Archive for the 'Ft. Campbell Express' Category

For Only Two Weeks

All my readers, please bear with me for the next two weeks.  This blog is my Real Estate blog but sometimes, alot of times, I make it personal.  For the next two weeks, it will be my personal blog.  I will be posting daily on how I am doing in this singing competition. If you haven’t already heard I am one of twelve contestants that will be competiting in the Operation Rising Star. It is basically like American Idol.  Previously known as Military Idol. They flew us all in, round trip, all expenses paid, to be here and give our best performances and to find the next Operation Rising Star.

Yesterday I arrived at Washington Dulles Airport to start my journey.  We waited for everyone elses flight that is competiting before heading to our hotel.  We were told last night that we are not only representing our installation where we won, but we are also representing the Army and Army Entertainment.  Which to me, is a high honor.  We had a briefing in the hotel conference room and learned what our next few weeks will be like.  Introductions were made and new relationships have begun.  Everyone in this competition is very talented in their own way.  Two of the judges were in the panel that helped pick out who would be in the twelve, out of the 35, to come to Ft. Belvoir.

This will be a lot like American Idol.  I will be singing and I ask for your votes on the 15th at 8p.m. eastern.  Anyone who has facebook and would like to be my friend, just ask, and you will see when it is time to vote there.  How the production is conducting this event will keep you on the edge of your seat.  As they said last night in the briefing, 50% of me moving to the top 6 is up to the voting public.  You can vote more than once, but there is a process to voting, so you will have to go through all the steps again. You can’t just click, click, click. 

This morning, I got up and did my workout.  I got locked out of my room, again.  Everytime I leave the room, the key doesn’t work, so the hotel is going to fix that today.  They have a continental breakfast and I just ate.  All dressed and ready to go.  We were told last night which six contestants will be having their interview today that will be played right before we perform live.  So, mine is in the first 6.  Tomorrow will be the other six.

Funny thing. When we got here to check in the hotel, we all lined up and there was a camera crew setting up to tape us checking in.  After that me and two others were told to stay back while the others went to their room.  We were then assigned to a camera man to follow us around last night.  It was really weird but cool to have someone following you around everywhere: through the door, in the elevator, to your room, in your room, shut the door. hahaha. I felt like a star! I can’t help but sing, “I’m your biggest fan, I’ll follow you until you love me, papa, paparazzi”  Gotta love Lady Gaga.

So, this morning is a full morning of seeing the stage and getting the feel of the floor they have put down.  I might have to go get new shoes if the floor is grated where my heels will go through. yikes! We will be doing a group warm up every morning and then the vocal coach wants to hear something from us for 15 secs accapella.  We were told sometimes your best is the video they saw or your best will be better live. He wants to see what we have.  I have a feeling that I will have some important things to work on to make me better.  I am ready. He will listen to the songs we picked out and give us tips, whether to change the speed or key, etc…  Practice will be split up with a total of six and a half hours.  Yeah!  Do to this everyday would be my dream!

So, until this evening. Welcome to my journey to becoming a star!

It’s Never Too Late

November 8^th is coming around the corner very quickly. That is the day I fly out to Ft. Belvoir, Virginia. I feel, as I’m all snug in my chair, the urge to write everyone to let you know that I sincerely need your help to be successful in this journey of mine.

Here I sit, a Military Spouse and mother to three teenagers. Many can relate.  Anyone who is a military spouse knows that when it comes to dreams, the military comes first unless your dream fits the Military life style.  Many of you dream to be a teacher, a nurse, a Realtor, a banker, a pharmacist, etc… and with those dreams you can be a teacher where ever your spouse is stationed, you can be a nurse, a Realtor, a banker,a pharmacist. But there is one dream that has been hard for me to reach. There was a time that I was close to making it but in order to make it, I would have had to leave my family. It would have been a hardship on my husband and our three small children.  A husband who is in an elite unit that needed him.  Children who love their mommy and could have had emotional scars from me having to go away.  Me, it would have been hard to be separated from my husband and children and knowing that someone else was raising them while my husband was at work. I made the right choice to put my singing on the back burner, to be the wife and support my husband needed and to be the mommy that our children deserved and what I was committed to by having them.  In doing so, I found ways to still sing, even though my dream was out of reach.

