Holiday Cheer

begins with Robin Williams on stage.....

The holidays here were filled with plenty of entertainment for the troops. We were fortunate enough to have Robin Williams, Kix Brooks, Lance Armstrong, Kathleen Madigan, Lewis Black and Bob Dipero here! They were all great entertainers, and were enjoyed by numerous troops who were away from home this holiday season!

(in photo below: Emily West, me, and Keni Thomas)

(Above: Chondra Pierce, Comedian) (Above: musician and Keni Thomas)

(Below: Alana Grace)

(Above: Buddy Jewell, Country Singer)
(Above: Leeann Tweeden, model & MC)

We also had another show with singer Alana Grace, Keni Thomas, Emily West and Buddy Jewel; comedian Chonda Pierce; model Leeann Tweeden; and two Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, Brandi and Nicole. Their performance was also great!

(Above: NE Patriot Cheerleaders)

Afterwards, I headed out on my own tour with a group of New England Patriots Cheerleaders. The group of ladies was both enjoyable to work with and they were humbled at being offered the opportunity to share the holiday with the troops. They delivered filled stockings to over 200 soldiers who were working and couldn't make it to the performances. They performed where space and time allowed and signed many, many, many autographs, gracefully posing for photographs at every turn. The weather was great and the transportation fantastic!

(Above: Cheerleaders and I awaiting transportation)

While I was away a variety show "Tops in Blue" entertained those left behind in Bagram!

When I returned the office was decorated with three different sized Christmas trees and colored lights. Of course the DFAC really did it up, they took simple styrofoam board (the stuff that comes in all of the refrigerated food boxes) and used it to create an amazing array of colorful art that was hung from ceilings and walls. They even made really cool chandeliers! It is amazing how creative they can get with such simple supplies.

I couldn't think of a more appropriate way for me to spend the holiday, if not with family, than with the troops. As some of you know, in years past I spent many a Christmas dressed as an elf (accompanied by my boss, Santa) and we delivered cheer to ships and subs on Christmas Day! This tour brought back those memorable days of past. It is wonderful how bringing joy to others can make your smile that much brighter!

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday! As it looks now, you all are enjoying snow!

Entertainment Tours make the job more enjoyable...

http://blogs.ajc.com/mike-luckovich/2010/11/15/1116-cartoon-mike-luckovich-on-afghanistan/ (In Photo: WA Redskins Cheerleaders aboard the C-17 ready to head home.)

The WA Redskins Cheerleaders danced and cheered in conjuntion with the X-Bowl Madden NFL competition held on base. Microsoft sponsored the event along with some others; and brought out gaming systems and provided this fun event for our clamshell full of excited soldiers and civilians.

(In Photo: Scott Kennedy and Mike Pace)

In Oct, we traveled north with a couple of funny comedians - Scott Kennedy and Mike Pace. It was Scott's 42nd tour here and Iraq. He is very committed to keeping the smiles on the faces of heroes in the field. We traveled to outposts that were very small, and they performed for over 2,000 soldiers. I must admit that traveling in blackhawks was both scary and exhilarating.

In Nov, we took a group of cartoonists south, to Kandahar. It was warm there, and I really liked the base. They have a wonderful boardwalk with shops and sports fields in the center. Every day soldiers play everything from baseball, football, cricket, basketball, and even hockey. The joke is that the Canadian Forces are equipping the country with hockey rinks. When you go to a FOB and there is a hockey rink you know the Canadians aren't far away. The one bad thing about this base is that they dump all of the "blackwater" into a pond that is aerated, which simply means continuously stinks! They even have shirts about the "Poo Poo Pond". Makes me all the happier to be living in Bagram, where I have learned how to digest the diesel fuel smell and dust.

I loved watching the visiting cartoonists draw caricatures and cartoons. They sat and talked and listened to soldiers stories; sharing their experiences at war and the love of their families back home.
(In Photo: Garry Trudeau, "Doonesbury"; Mike Luckovich, Editorial Cartoonist; Rick Kirkman, "Baby Blues")

Each soldier willing to wait in the long lines, walked away smiling and excited to have been in the company of: Garry Trudeau (Doonesbury); Tom Richmond (MAD Magazine); Mike Lukovich (Editorial Cartoonist); Stephan Pastis (Pearls Before Swine); Jeff Keane (Family Circus); and Rick Kirkman (Baby Blues). I came away with some great cartoons drawn just for me, as well as two very cool caricatures from Tom Richmond and Mike Lukovich.
(Drawing done for me by Tom Richmond, MAD Magazine)

R&R #2, my second home visit...

