Day 82

Singin'..."Goodbye, June...don't you come around here no more, no more, no more, no more!" July is here in just a few hours and at the end of NEXT month, school is back in session!!! You're very welcome...to all of you who just rolled your eyes and/or said "Shut up!" Sorry, but when school gets back in session, I will be most certainly counting the days down to the end...too many for that now.

Long, LONG day. Started at 7am and didn't leave the office until around 8:30pm tonight. Slow a lot of the day but jammin' busy after lunch. Tonight was Caribbean Night, too, for dinner and I totally missed that. Perhaps better, though, was that I stopped at "Pizza Hut"-in-a-trailer tonight near my room. I just had a hankerin' for it. It's the best piece of Americana that $5.90 can buy. So about 20 minutes later, I was walking back to my room while eating a supreme personal pan pizza. Oh my...nothing like hot, deep dish pizza like back home. I don't think I'll ever have Pizza Hut again without thinking back to this place. Back to the work today, it'll probably slow way, way down from now until next Wednesday. Many people will take tomorrow off because of the holiday weekend and most will be gone until Wednesday...or my Wednesday evening. Thankfully, my commander intends on relaxing the schedule a bit but I'm sure any meetings will still take place, regardless. You may recall about a month ago, we had a sendoff. Well, we're having it again and hopefully cooking out on Sunday. We'll welcome new arrivals and say farewell to those departing within the next 3-4 weeks. Speaking of departing, my relief finally got his official orders issued to him and received his dates which line up perfectly with my schedule. So, I'm just crossing my fingers that all goes well for him and he arrives as he should. A few days early wouldn't hurt, either. :-) I've already started my turnover files so that they'll be streamlined and fine-tuned by the time he gets here. I don't plan on spending more than 5 or 6 days turning over so I've gotta be ready!

Folks, that's about it from here. Nothing much else to say today. I think I'll just get a shower, watch some tube, and head to bed. For many of you, you're starting a long holiday weekend. Be sure to enjoy it and cherish those times with friends and family, regardless of what you do. Don't forget to fly Old Glory, too.

Goodnight, everyone.

Day 81

Ahhh...I finally got a hold of Dorothy this morning. She barely held on long enough until I could get to a phone Stateside and I'm pretty sure I woke her up when I called, but it was worth it. I'm usually not much of a list-maker but I made one this time. In the end, I think I had 12 things I wanted to talk about. So as soon as I walked in the door this morning...about 11pm on the east coast and 7:30am for me, we got on the phone together for about a 1/2 hour. Highlight of my day, for sure, and if you have some addictions, you might say I got my "fix." Always can use more Dorothy! :-)

The day was pretty much uneventful along with non-English-speaking electrical contractors doing work all around me, getting outlets installed where we needed them, running conduit, etc. They pointed, I tried to figure out what they needed...and so it went. Much of the day around that was spent communicating via e-mail with military units and conference calls. I did get a good bit of time listening to my most recent iTunes download...Passion 2011. Wow! What a great album!!! There were a few bonuses on there, too, including 1hr with Louie Giglio. The more I listen to that album, the more I love it. As the day wound down, I tuned in online to the local radio station back in Kansas that interviewed Dorothy and I about my deployment before I left. Today, they played part 3 of 3 again...where we talked about family, our girls, and our support network. That was great to hear that again. Quickly after that, though? I bolted. I'm done hanging around just because. Work is done = I'm leaving. Plus, I wasn't feeling too good. I finally went and had lunch today and was starving again so dinner was a must tonight.

I also got another free "Cup of Joe" for Green Beans Coffee shop. When they come in, I get them via e-mail. Once I follow the link, I see who sent it and often, a short message. I can choose to respond or not and I always do. Today, the giver (Stephanie) obviously bought a few based on her message. It was a pretty cool message so I thought I'd share it tonight:

Dear Friends - I write to you from my office in these last few days before our nation's birthday celebrations begin. I wanted to take a few moments from overseeing the waxing and polishing of the fire trucks for the upcoming parades to send you a small bit of gratitude for the conditions, environment, and battle that you are enduring for us. I know it is only a small cup of coffee, but I hope it brings a little peace to your heart, and lightens the load you bear for a moment. I want you to know that we do care about you, and pray for you daily. YOU...are not forgotten. May you come safely home to your family and friends... and remember, "Brave hearts do not back down." -Sophocles ........ "THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman." - Thomas Paine......... “Terrorism against our nation will not stand.” - George W. Bush .............Take care, stay safe, and may God bless you and keep you. Gig'Em ---Stephanie [& my furry kid/lab Shadow]

Pretty cool, eh? I think so. I'm one of about 100,000 service-members deployed to this country and I'm sure I'm not the only person registered to get free coffees. I bet I don't go more than two or three days without another free one. That means to me that there are a LOT of people selflessly giving this gift. Many surely go unanswered, too. I'm just very thankful for this. To me, it's only $2.00 spent on their end but has far more value than that to me. That's a pretty raw version of patriotism that I love and support for troops serving a half-world away. You can anonymously give, too, via the link on the right. (look for the logo/banner on the right side) I won't get it, but someone will.

