Day 35 - 30 September 2012

Got around a bit later this morning...seems to be the usual. I got to talk to BOTH Emma and Taylor! Emma showed me her baby cheetah or leopard she got at the zoo. So glad they were able to have a little bit of fun! I saw the Groupon deal and had to jump on it! Meagan and I talked for a while about different things. When we talk about Scouts, it makes me miss being there this time of year. I am hoping I will be home for the Pinewood Derby...

Went back to the room to take a nap before work. I'm going to get into my gym routine starting tomorrow, so I hope I can get on some regular schedule for that! Got up and went into the office to see if my coworker wanted to go to lunch...he had already gone. So, I headed over to the DFAC.

Lunch was ok. The only thing that looked interesting was Salisbury steak. I had that with some mashed potatoes and gravy, cucumber salad, and a piece of corn bread. It was funny...the guy sitting across from me said, "Are you on a diet?" I just told him that was all that looked appealing to me...

Made a trip over to the barber shop before work. I needed to get rid of the shag! I'm wanting to keep my hair nice and short while I'm here...low maintenance! I brought some clippers with me, but I'm not brave enough to make the leap of faith to cut it myself. I did it once, but didn't really care much for it. After that, since I was right next to the Exchange, I decided to pop in for a few things: Monster, flags, and mints. I think I got a big enough bag to last me a while. Of course, I left them in the office, so they'll probably be gone in a week. I'm going to keep an eye on them. If they start disappearing quickly, I'll start taking them with me. This is my start to quitting smoking...I hope! So, if everyone else eats my mints, that doesn't help me at all!

Got into work and helped one of the guys finish up an inventory of a system we brought back last week. I felt bad, because he was out there by himself and his shift was over. Of course, I was a bit upset that I had to do three by myself over the last few weeks, when we had three of us at work! But, it got me outside, out of the office, and in my element; so, it's all good!

Not really much happened at work; just a couple of calls. One of the guys got mad at me for having a site reboot a system we're having issues with. I told him I was just acting on recommendation. So, now we're just keeping an eye on it and waiting. It is the same system I was out to work on before. We're thinking we just need to replace it and send it back to the manufacturer for repairs, as it is certainly not working up to par!

Went to dinner after work and had breakfast...french toast, eggs, bacon, and hash browns! I do like that they offer breakfast items on the short order line for dinner on Sundays. I don't go over to eat breakfast often, so it's a nice way to break it up a bit!

Was thinking about staying up to follow the race, but Meagan wants to talk later versus now. That said, I am headed off to bed. Night all! God bless!

Day 34 - 29 September 2012

Got up this morning, early as usual. I got to talk to Meagan and Taylor, as Emma was already asleep. We didn't really talk about too much, but Taylor was excited to be going to the zoo tomorrow!

Went back to the room for my "normal" pre-work nap. I need to get out of that habit. I'm trying to get this sleep thing figured out. It seems like, since I've been here, I just can't get enough. Starting Monday, I'm going to run and work on arms/chest Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and just work legs on Tuesday and Thursday. I'm hoping that will get me in a normal routine with TONS more energy. We'll see!

Today, well, was pretty uneventful...I don't really have much to talk about. I had a cheeseburger for lunch and chicken cordon bleu for dinner. After work, I gave Meagan a call and they were still at the zoo. So, I got to talk to the kids a little. Emma said, "We miss you...sometimes!" I told her I miss them ALL the time! They were having fun though, and that was the whole point of getting the zoo tickets!

Alright...I'm off to bed. Early to rise again tomorrow! Night all...God bless!

Day 33 - 28 September 2012

Another somewhat slow start to the morning. I got up around 0615 to go talk to Meagan. With the busy night of Scouts, she was going to put the kids in bed as soon as she got home. So, it was just going to be us. She sent me a picture of Taylor's awards. I'm so proud of my little man and all of his accomplishments over he summer! Meagan said he is really proud of them too and eager to do more!

I received a message from my sister on Facebook regarding my unfriending of her. It hurt being turned down for a visit this summer...for the second year in a row. I just got tired of the drama, which I'm not sure why we have drama in the first place...

I headed back to the room, after stopping by the USO for a cup of coffee, and took a short snooze before heading into work.

Went into lunch and we had prime rib again! Today's was better than the other day, by far. When I got back to the office, I dug into the rum cake I received last night! I washed it down with a cup of french vanilla latte that Meagan sent me mix for a week or so ago. YUM!

Not really much going on at work today. I did go pick up something from shipping, so I can mark that off the training checklist! I'm just slowly working my way toward taking over...soon!

Dinner wasn't too bad...steak and lobster. The lobster, surprisingly, good! And, I haven't had a bad steak here yet, which is a lot more than I can say about the steaks we had in Iraq. On surf 'n' turf night in Iraq, I usually just went for a sandwich...

That's pretty much my day in a nutshell. Nothing too exciting going on at the moment on this side of the world. I'm headed off to bed soon so I can get up and talk to the family in the morning. That said, goodnight all! God bless!

Day 32 - 27 September 2012

Well, I woke up a little later than I wanted to this morning. I still don't know why it seems I can't get enough sleep. This boy doesn't feel as energetic as I did in 2006-07, that's for sure! I did make it up in time to talk to Meagan and the kids. Emma didn't want to get off of the computer, so I had to tell her it was night, night time. She was so, so sad! :( Then, I got to talk to Taylor for a little bit before he headed to bed. We had the same, usual conversation: "This is what I did today. What did you do today?" Meagan and I talked about Scouts, what she's been doing to help out, and what the boys earned. I'm so excited for Taylor to get his awards, but sad I won't be there to see it...

You know, I'm intrigued by some people. You do things a certain way, plan things out, and have a set path for getting things done. All the while you are doing this, others see it as crazy, silly, or plain stupid. I look at it as being well-organized and having an idea of what you are doing and when it will get done. Then, when those people are on their own, trying to do the same darn thing, your idea doesn't seem all that bad. It's enough to make me, well, speechless...

Went back to the room and napped a little more before work. Still don't know why I can't keep my motor running...

Got into the office, took care of a couple of things, then headed our for lunch. They had something interesting on the short order line: chicken bites. Basically, they were like chicken nuggets, rolled up, filled with buffalo wing sauce, and fried. They sure were good, but man did they have a kick!

I'm starting to transition into my leadership role more and more at work. I'm taking on a few more tasks every few days. The goal is to let me start running the show sometime next month. I'm a bit nervous, since I've done little more than lead a flight in Honor Guard before. However, I think I'll do good if I just get the work done that needs to be done and stick to my guns when I need to! Time will tell...

We got ready to head out to dinner and I saw the moon over the mountains. I had to snap a pic, because it just looked so amazing! It is also almost full. Once it is a full moon, I only have five more full moons until I'm on my way home!

Dinner wasn't too bad. We pretty much had a Thanksgiving dinner tonight, complete with turkey roast, carrots, green beans, and stuffing. The stuffing, quite honestly, wasn't that good. Everything else, though, was spot on! The turkey was pretty darn good! :)

After work, we walked over to the main office to collect mail. I was surprised to find a care package, thinking I knew who it was from, only to find out it was from someone I didn't know! I saw the address and had a hunch about how she got my address, so I looked her up on Facebook. Sure enough, we have a mutual friend who is from that part of the country. The package contained some goodies, including a rum cake! :) I tucked it away, so hopefully it won't disappear before I get back to the office tomorrow. I'd like to have some with a cup of coffee!

Not really much going on today, so I'm going to head back to my room and turn in for the night. I know Meagan and the kids will be busy with Scouts tonight and I'm hoping I get to see some video of Taylor with his awards! I'm going to get up and see if Meagan is on later. For now, goodnight all. God bless!

