I love my job

Monday was my first day back at work after a few days of leave to help Mary and the kids get settled in the apartment at on base.

The day started off normal: gym, full water bottle, fresh cup of coffee, and me and my computer! After a few hours of work there was a slight twist. We ended up not having any work to do. The Airmen had to go do upgrade training stuff and the Sgts had to do admin stuff. Since I didn't have admin stuff, I finished up what I was working on and then went to help the Airmen. They were having trouble find answers to a few questions. I spent about 30 or 45 minutes explaining a few things to them. They thanked me and greatly appreciated my teachings. They asked me to help them more when I had the time.

I deeply enjoy my job and love to share my passion for it with others! The time I spent with them was energizing! I hope that I have more chances to share what I have learned!

Language Barrier

Something happened today. Im not going to say that it is funny due to a quote from SHIT MY DAD SAYS: "Don't start a story with This is SO funny. Be like saying My dick's huge before you screw. Even if you're right you sound like an asshole." I'll just say I've got a story for you!

Maddox and I were putting together a shoe rack this afternoon, Maverick was sleeping, Mary was cleaning, and Leslie was sitting on the couch playing cards and entertaining Maddox when she would lose interest in the shoe rack.

Then the doorbell rang, it was the guy that installed our internet a few days prior. I didn't know why he was here, but he said something about installing permanent internet. After about 10 or 15 minutes of work he said that he would be leaving. I asked him, "What did you do?" His response, "I add free porn." I kind of got excited, looked at Leslie, looked back at the guy and then he said it again, "Free porn." My response, "Porn, like on the TV? Is it locked so that my daughter wont see it?" He laughed and said, "porrrrnnn" then held his hand up to his ear like a phone.

So we either have free phone service or some kinky adult TV stations... I haven't checked yet.

Pregnant women

I found this video early in Mary's pregnancy with Maverick. She used it to tell people on facebook that she was pregnant again. I think the song is funny and I love that Mary thinks its funny.

"I dont care if its limbless and brain dead if it has a penis" That is probably my favorite quote from the song.

Mary and the kids get here on Wednesday along with Mary's mother. Im excited to have my family again!

Marshall G. McIntyre

I once asked my Grandpa who he was named after. I was curious since I was clearly named after him. He told me that he was named after his Father's friend. Im sure that there was more to the story, but that is what I remember. From what I was told, Mom and Dad either hadn't picked out a name or hadn't told anyone the name until I was born. They later called Grandma and Grandpa tell them that I was born and that they named me Marshall.

Growing up my brother's and I would spend Summers with our grandparents. I remember going into work with Grandpa and one of his business partners telling me that my name wasn't Marshall because that was Grandpa's name, and if we had the same name, people would get us confused.

Anytime I would talk to Grandma on the phone and she would pass me off to Grandpa, she always said, "Mac, its your name sake on the phone." I think when Grandpa was in the service he started going by Mac, turns out all of have gotten that one!

Grandpa was the first MGM, then he named his kids with the same initials. Then Dad named us (including a dog) with those initials, then I married Mary and she all of a sudden had those initials, then we named our kids (and a dog) with those initials.

I've gotten alot from Grandpa, and I love the man. I got word, right before going into work Friday morning (Korea time) that he would be having double bypass surgery Friday morning (Eastern time).

Prayers, happy thoughts, good deeds, puppy kicking... etc. Whatever it is that you do to help people, do it and think of my Grandfather please.

Park and school

Today I went to drop off a few more things at the apartment and then went to lunch at a little Korean place near the apartment with a friend that is TDY here. The food was good, the sides were alright, I've had better sides. But the price was the best thing! For the two of us, with water to drink we only paid a total of 13,000 Won! Which is about $11.50! I think the price made up for the side dishes.

On the way from the apartment to the restaurant I got a picture of a little 'park'. There are a few exercise machines, benches, swings and a basketball hoop. I think Maddox will enjoy it!

I took this picture from the same spot as the last picture. This is The Castle. That is where Maddox is going to go to school. Awesome building isn't it? There is a huge slide on the other side of the building, I should have gotten a picture of it also.

E-mart trip

I went to the E-mart which is like a Korean wal-mart but with excellent service! If you want to use a cart, you have to pay 100 won, which is like a dime or so. However, when you are done, you get the dime back so it isn't that big of a deal. I was going to get some recycling bags for our apartment so that we would remember how to separate the recycling. Also I wanted to get some training chopsticks for Maddox. The trip to E-mart wasn't difficult at all. I got there and started wandering around to find what I wanted.

I mentioned the excellent service. At the end of each aisle they have employees standing there holding whatever product is on that aisle. Also in the food aisles they have samples on almost every aisle. AND to top it off there are people walking around to help you.

After circling the store both upstairs and downstairs. I realized that the music playing in the store was English. To top it off if was Guns and Roses 'Every Rose has Its Thorn'. Such a great song. i started singing along and kind of dancing as I walked. As the chorus started there they were! The recycling bags were right in front of my eyes! On the next aisle were the chopsticks. I was super excited. Afterwards I walked through the grocery section to see what the prices were like on instant coffee. I can get it cheaper at another place that I know of.

When I got back to the base area, I timed my walk from the gate to the apartment. It was about 10 minutes give or take. I stopped at 7-11 on the way because I wanted to make sure the apartment had toilet paper. There is nothing worse than not having toilet paper, you never know when you are going to need it! I also stopped to talk to a guy in my apartment complex that was taking his trash out. He seemed like a nice guy and said that the apartments were nice there and that people were nice in the area.

I dropped off the bags and the chopsticks and took note of shower curtains and checked to see if there was anything else that we might need for the apartment.

All in all, it was a successful trip. I want to take Leslie there when she is here, mainly so that she can see more than just the base, but also because I think it will be a fun trip.

The new apartment

This is the entrance to the new apartment. The complex is called Wingdom, the only reason I remembered the name is because I thought of kingdom, but with a W. Our apartment is about 10 steps down inside those glass doors.

When you open the front door, there is a cabinet on the right. This is the cabinet that you put your shoes in. Then Koreans put on their house shoes. I don't know who learned from who, but this is sounding oddly like Mr. Rogers... To the left is the doorway into the apartment.

This is standing in the mud/shoe room looking into the apartment. The master bedroom is straight back.

To the right of the front door is the first bedroom. Right now it has a bed and an ironing board. The glass door is something that most if not all Korean homes and apartments have. Usually every room will have these. It is kind of like a patio. It has windows and tile floors. I don't know exactly, but you'll be seeing them often.

To the left of the front door is the kitchen. Out on the 'patio' is the dryer and a cabinet.