...was rewarding because it snowed! Then we headed out in the snow and ice covered roads traveling over 6 hours to visit with Skips family in Heppner, OR and spend 5 fun-filled days playing games and feasting on Thanksgiving fare!
(The barn with a view of the rolling hills of Heppner, Oregon.)(Any second now, these two tables will be covered with money, and surrounded by card playing fools!)

(Jessica and Aunt Tammie take a dip in the hot tub on a freezing day!)

(Wait a minute, my nephews are not using their silverware; they need a long trip to Afghanistan)

Pies, lobster, prime rib, turkey, ham, you name it, we ate it! It was quite the change from eating in the dining facility on base. And I don't just mean the use of real silverware and eating off of something other than paper! I had to walk 5 miles a day on the treadmill just to keep the weight of it all off my waistline, butt, and hips! After the family feasting, we attended the Naval Base Kitsap Holiday Party, I played some tennis, and lunched and dined with friends and family back in Gig Harbor! Tracy hosted a family get together at her holiday decorated home, where we exchanged gifts early and ate a wonderfully prepared crown roast meal!
(Stockings hung early for Tammie's benefit, while Poinsetta stands in as Christmas tree.)

December 5th we went to a tail gate party in Seattle prior to attending the Seahawks vs. Panthers home game. The Seahawks won! The next day, I left. Again my trip home felt like a whirlwind, as I headed back through Kuwait on my long journey back to Bagram.

I learned on this trip that is truly is a pyschological game played by the passenger terminal staff; to make you want to go back to Bagram. As they tease you hourly about your flight time, and then cancel it, and then call you back; so many times that you are screaming to just get back! It is crazy! Next R&R in February, to celebrate Skip & Steve's birthday!

(Kuwait, and wait and wait and wait and wait; when will my flight take off?)

Blackhawks Rock!!

Scott Kennedy and Mike Pace come to cheer the troops in Afghanistan~

see mom, we are safe, this HERO is keeping his eye on the targets.....

Joe and I dig this ride......

Okay it is time to reveal the "Comedy Tour" part 1: Blackhawks Rock .... I did finally get to jet out of here last month and not a C-17 this time, but a Blackhawk helicopter; and I loved every minute of it. Dina said it best in an e-mail to me, "A gal can get used to that kind of travel." I like the way it just swoops down, doesn't turn off it's engine and picks us up and then sort of hovers a little and then takes off. I love watching out the window obscured only by the boys, and I do mean boys; who are trigger-ready keeping an eye on the horizon, and below for any danger. Keeping us all safe in our seats. The cold air coming straight into your face is no worry, since you are so excited you are sweating in your heavy armor and kevlar. Did I say it was thrilling? Why, yes it was. That said, here are some photos. The view from this level is perfect, you can see just enough of the horizon to not get air sick; and you can see the terrain of the land, as well as the little villages tucked inbetween the hills and mountains. I think I may have seen Poppy fields, but can't be sure what the green was below. I did see a few goats but no camels. I wanted to see at least camel tracks, but no camels. Moving from forward operating base to forward operating base was like moving from one prison to the next, with the walls of security marking the boundaries of the base. It was nice to be greeted by a team of weapon carrying security guards who escorted us safely to the interior of the base. The Comedy Shows were so well recieved, it was exciting to watch the faces of all of the young men and woman who are working so hard to do their jobs and are so dedicated to their individual missions.

Finally back to the blogging....

*back row: Dan, Ed, Anthony...front row: Xeni and Donnie

I can't believe it has been over a month since I posted anything here for my followers, first off allow me to apologize.

As I am preparing to once again head home, I am grateful to you all for your e-mails, and your continued support and pride in my mission, over here.

I am so happy to say, I finally got really busy!! :) We are prepping tours and planning flights and did I say "we"? Please allow me to correct myself, need I remind you that my co-worker, Dan, took a job back in his home (Korea) and therefore, has left me alone. They will be recruiting for his position in early November, any takers? Meanwhile, his chair is never left empty for long as the boys* from the field filter through the office and work at his desk, I am happy to have the company. The office really comes alive when all of the fitness guys get going on "their" work. I love LOUD, as you can imagine, so the energy has improved with their every joke and interjection. I only wish I could video tape some of their shenanigans.

As I said, I will be coming home for my second R&R which will be over the Thanksgiving Holiday allowing me the opportunity to go to Heppner, OR to visit with the family and eat for about 5 days straight.

Meanwhile, in Afghanistan, I am tempted by the DFAC meals and all of the carbohydrates they have to offer, but I am slimming back in preparation for the feeding frenzy with family.