Day 31 - 26 September 2012

Well, I started off this morning on a good note, I suppose... I had to be to work at 0800 this morning, my first early shift, and got up just in time to make it! I was hoping to get around and go talk to Meagan for a little bit before work; but, I guess my body had other plans in mind! Regardless, the 8 1/2 hours of sleep were AWESOME! :)

Got into the office and immediately had a call from the weather folks here with some questions about the radar and their new tower. So, I headed over to talk to the OIC. We got everything squared away and eased her mind. However, I did get a slight counseling from a Chief. Our patches that we bought to wear on our uniforms are, well, unauthorized. No worries, as I have one that is; but, I was not aware of this. When I got here, the guys told me to go to the embroidery shop and get one; so, I did. When talking to one of them today, his reply was, "Yeah, we know they are not authorized. We wear them anyway." Sorry, but a Chief told me I can't wear it...I can't wear it. I pulled it off and stowed it in my pocket. I will put the correct one on tonight...

We are getting thunderstorms off and on today. It is nice and cool as well! I can't really complain, since I have to inventory another system. The good thing about this one: it's already set up! :) All I have to do is mark what we have and what is missing on the inventory sheet, so that is plus! The other systems I checked were all in storage, so I had to drag them out, open up the cases, inventory, pull everything out, verify it was working, and put it all back away. The only bad part about thunderstorms today: our radar decided to quit posting data this morning...and I have NO idea why! Nothing changed overnight, as far as I know...it's another mystery of communications over here!

Went to lunch and had mixed vegetables, beef stroganoff, green beans, and a slice of fresh bread with cinnamon butter on it...YUM! The stroganoff was good, but it had a bit of a kick to it. Not quite what I was expecting, but it was good! The fresh bread and cinnamon butter is, well, just plain AWESOME! You can't go wrong with a nice, warm slice of bread with that on it!

The guys came in to relieve me and we looked outside to see the mammatus in the sky. It was actually a pretty cool sight (see pictures to the left)! It's the first I've seen it here. It was actually a little odd today. The morning was a little cool, warmed up a little, then the thunderstorms came...it was 59F!?!

After work, I headed back toward the room, stopped to get my laundry, dropped it off, grabbed my netbook, and headed over here to the passenger terminal. I figured I would send a good morning text to Meagan. Unfortunately, it sounds like she had a rough night... :( It also sounds like Emma's was a little mischievous yesterday. At least, I am assuming that's what the jewelry box being knocked off the dresser means...

When I left the passenger terminal, enough of the clouds had cleared to reveal a new blanket of snow atop the mountains! It's not a ton of snow, but it is enough to cover some of the peaks. I couldn't help but try to get some photos before it got too dark. We are pretty much surrounded by mountains and a lot are getting snow! And, to say the least, it was a bit chilly this afternoon. I can imagine it is only a matter of time before it's snowing here! :)


I walked down to the BX to get some exercise and kill time before dinner. I'm not used to working the early shift, so now I don't know what to do with the time! I thought about going to the gym, but I figured a good walk would suffice today. I try to go in the mornings anyway, since it helps wake me up. The other night I went and I couldn't get to sleep! So, I will shoot for tomorrow morning after I talk to Meagan an the kids.

I left the BX and went to the dining facility for dinner. I looked for the guys, but they decided to come later, as I ran into them when I was getting ready to leave. I did, however, meet a nice guy who sat down across from me. We had a little chat about where we were from, kids, his grandchildren, and his 30 years in the Marine Corps. GREAT guy to have a friendly little dinner chat with! Dinner was pretty good! I had some beef roast, pork roast, carrots, rice, and pecan pie with ice cream for desert! Not really much to complain about!

Well, I am back at my room from dinner. It is only 2015, but I am beat. Knowing the alarm will go off in about eight hours is enough for me to convince myself it is time for bed. I told Meagan the other day that I can definitely tell I am older than I was six years ago; I can't survive on four hours of sleep...I've tried! That said, goodnight one and all. God bless and more updates tomorrow!

Day 30 - 25 September 2012

I finally rolled about of bed this morning at about 0550. I set the alarm for 0445, hoping to get up early and take care of some stuff before one of my roommates got back from work. Meagan had sent me a text that the kids were in bed and I got around to go chat with her for a bit.

It's hard to believe today is day 30 of this trip! Only about 160 more to go! I noticed last night that the moon is starting to get bigger. Each full moon, as one friend pointed out, means another month has passed. The moon was full when I arrived in Qatar; so, I only have five more to go...counting this one!

Finished up chatting with Meagan and headed over to the testing center to take my second Course 14 test. I feel confident, as it is about writing and speaking; two areas I'm not horrible at...in my opinion. So, I'm hopeful that I will score well!

Wow! I didn't think the test was too hard, but I sure thought I did better than 81%! I missed 10 out of 54 questions on the test, so I'm not sure why I did that bad. Some things were worded in the "Air Force Testing" way, so I guess I'll be happy that I didn't fail! That gives me an 86% average over two tests, so hopefully the next three will help pull my average up. I'm now ready to jump into the third module!

I went to the BX and picked up a few flags. I'm looking at seven or eight total to fly while I'm over here. I was hoping to finish up the certificates and mail them from here, but it looks like that task may be better left to after I get home. Packing and shipping supplies are scarce here and, while I thought they would fit, the flag boxes are too big for the boxes my care packages have come in. The first one, a HUGE box from Meagan, will probably work. I will just have to cut it down to make a custom box. Regardless, I cannot find certificate-quality paper here and our color printer is on the fritz. Therefore, I may have to wait until March to ship these out...we'll see! I also think I have finalized my certificate. I changed "Presented To" to "In Honor Of" since I won't actually be presenting most of these. The rest of it, I am happy with.

Got into work, checked some email, sent some email, then went to lunch. Lunch wasn't too bad. I had ham, picadilla, red beans and rice, cucumber salad, and a cookie. It's hard to pass up a Otis Spunkmeyer white chocolate macadamia nut cookie! Washed it down with a Coke Zero.

At some point, I'm going to collect a bunch of cans, rinse them out, and send them to Lynn, my father-in-law. For those who don't know, he takes the cans and sticks them to the ceiling of his garage. I can't remember if I sent him any from Iraq in '06-'07, but I have a German Coke Zero can I saved from my flight over. Here, they have Coke Zero, Sprite, Sprite Lite, Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Coke, Diet Coke, Fanta (orange and strawberry), and 7-Up. The only non-Afghan canned sodas are Dr. Pepper and A&W Root Beer, for some unknown reason. Anyway, I have plenty of time to collect one of each for him...

I got back to work and set up a radar with one of the guys to ops check it. Basically, just to ensure it works if and when we need to send it out. Some questions pop into my head as I do this stuff. Mainly, why hasn't this stuff, which has been here MUCH longer than me, been ops checked and inventoried before? Fair enough...I'll get it done. I don't mind being outside and out from behind the desk anyway; but, it is a question. So, as we're setting up the radar, there are no cables with it. We are both thinking, "Where the heck (that's the clean version) are the cables? So, my assistant NCOIC (I hate that term...I mean, I could consider myself the assistant NCOIC of OL-A in Florida...) arrives at work and I ask him, "Where are the cables for the radar?" I am told they are in the case. No, they certainly are not. "Well, there are like seven cases with the system." Yes, I am aware of that fact... "Did you look in all of them?" Yes, yes I did. "And you didn't find them?" No, I did not. "Oh. Well, then maybe they are in another location. Or, perhaps they are the ones we are using now and we just didn't disconnect them." So, I think to myself, "Why in the world would the cables NOT be with the system!?!" So, I just let it go. I got the sense that, perhaps, he wanted to me do it all again and find the other cables. However, ops checking a radar is hard enough for two people; I'm certainly not going to do it myself...

