Back to it

I have had the most amazing fifteen days with Christina. I am so blessed to live the life I have. God has been good to me. I left Camp Arifjan on January 24. I stayed overnight at Ali Al Salem, and spent most of the next day there. At 1500, I, and all other R&R folks, were "locked down," meaning we could no longer leave designated areas. After customs, and numerous briefs, we were allowed to hang out in a fairly large, yet contained, area which included food, a movie theater, and technology center. A few hours later, we boarded buses, and prepared for the hour+ ride from Ali to the airport. Upon arrival, we loaded planes, and at midnight on January 26 (Kuwait time), we were off. January 26 was equally the best and longest day of my life. I spent five hours in the air from Kuwait to Germany. However, with the time change, It was only three hours later. The flight from Germany to Atlanta took 10 hours, but only four hours had passed when we had landed. My body thought it was 1700, but there I was, landing in Atlanta at 1000! After some briefs, my father-in-law happened to be there to greet me! (Coincidentally, he was in the Atlanta airport at the same time.) After a brief greeting, and, I think, some playful gloating to Christina that he was the first to see me, we were both off. I had to make myself presentable (shave, brush my teeth, change into a new, clean uniform), and he had a conference at Fort Benning to drive to. My flight left ALT at noon, and I was in Detroit by 1400.

I won't bore you with the day-to-day details of the last fifteen days; however, it was perfect. Visiting my parents was perfect. Northern Michigan was perfect. Visiting my school was perfect. Hanging out with my friends, the Harlows, twice, was perfect. Church was perfect (we shared the Lord's Supper which was very special). God has blessed me above anything I deserve, and this trip has let me see that. I have five months--nearly to the day--left on this deployment. That's a long time. But, there is more time behind me than ahead of me, and I now see the light at the end of the tunnel. This trip has reminded me what I have, what I work for, and what a blessing it all is. Most of all, it showed me just how wonderful my wife is. I knew that I loved her, but this trip reinforced our love in a very real and positive way. Six months away makes one recognize the immediacy and importance of every moment, and I know I cherished every moment with her--even when we snapped at each other in the car on our way to buy my new running shoes. Yes, even then!