Military Merriment Top 12 Families

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This is it! The highly anticipated announcement we’ve all been waiting for. Below are the 12 military families who have won a special holiday weekend at Cheyenne Mountain Colorado Springs, a Dolce Resort. 

And it’s not just an ordinary weekend. It includes a 30-minute Skype session with a deployed spouse/parent, on-site childcare for the kids, a massage for the in-town parent, elf turndown service and more!

We received a staggering 21,399 votes for the 24 finalists! Those votes determined 10 of the winners. The final two were chosen by a random number generator. 

Now, we realize that we received far more than 12 entries. And we wish we could give you all a weekend here. Every one of you deserves it. We at Colorado Springs Moms Blog appreciate you more than you know. So, for now, please simply accept our heartfelt “thank you” for what you do.

Cheyenne Mountain Colorado Springs thanks you, too! And they are offering $106 rooms, childcare and other amazing perks to all active duty military families between now and mid-March. For more information on their Military Salute package, click here.  

So, without further ado, here are the winning families. Cheyenne Mountain Colorado Springs will be contacting you today to set up your reservations. If you were nominated by someone else and don’t hear from Cheyenne Mountain, please give them a call. Congratulations! And Happy Holidays to you all… 

The Spray Family, Army

Hello! My name is Shannon and my husband Adam is deployed for the second time in 15 months. Last year, he left when our third child, our little girl, was 12 days old. This year he is missing every big holiday and it’s been hard on us all. He’s missing Christmas and we aren’t going home because it’s too much for me to travel alone with three young kiddos. This little getaway would be a wonderful way to de-stress and for my kids to get their mind off of Dad being gone during the holidays. Thank you for considering our family! We are so proud to be a military family!
 

The Fry Family, Air Force

This retreat would be a wonderful well-deserved experience for my wife and kids! My wife amazes me every day…. She has mastered being a military spouse in so many ways. Megan takes the challenges of holding down our household like a champ, picking up all the slack during my deployments. Over the past four months we have had both of our vehicles go down requiring major repairs, a lawn mower break, the sprinkler system act up, sick kids, dogs requiring vet visits… It’s not easy and never gets easy, but Megs manages to pull it off with such grace and dedication. If just making sure all the chores and normal life wasn’t enough, she also holds down a part-time job and is a stellar homeschool teacher. She also teaches free sign language classes to 12 students once a week, as well as working with an organization teaching sign language to Santa and his helpers. My Mom had surgery and who was there is take care of her? My amazing wife, of course! Knowing that my wife is at the helm in my absence allows me to focus on the mission!

The Kirkwood Family, Army

We have known this family since 2011 when we were stationed together at Ft. Lewis, WA with them. Devin back then was then an MP. He has since switched over to Special Forces at Ft. Carson and recently deployed. Lyndsey is an excellent Mom and supports her soldier in every way. Lyndsey and I would often take turns making dinners for our families while our husbands were deployed and we were both stationed at Ft. Lewis. She was always supportive of my family. We were elated when they told us they were coming to Ft. Carson and couldn’t wait to see them again. They have four beautiful daughters. I want to nominate this amazing family!
 

The Mueller Family, Army

My husband is deployed overseas this holiday season. My youngest just had brain surgery in June after two years of struggling with seizures & is 4 months seizure-free! My first-grader has matured beautifully, even calling 911 on occasion for his younger brother when I’ve needed him to. We would love a vacation!

The Richter Family, Army

For my family, this deployment has been the most challenging. What family wants to move to a new duty station, only to turn around and send their hero off 2 weeks later to a faraway land for 9 months? All this after our household goods were delayed arriving. That left myself, my girls, and visiting family to try to make this house a home. My 7-year-old was a trooper as she unpacked and organized her room, even when my four-year-old undid everything big sister just finished. Our youngest isn’t like most four-year-olds. She has Sensory Processing Disorder, Motor Apraxia, and Speech Apraxia. Her mannerisms are similar to autism. Moving and facing her first deployment has been a struggle. Deployments bring enough stress on their own, without the added therapy sessions this little girl has daily. I also worry about my own health. I have rare hemiplegic migraines; these cause my ENTIRE body to become paralyzed for 25 minutes, with stroke-like symptoms. Our eldest is not only my daughter, she has become my nurse. She is mature beyond her years and we have our plan that works great until… In November, I was admitted to the hospital due to a blood clot in my lung, caused by medication I need to live a somewhat normal life. Now, with new medication I feel like I have to go back to the beginning. My 7-year-old has continued to stay strong and excel in all areas from school to soccer, never complaining. At the end of the day, we choose joy. We thank God daily for the days we are given. I would love for us to enjoy a small adventure and spend time without worry for our everyday life.