The sink in the kitchen. There is a drying rack hanging just above the sink. Also the open shelves on the right of the screen, that is where the microwave and rice cooker go.

The fridge (obviously). It is a normal fridge...

The dinning room table to the right is the fridge and the left is the shoe room.

The kitchen 'patio' has an American dryer. A dryer in a Korean home is an oddity. They don't like appliances that only do one thing (except for the rice cooker). They don't use coffee pots, they use instant coffee and either a tea kettle or a hot water dispenser. Usually their washers have a drying feature or they hang dry. I think that we will hang dry to cut down on the amount of energy we consume. Behind where Im standing is a cabinet. To the left near the ceiling are small windows and the door back to the kitchen is on the right.

Just past the first bedroom is the living room. There is an A/C unit in the corner, a couch, an ottoman, and 2 tables stacked. The tables will be unstacked and one will be a coffee table and one will be the TV stand. This 'patio' houses the washer and a drying rack that hangs from the ceiling.

Here is the washer on the 'patio'. The white cord with a black handle hanging from the ceiling has the drying rack attached to it. Also if you look at the back left corner of the washer near the ground you can see the drain pipe. There is a drain on the floor for the washer.
Behind the kitchen and off of the living room is the second bedroom. Currently it has a desk and a chair. There will be a twin bed going into this room, and possible the desk getting moved out. Possibly using it as the TV stand or just having a desk in the living room. This patio has small windows like the dryer and the master bedroom patios. Because that side of the apartment is underground. This is a good thing because it will cut down on the amount of light in the morning, for that reason I'm thinking this should be Maddox's room.

This is the bathroom behind the living room and opposite the previous bedroom.

The tub has indentions for your butt. Just incase you weren't sure where to park it, I guess?

This is the master bedroom (with half of the mattress pad that we got for it, it needs to air out before the other one is placed on top of it). I forgot to get a picture of it, but to the left there are 3 wardrobes, that is where all of our clothes will go. We might have to move one into Maddox's room. The master bath is to the right.

This is the master bath. Kind of small, but at least we have one. There isn't an actual shower, just a shower head and a drain on the floor.

That is it for now. Once Mary and the kids get here we will get some more pictures posted. I hope that everyone enjoyed it!

Apartment

To prepare for the arrival of Mary and the kids, I started looking for an apartment for us. I was looking for something close to base, three bedroom and at least one bathtub.

I went and talked the first realtor. He worked for Century 21 realty and was named Kenny. His English was decent. We got into his minivan and he took me to a place called Wingdom. He showed me a nice 3 bedroom 2 bath on the third floor. I really liked the place, but it needed 2 more beds. He showed me a couple of other places, but none of them really stuck in my mind. Kenny dropped me off at his office while he parked the car. Kenny's boss, Tony, came over and started filling out paperwork and asking for a deposit. I told him I liked the place but I needed to talk to a few other realtors. I told him I would be back later in the day.

Next I went to Smile realty and talked to Mr. Kim. Mr. Kim said that he had a great place for me and he would take me to it. He took me to a place called Life Apartments. These apartments house a lot of Americans and are very nice, but they are very far from the base. I explained that I liked it but it was too far. Mr. Kim then took me to a house that had a second floor apartment. This place was extremely random. The kitchen was a hallway with glass doors and walls, very odd! Then he took me to another second floor apartment. It was very nice, but it only had 2 bedrooms. I told Mr. Kim I had to think about it and talk to another guy.

Then I went to Virginia realty and talked to Kenny. Kenny speaks English like an american. He said he lived in America for almost 30 years. The first place that Kenny took me was an upstairs apartment. Inside the gate was a dog that was very skiddish and quiet. The apartment wasn't too bad, but it did have roof access which is very nice. Although it was only a 2 bedroom. Next he showed me two places by an alternate gate to the base. However, that would put us farther away from everything. One of them looked just like Wingdom and when I told Kenny this, he said that his Uncle owns Wingdom and he had some places there. I told him about my other experience with the other Kenny. VA Realty Kenny told me that he could hook me up since his Uncle owned it. He showed me a 3 bedroom 2 bath that was technically on the first floor but when you walked in the door you had to go down about 10 steps. This place had a washer and a dryer and a bathtub. It was a beautiful place but it was missing a third bed. Kenny told me that he would include internet and cable in the rent. Also, he said that he would get us a microwave and a water dispenser along with 4 5-gallon jugs of water a month! Then he took me up to the roof and told me I could grill out up there if I wanted to. While we were on the roof, I saw the preschool that I want Maddox to go to. I mentioned that to Kenny and he said that he would take me there and help me get her registered. We walked in and filled out some paperwork and they said that she can start any time we want her to start. The preschool is Monday through Friday 9am-5pm and it looks like a castle (that is the name of it) finally there was a dalmatian tied up in the front of the school also.

I gave Kenny the money to hold the apartment for us and set everything else up. When Mary and the kids get here, we will be able to go straight to the apartment. All in all today was a good day!

Air Show Weekend

This past weekend was the airshow here on base. It was pretty cool to be at an airshow in a foreign country! There were US aircraft and also ROK (Republic Of Korea) aircraft. The US had a C-130, C-17, a Blackhawk, F-16, Chinook. The ROKs had F-15's, F-16's, Helix, F-4, and some other crazy birds. I was most excited about the Helix. The Helix is a Russian helicopter that had double stacked rotors that spin in opposite directions, this means that the helo doesn't need a tail rotor. The one that they had on display was set up to put out forest fires.

Whenever the announcer said anything, a Korean came on and said the announcement again in Korean. This made for very long announcements.

My squadron's booster club had a booth selling hamburgers and hotdogs. Saturday I showed up with the intentions of wearing the squadron mascot tiger suit. It was a very hot day out and that suit does not breathe. I was in the suit for about 7 hours straight and took water breaks periodically to hydrate. However, the little kids wouldn't leave me alone long enough to get that break. Also Koreans don't have the same personal bubble that Americans have, nor do parents discipline their kids at all. So kids were real nice about giving high fives and shaking hands, but they then wouldn't leave me alone. There were times when kids were around me pulling on the tail and messing with the feet and there were no parents anywhere around. I had no clue where the parents went. For the most part everyone was friendly. During the National Anthem, a Korean wanted to take a picture with me, and didn't understand why I was standing there with my hand over my heart. She then punched me in the head, I told her to shut up and go away, but I don't think she understood that either. All in all it was a good day!