Well, that's about it, folks. It was another day checked off but not a whole lot else. That's not a bad thing, ya know.

Goodnight, everyone.

Day 80

Day Eight Zero...Eighty. I like the sound of that. Nice round number and 20 days until I go into triple digits. 2 days until June is history, too. Each month checked off is a big victory in itself. Little victories...each day...that's the mental strategy.

You know how it goes...morning espresso, a small bowl of cereal in my room, catch up on some e-mails and out the door. Not too eventful of a day except for a few meetings. One sucked the life right out of me. It went way over and consisted of too many Type A personalities and the worst ones didn't know what they were talking about...but rank has its privileges, right?! :-)

Outside of the work part of the day, I did find some time to place the order for the camera I've been researching. Not only did I get a great deal, but from a company that's been around a very long time, charges no tax and free shipping to military worldwide. It was even shipped within 4 hours of placing the order. Not too shabby! I chose the Nikon 5100 which comes with the 18-55mm VR zoom lens and I also got the 35mm, 1.8G fixed lens. I'm really looking forward to getting a lot better at photography. I really do enjoy it. I actually headed BACK to the office tonight to upload some of my favorite photos of 2010 to my new SmugMug account. Wow, they look amazing on that site. I'm really looking forward to growing my album on there.

Before leaving for the night, though, I called my dad and talked for awhile, tried to call Dorothy several times with no luck, and tracked down Tin Man and Scarecrow. They were with Dorothy's parents doing some running around. It was great to hear their voices again and they were happy. Short and sweet and we said our goodbyes.

Being smart about it, I changed into my running clothes before heading back to the office, left my 9mm in my room locked up, then ran the long way (5 miles) back to my room. The wind was downright nasty tonight. Luckily, the glasses and neck gaiter offered great protection from it. It was a really good run. In the food category...I didn't go to the galley once today. Besides that morning cereal, all I had was some mixed nuts and dried cherries this evening in the office...and some chicken salad and crackers post-run. That's it! That's very few calories and even burned 700-800 during the run. I feel OK...not starving. The only problem I'm having right now is keeping my eyes open.  With that being said, it's bedtime.

Goodnight, everyone.

Day 79

Mondays, Mondays, Mondays!!! It's like watching paint dry, I swear. Waiting for the East Coast to get up and get to work. The whole base seemed to be operating in slow motion today, too. This is the 3rd day where we can't see the mountains and flights are being canceled like crazy. I've never seen so much weather problems without one single drop of precipitation. The wind is so bad that it stirs all the dust up into the atmosphere. Imagine a thick fog but paint it dusty/dirty brown/gray. That's your picture! Wonderful, eh?! I walk down the sidewalks with my head down, letting the bill of my hat divert the grit away from me. At night before my shower, I can feel the grit in my hair.

I'm not going to bore you today. Not much to speak on today. I did shop a lot more for a camera and visited as many forums and discussion boards as I could to get other folks' opinions on the ones I've narrowed my choices to and my 2nd lens choice. I'm learning all the "cool" terms like aperture, "wide open," bokeh, f-stops, etc. All those numbers and letters on lenses finally making some sense. Knowing my goals and what I'll shoot really helps the direction of my search. On that note, friends, I'm calling it a night. Oh yea, I crossed over the one-third-done point a few days back...and the halfway point really isn't that far away. Trying to keep my chin up.

Goodnight, everyone.

Day 78

You do remember what Sundays are like, right? This should be old hat for many of you now. Sleep in, run, office at noon, out as soon as I can, and relax the rest of the day. You should also recall that Sundays are often tough because of all the time to "think" and "ponder" and "miss home." Today went pretty good, actually. Was I consumed in my mind by home...yep. Was that a bad thing? I don't think so. If I'm going to be consumed by something in my spare time, why would I want anything else? So I did get 8 hours of sleep and headed out for a run. Only 1 1/2 miles into my run in the very hot sun, I felt really sick...like puking sick. I was sweating a lot (never happens in this extremely low humidity area) and just felt like I could pass out at any time. Warning signs received! I turned around and headed back. Once back, I took a shower and fell on my bed...asleep. About an hour later I woke up and headed on in to the office. I stayed busy while there and just before I left, two awesome care packages showed up. More nuts and dried fruits than you've ever seen!!! Thank you so much to those who sent them. You really hit it out of the park! Perfect munchies! Thanks for the soap, too. :-) Afterwards, I headed on down to Green Beans for my favorite iced drink then headed back to my side of the base.  Oh yea, I got about 10min with my girls before leaving the office. I really needed to hear their voices today. It was awesome and I got to hear about Scarecrow's visit by the Tooth Fairy. $1.25!!!