I really miss the family...a month away from home. I'm not really sad, per se, but I do miss them. On the computer I'm sitting at for the time being, I have the pictures I took of Meagan, me and Taylor, and me and Emma at the airport the day I left. We were all smiles in that turbulent time, even though I know Meagan and I were on the verge of tears. I even wept a little sitting there... Ok, I need to drop this subject, because I will make myself sad...

I watched the season premiere of How I Met Your Mother on AFN this afternoon. I'm not sure if it is a real German word or not, but the guy on the show was talking about a German word that meant everything you've ever wanted...and I thought about Meagan. Nothing needs changed, I love her for all she is! She has always been and will always be perfect for me! <3

Tonight, before one of our telecons, we decided to go over and check out the new tower for the radar we have here. It's a pretty nice tower; but, as we found out; we're going to need something to hoist it up on the tower. There is NO way the radome is going to fit through the hatch on the roof...NO WAY! While we were up there, we figured we'd take some photos of ourselves. Here is "home sweet home" in the background.

After the telecon, we went to dinner. Nothing looked really appealing to me, so I had my one cheeseburger ration for the week. Topped it with jalapenos, ketchup, mustard, and a couple of onion rings. Beans and coleslaw and it's almost like being at home!

After dinner, back to work for a little while longer to sit in on another telecon. Provided some input on the system I worked on last week...so, at least I got to do something! :)

Off of work and have to be in EARLY tomorrow...for me anyway. I'm usually not thinking about work at 0800, but tomorrow is my first early shift. I don't mind though, as it gives one of the guys a much well-deserved day off. I headed over to the USO to call and talk to my love. I haven't actually spoken with her in a few days, so I just wanted to hear her voice! We may get on and chat later, but we're waiting until Wednesday night (there) to get the kids on. They're all busy this week!

Well, I'm all showered up and ready for bed. Gotta get up early in the morning and hopefully catch Meagan before work. Night all...God bless!

Day 29 - 24 September 2012

I certainly didn't want to get out of bed early this morning. I woke up around 0500, but shut the alarm off and came to a little after 0600. I sent Meagan a text to see if the kids were in bed, she said no, so I got around as fast as I could to go chat with them. Taylor sent me two messages,: "Night daddy" and "I love you," before he went to bed. Meagan and I chatted for a bit before we called it a night.

Went back to my room and napped for a bit before work. Had to go in a little earlier today, and I have been pretty worn out lately.

Got into work and went to lunch with one of the guys. It wasn't too bad. We had spare ribs, tortellini, and some vegetables.

Work was pretty uneventful today. I worked on inventory and checking a system to ensure we have a good spare to send out, should we need it. That pretty much took up most of my day. I had a little time to work on my accomplishments.

Went to dinner and had peppered steak over rice. I thought it was very good! Again, I haven't had a horrible meal here yet. I think there was only one meal that was on the so-so side. Otherwise, I have no real complaints thus far. The choices help with that, I think!

I got an email that I had mail to pick up, so I stopped in after work and received a care package from Joy, Sheryl, and Grandma. A lot of useful stuff, a letter from Grandma, and some postcards from Joy and Sheryl's trip to San Francisco. Yes, I am jealous!

Headed over to the passenger terminal to study for my test tomorrow. Saw Meagan was on, so I said hello and exchanged a few messages...back to studying.

Ok, I'm done studying and I think I'm ready for my test. I'm headed off to bed, so night all! God bless!

Day 28 - 23 September 2012

 So, a bit slow on the go this morning. Alarm went off...snooze. Snooze went off and I snoozed again. I finally rolled out of bed around 0600. Last night was a rough night, as the mexican food we had for dinner did not want to agree with me! Got up and around to head off to the passenger terminal to talk to Meagan and the kids.

Found a couple of nice surprises this morning. First, our Verizon bill was $21 less than anticipated this month! I also discovered that the rest of my bonus payment is coming at the end of the month, since it's the tax portion of the bonus that is left over. Last, Meagan informed me that the water bill is only $39 and some change this month. So, after having spent $300 to get the air conditioner fixed, it's good to see some sweet little surprises at the end of the month!

Went back to my room, got my laundry together, and dropped it off. I still hate that I can't do my own laundry when I want to. It takes four days to get it back and, since I was gone most of the week, I'm running low on undergarments. I think I have just enough to survive until clean laundry day!

Today has kind of been an up and down day. I've been napping off and on; most likely because I tossed and turned all night. I've also had some very, very strange dreams today. I'm not really sure what to make of them!

Lunch was probably one of the best yet! We had chicken cordon bleu, rice, and succotash. The chicken was excellent! I'm willing to put my money on pre-made, frozen though, as I'm not quite sure something that good could possibly come out of that kitchen! It did make me miss cooking though, since I love to make chicken cordon bleu...

Here I sit at work, waiting for the phone to ring...and it did! One item of note from my work last week...we have ALL of our radar systems up and running! Now, I didn't really do a whole lot with the system I worked on last week, but I'm suspecting that cleaning up the hard drive and fixing the data connection had something to do with it. Regardless, we got some major kudos from leadership! So, that makes my day!

I received an email back to confirm I am scheduled for my second Course 14 test on Tuesday! I don't think it will be too bad, as it is about written and oral communication. I think I have done enough writing in my MBA program to prepare me for it. I took the formative test on the CBT and scored a 93%, so I hope that is an indicator I will score well! I scored a 96% on the first test. We'll see on Tuesday! It's all electronic and your score is provided at the end of the test...

Just an FYI...Suisse Mocha and Oatmeal Cream Pies: a snack made in Heaven! Thank you again, so much, to my beautiful and loving wife! :)

Went to dinner with the guys and had breakfast! I had french toast, eggs, bacon, and a cinnamon roll. It's been a while since I've actually had breakfast, so it was a nice change!

After work, I decided I would go to the gym. It's been about a week and a half since I went. I weighed in first, so see where I was at...still 192 pounds! That reminds me...when I checked in for my flight on Wednesday, I weighed in at 287 pounds. That means, I carry 95 pounds of gear with me when I go. And, yes, it's HEAVY! Anyhow, at the gym, I ran 3.01 miles in 35 minutes and burned 439 calories. Not a bad workout, but know I can improve. I basically set the timer for 30 minutes, ran for 10, walked two, ran for eight, walked three, and then ran the final seven before a five minute cool down. I plan to run again on Tuesday, most likely after my test. I would like to get in shape, quit smoking, and drop a few more pounds. I'm working on all three!

Headed over to the passenger terminal after the gym to cool off and relax a bit before bed. The Tampa Bay/Dallas and Washington/Cincinnati games are on. The race was on at the gym, so perhaps I should have lifted weights for three hours. I thought about listening to it here at the terminal on iheartradio, but forgot to grab my headphones. I did forget about RaceBuddy though, so I'm watching LIVE on NASCAR.com!!! :)

Well, Jimmie's in 2nd and I have to get up in four hours. So, I'll pray that he wins and check in the morning. Night all...God bless!

P.S. I put some pictures from one of my trips here...just to share!

Day 27 - 22 September 2012

Well, a little slow getting up and around this morning. I wanted to get up around 0530, but finally rolled out of bed at 0615. Headed over to the passenger terminal to talk to Meagan and the kiddos. Taylor was super excited about popcorn. He sold $150 today on the way to his $600 goal, so AWESOME job! Meagan and I discussed popcorn options. She's going to order us some and ship it over. If we go through the website, I can't enter AE as an option for state AND they charge us about $20 more, before shipping is calculated. So, she's going to play the middleman. Yay!

Finished up talking to Meagan, looked across the room, and saw a familiar face I had seen in the dining facility last week. It's a guy who worked in the OSS when I was in Japan. I think he's either a load master or crew chief. I'm not certain on which. Crazy, CRAZY, small world we live in!