Sunday the show was still going on so I decided to ho volunteer again. Except this time I didn't want to wear the suit. I helped on the grill. It was me and two others working the grill. One person flipped burgers and dogs, one put ready burgers and dogs on buns for customers and one put raw burgers and dogs on. We had a great system going. Then public health came by and said that the two flipping burgers had to have gloves on. They weren't wearing gloves because the gloves were melting to their hands. i had gloves on because I was putting the raw meat on the grill. This conversation with public health pissed off one of the other guys so he left. He had already put in 10 or 15 hours between the two days, and he decided that was the breaking point. We recruited someone else and continued our wonderful grilling techniques. Later on, two new people showed up, a flight chief and a captain, to help out. They came to the grill and immediately changed our system. Their new system wasn't working and they wouldn't listen to me when I tried to explain this to them. As this happened I got a call from a friend saying that he was just getting to the show. So I decided that I had volunteered enough and it was time for me to call it quits as well. I went and joined my friend and got to see the final part of the show which was a search and rescue scenario.

I had Monday off from work and decided to do nothing but watch TV shows online. I started watching The Good Guys. This is an action/comedy cop show that has Tom Hanks' son in it. The show isn't too bad and I find it to be funny, so I continued watching it. Im about to watch the 9th episode.

Tuesday I was woken up around 7am by one of the other Sgts from my team. He was going around telling everyone that we didn't have to work today. I stayed up and talked to Mary and the kids on Skype. Later I went to the gym and post office. I just finished my homework for the week (minus a quiz Im going to take after episode 9). Tomorrow work shouldn't be too bad and then we are off thursday and will work Friday and the weekend.

A friend from Seoul was talking about going to Everland (an amusement park) this weekend, but Im not sure what my work schedule will bring.

The past few days

So Friday we had a bunch of computer issues at work and it was screwing me up all day long and I couldn't do anything to get out of the funk I was in. So I had a a pretty shitty day!

The next day we had to be into work by 0630, so most everyone was tired from having to get up so early. However, I had my magical Waffle House coffee mug. So my morning was starting off wonderfully! And the computers were working! AND better yet: The boss said he would buy beer if we got our work done fast! We got our work done and left around 1630 or 1645, and the boss bought us a few pitchers of beer, it was a good time. Some of the guys said that they were going out later that night and asked if I wanted to go. I went and had a great time! We went to a bar that has a couple of beer pong tables, and we played a few games.

I got up the next morning (Sunday)and made sure all of my schoolwork for the week was done (it was). I then proceeded to sit around, watch movies, and do as little as possible. It was great!

Today (Monday) I did all of my school work except for my quiz, Ill do that tomorrow. I also went to the gym for about an hour and half or so. It was a good workout and I feel great now! Im finishing off the night with the latest episode of the Office.

Im working Wed-Fri this week and Im supposed to have dinner with friends from Langley this weekend and maybe go see Mary's friend from Greensboro and catch a beer. It should be a good week and weekend!

Weekend and Monday

Saturday I slept in and met some friends from Langley at an event on base. They had free BBQ and live music! The food was alright, and the music was good but it was REALLY loud!

After listening to some music I went back with the friends to see their apartment. I think this place might be a winner for us to live in. It is really close to base and has 3 bedrooms. Afterwards the 3 of us walked around downtown and they showed me some of their favorite places and I showed them some of mine. Sunday I slept in again and then did homework and watched TV and movies online. In the evening I got to talk to Mary and Maddox on the phone and see Maverick (he doesn't talk too much).

Maddox is getting so big and her new haircut is super cute! Maddox was so happy to write her name on a piece of paper and then show it to me. She also showed me her little toy pony and I showed her my Donald Duck toy that she used to play with. She also wanted to see out of my window because she didn't believe that it was dark outside here.

Monday was probably one of the best Monday's I've had in a LONG time! I woke up early and went to the gym. After the gym I showered and got some breakfast. I had the brilliant idea of taking a few of my instant coffee bags to work with me. I made some coffee as soon as I got it. It was wonderful! Work started and everything was going great. It was my last day with my trainer (a good friend of mine from my last trip out here). Before I got too far into my work I had to go and get a flu shot and a TB test. I got back to work and continued with my work. About half way through the day we got into a discussion about whether we should use the word 'to' or 'and'. After about ten minutes we decided there were certain circumstances for each... That means nothing anyways, but I am re-qualified now!

After work I went back to the gym then back to my room and showered and got some dinner. Now Im watching The Unit online and relaxing.

Chipper Chuseok!

Today 22 September was the Korean holiday known as Chuseok. In Hangul (the written Korean language) it is 추석. Good luck on reading that one! It is the 3-day Korean holiday celebrating the harvest. Chuseok always falls on the 15th day of the 8th month in the Lunar Calendar (confused yet?).They usually travel all over the country to be with their family. On the first morning on Chuseok, they take food and drink to the tombs of their ancestors. They believe that the bountiful harvest is attributed to the blessings of their ancestors. A main food of Chseok is songpyeon (송편). Songpyeon is crescent-shaped rice cake that is steamed over pine needles.

Since we are here in Korea, we were given the day off! I decided to make the most of my day! I slept in, did homework, and went to 2 classes at the gym. i also watched some NCIS online and watched some music videos on youtube, to include The Old Crow Medicine Show, The Avett Brothers, Michael Franti, and Ok Go.

All in all I would say that it was a good day. I think Ill go to bed in a bit and then get up early and go to the gym before work tomorrow.

Happy Chuseok and enjoy the rest of it! That is all from Korea, goodnight!

Free beer and good friends

Friday night my friend Jody was in town. Jody and I were stationed here at Osan together back in 2007. He has since gotten out of the military and become a contractor. He travels all over but we usually miss each other. One time I went TDY down to Robbins AFB (where he was working and living at the time), the day I got there he went to Langley AFB (where I was stationed). We just missed each other and might have actually been in the airport at the same time.

Jody and Me

This was the first time we have been able to meet up. We went and got a beer at a place called Corner. Oddly enough the bar is on the corner of a block, who would have though? This bar just like all of the other bars has beer, soju, pool, darts and loud music. However, Corner brings something a little extra, something no other bar has here. The bottom of their beer mugs unscrew and ice drops out of them. This comes in handy for throwing! When you finish your beer, a waitress unscrews it and walks you over to the throwing line. She then hands you the ice. You throw the ice at the wall and if you hit the sensor the lights flash and everyone congratulates you! Then when you get back to your table, they bring you a free beer. Its great, but not too many people are able to hit it. When I finished my beer, she walked me over and handed me the ice. I threw it and all of a sudden the green lights all around it started flashing. Everyone congratulated me and when I got back to the table she brought me a fresh beer! It was great. However, when I threw the second piece of ice I missed the buzzer. I was about half a foot off... Oh well.

