Nashville Here I Come!

Well my time home is really going by fast. Today I am heading south to spend time with my family in Tennessee and Kentucky. I am real excited to see everyone. My brother John is coming up from Florida so it will be a real good time. At present I am in the Baltimore Airport waiting for my flight to Nashville. I have heard from some of my soldiers back in Iraq and they all miss me and they sound like they are doing well. I worry about them though....I can't fathom the thought that something bad might happen to them while I am away. But I pray they will be safe. I will be heading back to Albany monday night and then T and I will be going down to NYC for a few days to see Wanda and Eric. I think I will need a vacation from my R and R when I am through. Ha ha. I am enjoying my time back home immensely, but I am also very excited to get back to Balad. I feel restless and need to start feeling useful again. Ha ha. Although my family and friends think I have a job to do here...and that is give them the proper attention they need. But anyway, I guess I will just take it one day at a time. Ok...I better go chase my plane down. Later my peeps!

Home at Last

Although I did enjoy Atlanta...(anything is better then sleeping in a tent in Kuwait)....I took the 9:30 flight to Albany where there was T and two feet of snow waiting for me. It was a nice home coming. T's car was stuck in the middle of the street so I was picked up in my explorer and we plowed our way home. Thursday we met up with a bunch of my friends at one of my favorite mexican resturants...El Mariachi's. I had my first drink in about 6 months and it felt great. It was nice sitting around talking to Christa and Goutham, Ravi and Peter and John and Joanne. John told me it was almost like I had never gone away. But of course, I had, so there were lots of questions about what it was like to be over there and what it was like to be here. Friday we spent most of the time running errands and looking for T's car which had be towed. Then we met up with my friends Cindy and Diana at a resturant in Schenectady before we headed over to Scotia to pick up the big yellow goofball, Elvis. Elvis went nuts! He remembered me. It was nice to see him and to spend a few hours with the nicest people in Scotia...maybe the nicest anywhere...haha. Joe and Cathy are the best. They have taken tremendous care of Elvis, and Joe has taken over as Elvis's pack leader. He has trained him well. But when Elvis saw me he went back to his old "humping ways" and did his best to let me know who the real boss was (at least in our relationship.) Joe and Cathy's son Steve was there as well...what a great kid. Very talented actor. Last year when we did Auntie Mame, he stole the show. I want to work with him again soon. Saturday was an interesting day...myself and Eric and Wanda went with Ed (my theater buddy) to film an original independant film on a frozen lake. It was fun but very cold. It will be fun to see that. Saturday night we went to a party in my honor at Christa's house. What a blast! The food was tremendous and lots of my friends were there. I really had a great time. Sunday we went to brunch and then to dinner with my friends Vin and Barb. God that woman can cook. They are such great people. Barb and Vin use to volunteer with me at the Damien Center. We really stuffed ourselves yesterday. We went home and just hung out the rest of the night watching Jackass II (funny as hell...but a little gross) and then we crashed. Today (monday) we are just resting. I have been on the go since last monday. Its nice to just hang out and do nothing. It really is good to be home.

On Leave - Stuck in Atlanta

Well my friends...I have good news and bad news. The good news is that after 7 months in the combat zone, I have finally made it back to the good old US of A. The bad news is that mother nature being the true tempremental bitch we know her to be decided that she would surprize us all with the storm of the century. Mind you it is a fairly new century but still after having recording temps nearing 60 in January, Albany NY is today getting hammered. It hasnt rained on my parade but it sure as hell is snowing on it. Damn it. Oh well at least I am back in the same continent as my family and friends. I am currently writing this in the VIP Club of Delta Airways. To their credit...they are trying their best to get me home but they dont have any magic wand either, so here I sit. The VIP Club is neat...free drinks. I am sitting at a table with a nice man from Switzerland. He is former military as well. I have had a number of people come up to me and thank me for my service. It is a nice thing, but I am a little embarrassed. But it does make me feel better that people appreciate what we are doing regardless of how they feel about the war. Anyway, all my buds are planning my return party. Let's hope they wont have to hold this in May. I keep you all touch. Love to all on this Valentines Day. This means you T!

Homeward Bound - Kuwait at Present

Well today has been a really long day. It started at 0530 when I woke up and got dressed and finished packing for my trip back to the states. I arrived at the air field terminal and went to a huge tent filled with soldiers and a few civilians that were doing the same thing I was doing. Going home. Most of the morning we just sat around and I caught a few extra Zs. At 1230, we received a briefing (one of many we will get this next few days) and then took our bags out to be "palletized" in preparation for a C-130 flight to Kuwait. The we all went back to the tent and hung out until around 1500 when we did roll-call and took a bus out to the tarmac. At about 1530 we loaded on to our C-130 (crowded in sardines) and flew south to Kuwait. The trip lasted about an hour and a half but we finally got there and another bus brought us to the place where we would begin outprocessing in preparation for leaving the combat zone. More briefings...more sitting around and waiting. Finally tonight....we got an approximate time for departure. (I can't tell you yet.....sorry thats OPSEC). Haha. Anyway...with no weather or other delays I should be in the arms of my love by this time on Wednesday. I can't wait. It feels weird to be out of Iraq. I am real tired, but I am looking forward to tommorow. This place is pretty cool though. Today I had Mickey Dees for the first time in along time. Love those Big Macs. Ha ha. Well anyway, I am real tired so I better say goodnight and head back to my tent. I need to get some more sleep. 15 hours so far today is just not enough. Ha ha. See ya my peeps.

One Week to Go

One week from today I will be on my way home. It will be a long journey. I still am not sure the exact day I will be back in Albany, but if everything works out I should be back by the 14th. I am very excited about seeing everyone. On Saturday the 17th I believe that my man G is planning to cook a nice dinner for us at my house and then I want to party with all my friends. Things are going well here, January flew by and it was a tough month. We are approaching 6 months in the combat zone, with another 6 months to go. Other then missing all my buds, Elvis, and my Baby this experience has been very rewarding so far. Last night was my last night of quard before I head home and it was cold and wet and miserable, but I made it through all right. The rest of the week should be pretty easy. Meetings and reports and all that. Then on Sunday its rest and pack for the trip. I cant believe I am almost home. See you all soon!