Back on my side of the base, I was consumed by watching some friends finishing the Western States 100 mile race. A few fast runners from my neck of the woods were representing us quite well to all those westerners in California! A bit later, my mind was back on home, specifically Dorothy. I seriously thought about her all day long. She's had some bumpy days lately and my heart strings have been tied to hers...stressed, but not breaking. I just missed her so bad today. So then I Googled "poetry rules." Are there any? Not really. Well, I'm not poet so I'm warning you now about what I wrote down below. It doesn't flow that well, it follows no rules, but it's what I was thinking and therefore wrote. It's from me...to her. After I wrote it, it was around 7:40pm and I hadn't eaten yet so I headed on down to the galley. En route to the galley, I walked by the chapel. There are many, many chapels on this base but this one is in my compound. The praise band was inside practicing and it was my kind of music. Hmmm...if I eat now, it'll be perfect timing for the 8pm start. Coincidence? So I did that. I headed on in at 8pm and surprisingly, a good deal of people were there. Let me paint the picture for you: Imagine a "M*A*S*H"-like green Army tent and inside were a bunch of pews made of 2x4, 2x6's, and plywood. A sheet of plywood, painted white, was the "screen" for the projector and microphones were set up for the band along with a few guitars, a sax, and a drum set. Outside, a painted-white wooden steeple marked the entry. After a few contemporary worship songs, the Army chaplain gave the sermon...and it was good...really good. On the way out, I glanced at the weekly schedule: 8pm Wednesdays are prayer/discussion meetings, 8pm Friday is Bible study, and 8pm is Sunday worship. I may try some of these out and try and make Sunday worship routine...like it is back home. One thing the chaplain said tonight caught my attention: out here, it's easy for us (service-members) to forget who we are...to take on characteristics/habits of others...and to possibly do/say things we would never do at home. Basically, we tend to lose ourselves and just like the camouflage we wear, we morph into everything around us. It's important for us to stay true to who we truly are and not let that happen. 

So here is what I wrote...I simply named it "Us." Again, it's raw and imperfect...

Us.

It was the 5th grade

when I first met you

my dad got a new job

that moved us near

I often think about being a kid

I don't remember much of it

Some things really stick out

But most is such a blur

Bowling, trophies, t-ball, 

Pulling my brother into the pool

Stitches in his head, my fault

Today his scar remains

Fetching tennis balls at the racket club

My best friend, Eric, we'd be truck drivers

My name changing from Nicky to Nick

And so I moved close to you

Your dad taught in the 6th grade

My teacher was not he

I wrote on signs how I loved girls

But never did they notice

I don't remember how we became close

I'm sure you remember, though

It is probably a good story

That I want to hear some time

As we entered the days of high school

We spent so much time together

Always good friends but nothing more

I asked, I begged, I gave an ultimatum

Through the pine trees I came to your window

Just wanting to see you all the time

Your dad was just down the hall

Which kept me outside where I belonged

My country called and we said goodbye

Still nothing more than friends

I loved you deeply but still I went

To the Navy, goodbye, and so long

It wasn't long after that

When we realized being apart was not OK

It was confirmation to the both of us

We were meant to be together forever

It was only about a year later

We walked down the aisle back home

I packed you up and moved you away

From family and friends, so long

A Navy wife, you hate that term

But you stuck with me all along

I went to sea, you went to school

We were a team, though, and persevered

Ten years of active duty

Our education finished and done

Our first child is born, she's a beauty

We head out west with so much unknown

Can we do this? Be out of the Navy?

What will I do? Will I succeed?

Can I support my family or be a failure?

Oh my, I was terrified, that's for sure

It didn't last long out west

We returned home to Ohio in only a year

We weren't really sure where the road led

I still wondered what I was supposed to do in life

Our 2nd daughter was born at that time

She was beautiful just like the first

Our lives changed, just like they say

Today, I am thankful and that's for sure

A restaurant began, then cars I sold

I still didn't know what to be

You kept on charging in your own career

Successful at everything you did

Then investments and insurance

Consumed my every day

Living on commission, it stressed me out

And I missed serving my U.S. of A.

We talked about the options

Of rejoining my Navy from before

We were in a time of war now

Eyes open we knew the path, for sure

Married now, approaching 20 years

We have been there, done that, and more

Yet no distance can touch our teamwork

And love we have for each other

I love you today, no less than yesterday

I miss you, I need you, you consume my every thought

Someday, I am convinced, 

We will hold each other again

I respect you, I admire you

You are an incredible human being

Doing everything and anything

To keep it all together

Forget the naysayers

For they do not know

What kind of team we are together

And stick together to and fro

Stick to what's important

Our family and our love

Do not give a moment 

To those who do not know

For we know the love we have for each other

Our commitment till death do us part

No one, no body, no outside force

Can pull us apart and kill our love

Hand in hand, we walk together

Down our path, hand in hand

Us..our love...our dedication

Forever, unbreakable, till the end.

