Address

According to David, when sending stuff to him, instead of writing "FOB," write "Camp." I'm not putting down which camp he's at for his protection and the protection of his company as well.

Sorry

Sorry that I have not posted in a while, but I have a good reason... last night was the annual trivia night fundraiser for my workplace. We are a nonprofit organization, so fundraisers keep our doors open and providing quality educational programs. Trivia Night went well, but I'll find out tomorrow how well. Hopefully, it will be well enough that we will be able to continue to do these year after year. I think that even if they do not provide large amounts of cash, they do get our name out there.

There was a ton of food leftover from last night, so we invited Mom, Dad, Jessi, Craig, Matt and Scott, Robin and Aidan. Jessi and Mom are both getting over being sick, so oh, darn, I got to hold, feed and play with Aidan the whole time. Loads of good practice for when I have my own, though! Football and babies... sweet. Oh yeah, the Rams FINALLY won a game. 1 and 8. What a great record, right?

Tomorrow, Chelsey comes back from Arizona. Have a safe trip!

Dave, KYHD! Love ya! P.S. You get a trailer? That's pretty cool!

Christmas Ideas

Ok, so its getting to be about that time so for those who are coordinating the long-time tradition of fulfilling the 'David needs cool stuff' fund, here is a brief list of things i would like:

Money (to get a decent but small TV for my trailer room)
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (XBOX 360)
America's Army: True Soldiers (XBOX 36)
Rock Band Bundle (XBOX 360)
Transformers The Movie (HD DVD preferably)


I will update the blog as things come up but I am out of time on this PC...


David

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Many thanks!

From The Mom - Many, many thanks for all the birthday wishes today. It has been a great one. Every time I turn around, I'm getting and e-mail, text message, blog message or phone call from someone with birthday wishes. As Katie and I were doing some yard work, the floral delivery guy showed up with a beautiful arrangement from some friends at work! I really am blessed to have such a loving family and so many wonderful friends.

Oh - to Shennie - thanks for the apples!! The dad had to try one last night for a bedtime snack. He said it was to make sure they were safe for me to eat!! Yeah....right....

Today the kitties head to Arizona with the wife. The kitties are staying there for the duration of the deployment. The wife is just visiting her friends for a couple of days. The "resident" cats and the "kitties" have been in the same house for 3 days and never met. We kept each couple sequestered when the others were roaming the house. It all went remarkably well thanks to having a big house. Though not as big as Chelsey's folks place!! We pray for safe travels for the kitties and the wife during this very special Veteran's Day weekend. It certainly has taken on a renewed extra-special meaning for me this year.

To David - PLEASE be sure to pass on all of our heartfelt appreciation to all of your colleagues in Kuwait and Iraq as you embark on this mission. Our thoughts and prayers are with you constantly.

The family has already begun to plan for birthday and Christmas boxes for you. Any special requests?? Let us know ASAP as we need to get them in the mail VERY SOON.

We spoke to Kevin and Gene last night . They send their best to you.

Keep in touch.

Love you.

The Mom

The Mom...

...is celebrating a birthday today. I won't say which one.

Happy Birthday, Mike!

She's home!

Chelsey moved home today. Tonight, Bennie, Hubs and I went over to help them move out of the 24' Uhaul. Her parents house is HUGE! It's something like 6,000 sq ft! INSANE!

The funniest part is that their house is like 3 times the size of ours, but we kept moving everything into two rooms. All of this HUGE house, and we piled everything in two rooms :)

Oh yea, and after dinner (Pizza compliments of Chelsey's Mothership), Chelsey and I followed Jennie to what I THOUGHT was the trash bag. I swear I saw Jennie dump her food waste into this one bag, so I followed suit and then Chelsey did the same. Turns out, Jennie really didn't dump her food into the bag, but I did, and then Chelsey did. Turns out that was a shopping bag full of stuff...not a trash bag. So, Chelsey went dumpster diving and took our food out of the shopping bag and properly disposed of it in the trash can. The real one. I cracked up laughing; it was hilarious.

We had a really good time. It was great seeing Chelsey and her family is a lot of fun to be around. Bill (her dad) said we could come over another time and he promised not to put us to work :)

BRRRRRRRRRR

I've gone from wearing no coat to work to bundling up in my winter coat. When I got home from work last night the furnace wasn't working properly and it was chilly (64) in the house. The furnace guy came and wouldn't you know it, the furnace was working like a charm when he got there. Oh well. It was 32 degrees this morning when I checked at 6:30. But, the sun is shining and it isn't snowing. That's a good thing.

It's going to be a long day at work today; we've got a mission at 6:30 p.m. That is not the norm, but we are doing it for one of the grad school education classes here on campus. I have to stay because we are in the process of developing our corporate mission program and I'm there to observe and note questions and issues that arise when the program is done for adults rather than middle-schoolers. It's good in that I'll bank some extra time so I won't have to take a vacation day for the day after Thanksgiving.

