'tis the season

Merry Christmas all! I just wanted to post quick to say that and I hope you all had a great holiday. Mine was very humble and I was able to have a nice talk with Robyn for a little bit on the phone while she opened my present for her. She also sent me a few pictures of Porter opening presents and it was so cool to see:) Only a few days left in 2008! Time to sprint to the finish and get home to spend some good quality time.

The days before Christmas

Hi all and Merry Christmas!

I know it's still a few days away, but as it rapidly approaches I just wanted to take the time to reflect a little bit on the joy of the season. I know you might be thinking, "joy of the season...but you're in Iraq!" However, my ability to keep a jolly spirit doesn't change just cause I'm not with my loved ones this holiday. As a matter of fact, I find it easier to appreciate Christmas and the wonderful things we're normally able to do and share with one another more than I normally would. It's amazing to me, that in a Muslim majority country like this, our DFAC is covered with our American normal Christmas icons. They have pictures of St. Nick and a 15' Christmas tree right in the middle of the DFAC complete with wrapped presents underneath it. Along the front of my battle captain desk there are battery powered lights that someone got in the mail, and better yet, I opened yet another of 25 presents that Robyn individually wrapped, numbered by day, and sent to me in the mail for Christmas. This morning's present was especially wonderful and brought a smile to my face. I had been waiting to see which DVD it was, because due to the shape of the wrapped object, I pretty much knew it was a DVD. Would you believe my surprise and appreciation when I unwrapped a SpongeBob Squarepants DVD!? :) Truly awesome and a stroke of genius by Robyn. I probably would have appreciated getting a newer release DVD of some violent movie or something, but because it reminded me of being at home watching Spongebob with Porter and Robyn on the couch, that DVD was the most special and perfect DVD she possibly could have gotten me. Might sound wierd, I guess, but that's us. Anyways, my day has been great and I'm thankful to have such a thoughtful wife and a wonderful little guy at home. I stayed up last night for a little while just thinking about how cool it will be to have Porter run up to me in January yelling, "Daddy!"

1000 pound club

Hi all,

I just got done with my shift and wanted to update you all on what I've been up to. I decided a little over a month ago that I was going to start powerlifting again to compete in a competition they have in the gym here on the FOB. Every month they have a 1000 lb. club competition, or Superman Competition. The goal is to be able to lift a combined total between the bench press, squat, and deadlift of a thousand pounds or more. To date, they have had only 8 other people make the goal, so I decided to get on the wall. I was able to Squat 365 lbs, bench press 295 lbs, and deadlift 440 lbs for a total of 1100. Not too bad for not having touched weights since Collegiate Nationals in the spring of 2004. Anyways, they took my picture and made a certificate to go up on the wall in the gym with the other 8 guys. I am #5 out of 9 for my total weight lifted. Now that it's done, I have one other weight lifting competition I am going to do on the 22nd that is a double your bodyweight deadlift competition to see how many times you can lift double your weight. After that, I plan to get back to more cardio exercise and get ramped up so I can run my 2-mile in under 13 minutes. Things are still going well with the job and the people, so I can't complain there. I just miss my little boy and my amazing wife. I hope you all are doing well back there.

A day off!

Hi everyone,

I got the chance to have a day off today:) I slept in a few extra hours and got some reading done. Then I came up to the MWR in our HQ and got to call Robyn for a little bit before getting online. I've just been trying to catch up on emails and the blogs and what everyone has been up to. There's a lot going on with everyone! Robyn has been a busy body back there making sure that everyone is taken care of for Christmas and working her little fingers to the bone to make everyone's presents. She did a little handy work around the house and fixed a problem with the drywall seems that we were having on in our house! How many wives do that?! I am just so lucky to have such a capable and independant wife and mother for Porter. She literally has done everything for the Christmas presents for everyone, to include my family and friends. I never have to worry about that stuff and I truly appreciate it. I don't think that everyone realizes all the time and effort she puts into it though...she shops throughout the year for Christmas and collects presents over time. She was done with Christmas shopping in November! The only thing she's been working on lately is just wrapping the mountain of presents for everyone and finishing up some of the presents that she has been making herself. I just hope everyone appreciates what she has been sending everyone:)

