A quick video of dust in the air in Iraq. Icky!
Friday, July 3, 2009
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Doing Fine
Just a quick message to let everyone know I am doing just fine. I am so looking forward to coming home soon. Love you all!
Chris
Chris
Monday, June 1, 2009
Life in Iraq
I have been here now close to a month. (Reality it is a little over three weeks but it helps my mental state to say a month). I have gotten into a routine of things and time seems to be moving along ok.
It is no paradise here and that was never even talked bout. The temperatures have been over 100 as a cool day and typically about 110. I understand from others that it will be getting over 120 before its done. It is amazing how you adjust to it. Don’t get me wrong I am not comfortable in these temperatures, but it doesn’t seem to be bothering me as much as I thought it would.
I have been working 12 hour days (7 am to 7 pm) 6 days a week with my current day off being Mondays. It seems like a long time to work, but it does keep you focused on the tasks at hand and leave little time to lie around and think about being homesick and the like.
There have been dust storms several times which is not fun. The air smells and tastes like dust. I am sure we are breathing eating and wearing dust most of the time during these storms. The sky is just a dirt color when this happens. It really is amazing how much dust can be in one place. :)
The food surprisingly has been very good! I suppose the logic in that is at least you can have a good meal here. I have enjoyed steak several times and even fried shrimp once or twice that would rival a good restaurant back home. I am definitely not complaining about the food. This is a nice change as most deployments like this the food definitely has left a lot to be desired.
Our living arrangements are not that bad either. They are called pods and are basically the equivalent to a trailer of sorts, with a couple bunk beds and lockers. Normal conditions are there are two of us in there, except during transition and then up to 4 of us share the room. My roommate has an old friend that was here when we got here and was leaving shortly after. He set us up with a small refrigerator and television. So we have quite the room, as rooms go here. We will just leave this stuff for the next folks that come and so on.
The work is ok, the food is good, the room is livable, but I do miss my family and friends and look forward to going home and being with them once more.
Until then May the good Lord be with us all!
Chris
It is no paradise here and that was never even talked bout. The temperatures have been over 100 as a cool day and typically about 110. I understand from others that it will be getting over 120 before its done. It is amazing how you adjust to it. Don’t get me wrong I am not comfortable in these temperatures, but it doesn’t seem to be bothering me as much as I thought it would.
I have been working 12 hour days (7 am to 7 pm) 6 days a week with my current day off being Mondays. It seems like a long time to work, but it does keep you focused on the tasks at hand and leave little time to lie around and think about being homesick and the like.
There have been dust storms several times which is not fun. The air smells and tastes like dust. I am sure we are breathing eating and wearing dust most of the time during these storms. The sky is just a dirt color when this happens. It really is amazing how much dust can be in one place. :)
The food surprisingly has been very good! I suppose the logic in that is at least you can have a good meal here. I have enjoyed steak several times and even fried shrimp once or twice that would rival a good restaurant back home. I am definitely not complaining about the food. This is a nice change as most deployments like this the food definitely has left a lot to be desired.
Our living arrangements are not that bad either. They are called pods and are basically the equivalent to a trailer of sorts, with a couple bunk beds and lockers. Normal conditions are there are two of us in there, except during transition and then up to 4 of us share the room. My roommate has an old friend that was here when we got here and was leaving shortly after. He set us up with a small refrigerator and television. So we have quite the room, as rooms go here. We will just leave this stuff for the next folks that come and so on.
The work is ok, the food is good, the room is livable, but I do miss my family and friends and look forward to going home and being with them once more.
Until then May the good Lord be with us all!
Chris
Saying Goodbye
May 6, 2009
I assembled today to deploy to Iraq. The scene was a familiar one as when our unit deploys they have a time for the family and friends to assemble and say goodbye. I have never had my family come to this as it tears me apart inside to leave them. I know that if they were to be there I would be balling like a baby and not wanting to let go.
