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?)