We now have a bazaar on base too, which means I can spend some of my free time shopping again; a favorite past time as you all know. So, there goes one months salary, into the hands of the Afghan population. I am happy about it too; better them than Macy's. I don't like haggling, I like paying what they ask, this upsets the people I shop with, but I don't care. I would pay more, they are so nice, and humble and appreciate your business. They are bringing back the fast food restaurants too, so everyone can get a little grease and back home flavors once again from Dairy Queen, Burger King, Pizza Hut, and who knows what else. The active duty members are going to go nuts when this actually happens; they love fast food! So American!!

All shook up...

Earthquakes here feel a little different than back home. I was shaken out of bed at around 3 am and was happy to say, my house is still in one piece, nothing fell off my shelves, not even a mouse. It felt like someone was standing at the foot of my bed shaking it, after I got up and looked outside to see if others felt it, I really felt the floor rolling. Once back in bed, it kept going. It made me very queezy! Reported the next day that it was a 6.3 earthquake centered in the Hindu Kush mountains NE of Kabul.

9.11K Walk/Run

Remember this? Memorial Day we accepted this piece of steel from the Twin Towers site to remember why we are all here.

Early morning start, look how dark it is.

After the first full length of Disney, after the turn......

at the finish line.....we made it....Fransisco, me and Nelson.

Military working dogs line up along the road to wait for the start.

When asked if I was going to do the "9.11K" on 9-11, I didn't hesitate. I registered, and then began to train. Yes, I walk almost every night up and down Disney Blvd. But starting on the first of the month I had to get out there consistently and force myself (come dust or high winds) to walk the 2.1 mile length up and back (4.2 miles total) every night no matter how late!!!! This training will surely pay off on the 11th. Most of you know I am not much for training. I usually just take it on, and feel the pain during and after. 9.11K equates to about 5.66 miles, or so I was told. But that didn't matter. The night and morning before the event was eventful to say the least and on just three hours sleep I woke to the power going off in my room. Dressed and ready, met my walking partners and headed off to the race.

The race had interruptions of it's own that delayed the start, and changed the direction of the course, mapping the final route to about 7.4 miles! In practically a racers walk the entire way, I worked at keeping up with Fransisco; either walking, skipping, and sometimes even having to run. I did it, we all finished in less than one hour and forty-five minutes!

One day you're in, the next day your out....

Nelson and Fransisco, walked with me.

Biru, recreation center employee (dealer) always keeps me smiling!

Castor and Bryan (TASS) great friends, spades partner.

Maybe I need to catch some of you up on life over here; you need to know that people come "in" and go "out" so quickly; the PAX terminal is like a revolving door over here. Opening up to bring friends back from R&R (coming through Bagram) while others are heading out on R&R.

Here is brief synopsis of the first 4 months: First I am here alone; then comes in Michael. Yeah a friend and classate from my Camp Atterbury training. Then Ryan (classmate) came in, on his way to his final destination, and then he went out. Carl (classmate) came in on his way out for R&R. Kathryn (classmate) came in to teach a class, and then out she went. Alan (classmate) came in and Mike and I got to work with him until Michael went out. Then Matt (classmate) ran into me while in Atlanta on our way back from R&R, we returned to Bagram together, and then he went out.

Back home we refer to the mountain (Mt. Rainier) as being "out". Here we refer to friends as being "in" or "out". And that is just my camp classmates. I have plenty of soldiers and contractor friends that are going out to work other regions, or coming in from R&R with stories to share. When friends are here it is like the mountain being out, a beautiful thing!

I am excited that I have had the opportunity to see so many of my classmates over the course of these last 4 months. Especially since in class it was noted that I would be the only one assigned to Bagram.

So, the people in my life over here, are either "in" or they are "out", but they are never off my mind. As we all worry about each others safety and we keep track of the military activity and the happenings at each others forward operating bases (FOB), and the news surrounding it.

Thank you Xeni, Curlee, Bryan, Hector, Ray, Nelson, Leo, Gary, Fransisco, Castor, Levi, Biru, Jackie, Gabe, Melissa, Jan, and all of the rest of the people who have taken the time to become my friend, my walking partners and a reason to keep my head up and a smile on my face.

I hope someday you will all come to see the beautiful state of Washington, and that the mountain will be "out".

Ding dong the mouse is dead...