I might even have to miss "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" tonight. I can't believe some of the people they have on that show. Stupid is far to intelligent a word for them. One gal was the heiress to the Mood Ring fortune - Thank God - otherwise she'd be sweeping floors in McDonalds. Can you spell vowel? It is NOT spelled voul! I think they're having celebrities this week. Even they are smarter than that.

A three day weekend coming up. YIPEE. Only 1831 days til retirement! ...and that includes all holidays and weekends and vacations.

Do you have a snail-mail address yet, Scoots? Email me with requests for Santa.

No calls today

OK - no calls today - the soldier probably did not like disconnected!!

I'm glad to hear that Chelsey and dad are on their way home. Prayers for a safe and uneventful trip. See you soon...

Not much going on here..just work and trying to stay warm! We went from summer (air conditioning) to winter (as in furnace keeps coming on). We have had our first frost about 10 days after it being well into the 80's. I've had to scrape my windshield two mornings in a row now. Why not park the car in the garage? one might ask. Well....we kinda, sorta have a garage. It was built with that intention but with 4 kids moving out and back and out and back each time with more stuff than before there is just no room for cars!! But now that 2 of those said kids have their own homes WITH gargages, I say it is about time to turn their said garages into "storage" rooms!! How about it J & J?? The MOM should not have to scrape windshields!!

'Nuf said.

Must go check on dinner.. the dad seems to like to have supper when he gets home!

We'll talk again soon.

Love to all,

The Mom

On the Road/Phone Cards

First order of buiness, Mom had a great idea with the AAFES phone cards. I actually already bought David one, and I figure it might be easier for him to keep track of his numbers and minutes if those people wanting to buy him a phone card just restock the minutes on the card he already has. If you want to do that, give me a call and I'll give you the card information. That way he won't have multiple phone cards to keep track of.

Second order of business: we're on the road, literally. I'm in the Uhaul with Dad (YAY for satellite internet). We left at a little after 1330 EST, and we're on our way home. It's going to be a long trip. The Garmin has us getting in at around 0130 CST, but with stops it'll probably be at least an hour later than that. Right now I'm working on installing Yahoo messenger on Dad's computer because I think David's online. Apparently he hasn't had much to do today.

The moving out inspection went fine. The GMH lady found no damages, so we didn't have to pay anything extra. We finally got everything out of the house, and amazingly, everything did fit. The cleaning went smoothly, and now we're moved out (sorry David, I wasn't able to get pictures). The first David and Chelsey lovepad is empty. I'm looking forward to being home and seeing everyone. Wish us a safe and seemingly short ride home.

Moving Moving Moving

Well, almost everything is packed and cleaned. We just have the kitchen and some spot cleaning on the carpets to do. We originally had a 17' truck meant for a 1-2 bedroom apartment, but Dad looked at all our stuff and said we should upgrade, so we got a 26' truck. I was doubtful that we would need that much space, but boy did we. It is crazy how much stuff we have. We probably could have packed tighter, but by the end it was completely full, and so is the Elantra. I never would have guessed. It's really late now, but I'm talking to David on messenger again. We were able to talk for an hour this morning on the phone, and then an hour and a half this evening on messenger and I got to see him on his webcam, and now again. It sucks because I have to get up in sixish hours, but I don't want to stop talking to him. Ah, amore. He got online at about two in the morning his time (six my time) so that we could talk online when the connection was less busy and use webcams, and now I'm up at two in the morning to talk to him.

Well, I'm busy trying to get up the nerve to let him go. I hate having to get off before he does, but it's so late. It's such a hard decision, sleep vs. love. Ok, well, I'm at least ending this post. See you all Thursday. Yes, Thursday is unloading day now. I hope everyone got the memo.

Talked to David again

Well - we talked to David again. He called the office late this morning. Jessica and I got to talk to him for a few minutes, then we lost the connection. Actually, Jessica was moving her phone so I wouldn't have to yell (speaker phone) and we got disconnected. David sounded good - and we were able to get the calling card information from him. While in Kuwait he is able to use the AT&T calling center, so....we can get him AT&T calling cards for international use. Just google AT&T calling cards - they even have some specifically for the military.

I also talked with Chelsey today. She and her Dad are cleaning the apartment and tomorrow (WED) she has her housing inspection and then they will be on the road. Her mom is already back in town with the cats who will joining our menagerie momentarily. They will be here temporarily and then on to Arizona for the duration of the deployment.

The weekend was busy - the dad and I worked and then started car shopping for me. We also met with some contractors who may be doing some work on the house in the near future.

Katie had a job interview today. Hoorah!!! She won't know about getting the job until early next week, but an interview is better than nothing.

