10th Anniversary of 9-11

Here we are, 10 years later, still in Afghanistan fighting terrorism and from some of the news stories I've read there are Afghans who have never even heard of the September 11th terrorist attacks.  They have no idea why the U.S. is in their country.  It's quite sad really that something that has affected our lives so drastically and is the reason why we're over here---they've never even heard about. 

Anyway, please take this day and an opportunity to pray for everybody over here: contractors, DoD civilians, and military members both U.S. and foreign.

The days drag on here b/c we work 12+ hours a day, however the weeks really do fly by so that is a blessing.  I ran into a friend I went through combat skills training with last week.  We were only able to hang out for about 5 minutes because she was on her way to work but it was great to randomly see a friendly face. 

Since I work with a bunch of Canadians we have found weird idiosyncrasies in what we call things.  Our most debated recently is Smarties.  Americans think of them as small sugar-like discs in a clear cellophane package.  Canadians think of them as something similar to M&Ms.  Several care packages came in this week, so here are the two different types of Smarties. 

In other big news--I moved off of the top bunk last night.  YEAH!  I am now in the 'Cadillac' bed that is all by itself and in the back of the room.  It's awesome!  And through some twist of fate I ended up with the room all to myself for 2 whole days.  It's a huge luxury and I'm so happy to be able to have some privacy and not have to worry about being quiet for a room mate or wondering if I can/can't turn on the light.  I've learned to celebrate the little things. 

Thanks for all your support, love & prayers.  I'm over 40% closer to coming home!

Early September

Well, Ramadan is now over and the Eid al-Fitr celebration, which marks the end of Ramadan, has come and gone.  So now Muslims can eat and drink during the day.  For the past month they woke up early to eat and drink, then they couldn't eat until the sun set.  This meant that during the hot month of August they realistically only worked until 11 a.m. or at the latest 1 p.m. because they would get dehydrated and weak.

The end of August was quiet in terms of media and public affairs stuff, but I stayed busy.  I've started running several time a week and am thinking about running a 1/2 marathon when I get back home.

I was amazed by the care package that the Las Vegas Quilt Guild (my quilt guild) sent me - they made a quilt just for me and mailed it to me!

They personalized it with my name at the top.

 

Here are a few other blocks they put on the front for me.  

And finally, here is the quilt label that they made.  I think it's absolutely gorgeous!

I am so incredibly grateful to my quilt guild.  The weather has just started to turn and I was thinking about buying a blanket but now I don't need one.  Plus this is so beautiful, hand-made just for me, I will treasure it forever.  Thank-you LVQG!

If you've been following me on Facebook you'll know that I've been concerned over the welfare of a kitten here on Camp Eggers.  They did a sweep of the base several weeks ago and caught 2 of the 3 kittens I had become attached to, so that left Mike alone.  

Another gentleman and I were very concerned over his welfare.  We didn't want him to stay in the camp b/c he would eventually be caught and that meant certain death.  So we put our heads together, I found a rescue organization, he got his sister to agree to adopt Mike.  Then earlier this week with some help from a lady with a big heart that I knew from work, she took Mike to Tigger House.  An Afghan vet works there and will give him a health check, vaccinations and then after 2-3 weeks of waiting for the Ramadan back-log of animals gets cleared out (sent to their new homes) then Mike will be on his way to America.  

As Mike makes his journey I will let ya'll know how he is doing.  Many people don't understand why we're saving Mike, and they're actually quite mean about it but I don't care.  I just ignore them.  It makes me feel good to know that I've helped out this little guy, who is just a sweetie and deserves a wonderful life and now I can sleep at night knowing that he's safe.  This is the single thing that I'm most proud of doing so far in Afghanistan--I have saved a life. 

In my deployment countdown I'm 40% done & closer to going home.  YEAH!  Thanks for all your prayers.