Well, I did it! I killed the mouse. Actually he fell to his death. I was pulling something off of shelves, that if I put one more thing on it, it would probably fall. So today I tackled the heavy shelf. When I pulled down the first bundle of mags and papers the mouse fell straight onto the "sticky trap" below. It couldn't have been more perfect. He must have been caught in slumber. (Nice to know something can sleep in here.)
I had turned when I pulled down the stuff, so I didn't witness the actual fall, but I concluded that when it hit the ground it got a concussion. It looked dead.
In my happiness, I was flustered to try to figure out how to remove it, so I grabbed my frisbee, and moved the "sticky trap" (a flat piece of cardboard with stickiness on it) onto the frisbee, so that the weight of the mouse wouldn't collapse the cardboard during movement to the outdoors.
Once I placed it (the frisbee) on my front door step the mouse started coming to. Oh no, now the squealing started. Not mine, the mouse, silly. I quickly ran back in my room and grabbed by plastic bag out of my trash can and poured the "sticky trap" with mouse into the bag and tied it off. Whew, the task is complete.
Funny thing I didn't even know I still had a mouse! I thought it had escaped!
So, I rebaited all of my traps, laid out a new "Sticky trap" and opened up my latest snare, "moth balls". Sent to me lovingly by Skip with indifference toward my need.
I have been given inside scoop that moth balls keep the cobras out of your b-hut. I have a feeling they are going to keep me out of my b-hut. Boy do they stink. I only put out about 5, is that a lot for a 6' x 10' space? I rolled them into the dark corners under my bed and behind the fridge and the clothes locker.
Skip teases that they will act like salt licks for the mice, and that snakes don't smell. But since Skip doesn't have to live here, I am listening to the locals and taking every precaution necessary to keep my b-hut rodent free.

Losing "Rainman"...10 minutes to Blackjack.....

I might be losing my spades partner, Brian "Rainman" (nickname for poker) and I "Trouble" (nickname for poker) met when we both arrived at spades without partners, anxious to play and having not played in years (30 between the two of us) we settled down to what started out really well for the both of us. We beat the best team there! Ever since that win, I meet up with Brian and his team of employees at dinner and after we work long hours we head on over to the recreation center to play BINGO, poker, and black jack. Some late nights, if or when we lose, or get knocked out early, before midnight, we go on the Disney Walk (which is about a 4 mile stretch) and get to discuss the days events. But this friendship too may come to a quick close, as Brian is leaving on R&R and may not be returning. He has a huge decision to make, will he return to Bagram, or take a promotion/different job in Iraq? I am glad I am not having to make those kinds of decisions here; I hate to see him go. But I know he has to do what is best for his family and for his career. He works for Honeywell and their company is doing a pretty big job over here and evidently in Iraq as well. Of course while he is gone, all of his team have invited me to continue to dine with them at dinner, and even Castor has offered to join me for BINGO. The only game he will play. Who knows I may just have to get some of the other guys to try poker.

Comcast ... not me....

Lucky for me I have a computer "geek squad" x-employee working in the office, as well as many IT guys, and a couple of very good computer people in my circle of influence over here. After a full day of playing will all sorts of virus protection stuff, and running checks, it was determined that time was all it was going to take to allow Comcast time to get the "Promotions" part of their site up and running. It's problem became my problem when I was unable to open any emails all day. It is incredibly crazy how quickly you can feel distance grow with every minute of email being down! I was able to fill the time though reading the new book Monica sent me "OPEN" by Andre Agassi! Thank you so much! I love watching tennis, reading tennis, and thinking about playing tennis all day long. My teams are forming back home, they are preparing for Pierce County League and USTA Fall league, of which I will be sidelined, watching results and cheering from afar. Good luck team!

DUST

This is a crazy place. First of all, no one has a thermometer hanging from a tree in the backyard or by your door or window. In fact, no body even cares what the temperature is here. It doesn't vary enough to matter. But when you finally see a weather broadcast on TV it is enough to make you laugh. They have this DUST icon that they show all over the Mid east. Like the RAIN icon they always show over the Pacific NW. If they have made an icon for it, you know it must be occurring quite often. So DUST is in the forecast for the rest of the week, No SHEET! Everyday it is dusty; and when you exit from your shower you are immediately covered by a thin powdery dust much like you are a donut coated in powdered sugar.
Oh to have a donut! But I do have Oreo's. The PX stocked the shelves last night and along my long Disney Drive walk, I run in to see if anything is new. Donnie has requested Oreo's, which makes it a good opportunity to make my first c/c transaction of the month. In order to get my checking acct. interest, I have to make 12 transactions a month. Which is much easier to do when you are in the states. I currently have an "Error" message on my Comcast e-mail and can't open my mail, I hope this has to do with Comcast and not with me!
Forecasting that as soon as my email is up, the dust will settle; still not predicting any rain!

Losing a friend...