This portrait hangs in our living room in "Kansas." Yes, that's us, Tin Man, and Scarecrow. Still anonymous, though! :-)

Goodnight, everyone.

Day 77

From time to time, I think it's good to look back at where you were, the path you've walked, hiked, or marched, and where you are today. Today is one of those days. I have taken literally hundreds of photos in my 77 days. Today, I found 42 of them..many of my favorites..and posted them here with captions as most need some explanation. I chose them because they tell my story so far in a very simple way. Not nearly what I write about but a different way to look at my deployment. Before you get looking, I'll give you the rundown of today...short and sweet. First off, did you notice the new background? If figured that if I was getting frustrated at how the other one made it tough to read, surely readers felt the same way. I really like it because as you read the blog, the flag stays right there on your right...and she's beautiful, isn't she? Did you also notice the new "Oz" and "Kansas" clocks? If you get my blog daily in your e-mail and only read it there, you may want to take this opportunity to go to the blog this one time to see the new background and the new clocks. Pretty cool, eh? Yep...I'm 8 1/2 hours ahead of you! From my link at http://milblogging.com, a mom of an airman who blogs found my blog and on her blog, she has these clocks so I went in and made my own. Thanks "Airman Mom!" Anyway, today was actually a very busy day. My colleagues back in the States did a great job at giving me lots of work for today before they left their jobs on Friday afternoon. Just before 5pm, I headed out and walked on down to the store where I wanted to get a Green Beans fruit smoothie but a sign hung on the door that said "Hot Drinks Only. Out of Ice." Dangit!!! So, I just headed on over across the patio and got my 3rd haircut since getting here. High and tight but hair still left on top. Sides and back, though? Shaved all the way! (another milestone, by the way...I get haircuts every 2 weeks...and I've been here on the base just over 6 weeks) Afterwards, I grabbed the shuttle and headed on back to my side of the base, had dinner, then went and signed up for the 10K being held on July 4th. It's actually the Peachtree Road Race...the sister version!!!  The Peachtree is the biggest 10K in the United States, held on the streets of Atlanta every July 4th. Well, this event is an official sister event!! Pretty awesome, I'd say! So of course, I signed up. Afterwards, I headed on back to my room and spent the next hour or two reading more about photography and what camera and lens I should get. That then led me to going through ALL my photos and tonight's blog. So without further delay, a pictorial review of the first 77 days. I apologize for them being out of order. They are in the order of their file name which really varied and had nothing to do with when the photo was taken. The captions tell the story, though. Enjoy!

While sitting in the sun in the northern part of the country, waiting for the helo, my iPhone actually overheated. Yes, it really can happen!

Taken on Father's Day morning as I ran to the Father's Day 5K. Looking straight down the runway at sunrise with the mountains behind.

This was in the first week down in Gulfport, MS. I had to be fitted with a gas mask which I carried all the way to "Oz."

I love this photo. I dubbed it "Two Passions." I love to run...and I love to serve my country. (On my fake wood floor in my room...or "CHU"...container housing unit)

Running just after sunset at combat training in South Carolina...somewhere in weeks 2-4.

Early morning rise to head to the range at combat training in South Carolina

Oh yes...MRE's (Meals ready to eat). Every "meal" always had some crackers.

At the range and my target during M4 practice.

My M4 and ammo at the range. That surface you see was actually very comfy to lay in. It is shredded pieces of tires!

Training on how to enter a building at combat training in South Carolina.

"High and tight." That's all the barber understood for my first haircut at WDW in Oz. Dorothy did NOT like this! I got the sides and back done like this again TODAY. :-)

Perhaps the greatest photo so far. It's the same flag that is my background on my blog, shot the same night. I enhanced this one a bit using Picasa to make it really "glow" and show the colors. It's about 200m from my room and leans towards the enemy.

The view from my seat in my first plane trip north...outside "the wire". These are the Hindu Kush Mountains.

A common way to get around in the northern part of the country..."Molson Flights." The Canadians are here and operate these. No reservations...just show up and write your name on the clipboard.

The Afghans build their villages out of dirt and mud. Often, a large family unit resides within rectangular "compounds." Could be two to three generations in one. This is a very, very third-world country.

My best photo of the Molson helo as it was landing to pick me up.

Local Afghans coming on base to work at a base in the north that I was visiting.

The view from inside an armored MATV. Those are RPG nets on the outside. I am looking through ballistic glass that you cannot see in from the outside.

I took this just after getting my Army uniforms...probably Day 3 or 4...of 77. :-)

At Army combat training in South Carolina. It's the one piece of "Navy" that was anywhere to be seen!