I have just been glad to have some new experiences working directly with an aviation unit here and learning a lot about the helicopters and everything that goes along with them. My job is essentially to manage information for them. I collect threat information and weather and consolidate it into a briefing that I give them before they go out to fly so they know what to look for. While they're flying, I manage the information they relay back and consolidate that for the next folks. I also manage other stuff for the unit here at large and make sure things are running smooth. As the Battle Captain, I pretty much run the fight for the Commander and update him on things as needed. I coordinate with other units in the area that might need support or be able to use the information that our guys gather and make sure that everyone is on the same page. It's a neat job and I get to work with some very interesting characters...most of them very nice:) Of course there's a lot more to it than the 3 sentence description, but that's the gyst of it! I hope you all are getting ramped up for Christmas and enjoying the holidays! Thank you so much to Robyn's parents and Megan and Aunt Dede and Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas for all the cards/packages/support that you have sent me. It's been very nice getting packages for the holidays with the little goodies in them:) There's more candy and snacks around the office from everyone's care packages now than we can eat! Everyone is going to be working it off in the gym over the next month trying to get back in shape before we come home:) I need to get going to grab some chow, while I'm on the subject, so I'll talk to you all again soon!

Nice visit to Baghdad

I just got back from a nice overnight trip to visit a friend and spend some time with some other Artillerymen up in Baghdad. He is on staff at the HQ that runs our area of Iraq, and works with the senior Artillery COLONEL for the 10th MTN Division at Ft. Drum. Since Robyn and I have been thinking about going there after the career course, I went and talked with him and his boss about the possibility of me going there. The COL was very nice and said he would talk to the personnel folks about me possibly going there, so that's cool. I also got to have a nice dinner and chat with another good dude about life and the Army and what we're doing in it. It was good to be able to talk with someone I can relate to about the direction things are going with our careers and families. They were throwing a celebration for the Artillery called, "St. Barbara's Day celebration". It's a tradition in the Artillery to honor the patron saint of the Artillery branch and to keep alive the traditions and brotherhood of the Artillery. It was held at a really nice hotel accross from one of Saddam's palaces there. I got a couple good pictures of Jim and I outside the hotel overlooking the small man-made lake that is between the hotel and the palace with the palace in the background. I will try to download them soon and post them on here for you to see. I'm wicked tired now though, because I worked until after midnight the night before I flew up there, and didn't get to sleep until around 0300 from packing and then had to get up at 0530 to get ready to catch my Blackhawk ride. Then, I stayed up until around 0300 after watching Army get destroyed by Navy and chatting with Jim. After getting a few hours of sleep, Jim took me back to the airport around 1115 so I could catch my flight back. So...early to bed tonight to get ready to come on my 12 hour shift tomorrow! Not too much longer left though, and I'm just thankful that this is a shortened deployment. I miss my wife and little boy very much.

Ping Pong King

Well, I found out last night that I am NOT the ping pong king. One of the guys I work with and work out with at the gym challenged me to a few games after our work out last night. He beat me at least 15 times. I won once...using two paddles. I happen to be very coordinated with both hands...just not as coordinated as he is with one hand. He didn't destroy me, most games were within 5 points, but he consistently won, despite my best efforts. So, hopefully I'll be able to redeem myself a little bit tonight with a rematch. It's nice to just do something like that and not think about all the other stuff going on and how much I miss Robyn and Porter. That is by far the hardest part of these deployments. My buddy, Jim, who works for the folks at Division aparently talked to his boss about me and asked me to send him my officer record brief (tells about all the stuff I've done so far) because they are losing three CPTs and are putting in requests for people coming up soon with the Army G1 (personnel management). So, it looks like he has been talking me up a little bit and is trying to help me out with our goal to get to Ft. Drum, so that's pretty cool! Hopefully it all works out. I need to get going to try to give Robyn a call before I go get my work out on and get some rest for the night, so you have a wonderful day!