Hate to see him leave, my friend Mike is headed to Kabul to complete his year long tour. It was difficult to say good-bye to my late night walking buddy, my confidant, and my card playing buddy. How exciting is this though? His last night here Mike WON in POKER! I haven't even done that (closest was third place for me). Was just thinking, he won't even get to play in the Tournament of Champions the first Saturday of the next month with me. Last night, I placed second in Spades with my partner Bryan. Mike, I wish you best as you count the pennies and nickels being spent on this effort of "enduring freedom" from the capitol city. Keep up your workout routine, and I will see you as you come through on your way home on R&R.

3rd place and holdin'

One of the good things about living here are the Recreation Centers that offer fun free programs to help the time go by. So, on nights you can't sleep, my case, or if you work a weird shift, no matter the time of day they always have games to play and tournaments to be won; movies to watch; and computers you can use to connect with friends and family back home. Today, I could have fell asleep at 2pm, but was working. And tonight I couldn't sleep at all, so a game of Texas Hold'em Poker was shouting out for me to play. Since I had been away for weeks, I was welcomed back to the playing tables with lots of friendly smiles and hugs, and welcome back wishes; which was very nice for them to notice I had been missing. Unfortunately for them, I got a lot of good hands, I really don't think it was the cards as much as the position I was sitting for the bidding, I am really learning this game, it is funny. My friend Bryan was very tired too, and got out early; and Mike didn't show up at all, he probably was at the gym or working late again! I made it all the way to the final table, and down to the final three. I really didn't get good cards at this final table and was more than happy with losing to the beautiful girl soldier and the cute male soldier who were both delighted to have made it that far, and were so deserving of the win. The male soldier came to the table with the least amount of chips and he ended up winning, just goes to show you that anything can happen in Hold'em Poker. I'd like to now thank Laurie for taking me to the casinos in the skankiest places in Port Orchard and Bremerton years ago to play Free Texas Hold'em Poker tournaments during those boring winter months back home. I must have learned something. Pretty funny really. Tonight I won third place, and last night I won third place in (one hour play) Black Jack tournament. Too much fun!!

Home and back...

I can't believe it has been over a month since I blogged. I understand your frustrations in my posts and my simply not writing at all. My apologies to my followers.

As you can probably imagine, as time passed and I was scurrying to get my plans for R&R time wrapped up, I was remiss in keeping you all up to date.

I left the base for R&R on 28th of July, and made the long trek home. We got to fly threw Ireland, which was cool, but it was dark and I didn't see much of it. Didn't even get to have my passport stamped. We did get to purchase Duty Free items from a small shop, or have an English Tea in the "bar". They even have a shower in the women's restroom at that airport, pretty cool! The flight was long, long, long. We of course had our mandatory layover in Kuwait; and funny our waiting time way exceeded our flight time for the last leg to the states. My stopover in Dallas was short, since I was able to get on an earlier than scheduled flight out, more time at home!! Yippee.

I am happy to report, I made it home in time for my party. 79 people attended, my brother came with his daughter from Hawaii, and friends and family came from all over the state to see how I am doing, and hear all of wonderful stories. I barely had time to tell any stories with all the hugging and eating, and birthday celebrations~we had a blast all the way to s'mores by the campfire.

Skip whisked me and Scout off to NAS Whidbey Island to go crabbing and camping. We had pretty good luck, but the weather wasn't that cooperative. We jumped in and out of rain gear as we jumped in and out of the inflatable pontoon crab catching boat! We dined with family and friends, and stayed in the marvelous Cliffside Resort along the oceanfront on the military base. We walked and even tracked the hoot of owls in the trees in the dark, and successfully found two huge "Harry Potter" owls fly off into the darkness. We took the scooters but weather didn't permit our riding them. It was a wonderful relaxing time, funny too because the jets kept flying over as low as they do in Bagram.

The rest of my visit consisted of racing around meeting up with friends for lunches, and dinners with family! I was able to have some valuable sun time, and visit with my neighbors, play tennis, and go to my favorite restaurants.

It took me three days to remember to open the fridge. Skip had to remind me he had a present for me in there. So on day three, I finally opened the fridge and found some yummy long missed WA state cherries; in a very clean fridge!! I don't think I cooked a single meal while I was home, Skip BBQ'd and we ate out most of the time. We got to see some fabulous home remodels from Home (that is a town) and Gig Harbor to Capitol Hill. Skip has been very busy!