Trivia and whatnot

Thursday I decided to take the train to Itaewon, a shopping district in Seoul. A friend of Mary's, Chris, invited me to go play trivia there. It was a long and crowded 2-hour train ride. When I finally arrived, Chris met me right outside of the station. He took me to a small bar that was full of American and Canadiens. I had a delicious spicy chicken sandwich! Afterwards we went down stairs to play some trivia. There were 4 categories with 10 questions each. I only knew the answers to maybe 5 or 6 questions, but some of them were really difficult. For instance: What island received the George Cross in 1942? Im sorry the what from who??? The final category was titled 'Shit I Found on the Internet'. I don't remember any of the questions from this category, but I liked the name. Around 9:30pm or so we found out that we had lost. Since I knew that I had at least a 2-hour train ride home, I decided to go ahead and leave. The train ride was going well until the train stopped and there was a long announcement (in Korean) and then the lights turned off... I thought about it and remembered this happening when I was here last time. However, last time it happened to me I was with Korean linguists and they were able to figure out that we just had to board the next train. This time though, the train had taken an alternate exit. Instead of stopping on the main line, the train had pulled off a stop. I had to talk to a Korean that spoke very little Engrish to figure out what I had to do. I had to take a taxi to the previous stop and wait for the next train. This detour added at least half an hour to my trip and an additional 4,500 Won (roughly $5). That sucked, but when I got to the correct train station and looked around I remembered it was the station that we always had to stop at to switch trains late at night.

Work today was non eventful... I filled out some paper work and got some stuff set up. An airman asked me some career questions that I was happy to answer. It is still weird to be called Sgt, but back and Langley everyone knew me as Mac, so they very rarely used my rank. Even my Commander, Chief, and Shirt called me Mac.

When I got back to my room, I found out that one of my friends from when I was in Korea last time is TDY for the week. I think Im going to meet him for a beer later this evening.

internets

Well I guess I have to get the internet access in my dorm room turned on... I had been 'borrowing' a neighbor's, but this evening he blocked my computer's IP. Since my internet stopped working I decided to go to the enlisted club to do some homework. I walked in and heard a lot of cheering. I guess tuesday night at the club they replay football games, who knew? I got a little bit of work done, but not enough. I'll go to the BX tomorrow and make the appointment to get my internet turned on. That is all for now from the ROK

dorm and school

I was given a dorm room Friday morning. My accommodations are nothing like I had last time I was here. Last time I shared a kitchen and bathroom with one other person and I lived in a fairly new dorm. Now, I live in an older dorm, I still share a bathroom, but now I share the kitchen with the entire dorm. This makes it very undesirable to cook.

My science class is very non-informational. The instructor hasn't given us any grades, so I don't know if I'm doing the assignments to her liking. This is definitely a class that I want to be over, and soon. After this class I will have roughly 14 more classes left to take. However, minus a 200-level English class the rest will be 300-level Criminal Justice classes, that means lots of case studies and lots of writing...

I haven't started working yet, so I don't have too much going on. I hope everyone is doing well, and I'll try to keep everyone informed on as much as possible.

GREEK!!

It was 8pm Wednesday night and I was having trouble keeping my eyes opened. I hadn't eaten and I knew it was too early to go to sleep. So, I put on shoes and went downtown to get some food. When I was here in 2007 I used to go to a little Greek restaurant. Two Korean sisters ran it, Sunny and Honey are their names. Next to this Greek place is a bar called Happy House. Happy House is one of the bars that you can sit outside and drink, so we would go there, drink and when we got hungry Sunny and Honey would bring us food. It was great. I always find it funny when I go to the Greek place, or a Chinese place or anything besides a Korean place. I find it funny that a Korean serves me Greek. I sat down and was eating my gyro and I noticed another guy there eating and drinking a Dos Equis. I started mentally making fun of him for drinking a Mexican beer in a Greek restaurant in Korea. Then I realized I was eating Greek waiting for a Chinese side dish to arrive. So I began mentally making fun of me also.

After dinner I went and met one of Mason's friends from Little Rock. He was throwing darts at a bar called V.I.P. I talked to him for a minute and then walked back to my hotel room. While I'm staying in the hotel, I can't use the chow hall, so Im having to eat out all the time, luckily I get paid for it!

That is all from Korea for now, I hope everyone is enjoying their September!

Travels to Korea

At the request of my Uncle Doug, I will be starting this blog back up. I guess leaving the country is the time to start it back up... right?

Mary, Maddox and Maverick dropped me off at the airport. They parked the car and went in with me. Maddox didn't want me to go and I think this was the hardest that it has been for me to leave. After I got through security and was grabbing all of my 'stuff' out of the bins the TSA lady told me I should keep my cash in my pocket. I guess they have had thefts here... who knew???

I then went to find my gate and make sure I knew where it was. Call me OCD, but I want to know where Im going before I get food. I found my gate, and then went to go get some lunch. I ordered my food and then tried to use the wireless in the airport. But the wireless didn't work in this restaurant. They did have ESPN on, so I watched college football. Good stuff, I haven't had the chance to watch too much football in the past 2 years or so... I wish I had left more stuff in my checked bags and less stuff in my carry-on. I didn't need to fly with my school bag, I could have checked it. No big deal, I made it alright with no issues.

As I boarded my first flight I heard that there were lots of open seats. This made me happy since I don't always like to sit next to people. As I walked down the aisle to my seat I noticed that some D-bag was in my seat, but the back 3 rows were open. I asked the flight attendant if I could sit in the back row, she told me that I could. I was happy to be secluded from people! After we took off, I ordered a whiskey and coke, I like whiskey, don't judge me! After I showed her my ID and asked how much it was, she told me it was free since I was military... Thank you Delta flight attendant!

Once again I had an underbooked flight. I ended up getting an aisle seat with another little dude that was going home to see his momma. The flight attendants thanked me many times for helping out with him. But he was no bother.

I got to Seattle, all of the restaurants were closed, it was 9:30, but they were all closed... jerks! I checked into my flight and went to the USO. They had wifi, food, bathrooms and showers! I took advantage of all of it! The ramen was mediocre at best and all food had to be consumed in a separate area from the couches. The bathroom was nice, and the shower was refreshing. For some reason I was only able to sleep for about half an hour or so. Then I left the USO and went through security and got a turkey sandwich. After the sandwich I went and laid down on the floor. I was able to sleep for about an hour or two. We boarded our flight and took off on our LONG journey. I slept a little and tried watching the movies on the big screen. However, the audio was messed up for the movies and there was a loud crackling sound through most of the movies so I stopped watching.

