Day 85

Ahhh, Sundays. They always start off good because I have to force myself to fall back asleep when I awake pre-5am. That's been the trend lately...waking up before 5am even though my alarm is never set earlier than 5:20am. I wonder if God is nudging me to get up and run while the wind is light? Perhaps. That would be great since my running has fallen off the map for the past few weeks. That's going to change a bit tomorrow as I'll be running in the sister event, Peachtree 10K. Looking forward to it!

I took my morning time before heading in at noon to get some things ready to ship home. I've accumulated a few things that will be heavy/bulky for my future trip home and I know I don't want to pack them so I'm going to ship them home. I'm still waiting on a few more items that need to go so that box will wait a few more weeks. I also got some more light cleaning done. Oh yea...there were 6 laps to go at the race at Daytona...perfect timing! The best part of all NASCAR races!!!

I also took the quiet time to write a few handwritten letters home. One thing Tin Man and Scarecrow appreciate is handwritten letters from me. What really touches MY heart and I doubt Dorothy or the girls realize it, but in every picture I see, they are wearing the dog tags I sent home. I think I've referred to these before but let me explain. Dog Tags For Kids is a non-profit that provides great quality, metal dog tags for deployed service-members. Corresponding colors and words depending on mom or dad and in English or Spanish. Here is a sample. For my girls, it says Afghanistan 2011 instead of Iraq. They come with a chain, too. I found this site and ordered them for me and those in my command who wanted them. They were shipped to us for free and then I taped them inside a letter to each of them. Well, since they arrived, they wear them 24/7. Not only do they wear them, they wear them on the outside of their shirts to show everyone...like it's a badge of strength or something. It's simple...it isn't much...but it means so much to me because it tells me where their hearts are. It's pure, raw love and I am truly blessed...I really am.

After a few hours in the office and a talk about vacation-planning with Dorothy over the phone, :-), I headed out to this month's Hail and Farewell...remember? We do this each month to welcome those newly reported folks and goodbye to those heading HOME. Pizza Hut pizza, great laughs, and a chance to recognize those who are leaving with gifts and awards and give some background on those newly reported...both civilians and military. I really do enjoy these! Looking forward to MY farewell some day! Day by day, it's getting closer!

So the rest of evening was just me in my CHU relaxing. Lots of reading online from my fellow trail-runners back home, viewing of photos from those runs, and some writing myself to those who have reached out to me. I need to be up early tomorrow morning for the 10K so I'm trying to move towards an earlier descent into bed...not sure it's going to happen. I always have good intentions, though. Oh yes...I almost forgot...two more care packages today! My dad sent me LOTS of nuts...seriously, there are a lot of nuts on my desk in the office. I will have to share...I just won't have a choice! I also received one from my mentor back at my civilian job in "Kansas" who just retired. She sent some newspaper clippings for me to to read, a handwritten note, and some Crazy Monkey Baking granola!!!  Oh yea, baby! That stuff is addicting!! I found it at a trail marathon a few years back when they sponsored it and have always enjoyed it. She knows me well!!!!

So here is yet another holiday. The 4th of July, or actually...Independence Day. Freedom...independence...it's an important American ideal, isn't it? As I type and head to bed, the cookouts continue back home and into tonight. Many people will attend fireworks tonight and set some off of their own. They'll ooh, ahhh, and adore what they see in the sky. Under that same sky a half world away is 100,000 of your fellow brothers and sisters...most of which are barely old enough to be a college graduate. Won't you lift them up in your thoughts and prayers? Better yet...resolve to keep doing it on July 5th, 6th, and so on. Look at the flag differently and realize that it flies everywhere over here and stands for so much...independence being but one thing but a very significant one.

*”˜˜”*°•.¸☆ ★ ☆¸.•°*”˜˜”*°•.¸☆
╔╗╔╦══╦═╦═╦╗╔╗ ★ ★ ★
║╚╝║══║═║═║╚╝║ ☆¸.•°*”˜˜”*°•.¸☆
║╔╗║╔╗║╔╣╔╩╗╔╝ ★ 4th of July !!!!!
╚╝╚╩╝╚╩╝╚╝═╚╝ ♥￥☆★☆★☆￥♥ ★☆

Goodnight, everyone.