This was on the day I was issued my body armor and helmet...at combat training in South Carolina.

I've got a great support structure back home!

Yum! Small pox vaccine!

My last real meal I had before leaving the States. Fresh calamari just outside the Army base in South Carolina.

Simple and a nuisance to many but a reminder I walked by en route to Starbucks in South Carolina that reminded me of Dorothy, Tin Man, and Scarecrow. I love this photo and it still makes me smile.

Our "Patriot Guard" escort from the Army base in South Carolina to the airport as we were about to leave the U.S.A. I'll never forget that evening. It was midnight and so many local supporters came out.

En route to Oz via Germany layover

We had a brief layover in Germany to refuel. Taken at the local cafe.

"Yea, we're definitely not in Kansas anymore!"

At Camp Virginia in Kuwait where I had a few days of processing before heading into Oz. I'm still amazed at the cleanliness of this porta-pottie.

Out on a run at Camp Virginia...over 100F.

My current room. Right now as I type this, I am sitting in that chair, the bed is actually still made, and my feet are up on that desk with the laptop...in my lap! Now you know the origin of my blog every night!

I've talked a few times about the United Through Reading program that the USO offers. I've read 4 times now to my girls on DVD and sent them books, thanks to this program.

My right arm...today and everyday. The Army wears a combat patch under the flag. Sailors wear our "Don't Tread on Me" flag.

Good thing I know the color scheme from back home. Coke Zero.

My girls sent me one of their bears. I promised since that day...about a month ago, that I would carry this bear in my uniform pant's pocket every day until my return. At that time, I will return this bear. Until now, I have never left the bear behind. It is with me all day, every day. Of course, NO ONE here knows it. Only Tin Man and Scarecrow know...and that's all that matters! (well, now you know!)

All I see everywhere around our base. I'm not complaining, though...this 1 foot of concrete protects us from rocket attacks. They make them right here on base....contractors do.

Another common site on the base where I am stationed.

Should I have run tonight, I would've been wearing this neck gaiter to keep the garbage out of my lungs and the glasses to keep the grit out of my eyes. Yes, that's a mine field on base behind me that has not been cleared. Left over from the Soviet Union's invasion in the last 70s.

Operation H.O.T. recently visited our base and two celebrity chefs visited! They were both on Top Chef Masters, too! It was an awesome night to relax. Lots of great music, too.

My current wall in my CHU...I'm looking at it right now.

That's pretty much it! I hope you enjoyed my picture-driven tour through memory lane tonight. I did. So that's a wrap for Day 77! On to Day 78...

Goodnight, everyone.

Day 76

I really didn't want to get up this morning. Dragging, dragging, dragging. I think I'd better start moving my iPhone a little further from my bed or I'll be hitting the snooze slide and falling right back to sleep. The result of being late to meet the others would not be pretty. But thanks to fresh-brewed espresso, I was brought to life quick enough. I had a lot less e-mails to follow up on today so I tried something new from my room with my super-weak WiFi...Skype with my parents, audio-only. Not enough speed for video, that's for sure. So, we had a good talk and then I headed on in.

It was a busy day today. Non-stop all the way past the 12hr mark. The day turned somber, though, really quick this morning. It was around 8:30am and the base police were escorting a humvee slowly down the street towards the airstrip where a C-17 waited. Along the road, people stopped. They saluted or if civilian, they placed their hands over their hearts. All was quiet. In the back of the humvee was a Fallen Comrade. His or her coffin draped with Old Glory, bound for Dover Air Base in the United States of America and eventually HOME. I have no doubt...whoever was in there will be listed any day on the Defense.gov site I have linked at the right. Age, hometown, unit attached to, and what caused this tragedy. It is sad...it really is. It is also something that takes place here at "WDW" 3-5 days per WEEK. Sometimes more, sometimes less. Just after the procession passed by for honors at the airfield, a senior warrant officer came in our office and he was rambling about what just passed by...but then quoted General George S. Patton. He said "It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived." "Yes, Sir. Thank you...whoever you are, for paying the ultimate sacrifice. Rest in peace. You will not be forgotten."

