Day 156

Goodness, gracious...a rocket attack in the morning?! Seriously, folks, this is getting a little out of hand, don't you think?! OK..that's called Afghanistan humor. Poor attempt, I know. But yes, a first time for everything, I suppose. We went from having the 3-layered attack on September 10th to no attack on 9/11, then woke up to one this morning the day after 9/11. Today's damaged a few trucks and a maintenance shed but hurt no one. Always good news to read that on the intel report.

So once we got the all clear, we headed on in and 9am came quick when I arranged a meet-n-greet with an electrical contractor who is about to be responsible for "life, health, and safety" work country-wide. LHS basically is all that handy-man work and inspections that are needed on structures, both pre-existing in the country and new builds for the troops and/or coalition forces. Anyway, all of that electrical supply to the tune of millions of dollars is supplied by yours truly. Their contract to take over the entire project kicks off at the end of this month. I truly believe you have to know and understand your customer and their mission to best serve them. I really see no other way. So, today I sat down with four of them (my boss bailed on me) in their conference room, briefed them, exchanged some questions, then got a tour of how they manage their material now and what they'll do when they take over the mission they were "awarded." Very good visit and certainly a place to include on my tour of the base when I eventually turn over my job to my relief. Back in the office for the rest of the day, it was uneventful but very busy...which is very abnormal for a Monday. I pretty much went non-stop until past 6pm.

I did receive yet another care package today. It was from my parents. My dad made his final batch of homemade beef jerky and included a few presents my girls got for me. Also, get this...Scarecrow recently lost a tooth and lost it while sleeping over my parents. They sent me the tooth!!! When's the last time you heard of a tooth traveling 7,000 miles with plans to travel another 7,000 miles home?!? Pretty cool, I have to admit. Before I left for the night, I gave my dad a call to thank him for the jerky and catch up a bit. As soon as we hung up, I finished up what I was working on and caught a shuttle back to my side of the base. 

I'm feeling compelled to write down things I miss since they've been on my mind. I wrote some many weeks ago but here are more....maybe even repeating some:

• Outback Steakhouse: bacon cheddar burger, Aussie Cheesefries, and a microbrew (Great Lakes)
• Running at 4:30am near my home
• My car
• Gorgeous sunrises and sunsets
• Mens' breakfast once a month at my church
• Starbucks
• My Keen sandals
• Waking up and looking out at my moonlit backyard
• Holding my older, fatter cat (Seal Point Siamese cat...named Berkeley)
• Cutting the grass and edging
• Meeting friends at the trailhead for a few hours of trail running
• Clean non-dust-infused running shoes
• Muddy trails and streams to immerse my feet in
• Walking out of my house every day and seeing Old Glory flying in the breeze
• Taking photos of anything and everything, especially while on the trails
• Civilian clothing
• Heading out on a trail run before sunrise and watching the sun rise through the trees and the dew lift from the earth
• Sitting bedside with my girls each night for prayer
• Spending a day in Amish Country with Dorothy with a stop at our favorite winery
• Walking in green grass in my bare feet
• Making and devouring my homemade hummus
• Cottage cheese and kidney beans (mixed up)
• Grouper Reuben sandwich and homemade fries at one of my favorite restaurants
• Running more than 12 miles (I'll get my fix this Saturday...FYI)

Of course, those are all "things" and not people. People whom I miss and share a lot with know who they are so I'm not going to get into a list of people here. Some things really don't need blogged...knowing is enough.

As I close out tonight, I just want to share this 90 second commercial with you. It is by State Farm and a tribute for 9/11. It is just a really, really good feel-good thing to watch and makes you feel proud to be an American. I've watched it several times so I thought I'd share it with you. If you're reading this blog via the e-mail subscription, here's the link you can follow to watch it: http://youtu.be/tnlPX2_b4GA

Goodnight, everyone.