, and any other silly
Valentine’s candy you’d like to send – lollipops, candy hearts, etc.

The cards can be handmade or store-bought... for that matter, they don't even have to be cards; a hand -written letter is just as wonderful! Let's all band together and overwhelm our heroes with support! This is a great project for Scout troops, churches, or other organizations to get involved with!

ALL CARDS MUST BE RECEIVED NO LATER THAN

JANUARY 30, 2008

Thank you so much for having a heart for our heroes!
If you have any questions about this campaign, please e-mail me at
LoveFromHome@gmail.com. Also, you might wish join my Yahoo Group,
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LoveFromHome in order to receive updates about the progress of this and other card drives.

**IMPORTANT NOTE: This is not a "dating service" of any type. Please do not send suggestive or otherwise inappropriate cards or pictures. Remember: This is strictly to let the troops know that we love them, we are proud of them and that we HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN them!

**IMPORTANT NOTE 2: This card drive is an individual effort and not done in conjunction with or on behalf of any organizations or groups

An "Operation: Valentine" Thank You!

I got an email from one of my soldiers today! I asked him if he received the Valentine's cards and candy shipped over... thought I'd share his reply with y'all! Thanks for everything -- Y'all did good! :) Happy soldiers means a happy Momma Kat! :)

YES I DID!

Well, I got ONE of them... the rest of them were passed out to everybody I could find. I had to slit open the bags of candy and drop them into the box, because we have some senior-ranking TOCroaches here that will snag a whole bag.

You really made a whole BUNCH of days!

*High five* Good job, y'all!!!!!!!! MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

Stay tuned for July 4 card drive - beginning in late April or early May!

Operation: Valentine: SUCCESS!!!

WOOOHOOO!!!!!! Operation: Valentine is hereby officially concluded!!!!! Almost 5,000 cards and LOTS of Valentine candy were shipped out to our deployed heroes today!!!! The final postage tally was $267 -- $185 of it was covered by unsolicited, generous donations (thanks to those who contributed... it helped tons!). Since this time around I was brutally clobbered by pneumonia, my friends and hubby came to my rescue. My "Loganville Online" friends "Sobella" and "MommaD" did the vast majority of the proofreading/screening and counting of the cards. Hubby graciously ran to and from the post office and back & forth between my friends' houses to retrieve cards and candy & bring them home for me. Without their help, Operation: Valentine would not have been possible!!! Stupid pneumonia!!! [Note to self: do NOT get pneumonia during future card drives!!!!]. A reporter (Sharon) from The Loganville Tribune came by last night to get pictures of the boxes I was packing (and packing veerrrrryyyy slowly, at that... I have NO energy, and just a little bit of effort/exertion really wears me out...stupid pneumonia). She said she will be doing a story about Operation: Valentine for the Valentine's edition of the Tribune. I'm REALLY glad I didn't attempt to go to the Post Office with hubby today... Sharon met hubby at the post office to get pictures... and VIDEO... Yikes! Said something about wanting to get video for some kind of new feature to be put on their website, showing clips of different community events and activities, etc... eeek! Haha! Bad enough that when she was here at our house last night I was wearing my PJ's and bathrobe, haha..... I'm in no shape to be on a VIDEO, yikes! haha! I'd scare everyone away from Loganville, at least the way I look today (about half-dead, haha). Anyway, whenever the Operation: Valentine appears in the paper, I'll make sure to post the article here... and if the video of hubby at the Post Office ever shows up on the Tribune website, I'll make sure to link it here, too!

Thanks, everyone, for your help! Y'ALL ROCK!!!!!! Now give yerselves a pat on the back, and rest up... Next card drive for the troops will be for the 4th of July -- will start gathering in April or May! Stay tuned, y'all......

back to the doc I go

In about 30 minutes I'm leaving to go to the doctor again. My fever is gone for the most part, but this cough is not...it's just as bad as ever. Doc said the x-rays showed signs of possible early pneumonia. He's going to check me out and see if I need to go have a vacation in the hospital for a few days (o joy). Hopefully I won't... I've already been taking the exact same antibiotic they would give me in the hospital... so I don't see what they could do there any different. I wish he'd give me something to help me sleep...nyquil helps a little bit -- but the coughing still keeps me up the majority of the night. I think I "really" slept off & on between 3:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. today...the rest of the time I was wide awake & coughing away. :(

Prayers, please! I gotta get these Valentine's cards out by Thursday!!!!!!! Must have energy to be able to do that! Ack!

