Happy Birthday Ward!!!

Yay! It's Ward's birthday!!! And for his birthday, I closed a base in Iraq. The things I do to make him feel special ;-) Seriously though, it is his birthday and I spent it closing one of the bases here. I'm really excited that it's done. It was a pain because of all the coordination with KBR and local nationals (we may be paying them but they have a totally different concept of safety, urgency, etc...) and that was frustrating, but it's done. Everything and everyone from that base is now back on COB Adder. Woohoo!! This will also decrease my workload since this base is closed and another is about to close... yay for less work and fewer missions outside the wire! I'm excited.

I realized today that thanks to the army I've never been able to share Ward's birthday with him. That's kind of sad. Our first year together I was flying back from France (not Army's fault) but I managed to see him that evening. The next year I was stuck at LDAC and could only call from a pay phone. Year after that I was teaching cadets in Ft Knox so I didn't have a lot of time to call. This year I'm Iraq... stupid Army. We've found ways to celebrate, but Army, you are lame.

Well, I have slept a few hours this afternoon, but I'm quite tired... back to bed with me!

Sometimes life is just a sh#& filled twinkie, isn't it??

Mom used that when I was venting to her about some of the issues going on in my company right now and I think it's my new favorite saying. If you think about it, the phrase is somewhat profound but also just ridiculously hilarious yet appropriate. I shall find a way to use it in everyday conversation... :-)

My life has been super busy and I'm psyched to have a "normal" day tomorrow. I may actually even get to the gym! We're helping in the closure of some of the bases in Iraq in accordance with the massive drawdown so we've been busy coordinating that mission in addition to our normal Company Resupply Operations (CROs). I'm out on the road so much they've started calling me the "CROmistress". Personally, the image that comes to mind is like a woman with a long black cape commanding an army of crows rather than a logistician, but whatever. Things will calm down once those bases are closed though because not only will I not be coordinating the retrograde of all the stuff there, we also won't be resupplying them. It will be very nice. I'm excited.

The issues in my company have exploded into madness. Not going to air people's dirty laundry out on the internet, but let's just say lots of insanity coupled with drama, cover ups, and framing. Good times. The drama makes it difficult to get things done because the command staff is focusing on that rather than day to day issues. You have to constantly harass them to get the normal stuff done. It's frustrating. I was laughing with one of the other LTs today because I don't know if our new commander (he arrives on the 1st and takes command on the 15th) will still want the company. We were joking he would go to the battalion commander and ask for a "do over". He's going to have a tough job of trying to reunify this company; they're falling apart in distrust.

On to happier news, things are going extremely well with my platoon. We have overcome obstacles (like the Class I supply yard loading spoiled food on our trucks to take out to bases...) and are starting to work out a lot of the kinks. Still not a well oiled machine, but we've only been working together for a month so I'm extremely happy about where we are now. I really like my platoon and I enjoy working with them. They are all quirky so they keep me entertained, but they all really know their jobs and do them well, so I get the best of both worlds. Minor issues here and there, but nothing that's insurmountable. I'm also getting along with the LTs in both my battalion and the support battalion which is awesome. In the states we would have had more time to get to know eachother, but we're becoming friends over random lunches and dinners which makes the mealtimes more enjoyable. My room is also becoming a wonderful haven. I walk in and just sigh and relax. The only way you know it's an army room is the uniforms and my weapon hanging on the wall. Everything else is relaxing, non-army, remind me of home type stuff and it's so wonderful to come back to. My wall of pictures is growing (thank you mom for sending me more magnetic frames) and you wouldn't believe how good it is to look over and see so many people I love. You guys are the best.

Well, I'm going to take advantage of this normal day and get a full night's sleep! Woohoo!!

Mighty Mouse?

Yes, that's the nickname a few members of my platoon have developed for me. I guess I should just accept it; they could come up with a lot worse and Mighty Mouse was a pretty cool little superhero.

I realized my last post was kind of a debbie downer; that wasn't intentional. I was just making those realizations and felt the need to share them.

I've been super busy and have been working some long, hot days. I'm getting to see the drama side of the platoon as all of them have known me long enough to feel comfortable bringing their issues to me... and there are a lot of them... It's good though. I joined the army to take care of soldiers and I'm definitely going to be doing a lot of that. They really should start a sitcom and follow a platoon around; it would be worse than many of the reality tv shows on mtv. It definitely keeps things interesting.

Jason finally got news back from the Air Force!!! His job is entitled "Bomber Avionics Systems (Heavy)" which doesn't really tell you much. He'll be mechanic/engineer/operator for the systems which navigate the aircraft, control the guided missiles, control the functioning of the systems on the aircraft... a huge and incredibly important and interesting job. Congrats J!! The only down side is he has to wait until the end of December for his training and time in service to begin. Silly Air Force.

Well it's late and I have soldier issues to deal with in the morning. Love you all!

Taking things for granted

I had no idea how many things I take for granted, even her in Iraq. This came across my mind when I came back to my room this afternoon and discovered the electricity was out. And it was 130 outside. And while you may not realize this, but when a trailer has no ac and there are no fans and it's sitting in the sun, it becomes an oven. You know it's bad when you open the door to the heat outside and it cools you off. The point of this diatribe is that while I was sitting there in the heat, not napping, I started thinking of the things other than electricity and AC that I take for granted.