I was in a local band called Def, Dumb and Blonde (I was the blonde) and we sang all over Enterprise and Ft. Rucker, Alabama. I mostly harmonized with the two guys on either side of me. I did a few country songs but all together, it was a learning experience for me to help shape my performing in front of people. As I look back, I laugh. A friend of mine who has been there since I started putting my dream into action, which was when my children were in school, said that I would just stand there and tap my leg with my hand or my tambourine. I didn’t move, I didn’t know how to entertain.  I’m sure there is video out there showing what a fright I was.

I did a gig with a Major in the Army who played the guitar and would sing for Christmas functions for the Military Spouses club in Germany. I was very active in P.W.O.C. (Protestant Women of the Chapel) and would sing for them during our worship time.  

Every three months a group would get in a van and travel umpteen hours from Clarksville to Parris Island, S.C. where I helped lead worship for our Marines while they went through basic training. Knowing that more than one of the thousands there might not be alive this time next year was pulling at my heart.  We would get letters from the parents of these soldiers telling us how much it meant to their boy or girl that we came and did that for them.  That is when I realized that I wanted to sing for our military. I told my husband to let the unit know I would love to sing the National Anthem any time they needed someone. I didn’t accept any payment; I just wanted to touch people with my voice. To sing the National Anthem was the height of my singing. To be known as the “Anthem Girl” was such a high honor for me.

When I heard about Operation Rising Star it was a year ago, 2008.  A Night Stalker in my husband’s unit was going for his dream and the unit put it out to go and support him in the competition. I went as many nights as he was up there until he couldn’t go anymore. At this time I was in a competition my friends told me to try out for, the Beaver Idol.  I never thought about trying out for any competition.  While he was doing Operation Rising Star, I was doing Beaver Idol for the local country radio station here. The first time ever that I heard myself on radio, I had my children around me and we danced.  “Listen to Momma on the radio!” What a dream come true.  After not making the Beaver Idol title, I thought, what else can I do?  Here I am getting older by the minute and Nashville is more than likely out due to my age.  Then it started sinking in after every time I would sing the “National Anthem” someone would come up and ask me, when I was going to try out for American Idol? Why don’t you try out for Nashville Star? So, I started getting online and looking for competitions. Nashville Star is no longer doing their thing, at least this year. American Idol? I am over the age limit. Then Operation Rising Star popped up.  Why not try out? It’s Military Idol!

So, I went down to the Sportsman Lodge and took my number, eleven.  I didn’t get all dressed up. I wanted the judges to hear my voice and not let my clothes or hair or jewelry be louder.  I sang “Strawberry Wine”.  Half way through, one of the judges stopped me and asked if there was another song I was on the fence with singing? As a matter of fact there was but I chose strawberry wine. I told them I was thinking about another song, “I Just Call You Mine” by Martina McBride.  They said, “Let’s hear it”. When I got to the high notes of the chorus, they all threw their hands in the air like they were on a roller coaster ride and started yelling, “That is what we were looking for.” “Why didn’t you do that as your first song?” So I made the top 12 of the local competition.

Wow. I was in a competition where I would have to choose my song for the theme and stand in front of everyone and sing. I was going for it.  Giving it my all because let’s face it, the clock is ticking away and it’s almost midnight.  I had the support of my husband, my children (which my girls helped me with my song selections) and my friends. My husband’s unit came out to support also.  I performed my heart out.  Enjoying it, it became very, very addictive.  I wanted more!

