Day 11: Mama

I thought the kids would like to see the birds nest I found today. These little babies seemed hungry and mom would intermittently come to the nest to bring them a snack.

Thanks to all the mom's in my life for taking good care of me. For my kids--be good to your mom or she might feed you WORMS for dinner!

Day 10: Travis and the Valentine's Candy

During medical school, my friend Travis and I used to carpool from Virginia into Washington, D.C. together. I have many great memories from those days but there is one in particular that I would like to share with you today.

One Valentine’s Day, Travis’ wife, Erin, decorated the inside of his car with some candy. Travis did not particularly like the candy so he just kept it in a bag in his car and set it aside. A few days later as we were driving home from school, Travis must have seen me eying the candy and he invited me to have some. I, who inherited my mother’s sweet tooth and have always had a difficult time turning down a treat, said in reply, “sure, I’ll have one or two”. Well quickly my “one or two” treats turned into a good portion of the bag being devoured over the course of our drive home. Over the next several days Travis tempted me with the treat bag during our drive and it wasn’t long before I had finished off all of the candy. From that point on, Travis knew of my weakness and he seemed to always be trying to get me to eat something that I didn’t really need or even want at times.

Sue will probably confirm that I have a history at home as well. I admit there have been a few mysteriously empty treat bowls, ice cream buckets that have disappeared and cookie dough that was never cooked. I have had a problem in the past. However, when I deployed I committed myself to cutting out the treats. This was going to be 15 months without a single treat, and when I left I was feeling very motivated. However, I never imagined that when I arrived in Kansas I would have to face such a horrible enemy. No, it wasn’t the Taliban or Al Queda...it was the feared soft serve ice cream machine. I have many weaknesses, but ice cream is one of my greatest challenges.

Initially, I fought the urge. Gradually I convinced myself that since I was eating a lot of salad, veggies, and fruit that a little dessert wouldn’t hurt. After all, I was exercising and walking around a lot. I really did need the extra calories and energy. Soon the innocent small ice cream bowl at the end of dinner, turned into a brownie topped with chocolate and vanilla ice cream, cookie crumbs and chocolate syrup with every meal. It was delicious but I was feeling guilty about not being able to stick with my plan to cut back on desserts.

Well yesterday I was reading in 2 Nephi chapter 2. Nephi talks about the natural man and the weakness of the flesh and how we need to put aside the desires of the flesh. I decided that I needed to have the will power to decide what it is I bring into my body. Now I realize that brownies topped with ice cream is not the most horrible vice and probably will not cause my eternal damnation. However, I think it is important that we realize that to become as our Father in Heaven, we do need to be able to suppress our “appetites” and the desires of the flesh. So, to prove to myself that I could do it, today became a day without treats. Breakfast was easy (no ice cream available). Lunch was a challenge due to the heat and others partaking of the “forbidden fruit”. By dinner I knew I couldn’t blow it, so it actually wasn’t that hard.

So there you have it. One day without any treats. At least for a day the “natural man” did not have control of me. Travis, I hope you are proud. I can't wait for tomorrow...bring on the ice cream!

Day 9: Gear issue

Much of the last few days has involved issuing of our clothes, equipment, accessories, etc., that we will use here and then overseas. To give you an example of what we received today:

Winter gear--8 layered tops, 6 bottoms
2 sets of gloves
Combat helmet and cover
Large Back pack
2 camelbacks
Canteens
Pistol holster
Sleeping bag
Sunglasses
First aid kit
Plastic ties that can be used to make handcuffs for detainees
Large duffle bag

This is an incomplete list (I actually don’t know what a good portion of it is for). Tomorrow we will receive body armor and related equipment. On Thursday we will be issued weapons--both an M4 (rifle) and M9 (pistol). All of our equipment/clothes will eventually fit into 4 seabags (large duffle bags) which we will take with us. On average we will always have about 60 lb. of gear on us as we walk around on a day to day basis. So if I look a little weighed down in future pictures you will understand why.


My Dad is a Google Earth expert and he downloaded an aerial view of where I am right now on Fort Riley. Thanks Dad.

Day 8: Tornado Watch

Before I get to the real excitement of the day, let me give you a quick definition. IA stands for individual augmentee. I am an IA. What this basically means is that I, as Navy personnel, have been called to augment or help out the Army. Consequently, I am not sent with anyone else from my current command (Fallon). I train with and then work with the Army. For this reason I am at an Army base, Fort Riley, and will, when in Afghanistan, fall under the direction of the Army. I only mention this so that you understand why I am here versus at a Navy base. Also, you may see me throw out this term later on in my blog...so now you will understand what I am talking about.