Day 84

Right place, right time...certainly today's theme. But more on that in a bit. Today, we bumped our trip in a whole whoppin' 1/2 hour to 7:30am from 7am. Only a few e-mails waited as expected...hardly anyone in the States worked yesterday. Still, though, was busy throughout the morning with lots of people in-country who needed help. After lunch, I headed over to the video shop to try and get the new Transformers but he didn't have it yet...rats! He said it'll be a few more weeks. I'll be back for sure. On the long walk back to the office, I stopped into Green Beans again for a new drink...the mocha frappe. Pretty good!  I also noticed a bit of construction happening in the parking lot...apparently, for the July 4th festivities. I must find out more about this! All I know for sure is the 10K run on Monday morning.  Just before I left for the day around 5pm, I went down to the conference room where I had some privacy and recorded a 5min 4th of July greeting for my church back home. My pastor asked if I'd do this so he could show it in the service on Sunday morning. It actually turned out pretty good. I uploaded it to my private side of YouTube so he could show it on Sunday but still not be open to the public.

So, now for the "right place, right time." I needed to stop by the flightline again tonight. I mentioned this before and didn't say why and the same thing applies tonight...not gonna say! This is one of those things you'll have to tune into at the very end of this deployment. Anyway, while I was there, another guy was there with a friend who works at the flightline and was asking if they could take some pics out by a F-15E Strike Eagle. Well, my escort on the flightline was a pilot and was going to give the quick tour.....so.....I tagged along! This is something that doesn't happen EVER to a Navy Reservist from "Kansas." A F-15E fighter jet? The same one that often rattles my walls when I'm trying to sleep? Yep, I'll take that quick tour! Well, it turned into a lot more than a quick tour. We probably spent at least an hour out there. Lots of photos, learning about the 2000lb bomb on the belly, the 500lb laser-guided bombs under the wings, the sidewinder air-to-air missiles at the tips of the wings, and the infrared/camera system...learned about it all. This photo at the right is one of the only that I thought appropriate for my "anonymous" blog. There are about 28 others on my Facebook page if you're on there. They are very worth looking up! The best one? That's easy. As I was standing there talking to the airmen, one pulls out a Sharpie pen and says: "Here, Sir. Go ahead and sign the bomb!" Say what? Which bomb? "The 2000lb one. Just don't write on the smooth part." Alrighty! So what in the world do I write on a bomb that will fall on the Taliban?! Hmmm... I wrote "From 'Kansas', with love." Then, I wrote my initials and "USN" for U.S. Navy. Perfect. I snapped a photo then the airman snapped a photo with me in it. The photo from a long time ago with me and a young Afghan soldier was priceless, but this one is pretty dang priceless, too. Some things I'll never forget...this is one of them! So it's not done there. Then, I was ushered up the stairs and into the cockpit! I must be dreaming, I though. I honestly never thought I'd sit in a real, operable fighter jet that goes up and fights the fight every single day. It was great. After this, we all climbed back to the tail of the aircraft and took some more photos...some even of the sunset. Those were awesome. Climbing down afterwards, I was grinning ear to ear. I was trying not to miss a thing...this was something I'd never revisit. One and done! I took a few more photos from the rear of the aircraft then we all headed back in. The pilot who escorted me in and showed me the F-15 escorted me back out. A handshake, thank you, and wishes to stay safe were extended and I headed on back to my room.

That's really about it for today. A lot of tonight was spent uploading my photos and chatting online with friends and family. Today back home...about right now, everyone is coming over my house for a cookout, some cornhole, and just some good time together and to let the cousins all play together. I am definitely missing this...Dorothy is always a great host and her food never disappoints. Plus, beating up on family members in cornhole is always fun. So while they play and eat together...it's bedtime for me.

Goodnight, everyone.

