I'm still here(knock on wood) and I'm just a terrible blogger. If you know me at all then you know that I get into a routine and then I fall off the face of the planet to everyone not in the routine. For those of you that don't know that about me, treasure the time you are in my routine, or if you hate me than just know that it will all be over when I change routines. Anyway, when I got back from leave I stopped dismounting and became a gunner, so now I have to clean another gun when I'm off from mission. Also, we are starting missions later because of the lack of daylight, so I just seem to get free time so late and then get stuck in my routine(dinner, mission brief, movie with Gonzo, sleep, rinse, repeat as necessary) All well, I guess.
Anyway, Thanksgiving. Well, we were in the middle of a 7 day mission in a tiny base with nothing there except us and a bunch of Polish and Afghan forces, so we keep to ourselves which was always fun. 72 actually came down on Thanksgiving day and so both platoons were there and we had a BBQ and ended up staying up late and party-boying everyone we could find. Also, in our company than we have a game called "Get the Cookie" and all it is(bear with me here, its been a long deployment) hold someone down and slap their butt...ALOT. so we got into a big platoon cookie getting war and that was a blast. We had a few games of chicken and we would randomly go up to our leadership that was there and take their cookie. All in all, it was a really fun Thanksgiving.
The next month went by pretty boringly, nothing really exciting happening. Harry had to go away for surgery and he'll be back soon(hopefully for his birthday on the 27th) and I had another friend, Josh(thecanadianPheniseh) go home for his back after he got hit by an IED, but he seems to be OK, he's just trying to get healthy again. Menard got moved to Florida nearer his family(Louisiana) and they are supposed to take the trach out of his neck soon, so hopefully he'll be talking soon, I'd really love to talk to him. Harry and I are going to try and go visit when we get back. He was fistbumping to A Day To Remember and has asked for his glasses, so that's a good sign, it means that he's still in there and has his memory so thank God for that.
Anyway, now it's Christmas Eve. It really takes me back, that's for sure. I have so many good memories of Christmases past, including last year when I got to be home(It seems like SOO much longer ago, doesn't it?) and when I was a wee little kid back in the Redwood home(I miss that place). It's been really fun here, just goofing off with everyone. Hmmm, not sure what to say here now. I'll just go off on random tangents for a few minutes I guess. I got the box from home, it was way great to get, I really liked the pictures and bored a few of my friends showing off my family to them. I beat Arkham City(the new Batman game) and it was SOOO good. I beat it in 2 days(about 6 hours each. I play to win...) so it wasn't REALLY long, but there is alot more I haven't done yet so I'm excited to try and fill out the rest of the game. So, I can't take my ACT here, so I think I'll have to find something else to do next fall, which kinda makes me sad so I just don't think about it. I think I might try and hang out in Missouri now or something until school starts. I don't know, the nearer I get to being home the more I want to be traveling, you know? I am single and can go to school somewhere else and live there for a while, so I think I might do that. It will be hard, but should be fun and a good experience. I've experienced too much outside the US, time to travel some inside of it, methinks. Anyway, I think that's it. To end I'll list off some Christmas phrases:
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!
God bless us, everyone.
Every time a bell rings an angel gets its wings!
You'll shoot your eye out!
The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.
Merry Christmas, Phillipe'!!!! It was fun reading this post about what has been going on there. It's so crazy what a different life you lead, with missions and gun cleanings and what was that.... getting the cookie? Bahaha!
ReplyDeleteI miss the Redwood house sometimes too. Just having a family base was nice, but its also nice that Mom and Doc aren't having to take care of a big house with lots of rooms. I have many memories of that house and staying up until the middle of the night wrapping presents for you and Haley and Seth. Just when we'd think we were done with someones pile then Mommy would find another gift hidden in her closet for us to wrap. We'd always watch Christmas movies, and now it just doesn't seem right to wrap presents without watching a Christmas movie!
Anyway, keep on the lookout for another box!!! I mailed it on the last day to mail and get it there by Christmas, which probably means it will get held up by something and you will get it after. :/
Merry Christmas, Phillip! I'm glad to hear from Megan that you've rec'd. both your boxes now. Yay!
ReplyDeleteWe just got back from church, where Seth Baird sang several solos and songs with the choir. It was great, because the narrator told how the carols came to be.
Last night we went to Danny and Mel's and everyone exchanged what presents they had, and then the kids dressed as the nativity people and King Herod and the wise men. At one point the wise man (Josh) pushed the angel (Hunter) over. It was funny.
Emmy had to have a stuffed bear in a blanket so she could be Mary, like Alaina was. Tristan was a very devoted Joseph.
Then we sang some carols. We'd already eaten the hors d'oeuvres, which were brought by each of us. I really liked doing that on Christmas Eve. Tonight, I'd like to go see Christmas lights. :)
I loved hearing about what you've been doing. Tell your buddies hi for us. I hope you get to travel later on, when you get out of the Army. Too bad you have to wait on your ACT test, but it will be great for you to see more of the U.S. of A., like you said.
I miss the Redwood house, too, but that was because we could all live there at once. If we lived there now, Megan and Brooks and family wouldn't be there and Dallin and Haley and Hunter would be in Rexburg, and so on. So it would be some different, anyway. It's a little comforting to know that we would still be nostalgic for when all of you were at home, no matter where we lived.
I miss Leto having a fenced yard to play in, and I miss having roses to bring in the house. I miss having a place where we could all watch movies, too.
I figure someday we'll be nostalgic about when you were in the Army and we sent you boxes (well, you probably won't be, but we will a little), and when Dallin and Haley were still in Rexburg and the kids were little and things like that.
I think I'll be most nostalgic for living on Earth...joke! I wonder, tho, if we'll tell war stories about life here, when times were relatively tough. We might talk about how it made us stronger and so much closer to each other. Now that'll be cool!
We love you!!