I am out of work for the rest of this week, too. This is NOT my idea of a fun vacation...nope, not a'tall.....

OK, I give up

I'm staying home today - I feel like road kill. Gonna try to get a doc appointment today... this cough is getting worse! Low-grade fever, and feeling awful.

And....No, this is not an elaborate ploy to inentionlly miss today's weigh-in at the Weight Watcher's meeting! Actually, I'm kinda bummed I have to miss it - I've been VERY good and stuck to the WW thing very well this week - so I'm sure I had to have lost a pound or so, haha. Not to mention, I've had very little appetite the past couple of days due to being sick, haha. Guess I'll get weighed at the doc's, but still.

Uggh.....

I've GOT to get better by this weekend, so I can bake cookies for my soldiers, to go out with all the Valentine's cards!!! Ack! For that matter... I've got to be well enough to read them, count them, and pack them all! :( Ack! Super-quick prayers, please!

Operation: Valentine UPDATE 1-21-07

Woohoo! So far, we are up to 1,157 Valentine's cards for the troops!!! We've got ONE week left!!! I was originally gonna mail all this on Saturday, but hubby has very graciously agreed to take everything to the post office on Monday for me... which means I can get the Valentine's cookies baked Saturday (which will be an ALL-DAY event) retrieve whatever mail is at the post office on Saturday, and box it all up Sunday afternoon.

So...very nearly at the goal of 2,000 -- just need a measly 843 more! I know we can do it!

OPERATION: VALENTINE
Valentine’s Day Card Drive for Troops

Let's show our troops we love and support them! I am now collecting Valentine's cards to send to troops stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan. If you wish to participate, please send light-hearted, silly, cheerful (and un-sealed) cards to this address:

Mrs. Kat Orr
Operation Valentine
P.O. Box 1660
Loganville, GA 30052

I am also collecting “Hershey’s Kisses” and “Hershey’s Hugs” candy, and any other silly Valentine’s candy you’d like to send – lollipops, candy hearts, etc. It’s cold over there now, so we can, for the moment, get away with sending CHOCOLATE!

You may also send a e-mail of support to the following email address: LoveFromHome@gmail.com. Any e-mail received to this e-mail account will be printed and mailed, together with the Valentine's cards.

The cards can be handmade or store-bought... for that matter, they don't even have to be cards; a hand -written letter is just as wonderful! Let's all band together and overwhelm our heroes with support and chase away those "after Christmas blues!"This is a great project for Scout troops, churches, or other organizations to get involved with!

ALL CARDS MUST BE RECEIVED NO LATER THAN FRIDAY, JANUARY 26, 2007

Thank you so much for having a heart for our heroes !

If you have any questions about this campaign, please e-mail me at LoveFromHome@gmail.com. Also, you might wish join my Yahoo Group, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LoveFromHome in order to receive updates about the progress of this and other card drives.

**IMPORTANT NOTE: This is not a "dating service" of any type. Please do not send suggestive or otherwise inappropriate cards or pictures. I will be reading and screening every Card received to ensure that the above guidelines are adhered to (please don't seal the envelopes, by the way ~ that will make it much easier on me)! Any card deemed inappropriate will not be sent! Remember: This is strictly to let the troops know that we love them, we are proud of them and that we HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN them!

Also please note this is an individual & community effort, not done in conjunction with or on behalf of any existing organizations.

Operation: Valentine UPDATE 1-15-07 - NEED 1800 MORE CARDS

Hello everyone! Sorry it's been so long since I've been able to give an update on our Valentine Day card drive for troops! What with my college semester starting back last week, and various kids being sick (and now hubby, too, for the second time in a month), life here has been just a little on the crazy side. However, I was finally able to read & count the cards I've received so far. The official total as of today, January 15, 2007, is *261 cards.* I also have a small assortment of candy goodies, as well. Yay! Off to a good start! We've got just about two weeks left... the enormous success of the Christmas card drive leaves me feeling confident that we can EASILY reach the goal of 2,000 Valentine's cards within the next two weeks or so... just need to keep getting the word out as best we can!