Healthy, tasteful food. The dining facility is good, but food can only be so good when it sits out on steam tables for hours. The vegetables are gray. Chicken is always overcooked. Milk is the pasteurized stuff that can go unrefrigerated. Noodles are never cooked right. "Fresh" fruit is always brown. So yeah. And despite these issues, I'm lucky because I'm not out at one of the remote places where they don't have full kitchens.

Having a bathroom nearby and in the same room as the shower. I have to walk 50m to get to the bathroom. And the shower and the bathroom are in 2 separate buildings. This may not seem like an overly big deal but go with it for a while and it will suddenly become a major hassle. But I'm still luckier than others who have port-o-johns instead of actual bathrooms and don't have showers.

So yeah, things may seem bad to me but they can always be worse; and would be if I happened to be in a different corner of Iraq. I need to keep looking on the bright side of life. Like the fact that my pillows came in today!!! Thank you Mama! And the fact that I can chat with friends back home thanks to the internet and skype. And the fact that I have an immense and wonderful support network of friends and family. Yes, there are many bright sides to focus on instead.

Earning My Pay...

So, you know all those months I was sitting around bored back in Ft. Lee? Well, I'm definitely compensating for that now. Today I definitely worked from 5 to 8... that included a mission and office time. And the other day we had 2 missions in one day that left us up 24+ hours. This is not how things usually run... I know I'm starting to wear thin, but my guys work out in the sun when we're at the FOB because they're out in the motor pool all day so I know they're exhausted.

My 1SG is awesome. He always makes me laugh and looks out for me, but he's also always taking care of me. He learned I didn't have anything in my room except my bed, dressers, and lockers so found me a mini-fridge for my room! It's awesome. I know he was getting it so I can store cold water and gatorade in my room (which I do) but I'm really excited because my frig is full of all my chocolate. :-) I have priorities...

It's still ridiculously hot and promises to get hotter as we get closer to August. There are times when I don't think that's physically possible. The other day we were commenting on how cool it was because it was only 105... that's just sad.

I'm debating cutting my hair. While it's nice to pull it back, it's a pain to get my gear on and around it; it's made for men who don't have hair. I make it work, but I'm starting to ponder if it would be easier to just cut it short. I would still have to pull the front part back, but it might make things easier... still not sure.

I got mail again! :-) It's actually turning into a running gag that I get mail everytime the mail is delivered. Aunt Aly, thank you for the pampering care package! It's awesome and everything in it is wonderful. Grandma, thank you so much for all of the goodies! I love the Cliff and power bars. They will definitely be used. Please say thank you to Oliphants for me; I will write them as well as soon as I have time.

This may seem strange, but if you have a care package you want to send, can you wait a few weeks? I'm currently stocked up on goodies and the like for a few weeks and I know a few people have mentioned stuff in the mail already... I would still love letters though!

Well, my days are long and so I must bid you adieu and head to sleep. Night!

One More Day 'Til a Combat Patch

That's right; I've been in Iraq almost a full month now and will have earned my combat patch tomorrow. I will no longer look like a brand new LT! Woohoo!

Today was unexpectedly long; should have been my slow off day but alas work popped up out of nowhere. And to make things more interesting, the CO has decided that she trusts me, but that means that now she will give me lots of work... yeah, lots of fun. I'm apparently doing sensitive item inventory for the whole company as well as a complete inventory for my platoon and the arms room next week... in addition to everything we're already doing... thanks ma'am... I'll be fine, but it's a horrible way to say welcome to the company.

I got more mail today!! Martha and Ward, thank you so much for all the goodies! I now have a drawer in my office full of snacks and goodies! And the sheets made my day; I now have my queen sized bed! :-)

When I was out at the fuel pumps the other day, I got some pictures. I thought you might enjoy them:

This is me and my platoon sergeant in front of the Euphrates. This is the most greenery you will see around here.

When we go out to the sites, there are a bunch of Iraqi children. These girls loved my blond hair and insisted on getting a picture with me. That's my CO standing awkwardly in the background.

Well, tomorrow promises to be incredibly long and busy; unlike many people here who are getting the 4th off, I have an incredibly long and busy work day ahead of me. All of you please celebrate extra for me and think about all the reasons the US is an incredible country along with all the things we take for granted!

Guess what, it's July!

We're moving right along through this deployment. The platoon is 100% mine now, so that's awesome. I also finally have a computer access; it's taken 2 weeks or so... it's nice to be able to do my job. It meant I spent the whole day in front of a computer though. I had a lot to catch up on. Got a lot done though; it's good to feel productive. The company commander moved back to Adder today so that's a changing dynamic...not always a plus to have your boss looking over your shoulder continually.

The sandstorms the past week have been horrible. I get a coat of sand covering me each day... always fun. It makes visibility difficult and we actually had a mission postponed because helicopters couldn't fly if we needed a medevac. Personally, I'm ok with that call; I would rather take extra precautions.

Also got more mail! I feel so loved! Mom, the package is awesome; more toiletries! Also, i'm so psyched to have colorful clothing; thank you mama! Priscilla, holy crap! 2 packages! I didn't expect that at all! The books and the snacks are most welcome!! Kent, thank you for the card and the picture; it's posted up on my wall! Quartermasters all the way!

Early morning, so I must get to bed. Love you all!