Went back to the room for a nap and then got up for lunch. Had some beef "yakisoba" with rice and some Afghan-style lamb. It was pretty good stuff. I say "yakisoba" because, having lived in Japan for three years, I know what REAL yakisoba is; this isn't even close!

Headed off to the BX to look for flags. They have them for $18 each, but you can only buy two at a time. I guess they are a hot commodity over here. I decided not to buy any, as I wanted to research prices online. Well, between the price online and shipping, it's a better deal to buy them here. So, I'll go back and buy them a couple at a time. Right now, I am planning on seven...may do more, we'll see. I plan to fly one for Emma, since this is her first deployment. Taylor has one from Iraq and I'm trying to knock out friends I didn't fly for in Iraq and new friends I've made since then. I forgot to bring my own flag from Iraq, but don't think I'll buy another for myself.

Headed into work for my first real night of running things. I got the reports updated and sent out. I even had some time to clean up my bullets (accomplishments) since I've been here. Hard to believe I have accomplished so much in just three weeks here, but I already have a grocery list of things I've done. That's me, though; hit the ground running...hard!

Dinner tonight was pretty good. They had fajitas and enchiladas. My enchiladas were a little burnt on the bottom, but ask anyone about me...that just means better flavor! :)

Not really much else going on today. I just got back to the room and ready for bed. It's time to hit the sack and get ready to do it all again tomorrow! Night all...God bless!

Day 26 - 21 September 2012

Set my alarm for 0600 this morning to try talking to Meagan. I ended up waking up around 0800 and we chatted for a little bit on Yahoo! I finally managed to get around and going around 0930.

My Office for Three Days

Went into the office and the system I'm here to troubleshoot has been running like a champ for about 20 hours now, nonstop. Seeing that it's doing fine, I told the girl on duty I was going to lunch and back to my room to study.

For lunch, I decided to get a couple of sandwiches and put them on the panini grill. I had a ham and Swiss as well as a turkey and Swiss, along with a side of three bean salad. I have had three bean salad a few times over here. I try to get it whenever I see it, since it's my favorite!

So, I finished up the second module in my Course 14. I'm going to get my test scheduled when I get back "home." It is about writing and speaking, which should be easy, considering how much writing I have had to do thus far in my MBA. It's a bit funny. Some of the examples of grammatical errors in this course are some I have seen from NCOs over the years. I guess some habits are just hard to change!

I received a call at the office from the "home" office, asking about our system here. I told them that it has been running for about 27 hours with no issues. With that said, they want me to return to home base tonight and we'll send another person out later, if the issue arises again. So, I went off to pack my stuff for a potential flight tonight.

Came of to the passenger terminal and I made the flight! There were only a few seats available, so I got lucky. I do feel bad though, as there is a dog handler here with his lab. She's a four-year-old chocolate lab and the sweetest thing! It makes me miss Butter and wish he was as well behaved as she is. It almost makes me want to give up my seat for him, but I know I need to get back.

So, I am now just awaiting my flight...anytime between now and three hours from now. It's only a 35-40 minute flight back, so it shouldn't be too late when I get back. I'm going to write up a report for our NCOIC (soon to be my job) when I get back. I'm really not sure what to make of this system, other than it seems to be running fine now. Perhaps it just need a little TLC...

Made it back to home base without a hitch. Nice to see my bed and pillow again! Hadn't had dinner yet, so I grabbed a sandwich from the sandwich line; two, actually! Both were roast beef and Swiss, so a little healthy I suppose. Took a shower, set the alarm, and I am off to bed! Night all...God bless!

Day 25 - 20 September 2012

Well, I managed to wake up around 0515 this morning. I sent Meagan a text to let her know I was up, but it would be a while. I needed to find a spot with a good signal. Not only that, but the restroom is quite a hike from my tent. I managed to get on around 0545 and we talked for about 20-30 minutes. Emma was already in bed and Taylor gave me the "Well, we did this, that, and that's it!" talk. I told him what I did and he was done! I spoke to Meagan for a little bit, but neither of us really had much news, other than her concern about Emma's arm. She likes to harrass the cat and, well, sometimes he gets her back. This time he got her good enough that we think she may have an infection in her arm. So, Meagan is going to try getting her into the doctor tomorrow (their time).

I went back to sleep around 0630, set my alarm for 0900, and finally awoke about 1015. I packed all of my stuff up, as I am hoping to get back tonight. However, it depends on whether or not I can continue troubleshooting. We'll see...another night won't kill me.

Got into the office and no errors yet. The system has been up about 18 hours without the error, so I'm scratching my head. I did talk to the comm guys about the network issue and one of them helped me out. We used a line checker and determined there was an issue where the cable comes into their switch. He replaced the connector and, bada bing, we are able to get to the outside world! I did a soft reboot of the server, which threw a couple of errors on the laptop, so I did a full hard reboot and we now have data flowing. It's not what I came to troubleshoot, but that unknown issue is resolved!

The WRM

Ok, I simply couldn't resist taking a picture of this. Back at "home" we have a regular bathroom in the dorms. Here, there are port-a-johns everywhere and a row of showers and latrines. Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce you to the WRM. What does WRM stand for? I have no idea. I'm thinking, maybe, waste recovery module; but, I don't know for certain. These platforms have toilets on them. You step up, sit down, and pull the curtain shut. And, no, the curtain doesn't do much justice. On one side, there are sinks; a urinal trough on the other. All of this in the comfort of a tent, which just happens to be warmer than mine!

Went to lunch and had Bombay chicken, rice, and a couple of rolls. It was actually pretty good! I thought about desert, but the place was pretty busy, so I didn't want to loiter too long. They don't have much seating in it...

I headed back into the office and still no error. We did confirm data is still flowing to the outside world, so that is AWESOME! :) I headed over to the MWR to check email, Facebook, see if the VA has paid me yet, and pay the university. No VA payment, so good thing my bonus hit yesterday. At least I can keep them off of my back now!

Went back into the office and discovered a different error on the server. Hmmm...seems like the more I work on this thing, the more I find wrong with it. I called back to my office and am staying here until the original error returns...may be a few days, who knows?!?

I got pretty bored just watching this thing run, so I decided to go for a hike...5-6 miles, to be exact. I hiked from the office here to the PX looking for flags to fly on my way back. The only thing they have is the miniature flags on a stick...so, I will have to check back in my neck of the woods. Perhaps I can get them flown on the next trip. They guys told me I could take the gator, but after just hanging around for a couple of days, I needed the fresh air and exercise. Walking along, it was kind of crazy to think I'm in Afghanistan. If it wasn't for all of the tents, helicopters, and vehicles, I'd swear I was in the foothills of the Rockies, somewhere in Colorado. Again, just astonished at the fact this place is in the middle of a war...

Back from the PX and headed to the office. System still running like a champ, so will continue to monitor it. Staying another night...or three...to see if we can get the error again. I'm really not sure why it's running so smooth now, but it is!

Went to grab dinner. I had beef brisket, rice, and carrots, washed down with a V8 and a chocolate milk. I didn't realize it was soy milk until I opened it, but it was quite tasty! So far, in 25 days away from home, I don't think I've had a horrible meal yet. There are usually some choices, but always one that will suffice!

My Tent Accommodations

Came back to the tent after dinner. I see that Meagan is at the doctor with Emma. I'm so glad she was able to get an appointment on the same day. It seems like NAS Jax does well to take care of dependents, but perform a mediocre job when it comes to the active duty. I still think it is the difference between the branch clinic and the hospital. Hoping it's nothing serious with Emma!

