Women of the Military contest... Meet Alysha Anderson!

Hello! My name is Alysha Anderson, And I am a PROUD army wife. My Husbands name is Paul Anderson and he is a Staff Sergeant for the 1-79th Mortars Platoon. He is Currently in the middle of training for a deployment to Afghanistan this summer.
Paul proudly serves our country and love's his job. He joined in 1998, and this will be his 6th deployment. Paul is my whole world, He is the best husband a Girl could ever ask for. I knew he was going to be my husband from the first day we spent together!
I have never met a man like him, he is sooooo giving, Sweet, funny, and can put a smile on anybody's face. Being a military spouse is incredibly difficult already and he hasn't even left the country yet. It doesn't just include not having your soul mate by your side and missing him every minute of everyday...always looking at your phone to make sure you dont miss calls..... or having skype become your best friend. It makes you The man and woman of the house. You have to deal with dreaded questions. I dont worry about my husband not coming home, beacause I know he was a born soldier...and an amazing one at that. What gets us through the time apart is knowing that nothing can ever bring us down after this deployment and we will be incredibly strong together!!! I wouldn't change a thing because my husband is my everything. <3 :)
(P.S. If I happen to win a Nicole Katherine dress i will be picking him up from the airport in it) :)

Women of the Military Contest... Meet Kristal Tangard!

I am on Orange County Army Wife, a mother of 3, and an aspiring Pin Up Model! My husband and I have been serving the United States Army for 6 years. My husband is in the Infantry previously stationed in Fairbanks Alaska for 4 years. He just recently transferred over to Air Traffic Controller. That's re enlistment for another 6 years. He plans on retiring wt the US Army. Being in the military at times can be HARD! My husband has no idea i'm writing about this, he thinks i'm blogging about something silly, possibly something about modeling, little does he know, I'm confessing how much in love, and how much i do support his career he has choose for our family. His jaw will drop to the floor when he reads this, i have never expressed my true feeling like this about our life as a military family. My husband has only been home for 1 of our children's births. The others, he was over seas. It can be terribly difficult to say good bye for 14 months at a time. This years deployments for him is only 6 months. My three little boys DO NOT like saying good bye to their daddy. They know he is a G.I. Joe though, and they think that there is nothing cooler than that. He is their hero. Just as he is all of ours. We all know the army wife puts the H.E.R. in hero though.
The day we all look forward to the most as a family is when he comes home. A grand reunion, a hot shower for him, and a love fest for my 3 little boys and myself! Our time spent at home is as important as our time spent apart. We ensure our relationship as husband and wife is as strong as being a mom and dad. Coming home for an Army Dad is hard. Transitioning to Civilian life after being at war for a year is trying for the whole family. We consider LOVE, and RESPECT, as rules in our home to keep our family strong. Being an army wife is quite possibly the toughest job in the military. When my husband is over seas i have to be strong for both us, and my children, and our families. I have to keep him up to date with current events, the children and of course my new pin up adventures and photos. It can get lonely out there, I take joy in knowing my husband has my photos at his side at all times.
Offering support to soldiers over seas is difficult. The men in the infantry that are out in the field will work 14 hr. days wt 2hr. of sleep. They go weeks wt our showers, and probably would cut some one for a bag of beef jerky. So, when i ask my husband what i can send to him......i know all he wants is sleep, a shower, and the children and i in a box. How do you do that? Its impossible. They all want the same thing. Its just not something you can cram in a box. Being alone when he is over seas is hard and can at times be trying. Fro the time i take my first sip of coffee in the morning, till i lay my head on the pillow at nite. I think of my husband, my best friend, and the father of my children. Its just not a HOME when he's gone. There is always something missing when he is away.
My husband, after re enlisting for six more years does not know where we will live later on down the road. Saying good- bye to our friends and family can be very, very difficult. It is hard to let go of the people you love. My sons 6, 2, and 4 months old, miss their Dad terribly. When he leaves it takes them a few months to get it out of their system. Web cam, and email are the source of our communication. Sometimes we just sit on the phone in silence, but that's o.k., because there is nothing to say sometimes. Its the comfort of knowing we are there for each other, and it melts my heart. My husband loves fighting for his country. He is a solider through and through. I couldn't imagine him ne where else, other than the United States Army! That to me is a joy in its self. Some women may not have the heart to write about this kind of stuff because they feel it can be depressing, or over whelming. Yes, it is both of those things, but this is something he loves, and i will support him as he supports me! Making us a happy healthy family. This year my husband will come home for a four day weekend in july for the Hootenanny. I am competing for Miss Hootenanny at this current time and plan to wear my new Nicole Katherine dress to the event. Weather i wear that crown or not, i will be sporting my new dress like a champ! Just because you don't win things in life, doesn't mean your not winning at life!

Nicole Katherine Designs Women of the Military Contest: Meet Amanda Hess!