My departure was sad and I was sure I hadn't seen everyone, or done everything I had planned to do. But still the time had to end, and onto the plane I had to go. So, at 3am Monday, I headed back to my base, and yes it took way too long! You can not imagine what one goes through to get back, it sucks the R&R right out of you.
As I sit at my desk, and read Kathryn's blog to catch up on her "soap opera" life, I realized we just missed each other, she was two days behind me. I did catch up with two other Camp Atterbury students during my adventurous return. I think I lost another three pounds too on the final flight alone.
On the way back, I went through Atlanta, and Ireland again, this time in the daytime, so I got to see the green green green of Ireland I have heard so much about.
Thank you all who spent time playing with me, and to those who came from near and far for my "homecoming". I truly did not want to leave, especially the 90 degree weather we finally got upon my departure. Go figure, the next day the temperature dropped 20 - 30 degrees or so I was told. Enjoy the rest of your summer, it is about 100 degrees here, and I won't even go outside, silly huh?

Spades tournament...

I did it, I am finally a winner! We are fortunate that during our time off there are Recreation Centers available for soldiers and civilians to wind down. Everyone works different shifts so the Recreation Centers stay open 24/7. Bryan and I won the spades tournament the other night! We outplayed some really good players - who play as teams all the time. We "set" the last team three times, which means we won. We didn't even know we won! So for the week, we are champions, that is until we play next week, that is if we get a chance to! And before we won in spades, I won in BINGO, "postage stamp" game! I guess it was my lucky night. Mike and Gary missed it all, they were taking care of family stuff, and working late. I am glad I don't have family to worry about while I am here. I am thankful that my dad is recovering, and Skip and Scout are safe and sound.

O69....

No, I am not playing BINGO, I am watching the days click off of the BP "O"il spill in the Gulf. Today is day 69! Sounds like a lot of people are counting around here. Us 'till we leave or go on R&R, and those in the Gulf until the oil stops spilling into their livelihoods. Businesses are closing, people are out of work, others are cleaning beaches and birds, none of this is being missed by those over here in the field. Yes, we are well aware of the crisis and the sadness those southern states are being hit with and once again the hurricanes are also beginning to swirl in their waters! "O"h no!

1-0, 59-59, and #1 is OUT

What a day of news. Of course the USA winning in soccer with a score of 1-0 over Algeria was great, but the time wasted watching for that one goal to be scored was nothing compared to the time Isner and Mahut spent on the courts at Wimbledon. Can you believe the records broken here in one set? The score clock couldn't keep up, even the sun couldn't shine long enough for these two athletes to complete this competition, and it was already the second day! Today, day three, they will take the court with a score in the fifth set of 59-59 - USA vs. France! One set alone running for over 7 hours is unheard of. This is equivalent to a baseball game going 50 innings or a basketball game with 15 overtimes, those bench seats would get very uncomfortable. "This is the greatest advertisement of our sport" said John McEnroe. Right on the heels of the USA soccer team, not being credited for a goal because a referee made an incorrect call that "brought soccer to the front page in America". "We often don't get the respect we deserve in tennis for the athletic demands it places on players but this should push that respect way up" McEnroe states. 23rd seated John Isner of Tampa, Florida, who I met in Indian Wells, CA tennis tournament two years ago, was a handsome, hungry for tennis University of Georgia graduate who stayed in school instead of going pro too early, with his 6' 9" stature was wobbly-legged but withstood the fight holding serve time and time again and serving up 98 aces until the game was called due to lack of sunlight.
If you haven't watched tennis before, make sure you catch the finish of this fifth set to see who really can recover after such a record breaking feat.
Oh, and #1 man in the Afghanistan War, General McChrystal, is OUT, in case you were under a rock somewhere!

Kathryn is published...

http://letterstohomefromafarawaygirl.wordpress.com/
Here is Kathryn's blog.
http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100621/GJNEWS_01/706219969
Here is Kathryn's column.

I have told you all about my friend, Kathryn, who was in my training class at Camp Atterbury. I have asked you all to take a look at her blog and if you haven't yet shame on you. Click on this link, because her hometown news has picked her up as a columnist because they have enjoyed her blog so much.
If you get a chance to check out her blog start from the beginning, which is the bottom remember; although she is long winded, she always has a great lesson, or truth to be told or learned.
So here I sit tonight admiring her writing, her detail and her tenacity to get her hometown to follow her adventure overseas.

Happy Fathers Day...

Happy Father's Day to my dad, brother, brother in laws, and all fathers in the field of friendship out there reading my blog today! I hope you all have the chance to take time with your respective children and take some time to smell the roses.
I am certain Scout is snoring at Skip's feet right about now, as they are both out on a fishing trip. This is the first fishing trip that Scout has gone on with her dad. She usually has to stay home with me.

My dad is resting, after triple by-pass heart surgery, in the condo in Seattle. Adam (his home nurse these days) took some time off to go play at the condo over at Lake Chelan. Dad thought he would be feeling up to going with Adam, but not quite yet. My family is doing well, and I got a chance to talk to dad who seems to be recouperating nicely and therapy seems to be working on his stability and mobility. Thank you all for your prayers and notes about his health and we are all so happy that it is behind us.