-Joe

Internet at work

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to write again to say hi and to let everyone know that things are going pretty well here. I got a package from Robyn yesterday that has one individually wrapped Christmas present for every day of December up to Christmas! They are numbered 1-25 and I have opened two of them so far:) Isn't she an awesome wife?? Of course, something of note is that now we have the MWR internet in the building that I work in, so I can walk down the hall after my shift to log on here and let you know how things are going instead of having to walk a half mile to the internet after I get done walking a half mile back to my tent. Hopefully, I'll be able to keep up with this a little bit better. I've been talking with one of my buddies from my Officer Basic Course who is stationed out of Ft. Drum about how he likes it there and how the unit is, and so far he has nothing but good things to say. He also happens to work directly for the most senior artillery officer in the Division who controls where all the Artillery officers go, so that gives me an 'in' if I do get the chance to go there:) I'm going to go visit him at an artillery celebration they're having soon here in country, so that will be cool! Robyn has been talking with his wife and a couple other wives that live there online and getting all sorts of information about the post and housing situation. We'd probably end up living on post based on what we've heard and what we'd like to try. It would just be easier only having to drive a few minutes to work instead of 25 or so. It would make it so I could come home for breakfast and lunch if I had time instead of being kind of stuck on post throughout the day like I have been so far. It would also make it so Robyn didn't have to travel very far to run errands or do something with other officer wives on Post. Things are still really uncertain because we don't know if that will even be an option for me after the career course, but it's another one of our hopes. I'm just glad that it's now December and Christmas and New Year's Eve are around the corner! That means that not much longer and I'll be on my way back home to see my wonderful family:) For now though, I'm pretty worn out from my shift and am going to go get a work out before heading to bed. Take care!

-Joe

Good day off...

Hi everyone!

I got the day off today to have some personal time and it has been very relaxing! I got to talk to Robyn on the phone for almost an hour while she was out shopping for 'black Friday' so that was awesome. I started out sleeping in almost an hour and a half and then went and picked up my laundry from the laundry place and put it away. With some extra time, I put some fresh sheets on the bed and then had a late breakfast/lunch before they closed(1345). After that, I went to the TOC (tactical operations center) where I work and checked my email and called Robyn. Then I went and fixed the door to our tent with some extra canvas I found so that there wasn't a gap between the wooden door I made and the door frame to let light in. Since I still had some extra time and because my laptop's headphone jack doesn't work for some reason, I took my laptop back to the TOC with me and watched a movie that I had downloaded. Then I went and had a nice dinner with a few other CPTs and then went back to the tent for a quick break and to get my PT jacket on because it's getting a little chilly at night here and now, here I am, typing to you all at the MWR center. Pretty boring now that you read it all, huh?:) Well, I can't exactly go out on the town and have a good time or anything, so now that I'm done with this, I'm going to go check out Robyn's blog, and then head to the gym a little bit early tonight so that I can get a good deadlift workout in and get some sleep before heading back to work for my ground-hog day routine. On a positive note, Robyn and I discussed the possibility of trying to get stationed at Ft. Drum, NY following the CPT's career course in October next year. We still have to do a little more research to see if it's something we're really interested in, and the Army still has to make it an option, but for right now at least, we're leaning towards it. There's really just one main point that is both the positive and negative aspect of going there...family. We both want a little more interaction with our families that what we can get now, but we don't want so much that it gets overwhelming. It's something that we'll wrestle over until we actually make up our minds, I guess. I'm sure the family would like us being closer by too. The way we figure it, if we go there for 2-3 years and then I get accepted to go teach at West Point, we could be in NY for the next 7 years or so. Then, after that, we can go try to get stationed somewhere more adventurous when Porter is able to participate and remember what we do. Plus we may end up having another little one and that will be good stability and help for Robyn close by when I end up getting deployed again. So many things to think about....so much still uncertain. So, we leave it to the big guy in the sky and enjoy the ride. A lot can happen between now and then. For now, things are great and I'm very thankful for all the blessings in my life. I hope you all had a very happy thanksgiving and are getting ready for Christmas! I will talk to you again soon.

