SAAM 2024

2024-05-282024-05-28 ~ Tanya Miller ~ Leave a comment

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the blog writter and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities they represent.

The month of April is known as Sexual Assault Awareness Month around the world. It is during this month that often military Sexual Assault Prevention & Response (SAPR) Teams will host significant events to bring awareness to the subject of sexual assault and awareness. The 90th MW/SAPR Program is similar; the first part of the month for the SAPR team at F.E. Warren Air Force Base (FEW) comprised of advertising. Getting out amongst the people giving out business cards and candy at gates with the first sergeants or sitting at tables visiting with people during their lunches was all a big build-up for three major events dominating the talk on the installation.

Mayra Guillen from the #IamVanessaGuillen Foundation flew to Denver, Colorado, from Houston, Texas to speak to the men and women at FEW. I was privileged to pick her up and be her assistant and chauffeur for the day she was in Cheyenne. What a privilege to hear an amazing and strong woman talk about her sister, the tragedy that occurred, and what has since occurred in the SAPR world as a result of Vanessa’s needless death. Over 600 people packed the FEW theater to hear Mayra. FEW was the first military installation after Vanessa’s death to invite Mayra to speak and follow through, and we made sure to leave a lasting impression that we pray will leave her wanting to come back and compare all her other visits to this one. It is my hope, with the help of sponsors, that next year, for SAAM, we will be able to dedicate a bench at the front of the installation to Vanessa’s Guillen and the Start by Believing concept. Already we have seen the impact that this woman has made just at FEW.

The theater was packed for Mayra Guillen

Following Mayra, we invited another impressive woman and survivor to teach at our gym on self-defense. Mrs. Sarah Falen-Tate is an impressive woman who is an attorney and advocate for our farmers and ranchers and teaches self-defense. Thanks to her daddy, who believed it essential for his children to learn self-defense Sarah was able to escape an attempt to kidnap, rape and assault her while she was out on a highway in Wyoming alone. She uses that knowledge to teach others how to be cognizant of their surroundings and, if necessary, the basic steps to escape if the need arises. This is the second year we have had Sarah at our installation, and she never fails to bring the heat. We look forward to her returning to teach more men and women at FEW.

Finally, the 26th of April arrived, and our team would make sure that the Annual SAPR 5K and Resource Fair finished the month with a bang. With only 52 people signed up to run and attend, we saw that the men and women at F.E. Warren Air Force Base would surprise us once again with over 100 people walking/running on a cold and blustery day, and then upon finishing heading to the Trails End for breakfast courtesy of the First Sergeants and coffee from Scooters Coffee and a wealth of information on self-care from the following organizations: SAPR, Chaplain Corp, the JA, Guard Prevention, Outdoor Recreation, Military One Source, 90/MW Prevention, Cheyenne Animal Shelter, Hands on Physical Therapy, Blue Federal Credit Union, Military One Sources, and many many men and women who assisted with set-up and tear down. We started with over ten tubs of swag to give out, and when we returned, we had less than two.

The conclusion of SAAM was amazing with more runners than anticipated and a fantastic resource fair.

April was an incredible month here at FEW. I look forward to seeing what Becki Burke, our new SARC, does with this program and how she takes it to new levels of trust and acceptance by both leadership and the men and women we serve.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year 2022!

2022-12-252022-12-14 ~ Tanya Miller ~ Leave a comment

Greetings and Salutations from the Miller Zoo!

2022 has been a fun year! So many changes and events have happened for Tim and me…we cannot wait to tell you about all we have done and experienced this year.

Initially, the year was slow to start, but in flew February with an announcement that our youngest daughter was engaged to be married – and “mom would you come to help me shop for wedding dresses?” Absolutely but it wouldn’t be until March that we would find that perfect dress.

February was an exciting month, and we welcomed another first…we got to meet Greg and Brianna-Lea’s daughter Inora Lynn and spend some quality time with all three of them. She is a delight, and spending a few hours with her and her parents was wonderful.

In March, so many events happen! At the beginning of the month, I was notified that I was under investigation for falsely answering information in my security clearance. Fortunately, good overcomes evil, and after several months of wondering and waiting, I was exonerated and placed back in good standing.

Not only did I fly to Kansas City at the end of March to shop for dresses, but Tim and I had the opportunity to attend Buckles and Baubles with my OG team, where we outbid my commander on a picture that would later be returned to him as a parting gift for his change of command.

Over the entire year, our family enjoyed several tea(s), both as the four of us and just Faithe and I. It has become a monthly event that Faithe and I enjoy participating in.