It was fun today to watch all of the soldiers, sailors, marines, civilians, and contractors enjoy the dining hall festivities for Fathers Day. They held drawings for them so that prizes were awarded and the smiles of winners were priceless. Others enjoyed the baby blue frosted cake, and/or the "HOT DOG BAR" just for them. Since the power went out in our camp I spent more time today watching the fun!

Happy Father's Day Dad, I hope you are taking part in something in Seattle that will make you smile!

Poo Poo Puddles...ponds of piss...

What a pleasure to awake to the bright sunshine everyday! It feels weird for it to be hot so early in the day. The sun shines so brightly here, starting around 4 am. I have to wear my sunglasses to the restroom; first stop of everyday. But this day was ever so special. The "poo poo puddle" is pungent. See if the Afghan workers don't screw the hose on tight enough on the Gray Water truck, it will leak, and in the morning we all get a wonderful surprise. The "poo poo puddle" so stinky that you have to hold your towel up to your face in order to walk to the restroom. Lucky for me, my B-hut is upwind from this puddle that, although it is very hot, it will not dissipate for quite some time. The ground is very dry, and the sun very hot, but for some reason this puddle doesn't dry up quite as fast as a normal puddle of rain water. Any reason why? Something else "poopie" happened today, I found out that our tennis team lost in the playoff match. So, while I was over here playing in my first BAF Poker Tournament, my tennis teammates were playing a playoff match with full focus putting their best foot forward. I guess it just wasn't in the cards, "a real pisser" (the Brits over here would say). Still we ended the season with our heads held high and with a 9-0 standing, our best ever!

Tennis Tammie...

Well as some of you know my tennis team is doing better than ever this season, finishing up the season without me. :(

I did get to play in the beginning of the season, 4 matches and 4 wins. Legally I am still "part of the team" and very proud of our 9-0 record!!!

WE ARE GOING TO THE PLAYOFFS!

How exciting is that! For the first time in all of these years I have been playing, the team is playing in their first playoff match Wednesday night at Bally's.

If you see any of the tennis ladies, make sure to give them a high five from me.

I might try picking up a ping pong paddle while here just to keep my hand-eye coordination in check. No tennis courts here, only tons of rocks and dust.

Umbrellas in Seattle...

Any local from the city of Seattle will tell you that if you are caught carrying an umbrella on a rainy day - you are not a local. Visitors to Seattle will pack an umbrella based on the news that it rains there all the time. What the news won't tell you is how much you will stand out simply by using that umbrella.
Similar circumstances occur here in Afghanistan - don't carry a flashlight.
When packing to come here I packed five different kinds of flashlights, one that tells the time in twelve different time zones (not including this one), a LED blue small keychain type light, a red/white Petzel head lamp, a simple LED hand held flashlight, and even a LED flat Eddie Bauer flashlight. The first week I used one of the flashlights to light my way back and forth to the PX and the gym and the dining facility. But what I noticed was no one else was using one. Why?
My first thought was that it was against policy to light my way along the rocky walkways. Someone was going to stop me, pull me aside and say I was lighting the way for the next rocket attack. My second thought was the walkways here are so ridiculously unkept, streets pot holed, obscure ditches, etc. that you would be a fool not to carry a flashlight.

I also notice that the planes and helos flying over at night do not turn on the headlights....hmmm.

One month later, I am not carrying a flashlight anywhere. I see the ones who are, and spot them as new comers.
When walking I use the light from the large spinning (light house type) light from the air field, the headlights from oncoming traffic (if I am along the "blvd"), and your eyes simply adjust to the darkness.
What is funny is that the smallest flashlight I brought is the only one I use daily, it is a simple LED blue light that was on my key chain. I use it to find the key lock on my door late at night. I use the real flashlight when the power goes out in my room, which it does a lot.
So, when visiting Seattle leave the umbrella at home, and if you are so lucky to get to come to Afghanistan don't forget your small LED blue light. It is all you will need.

Another classmate swings through Bagram...

Peek-a-boo, where are you? We are exploring my camp, Camp Dragon. Ryan got me to finally walk around and see what is along the perimeter here. Since the rocket strike, I had been a bit weary about exploring to far from home. But in the light of day, we explored the fenceline of where the battle took place.

Then we got to jump up, and I mean you need a step ladder, into these huge MReps (that is what they call them). Classmates, mechanics, at Camp Atterbury were always talking about these rigs that they work on. Look how large the tires are!