The Eldridge Family, Army

I’m nominating the Eldridge family. Kyle is deployed on a year-long assignment. They went through several deployments during the early days of Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as a few stateside deployments where Kyle was separated from the family. But when they found out about this particular deployment, it hit them pretty hard. The family has found their forever home here in Colorado and they were just getting settled in when he found out he’d be leaving for a year. Kyle will get some R&R on this deployment, but not in time for the holidays. So for now, Caitlyn and the kids are pushing through and counting down the days till he comes home. The three kids are a very fun, energetic group and they would LOVE all of the fun activities the resort has planned. And Caitlyn absolutely needs some pampering.

 

The Sommerville Family, Army

Happy Holidays to you all. I, Maria, wanted to nominate our family because we are what you call “Army Strong.” My husband has been in for 17 years and currently serving his 6th tour of 9-15 months away from his family. So currently, I am a working mom who also is very involved with Army and the local community. I’m an active member/volunteer for the Mountain Post Spouses Club, Family Readiness Group Leader for Warrior Transition Battalion, Volunteer Active Social Committee Leader for CYS, Volunteer Parent during AYSO Soccer seasons, Meal Ministry Team and Child Care for Cross Creek Church and Volunteer for Fountain Girls Scout Troop 740. When my husband is home, he is a volunteer coach for City of Fountain Girls Basketball League and always finds time to help Army Community Service. Besides our busy lives, we enjoy weekend getaways, sports and family time. We four children, including one planning to join the Army in April. I’ve never entered my family for something like this before. We have enjoyed family bonding retreats and such, but often missed them because my husband is so kind-hearted for the military, he has given up our slot for another family. All military family members deserve this because we are so unique, and all the transitions that the whole family have to go through is hard. It was never easy with all the moves, but this is my life. I love every place we move, love all the people we meet and most of all, the strength it has given us to live this way of life.
 

The Kingston Family, Army

My name is Jennifer and my husband Jonathon and I have two wonderful, young boys. This year, my husband is on his first deployment. This is all very new territory and I am doing the best I can. It has been extremely difficult on our 5-year-old. I remind him that God is watching over his father and protecting him while he is away. We try to video chat as often as possible, but it is not the same as having his father here. Our youngest is turning 1 in a few weeks and it’s rough knowing our family will be apart for this special occasion. With all the memories we are missing out on this holidays season, it’s hard thinking about the firsts my husband is missing. Recently, we have hit a few extra bumps. The washer, dishwasher and TV broke. The added cost to replace these items has made Christmas money a little tight. I would love the opportunity to give my boys a special holiday experience to help us get through our first Christmas season without their dad.
 

The Villarreal Family, Army

I never served, but have tremendous respect for those who have and are still serving our country. I’ve only known Michael and his family for about 8 months but we have become very close. This is Michael’s first deployment since his daughter was born, so it’ll be her first Christmas away from her daddy! On top of that, they received the wonderful news that they were expecting, so he will miss out on most of the pregnancy. He is an amazing man and father, and a true patriot. Men like Michael Villarreal are the reason this country is great!

 
 

The Walker Family, Army

 
Far away from the person we love the most, we have each other. Our beautiful girls and I have sacrificed so much and I would love nothing more than to surprise them with this amazing opportunity to brighten their spirits this holiday season. Thank you for your consideration. 
 

The Nica Family, Army

Meet the Nica family! We are a very tight-knit family of four, and one of us is currently on an overseas tour. We have lived in Colorado Springs for the past five years and love that we can call this city home! Our children have adjusted well to the military lifestyle, and couldn’t be more proud that their dad (to our daughter he is definitely “daddy”) is a soldier. This will be the very first Christmas we have not all been able to be together to celebrate, which is going to make this a special challenge for each us. We are doing our best to find ways to make this holiday season fun for everyone (care packages with the inside of the boxes wrapped anyone?) But as you can imagine, the reality of being halfway around the world from each other is not easy. This holiday getaway would go a long way to show these two kids how much their dad’s service, and physical absence, is appreciated. It would ensure a couple days packed with fun and exciting things, and just might be what we need to help us stay “Army Strong” for the holiday season.
 
 

The Garza Family, Air Force

This will be the second year in a row that my husband is deployed overseas during the holidays. It is difficult to have him gone anytime of the year, but the holidays somehow make it feel like he is further from us. We do not have any family near us. I just finished school and currently don’t have a job. This makes it impossible to travel to see family. It will be the second year in a row that my daughter and I are spending the holidays alone. I know a lot of families are deserving of this, but I would really love to have this special experience with my daughter.