May found so many changes…

Volunteering at the Cheyenne Animal Shelter is a joy and a place I spent many hours over the summer and fall. I, unfortunately, haven’t been able to be there for a while due to injuring my knee.
At the shelter, I found a new addition to our home and the Dell home: Sir Pepper!
Even under investigation, my OG team supported and believed in me. It was reflected in what they thought when I received the highest score an appraisal can receive.
Moving the kids to Cheyenne and seeing Liam off to Vandenburg AFB, where he could do his 13N training.

June saw lots of endings and beginnings.

At the beginning of the month, we celebrated a friend of Liam and Faithe’s while we photographed their wedding.
Then we celebrated Codi with a bridal shower.
Finally, we said goodbye to my first OG command: Colonel Moore and Lt Col Hartfield, but hello to a new team in Colonel Nelson and Lt Col Vann. I have been vastly surprised at the differences in command over the last five years as I worked amongst these fantastic men and women.

July is always a busy month with CFD. So much of this time is spent volunteering for this significant event that highlights our past and present. So many miles were walked and run as we photographed, ushered, and ran in the parade. The month ended with our family signing up to join the CFD Military Committee – a real privilege after working alongside them for many, many years.

In August, Faithe and I started up Lunar Studios Photography again with more work photographing animals and group work – we enjoyed photographing families at the base – walking alongside animals at the shelter – and assisting 4H’rs perfect their work.

This was the month I would also agree to be a mentor for the Pine Bluffs MOPS program – something I hope I have helped with as much as they have helped me.
This would also be the month we would enjoy a tour of more of the hidden side of my work and see what our Missileers do each and every day

But the most prominent event had us spending a week in an air BnB in Longmont as we prepared for and celebrated Nate and Codi’s love as they joined their families together in marriage.

Another busy month blew September in for the Millers. Not only would I be starting back into school, but Faithe and I would photograph several significant events and go to the 75^th Air Force Ball. The one thing Tim and I had for a first was with me being gone for nearly five days and him being home with critters. We both agreed that while it was great for me to spend that time with mom and Kari, our next trip would be together.

In October, Liam graduated and came home as the newest missileer to the 90^th Operations Group. It was so awesome to have the family back together.

This would also be the month we spent hours in the park gathering family pictures and just laughing a lot.
An opportunity for application for a new job came up as well at the month’s close. While I was sure I would never leave the OG, I was not able to utilize my education as easily. Fortunately, after an interview, November would swoop in and show us the blessing of being selected as the first employed Victim’s Advocate at the 90^th Missile Wing. Around mid-December, it is the hope of many that I will move to my new job and begin helping those who have seen their voices silenced, speak again, and have their rights restored.

As we come to the end of the year, we are spending the holiday with Tim’s brother Brian and our girls and their families. I am volunteering as a key spouse so that our men and women in the missile field have a taste of home..and we are saying goodbye once again not only to my team as I move onto a new one but to our friend and colleague Bee as she moves onto a new assignment. The hardest thing about the military is the goodbyes…or see you later since we don’t know the next time we will see a person.

Well, that is our year in a brief nutshell…so many things that needed to be condensed down but that we wanted to share, and so much more we wish we could share but there just is not enough room or time before getting this out to each and every one of you.

Have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

The Millers and The Zoo!

Glimpsing the 2022 CFD in Pictures

2022-07-242022-08-28 ~ Tanya Miller ~ Leave a comment

Merry Christmas from the Miller Zoo

2021-12-242022-08-28 ~ Tanya Miller ~ Leave a comment

Greetings and salutations from the Millers! It has been another exciting and, in many ways, exhausting year!

2021 was the year of goodbyes for us. January saw us retrieving the ashes of our previous Spaz, who passed away at the end of December. Then we saw a farewell to Mr. Reggie after catching COVID-19. These would be the good-byes we didn’t want to say. But it would not be the last of them…

March saw me returning to school to work on my doctorate in counseling. Much of the first of the year also saw Tim at home more than at work due to medical issues. Thank God we learned the issue behind his medical…don’t let anyone ever tell you that stress can’t cause your body to shut down and not work right. With some applications and looking around, we saw several job offers in April and a final decision by the first of May…Tim took a job with ABF Trucking. This is where another good-bye would come into play…and one we were glad to see. Tim said goodbye to FedEx Freight, and we said goodbye to that dreaded apartment in Wamsutter. For the first time since we moved to Laramie, Tim and I would no longer be saying goodbye at the beginning of the week and hello at the end…instead, we are in the same house at least every other night.