Well, when I first arrived in Kansas I joked with some of the other Navy guys that I was hoping to see a tornado before I left. Today I learned that you should be careful what you wish for. At approximately 10 AM a storm blew in. Initially it was only rainy but then quickly turned into a pretty strong hail storm. The sky darkened and then sirens started sounding indicating that we were in the midst of a tornado warning. Now I didn’t actually get my wish...I did not see any true funnel clouds. However, some in my group who had a better view were able to see some small ones that formed, but that did not make it down to the ground. I haven’t heard of any official tornado touchdowns in the area. However, I do know that Manhattan, Kansas (20 minutes down the road) had some golf ball and baseball sized hail which caused some significant damage. The storm passed within a few hours and the remainder of the day was pretty calm. It was somewhat exciting but I have decided that I no longer truly wish to see an actual tornado...I think I will stick to watching tornados on the internet or news.

Here is some footage from the day. Initially you will see the hail storm followed by the video of the dark storm clouds (they actually were much darker at the storm’s peak) and tornado warning sirens. The picture is of some of my group in the hallway during the storm. This was considered the most tornado safe part of the building we were in.

Day 7: Fort Riley

Fort Riley is stop #2 in my journey to Afghanistan. We arrived last night and today I spent much of the day finding my way around. We are located for one week at a part of base called Custer Hill. Here we will have some basic orientation meetings and receive more equipment.

I have a private room but share a bathroom. Although the pictures look like I have a TV armoire, this is really just a cruel trick...it is empty. Also my internet access is gone. I have to find internet access on other parts of the base. I think they are trying to slowly take things away from us so we won’t be shocked when our living conditions deteriorate even more. Next week we are scheduled to move down to the “40 man barracks”. So again, I will be grateful for what I have for now.

Outside view of the Barracks

My Room

My Walk Around Base

There is no LDS Church on base and unfortunately I wasn’t able to make arrangements to get off base today. However, I was able to contact one of the local bishops and hopefully we will find a way to make it by next week.

Otherwise all is well and life is good. Yesterday as I was reading in the Book of Mormon I was reading of Lehi and his family’s difficult and long journey in the wilderness. Nephi states that “great were the blessings of the Lord upon us (1 Nephi 17:2)”. He was able to look past his trials and recognize the Lord’s hand in those things that he had been blessed with. I think this is a good lesson for me. Hopefully I can apply it as I face the challenges that lie ahead.

Day 6: Perspective

Today I flew from San Diego to Kansas to continue my training. A group of about 40 of us took a military flight. We flew on a DC-9 which is a typical commercial plane with a few modifications (no overhead bins, first class area removed, no locked and bolted cockpit). Other than that it is surprisingly similar except for of course the lack of a movie and flight attendants.


It was a clear, beautiful day as we lifted off from San Diego. I always love taking off in a plane and watching the world disappear below. It is amazing to watch a large Navy base shrink as you take flight. San Diego and its large skyscrapers turn into a “small city” and the surrounding mountains transform into nothing more than small hills. This perspective of how small the world really is often lost in the busy world in which we live. As Sue and I have faced this deployment much of our worry has been about how this disrupts “our life” and the things we think we should be doing. It has been hard to see and understand the why behind this experience. I am grateful for moments like today that help me get things back in perspective. It is sometimes hard to see the “big picture” when we are faced with what seems at the moment like an enormous challenge. I am so grateful for a Father who has an eternal perspective and gives me the experiences I need rather than just the ones I want. I will try to have more faith in Him.


Thanks to all of you for your love and support. I always appreciate hearing from you and look forward to seeing you soon.

We did arrive safely in Kansas this evening. I will give you a rundown of Kansas life tomorrow once I have a chance to look around a little.

Day 5: Escape from the Island

For those of you who are Lost fans, yesterday in the season finale several of our survivor friends finally escaped off the island. I had a similar "escape" yesterday as I left Naval Station San Diego and headed up to Jon and Dawn's house for an overnight getaway. It was nice to be with family. We had a nice dinner (thanks Dawn), Evan and I wrestled, and all the kids ran around playing with my gas mask. I also was able to say hi to some friends from our old home (Nate and Amy). After the kids went to bed, we watched Lost, ate a lot of ice cream, and then went to bed. It was fun to be back "home" for a few hours.

Here are a few pictures from the night. Notice the recurring theme of children and the gas mask. Maybe it would make a good Christmas present?





For those of you who are Lost fans (I actually am not truly a fan...I just watch for Sue) here is an interesting clip.

Day 4: Smallpox

WARNING: The following has potentially boring educational material.

