Bye Bye Afghanistan

It is almost surreal.  I feel the gravity of the last year may never really hit.  So much has happened that there is a distinct possibility that getting home will seem strangely like just another return after a busy day at work.  I have met umpteen-million Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Civilians and Afghans and been to so many places I never dreamed to visit that it may pass as a blur.  I hope it isn't.

I hope that I can truly rejoice being back with my family and friends.  I hope that my emotions are not too much in check that I can't respond like I should to my three small children who are bouncing off the walls awaiting my arrival or my freakin' amazing wife who gives me a refreshed perspective of a true hero.  They deserve everything of me and I hope to provide.

I left Afghanistan two days early thanks to a surprise C-17 that was not being tracked except by a few folks at KAIA.  Originally I was going to spend the night at KAIA, fly to another base, spend the night there, fly to Manas, spend several nights there, fly to the States, spend the night at our stateside destination and then finally fly to beautiful Montgomery.  Instead, I'll be arriving home two days early!  Praise the Lord. 

Manas is OK but it's really cold.  The bays where we sleep are huge and this morning several hundred Soldiers left, waking us up at about 4 AM.  And yet, I am thankful.

Snowed In!

Granted, Alabama's version of "snowed in" is a rather far stretch compared to most of the country's definition of that phrase! Still, we've resolved to do our excercising in creative ways at home and just enjoy the snow, fires and staying home. Let me just say two things about today before I close:

This is by far the wettest snow I have ever seen! It really hurt when Andrew threw a snowball at me, just because of the density of the water in it!

Secondly, as yummy as roasted marshmallows are, I have discovered that roasted strawberry marshmallows are even better!

Our little Life

Whew! I apologize for being so neglectful of posting! I know we've been boring you all to tears! It's been a rather busy four weeks or so! Lots of colds and illness and trips to the doctor for all four of us, for starters, has consumed a lot of our time. I think we are all better now. We've also been trying to be much more active and eat a lot healthier. As a result, I have lost 6 pounds, and Andrew had too much fiber and not enough water which resulted in stomach pain and a trip to the Urgent Care doctor's office! Go figure.

I continue to be blessed by our babysitter Dorothy, giving me a break on Thursday afternoons to shop, keep doctor appointments for myself and generally just have a little break from the daily routine. She loves the kids, they love her and I always come home to a very clean house! I love it!

Here are a few pictures of the last few weeks. Dorothy dressed Hannah up in the cowgirl outfit...though it is 3 sizes too big, she was too cute for words! And the SNOW! We awoke to the snow, in what is being called one of the biggest storm systems since the blizzard of '93. However, I'm pretty doubtful we'll really see more than 3 inches here. I know everyone from central Mississippi to Georgia and down to the panhandle are getting the snow. Enjoy it! I know we plan to after we do a little spelling and math! My poor children! They don't know that everybody else is out of school today and I make them do work! We have to miss, though, for various other doctors appts and trip to the grocery store, so it all evens out!

Enjoy the snow and your extended weekend!

Random Afghanistan Pictures

There is no doubt that one thing I will never forget from my 360 days in Afghanistan is the constant helo activity. These UH-60's (Blackhawks) are landing at a FOB on the other side of town and I have seen helos like this and many others landing and taking off day after day at my base as well and it never gets old!



Some Afghan National Army soldiers were playing cricket at the HLZ (helicopter landing zone) just prior to the Blackhawks' arrival.

We had a pretty mild winter this year which allowed some really great pictures with contrast. Here you can see the mountains immediately adjacent to my base with the King's Palace (Darul Aman Palace) in the foreground. You can also see that even in the winter Afghanistan is a very dusty place!

Dusty and dreary it may be, but occasionally a spray of color interrupts the typical Afghanistan picture. I am pretty sure two more balloons would have this guy in the air! Speaking of, congrats to "UP" for garnering a "Best Picture" Academy Award nomination!