When we got to Korea, it was a huge cluster getting our luggage. But, I finally got it! I met up with my sponsor, Walter, he said that he wasn't able to get a dorm room for me but he would drop me off at the base hotel to get a room. The guy that he had driving us around was the dorm manager. I don't know why the dorm manager couldn't just get in his office real quick and get me a room, but hey what do I know?

I got a hotel room and was going to shower before meeting Walter and the dorm manager at Chili's for some lunch. I was just about to get in the shower and the power in the hotel went out... What the hell? I put my dirty clothes back on and was going to wait until after lunch to shower. Then the power came back on. After a shower, I got some good Chili's food. i came back to my room and began trying to contact people to tell them that I made it safely. After a few hours I couldn't keep my eyes open. It was only 5pm but I decided to lay down for a quick nap. I slept for 5 hours! After being awake for a few hours I laid back down around 1am. I slept until 5 or 530 Tuesday morning.

Saturday

Im trying to post more often I promise!

Since we are moving, we have been getting rid of stuff. Last week my parents took the washer and dryer. So now we have to go to the laundromat to clean our clothes. Lucky for me, the laundromat is next to a Chinese restaurant! I haven't used a laundromat since I worked at the summer camp. It only took about an hour and half or two hours to wash, dry and fold all of the laundry. When I got home Mary and Maddox were still napping. I also noticed that my blues shirt had dirt on it. I guess when I was carrying it to the car to hang dry, it brushed against the car.

Mary had a Girl's movie night planned to go to that night. At least that is what she thought... The girls were planning a surprise baby shower for her! They had me in on it to make sure that she was there and to let them know when she was on her way. Before she left she told me that she was going to wear her pajamas because of how hot it was outside and since she wanted to be comfortable. There wasn't really a ways for me to get her to change... So after she left, I laughed! Mary asked to use her friend's washer to reclean my blues shirt.

Mary had fun and gave me a hard time for not making her change out of her pajamas...

Sorry its been so long

I have been slightly busy since my last post (27FEB). I went on the 6-week TDY. I was training people to go on the deployment that I went on last year. I enjoyed what I was doing there and I got to make fun of pilots, it was great! This was my first time going to an Air Force Base that was strictly for guard personnel... It was a different breed of people. One of the Master Sgts insisted that I call him by his first name, but I couldn't do it. Towards the end of the TDY one of the LtCols came into my work area. As I was standing up to greet him, he sat on my desk and propped his feet up in an empty chair (so much for professionalism). He proceeded to ask me what he had to do to get me to stay there an extra month. I told him I wasn't 100% positive but to contact my squadron. My Commander wouldn't approve it because I had to go to ALS so that I could get promoted before I left to head to Korea.

I came back to VA. I know that Mary was happy to see me home, and I was happy to see her. I enjoyed what I was doing on my TDY because I had a lot of job satisfaction.

I made it through ALS and was promoted. I wasn't given any subordinates since Im about to leave. But I have had to council airmen and pick-up a little extra slack here and there. Also I was interviewed by the LA Times Magazine about my job (that was pretty cool).

Mary and I have been attending a birthing class in preparation for our second child. I missed all of the classes with our first child (since I was in Korea). I have learned a good amount of 'stuff' about babies. Did you know that a stork DOESN'T deliver the baby??? News to me!

We have the movers scheduled and are ready to get out of our house! We are ready to see what our baby boy is going to look like and ready to start the next chapter in our book of life.

WHEW!

I was supposed to have last Friday (19FEB) off from work, to head home to see some friends and family. Thursday around 1430 or 1500, Chief came into my office and asked if I had any appointments the next week. I told him no, then he said that I would be going to DC for a few days... I ended up not getting my day off, I went into work to set up my rental car, hotel and orders. I ended up working 6 hours. Mary was not happy.

We got on the road late and made it to her parent's house around 5 or 5:30. We met with our friend Brandi at Mello Mushroom pizza! Maddox was a typical 2-year old and didn't want to eat and was being clingy. We still had fun. After dinner Brandi came over to Mary's Parent's house to hang out and have a couple of beers. While Mary was putting Maddox to sleep, they both fell asleep. Mary felt really bad, but there was no way I was going to go wake her up. Sorry Brandi.

Saturday we met with a few of our couple friends and their kids. All of the kids played upstairs, the wives gossiped in the kitchen and all of the husbands were out back drinking... it was good times!

Sunday we headed home and Monday I headed to DC. Tuesday I walked to the Naval Yard (with a stop at 7Eleven for coffee, of course). I met a couple of people and made some contacts. Wednesday was much of the same. Thursday I headed back to Hampton, after I turned in my rental car, I registered to take 3 classes for the next 8-week session.

Friday I got to work. I had over 300 e-mails to check... oh joy. One of those e-mails eluded to the fact that I might be going TDY for 6 weeks. When I saw that e-mail I started trying to find out if I had a date to go to ALS (Airman Leadership School, a school we have to go through before we can sew on SSgt). I had a date to start ALS in April. I went to go sign they paperwork for the class and the Commander stopped me and said that I wouldn't be going to ALS yet. He said that I would be going on the 6-week TDY, in his words: "It's good to be wanted." A couple of hours later I got an e-mail saying that I had orders to Korea. My report no later than date is a week before our second child is due. Im working with my Chiefs to try and get that pushed back some, we will see what will happen with that. Since I have a 6 week TDY coming up, ALS (another 5-6 weeks), and then out processing: I think they are going to try and find my replacement in the up coming week so that I can train him or her before I leave in a couple of weeks.

So a slightly crazy Friday for Mary and me. We are starting to figure out what all we are going to have to do to be ready to leave! So exciting, and stressful at the same time!

(S)Sgt

I got my WAPS (Weighted Airman Promotion System) score last week! I made Staff Sgt!! I should sew on between June and Aug. Still a ways away, but I will still sew it on shortly after my 4-year mark. I still need to go to ALS (Airman Leadership School), Im not sure when that will happen, but I have to have that before I can sew on.

Random moments

This is completely unrelated to anything that happened in the past year and half or so... But today while I was driving across base to pick up Maddox after work, I started thinking about when I had my appendix taken out. I remember when the anesthesiologist was just starting to pump me full of drugs, I asked her if when she woke me up, before they took me upstairs, if they would show me my appendix. She laughed, and agreed. I vaguely remember seeing a small plastic cup with a small dark pink/ reddish chicken liver looking thing. And Im almost positive the only words that I said were, "Fuck you appendix."

This has been a random moment in the Life of Me!