I watched this day as families hugged there departing members and said good bye. I watched as husbands kissed there wives and held there little ones. I watched as little boys and girls cried and the tears flowed down there face.
One particular scene caught my attention and it made a big impression on me. I watched as a man and woman not much older than I, hugged and cried over a young man, looking rather sharp in his uniform. His mother held him close and was crying and his father also was tearing up as he said goodbye. I see, as the mother finally releases her embrace on her son, the young man resisting with all he has to not cry as well.
I am old enough to be this young mans father and I am thankful that to this point, at least, I have not had to address this issue of my children going off into a scenario that would make the most faithful of us, anxious. While I am not concerned about my safety in Iraq, I can imagine a parents anxious concerns over sending her child somewhere like this. I also am mindful of the effects this has on my family. I know that no matter what appears on the outside it is difficult for my family to not worry and be ever mindful of my absence.
I am so very thankful to God for the many blessings he has provided in my life. Blessings of family and friends, of a career that has enabled me to provide for my family!
I have been sent to many places around the world, some nice and some not so nice.
As I once again leave my family to deploy, I look forward to the day that I will return and be with them. I am so very humbled by the many other military brethren that have to deploy for much longer than I do and there sacrifice as they are separated some up to 18 months at a time. I thankfully will not be gone that long and will return towards the end of July!
Until then, I trust the good Lord for His care and provision.
God Bless.
Chris
I assembled today to deploy to Iraq. The scene was a familiar one as when our unit deploys they have a time for the family and friends to assemble and say goodbye. I have never had my family come to this as it tears me apart inside to leave them. I know that if they were to be there I would be balling like a baby and not wanting to let go.
I watched this day as families hugged there departing members and said good bye. I watched as husbands kissed there wives and held there little ones. I watched as little boys and girls cried and the tears flowed down there face.
One particular scene caught my attention and it made a big impression on me. I watched as a man and woman not much older than I, hugged and cried over a young man, looking rather sharp in his uniform. His mother held him close and was crying and his father also was tearing up as he said goodbye. I see, as the mother finally releases her embrace on her son, the young man resisting with all he has to not cry as well.
I am old enough to be this young mans father and I am thankful that to this point, at least, I have not had to address this issue of my children going off into a scenario that would make the most faithful of us, anxious. While I am not concerned about my safety in Iraq, I can imagine a parents anxious concerns over sending her child somewhere like this. I also am mindful of the effects this has on my family. I know that no matter what appears on the outside it is difficult for my family to not worry and be ever mindful of my absence.
I am so very thankful to God for the many blessings he has provided in my life. Blessings of family and friends, of a career that has enabled me to provide for my family!
I have been sent to many places around the world, some nice and some not so nice.
As I once again leave my family to deploy, I look forward to the day that I will return and be with them. I am so very humbled by the many other military brethren that have to deploy for much longer than I do and there sacrifice as they are separated some up to 18 months at a time. I thankfully will not be gone that long and will return towards the end of July!
Until then, I trust the good Lord for His care and provision.
God Bless.
Chris
Monday, May 18, 2009
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Who knew!?
I often find myself playing that thought game of thinking back where I came from and where I am now, wondering what I would have thought if someone told me what was going to happen to me back then, what my thoughts would have been.
As I have many times said and no doubt will continue to say how blessed I am and how humbled and grateful I am to God for the many blessings he has given me.
Above all else I have this terrific family that I am very committed to and enjoy daily! They are my life and I don’t know what I would do without them!
Back to the game I mentioned. If anyone would have told me many years ago I would have all that I do today it would be kind of hard to comprehend. I do not say all these things as a boastful, see what I have and you don’t, kind of thing, but I do give the Lord the praise for my life and these wonderful people.
The other night we called a “family meeting”. Something we do often and we just talk about whatever we need to and sometimes we play board games together, etc.
The purpose of this meeting primarily was to inform the children that Dad has a deployment (trip for work) he is going on.
I will be deploying with my Guard unit for a rotation into Iraq. Not something I really relish or look forward to but it is my turn, so to speak, and I need to do this.
