Make sure to take a listen — Click here for the MP3

You can also find out more information about the upcoming project Building Business Military Spouse Style on Twitter and Facebook as well.

On Memorial Day, most Americans will break out the barbecue grills, beer, chocolate cake, etc., and gather with family and friends to celebrate the holiday weekend.

But Memorial Day is so much more than that! It is a day to pause with solemn gratitude and deep respect for all our fallen service members, POWs, and MIAs who have given their lives for our country and our freedom.

On military installations all over the U.S. and abroad, there will be parades, celebrations, cookouts, and picnics. Not everyone  will be celebrating on May 31st. For our troops in harm’s way, it will be just another day ; for their families, it will be another day without their loved one.

Memorial Day which originated in 1868, when Union General John A. Logan designated a day in which the graves of Civil War soldiers would be decorated. Originally known as Decoration Day, the holiday was changed to Memorial Day in 1888, becoming a holiday dedicated to the memory of all war dead.

Every day in my military life is Memorial Day. We remember our friends and family that have given the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedoms that we enjoy each and every day. So many of the freedoms that all of us enjoy are because of the blood, sweat, and tears of all of our veterans and the sacrifices that they made.

May 7th is a very special day! It is Military Spouse Appreciation Day. Back in 1984, President Ronald Reagan created this special holiday just for us military spouses in recognition of the sacrifice that we make. We think military spouses should be thanked everyday because for without our “service” the United States Armed Forces wouldn’t be able to do what they do.

President Ronald Reagan recognized the profound importance of the military spouse’s commitment to the readiness and Well-Being of servicemembers, and on May 23, 1984, he signed a proclamation that set aside the Friday before Mother’s Day each year as Military Spouse Day.

So in honor of Military Spouse Appreciation Day , we are running a very special contest here on the Jane Wayne Gear Blog.

We are giving away a special Military Spouse Prize Pack to one VERY lucky Military Spouse! It includes the H2O Tactical, and a pair of Jane Wayne Flip Flops. This contest will close at 11:59pm Eastern time zone Wednesday, May 6th. The winner will be announced here on the blog via video post on May 7th – Military Spouse Appreciation Day !

Don’t forget to make sure to join us for the
Military Spouse Appreciation Twitter Party
that I’ll be hosting from 8pm to 9pm EST
(follow @TammyMunson for more information)

The following are ways to gain entries in the drawing:

1. In comments section of this blog post, tell about your experiences being a military spouse and what it means to you . (1 point)
2. Tweet linking back to blog (post Tweet url to comments of this blog post for verification)- (1 point ) The contest hashtag is #jwmilspouse
3. Post on Facebook – make sure to comment in the Blog comment section with a url to the facebook status update (1 point )
4. Write your own blog post about this giveaway and link back to this blog post . Make sure that you put the blog post URL in the comment section. (2 points )
5. Create your own video and post the video URL in the comments section (5 points)

Can’t wait to see all the awesome entries!

Tammy

So let’s meet them -

BJ Thomas aka USMCtankmama
Hello!  I have been a Marine Wife for 11 ½ years.  My husband has 18 years in The Corps and we are counting down to retirement….WOO HOO!!  I am a stay at home Mom to 4 daughters ages 13 through 5.

In my spare time (insert laugh here) I enjoy reading novels; my favorite author is Diana Gabaldon.  I also love to ride my motorcycle whenever I get the chance and like to take pictures.  Someday I would like to go to school for photography.
I was born and raised in North Western Pennsylvania but have lived in North Carolina, Washington State, Kentucky and California since being married to my husband.  We currently live in North Carolina…again

Julie Provost aka JulieTheArmyWife
I am Julie, 31 and been married to my Soldier Ben for 7.5 years now.  We have two little boys, 5 and 3.  My husband and I are both originally from California.  We just moved to Ft. Campbell after spending 4 years in Germany.  We have been through 2 deployments and been an Army family for 4.5 years now.  I am a SAHM, photographer & blogger.

Audra Kelly aka UH60 Sweetheart
I am a veteran of the US Army, and the US Navy, and now I am serving my country through my husband, who is a Blackhawk Pilot in the Army. I am a stay at home mother of 3. 2 girls, ages 5 and 3, and my son who will be 1 year old in July, 2010. I have a passion for writing, as well as helping military spouses through tough times. I am the treasurer for my FRG, and am an advocate for the humane treatment of animals. We are currently stationed at Fort Hood, TX, but will be PCSing to Fort Rucker, AL this summer.