2010

We are now half way through January. Since the year started I have: finished a vacation with the woman of my dreams, tested for Staff Sergeant, started 2 classes, and attended a week long conference in Vegas.

The vacation was wonderful! Mary surprised me with the entire weekend. She told me the days that I needed to take off from work and nothing else. We got in the car and Mary told me to sleep. I was more than willing to abide! I woke up and we were in the mountains and there was snow on the ground. Shortly after we pulled in to Monticello (Thomas Jefferson's house). After the tour we went to a tavern for lunch. The food was delicious! We got back on the road and I went back to sleep. When I woke up, we were driving through a downtown area. It looked real nice with small taverns, locally owned shops and a brewery. A few minutes later we pulled into a small parking lot for a bed and breakfast. It looked really nice! We parked and Mary pointed to a little cottage behind the house and said, "that's ours!" It was a small 2 story cottage with a feather top king sized bed, a little sitting area, spiral stairs leading downstairs to the bathroom, fridge, and oversized whirlpool! It was amazing inside. There was a small envelope on the table in our cottage. While I was outside bringing out stuff in from the car, Mary opened the envelope. It was from the ownders of the B&B, it said that our good friends Steven and Heidi were taking care of one of our nights in the cottage and also bought a picnic lunch for us! We were speechless... After a few seconds of silence Mary told me that they stayed at the same place for a vacation. We started looking through brochures to find which vineyard to take the picnic too. For dinner we went to the brewery and had some really good food and I tasted some really good beers. In the morning we slept in. We woke up around 9, when our breakfast was delivered. The breakfasts there were awesome! After breakfast we showered and got our picnic and went to a vineyard. I tasted the wine (since Mary was pregnant, she wasn't drinking any of it). We bought a few bottles and then started to eat our picnic. We had cheeses and spreads for crackers and bread and for dessert we had pound cake with toffee sauce on it (MMMMM). After we ate we went to another vineyard (suggested by our friends Steven and Heidi). I liked this vineyard better because the person doing the tasting was more friendly and the building was more welcoming. They also had a little dog (Rascal was his name). After that tasting we went back to the cottage and relaxed until our dinner reservations at a really nice Italian place. I had veal and tiramisu (it was magical). That was New Year's Eve night and I think Mary fell sleep around 9 or 10 and I went to bed right at midnight. New Years day we went to the Luray Caverns, it was cool to walk through and see all of the rock formations. Afterwards we went back to the room to get ready for dinner and a play. We went to a nice locally owned place that buys all of their food locally. In the description for each menu item it said there the ingredients came from. I ordered the pork and it came from the next town over (less than 20 miles away). It was really cool and delicious! Afterwards we went to a Shakespeare theater, for their rendition of "Twelfth Night". The cast was really funny and the show was a ton of fun! In the morning we packed up and went home. Shortly after we got home Leslie arrived with Maddox. It was so great to see Maddox again!

A few days after we got back I took my staff sgt. test... Ill let you know how I did when I get my results next month.

Then I went to Vegas for a week. I was attending a conference representing the deployment that I just got back from. I was really excited about the trip, I thought our hotel was going to be really nice and luxurious... It was nothing close to nice or luxurious. The entire place stunk of smoke. Every morning when I woke up, my throat hurt, and that continued to get worse as the week went on. We also weren't staying anywhere near the strip, so I just stayed at the hotel except for when I was at the conference. I figured I will save the strip experience for when Mary and I go.

Im home now and still trying to get over being sick. Maddox is glad to have me home, she has re-introduced everyone to me (just incase I forgot).

Maddox and Mary are both sleeping now and Im watching football.

A day in the NEW life!

Well the days have changed and the life has as well. Im back home and back at work. Im working in an office now, Im in charge of the mission planners here (I know that doesn't sound very exciting). Anyways, its my job to field questions about our platforms and capabilities, write procedures out, and come up with great new ideas! Ive been in the office for 2 weeks so far, in that time I've answered questions for the New York Times, read through the continuity binder, signed up one of my guys to go TDY (Temporary Duty) for some training, worked on a letter to send 3 of my guys TDY, was picked to go on a TDY, was picked as the squadron Senior Airman of the year, and wrote numerous e-mails. I was also strong-armed into going to the Christmas Party (next weekend).

At home: Mary is working parttime and Maddox is loving having both of us home! Mary's students played at Barnes and Noble today. Maddox and I stayed home (lazy rainy Sunday). While Maddox took a nap, I built a fort for her to play in while I watched football. When she woke up she LOVED the fort! She sat it for about an hour without getting out, it was great. I finished picking up the leaves from the flood yesterday (another 3 bags worth). I also changed the spark plug on my lawnmower to try and get it to run again... no luck, I think Ill be getting a new one.

The property manager finally got someone out to replace the air ducts underneath the house (they were waterlogged from the flood and weren't attached to the vents anymore). We only heated the crawlspace for about a month! They also got someone to replace the drain on the sink in the mater bathroom (it was broken and we couldn't use it for about the same time frame).

The holidays are fast approaching, Im still trying to figure out my schedule and travel plans. AND right after the holidays is New Years! Mary planned a surprise vacation for us for New Years, I don't know anything about it except for the dates. I think its going to be great though!

Im glad to be home and will post again soon (maybe)!

Best welcome home gift ever!

Before I left Iraq, Mary started asking me what kind of food I wanted in the fridge and pantry when I got home. I couldn't really think of anything that I wanted...

When I got home, after many hugs and kisses, Mary gave me a tour of the house for the first time (in person, I had a webcam tour once or twice). On the dining room table Mary had a handle of Captain Morgan waiting for me. Captain Morgan is my favorite alcohol. Also a package of beef jerky (I HAVE THE BEST WIFE EVER).

Saturday afternoon (roughly 12 hours after getting home) Mary asked if I wanted a snack, she had 2 bags of a favorite chip of mine. Popchips... delicious, expensive, but delicious! Then she asked if I wanted to grill for dinner. Of course I wanted to grill, but I wasn't sure if we had stuff to grill. She opened the fridge and showed me a package of 2 steaks roughly an inch thick and full of flavor and beefy-ness! Like I said, I have the best wife ever!! She also showed me that she bought coke for my rum, and frappachinos for me to drink.

That is all, no more posts for tonight.