The reaction of my children is mostly what I expected, the girls reacted emotionally more than the boys (outwardly at least). They all reacted with sadness and you could tell, (even though I tell them not to) worry. I waited a long time before I told them about it as I did not want them worrying about it all that time. I also did not want to, as I was convinced by my wife, tell them so late that they feel like they were blindsided by the news. This is a hard thing to know when is best to tell them.
All of this being said to say this: Who knew those many years ago when Darcy and I started our lives together and family, that I would have this group of people that cared so much for me that when I go away for a time they are so consumed with love for me that they worry about me and tears are shed. I feel the same way about them of course. It is very difficult for me to leave them for even a few days. I am truly blessed!
While I will be gone longer than I would like, (anything more than a few days) :)
I am so humbled by the other military people that are deployed over there for a year at a time and sometimes longer. My time is not that long. I look forward to the day when I return home.
As I have many times said and no doubt will continue to say how blessed I am and how humbled and grateful I am to God for the many blessings he has given me.
Above all else I have this terrific family that I am very committed to and enjoy daily! They are my life and I don’t know what I would do without them!
Back to the game I mentioned. If anyone would have told me many years ago I would have all that I do today it would be kind of hard to comprehend. I do not say all these things as a boastful, see what I have and you don’t, kind of thing, but I do give the Lord the praise for my life and these wonderful people.
The other night we called a “family meeting”. Something we do often and we just talk about whatever we need to and sometimes we play board games together, etc.
The purpose of this meeting primarily was to inform the children that Dad has a deployment (trip for work) he is going on.
I will be deploying with my Guard unit for a rotation into Iraq. Not something I really relish or look forward to but it is my turn, so to speak, and I need to do this.
The reaction of my children is mostly what I expected, the girls reacted emotionally more than the boys (outwardly at least). They all reacted with sadness and you could tell, (even though I tell them not to) worry. I waited a long time before I told them about it as I did not want them worrying about it all that time. I also did not want to, as I was convinced by my wife, tell them so late that they feel like they were blindsided by the news. This is a hard thing to know when is best to tell them.
All of this being said to say this: Who knew those many years ago when Darcy and I started our lives together and family, that I would have this group of people that cared so much for me that when I go away for a time they are so consumed with love for me that they worry about me and tears are shed. I feel the same way about them of course. It is very difficult for me to leave them for even a few days. I am truly blessed!
While I will be gone longer than I would like, (anything more than a few days) :)
I am so humbled by the other military people that are deployed over there for a year at a time and sometimes longer. My time is not that long. I look forward to the day when I return home.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Still living!
Yes, I and mine are still alive and well. Time is so very slippery and goes by so very quickly it seems. I know I have written this many times on this blog in the past and it has always been true. Once again I find myself on March 21 and can't believe the first three months of the year have almost gotten by us already.
Life has been busy and full of tasks and appointments and of course the everyday things that occupy my and my families life. We occasionally still get to participate in my youngest child practicing for when he has his own talk show, "William Up all Night." Of course I am minimally affected as my beloved Darcy takes most care of this.
The older kids are so helpful with him and he no doubt is getting the best deal out of our family being the youngest. He is spoiled for sure. We had to learn parenting on the first 4 and now we are polished and he is benefiting. (Truth be known I am still making most of this parenting stuff up as I go.)
Seriously The God Lord has blessed me beyond my wildest imaginations when Darcy and I started down this road some 21 years ago. (March 19).
I was talking Friday at work with a man that was there to measure our offices for new furniture. He being in the civilian sector was very interested in the work we do. I work as Quality Assurance Inspector in aircraft maintenance for the greatest F-16 unit in the world, the Colorado Air National Guard. While watching out the window of our office you could see an incentive flight taking off and doing what we call a "sand box" departure, which basically means a strait up climb to altitude then invert the aircraft and roll over to right side up and proceed with the flight. He was so excited about getting to see this! My remark to him was "to us it is just noise!" I was of course joking. It is still neat what these machines can do and all, it is just that I see it all the time. It is something that is very ordinary in my day to day life and it is easy sometimes to forget what a blessing it is to do the work I do and work with the people I work with. I was recently out on the flight line near the runway and airplanes were taxing nearby and others flying there low approaches right in front of us. Again; we are around this often. It was a very nice day outside this particular day and the thought crossed my mind "Who does this job?" Meaning this is really something that I am allowed to come and do this kind of work and get paid for it! I am serious!