Meagan had mentioned a few days ago that she wanted to comment on a post, but couldn't. I did some digging and found the setting for comments. So, if you want to leave comments, feel free! I have it set now so that anyone can comment, but I will moderate the to keep the riffraff out!

I forgot to mention yesterday that I received my third free cup of coffee from the Green Beans Cup of Joe program. The girl who sent it is preparing to graduate and attend Army OCS. I wished her the best of luck with both and thanked her for the coffee! It's a great program, from a recipient's point of view. Just a small way for those who support us to give us a little comfort!

I am Iron Man!

I saw this pic on the computer and forgot I had taken it. Taylor picked this out for me to send in one of my care packages. It's an Iron Man usb drive. The base has a slider that slides out and you plug it into the computer. I can't use it over here really, since we're not allowed to use them, but he keeps a watch over me in my room! I have him on my wall locker, ready to zap anything that comes near my bed!

Was good to hear that Emma had no infection and that she was a big girl for Mommy! I hope that she learns soon that the cat isn't going to put up with the harassment; it's not the first time! I told her she should take her for ice cream or some other treat. She said they were headed to McDonald's, so that should suffice!

Went back into the office and everything is still running like a champ. I've told the guys to keep notes overnight if anything happens so I can check it out in the morning. I'm not sure how many days I'll be here, but they're wanting me to stay until we get an error. That could be, well, days...

Had a nice little chat with an old friend on Facebook. It's a good feeling to know friends and family are keeping me in their thoughts. I sure do miss being home, so any interaction of any sort is great! Perhaps that is why I get up so early every morning...to see my three special people! Speaking of which, I'm going to try getting up in the morning to talk to Meagan, at least. That said, it's off to bed. Night all...God bless!

Day 24 - 19 September 2012

I woke up, wide awake, at 0415 this morning. Not really sure how, as I didn't go to bed until around 0030 (or perhaps a little later). I jumped up and was going trying to rush around to get ready and then it dawned on me...Meagan has dance class and won't be home until later. So, it gave me a little time to get some things together for another try at getting out of here today.

Walked over to the terminal to talk to Meagan and the kiddos. On the way, I stopped to see if there were any other flights today, as last night's schedule had no seats. Sure enough, there is one later this morning, so I am going to try catching that one. 

Emma and Taylor talked a little more today. Emma, my little princess, was all smiles. Meagan showed me her Cleo attack wounds...OUCH! I certainly hope it doesn't get infected. Meagan cleaned it with peroxide, so that should help. Taylor told me about school and then sent me audible upon audible over messenger. Even though he didn't really say much, it was great to see him smiling and having some fun with me! Meagan told me that his grades should come home tomorrow and we are not anticipating a good grade in Language Arts and, I believe, spelling. I can't remember if they are, perhaps, the same. After hearing what she told me, I think something needs to happen. Taylor goes to his gifted classes and then misses when they work on the areas he is struggling in. How can you do that to a second grader?!? And, on top of that, his teacher seems poor about ensuring information, such as tests, makes it home. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm all for responsibility, but some of that falls on the teacher's shoulders! Ok...rant off.

Went back to the room to nap before getting up and trying to get on a flight. Unfortunately, I wake up until just after 1100, so I didn't have time to get my laundry dropped of today. However, it is ready to go when I get back. I should have enough socks and underwear to last me until I get back, get it dropped off, and get it back a few days later.

Made it to the terminal in time and I HAVE A FLIGHT! :) I have been trying for three days now to catch a flight to go perform some tests on one of our systems, but we were bumped off on Monday and everything to that site was cancelled yesterday. I'm just finally happy to be moving today! We have to wait a LONG time in the terminal though, so here I am, blogging away. I'm trying to hold off sending Meagan a text as long as I can. I don't want to wake her up if I don't have to...

So, I never got a chance to text Meagan to let her know I was leaving, but just got over here to the MWR. The flight was, well, rocky! A LOT of turbulence over the mountains, but we made it ok. I was hoping to use my ninja skills to swoop in, get the job done, and leave without skipping a beat...but, the system I'm troubleshooting has other plans. It's been running like a champ since I restarted it, so I'm still waiting for it to err out.

Sharana, Afghanistan

Dinner wasn't too bad here. I had a chicken sandwich that had pizza sauce (I think) and cheese, fries, and macaroni salad. It was a pretty good dinner! It's nice and quiet here. I took a picture of the sunset, but I'll have to add it later, as I don't have wireless in this exact spot. I haven't been to my "room" yet, but I know they have WiFi over there. The sunset on the way to dinner was amazing! The sun was just a HUGE ball of fire dropping behind the mountains. I had to take a pic!

Hung out at the office here for a while, just waiting to get this error message I'm supposed to troubleshoot. At about 2245, no error, but began troubleshooting no data flowing back to the states. We traced the network wire and discovered an error at the switch. Now that we have a culprit, I'm done for the day and headed to my "room" for the night.

Got to my "room" at about 0030, tired as can be, and still have to make my bed. Sent Meagan a text that I was going to try my hardest to get up in the morning. Finished making the bed, so time to try for some sleep. Night all...God bless!

P.S. I'll update this post with some pics when I get back "home" to my normal room. Check back!

Day 23 - 18 September 2012

Happy 65th birthday, United States Air Force!!!

Got up this morning at 0500. I set the first alarm for 0430, but wasn't able to actually get up and around until 0500. Got around and headed out to talk to Meagan and the kiddos! Emma didn't really have much to say; just munching on her cheese. Taylor talked to me about his day and asked about mine...the usual chat. Meagan and I talked about the air conditioning ordeal. We're still working on trying to get our final bill lowered, but I'm not going to hold my breath. Meagan is going to talk to the other company about a maintenance plan and ask why they still have yet to contact her about repairing our system. Perhaps we can get a better maintenance deal with them...we'll see.

Went back to the room and took a nap while my netbook loaded music in iTunes. Trying to get ready for my next trip, which will hopefully begin today. The prospects don't look good, however, as there are only a handful of seats open and I am low on the totem pole.

I've been working on trying to knock out the next module of my Course 14. So, that's what I started on at work today. It's a little slow right now, so I have some extra time to work on that. I would like to have it knocked out by Thanksgiving so I can focus the rest of my time on making E-7.

So, I just sat outside the terminal, since they were cleaning, and no flights for today...I will try yet again tomorrow. Ah, the joys of space available flight...

Went back to work and not really much going on. Sat in on a couple of calls, but otherwise uneventful. Dinner wasn't too bad. I had beef goulash on noodles, cucumber salad, carrots, and a cookie; all washed down with one box each of apple juice and pineapple juice.

Came over to the terminal for internet after work. I'm trying to get some updates for the netbook...still. I'm enjoying my first bottle of Arizona Half & Half, thanks to my wonderful wife's care package arriving today! She sent a box of Half & Half and a box of Pomegranate Green Tea. Absolutely LOVE that girl! :)

Checked the schedule...no open flights tomorrow. Dang...I'll try again on Thursday! In the meantime, I created a certificate to fly some flags while I'm over here. I'm hoping to get a bunch flown for family and friends. It should be easy, since I'll be flying quite often...

Well, my work is done for tonight. Time to head back to bed for an early rise again tomorrow. Night all...God bless!

Day 21 - 16 September 2012

Alarm rang at 0500 and I was awake! I headed over to the passenger terminal to talk to Meagan and the kids, although Meagan and I just chatted via Yahoo! We talked just a few hours ago, so no worries.

I was shocked to find out that our air conditioner cost $294 to repair...$163 for a dual capacitor and $131 for labor. Meagan contacted the heating and air guys and I contacted Carrier. I'm not sure what our warranty covers, but I would think this would be covered. If not, we're both blown away that a $30 part was charged at $163. We'll see what they say!

It's hard to believe that today marks three weeks since I left home. I told Meagan I only have about 22 more Saturdays left!