Smallpox was a previously devastating disease that killed millions of people up until the late 20th century. Smallpox is caused by a virus. This virus causes a reddish rash that then forms into widespread blisters. It is estimated that 20-60% of all people who contracted the disease died (up to 80% for infants). It was discovered that those who had been infected by the virus and survived, were unable to catch the disease later on in life. This led to the practice of grinding up the scabs from the rash of one person and having a different person inhale them into their nostrils. Although about 2% of all people who inahled the ground up scabs died, many more survived. This process of variolation was widespread practice in China. Later in the 18th century, a man named Edward Jenner found that milkmaids would get a smallpox-like illness called cowpox that did not cause death. These milkmaids did not seem to contract smallpox later. He experimented on a 8 year old boy by giving him cowpox and then later exposing him to smallpox. The boy survived. Jenner called this process vaccination and led to our modern process of immunization. There was a worldwide vaccination effort in the 1970's that led to eradication of smallpox in the world. Now smallpox only exists in a few laboratories.


Well, the military is concerned about a possible bioterrorism attack and consequently it has a smallpox vaccination program. Yesterday was my day to receive the vaccine. It is given by using a two-pronged needle and pricking the skin 15 times. After about a week a blister forms in the area that then scabs and eventually goes away. At that point you are considered immune from smallpox. I also received my first anthrax immunization. This is actually a quite uncomfortable shot (but I will spare you the details for now).

Sorry about the medical history lesson. This is the price of reading a doctor's blog.

All else is well here in San Diego. I have had a lot of exercise time and have been able to catch up on some sleep. We are scheduled to catch a military flight out to Kansas on Saturday morning.

Day 2: Dressing Up

Imagine you are going to the store to buy some new clothes. You grab a pair of pants and run to the dressing room to try them on. You put them on and then if they fit and you like them, you take them to the cashier and buy them. This is how things are supposed to work, right?

Well today we went "shopping" the Navy way when we went to be fitted for our uniforms. The experience was slightly different than the normal shopping experience. First, there were no dressing rooms. Trying on clothes consisted of holding it up to your body and asking your neighbor if it looks good or not. If you didn't trust your neighbor and wanted to check yourself, you were out of luck because there of course was no mirror available. Finally, if you were brave enough to attempt to try things on over the clothes you were wearing, you would find that someone had gone to the trouble of sewing up the pant legs or shirt openings so you couldn't try them on at all. Go figure. No one ever claimed that things in the military make sense or are logical. Hopefully my uniforms will fit. If you notice in future posts that my shirt is a little large or my pants are a little tight, you will understand why.

The remainder of the day consisted of boring PowerPoint presentations and orientation information. However, I did escape this evening for a quick walk along the docks. It was a beautiful day here in San Diego and it was nice to walk and just unwind.

Day 1: On My Way

Well after months of anticipation and preparation, the day we thought would never come, finally came. May 26, 2008 will not be a day soon forgotten in our home. There are many emotions and feelings that are associated with a day like today--sadness, anxiety, exhaustion, love for family members left, etc.

We started the day off at Build-a-Bear Workshop, where each of the kids picked out a stuffed animal. Each of them was personalized with a recording from Dad--a push of the hand and they can hear my voice. The kids, of course, were excited and happy about this surprise as you can see below.


After lunch, the remainder of the day was surprisingly routine--changing diapers, cleaning up, checking email, loading the dishwasher, disciplining children, etc. However, the hour finally arrived that we had all been dreading. It was time to head to the airport. We drove there with the Grandparents and from there said our goodbyes. It is difficult to describe the emotions that come as you say goodbye to those who mean the most to you. Holding your little ones and wife in your arms and realizing that you won't be able to be there with them for a long time, is a difficult thing today. Check out Sue's Blog for details and pictures (it may take a day or two but I am sure she will have a better description and pictures than I have).

Of all the feelings felt today, I wanted to express those I have for my wonderful and beautiful wife. What an incredible person she is. Despite her anxiety and worry about this deployment, she has supported and helped me prepare for this day. I'm not sure she knew what she was getting into when she married me nearly 8 years ago--four moves (from the East to the West coast), four beautiful babies, family events missed, nights home alone, and now 15 months as a single mother. How grateful I am for a wife who loves me and is willing to sacrifice for our family. I will be thinking and praying for you always.

For those of you interested, I have posted a picture of the room I will be staying in for at least the next few days while I am here in San Diego. I think I am going to enjoy my last few days of wireless internet, cable TV, and indoor plumbing.


Goodnight for now. 1 day down, 451 to go.