There is a Disney movie that came out several years ago(The Rookie) and it is about a high school baseball coach. He made this deal with his team if they won the state championship he would as they requested try out for the major leagues. Long story short he ends up, as a result of the try-out in the minor leagues and his bills at home are piling up and he is questioning his decision to pursue his dream of being in the major leagues. He is about to quit and return home when on a phone call with his wife she asks him "do you still love it?" He then decides he is going to play baseball because he loves it no matter if he makes the majors or not. There is a scene where he comes in to the locker room and says to one of the other players “you know what we get to do today? We get to play baseball!” Both men smile and "go to work". While my work, like anyone’s is sometimes a burden I bear, but, most of the time it is something I enjoy very much and consider it a blessing! In these difficult times I am especially thankful for a vocation that provides for my family.
The past couple weeks they have been doing what we call incentive rides with our two seat aircraft. The majority is single seats, but for training and other purposes as they arise we have a two seater. The individuals that get these rides vary from mayors or governors to football personalities’ and many times members of our unit as well. It is used as a tool for morale of the troops as well as Public Relations to the community. Side Note: Local Traffic Reporter Amelia Earhart was given a ride this last week.
As always I would love to hear from anyone who reads what I write. Feel free to post a comment on the blog email me or send smoke signals. All is welcome.
God bless
Chris
Life has been busy and full of tasks and appointments and of course the everyday things that occupy my and my families life. We occasionally still get to participate in my youngest child practicing for when he has his own talk show, "William Up all Night." Of course I am minimally affected as my beloved Darcy takes most care of this.
The older kids are so helpful with him and he no doubt is getting the best deal out of our family being the youngest. He is spoiled for sure. We had to learn parenting on the first 4 and now we are polished and he is benefiting. (Truth be known I am still making most of this parenting stuff up as I go.)
Seriously The God Lord has blessed me beyond my wildest imaginations when Darcy and I started down this road some 21 years ago. (March 19).
I was talking Friday at work with a man that was there to measure our offices for new furniture. He being in the civilian sector was very interested in the work we do. I work as Quality Assurance Inspector in aircraft maintenance for the greatest F-16 unit in the world, the Colorado Air National Guard. While watching out the window of our office you could see an incentive flight taking off and doing what we call a "sand box" departure, which basically means a strait up climb to altitude then invert the aircraft and roll over to right side up and proceed with the flight. He was so excited about getting to see this! My remark to him was "to us it is just noise!" I was of course joking. It is still neat what these machines can do and all, it is just that I see it all the time. It is something that is very ordinary in my day to day life and it is easy sometimes to forget what a blessing it is to do the work I do and work with the people I work with. I was recently out on the flight line near the runway and airplanes were taxing nearby and others flying there low approaches right in front of us. Again; we are around this often. It was a very nice day outside this particular day and the thought crossed my mind "Who does this job?" Meaning this is really something that I am allowed to come and do this kind of work and get paid for it! I am serious!There is a Disney movie that came out several years ago(The Rookie) and it is about a high school baseball coach. He made this deal with his team if they won the state championship he would as they requested try out for the major leagues. Long story short he ends up, as a result of the try-out in the minor leagues and his bills at home are piling up and he is questioning his decision to pursue his dream of being in the major leagues. He is about to quit and return home when on a phone call with his wife she asks him "do you still love it?" He then decides he is going to play baseball because he loves it no matter if he makes the majors or not. There is a scene where he comes in to the locker room and says to one of the other players “you know what we get to do today? We get to play baseball!” Both men smile and "go to work". While my work, like anyone’s is sometimes a burden I bear, but, most of the time it is something I enjoy very much and consider it a blessing! In these difficult times I am especially thankful for a vocation that provides for my family.
