ACS hosts Spouse Appreciation Day

Melanie Bermudez finishes her corsage at a class held for Military Spouse Appreciation Day at the Family Resilience Center Friday. Photo by Marcie C. Wright, Monitor Staff.

Marcie C. Wright,
Monitor Staff:

In honor of Military Spouse Appreciation Day, Fort Bliss Army Community Service hosted an activity-filled morning at the Family Resilience Center here Friday.

Spouses participated in crafts like decorating cupcakes and beading bracelets and also learned how to transplant flowers from many pots into one, cook innovative breakfasts, make a silk corsage and pair wines with foods. Yet another class taught the skills needed to win a game of Texas Hold ’Em poker.

Aneseeria Hines enjoyed last year’s spouse appreciation day and was impressed by the information she gained there. This year she brought a friend who had never been before. The two of them laughed and joked together, even though their husbands are away from home.

“I had fun,” said Hines. “I learned how to make a pretty, fresh flower arrangement and to decorate a cupcake. And now I’m a wine taster.”

Hines participated in the “Wine Down the Day” class, transplanting and “Cupcake Warriors,” where she learned to decorate a cupcake and top it with chocolate figurines – the making of which was also a part of the class.

“I love to cook, so that was a plus,” said Hines of the cupcake decorating. Additionally, it sparked her interest to want to do more with baking and expand into cake decorating.

Olivia Esera, wife and mother of three, said she wanted to try the new classes because she was interested in the list of workshops.

“I’m not really good at cooking, so I signed up for that, but the one that really interested me was the transplanting,” said Esera. “I want to get my kids involved in that. I actually learned a lot. I didn’t know transplanting was as easy as it is.”

Melanie Bermudez is a spouse and owner of Massage Awakenings. She took the day off from the spa to participate in the activities and mostly “to be around other spouses and people who are in the same situation as me,” she said.

A finished cupcake, resulting from the “Cupcake Warriors” class held at the Family Resilience Center Friday. Photo by Marcie C. Wright, Monitor Staff.

Bermudez’ husband is currently deployed and she felt welcomed at the Family Resilience Center. Her first class was taught by a florist – there she learned to make a corsage. She chose the colors purple and white and plans to display it at her spa, where purple can represent the calming scent of lavender and white, serenity.

“I am pretty proud of it,” said Bermudez of her craft. Her other classes were beading bracelets and Texas Hold ’Em.

“I’m very excited to try out the new tips and get them [her children and husband] involved,” said Esera of a day filled with learning.

After the classroom sessions, a raffle gave away a 32-inch LCD television, an Amazon Kindle, a spa package, a mystery prize and several gift cards.