The kitties have landed! Laura, Will and Will's girlfriend just dropped off the kitties. They are having fun exploring their temporary digs. The resident cats are not too happy, but they will survive. A nice big wooden door will keep them separate for 36-72 hours.

Enough from the mom - keep up the good work and KYHD!!

Love you lots, the mom

Hurricane

Well, we spent the weekend in Maine and we "weathered" the storm on Saturday - pardon the pun! Noel was off the coast so we didn't get the full brunt like the Cape did, but we had quite a bit of rain and wind and the waves were pretty spectacular. If I can figure it out, I took some pictures with my cell phone and I will post them on my blog in the next couple of days. We watched the waves break on the shore and we also drove up to Nubble Light and watched the waves and the spray break over the rocks. It was wonderful to watch. There were even surfers out there on both Saturday and Sunday. Sunday was beautiful - Sunny and bright - not a cloud in the sky.

Unfortunately I spent way too much money, but it was good therapy. While shopping, I was on my own; Lisa didn't go, so I went solo. I met up with Sheila and Dennis and Nick for lunch. I did get some Christmas shopping done as well - which was the primary reason for the shopping. When I got home, it took me SEVERAL trips from the car to the house to bring everything in. Once insides, I had to sort among, for me, for Christmas, for me! I did manage to sneak in a nap and some lunch before watching the Patriots play the Colts. It was a close game but we came out victorious! Boston is on a roll.

Your mom talked about car fixin' day. I had to do the same on Friday. Not sure what the problem is, but something is leaking a little. The mechanic said he tightened up the oil pan and checked the antifreeze and oil. I was down a little of each so he filled them up. Guess it's time I seriously start looking for a new car. I want something that gets good mileage but that sits a little higher off the ground. I'm going to look at a new Camry and possibly a Rav4. I don't want a huge SUV; I just don't want my butt dragging on the ground while I'm driving. On the other hand, I don't want it too high or I won't be able to get in and out without a step stool! (I heard that David!) I HATE looking for cars.

KYHD!

Love you!
/Shennie

Days Go By

And then you hear from me. Things picked up a little over the past couple days in terms of training, which meant getting up before 0300 and being out till 1200 or so. And then we have weapon maint. and then food, relaxing (sleep). Only to get up early the next day for inventorying. So I have been a little wiped for energy, but today was a little better. Our ship date is approaching fast and some of the guys have a field exercise over the next few days (those who know my friends know who I am talking about...) So they arent too crazy about that. Especially with lack of communication on the training. Gotta love M.I. But anywho, things are good here and just waiting for the cooler temps in Iraq (cough cough). But will keep in touch with all the news from the good ole Middle East.
Love you guys!

David

What is going on here??

OK - this is really wierd!! I have talked with David more since he left than the whole time he was in the states!! Katie and I are sitting in Chevy's having some chips and salsa when my phone rings. It was David calling from Kuwait! The connection was really bad, but we did get to talk a little. Katie got to say HI also. Another thing - she actually said I love you and stay safe to her big brother!! Talk about being wierd!! I guess there is hope after all. She also said that she can hardly wait for Chelsey to get back up here to hang out with her. (They are very close in age with Katie being older!) Kate said she thought Chelsey would be a good influence on her. I agree!! No pressure Chelsey!!

Well- now that David is settling into Kuwait our next big project is to get Chelsey back here safe and sound with all her animals and household goods. Once that is accomplished, we will work on the holidays. Only 53 days until Christmas...even less time to Thanksgiving - with a few birthdays thrown in for good luck.

Gotta run and get some more errands done. Today is car-fixin' day. The buick and the chevy both needed work.

Thanks to all for keeping us all up to date.

David - I love you and miss you even though you keep calling!! Kepp up the good work and KYHD!!

Love- The Mom

Happy Halloween, LIAR!

Last night we had about 77 young trick-or-treaters stop by. Hubs and I sat outside on the porch and handed out candy for a little over an hour. We ran out of candy about 7:15 so we had to call it a night earlier than expected.

There are many, many funny stories about last night, but I'll just share my favorite one. Two young girls came up to us to get their piece of candy and Cooper began licking them. He was pretty excited to see them and I think in his licking, he accidentally got the one girls sleeve caught on one of his teeth BRIEFLY. The girl started yelling out, "daddy! Daddy! Their dog bit me! He bit my sleeve!"

We reassured her that Coop didn't bite, but rather was just licking her.

As she and her little friend walked away, I tried to figure out what she was dressed like. I looked at Craig and said, "wonder what she was for Halloween."

Craig replied, "a liar."

Haha!

I thought several girls were dressed up like the punk rockers of Guitar Hero. Turns out they were all Hannah Montana.

Same thing.

Come On People! Rules...

Dave, could you go and edit the posts where you've signed your last name AND rank??? It would make me feel a lot better if you just signed David or Dave. There are lots of Davids and Daves in the Army. Thanks! And just keep in mind that we want you to be safe... not a target.