Day 83

I tried something new last night, not that I have trouble falling asleep ever...those F-16s and F-15s don't phase me one bit anymore. Now I understand how some people live by railroad tracks. But last night, I turned on my iPod and listened to my most recent download of Passion 2011 and I didn't even make it through the first track. Out like a light. It was nice to fall asleep like that...repeat tonight but a different track...since I only get a few minutes. :-) I do sleep pretty well, now. Those jets still shake my walls but I don't even notice.

Since I was in the office so late last night, I delayed my start today a bit. Still, though, I was awake at 5am and shot off a "Good evening!" to Dorothy. Shockingly, she was headed to the drive-in movie theater to see the new Transformers. Yes, we have one of the last, classic drive-ins back home in Kansas. Plus, she's not a sci-fi kind of girl, but she was with friends and ended up having a good time. Me, on the other hand, am a HUGE fan of Transformers. I'm going to head over to the video shop tomorrow where they sell the movies for 2 bucks. Don't ask. Let's just say there are no laws over here covering piracy. They're everywhere and you never pay more than $2-$5 a flick...sometimes before they even hit the theater. I spent my extra time this morning cleaning my CHU. A friend sent me the Swiffer wand and some wipes so I swept up then Swiffer'd the room. That and some baby wipes over some horizontal surfaces and I called my room clean. I am quite sure my CHU is immaculate compared to others. Dorothy would be so proud...there aren't even piles everywhere...well, maybe a few.

In the office, I suppose I could have stayed until midnight last night and been busy because they did a great job filling my e-mail while I slept. That kept me busy pretty much the entire day. I did stop by for another Green Beans Coffee on the long walk back from a meeting. Get this, though...while there, I noticed they built a huge deck in the middle of the parking lot...about 6ft off of the ground and cleared the whole lot. It looks like a gigantic square deck with rails..floating in the middle of the lot. Hmmmm.... July 4th is just around the corner...and that could easily double as a stage and the space around it for us troops. I have my suspicions...we'll see if I'm right. One thing is for sure...if anyone notable ever visits, it's NEVER publicized for security reasons.  That spot is also where the "Peachtree 10K" starts on Monday morning at 6am...9:30pm east coast time on Sunday night. By the way, they built that stage...I mean deck, overnight. Hmmmm....

In the mail today came two care packages. One was from good friends in Virginia that we met while I was on active duty in the 90s. The other was care package #3 from friends of mine. #3!!! I was absolutely surprised by both of these today...thank you all so much!!! The day in the office wrapped up with a teleconference call with folks in the central and southern part of the country, folks in Philly, folks in Florida, and folks in Virginia. Technology is amazing, I have to say. How'd this big meeting come about? If you recall, I wrote up a 2-page paper about a week ago about a problem I saw and what I recommended as a solution. Remember? Well, that made it's way around and stirred the pot enough to get everyone together. I said my bit and listened to the suggestions of others. One thing never changes...people are resistant to change, even when it makes sense. Not a single soul will say I'm wrong or challenge any of my recommendations, but they don't admit it's the best way ahead, either. They just sit there...like mannequins. We'll see where it leads...I have the support and backing of some pretty senior leadership. In the end, it directly benefits the warfighter...and that's why I'm here, right? Right. This problem isn't even my main line of work, but I see a great need and how my position can play a big and beneficial part.

We headed out just after 7pm for surf-n-turf night. I had a small lobster tail, a crab cake, and some shrimp. It was great, again! Just like last Friday night. A bunch more shop-talk then back to the CHU for the night. E-mail, internet, some tube, a shower and here I am. Back home, I can see online that everyone is gearing up for their long holiday weekend. We have some family traditions this weekend, one of which is a parade in a nearby town we always go to. It's the longest parade ever! Lots of great entries and a TON of patriotism. We all love it each year. Dorothy and girls are going again so hopefully some pics will make it to me. Lots of great trail-running by my friends all weekend, too. All great things....back HOME. I wish you all a very happy July 4th weekend. Pace here will slow to a creep and I expect lots of rest and running.

Goodnight, everyone.

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.