As the day passed on and I skipped lunch (I did have a Clif Bar...does that count?!), I got busier and busier. I don't even know how to explain what I got into later but to say this: I ended up on the phone for over an hour with a representative back in the States about a special order that's in high demand out here. Actually, many orders...totaling in millions of dollars. By the time I was done, I was convinced that it is a broken system and needs serious help. By the time I left and several more phone calls, I had drafted a two-page paper about the problem and my recommended solutions. I'm at the center of that solution and believe I can really help out. Of course, this is in addition to the many other things I am working on. More busy? Time goes faster. Time goes faster? I 'feel' like I'm going home sooner. Winning!!! :-)

Around 7:30pm, we headed on out but it is Friday night which is Surf-n-Turf night at one of the dining facilities. We headed over and get this...I had two lobster tails, some shrimp, and a crab cake! In Oz!!! It was all very good, too...even the crab cake. I was so surprised! I would've stayed for more but the Colonel I was with had a "Skype Date" with his wife. Once back, I headed in for the night and spent the rest of the night reading about cameras, thanks to a few friends' recommendations. I spent most of my time at http://www.kentrockwell.com. Really great site to learn but not in a language that is far over my head. Nope, no purchases or anything. Just reading and learning at this point. I have some very lofty goals and really want to find the right equipment.  My research is done, though, for the night....my eyes are barely staying open, indicating clearly it's bedtime. The clock agrees...only 30min to midnight.

Goodnight, everyone. Remember the fallen, will ya? It happens far too often over here.

Day 75

It got up to 94F today...one of the warmer days that I've seen. You won't ever catch me complaining about temps, though. Not too far south where the desert begins, the mountains end, and the elevation drops to sea level, it is over 110F daily and doesn't let up. Relentless heat every day. Besides being a little bit warmer, today was no different. I actually thought a few care packages would show up today as I know of a few that should be rolling in but nothing yet. I have it on good information that no-bake cookies are on the way. Since my mom's homemade brownies finally disappeared today, those cookies will have perfect timing. I did get very busy as the East Coast folks showed up to work.  Tents are a very big deal over here. Not the little camping tents, either. Big, BIG tents house offices, hundreds of soldiers, warehouses, or just 20 soldiers. All shapes and sizes throughout the country. Well as the supply chain of the war, we here at our agency are often asked how to get them and if they can be here next week. Uh....no. So, some very high ranking requests were pouring into my e-mail inbox so of course, that jumped to priority #1. Eventually around 7:30pm, I got out of the office and was headed back to my CHU...information obtained and will be pushed out tomorrow.  Lots of other productive things today, too. I even got another free Green Beans Coffee...I think that's #5. I write back personally to each one that donates. Some don't reply and others, we're still exchanging e-mails...sorta like a coffee-pen-pal!

Also tonight, I received links from my civilian job back home that allowed me to see the openings I heard about. Also by the time I cut out tonight, I applied for both openings. I can just see the eyes rolling back in the office when some found out I applied, given I am 7000 miles away from my desk. I love it! Wouldn't it be cool to be promoted and have that promotion waiting for me upon my return?! Oh yea, it would! I'm not getting my hopes up, though. I'm still pretty junior in that job but who knows, perhaps serving over here might have an influence. :-) One closes on July 1st and the other on July 6th. Now that I have the system down for applying, I'll be watching that sight much more closely from now on!

Once back, it was 8pm already so I grabbed a quick, light dinner and headed on in for the night. No run. No anything. How can working in an office be so exhausting? Last night, I couldn't even keep my eyes open at 10pm and tonight, I'm exhausted again. I'm eating well, drinking lots of water, but still...I'm wiped. I've GOT to get in a good run...and soon! One cool thing tonight? On our favorite social network, one of the two celebrity chefs that visited a few weeks ago requested me as a "friend." Pretty darn cool! I actually recorded him giving a little less than 3min speech to the troops that night so I shared it with him after accepting his request. I'll be curious to see if he shares it on his fan page. It actually turned out very well...the iPhone takes great HD videos.  A little more chillaxing in my CHU and it's off to bed. 75 days done. 25 days to Day 100.

Goodnight, everyone.

Day 74

Ok, ok....I couldn't get away with it. I didn't blog before the end of MY day but I did before the end of YOUR day. Plus, my blog is set to Eastern Time Zone so it's all good...right?! Don't worry, I won't make a habit of this. The problem was this: I couldn't keep my eyes open. I suspect it was my caffeine crash....so much and then off the cliff. Morning espresso ... chai tea mid morning ... then a Starbucks Iced VIA late morning to get me through a dreadfully-boring meeting. By the time dinner got here, I was on the other side of a very steep roller-coaster hill and going down fast.

Anyway, it was a pretty good day. I had a late conference call with my peeps in Philly (early for their cubicle-driven 9-5 lives!) and then talked to a good friend back in my home office in "Kansas" where I work as a civilian...when I'm not carrying a 9mm to work everyday and drinking up to ten 500ml bottles of water. There was recently a mass exodus in retirements back there and it is a rich time for openings and promotion, which of course I am interested in. I quickly got on the phone with the "2nd in command" in the area to remind him who I was (we met for 15min about 4 years ago), where I was, and if I could apply for openings while deployed. He absolutely encouraged it. Now, I'm waiting for guidance on how to do that because there are internal openings and not published on the internet for me to apply. Hopefully, a response is in my e-mail inbox when I get to the office in a bit. I never, ever thought I'd be looking forward to returning to my job but honestly, I'll never look at it the same after being here and swear to appreciate it so much more. Plus, they really need help back there with all the retirements and I know I can help.

