My name is Penny Rene and I’m from Oklahoma. Currently I live in Middletown, New Jersey with my husband, Mike and my baby daughter August. As I write, my daughter plays on the floor beside me and I can hear a school bus has just dropped off kids outside the window. It’s a good day.

My dad was in the USAF and he retired as a MSGT about 25 years ago. My brother, sister, and I consider us to have experienced the typical life as military brats. However, our dad never was in a war, so I can’t say I know what that kind of sacrifice is like. But I think about you and your buddies a lot, so I thought I’d write this letter to say Thank you and to give you a little bit of home.

I spend my days taking care of my daughter and writing for my website. I think I used to be a real writer but I am so sleep deprived lately from middle of the night feedings that I am lucky to remember to put on both shoes before I leave the house. So, mostly I write a blog. I’ll enclose some printouts of my site so you can see the completely unsolicited advice that can easily be distributed by a completely unqualified person with the power of the internet. Freedom of speech, baby! Thanks for that too.

I started out writing really dramatic teen-angst poetry. The trees that I wasted with that stuff! But today I found out that somebody is actually making money off other people’s old diary entries. There’s a book called Mortified which features the most embarrassing excerpts from people’s teen journals, poetry and letters. The book promotes a traveling show where the actual writers of crap teen angst read their own stuff to a live audience. I looked at the website today and read some of the potentially featured work. As pathetic as they were, I thought, “Child’s play! My old stuff is way more embarrassing!” So I plan to submit some for consideration. Hey, if I cannot look back on your teen years and laugh
what were the braces, the crushes and the bad hairstyles for?

I’ve read that hygiene items are hard for military to get in the Middle East so we are sending you some in this package. I once went four days without showering while camping out in the cold on the beach of the Black Sea. The hair on my legs, well, you don’t want to know. But I look at the pictures from that excursion and I look pretty good. There is a dazed look in my eyes that one can only get from the sleep deprivation inflicted by freezing nights, minimal blankets, and only the option of cold showers outside. There is also something about paying a guy named Johnny for access to a toilet for several days that humbles a city girl like me. Good times. Anyway, sand in your armpits doesn’t show in photographs and neither does BO, so I wouldn’t be too worried.

I went to Target and bought some protein snack bars to be included in this package. The Luna bars are the best, but Cliff comes in a close second. I used to snack on these when I worked at the Bicycle Store in Oklahoma City. I was never that much of a cyclist, though I do admire anyone who is. I would ride my bike more for the fun of getting out than an attempt to race my friends or beat my last performance. I just don’t have the desire for that kind of speed. I do like Yoga. This I can do at home where no one can watch my grunt and complain to myself while I’m doing it. No one can see how I suck at it even though I enjoy it.

Well, the holidays are coming up and I’m wishing, like everyone else, that you could be with your family. I hope you get a chance to speak with them and that you find some comfort in all the chaos there. Please enjoy the care package as it really was sent with good wishes and appreciation. Those of us here at home are thinking of you even if we don’t know you personally. We appreciate what you do and we pray for your safe return.

As I close this letter it's night. A Charlie Brown Christmas is on TV and all the stores are still open late for the holiday shoppers.

Good night.