Love,

Joe

Changing shifts

Hi all,

I found out again this morning that I will be changing shifts today. So, instead of working 0700-1900, I'll be working 1200-0001. Of course, not knowing this, I woke up as usual at 0330 to get ready to go to the gym, went to work out, and found out while I was working out about the shift change today. So, needless to say, I plan on being pretty tired tonight when I get off shift after midnight...21 hours after waking up this morning. Oh well, I'm not getting shot at and still have a bed to sleep in with good food to eat. I just have to readjust my workout schedule and try to make sure I can get some sleep tonight after my shift. I also have had a workout partner the past couple days. We are going to work towards the goal of getting on the 1000 pound club wall they have in the gym. If you lift 1,000 lbs total for Bench Press, Squat, and Deadlift, you get your picture taken and put on the wall. I should be able to do it now, but the Soldier I'm working out with has never Powerlifted before, so I'm kind of coaching him to be able to do it. It's a good way to stay motivated to work out and pass the time. The only problem is, that he's on the 1600-midnight shift and has to stay up to meet me at the gym at 0400, but he didn't show up this morning, so I had to work out alone and was delayed half an hour before I started cause I was waiting for him to show up. Maybe with my new shift change, we can work something after our shift since we'll get off at the same time now. Robyn is having a Pampered Chef party tomorrow, so we should get some nice pots and pans, which is cool. Porter was sick and I guess is feeling better now too, so that makes me feel better. He had what we think was like a viral infection and a high fever for a day or two and that led to an ear infection since he's also getting two teeth in at the same time, so Robyn took him to the doctor and got him some medicine to clear it up and he's good to go now. I miss those two very much. Not too much longer though, and I'll be back to play with my son and be with my family again. I hope everyone back there is doing well and I'll talk to you all again soon!

Hi again

Another good work out this morning. Just a jog to the gym, 10 minutes on the eliptical machine and a good pace, then 4 sets of light squats followed by some sit-ups and then a 6 minute sprint workout on the treadmill as fast as it would go. I'm working 12 hour shifts right now, so I'm staying pretty occupied...I get up around 0345, wake up for about 20 minutes and then head to the gym. Then I'll get cleaned up and head to work until around 1900ish before heading back to get some sleep. Pretty basic groundhog's day routine. I like it that way though...it makes the days go by faster cause they all blend together! I have to get going so I have some time to relax and eat at the DFAC, so I'll talk to you all again soon. Oh, and by the way, I'm no longer looking at getting the Toyota Tundra...I've been researching more and I realllllly want to get the 2008 Chevy Silverado 1500. Check it out in Google and you'll understand. I think the second page down on the list is one of the car and truck rating websites that has it at #1 for good reason. I have always kind of wanted that one, but never realized that it is something I could actually afford...since they have all the incentives with the economy in the tubes, there's a good shot of me getting the perfect truck to last for the next 8-10 years:)

Hi everyone!

I was able to get onto the site at the MWR (morale welfare and recreation) place, so here I am. Anyways, I just wanted to write everyone quick to say hi and that I'm doing just fine. I feel bad for my little guy and Robyn back there fighting off a fever, but I thank God for good folks in our lives like Rachel and the dude accross the street who are willing to help out when it matters. Rachel and Avery have honestly been so supportive and wonderful to have as neighbors and friends. Porter is lucky to have such a great 'auntie RayRay' around to help Robyn out. I just feel helpless being over here and not able to help the little guy feel better. Less than 60 days now though, so not too much longer. I can't complain about the FOB...it's pretty nice, good food, not too far to walk to work and everything else. A little ways to the gym, but it's a good mile jog to warm up before I get there, so it works out alright. The MWR place is on the way back from the gym, so I will try to get up a little earlier so I can still come post on here for everyone to stay updated. I may be a little lazy sometimes, but for the most part, I should be on a schedule now that allows for it. Anyways, I'm off to go take a shower and grab a nice breakfast...I think I'll have a ham and cheeze omelette with a slice of french toast and some sliced pears and orange juice like I had yesterday! It's a great way to start the day after a good work out. I hope all of you are doing well and had a great weekend!

Sleeping Area

(Written by Robyn as Joe does not have access to his blog anymore...will send all comments to him!)

Sleeping area at my new FOB. I have the top bunk all to myself so I can put my clean clothes up there. I am in the back corner so I have more room than many.



Terrific article that really hits home. I have it easy compared to these guys. Please read if you have the time.

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/11/11/acevedo.pow/index.html

Please remember our fallen on this Veteran's Day.