I got through every week.  I wouldn’t have made it to first place if it wasn’t for the votes of my fans! It was so stressful knowing that if I didn’t have enough people there to vote, I was out. I walked away representing Ft. Campbell to audition for the Army World Wide Competition.  We did my audition dvd and we had to send in the final song I sang in the competition for the judges to vote on. There were 12 judges who looked at all 35 installations winners and narrowed it down to 12 singers.  I found out October 21^st, my 20^th year wedding anniversary, that I was one of the 12!  My husband woke me up and told me to get dress and follow him.  I thought he was getting ready to give me a wedding anniversary gift. He told me to sit down and brought the computer over and wham..there I was, in the top 12! Such a wonderful man. He had been checking all morning while I was sleeping! He was just as nervous and excited as I was but then, I was the one still sleeping.  

Then it was time to let the fans and public know that in order for me to move to the top, I would need the support of my Military Installation and my hometown, Clarksville to vote for me.  I’ve given my life and support to our Military and I know that I am not known by many, just another Military Spouse but I am a Military Spouse that needs your help in votes. You can do this in the comfort of your own home. Just like American Idol.

As I said at the beginning, I leave for Virginia on the 8^th of this month. I am putting all my fans email address’ in a file so that when I am done singing, I will email you from my phone and let you know that you have a two hour window to vote for me from where ever you are.

Please send me your email if you would like to be on the list. The more fans I have voting, the closer I am to my dream. I will do a “test” on the 7^th, so if you don’t get it, you know to check your junk file.

What is the prize for this competition? An all expense paid trip to Los Angeles, CA to record a demo in DMI Firehouse recording studios and so many more possibilities…. Help me make it, join my fan club list, free, today.

12 Semifinalists Selected For Operation Rising Star Contest

FORT BELVOIR, Va. – Twelve members of the U.S. military Family have been selected to compete in the final week of competition in the Operation Rising Star singing contest, scheduled for Nov. 14, 16, 18 and 20 at 8 p.m. in the Wallace Theater.

Twelve judges selected the semifinalists after viewing the videotapes of local winners from 35 installations and duty stations worldwide. The Army Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Command-backed contest, based on the premises of FOX television’s “American Idol,” will be broadcast by the Pentagon Channel Nov. 15, 17, 19 and 21 at 8 p.m. in the United States, Korea and Europe, and 10 p.m. in the Middle East.

Audience members and Internet viewers can cast votes online at www.OpRisingStar.com for 2 hours after each broadcast.

The semifinalists invited to attend the live elimination rounds are:

Thea Agnew, a military spouse at Fort Campbell, Ky., advanced with “I Can’t Make You Love Me” and “Just a Dream.”

“Music has healed the pains, comforted the sorrows, given hope in despair, put the ‘p’ in party and made me dance,” said Agnew, a fan of Martina McBride and 2005 American Idol winner Carrie Underwood.

Staff Sgt. Tyrone Basnight of Kaiserslautern, Germany, said music “helps me stay positive and upbeat when life gets stressful.”

Staff Sgt. Michael Gordon of Camp Humphreys, South Korea, who sang “Color,” said he feels like he’s on top of the world when on stage.

“All my problems or stresses go away when the first note comes out of my mouth,” said Gordon, who derives inspiration from country artist Randy Travis.

Pfc. Andrea Griffith of Fort Eustis, Va., sang “The Way We Were” on her qualifying video, said “music, along with God, has always been the center of my life.”

A1C Jamie Jarmon of Andrews Air Force Base, Md., is another Clarkson fan who said “music is something I loved to do with my dad. Singing always puts me in a great mood.” She sang “Stay” and “Simple Man” on her video entry.

Staff Sgt. Chad Kneller of Fort Bragg, N.C., says he began singing at age 2. He advanced with “My Savior” and “Truth.”

Sgt. 1st Class Denise Patterson of Fort Bliss, Texas, a gospel singer who prefers Fantasia, wowed the judges with her rendition of “Under the Boardwalk.” She said music “has helped me sing my way through several obstacles and triumphs.”

1st Lt. Sarah Payeur of Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo, said “there isn’t a single moment or time in my life that’s not connected to some song.” She appropriately advanced with “Life is a Cabaret.”

Lisa Pratt, an Army wife at Fort Carson, Colo., advanced with “Blue Moon of Kentucky,” and says music defines her.