OK, on to what's happening here....

Yesterday was Halloween, so Ben and I dressed up (he as Optimus Prime and I was an astronaut) to pass out candy. We didn't count, but I estimate we had about 125 trick or treaters before we ran out of candy at 7:30 p.m. I'm sure we could have gone and got more, but I just didn't feel like it.

Here's a pic of Ben dressed up. I thought you all could use a smile.



Some of the great costumes that showed up at our door: Darth Vader, storm trooper, Optimus Prime (he was only 8 or 9 though) and a red head Dorothy. Dorothy was adorable. She was with young Optimus Prime. She asked us, "Have you seen Megatwon?" That's not a typo. She said "Megatwon" not Megatron. CUTE!

Today Ben and I took off work so we could take him to the doctor for an outpatient procedure. He had a pH recorder placed in his esophagus. It will record his pH levels and eating times, sleeping times, and symptom times for the next 48 hours. The purpose of this pH recording is to determine if he needs a surgery to stop his acid reflux disease. He won't be having this surgery anytime soon; it's not a necessary surgery. There's still a chance we can get his GERD under control medicinally. Good news, though, his Barrett's Esophagus is not any worse than it was last year when diagnosed. He still has to go back for a "real" endoscopy, though. His doctor says that the Barrett's will never get better, it will never go away, the best we can hope for is for it to maintain at its current level.

Well, Dave, sounds like you're doing well. Let us know which calling card is best and easiest for you to use and we'll get you some ASAP. Also, e-mail us your address. Take care and we love you!

-Jennie

Training...

Well, today compromised of A LOT of walking to get to training classes. First, I was woken up early for weapon accountability and then again an hour later for the 3 S(s)...Shower, shave....all that good stuff. I then walked with a couple UAV guys to the chow hall and had Canadian Bacon, mushy scrambled eggs (which I later passed up), and biscuits... After chow we went back to the tent where we waited till 0730 to go to our first class. Well, apparently there was a mix up and our unit got bumped back on the class, so we were released until 0930. We then marched nearly 2 miles to our next class. After that class, we proceeded immediately to our next training, which turned out to be for a neurophysiological evaluation (its supposed to set a baseline in case in the future we have TBI(trauma brain injury aka concussions). We then were released for lunch and didnt have to report back till 1600 for our final/first class. That class turned out to be the best of the bunch. We had a british soldier teaching it and he was hilarious. Throughout the presentation, he was making remarks and comical comments like how the british have 5,500 troops in iraq, and when it showed the slide for how many US troops, he was like jush in Baghdad there are 100 hundred and ****ing twelve thousand troops. Thats bloody 20 times the size of the entire Royal Army. He then made a few cracks at the French on how the Slovenk have 4 troops (yes, 4 troops) in iraq, whereas the French have ZERO...
The rest of the day is pretty much laid back*had some subway for lunch, and burger king for dinner* I have tomorrow off so I should be able to get some stuff done like re-pack my bags to be easier to get to stuff I need. Well, Hope all is well back home!
I love you guys!

David

How's the weather?

Happy November!

Seems to me someone I know has a birthday this month. Actually that someone's mother also has a birthday this month. But we won't mention any names or ages.

Just to keep you posted on what Jennie's left kidney is doing this weekend, it's going to Maine. It's leaving Mass. tomorrow afternoon (after its car is checked for a leak) and it'll be there until Sunday morning. It's going to be treated to great seafood - clam chowdah, fried clams, maybe a shrimp cocktail and possibly some good swordfish or some north Atlantic halibut. It will be so spoiled. To make up for all that good food, it is going to spend time going in and out of shops. I know that is one of its favorite things to do. We wouldn't want to disappoint it, now would we. Maybe, if time permits and it's current owner gets lucky, it'll go over to see where it lived for a couple years while your dad was stationed at Pease. Last year it visited the school that it went to for 2 years. We'll hit the usual stores, but I do stay away from the Kittery Trading Post - too much orange, flannel and camouflage for me!

I hope the weather over there isn't too horrible. It should be interesting this weekend while we're at the coast ~ there's a hurricane moving northeast up along the Atlantic seaboard. It'll be well out to sea, but I'm sure the waves will be quite spectacular. If I could figure out how to download pictures from my cell phone, I'd load them in and attach them to one of my messages.

KYHD!

Love, Shennie

To the Family

Hey everyone. Yes I got to talk to chelsey and Mom, Jessica and Ben last night (and it was actually closer to 2300 local when I called (didnt have a clock near me). But we are 8 hrs ahead now, but only 7 after dst ends. All is well, have a couple classes today and then a range later this week, and then not much else till next thursday, so should have plenty of time for talking, etc. Well, gotta keep this short since its almost a mile walk back to the tent. I Miss you guys and love you all!

SPC McCarthy