Ryan just got his hair cut for the trip to Kabul, we are in the little New Zealanders area of my camp here. The green rig is one of the NZ soldiers trucks, see the fenceline (perimeter) in the background, we are only about 400 ft. from my b-hut.

Thank you Ryan for taking me exploring all over the base, I was more than happy to spend time running from PAX (passenger) fixed wing terminal to PAX helo terminal with you, getting you to where you had to be. So psyched you got to take a helo outta here, what an experience! Be safe in Kabul (pronounced Ka-bull, not Ka-bool) I know your talent won't be wasted!

Finally classmates appear in Bagram...

Michael Powers arrives to Bagram, and he found me! We spent 10 days in a classroom in Camp Atterbury, IN wondering where he would be offered a job. I knew I was coming here, but Mike didn't know where he would be going. How awesome to have him stationed here.

The reason he is in country, bless his heart, is because his son will soon be stationed in another province serving in operation enduring freedom. You've got to love a dad who will make such a scarafice to be near his son. He accepted a position in with the Civilian Expeditionary Workforce in Resource Management. I am looking forward to learning a lot more about what this war is actually costing us. Sounds like lakeside fireside chat for a later date. Welcome aboard Mike, so glad to have a buddy here.

Happy Birthday to me.....

This is a photo of my office, notice the sheet of orange (color) plastic table cloth on the wall being filled with family cards and letters from home. Soon this area will be filled with autographs and entertainment photos too. Notice the Seattle Sounders scarf on my chair and map of Afghanistan on the wall, and US wall map on the ceiling. What we need is a map of the world, in order for me to better plan my R&R. The desk on the right is my co-worker, Dan's, desk. He is on R&R.

Looking from my bed toward the door, blue in the reflection of the mirror is my bed. Black cloth is for draping in front of door to keep the light out. Badge ready to go, hanging on the lightswitch.AFN on TV, lap top on my lap, wall locker and wooden locker, two small plastic drawer chests, more than enough storage which includes tons of space under my bed (where the wheeled trunks are). Notice the Uncle Sam Joker hat! Past entertainers autographed photos come with the room.

Happy Birthday today, me sitting on my new bed, I need to use the trunk to step on to get up here. Pink shirt was a gift from Tracy & Caitlin. Thank you!! Notice a/c above me! That is what brings the smiles in such a dreadful environment.

I thought it would be appropriate today to better explain myself through the most recent reading provided by Birthdayalarm.com ......and if you didn't think you knew me very well, you will now.

This is perfectly stated, I couldn't have said it better myself. I know those who know me will be shaking their heads and laughing about it's truth.

How you approach life and how you appear to others....

You are always questioning and learning, and you seem young and alive no matter what your chronological age, for your mind is always alert, curious, flexible, and open to new experiences. You have a childlike enthusiasm for anything new and you learn easily, but you also get bored rather quickly. You can be something of a scatter brain, for you tend to have so many ideas and irons in the fire that it is hard to keep track of them all. You need and crave variety, change, mental stimulation and an active social life.

The Inner You...Your Real Motivation....

You are, in many ways, an eternal child. Your mind is bright, alert, curious, flexible, playful,, and always eager for new experiences and your attention span is often quite brief. You grasp ideas quickly and once your initial curiousity has been satisfied, you want to go on to something else. You crave frequent change, variety, meeting new situations and people.

What do you think? totally me, huh?

Well, today my boss did throw me a curve, I was evicted. My new cell block (as you saw in photos above) is ready for my habitation. I will now reside between two people, and have a third person at my feet. All separated by one piece of plywood. I am thankful for the privacy of the single room, and the amenities, but most especially for the storage space under my bed.

Although at dinner I was advised to put my mattress on the floor and put my storage above me, along with my kevlar vest. That was a creepy bit of advice, especially since there are bugs on my floor. If the rockets red glare, I might have to be comfortably not on the floor, sorry. But there is plenty of room to get down and under there, if necessary. Not going to happen daily.

Thank you Skip for the gift box full of bug getters for ants and scorpions; bug traps for roaches; and sticky tape for flies; I placed them all over the room. I also sprayed the exterior with RAID.

Most of all thank you for my new camera. I got a new Fujifilm XP camera that will take better photos in dust and even under water, cool! Can't wait to get under water! Thanks to for all of the snacks and goodies to eat and share with staff. Will be tough to share the smoked salmon.

I am just as close to work, and a bit closer to the latrine and showers, so no real complaints.

My birthday was memorable, and you'll all be happy to know I treated myself to ice cream at lunch! :)

Thank you for all of your birthday wishes and cards and packages. Much appreciated!!

Cheers and smiles!