“I study it. I practice it. I live it,” Pratt said.

Sam Tang, a military spouse at Fort Irwin, Calif., who claims inaugural American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson as her favorite, used music to deal with teenage hardships. She qualified for the Operation Rising Star semifinals with “Chain Chain Chain” and “Run To You.”

Capt. Donald Williamson, a chaplain at the U.S. Army Garrison in Bamberg, Germany, sang “You Raise Me Up,” and said “music has brought joy to my life and those around me – from singing in church to performing in musicals to singing and leading songs in a field chapel in Forward Operating Base Afghanistan.”

Spc. Erin Sataloff of Wiesbaden, Germany, sang “At Last,” and calls music his sanctuary.

Sataloff, though selected as a semi-finalist by the panel of judges, will not compete in the live elimination performances because of a mission-related conflict. An alternate will be selected by the panel of judges.

“We’re disappointed Erin won’t be able to join us,” said Tim Higdon, Army Entertainment Division program manager for the competition.

“She’s a solid performer and would have been a great addition to the live shows,” he continued, “but these are Soldier programs, and mission comes first. We certainly hope to see her compete again next year.”

Following a week of rehearsals, vocal coaching and choreography training, the dozen semifinalists will be reduced to six on Nov. 14 at Wallace Theater, where they will be accompanied by the U.S. Army Band on a stage built by members of Army Entertainment Division. That show will be broadcast Nov. 15 on the Pentagon Channel.

The six finalists will be announced during the Nov. 16 live show at Wallace, which will be broadcast Nov. 17. On Nov. 18, three competitors will be eliminated (that show will be broadcast Nov. 19) and the winner will be revealed live at Wallace on Nov. 20. The finale will be broadcast on the Pentagon Channel Nov. 21.

The public is invited to join the studio audience at Fort Belvoir. General-admission seating is free, and reserved VIP seating is available. Visit www.oprisingstar.com for show times, voting policies, and details about VIP tickets.

The contest is sponsored by the General Motors Military Discount program. VIP tickets for the Nov. 18 finals will be available Nov. 10-12 at the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro display on Fort Myer, Va.; Nov. 14 and 16 and Nov. 16-18 at Fort Meade, Md.

For more information, contact FMWRC’s Shirley Kappa at (703) 681-5221 or via e-mail at Shirley.Kappa@us.army.mil.

October 28, 2009
By Tim Hipps
FMWRC Public Affairs

12 semifinalists selected for Operation Rising Star singing contest

Top 12 Semi-Finalists for Operation Rising Star 2009

It was announced today, October 21st, who the top 12 semi-finalists for the Army Wide competition, Operation Rising Star, were.

I am thrilled that I was chosen to be one of the top 12!  Last year we had a Night Stalker in the competition and this year we have a Lady Night Stalker! Me!

The competition will be taking place on November 14-20th in Ft. Belvoir, VA.  It will be on the Pentagon Channel if you are living on base.  If not, I will be getting more information on where you can watch the show.  It will be just like American Idol, where the viewing audience can call in to vote for their favorite performer.  I believe you will be able to vote online also.

This is the 2nd year in a row that Ft. Campbell, KY has had a contestant be in the top 12.  Last year our very own, Fatima McElveen, made it to 2nd place in the final competition. I hope to do Ft. Campbell proud this year too!  One of the important roles of this competition is the fans and their calling in or getting online to vote.  So, more information will be coming your way on how you can do this.

You can view my performances on my YouTube channel and see how I did for the 8 weeks during the competition at Ft. Campbell. Thank you all who voted to get me where I am now!

We All Have Dreams

 

This competition started off with a two day accapella audition. Twelve contestants were chosen to compete in the 8 week Operation Rising Star. 

 

The themes were Billboard 100, I sung “Wanted” by Jessie James and got some great advice from the judges that I worked on with my performance and made it to the next week.

 

That theme was Birth Year. Very hard for me to choose a song I knew since I was born in 1970! I sung “If I Was Your Woman” by Gladys Night and the Pips. I knew it from Alicia Keys remake. I tried hard to get her version with the upbeat tempo but couldn’t find it. It wasn’t the favorite song choice of some judges but it was enough to push me to the next week.