Also today, I wanted to give Dorothy something....of course, flowers jumped to the forefront of my mind. Flowers are never a bad thing but as we approach 19 years of marriage, some creativity beckons. So enters "Edible Arrangements" which is clearly a entrepreneur success story. Hailed by Inc. Magazine and several others as a huge success, I bet they were once standing before investors just like many of us see on the show "Shark Tank" pitching their great idea. As a MBA grad and having taken many classes on marketing, building your own business, etc., I kept thinking "now THAT was smart...I would've done that, too!" as I browsed their internet site. They are now internationally franchised after a few years in business and I could even "track" the order after it was placed....which "sorta" impacted the reason I didn't blog until YOUR evening and my morning. :-) Anyway, there are many choices with their arrangements from a box of chocolate covered strawberries that "look" like a dozen roses...box and all, to many other seasonal fruits and balloons to customize your delivery. I chose something very "summer-like" and things that I knew Dorothy would like. First, it was in a pink watering can....perfect for Dorothy who loves to water her flowers on the back patio or decorate inside the house...compliments her "pink" Dyson. :-) Then it had chocolate-covered strawberries, regular strawberries, and heart-shaped pineapple. The photo here isn't quite up-to-date. According to Tin Man, not much chocolate is left at all....she helped Dorothy out with that. There was also a balloon with the order. (you can click on the photo to view full size) Here's the Edible Arrangements website if you want to check it out. Simply punch in your zip code and it'll tell you your closest store. Military? Use MILT2010 at checkout to get a discount.

So that's it, folks. My day ended last night when I was falling asleep in my chair in my CHU and now it's time to get Day 75 rolling. 74 did remind me of one other thing. Back in the mid-1990s, I was stationed about the USS John C. Stennis. It was a brand new aircraft carrier back then and I was part of the commissioning crew. It's hull number was "CVN-74." :-) Those were the days...

Goodnight, everyone! (for you, at least!)

Day 73

Alrighty, folks...I can't even begin to think of what to talk about today but since I haven't missed a day of blogging yet, here you go. Typical day, multiple meetings, in the office for about 12 hours, and some homemade pizza for dinner. Besides that, I talked to Scarecrow before she headed off to Vacation Bible School where she told me about the book I sent her, her new dog tag I sent her, and the 2nd week of camp I signed her up for today. Both her and Tin Man love camp this year more than ever which is awesome! So, they're both going back in late July. Back in my room tonight, I spent a good bit of time on my iPad messin' around with GarageBand and downloaded a few free apps. I brought an Apple AirPort Express with me and have set up a very slow, secure WiFi hotspot in my room...effective but slow. It lets me use all 3 things...laptop, iPhone and iPad, without having to head downstairs to the heavily crowded recreation area with lots of local nationals. I am perfectly content with camping out in my room each night...and no, I didn't run tonight. I didn't feel like it and if I needed an excuse, the wind was downright nasty tonight and just walking to dinner put dirt in my eyes because of all the filth in the air. It's about time to wind down here and get to 74 so that's about it!

Goodnight, everyone.

Day 72

Really not much to say today. Mondays are like Sundays because the States are still asleep and don't get to work until our dinner time. Still, though, I stayed busy. As dinner time approached, I could tell they were all showing up to work back in Philly. I did have a teleconference video call with several key people in the northern part of the country around that time, too. The need I sensed before is real and it sounds like I'm going to be able to assist them in a HUGE way. It's always a great thing when you meet with someone who you think you could help and as the meeting starts, they describe their problem to you and your solution is PRECISELY what they need for that very problem. My read of the problem was dead on! It was perfect! As a junior officer among senior officers on the call, it was great to be in the driver's seat and be the one with the answers. There wasn't a question I couldn't answer. Now, if I can only put these things into place and have them continue well past my tenure, that will be a huge success up there. I was amazed at how much need they are in...and thrilled that I can be the one who will connect the dots for them and provide the mechanism for change. So cool! This will be a daily job, 7 days a week, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I'll tell you this...it's all about relationships out here. With so much turnover and things constantly changing, missions being re-missioned, and the huge logistical challenges this country presents, it's about knowing the right people to facilitate your needs. Luckily, I'm that person for many.

Dinner and to my room was the rest of the night. I didn't get in until past 7pm and only wanted time to myself. No run...just a Coke Zero and popcorn while I watch a few shows on TV and chatted with friends online. I sure do have some awesome friends back in "Kansas." I also started researching a new camera...the Canon EOS 60D. I really want to up my game in photography. I'd love to see my work in art shows some day locally and capture what I already see in my mind but don't have the equipment to capture it. Thanks to a good running friend of mine, this camera should do it. Lots to read up on, though...so much I don't know and I must research first...buy later.