Blessed with love

Sappy maybe, but God has given me a wonderful life and I just wanted to share how thankful I am for it all. I have a spectacular wife and little boy at home and I don't have a want or need in the world other than their safety. I guess that's why I'm in Iraq again, huh? While many folks have forgotten that 9-11 was not a provoked attack and happened completely out of the blue by people who just wanted to kill Americans...I haven't. I would gladly come here again if it gives those types of people someone who can defend themselves to target on someone else's soil rather than have them come home to our country and try something again. I know a lot of people think that's far fetched, but for the most part the folks fighting us here, and in Afghanistan aren't from there...and if they will go there to fight us, what's to say it would be much harder for them to go to the US? I mean...there are thousands of US Soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan searching for these guys, trying to stop them and they still lay IEDs and shoot mortars and rockets at innocent people and coalition forces. Would it be harder to do that on American soil where the majority of people don't think twice when they see a car that's weighed down almost riding on the axles? Here, we notice that and immediately think, "that car probably has a few hundred pounds of explosives in it!" Home, we think, "That car needs new shocks." Food for thought...the next time you drive down the main street at home...look for sandbags, or other debris along the side of the road. Each of those could be an IED if the terrorists brought it to us. I don't know why I'm being so morbid all of a sudden...sorry, not intending to scare anyone, just trying to explain why I do what I do. I think I should probably get some sleep. Have a great rest of your day! LOL.

Yay for me!

Hi everyone,

Today is a good day. I have the day off today, except for my PT test in an hour and a half, so I'm going to go get my haircut before and then hopefully do well! I was able to sleep in, so that was nice. But even better than that, Robyn and I have been in discussion about me getting a truck for some time now...the discussion mostly being me asking for one when we go to the career course and her saying we can't afford it until I'm a Major. Well, last night out of the blue she said she'd been thinking about it and that we should get one when I get back! With limitations of course on how much she'd be willing to pay for one, but we can work with that. What I really want is the '07 Toyota Tundra with the four doors. I found one http://sanmarcostoyota.com/Vehicle.aspx?v=772963 but it's a little over our price range right now. We're looking for about 18k. But, we aren't going to get it until around February '09, so hopefully the price will drop with the new year. Anyways, I'm wicked psyched about it and I'm going to go start my day! I hope you all are doing well. Check out Robyn's latest post...aren't they the best looking family ever?! I love those two.

Laters,

Joe

More pics from the way over

Since I think the connection will work to upload some photos...I'm going to try to upload a bunch that I took on the way over for you all to see. Things have been pretty good here. I just had a nice 3.5 mile run and had some cake for dessert afterwards:) Robyn and Porter should be at a Halloween party, so I'm updating this instead of talking to them. I hope everyone had a happy Halloween!

Hi everyone!

I just wanted to write again to say hello and that things are still going well here. I'll be headed to a new FOB soon, so I'm not sure how well I'll be able to update this after I move, but I will try. See, I can't update it from my work computer because the internet blocks websites like this...for good reason. So, I have to wait until I'm off work to use the wireless internet in my room that I paid $65 for the month to have. It works okay, but depends on when I use it because of how many people connect to the same wireless network. Right now, it's 0400 so there aren't a lot of people up and using it. I have to say that this has been a pretty sweet deployment so far. The DFAC is only a 5 minute walk, I live about 200 feet from where I work, and the bathroom is only about 25 feet away. I have a room to myself right now, which is a nice change compared to last time when I shared a slightly smaller room with 3 other people. When I move, I will be living in a tent though, with about 20 other dudes. I'll still have an outlet for power and A/C or heat and a bed to sleep on though, so I'm not complaining. I don't have to sleep on the ground or on my vehicle or in some Iraqi house we took over like last time. Things have been amazingly better here. I have been impressed with the reports I hear about the Iraqi Army and Iraqi Police units finding weapons caches and IEDs on their own and making sure they are taken care of properly without needing American or Coalition Forces help. There aren't many areas of Iraq left that haven't been handed back over to Iraqi control with only coalition in a major support role. There are still bad guys doing bad things every day, but there are less of them...much less that are succeeding. It's something that should be credited to a President who has been more criticized than any other before him. This Operation Iraqi Freedom has undoubtedly in my mind made the world, at least this part of it...a better place. My only hope is that once we withdraw the majority of our forces, the Iraqis can hold it together without some other group coming in to destabilize them. Anyhow, this is getting long and I'm really tired. Here's a picture of me in the TOC, I hope you like it!