 

 

That theme was Michael Jackson and I sung “The Way You Make Me Feel”. I went out there having fun and hoped that the audience would enjoy remembering the days when that song came out. One audience member said it was “Michael Jackson meeting country” and it worked.

 

 

I made it through to week 4 with the theme song from a movie soundtrack. I sung Faith Hill’s song “There You’ll Be”. I had a chest cold that week but I got through to the next week. 

 

The theme was country! My genre. Still getting over my cold I sung “Broken Wing” by Martina McBride and got my only standing ovation from the judges! It was a great feeling.

 

 

That pushed me to the next round with the theme of R&B and everyone was wondering how I would do. I sung “No One” by Alicia Keys and I believe people were shocked because “no one” was talking and as I looked at the audience some mouths were open and some people were just staring. It was kind of nerve racking but I was able to put my country twang on it without realizing it and make it work also.

 

 

I made it to the next round with the theme of Musical. With this theme I was going to do Olivia Newton-John’s song “Magic” from the broadway “Xanadu” because I knew it and was comfortable with her style. BUT I wasn’t sold on it. I found the song “I Dreamed a Dream” on youtube by Susan Boyles. NEVER thought I could sing a song like that, never tried. The song was from the musical Les Miserables. Just memorizing it from Wednesday, I was VERY nervous. I didn’t want to mess it up. I wasn’t in my comfort zone at all. But the words of the song sold me and I knew I had to do it.

To try a hard song like this and not something familiar on semi-finals night was almost crazy but I have dreamed a dream for a long time and I knew I had to be different with this performance, something the judges and audience haven’t seen before.

 

 

The last sentence in this song says, “Now life has killed the dream I dreamed.” I chose to, morally, put my dream of singing professionally on hold to support my husband in one of the most challenging roles ever, a Military Spouse and have our three children and raise them to the age that when it was time I could go after my dream and they would enjoy the ride with me. Now that I have done this, the professionals in the music industry aren’t looking for someone of my age. So I have tried out for Operation Rising Star because their is no age limit. Susan Boyles is 47 and she did it with America’s Got Talent. Why can’t I? The only way I can’t is if I don’t have the public behind me.

 

Please if you can come out to the finals on Friday night, September 25th at 6 p.m. and hear us all and vote for who you think should move on to be the winner of this competition, it would cost you gas and your time but it would be priceless to me to have you there.

 
We all have dreams. Mine is to sing. Help me make my dream come true.

 

Homeowner Relief For Military Personnel

The Senate has added an adminstrative provision to the Economic bill (S. 336) that would relieve military homeowners on PCS orders, according to Military.com.

Send a letter to your public officials. Let your voice be heard!

The Senate has added an administrative provision to the Economic Stimulus bill (S. 336) that would relieve military homeowners on PCS orders who are bottom up on their mortgages or otherwise suffer a significant loss on the sale of their homes. The Homeowners Assistance Fund is a temporary expansion of Homeowners Assistance Plan to respond to mortgage foreclosure and credit crisis. The bill would temporarily extend coverage to these groups under the Homeowners Assistance Program (HAP), which normally only applies to members whose home values are depressed by base realignments and closures. This provision in the Senate Appropriations Committee version would add over $400 million to help military homeowners trapped in the housing market crisis, including wounded warriors, surviving spouses, those affected by base realignments and closures, and those forced to move on PCS orders. The provision would cover servicemembers and federal civilian employees in these categories who purchased a primary residence before July 1, 2006 and who receive PCS orders or suffered a wound, injury, or illness while deployed between that date and September 30, 2012.

How do you feel about this action? Let your public officials know how you feel!

I just took action and sent the house and senate my letter to recommend it. I see a lot of our military in Clarksville having to go in the hole to sell their home.

