Sunday, November 27, 2011

Post Turkey Genocide Day

We can't decorate our 'house' on the outside for 'tactical' reasons, so we started doing the inside.

Here is our tree, one of the tent mates mother sent it out to him with some gifts.  This is the pre-'family' decorating.

Here it is in some light.

Yes, the wonderful mother even sent out stockings for each of us.

He is trying to put string on the bulbs so we can hang them.  They came hookless and stringless.

The 'family' starts to decorate the tree. 





And like any 'family' we pose for the X-Mas card.  Mersereau, Burcaw, Johnson, Eaton, Boyle and myself.  If you notice our family also has a 'special child'.

Our current finished product, for now...till we get more stuff to put on it.

And in the dark....so pretty.

Monday, October 10, 2011

Updates from Afghanistan

 Shooters on the firing line.....
 Ensuring the safety of all those involved.....
 Now doing so in full gear....
 Giving instruction on preventive maintenance.
 Still giving a class...

 Smoke break...even if not a regular smoker, they can turn you into one.
 Interpretor translating for me.

Showing how to do it with the governments best weapons, so good that you cant see it... :P
This was taken just to ensure that the positioning was right.  It is how we take thier photos for thier graduation certificates.  Though I was told that I tend to blend in with the students...learn the language and change the uniform and no one would know any different.  Interesting thought.....

The Early Days...

What for some may be considered a fairy tale and for others a romantic trajedy, this is the story of us...from our beginnings.  Appoximately a year ago from this posting we were introduced, via my sister, Sarah Marie.  It started out for both of us as a desired friendship and not much more. 
Over time, with our only source of communication being email, we became enamored of sorts with eachother. Neither one of us was ready or willing to make the jump into phone conversations, it was best for us to keep it at the emails, though we both wanted more at the same time it restricted us to being more distant and keeping safe. 
That was until the holiday season rolled around.  Lisa was living in St. Louis, MO and I was stationed in Jacksonville, NC, hence all the long distance communication.  Once we both found out that we each would be returning to our home state of MI to visit family we started to conspire to meet. 
Lisa decided to be the brave one and meet my family, or most of it, first.  She came and spent the day with us shortly after Christmas and the family all loved her immediatly.  We both wanted to spend more time together and so I agreed to come to her and visit with her family for the New Year.  That night we had our first kiss...though not at midnight..before, since neither of us really wanted to wait that long. 
We said our goodbyes and stayed in contact, racking up a huge phone bill on her end but well worth it to the both of us.  The next time that we had to spend together was when I went on my predeployment leave, before heading to Afghanistan for a year.  We spent as much time together as we could, even walking the long way to a museum that was closed.  It was closed because for some reason St Louis shuts down when it snows.  Even though it was cold and nothing was open, Forest Park was beautiful and the time spent together was amazing and worth the memories that we have of it. 
It wasnt too long after that it was time for me to get on a bus to leave the country.  She came to NC to see me off.  One of the hardest things to do for anyone and even more so for one not accustomed to the life of a military man. 
About six months later it was time for me to take two weeks off and go home.  I chose to spend as much time as I could with the woman that I fallen in love with.  I had an egagement ring sent to my parents so I could pick it up without her knowing.  We then went to her parents to spend some time with them.  While there, I proposed to her on the rooftop of their home, under the stars.  It was a wonderful time with her family and then a wonderful time with my fiancee visiting my family for a couple days.  We went to see my sister, the one that brought us together, in ND.  It was just wonderful to be there with her and her family, to be with my godson and bride-to-be.  We then returned to St. Louis and on August 20 we were married, by Pastor Karg at Immanuel Lutheran Church of Olivette. 
For those that dont know us it may seem rushed, it was anything but.  We knew what we felt and had asked all the hard questions and knew that we are meant for one another.  At the writing of this I am a happily married man that cannot wait to be reunited with his beautiful wife.  And now you know the short version of how we came to be.