He just wanted to share

TED often sends emails venting about some of the cultural differences that he experiences while operating inside Iraq.

Today he sent me this email about his day out in the city. Warning you do not want to read this while enjoying a meal or even a snack:

I have seen something today that will scar me for life. I have had the luxury of witnessing a lot of things since arrival in this place last December. Today however, takes the cake.

We were on the last leg of our patrol today and were making our way to a checkpoint on the east side of the city that we were going to check out. In this particular ECP there are usually a lot of cars and a lot of pedestrians in the area, and today was no different. We stop our vics
and dismount everyone that needs to get out and conduct the visit. I was on the gun today and was obviously doing my scan crap and trying to check everything out for threats and stuff, when I noticed this guy ahead of us on foot kind of walking circles. Walking circles like a dog that's sniffing around. He found his sweet spot and in front of God, us, all the people around and all of the vehicles around, oh and his family right across from him watching - pulls his man dress up, squats down and commences to taking a shit. WOW.

Anxiety.. It's what's for dinner

LM and I are flying to my parent's on Wednesday.

There are many, many things about that statement that are giving me anxiety, in mass quantities.

1. The last time LM and I flew there was copious amounts of mind-numbingly loud, gawd-awful embarrassing, want to jump out of the emergency exit screaming.Only some of it was coming from me. And, no I am not exaggerating.
2. Our flight is at 0630. What in the hell was I thinking, signing us up for a flight that early.
3. I have no choice but to drive us and all of our stuff to the airport at the butt crack of dawn.
4. Do you have any idea how much stuff I have?
5. I have way too much stuff (little man, suitcase, car seat, wheel attachment thing that makes the car seat a stroller, carry one bag, my sanity) that I need to figure out how to get out of the car, into the airport, through security, onto the plane, off of the plane, through the Atlanta airport, onto another plane, off the plane, and out of the airport.
6. re-read number 5.
7. No seriously, did you re-read number 5.

Hold me...

The new countdown

We had an amazingly wonderful two week R&R.

Little man did a great job at the airport of welcoming his Dad home...


We took lots of stupid self-portraits...

3M gave LM his very first haircut. No tears were shed and look at the adorable results....


The Purple Heart Ceremony was perfect and we are so proud of 3M...


Our final ticker is up. We are 129 days away from an amazing homecoming...