Day 27

We were given a gift today...a day off to do whatever we wanted. I celebrated first by not raising a blade to my face. Time to give my skin a break from shaving. I spent the morning at breakfast and then back in our barracks getting my gear in order and cleaning my stuff up, doing some laundry, and getting rid of things I don't need. By 11am, I was on the shuttle, bound for anywhere off base. My goal? Spend the day alone. As I type this now, my barracks is normally dark and snoring abounds. Not tonight. Lights are on and most folks are still out. Many got taxis and are living it up. Liberty doesn't expire until 7am tomorrow morning so they're maximizing their off-time. Not me. I value routine and a good night sleep.

First stop was to the base exchange where I picked up a power converter. As I will travel along the Yellow Brick Road, I will need it to charge things up like this computer and my iPhone and iPad. I also picked up a clip-on light that I can use in the dark to head to the bathroom, etc. Also in my travels, I will be in places where I have to go outside a short distance to get to showers, bathrooms, etc. I then headed off base and to Chick-Fil-A. I'm not a fast food kind of guy, but I do love Chick-Fil-A. #1 on the menu to be specific and with a Diet Lemonade, easy on the ice. While there, I checked movie listings and Thor is the big release this weekend but if you remember, I saw the advance screening a week ago. Another movie, "Something Borrowed" opened today which is a great chick-flick or a date movie. I REALLY wanted to see this with Dorothy. I called her and she encouraged me to see it and then she'll go see it. So, I guess I kinda had a virtual date with her. I was one of nine people at the 1:30pm showing and the only man. No biggie...it really was a good movie and I highly recommend it.

After that, you know it! STARBUCKS!!!  I am perfectly content with camping out at Starbucks for several hours. Plus, they started their Frappuccino Happy Hour today. Between 3 and 5pm, 1/2 off. So, I got myself a Mocha Coconut one and fetched me a big comfy chair. It was a great WiFi signal so I decided to catch up on one of my favorite shows, Coming Home. It's about military homecomings. "Now why in the world would you watch THAT?!?!....especially when you miss your family so much???"....you may be asking. Good question!  Well, it reminds me of home, puts a smile on my face, and gives me encouragement to press on so that one day, I'll be that dad walking off the plane at the airport. What really chokes me up and did a lot more today was when kids on the show that are close in age to mine start crying about how much they miss their dad. That gets me every time. The homecomings themselves put a grin on me from ear to ear. I just love that show. If you want to check it out, it's on at 10pm every Sunday on Lifetime. They are available to watch online, too, at Lifetime's website. Piece of cake.

Speaking of cake, tonight was Scarecrow's birthday party and my whole family came over. I hung out at Starbucks long enough so that I could FaceTime with everyone. So, when it was time to sing Happy Birthday and blow out the candles, I video-conferenced in, they turned the computer towards the cake and I sung Happy Birthday to Scarecrow along with everyone else. It was priceless!!!  Plus, she got her ears pierced today, too, and I just HAD to see them. After the song, I basically talked to everyone at the party for a bit. It was good to see everyone. After saying my goodbyes, I started my 2 mile walk back to base.

Along the way, I needed to grab some dinner and a place called Zoes Kitchen was along the route. It looked good from the outside and their online menu looked like a place with fresh ingredients and things like hummus which I love. I headed on in and had their Spinach Quesadilla (spinach, scallions, feta, and a side of homemade mango salsa) with a side of their homemade Marinated Slaw (feta, scallions, light vinaigrette). What a clean, light, satisfying meal. Winning! :-) A short walk later, I wandered aimlessly around Wal-Mart, picked up some organic Clif Bars and headed on back to base to catch the last 9:30pm shuttle.

It was an awesome day. I sought to just get away from everything, unwind, spend time with family, and be under no time constraint of any kind. Mission accomplished! Guess what, I smelled that honeysuckle again along my route. :-)

Before I go tonight, one important note: I was informed that over this weekend, we are going to lose our WiFi connectivity. Since I really don't want to type this blog on my phone, I'm going to take a few day break. So, Days 28 and 29 will NOT be posted. I should be able to restart again with Day 30...fingers crossed.

Have a great weekend, everyone and Goodnight!