I am an Army Wife. I am proud of the life I have chosen. I have a deep sense of duty and loyalty, to my country and my husband. I wait, in the early morning light, as he packs up his gear. He has to make two trips, always two trips to the truck. I’ll wait, in the slider door with the kitchen light behind me. Our dog will sit at my feet. She’s waiting too….
Always waiting, for a soldier to come home from where ever they decide to send him. Usually he heads to Battle Creek, Mi. for Battle Assembly (BA) once a month for a couple days, give or take a couple more days. This year his Annual Tour (AT) will be in Ft. McCoy, WI. He will be gone the entire month of August.
I’m a lucky one, a grateful one. My Private First Class (PFC) is a Reservist. Ready if needed. I like to pretend he will never deploy but I’m also not a naïve little girl anymore. It seems silly to think he could get orders for deployment any moment of any day. While it may seem unlikely, it is possible. And that is what I live every day, with grace and love in my heart.
I occupy myself while he’s gone. I’m a hair stylist, photographer and model. I love to take vintage themed pin-up photos for my soldier and he sure does love taking them with him on long field training exercises. Nicole Katherine Designs offers the perfect look to keep my husbands heart racing from the perfect fit of each custom garment. He’s jealous the dresses get to hug my curves while he’s away. If I were to win a dress, I’d have to orchestrate an elaborate photo shoot with my soldier in full uniform. That would leave me tickled pink for days, maybe even years to come.


Amanda Hess
626 Lafayette Ave NE
Grand Rapids, MI 49503

Women of the Military contest... Meet Brittany Allen!

Being a Female in the military can be tough. I know my cute little ass belongs in the kitchen but sometimes life just doesn't follow a recipe. Currently I am living in a maintenance squadron where there are approximately 500 men and 50 women. It is safe to say we are a bit out numbered. I can't count how many times I have been told that I am a weak female or that I don't belong here. To be honest.... It just motivates me more. To see the look on that tough guys face when I knock out just as many push ups as him or when I can troubleshoot a malfunction and repair the aircraft faster and more efficiently than any of the men in my class... well, it makes me smile. My goal isn't necessarily to be better than them or to put them down but to use all of my potential to it's fullest.
In the Air Force we have three core values... Integrity first, Service before self, and Excellence in all we do. Unfortunately I have met many that don't care about excellence or have little to no integrity but all of us have had to sacrifice something to be here. Many of us have to go long periods of time away from our family and loved ones. Whether it is state side or overseas, it is still hard to say goodbye. In other aspects, certain life aspirations have to be postponed. Schooling and civilian careers are put on the back burner when our nation needs our help. In today's economy many of us, including myself, need the military in order to achieve these goals. I can honestly say that without the Air Force I have no idea what kind of disaster I would be in.
The military may be a man's world but women still play an important roll. Throughout history men have gone off to war and women had to put up their oven mitts to attend to the factories and farms while still raising their families. In today's world we go off to war also. I have not yet been deployed, but I'm sure someday my time will come.
While I still like to throw on an apron and a cute pair of heels, the reality is that sometimes I need to put on some boots and grab a tool box.

I currently have a Nicole Katerine dress awaiting my arrival at home and I plan on wearing all the time. No occasion is to insignificant to be bombshell..... Whether I am simply taking my dog on a walk downtown or dinning out with handsome Airman I will be sure to turn heads in a dress from Nicole Katherine Designs.

A1C Brittany M. Allen
Electrical and Environmental Systems
United States Air Force

Nicole Katherine Designs "Women Who Serve Our Military" Blog Contest

OK ladies here is our new contest!



Please read carefully as only TWO types of women are allowed to join this contest.



Who: You must be a military spouse or a woman in the US Military to be eligible to join this contest



What: This contest is going to involve a little dedication and brain power so please read all of the criteria carefully…



You will be writing a blog on life as a military spouse or woman in the armed forces.

First off you must be over 18 to enter. No exceptions.

* Please write a blog no more than 1000 words ( a little over is ok but please don't make it too long)
* In your blog please include the following: tell us about military life including the joys, pains, struggles and what it means to you to be a woman offering your support to our troops either as a military spouse or military personnel.
* We need proof that you are either a military spouse or military personnel. So, for spouses: we need photos of you and your spouse in uniform and information on their rank and branch of military.
* For women in the armed forces that enter thiscontest: Please send us your military head shot (don't laugh I don't know what else this could be called haha) and information on your rank and branch of military. In your blog please tell us what it means to you to be involved in the military and serving our country.
* For everyone that enters, the second thing that we need you to briefly mention in your blog is a little something about Nicole Katherine Designs. If you win this contest, where do you plan on wearing your new dress, or for what occasion?
* Please email your blog along with the required photos, your name, address, date of birth, and measurements (we need these to give you your prize in the correct size). Send everything to nkd2011promo@yahoo.com and add to the subject line: Military Blog Contest.
* Do not send any emails or contest entries to any nicolekatherine.com email addresses. This is very important as the files will max out our business email and make us all really cranky.
* We will post the blogs on our blog site at http://nicolekatherinedesigns.blogspot.com/ we also ask that if you have a blog to post your entry on your blog site as well J
* We will choose the winner based on reader popularity and what stirs our emotions the most.
* The winner will be chosen on Monday, May 30th 2011 (Memorial Day!) as well as two runners up.

What the winner will receive: A new dress from Nicole Katherine Designs and a gift bag full of goodies from our sponsor Cherry and Olive as well as a few other lovely sponsors. The two runners up will receive a small gift bag of goodies.

Disclaimer: By entering our contest you give us permission to post photos and your blog to our blog site and any other advertisements. We will not use last names or post any contact or personal information, nor sell this information for any purpose whatsoever. All personal information, aside from first names and photos, will not be distributed and will remain private and only for the use of Nicole Katherine Designs to send the winners their loot.



Thank you for your entries and for your role in serving our great nation