My military family and husband moving snow

What else did March see for us…a snowstorm that shut down Cheyenne and much of the area for a week. It was an impressive two feet of snow…it was fun to watch Tim and the other guys in the neighborhood trying to move the snow for at least walkways back and forth across the street. Or Tim making a path for Tuhla to do her business.

Good-bye…I had never really understood what the word meant as a guard military spouse, but now that I work for the DOD, I am learning it a lot. And the first of saying good-bye began in May and didn’t end until July with all the change of commands, with my squadron commanders. I am learning to understand that while it may be a good-bye for the time being that many of these people will either return or with making friendships, I will have friends all over the United States.

May and June were pretty busy for us. Not only did I have a lot of change of commands to work on, but new people in my office. Then Tim and I started working on better health…for me, which meant starting reflexology, seeing a nutritionist, and starting a whole new walking program. For me starting this new regimen has been the best thing possible and helped put my fibromyalgia into remission. This would also be when Tim and I would start with new doctors – he with one in Cheyenne and me in Laramie. But really the most memorable part for me has been really stepping up my walking regimen…On average I walked 7-9 miles every day until November and now it is 3-5 miles with half at work and the other half on my treadmill (thank you, Captain Cody Sanchez).

June would also see me commit to one last act with AFROTC with the University of Wyoming. I helped Liam, my son-in-law, to commission. It was an excellent time to watch this next step in the evolution of his career and the kid’s life.

Men who would become instrumental at the beginning of Liam’s career

We learned that July is a hectic month for our family. Because we were only two months into Tim’s job, we saw him doing pretty extensive traveling initially. I helped our leadership find the right clothes for Cheyenne Frontier Days (CFD). The military plays a critical role in CFD. Nearly every day, Faithe and I actively participated in various activities for the military and CFD…not one day went by where we didn’t walk-jog at least 20 miles. It was so good to see we could do it…Faithe and I have already decided to come next year, whether stationed elsewhere or here. She and I are going again…I will pay for the plane ticket. Along with volunteering at CFD events, we (Faithe and I) helped with Visit Cheyenne and their rodeo series as volunteers with tickets and parking.

July also allowed us to open our home to a family in need. It made us appreciate what we have and the relationship we have. It also confirmed that what I am pursuing an education in is correct.

August and September were reasonably quiet, but October blew in like a tornado. Tim went from an extra board runner to having a bid that takes him from Cheyenne Wyoming to Salt Lake City six days a week, with Thursdays off. I admit it took me a little bit of time to understand how his schedule worked (I don’t know why my brain made it so hard). But now I know and can schedule our time around it. We see him take a run, off when we want a little extra time off. This was also the month that I would lose my military counterpart and be told that the challenge would start when I did both jobs until at least mid-November. It was a great experience and let me appreciate my military counterpart more.

October was also when our feral mama kitty would have another litter of kittens…six of them. All six of them have gone to homes, including Luca, with some family friends in Laramie.

Our little Bumblebee – doesn’t he have cute toe beans

Luca the last rescue kitten – he loves his new home

Whoa, whoa, whoa…I forgot a minor detail for August that was pretty life-changing for our zoo….with one little phone call, I learned that a feral kitten I had been trying to catch had been caught and was in our basement. This sweet kitten was B of a group. Tim had named them A, B, and F. A, is mama kitty, and I finally caught her three days before Christmas (she will be warm and now to find her a home). F, also known as Ferdinand, went to live with another family, and B…well, sounds like a bumblebee (and moves like one too) and gets around like Gumby. Needless to say, we call him our little Gumby the Bumble Bee. My little Bee is lying behind me on my chair, purring away as I write this. I have continued to work with the feral kitties, and find them homes. The last kitten so far to find a home is Luca.

November was exciting as we spent the holiday with the kids and learned that Liam was considering giving up his pilot slot for a Missileer position. November rolled into a busy December as well. The first week of December, we saw much of I80 closed due to weather…closed for us meant that Tim spent two days in Laramie in a hotel and one day in Rawlins trying to find his way to Salt Lake City (SLC) on a singular run.

It looks like we will be spending our Christmas alone this year. Liam and Faithe will be headed to SLC on Christmas eve to spend it with Bree and her family. Codi and Nathan will be spending it in their new home…trying to catch a breath after a particularly rough last quarter of the year (please pray for our kids as they had a particularly hard goodbye this month). New Year’s Eve will see Tim driving again…please pray for his safety.

Have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! And I pray your 2022 is more restful and filled with much more peace than the last two years have been for many!

The Millers,

Tim, Tanya, Gizmo, Tuhla, and Bee

Enjoy our year in pictures, in no specific order…notice because we no longer have little ones at home that many of our pictures revolve around our fur babies!