Trip Home

We checked into the passenger terminal in Qatar. It was exciting because we were leaving but I didn't want to get too excited just yet (I still had over 30 hours until I got home). Since I am only an E-4 I had to help load the baggage into the plane. That was a lot of work and helps me to appreciate my job behind a desk. There was an intel O-1 helping us load bags, I told him it was the most work his uniform would ever see. I don't if he got my joke, but I found it hilarious! There were about 20 of us or so loading bags. When we were done we were allowed to board the plane first. Some of the guys seemed really excited about this, I don't know why... we had assigned seats and it just meant that we spent that much more time on the plane. Whatever... I was sandwiched between 2 fairly large guys in the middle of the aircraft. To my left was a MSgt, he was a comm guy that was stationed in Qatar heading back to Shaw AFB. Turns out that we actually have a few common friends. He wasn't over weight, just tall and needed space. To my right was a TSgt, he was a... logistics maybe? I don't remember, but he was heading back to Davis-Monthan I think. He was a man of average height but slightly overweight (I got elbowed by him more than once).

Our first stop was in Cypress, it was dark when we landed and we weren't allowed to get off the plane, however I did get to see the sunrise on the Mediterranean Sea... that was beautiful! After sitting on the tarmac for 2 or 2.5 hours we headed to Aviano, Italy. It was raining in Italy, but the Alps still looked magnificent. It was rainy and chilly in Italy, but it was great! We had to stay in the terminal, but atleast we were able to deplane. Operation Yellow Ribbon had coffee and snacks on a table for us. The coffee wouldn't have worked for a coffee connoisseur, but for me it was more good. I usually like my coffee really strong: If it is in clear mug, you shouldn't be able to see any light through it, you should have some grinds in the bottom of it, when someone walks into the room that the coffee was brewed in, and their nasal cavity should be overcome with the smell of coffee. Basically I like my coffee strong! Just like my women (Mary is the strongest-willed woman I have ever met). So the coffee wasn't up to my standards, but it got the job done. After that we took off and headed for Germany. In Germany I met with my best friend from Korea, Jarad and his wife Emily. They have been in Germany for about a year or so, and are about 3 or 4 months pregnant! They met me and had a case of German beer to share with me! We stood out in the parking lot of the terminal drinking, it was better than tasty! I can't even put words to the flavor of it. I was only able to drink one before I was called back to the terminal to check in for our flight. I would have liked to drink another one (not sure if I could have handled a 3rd). The flight from Germany to Baltimore was a long one! they showed a few movies, and I slept some during the movies. They served a couple of mediocre meals, there were a few people around me ordering drinks left and right, but I didn't want to pay $5/drink, so I didn't have any.

We were met in Germany with a huge welcome home party from the USO. Lots of old and retired military families. They all shook our hands, thanked and welcomed us home, and had a small bag of snacks for us. Also our squadron sent a few people to pick us up and drive us home. One of my buddies was the driver. We loaded our bags into the 2 vans and as we were climbing in and buckling up, they handed us Yuengling! One each, for our ride to a burger shop. I guess in the DC/ Maryland area you can drink if you are in the backseat... (if that isn't true then it didn't happen and you probably misread the previous statement). We didn't get to Langley until after 1am, at the squadron we were welcomed by the 1st Sgt, squadron Commander, Wing Commander, our superintendent from our deployment (he left about a month before us), and a group of poeple that weren't actively working at the time. My old flight chief and mentor, TK, for the past 3 years was there to meet me, he gave me a ride home. He had directions printed off on how to get to my house. Neither of us had been there before and it was easier for someone else to take me home so that Mary didn't have to wake up Maddox in the middle of the night to pick me up. Mary opened the door and greeted me. I dropped my bags and gave her a huge hug and kiss. I shook TK's hand and said I would see him in a few days. Mary and Macy welcomed me with hugs and kisses and wagging tails. Mary and I talked for a few minutes then she went to bed and I showered and shaved... I had been traveling for over 30 hours and hadn't had a shower for over 48 hours (for those of you who don't know me... I sweat alot, so that is a long time without a shower).

Saturday morning Maddox woke up and Mary and I went in to get her out of bed. Maddox was excited that I was home and wanted to show me all of her toys. It was great!

Im home and we are enjoying our time together, Im still adjusting my internal clock, but I should be good in another day or two.

Kip, me, Capt J, Nick, and Fogle

Ops Rotation 1... and Fogle final pic

Kip, me, Capt J, Nick, and Fogle

Ops Rotation 1... and Fogle final pic

The images are out of order... but hey you get to see some pics atleast!

this is the end of our going away dinner

Kip, Nick, Me and Fogle (left to right)

Capt L giving me a plaque

laughs for no reason probably

Capt J giving me a Letter of Appreciation from a General

Capt J, Kip, Nick, Me and Fogle (left to right)

Nick, me, and Fogle (left to right)

Flintstone village at night

A palm tree in the wall of the village

One of the entrances to the village

Enjoy the pictures, Im working on a rundown of our travels home.

Qatar?

After a few flights and alot of 'hurry up and wait' time, I made it to Qatar! Qatar is an odd country. For some reason when we come her we have to immigrate in and out, we aren't allowed to bring anything that might show aggression or anything that shows excessive skin... So no knives, and no magazines at all.

We didn't really have any plans here except sit and mess around on our computers. Also there is a daily 3 drink ration. Our Capt was going to be going to the Ops Center to debrief with some big wigs. He asked if any of us wanted to go, my roommate Nick and I went.

The Ops Center was pretty cool. I saw a few people that I knew from Korea and back home. Also we sat down with 2 full birds and talked about the deployment and pros and cons of it all. They were both VERY receptive and looked at us as experts and took to heart everything we were saying and were taking notes on our words and comments. Afterwards one of the birds gave us a coin... yet another one added to my collection!

Also I talked to my Sgt that I had minor differences with at the beginning of the deployment. I thanked him for all that he showed and taught me. I now understand that he acted the way that he did to lead me in the right direction. He also told me that he appreciated my work and that I was going to be getting a higher medal than an airman should get because of the work that I did (that will give me a few extra points towards promotion).

If you remember my post from a few months ago about the moon: Im sitting underneath a full moon. It is bright and there are no clouds out. It is beautiful! The moon always makes me miss home, but it also reminds me that back home they have the moon also. Please when you look at the moon think of those that are away or have passed.

I miss my ladies more than anything else! Im excited about seeing our new house and meeting the neighbors and new people at work... but I want more than anything else to see them and go for a walk around our new neighborhood. I've been fortunate enough to see Mary, Maddox, and even Macy on the webcam. Since I have been gone, Mary has done a 150 mile bike ride, moved into a new house, gone to multiple family and friend gatherings. Maddox has taken swim lessons and started talking and singing more. Mary says that Macy has calmed down some also. I always knew that I would miss Mary and Maddox, I never thought that I would miss my dog this much...

