Back From Leave

My leave went fast, but I got a lot done. Charles and I rebuilt a section of fence that was about to fall over into my neighbor's yard and cleaned up the front yard again. Weeds had grown back in the last couple of months. I got to see Mom and Dad again and I went to Church at my home ward once more. It wasn't long enough to get anymore done, and there is a lot that still needs to be done, but it was long enough.
When we got back to Fort Dix, we started the final bit of packing. I am living out of my carryon bag now. I can go for quite a while that way. I just need to do a small load of laundry every other day. The flight window is open now, and I do know when and how I will be travelling, but I am not supposed to tell anyone the specifics until I am in Kuwait.
I hope Mom is okay. I am sure that she thought she was past sending her children off into the world where she can't watch over them after Jared got back from his mission. At least this time it isn't against the rules to call once in a while.
My next post will probably be from Kuwait.

D-Day

This is a day late, but I didn't find it until today. This is a must read for everyone. Few people know how close the Normandy landings came to failure and the price that was paid to win that day. Thisi is the story of two companies at Omaha beach.

Able and Baker companies of the first wave at Omaha Beach

Please read it.

More Sunday Fun

This wont be a weekly feature, but it might be semi-regular.

This is an early sketch by Marty Feldman before he was the funny man we know in Young Frankenstein with John Kleese before Monty Python. The best take on the good old days theme ever.

On Leave, But Not Resting

Coming home was a long trip. Someone decided that everyone had to go through one last range, so that day started at 3:30 in order to draw weapons, ammo, and vehicles. The training didn't have any real value for us, but someone was able check it off a list somewhere. The day ended on a good note though. Six of us had early morning flights so we all went into Philadelphia to stay close to the airport so we wouldn't miss our flights. Our driver was from Philly and took us on a quick tour, including a stop at Pat's for a Philly Cheese Steak. All eight of us ate on the house, so if anyone is ever in Philadelphia, stop for a bite at Pat's on 9th and Federal. I slept at the USO. I really appreciate the volunteers who staff them at airports around the country. Not every airport has one, but I like having a place to stop and sit for a while when I travel. I got back to Utah in the early afternoon.
The next day I got to see some of my coworkers at work. By coincidence the department was having a BBQ, so I got lunch too. I am pretty out of touch with what is happening there now. By the time I get back it will be like an entirely new company. It was good to see everyone again though.
I finally drank the Facebook koolaid and opened an account. I needed a place to host photos and video and audio clips. Blogger will only host photos. So sooner or later I will start experimenting with my own videos and audio clips too.
I dont have nearly enough time to do what needs to be done around here. I have given up on getting a new front yard until I get back. My goal is to knock down the weeds before I leave. I also need to replace a section of fence that is about to fall over into my neighbor's yard, but even with that I may have to settle for bracing it and hope the wind doesn't get it until I am back.
Mom and Dad will be coming up to visit soon. That means there will be five people in my little house for a couple of nights.

A Little Sunday Serious

Borrowed from Cox & Forkum.



Borrowed from Cox & Forkum



Borrowed from Ace of Spades HQ.

A Little Sunday Fun

Nothing to say just now. Just experimenting here with embedding a couple of videos that might appeal to a few you.

Memorial Day

We will be working this Memorial Day. The very last step of our mobilization validation will be a short field exercise that will run over the weekend. Our little group is not likely to be very busy, but since we are still restricted to the base we might as well play as we can.
Our i-stop is set now. I will be back home again on Wednesday of next week and stay until the following Sunday. So I have a week and half of down time coming. I will travel back to Fort Dix on my birthday, and within a week I will be in Kuwait.
Today makes four months since my return to active duty. That means that I have less than a year to go. I cant really start counting days yet. Once I set foot in Kuwait, it will be 285 days, and that is certainly less than three weeks away. I haven't decided yet if I should actually count the days deliberately. That could be counter productive. I know back in my mission days that for some Elders, counting down to home coming made them think too much about home and not enough about their work. I think for me, it is probably better to be surprised that it is time to go home because I am too busy to worry about it, but i haven't decided yet.
I am looking forward to seeing Mom and Dad again. This time I will be able to go to Church. it was General Conference time last time, so I didn't get to see much of my ward. Hopefully, there will be some sort of family party too.
No one should send any more mail to the address that was previously posted. It probably wont reach me in time. I should know my permenant APO address soon and will post it as soon as I do know it. That one will be good for as long as I am in Iraq.
BTW, I just added SiteMeter to the site so I can have an idea of who is visiting. It doesn't show me your names, but i can see data that seems to show visits from Clorinda, Jesselee, and Charles. I cant tell who else is visiting unless you leave a comment, or send me an email, if you dont want what you have to say to be read by everyone else.