The past couple weeks they have been doing what we call incentive rides with our two seat aircraft. The majority is single seats, but for training and other purposes as they arise we have a two seater. The individuals that get these rides vary from mayors or governors to football personalities’ and many times members of our unit as well. It is used as a tool for morale of the troops as well as Public Relations to the community. Side Note: Local Traffic Reporter Amelia Earhart was given a ride this last week.
As always I would love to hear from anyone who reads what I write. Feel free to post a comment on the blog email me or send smoke signals. All is welcome.
God bless
Chris
Friday, January 16, 2009
1st Born Turns 16
My son, Chris Aaron turned 16 on January 13th. His father is extremely proud of him! HE is the one on the right in case you couldn't tell who was 16.
Chris
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Favorite time of year?
I have always, as long as I can remember, loved this time of year. I love the Christmas Celebration. The preparation, the anticipation of Christmas morning, the food the family and friends, all of these things I very much enjoy. I have been so blessed with a beautiful family! It makes this time of year for me one of my favorite times.
Darcy and I were able to go shopping this evening at the newly built Target. Simple task really but we were able to go just the two of us. It was a very enjoyable time together and surprisingly the store was not that full of people.
I have some time off the next couple of weeks I am very much looking forward to relaxing and enjoying my family.
I have been prone to ponder different points of view about certain things. For example: I lost a good friend this last year to cancer. He was just a few years older than I am and he past into eternity last April. I think about his family often and how they must be feeling this year at Christmas time. I am sure there are many similar examples that you know of with friends or family. It is sometimes such a bittersweet thing, this life. We want those wonderful times with our loved ones and we should cherish every minute. When it is gone we miss it that much more.
The points could be many I suppose. Like I have already said, cherish every minute, don’t wait for a “special occasion” to say or do something in regards to a loved one. The time we have on this earth is so short! Part of a song from a group in the 1960’s “We are but a moment’s sunlight fading in the grass” Great song and it points out in its way that life is short! The Bible addresses this I belive in methaphor of "we are just a vapor that is here for a time then is gone" Not a direct quote! :) That should put a certain urgency to things, I think. We don’t really have all the time in the world like we sometimes elude ourselves. That should also help us hopefully to enjoy the present and really pay attention to our blessings and thank the good Lord above for giving them to us! I thank the Lord for those of you who will read this!
Merry Christmas!
Darcy and I were able to go shopping this evening at the newly built Target. Simple task really but we were able to go just the two of us. It was a very enjoyable time together and surprisingly the store was not that full of people.
I have some time off the next couple of weeks I am very much looking forward to relaxing and enjoying my family.
I have been prone to ponder different points of view about certain things. For example: I lost a good friend this last year to cancer. He was just a few years older than I am and he past into eternity last April. I think about his family often and how they must be feeling this year at Christmas time. I am sure there are many similar examples that you know of with friends or family. It is sometimes such a bittersweet thing, this life. We want those wonderful times with our loved ones and we should cherish every minute. When it is gone we miss it that much more.
The points could be many I suppose. Like I have already said, cherish every minute, don’t wait for a “special occasion” to say or do something in regards to a loved one. The time we have on this earth is so short! Part of a song from a group in the 1960’s “We are but a moment’s sunlight fading in the grass” Great song and it points out in its way that life is short! The Bible addresses this I belive in methaphor of "we are just a vapor that is here for a time then is gone" Not a direct quote! :) That should put a certain urgency to things, I think. We don’t really have all the time in the world like we sometimes elude ourselves. That should also help us hopefully to enjoy the present and really pay attention to our blessings and thank the good Lord above for giving them to us! I thank the Lord for those of you who will read this!
Merry Christmas!
Monday, December 8, 2008
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