Still here...not a whole lot new

Hi everyone,

I'm still doing my thing here in Baghdad. We get the Armed Forces Network TV shows on the TV in our HQ, so I've been keeping up a little with the rediculous election coverage. I don't know about you all, but I'm just ready for someone to win and get this over with. This seems like the least legitimate Presidential race I've ever seen. It's not a race over qualifications...it's a popularity contest and who makes the least mistakes when they're talking to the media. The media is screwing the whole thing up. They're digging for who's political advisors said what and talking about candidates like they're villains on both sides...not like they're both people that could be taking over our nation in the upcoming months as one of the most powerful leaders in the world. I think people have lost site of a sense of national pride and decency and what that means. Sure, people say they're proud to be American and they'll put a yellow ribbon on their cars saying they support the troops, but how many of them will get behind whoever wins the election just because they won through the democratic process and have become our president? Food for thought...chew on that and let me know what you think. I normally hate politics...and don't bother paying attention, but things are getting to a point where you can't avoid seeing something about it everywhere you look...even in Iraq. I get reports from news agencies around the world as part of my job tracking what's going on. It's amazing the amount the world is watching this election...Iran supports Obama because they think he will be more lenient on his policies. Al Qaida leaders have said they support McCain because they think that he'll lead us to fight them until they can kill all of us. They all have an opinion. That's how important it is and why I voted for the first time this year. I have to get to work, but hope you all have a great day today. Sorry for the political rhetoric.

Another sandy day in Iraq

Hi everyone,

I woke up a little later than the past couple weeks today because I'm changing my shift a couple hours later every day until I'm on the night shift so I can help plan for coming home. Because I was on Rear Detachment I have a lot of knowledge about getting home, and because there's not a whole lot for me to do with Artillery right now, I told them I would help out. Of course, they gladly accepted, so we'll see how that goes. On the positive side of things, it should help make it so in my off time, it lines up better with being able to talk to Robyn and P-nut, so that's cool:) I got a really nice card from Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas two days ago and need to get on writing them a reply note. It's nice to hear from people that I don't normally get to hear from. That's one of the interesting things that a couple guys and I were discussing the other night. It's just neat how sometimes the most unexpected people that you normally don't talk to at all or hear from while you're home in the states will pick up writing to you or sending you things while you're over here. It happens to almost every Soldier I've talked to. My boss' aunt is the one that sends him something almost every week or so. Just one of those things I guess. I got a package from Robyn yesterday:) It was really nice of her and had some stuff that was good to get. The hard part for her is that I really don't need anything here. The Army does a good job in making sure that I don't want for anything while I'm here. So, with that said...for those of you who would like to send me a package...instead, the next time you get the inclination, please go buy Porter a book or coloring book, or just forget about going shopping and send what you would have spent so Robyn can get him something the next time she's out from you. I just don't need anything here. I would still love to hear from you all in the form of letters or emails though, so feel free!

I know Robyn has been crazy busy back home fixing up the place and doing awesome work in the back yard:) She cleared out a whole tree and a bunch of branches and things that were cluttering up the yard and it looks a million times better! She is such a trooper and I'm so proud of her. I just miss her and Porter. She said he's getting more affectionate and that it might be because he misses me and is worried about her going somewhere too. If it weren't for the seperation surrounding deployments I wouldn't mind them at all. I have the best job satisfaction ever when I'm deployed, but the lowest personal satisfaction from not being with my family. I'm pretty sure if you asked any Soldier, that would be the case. I just feel fortunate that I have not been over here for a year already like the majority of the guys in the Regiment. I was at least able to bond with my little boy so that he'll know me when I get back and we can hopefully pick up where we left off. There were so many new babies born while I was the Rear Detachment Commander who's fathers first time seeing them was for two weeks while they were home on leave, or who will see them for the first time when they get back to Fort Hood after the deployment. The only consolation I can think of is that it will ensure that they are there for the most developmental parts of their childs life since the first few months is not much more than pooping, peeing, sleeping and eating. Anyhow, this is a lengthy brain fart, so I'll check back with you all again later. Have a great Army day!

Waking up to disappointment

Hey there,

I woke up this morning at 0630 to get ready to go out and shoot at the range. I was pretty excited about it even though I had just gotten off of work around 2330 last night after starting the previous day at 0730. Needless to say, I was pretty tired when I pulled myself out of bed this morning. Last night, I verified that they were supposed to leave to go to the range between 0700 and 0715. I was there at 0700 on the dot. Much to my surprise, no one was where we were supposed to meet. I thought maybe I was early...maybe they were inside somewhere waiting for 0715. Nope...I went inside and they said the folks left for the range about 15 minutes earlier than what I was told. So, not only did I wake up early to do this, but then I miss an opportunity to shoot some stuff which I really enjoy doing. So...I figure, since I'm up, I'll go get a haircut, take a shower and maybe catch a nap before my shift starts at 1000. I told the guys I work with that are on the night shift that I was going to get a haircut. They proceeded to tell me I would probably have to wait in a long line since everyone was just going to breakfast which is right next to the barber shop. I figured since I had the time, I would go anyways. Much to my chagrin...the barber shop doesn't open until 0900. Great...so now I'm just killing time, waiting for the barber shop to open so I can get my haircut and take a shower before going to work my 12 hour shift. (long winded sigh)...oh well, at least I'm not on Rear-D anymore.

