My first 3 sets of pens as a new penturner!

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WoodnPecker

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Mar 7, 2005
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Location
Dresden, Tennessee, USA.
Hello to everyone,
Here are some pictures of my first 3 sets of pens as a new penturner. They turned out pretty good but I am hoping to sharpen my skills and turn some nicer ones in the near future. The first picture is a group shot of all three sets together. Pictured from (L-R) the first two pens are a Slimline set made from Spalted Maple which I got from my neighbor who had it cut for firewood, lucky for me he did not burn it so now I can turn it. The next two pens are a Slimline set made from Pink Ivory which a very special friend sent to me for my wife's service in the U.S. Army. The last set is a Slimline pen and pencil set made from Bethlehem Olive Wood which I also added the medical clip since she is a Forward Surgical Nurse in the Army and a Neuro Intensive Care Nurse as a civilian. This same friend also sent me these blanks for my wife. The Pink Ivory set and the Bethlehem Olive Wood set are both on there way to my wife for our 5th Wedding Anniversary, which is the year of the wood. My wife is serving our country overseas for 18 months with the U.S. Army so we will not get to be together on our anniversary or any other time until her 18 month deployment is up. I sure hope she likes them and I also hope they reach her by our anniversary.
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Here is a picture of just the Spalted Maple pen set I practiced with.
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Here is a picture of just the Pink Ivory pen set.
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Here is a picture of just the Bethlehem Olive Wood pen and pencil set.
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I would also like to say a very special "Thank You", from my wife and myself, to my friend here at IAP who so generously sent me these blanks and also say "Thanks" to everyone else here for all of their help and wonderful information available here at IAP and and to Sheila at Pens of Color for helping me get set up with all of my tools and supplies.

Take Care All!
 
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The one we need to thank is you wife and all the other brave soldiers who are overseas protecting our nation. We all them a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid. Every time I think of what thye sacrifice that me and my family might remain free, my heart is filled with thanks. Our military is one of the many things that makes America great.
Congrats on your anniversary and our prayers will be with you and your wife that this will be the only anniversary that you will have to celebrate apart. My prayers are with you and yours.
The pens are great, the workmanship and the choices of wood.
 
Great looking pens Bryant. I especially like the shape and the burn ins on the pink ivory.

I spent my 4th anniversary and my daughter's first birthday in the Middle East, so I know what you're going through. We'll definitely keep you all in our prayers.
 
Bryant, those are beautiful and I'm sure they will really touch your wife's heart. There is nothing like a gift that is made by the giver! Our prayers are with all our service people protecting this great country. Keep up the good work!
 
These are simpy wonderful, Bryant. I'll keep you, your wife and your son in my prayers during her tour of duty. It's unfortunate that she'll be away for your anniversary, but please know that many of us here are proud of her service to our country and pray for her safe return (and that of the other service men and women). A special prayer also for Nancy.

Keep up the great work!
 
Hello again everyone,
I would like to thank you all very much for your compliments on my pens, but more importantly, I would like to thank you all so much for your kind words, support, encouragement and prayers for my wife, my family and all of the other courageous soldiers, both home and abroad, who are fighting for our freedoms and defending this wonderful country we are all so blessed to live in. My wife being taken away from me and from our family for 18 months is something neither of us could do anything to prepare for, although we both very much support the cause, it has already been more sacrifice than we ever dreamed between her actual deployment and the last four years of wondering when it was going to happen. We knew it was coming we just did not know when and about a week before Christmas we received her orders. This is the fourth Christmas in a row the Army has dampened our Christmas spirits, to say the least, because ever since 11 Sept. 2001 they have raised her alert status and then lowered it again and back and forth constantly but they seemed to always raise her alert status to a very high level right before Christmas. Well, this year it was real but thankfully they let her stay home for Christmas. The last four years we have basically been a roller coaster ride as far as fearing she was going to receive her orders to active duty and have in a way had to put a lot of our life on hold. We have been planning on building a new home for four years now and everytime we would get almost comfortable with getting started we would again receive another high alert. She was also supposed to get out of the Reserves not too long after the 9/11 attacks occured but once this happened the Army told us that was on hold and now it looks like she is going be in for a while. In fact, we have discussed her just going ahead and getting in her 20 years now because by the time she comes home from this tour she will have somewhere around 15 years in depending how long she is on active duty. Her orders were for 540 days but they said it could be as long as 720 days.

For some reason the last couple of weeks have been really bad for both of us and I don't know if it is because our anniversary is getting so close or if it is just the fact we miss each other so much or if it is something else but they have been really tough. Everytime I have been able to talk to my wife she sounds so sad and ends up crying before we hang up which hearing her cry like that hurts me so bad. I made a promise to always love her, protect her and take care of her through thick and thin and it seems there is nothing I can do to help her or make her feel better while she is half way around the world. I have tried to stay busy and keep my mind occupied between taking care of our 4 year old son and our home and my new pen turning hobby has also really helped to occupy my time and mind but there is nothing that fills the void of my wife being gone.

I don't really know why I mentioned all of this to you folks except to just let you all know that your prayers, words of encouragement and support means more to me than you probably realize. We all take so much for granted in this country and as humans in general but being able to live in a country as great as we live, having the freedoms and privileges we all have and having the opportunity to meet and know people as wonderful as you folks are just some of the things which my wife and I are so grateful for and are also the things which make this sacrifice all very much worthwhile.

Thanks again to all of you,
Bryant
 
Bryant,
There are a number of us on this site that are current/former military members. I've always said to my wife that being married to a flyer is far worse than being one.

Thanks for you sacrifice.
Paul
 
Bryant,
Everyone has hit the "nail on the head" with their comments, both about your pens and about your family. Welcome to IAP, great job on the pens (especially for a "first timer"), and thank you.
 
Great looking pens! You did an excellent job on them! I especially like the spalted maple. Your wife is gonna love that set! Hats off to your wife and her specialty and for what she (and others) are doing. I am active duty and understand the pain you are going through.
 
Hello again everyone,
I would first like to say "Thank You" again to all of you who have replied with your compliments on my pens and for your kind words of support and all of your prayers for my wife and family. I received a call from my wife a couple of days ago and somehow she has already received her package which had her pens and other things I sent her. I don't know how they got there so fast but I am really glad they did because I had also sent her a homemade cake and homemade pie. I had froze the cake and pie and she said they were still fairly cold when she received them. Anyway, she really loved her pens and I also told her how woderful all of you are and how you had sent her your support and prayers which I think got to her more than the pens. She said to tell you all thanks very much and it means a whole lot to her and helps to keep her motivated to know everyone back here is supporting her and praying for her.

Thanks again to all of you for helping me make this anniversary as special as possible under the conditions.

Take care all!
 
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