Thanks everyone for your help... this will mean an awful lot to our deployed troops! Information with all details about the card drive is below:

OPERATION: VALENTINE
Valentine’s Day Card Drive for Troops

Let's show our troops we love and support them! I am now collecting Valentine's cards to send to troops stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan. If you wish to participate, please send light-hearted, silly, cheerful (and un-sealed) cards to this address:

Mrs. Kat Orr
Operation Valentine
P.O. Box 1660
Loganville, GA 30052

I am also collecting “Hershey’s Kisses” and “Hershey’s Hugs” candy, and any other silly Valentine’s candy you’d like to send – lollipops, candy hearts, etc. It’s cold over there now, so we can, for the moment, get away with sending CHOCOLATE!

You may also send a e-mail of support to the following email address: LoveFromHome@gmail.com. Any e-mail received to this e-mail account will be printed and mailed, together with the Valentine's cards.

The cards can be handmade or store-bought... for that matter, they don't even have to be cards; a hand -written letter is just as wonderful! Let's all band together and overwhelm our heroes with support and chase away those "after Christmas blues!"This is a great project for Scout troops, churches, or other organizations to get involved with!

ALL CARDS MUST BE RECEIVED NO LATER THAN FRIDAY, JANUARY 26, 2007

Thank you so much for having a heart for our heroes !

If you have any questions about this campaign, please e-mail me at LoveFromHome@gmail.com. Also, you might wish join my Yahoo Group, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LoveFromHome in order to receive updates about the progress of this and other card drives.

**IMPORTANT NOTE: This is not a "dating service" of any type. Please do not send suggestive or otherwise inappropriate cards or pictures. I will be reading and screening every Card received to ensure that the above guidelines are adhered to (please don't seal the envelopes, by the way ~ that will make it much easier on me)! Any card deemed inappropriate will not be sent! Remember: This is strictly to let the troops know that we love them, we are proud of them and that we HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN them!

Also please note this is an individual & community effort, not done in conjunction with or on behalf of any existing organizations.

Operation: Valentine Reminder

Will have an update within 24 hours, hopefully, of how many cards I got from the PO box yesterday. It's not very many, though. Although, after the nearly 20,000 we shipped for Christmas, even a whole lot would look like a little, hehehe! Well, anyway, onwards & upwards!

OPERATION: VALENTINE
Valentine’s Day Card Drive for Troops

Let's show our troops we love and support them! I am now collecting Valentine's cards to send to troops stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan. If you wish to participate, please send light-hearted, silly, cheerful (and un-sealed) cards to this address:

Mrs. Kat Orr

Operation Valentine
P.O. Box 1660
Loganville, GA 30052

I am also collecting “Hershey’s Kisses” and “Hershey’s Hugs” candy, and any other silly Valentine’s candy you’d like to send – lollipops, candy hearts, etc. It’s cold over there now, so we can, for the moment, get away with sending CHOCOLATE!

You may also send a e-mail of support to the following email address: LoveFromHome@gmail.com. Any e-mail received to this e-mail account will be printed and mailed, together with the Valentine's cards.

The cards can be handmade or store-bought... for that matter, they don't even have to be cards; a hand -written letter is just as wonderful! Let's all band together and overwhelm our heroes with support and chase away those "after Christmas blues!"This is a great project for Scout troops, churches, or other organizations to get involved with!

ALL CARDS MUST BE RECEIVED NO LATER THAN FRIDAY, JANUARY 26, 2007

Thank you so much for having a heart for our heroes !

If you have any questions about this campaign, please e-mail me at LoveFromHome@gmail.com. Also, you might wish join my Yahoo Group, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LoveFromHome in order to receive updates about the progress of this and other card drives.

**IMPORTANT NOTE: This is not a "dating service" of any type. Please do not send suggestive or otherwise inappropriate cards or pictures. I will be reading and screening every Card received to ensure that the above guidelines are adhered to (please don't seal the envelopes, by the way ~ that will make it much easier on me)! Any card deemed inappropriate will not be sent! Remember: This is strictly to let the troops know that we love them, we are proud of them and that we HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN them!

Also please note this is an individual & community effort, not done in conjunction with or on behalf of any existing organizations.

Operation: Valentine Update!

Update: In yesterday's mail, I received 200 beautiful clay hearts, each in a small plastic baggie with a slip of paper that says something like, "As you hold this heart, know that you are held in our hearts back home... you are our hero!" from "Hearts 4 Heroes," a truly wonderful organization. Have not ventured to the post office yet to check the P.O. Box -- will most likely do so this weekend some time. I may be attending another Hero's funeral with the PGR on Saturday, but that remains to be seen; my weekend schedule is a bit uncertain as of this point.

Anyway, for more information regarding Operation: Valentine, CLICK HERE.