Good run this morning

Howdy y'all,

I had another good run this morning around the scenic Baghdad International Airport. I warmed up with a half mile jog until I got to the start of the 2 mile course and then I ran my two miles in about 13 minutes. After I was done I waited about 3 minutes for the NCO I was running with to finish before we jogged back to the living quarters to stretch out. I'm in the best shape I've been in since I graduated high school and it feels great. I usually HATE to run...and I still do, but I feel much better when I can do it fast enough so that I can get done quicker. In my mind, a faster run time = less time running. I've also been working on the other two parts of the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT). I am pretty sure that I'll be able to max the push-ups and sit-ups without a problem. I think the max for my age group on the run is 13:17, the max for push-ups is 76, and the max for sit-ups is 78 I think. The test is scored with 100 points in each event with a max score of 300. If you max each event, there is an extended scale that you can score more points on for good measure. For each additional 5 seconds less than the max you run, you get another point for that event. For each additional sit-up or push-up I think you get a one for one point. So, I'm shooting for a 315 on my next test. I got a 305 on the one I took in July, so I think 10 point improvement is a good goal. Plus, the guys in my section here and I have a bet on who can get the highest score. Whoever the winner is gets bought 2 drinks by each of the other 2 guys when we get back to the states. Not a huge wager, and I'm not much of a drinker, but I hate losing a bet. So anyways, I have to go track the bad guys and make sure the world is safe for democracy so we can try to stop Obama. Have a good one and vote McCain (or Chuck Norris will get you).

Hi again!

Well, I'm here still in Baghdad. I hope that you all are doing well there in the states. I'm still doing pretty well here, tracking the bad guys. It's a little more boring than the last deployment, but there's nothing wrong with that! I'm just missing my family and enjoying the change of pace that comes with it as best as I can. Only a few months and I'll be back and we'll be moving on to Oklahoma! Hopefully after that we'll be able to go somewhere a little nicer. Anyways, it's late and I'm headed to bed so I can get up early to call my lovely wife in the morning. Take Care!

Storyboard for my trip

Hi again,

I now have wireless internet in my room, so I can work on this a little more at my convenience. Here is a story board of pictures from my trip to Baghdad. I'm sure more pictures will follow as time goes on. I got to do a little webcam session with Robyn and Porter for a few minutes before she had to get ready to go to a BBQ with some of our friends, so that was nice:) Anyways, here are the pics:

...psych...it's not working and I give up cause it's midnight...we'll try again later. Take care!

First Day of my new job

Well,

I had just typed a whole long description of my day and it got wiped out by the stupid internet connection here.:( I had a great long day today...0430-2230 and I'm really tired now. I'm working with some great people and think the job will be much more satisfying than Rear-D was for me over the last 17+months. I won't be staying here in Baghdad much longer, but the move should be transparent to you all. I will just be handling the intelligence for the part of the squadron that moves to another FOB next month. I can't say much more than that due to OPSEC (Operational Security). I hope you all are doing well back there and I will talk to you all again soon! I love you Robyn! Please give Porter a hug and cheek for me:)

Finally in Iraq

Hey everyone,

Don't have a lot of time, but wanted to write and let you know I made it into Iraq alright and am doing well. I still have a little bit of settling in to do, but will update again soon.

Manic Monday in Kuwait

Hi again from the dusty paradise of Kuwait. Today has been a pretty long but nice day. After getting to bed a little late last night (0230 this morning) I got up at 0630 to go get some breakfast at the Dining Facility (DFAC). Since then I have spent the rest of the day utilizing the different Morale Welfare and Recreation (MWR) facilities that they have here at Camp Beuring. I used the phones and got to call Robyn over the military phone system for free and then said hi to my folks for a minute. After that, I went and watched a kung fu movie with Jet Li and Jacque Chan in it before going to the DFAC again to grab a little snack for lunch before going back to the movie theater at 1300 to watch Disney Pixar's Wall-E. After Wall-E I went and played a little X-Box with a few other Soldiers in the MWR tent until 1600 when the movie Run Fat Boy, Run was on in the Movie Theater tent.