Ill be home in a few days and Ill be able to spend time with my family before I head back to work. As soon as I get back to work, Ill have to re-qualify on the positions I held before I deployed, and then they are going fast-track me to mission supervisor. I will have to test for Staff Sgt after I get back also. Im hoping that I make it, there is alot of pressure on me: pressure from my wife, my sgts, pride, and making it my first time testing.

I will talk to you all later, I miss and love you all!

Marshall

Leaving on a jet plane

Well probably not a jet plane, and not quite yet... but soon!

Since I signed up for this deployment (AUG 2008): I went through over 60 days of training (TDYs and training on base), Traveled to multiple different locations, made it known that I needed to deploy early to help the comm guys and now Ive been here and Im heading home soon! I have gotten coins from two different 2-Star Generals, a 1-Star General, and a Command Chief. Things that I have said and done have made their way up to the Pentagon and back. Procedures that I figured out and worked out have become the standard. I have been looked at and respected as an NCO even though Im not one (I'll test when I get home). It has been tough, I have had rank flexed on me more than once... and that is when I remembered that Im NOT and NCO. I got frustrated and wanted to quit at times, but I don't really get that option. My leadership has praised me for the work I have done and I think that I have learned a lot from being out here.

I have missed many events back home: I missed my 3rd wedding anniversary (that is 2 of 3 that I have missed for those of you counting). I missed too many birthdays to list them all, but the most important ones that I missed were Mary and Maddox's birthdays (that is 1 of 2 missed for those keeping track). I missed a trip to go see my brother, 2 weddings (one of which I was supposed to be in). AND I missed moving into the new house.

However, Im in the military. I knew what I was signing up for, and I volunteered for this deployment! I don't think that there is anything I would change about all of this. I have the love and support of 2 beautiful ladies back home and I cant wait to see them again!

Traveling

Today is Monday it was my first day back at work since I traveled. I traveled to a couple of different bases:

Day 0 of travel: Woke up at about noon or so, picked-up laundry and thought about buying another pair of sunglasses, I had a slight crack in mine, but figured that they would last through the trip. showered and got ready for work. I got home from work about midnight:30 so that moves us to day 1.

Day 1 of Travel: Got off of work (as previously mentioned). I packed and talked to Mary for a short time. I slept for about 2 or 3 hours and then showered and grabbed all of my gear to head out. We, I traveled with my LT, got to our first destination. Before leaving the terminal we got coffee (Quad White Chocolate Mocha Frappaccino, yeah that is 4 shots of espresso) from Green Beans. We went and got rooms for the night and then went to work. After being at the office for a few hours and finishing my frapp and 2 black coffees, I had to take someone over to the terminal to get him signed up to leave with us (we were leaving the next day). Since we were back at the terminal, we got more coffee (I only got a double this time). At this point I had been up for over 24 hours and had about 3 hours of sleep, coffee was needed! We got back to the office and did what we needed, I think I only had one more cup of coffee that night. After dinner we went the PX, I didn't need anything but the people that I was with did. On the car ride back to the office, I broke my sunglasses, I wasn't happy. I went to bed around 1am or so, I didn't have any trouble falling asleep since I had been up for so long. The linens I was given were all different colors:

this is my bed after I made it with the different colored sheets

I don't know why, but I took a picture of my bag and body armor

Day 2: I woke up showered, and LT and I walked over to the terminal, we met up with the other guy, Sacco, after checking in, Sacco and LT went to get Coffee, LT brought me a Frapp, it was awesome! Im not a froo froo coffee drinker, but these things are magical!! My LT is probably about 5 feet tall and weighs about as much as my left leg. needless to say she is small. Her flack vest is probably small enough for Maddox to wear, so I thought it would be funny to try it on. It was:

right after this picture the velcro gave out

We got our ride to the next base, checked in and found out that were we were staying they didn't have any linens. We decided that we could deal with it for one night. We went and talked to a few people then went back to our rooms. It got really cold and my towel wasn't enough to keep me warm, so I didn't sleep too well.

Day 3: We got up ate breakfast then went to the office to start meeting with people. We singed up to try and leave that evening, but the weather wasn't looking too good. Since we didn't have a very good room, we decided to just sleep in the terminal hoping for a flight out. When it came time to leave, the people that were showing us around the base said that if we got on a certain bus, it would take us to the terminal. We got on this certain bus and rode around for an hour to end up back at our original starting point... We asked someone else and they said to get on a different bus. So that was what we did! We got to the terminal checked-in and they told us to hang out and relax. I sat down and read the paper, as I finished the paper a movie came on the TV that was in the terminal. The movie was horrible, I don't remember the name and it didn't have a plot, please trust me when I say that it was a horrible movie!

Day 4: I think the first movie was still on, I dont remember. LT found out where the MWR was, so we were going to go check our e-mail. Sacco stayed and watched our bags and body armor. When we got back it was probably around 4am or so. I watched football on TV and Sacco and LT slept. around 6 I went and brushed my teeth and put on deodorant. At this point I had been in my uniform for 24 hours, it was time for some more DO! Sacco and LT went to go get food around 630 or 7, I stayed to watch the bags, I ended up sleeping, like a baby, it was wonderful. They came back, we ate, and I slept a little bit more. We finally got out of that base and back to Sacco's base around 3 or 4 in the afternoon. We hung out for a bit, we met with some more people and did a little bit more work. Around 11pm that night we were going to the terminal to leave again. We got there and there were a ton of people, the place was packed, all the seats were full and people were sitting/laying on the floor on their bags. We were concerned that we weren't going to get out.

Day 5: We left and got into the camp that we are based out of and back to our rooms around 5am. I showered (I had been in my uniform for 47 hours). I talked to Mary for a bit and then slept, I didnt wake up for about 5 solid hours and then I woke up thinking I overslept.

When I got back to work, I was greeted by a couple of people outside of work and they all welcomed LT and me back and told me that I had A LOT of mail waiting for me. I didn't have time to pick it up, but shortly after I sat down at my desk someone brought my stack of letters over, I had 15 cards from people! It was great! I guess Mary saw a bunch of people, or sent a bunch of e-mails out asking people to write to me, I got cards, letters, jokes, comics, even a picture colored by a 19-month old. I appreciate and thank everyone for their prayers. I never expected to get so much mail from people saying that they were proud of me and thanking me for what I do, some of the people I haven't even met before, but they are friends of Mary's parents.

all of the fun cards and letter I got

Well time to relax and go to bed. I love all of you and hope that this blog finds you all happy and healthy.

A few more random pictures:

Frog hanging out, ready to travel

old picture during a mild dust storm