Goodnight, everyone.

Day 71

I laid down last night and I could hear that voice: "You've never regretted getting up early for a run. Don't be a slacker. Set that alarm for 3:15am and get it done!" So be it! 3:15am alarm (currently set to church chimes...the old-fashioned kind), a hobble over to my fridge where I downed a Starbucks Doubleshot, then hopped online to perform my requisite e-mail checking/replying. Turns out, my "Flat Daddy" that my girls have of me was making its rounds around "Kansas"...and was most recently at a graduation party. I checked in on my friends running a 100-miler then laced up my own pair of Brooks and headed out the door, armed only with a bottled water and mini-Clif Bar (thanks, Jerod!).

It's only about 3 miles to my office and another 0.8 mile to the start of the Father's Day 5K run. Along the way, it was still only about 4am but out here, the sun rises very early and sets early. I'd never seen a sunrise before so today was the first. As I left my compound, first light was showing behind the mountains and about halfway to the race, I stopped right in front of the very head of the runway...looking straight down the runway lights and snapped a pic with my iPhone and here it is. Check out the silhouette of the mountain range and the coming sunrise behind it. Cool pic, eh? Once I got to the race site, everyone was signing in on a clipboard. No bibs, no fees, no clock, no recording of times...but a race nonetheless. As time approached 5am, we all (about 600+ of us) were briefed on the course and how the fathers got to be at the front of the field. We were also told that the Air Force shorted the race 300 race t-shirts and only 150 were made. So, if we wanted a shirt, we'd better scoot and finish in the top 150. They would hand poker chips out at the finish and when the chips were gone, so were the shirts.

I've got to set the stage here. This base is overrun by the Army first, then the Air Force. As for Navy and Marines, there are very few of us. Since we're all wearing our PT gear, the way I describe the crowd is "panning for gold." Why? Well, when you search for gold in a stream, for example, you pick up sediment and look for the gold specs in your pan among the dark colored sediment. Our Navy shirts are gold, or yellow, depending on who you ask. So there you have it..panning for "gold." Once we took off, I settled in to a steady pace and held strong throughout. I haven't trained fast so I was careful not to pull anything. Remaining steady, I picked people off all race long as so many went out too fast. There was even a Marine squad running in formation and singing cadence...carrying their flag, too. They were wearing their uniform boots, pants, and t-shirts. Awesome...just awesome to see those rock-hard Marines together like that. I also saw a lot of Vibram FiveFinger wearers out there. In the end, I ran an average 7:32 minute mile and finished the 5K+ (3.25 miles) race in 24min, 15sec., and in 102nd place so a t-shirt was mine! A Navy guy won the race, by the way...again...Navy beats Army!!! After picking up my shirt, I got back on the road and ran back to my compound for a cool 11 miles total for the morning...and it was just minutes back 6am. Uh oh...I'm in trouble! Gonna crash and burn tonight!

Back in my room, I had some Kashi cereal, brewed my espresso (I forgot I wanted to go back to sleep), uploaded some photos, and then actually got about an hour or hour and a half of sleep before heading into the office for the afternoon. Not much was accomplished today...just a few things even possible since nearly no one was around. I hung out until 7am eastern time because that's when I wanted to call my dad and see how he was doing. He was admitted to the hospital last night and the hospital doesn't turn on the room phones until 7am. Basically, the hospital and doctors are still guessing about what is wrong and has probably discharged him by now...but I haven't heard that yet. I'm quite sure my mom will be pursuing another doctor to find out what was causing the problems my dad was having. Regardless, he sounded good today and we had a good conversation. Once we said our goodbyes, I logged off and headed out to pick up the shuttle back to my room. I had but one goal left: FaceTime with my girls.

I got to my room, grabbed my iPad and zipped out to the WiFi hotspot. The iPad 2 is perfect for this...full screen, smooth, and priceless time with my girls. We were probably chatting for a half hour. We had great conversation, some laughs, talked about the handmade little purses from India that I sent them and the camel-hair blanket I sent back...handmade right here in Afghanistan. They loved the purses, too. Honestly, given the circumstances, my Father's Day couldn't be any more perfect. I needed nothing else! So, I headed off to dinner, grabbed some praline ice cream afterwards, then called it a night and returned to my room and here I am. Bonus? NASCAR is coming on LIVE at 9:30pm! Live TV over here is very rare, except for sporting events. (yea, yea, yea...some of you are rolling your eyes about NASCAR being a sport...) Every year on Father's Day, all of the drivers' kids sing the National Anthem before the race or some other song plus, who else has so much patriotism at a SPORTING EVENT and a "Gentlemen, start your engines!!!!" ?? So, I think I'll let NASCAR put me to sleep tonight. I'm pooped from the super early alarm so it's time to just chillax. I'm ready to call it a day and move on to 72.

Goodnight, everyone.