Lunch didn't look too appealing today, so I went with a cheeseburger, baked beans, and fries. I'm hoping dinner is a bit better!

Work was good today. I spent my entire shift troubleshooting a communications issue. We made good headway, but the issue is still unresolved.

Phone rang and we're being vigilant.Some strange happenings and leadership wants us to be watchful. Had to get dinner to go. I had jambalya, which was most excellent!

Back at the room. Time for bed so I can talk to the family in the morning! Night all...God bless!

Day 19 - 14 September 2012

Was up at 0500 this morning and out of the door around 0515. Headed over to talk to Meagan and the kiddos. Taylor seemed excited about Scouts and school. He's still really excited about selling popcorn and the prospects of earning a super soaker water gun! Emma apparently didn't want to talk, as Meagan said she started to come and then turned around and went away.

Looks like my being gone and Meagan having issues will continue with this trip. Before my deployment, we had the cat get attacked and she had her wisdom teeth out. Now, the air conditioner is acting up. The good news is that we have a warranty. However, we aren't sure how long. According to the Carrier website, we should have registered within 90 days to get a 10-year warranty. However, I don't recall anyone telling me this when I bought the house. Regardless, we should still have a minimum 5-year warranty. Meagan gave me the serial numbers and I put the information in online. I'm thinking I may contact Carrier to see what they say.

Sent an email off to Carrier, explaining the situation. I'm not sure what they'll say, as it's been 2 1/2 years since we moved in. I sure wish someone would have explained that I needed to submit registration forms for this stuff, if that truly is the case. We'll see. Perhaps the installers have more information. Meagan will get in touch with them and find out.

Went and picked up my laundry. I guess that's the good thing about being gone for half a week; you're guaranteed it's done! Brought it back, stripped my uniform, put on a clean one, and went to drop off my next load. I would normally wait until the next day, but they only do linens tomorrow; so, I can't drop off my regular laundry. No worries though. It's done! Ok...off to nap for a couple of hours before lunch!

Got up and did some fidling with the laptop and netbook. Essentially, I would like to move all of my music over. However, I think that is a task I will have to start and let it run overnight. I set up an ad hoc network (private wireless connection) between the two, but my netbook cannot see my laptop. The laptop can see the netbook just fine. So, I am a bit confused. I did manage to get all of my pictures loaded over to the netbook, but now I have a LOT of music to move...my whole library of +200GB worth! At this point, I'm not even sure it will all fit. So, that's something I will try to tackle after work tonight.

Lunch was ok...nothing looked too appetizing, so I opted for an Afghanistan Big Mac (cheeseburger with pickles and thousand island dressing), beans, onion rings, macaroni salad, and carrot salad. It was decent and, as much as I've heard some complain, it's free...I just can't wait to cook my own meals again. That said, tonight is steak night! :) I hope it's as good as last week!

My First Care Package!

On my way into work, I stopped into the superintendent's office to get my package from Meagan and the kiddos. My first thought, upon picking it up, was that she had decided to send Cleo. It was a heavy box! When I got it to the shop and opened it up, I was met with a LOT of packages and some notes...brought a smile to my face. Let's see...I got cool mint Oreos (heck yeah!), a poker set, a bunch of Nekot cookies (double heck yeah!), coffee (finally coffee WITH caffeine), pink lemonade mix, popcorn, movie, remote control cars, an Army guy, a motivational book (I'm sure I'll read on flights), and SOFT toilet paper!!! I also received a heart from Meagan, which I instantly put in my right breast pocket of my uniform; so, she'll be with me wherever I go.

All the Goodies!

We went to dinner and, as I said earlier, STEAK NIGHT! :) The steak here is a heck of a lot better than it was in Iraq, that's for sure. I had steak, green beans, macaroni and cheese, sweet potatoes, and some fresh bread with cinnamon butter...it was pretty darn good!

Wind is howling here tonight...we're hitting 35 knots (40 miles per hour) pretty consistently. So, we have a ton of wind and a LOT of dust. Basically, in desert terms, it's nasty outside.

Had an exciting moment at work tonight. After a strange email, which started to send us down the wrong road, we made some calls and found out one system was misconfigured. Once we got the correct data into the system, ba-da-bing! Woohoo!

First Cup of Coffee
in the Emma Sherard
Original Coffee Mug

So...I fired up the ol' microwave to have some CAFFEINATED coffee tonight, thanks to my most wonderful wife! Oh, and special thanks to the kiddos for the custom-made mugs with which to enjoy said coffee. The mug pictured here was designed by my sweet little darling Emma! She even decorated the inside of the mug! My plan is to keep hers here at work and take Taylor's back to my room so I can stop off at the USO for free coffee in the mornings prior to the daily family conference call! ;) I'm such a lucky guy to have those three in my life!

I had a good chat with one of the guys at work tonight; well, after work. We were talking religion and family. We just shared a little background on each. After we were done chatting, I headed over to the USO with my Taylor Sherard Original coffee mug for a cup of coffee and to read the first chapter of the book Meagan sent me, 100 Daily Devotions for People Who Serve on the Front Lines.

The first chapter talks about the turbulent times and how God will help us through those times. I don't think I could agree more! The first several days to a week after I left were pretty rough; Meagan can say the same. However, keeping faith and knowing there is a plan certainly does help. I say a little grace each time I sit down to a meal and it gives me comfort. I pray for myself, those I am working with, those who are here fighting, and those I love dearly in my life. It does bring me peace in these turbulent times apart from the normal life and those I cherish so much!

Ok...I just got the pictures loaded and it's time to say goodnight. I have to get up early to talk to my three biggest loves in life! Night all...and God bless!

Day 18 - 13 September 2012

Well, yesterday's post kind of led into this one. I woke up several times to check the internet, but it was still down. I ended up rolling out of bed around 0800, went to the office to check on our flight, and we were still good to go. I was going to go eat some breakfast, but wasn't really hungry, so I headed over to the USO to get on a computer.

I saw a couple of messages from Meagan...unfortunately, I had no way to let her know that I couldn't get on. By the time I got to the USO, she was asleep. I checked a few things on Facebook, watched a little bit of Taken, and then headed back toward the room.

I decided just before lunch to get my hair cut. I cut it myself when I first got here and took it down pretty low, but no fade. So, I decided I would get it cleaned up. The guy at the barber shop was awesome! He asked how I wanted it. When I told him a high fade, he said, "Smooth like baby's butt?" Sure...why not!?!

I was going to go eat lunch after my haircut, but the guy took long enough, I had to go get ready for my flight. Finally, after three nights, we get to go on our final leg and recover our equipment!

The flight was good; nothing big to report. Just a nice smooth ride across  a beautiful, but war torn country. I was like a kid in a candy store, sitting by the  window the whole time. I'm just awestruck by what I see from the air to think there is such violence. In a lot of the areas, you could see people working in the fields or driving on the streets. At one point, there was a group of children playing what appeared to be soccer. It's just crazy to see all of this and know what is going on here. It makes you wonder if some are aware of what is transpiring in their own country.

We got to our stop, only to be told we had one hour to tear down the equipment, pack it up, and meet the flight back...ONE hour. So, while I headed up on top of the building, the other guy went to go find the cases. I had the entire system torn down and all but two pieces on the ground in 15 minutes! I knew we didn't have a lot of time and I certainly wasn't going to waste ANY of it. The problem? We had NO cases. So, we made the decision to load all of the pieces on the bird and get them back. After all, that was our overall mission. We loaded everything up and made it back just fine! That's when we found out we could get all the way back tonight...potentially.

We went and grabbed dinner. I had ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, mixed vegetables, and a grilled cheese sandwich. Kind of odd combination, huh? I had everything else before I saw the grilled cheese and, well, it looked good...it was! After dinner, we headed back to load up and get ready to move...if there was enough space.