So, I have successfully stayed awake all day long and am very very tired from my day of accomplishing nothing. That being said, I think after this I'll be headed to dinner before returning to my tent for the evening. Hopefully after a nice shower, I'll be able to get some sleep through the night and be on track for getting my sleep schedule adjusted to the 8 hour time difference! I'm looking forward to getting to my unit in a couple days and having more of a purpose so I don't feel like I deployed just to watch movies and hang out (though it has been a relaxing vacation). That's all for now, I hope you all are doing as well as I am.

still waiting in Kuwait...

Howdy all,

I'm still chillin like a villain here in Kuwait waiting for the next flight up to my unit's FOB. I'm still trying to get adjusted to the time difference and recovered from the jet lag. It's been nice being able to get a few emails from Robyn so far and a few other folks that have said hi. I want to say thanks to our friends back in Texas who have been hanging out with Robyn and P-nut. I know she really appreciates it and it makes me feel better to know that there are folks there that she can spend some adult time with and help so she doesn't get overwhelmed with Porter sitting in the house all day. Far from it, she has been keeping pretty darned busy as usual...and that's awesome. I'm so proud of the way she rises to the occasion of me being gone. Anyhow, as I talk about adjusting to the sleep schedule I'm about to take a little mid-afternoon nap:) I hope you all are doing well and feel free to email me! If this internet gets working better hopefully, I'll be able to check it.

until the next time...

Waiting in Kuwait

Hi all,

I'm just sitting here in my tent relaxing and waiting until I get the chance to head up to join my unit in a couple days. Things are pretty good here...a little boring, but that's nothing to complain about. The chow hall is amazing! I feel fatter already:/ I'm borrowing someone else's laptop because mine won't connect to the wireless internet that they have set up here. That's a little frustrating, but I'll try to figure it out a little later. It's 2000 here now, so should be about 1200 there in Texas. My AKO email takes up a lot more bandwidth than doing this, so I haven't been able to check it so far today. I'm just trying to stay up so I can adjust to the local time and get on a regular sleep schedule as best as I can. We're supposed to be drawing the new body armor tomorrow, but I already got one from one of our injured Soldiers who was back on Rear-D with me, so I don't really have much to do tomorrow either. After that we'll have some mandatory training to go through for the day on Sunday and we should be able to join our units sometime after that depending on flights and all that jazz. Hopefully I'll be able to get my computer up and running with this internet so I can try posting some pictures and actually get into my AKO email for some things. I'm just glad that it's not nearly as hot as I thought it would be here. It's really started to cool down and has been pretty comfortable so far. I'm not sure what the actual temperatures have been, but it's just a little chilly later at night and hot enough so you don't start sweating during the day if you just stay still:) I hope everyone back there is doing well. I miss Robyn and P-nut terribly already, but watched some videos that Robyn put on my laptop of Porter and us back home and that made me feel better. He is such a little helper. Check out the videos on Robyn's blog to see him trying to help me put on the child locks in the Kitchen and you'll see what I mean:) Anyhow, I don't want to take up this guys computer for much longer, so I'll just talk to you all again a little bit later. Take care!

Layover in Hungary, Budapest

Hey everyone!

I'm here in Budapest just sitting for a couple hours before continuing on the rest of my journey to Iraq. I hope things are well with all of you back in the states. I'm doing well and have had a whole row to myself to lay out and sleep on the ride so far, so that's been nice. It's about 0315 Texas time and I think around 0900 or so here. I am just looking forward to getting through Kuwait and to my FOB so I can start getting to work and meeting the folks I'll be living and working with over the next four months. I miss Robyn and Porter already, but I know they'll be okay. Porter was really cute when he and Robyn dropped me off yesterday. It was around 0300 in the morning so he was still really tired, but he gave me hugs from his car seat and was really talkative:) I'm new to this whole blogging thing, but hope I can update it regularly. That's all for now, I'll try to write again when I have something more interesting or get somewhere new. Bye!

On my way

Heading to Baghdad...will write more in a week or so!