I work with All Fired Up and Jane Wayne Gear as a consultant, and love the products they offer, as well as the mentoring for fellow military spouses. I absolutely adore being married to a soldier, and I am constantly beaming from his accomplishments as a pilot, husband and father.

Angela Martin aka NavyWife1220
I am Angela! I have my AA in History & I plan on receiving my BA in European History. I’ve decided I want to be an author. Writing is the only profession where no one considers you ridiculous if you earn no money. I was born an east coast girl but raised to be a west coast girl. I love tank tops and believe in wearing my flip flops and sunglasses no matter the weather.

Being a Navy wife means even more of an adventure! Home is where the Navy sends us but our hearts will always be in California. Look beside each sailor and you will find the people who fight with them. The spouses, the sons, the daughters, the families, we serve too and I am proud to call myself an Navy wife.

Megan Murphy aka A Grunt’s Wife
I am the mother of four beautiful children (three from a previous marriage) and wife to an 0369 Marine Grunt.  He served 12 years at Camp Lejeune, NC, and got 8 deployments under his belt before they made him stop deploying and take a new duty station. 

We are now in Virginia Beach, VA, where he serves as the Staff Non-Commissioned Officer In Charge (SNCOIC) for the Designated Marksmanship course during a 3-year non-deployable B Billet.

I stay at home to take care of the youngest bundle of joy. Rhyan came into the world 3 weeks into her daddy’s last deployment and missed getting to know him for the first 6 months of her life. I write often about the joys and struggles of military life, the stressors of being a non-custodial parent to my oldest three children, and the beauty in the small things in life.

Stacie May aka  StacieLynn
I hail from the “Vacationland” state of Maine, though I lived in Massachusetts until I graduated high school. My husband and I got to know each other the old fashioned way; through letters while he was deployed in Iraq. After he came home and he could deal with my sarcasm, I knew he was a winner. We married in September 2009 and drove down to Jacksonville, North Carolina with everything we owned packed in a Subaru. Since then we’ve acquired much more including our miniature Dachshund named “Sookie”. Despite an often absent husband, I’ve learned to love this life and the awesome “marine wives” I’ve met along the way.

Traci Cook aka MyArmy Life
Sixteen.  Seven.  Two.  Answers to my basic Army-wife questions … How many years in the Army?  Sixteen and counting.  How many moves have we made?  Seven (and counting).  How many totally adorable children do I have?  Two (and not counting on more).

My husband and I are native Texans currently stationed at Fort Hood.  I love volunteering for my kids’ school and sporting events, blogging, social media, and reading.  I work parttime from home as a website content administrator and social media coordinator … so you can see me online a lot of the time.

We’ve thrived through three deployments and are enjoying some good ole Army dwell time right now.  We love the Army life, challenges and all, and look forward to more fabulous fun to come.

photo by Tammy Munson

picture courtesy of loldogs.com

picture courtesy of Tammy Munson

We hope that everyone had a great holiday season! All of us at Jane Wayne Gear took advantage of the break to relax and get ready for 2010! So we are all back are ready to kick off 2010 with a bang!!!

To get 2010 started off right – we are starting a new weekly blog series called Project52 Every day for the next 52 weeks,  we’ll post a new picture here on the blog. At the end of the project, we’ll put it in a nice video to share with everyone.

If you’d like to participate by sending in one of your pictures , we’d love for you to do so. It can be of your husband, boyfriend,, your family,  BFF”s , pics of YOUR Jane Wayne Gear. You can email it to tammy @ janewaynegear.com (please include name, post/base and branch)

So here is Week 1 –

Tammy's favorite 2 bags

You may not know this but our company was founded in this fabulous town of Jacksonville NC!

With each purchase you get to also walk away with a signature Jane Wayne Tote or choose a fabulous Holiday Candle instead if you prefer!

Purchase any Jane Wayne GEAR Handbag – Get a FREE Custom Name Tape – so you can proudly put MARINE MOM, MARINE WIFE, or Your Last Name on your handbags!