Update On Titans Tickets

ITR Offering Titans Championship Tickets

FORT CAMPBELL, KY, (January 6, 2008) – ITR Leisure Travel Office is offering Titans Championship Tickets. The Championship game is scheduled to take place on Sunday, January 18, 2009. Tickets are available to all MWR Patrons which includes Soldiers (Active Duty, Army National Guard and Army Reserve) and their Families, Department of the Army Civilians, Retirees, Veterans and Surviving Spouses for $135 each and are limited to four per household. TO PURCHASE TICKETS: You MUST include ALL of the following information in your registration email to titans@fortcampbellmwr.com, beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, January 7, 2009. Please include: name, address, phone number, cell phone number, email address, alternate email address (if applicable), branch of service, and quantity of tickets desired (maximum or four tickets per household). No emails will be accepted prior to 12:01 a.m. January 7, emails received prior to this time and date will be disqualified. No phone calls or walk-ins accepted. Registrants will be contacted in order of registration time/date stamp, to inform them of ticket purchase eligibility. Only one registrant per household will be accepted. ONLY registrant will be allowed to purchase tickets. It is recommended that registrant list spouse along with their name as registrant.

Please note: Patrons who register under their name in one email and their spouses name in another email WILL NOT better their chances to qualify. ONLY one registration per household will be eligible.

For additional information about the Titans Championship tickets, please contact ITR Leisure Travel at (270)798-7436.

Titans Playoff Tickets For Military

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?

TITANS PLAYOFF TICKETS

DIVISIONAL ROUND

SAT-SUN, 10-11 JANUARY 2009

TITANS AFC CHAMPIONSHIP TICKETS

SUNDAY, 18 JANUARY 2009

There will be limited tickets available for purchase for these events.

Ticket purchase is limited to a maximum of four tickets per household.

Price per ticket $105.00-Divisional Round Playoff

Price per ticket $135.00-AFC Championship

ITR will have registration dates for qualifying MWR patrons.  Valid Military ID i.e. Soldiers (Active Duty, Army National Guard and Army Reserve) and their Families, Department of the Army Civilians, Retirees, Veterans and Surviving Spouses.

TO PURCHASE TICKETS:

Specific email account to be set up and announced via CAMP announcement.

**Incomplete information in the email registration will lead to disqualification for ticket purchase.**

• You MUST include ALL of the information requested in your registration email

(To be announced via CAMP Announcement)

• No emails will be accepted prior to that time, emails received prior to this time and date will be disqualified.

• No phone calls or walk-ins accepted.

• Registrants will be contacted in order of registration time/date stamp, to inform them of ticket purchase eligibility.

• Only one registrant per household will be accepted.

• ONLY registrant will be allowed to purchase tickets.

It is recommended that registrant list his or her Spouse along with registrant’s name on the email.

Please note: Patrons who register under their name in one email and their Spouse’s name in another email WILL NOT better their chances to qualify.  ONLY one registration per household will be eligible.

***THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS TO THE RULES AS STATED IN THIS FLIER***

If you know of anything different, please comment below.

To subscribe to any updates and they will be emailed directly to you, fill in your email.

To return click here

Send A Song To A Soldier

Music….it is a way to escape where you are in the present and get lost in the words, the beat, the message.

Imagine being where they are and you want just a little piece of America. How great it is to be able to send something made free to our Soldiers and all they are asking

Read the rest of this entry »

Christmas At Arlington

What an awesome site to see all these Christmas Wreaths on the graves of our heroes.

Readers may be interested to know that Worcester Wreath Co., of Harrington, Maine donates some 5,000 wreaths.  Mr. Merrill Worcester, the owner, not only provides the wreaths but also covers the cost of delivery.  The school children in Maine will make a trip to D.C. most years, to help out, making this event a memorable one.

What most people don’t know is that Harrington, Maine is one of the poorest parts of the state. It is people like Mr. Worcester who make the world a better place! Thank you for thinking of our men and women who have served in Uniform and have served alongside their spouse or parent!

God Bless our Troops, their families, our heroes and the brave. The ones who have sacrificed their life and the families who miss them terribly this and every Christmas Season.  My prayers are with you all!