Thankfully, they had enough room for us. It was a bit cramped with everyone's bags, but we made it! I'm now headed off to bed so I can talk to Meagan and the kiddos in the morning. Whew, a LONG day...but, well worth it! Night all!

Day 17 - 12 September 2012

Gloomy Skies

Well, I was up at 0400 this morning, before the alarm even went off. I got around, went to shave and brush my teeth, then got ready to talk to Meagan and the kids. I was eager to try out this HP Mini on the network and using Yahoo! Messenger, vice my phone.

I talked to the kids for a little bit. Emma must not have liked my glasses, because she told me to take them off. Taylor was pretty excited that popcorn season is just around the corner. He told me everything they did all day, which was a bit more than I usually get. Meagan and I chatted for over an hour. I'm glad she's going back to the dance class. It is good to know she has things she can do to pass the time; that's really the only way any of this gets any faster.

Green Beans Coffee - Fenty

Went into the office to see the chances of making our next leg today...a big negative. We are guaranteed something tomorrow though, so it looks like that's when we'll be moving again. We'll go out and back, possibly all the way back "home" tomorrow, but even that last part is wishful thinking! It seems like we've been gone for weeks...certainly not just a few days. I went and grabbed some breakfast and made a stop at the coffee shop. Since there were no flights, I came back to the room to crash for an hour...turned into almost three!

Went to lunch around 1230. I had roast beef, rice pilaf, crab salad, and spring rolls. I have to say two things about lunch. First, the roast beef and spring rolls were awesome! Second, it seems like rice is a staple dish for this deployment. I can't count too many times where I haven't seen rice on the menu, if ever. I suppose it's a good thing I like rice!

After lunch, we went back to the office and did a PMI on the radar here on site. Nothing major, but the air filters needed replaced. The ones we took off were almost completely clogged, so it's a good thing we knocked it out. Afterwards, one of the guys called for some help working on another radar, so I walked him through the steps over the phone. Yes, I'm a mobile equipment support NINJA! ;)

Came back to the room to chill for a little bit before dinner. After all, there's not really much to do. I didn't pack enough PT gear to do any real exercise...in fact, I had to buy some. It's not a big deal really, since it takes so long to get laundry back. The more clothes you have, the better. I'm certainly glad I brought as many socks, shirts, and underwear as I did. However, I still may need more of some of those. We'll see...

Dinner was, well, ok. I had rice, salmon, and a salad. I'm not sure what they were going for with the salmon, but the missed! Not all was lost though, as the remainder of the honey mustard dressing came in handy! I also had a slice of pecan pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream... :)

After dinner, I went back to the room for a bit before venturing to the USO. I'm trying to download some things for my netbook, but the connection in the room is so slow, everything keeps timing out. I was able to get a couple of things downloaded to my phone and installed on my netbook. I got back to the room and discovered the internet is down...0430, down...0700, down...I give up!

Day 16 - 11 September 2012

So, I set my alarms last night and don't really even remember them going off. I woke up around 0745 and saw a message from Meagan that she was headed to bed. This is, I think, the first time we haven't chatted since I've been here. I'm hoping to maybe catch her a little later. I have no idea how long we'll be here. We're on our way to recover some equipment and take it back to the shop.

Woke up, for good, around 1100. Man, it feels great to have finally gotten a LONG sleep in; something my body must have needed. Went to the shower house, got cleaned up, and just chilling for a bit before we go grab lunch.

11 years ago...that's why I'm where I am today. It's hard to believe that our world was thrown into chaos that many years ago. I can't say I agree with us being here, but my President and government does, so I am here, just doing what I do. One day, perhaps in Taylor's lifetime, there will be peace here. It really is amazing to see this country from the air, the majestic mountains and lush river valleys, and just know that there is a war going on. How could a place like this harbor such hatred for peace and democracy? I'm not sure anyone will ever quite understand it...I know I won't.

Didn't really do a whole lot today. I went to the BX here and broke down. Picked up an HP Mini to have something small to carry around. I had contemplated it before I left, but just couldn't make up my mind. However, the thought of lugging around a 17" laptop when we go places just wasn't appealing, especially when I would like to update this blog. My phone has issues posting pictures, so I wanted a better solution.

Dinner was pretty good. They had Swiss steak, rice, and mixed vegetables. It was a pretty good meal. We were a little surprised they had a cake for September 11. I didn't have any, I opted for ice cream, but I heard it wasn't that great.

Today was pretty uneventful. We're still just waiting around until we can get out of here. I'm headed off to bed so I can talk to Meagan and the kiddos in the morning. Can't wait!

Day 15 - 10 September 2012

Up at 0430 this morning, or thereabouts, to talk to Meagan and the kiddos. After the kiddos went to bed, we talked a bit, but also spent a lot of time just sitting there. Although there was silence, it was nice just to see her sitting there.

I watched the Broncos/Steelers game on AFN. I am in no way a Broncos fan, but it was nice to see Peyton Manning so well after being shunned by the Colts. I headed back to my room for a nap when there was just under two minutes left in the game.

Went to lunch and had chicken, corn, rice, and hushpuppies. It was a pretty good meal! I haven't really had an awful one yet.

Found out I'm leaving on my first mission this evening. The nerves are kicking in. You kinda think to yourself, "Holy shit, people out there want to kill me." I'm hoping this trip will calm those nerves next time. Of course, we will see... Now, I have to go pack for the trip...

Got all packed; enough for a week. Don't know how long we'll be gone, but it doesn't really matter to me.

Got on the helo and in mid-flight right now. Afghanistan is such a beautiful, but baron, country! It's sad that there is a war going on. The mountainous terrain, at least to me, is breathtaking...

Strapped in and ready to roll!

We got to our final stop ok, but found out we may not get to the next one for a few days...maybe earlier, if we're lucky. It's ok though...this is comparable to a weekend!

Chillin'

We went to dinner after we arrived. Certainly can't complain about corned beef and potatoes! After dinner, we went to the coffee shop, played a game of Clue, a few games of pool, then chilled in a lounge area for a while. Strange that this trip is somewhat relaxing...

Ok, off to bed. Going to try getting up and talking to Meagan and the kids in the morning! Night all...

Day 14 - 9 September 2012

Well, managed to get a real good night's sleep after not much last night. Up at 0530 and talked to Meagan. Hard to believe two weeks have gone by since leaving home...

We had a good chat going on until worries about the checkbook; apparently snafus with the downloading of transactions in Quicken. It can be a quirky program, as she found out first-hand. Fortunately, I have a copy on my laptop and we were able to find the issues. I'm working on uploading a fresh copy for her that will take roughly two hours to complete. So, she'll be back on track tomorrow. A lot of adjustments needed to be made since my deployment pay won't catch up until around October 15th. Hard to hear her crying when she was spending money to send myself and the guys goodies from home and thought she'd done too much. Turns out, it's all good...

Dropped my laundry off at the laundry service. Still sucks I can't do my own laundry on my own schedule, but will work out once I get that routine down. Figure I'll pick up a load one day, swap out uniforms, and drop off the next. That works for any day but Saturday, which is linens only.
Headed into the shop shortly to see if anyone wants to join me for lunch. Missed breakfast this morning and I'm quite hungry now!

Lunch was pretty good! I had a chicken fajita, chicken empanada, and refried beans. Wasn't a bad meal at all!

So, today is my first day solo! So far, not too bad, but pretty uneventful too. I'm not complaining though. It gives me time to work on some SOPs and loop "Crazy Girl" as much as I want! "Crazy girl don't you know that I love you..." :)

Had my first call today and didn't skip a beat! Had a couple of questions about it when my relief came in, but I was on the right path. Felt good, actually. Will be making my first outing soon. Excited and nervous, all at the same time...

