BOS-HOU 26FEB10

America the Beautiful - truer words are rarely spoken! As I write, I'm watching town after town pass by, lit up like sprawling sheets of Christmas lights, connected by strings of illuminated highway and tiny streams of headlights flowing along. As I stare out my little window thousands of feet above, I'm feeling a bit sentimental; perhaps it's due to our upcoming 3 year stint in Japan or maybe the lingering relief that I'm back from Iraq. Either, both or neither, my sense of patriotism is pretty amped at the moment. I'm also reading a book about George Washington which is inspiring as all get out. Here's a guy who did the right thing, who exemplified integrity and honor and self-sacrifice in the face of innumerable challenges in every area of his life. And the result? He became the most venerable founding father of our beloved country. And while his actions were bounded by his character, he was driven by a motivation to do everything in his power for the advancement of his fellow statesmen and countrymen and for the furtherance of a right and fair system of governance which has continued to do so. I pray that our leaders in government do not forget his legacy nor the legacies of the many other founding fathers and statesmen since who have selflessly shared the same purpose. This country is too wonderful to have dismantled by those charged with taking care of it.

Camp Taji New Year's "Camel Drop"

A Marine SGT from my command and I went to the Camp Taji New Year's celebration and got to witness our first "Camel Drop." Fun times!

41 Days(ish)

Just over 6 weeks to go before I finish my work here at Camp Taji. And fortunately there is still plenty to do to help the time pass quickly. Not much new is going on. I'm enjoying updates from Sarah on the kids and the fun things they're doing and learning.

Congrats to Jen and Landon on their recent announcement - baby in June!

I have also started voluntarily listening to Christmas music. It's December now, which in my opinon is the perfect time to begin. That way the thrill doesn't wear off before Christmas day!

Bad Guys Beware!

Time is passing

Haha, time is passing quickly now. I'm busy enough to stay occupied but not so overwhelmed as to be stressed all the time. My proof of this (both time passing quickly and my reasonable stress level) came today when I realized that I'm 4 days behind on my daily Dilbert desk calendar. I used to look at it multiple times every day and wish I could tear another day off!

 

By the way, we just received my next set of orders. Looks like it will be Yokosuka, Japan from this winter through February, 2013. Anyone want to climb Mount Fuji with me?!

Phones in Church? (from a fellow Oklahoman in Iraq)

A man in Topeka , Kansas decided to write a book about churches around the country. He started by flying to San Francisco and started working east from there.

Going to a very large church, he began taking photographs and making notes. He spotted a golden telephone on the vestibule wall and was intrigued with a sign, which read "Calls: $10,000 a minute."
Seeking out the pastor he asked about the phone and the sign. The pastor answered that this golden phone is, in fact, a direct line to heaven and if he pays the price he can talk directly to GOD.

The man thanked the pastor and continued on his way. As he continued to visit churches in Seattle , Dallas , St. Louis , Chicago , Milwaukee , and many cities and towns all around the United States , he found more phones, with the same sign, and the same answer from each pastor.

Finally, he arrived in Oklahoma , upon entering a church in the beautiful Ouachita National Forest region of Oklahoma , behold - he saw the usual golden telephone. But THIS time, the sign read "Calls: 35 cents"

Fascinated, he asked to talk to the pastor, "Reverend, I have been in cities all across the country and in each church I have found this golden telephone and have been told it is a direct line to Heaven and that I could talk to God, but in the other churches the cost was $10,000 a minute. Your sign reads only 35 cents a call. Why?"

The pastor, smiling broadly, replied, "Son, you're in Oklahoma now ...You're in God's Country... It's a local call!"

War is not the ugliest thing (a quote)

War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.

- John Stuart Mill

My humble office, mug, and flag :)