Dinner was good. We had beef pot roast on top of egg noodles, peas and carrots, and bread. I splurged a little, as I had pecan pie a la mode for desert! Yum! :D

Went to watch Battlefield after work. Was a little slow start, but good from middle to end. Too much Navy though... ;)

Off to bed. I have to get up in four hours to see Meagan and the kiddos! Night all!

Day 13 - 8 September 2012

So, finally rolled out of bed around 0600 and made it to go talk to Meagan and the kids. Had a MOAC (Mother of All Coffees), which is what Green Beans calls their 24-ounce cup. Still dragging quite a bit, so headed back to the room for a few more hours of sleep before work. No gym this morning, so I'll probably go after work.

Got up about 1130 this morning. Went into work and no one around, so I figured they'd already left for lunch. Made it to the DFAC and they weren't there, so I ate lunch with the squadron leadership.

Lunch didn't look too appealing, so I had my second cheeseburger of the trip. A little dry, but it was food!

After lunch, I jumped into the online 5/6 meeting. It was pretty cool. I'm going to be creating flyers for a nonalcoholic margarita party we're having, so I found something I can get involved with.

Jumped out of the meeting early to get started on inventory and ops checking a few of our systems...finished one before dinner. I didn't think it would take THAT long for one system, but we have to ensure they are ready to spring into action if we need them. No sense in taking a system out that's missing a critical component!

Went to dinner with a couple of the guys. Surprisingly, the lasagna was good! I was expecting something less, but it was the best looking option for dinner. Was actually comparable to the Stouffer's kind we get!

I'm thinking no gym tonight. My arms hurt like the dickens (lifting yesterday) and I'm dragging tail pretty bad right now. So, I'll have to go in the morning!

I feel bad that Meagan has had a bad day and I'm dragging so much, I can barely keep my eyes open. Alarm set for 0430, so we'll talk then...night all!

Day 12 - 7 September 2012

Up and at 'em at 0500 to talk to Meagan and Taylor. I guess Emma was due for bed. She gets very cranky if it's past bedtime. Getting ready to head to the gym, then breakfast and some free time before work. I'm going to start the study machine in the next day or two, once I get in a set routine. Have Course 14 to finish up and a promotion test to study for.

Just back from the gym. Focused on weight training today (arms, back, and core). Might go running with one of the guys tonight; depends on the weather. A sign of goo things today: I've lost four pounds. I'm down to 192 know, so I'm only seven pounds away from my goal! 185 is what I would like to get to, buy I may even be able to hit 180. Weight loss is a secondary objective to just staying in shape and working a bit on strength. Six pack abs wouldn't hurt either! ;) One of the guys suggested taking pictures in the mirror each week to track progress of working out, eating right, and getting fit. I might have to give that a try...

Had breakfast for the first time here in Afghanistan. Mainly the ordinary: ham, cheese, peppers, and onion omelette with a gside of bacon and some peaches Washed it down with a cup of coffee, a milk box, and a pineapple juice box. I think I will like this routine, as long as it will last. Of course, it will all go out of whack when I have to adjust to flights here and there, but I think this will work out good.

Went into work for a few minutes to copy all of my study material to CD so I can transfer it to my laptop. I just got down here to the pavilion to study and discovered my laptop will get the WiFi service down here. However, I still think my phone is the best thing for video chat with the family. It's small and works just fine! Ok, time to study for a bit before work...

Weather Hula Girl

I took this picture the other day. What weather vehicle would be complete without a hula girl? For those that remember my pics from Iraq, we had nearly the same girl perched atop the dash of our truck. Just thought it was funny that six years later, a tradition continues...

Well, I got through a couple of modules in my Course 14. I definitely think I can have this knocked out in a couple of months. My goal is to complete it before Thanksgiving. Then, I can focus all of my study time on promotion to MSgt! Alright, time for work!

Work's been fairly slow today. Not much going on because of, get this, WEATHER. I have to laugh at that. We all went to lunch together. I had a roasted cornish hen, corn, and rice. The hen was ok, but definitely not great. Right now, I'm still plugging away on my Course 14 study. Perhaps I can take my next test sometime next week, if we're not busy.

Dinner wasn't too bad. In fact, it was EXCELLENT! It was STEAK NIGHT!!! :) The steak was pretty tender and tasty! When I heard it was steak night, I was a little nervous. After all, during my time in Iraq, I'm not sure any of those steaks were actually beef. This, however, looked and tasted like ribeye!

Went to bed early to get up and talk to Meagan and the kids, now that I have a schedule set up, to find Meagan had texted me a message that my Bellevue University student account had been turned over to...COLLECTIONS!?! I knew I had received a deferral because my paperwork was messed up and given 45 days from the end of the course to pay it. I'm still, STILL, waiting for the VA to pay me for the class so I can pay the school. Anyway, I called the university and the guy told me that my account was never updated with a referral. I called Meagan, had her send me the emails, then forwarded them on to the university. Seriously, WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT?!? I told the guy, "I'm in Afghanistan right now, and you guys certainly aren't making a stressful situation any better..." I'm just beside myself on this. I have until September 25th, so hopefully the VA will get this taken care of...SOON!

Ok...heading back to bed...

Day 11 - 6 September 2012

Good morning, I suppose. Got up at 0400, after going to bed at 0030, to talk to Meagan and the kids. Had a slight delay as rumbles of thunder and a pretty heavy downpour kept me in the building a little longer. Made it to the coffee shop, grabbed a cup of coffee, and exchanged messages with Meagan; video didn't want to cooperate. We did get to see each other briefly though, so that's good!

Went over to MWR facility to talk to the supervisor about my dog tags; no luck. Came back to the dorm and saw a guy in the bathroom area. He said he took a shower around 0700 yesterday and didn't see any dog tags. So, that narrows it down to someone in the dorms that likely has them. Talked to my superintendent and he said someone may pass them up the chain and contact me via email. Still don't like the fact that I got out of my normal routine and they are missing. We'll see. I have new ones on the way.

Went to lunch with the guys, sort of. I stopped by the DFAC on my way in and got a to go box. When I got to work, they had been waiting for me. So, I went with them. Nothing too overly exciting on the menu, so just had a burger, fries, and broccoli salad. Found out that the person who found my dog tags had done the right thing and they were in the hands of a First Sergeant. Whew, a HUGE relief!

Some of the guys here are stressing a bit. They've been told they'll be put in for MSMs (Meritorious Sevice Medals) for the kick ass job they've done here. They're stressing, because it's worth 5 points for promotion. Now, apparently, the new superintendent may have different thoughts. I'm happy they're being considered; but, at the same time, I wish they'd discuss it on their own time. Whatever I receive out of here, if anything, won't be on my promotion package until 2014. And, I'll do everything in my power to insure I'm pinning on instead of testing in 2014. Sorry...just a rant that's been bugging me a bit. Besides, I'm not here for glory or shiny things. If leadership wants to reward me, great. If not, I won't lose any sleep. I'm here to do a job and do it to the best of my team's abilities; and, we will do great! I'm confident of that.

Work was fairly busy tonight. Still getting a hang of the ropes and trying to soak up as much information as I can. Was looking to go out on my first mission, but not happening yet. Soon, though.

You know, I'm sure it's a lot safer than it is in my mind, but part of me is scared; no shame admitting that. The first time I left the base in Iraq, it was the same way. Come to think of it, I was nervous both times. But, it's a necessary risk we have to take, so I accept that. I am definitely looking forward to getting out and helping.

Alright, headed back to the room to turn in for the night. Not much sleep last night and a long day. I feel like I've been gone for a month. Hopefully, I can get up to talk to Meagan and the kids. We'll see...