Happy Easter

After three weeks, I am back in my pre-R&R routine! I am sleeping well, finally waking up before my alarm clock and getting my workouts in. It feels really good to be back on schedule. This has been a productive week professionally and personally.

I am working a few projects and wrote my first FRAGO this week, stands for Fragmentary Order, and in the joint staff officer world it is something I should know how to do. The FRAGO is an order from headquarters that assigns tasks to get things accomplished at headquarter, division, brigade, battalion or lower level. Bottom line- if you want something done by someone else, you are going to get asked for a FRAGO. It is not that it is hard, but it requires a very standardized format and distinct wording, neither that I was familiar with. But now I am- nice check in the block and a sense of accomplishment!

I also got in planning mode for a fall trip that Adam and I will take to Belgium. Having a few things in the future to focus on is helpful here. With R&R behind me, I wanted something special to daydream about to get me through my final three months. A trip for the two of us fit the bill perfectly, and now we have a week of biking around Ghent and Bruges to look forward to. Not the exercise kind, the European strolling around town kind of biking with a stop here and a stop there- think chocolate shops and breweries! It may be months away but I am already excited.

My week ended with a really nice Saturday and Sunday. I got two packages on Saturday that were packed with Easter candy and Dunkin Donuts coffee. The unexpected and generous packages were from St. Paul Lutheran Church in Columbus. Adam's Commanding Officer's wife Jeanine put me on their troop care package mailing list. Pat was Adam's CO when we were stationed in Mildenhall, England. Both Pat and Jeanine took really good care of us then, so it is not a stretch, but it is so sweet that they are still 15 years later. The timing was perfect, and with so much Easter candy in hand, I decided I would make some surprise Easter baskets for my colleagues. I had to get a little creative but managed to make 12 "baskets" to distribute on Easter morning. Big thanks to the Shermans and the parishoners at St. Pauls for making it possible!

I took Saturday afternoon off and in addition to filling in for the Easter Bunny, I spent some time giving my CHU a good cleaning. We had another dust storm this week, EVERYTHING in my room had a layer of dust. That, and I was hosting movie night for my friends Jill and Jen, another good reason to tidy. Movie night was fun- it felt like a Saturday night, instead of just another night. I got to sleep in a bit and then got a run and lift in with Ann, it is kind of becoming my standard Sunday am. After my workout, I enjoyed a slow morning and then headed in to work. Mid afternoon I got to check in with Noah and Amelia who had a great Easter in Athens with Sharon and Tom. I loved getting to hear the excitement in their voices as they described the morning's activities. I wrapped up my day celebrating Easter dinner with friends at the DFAC.

Wishing everyone at home a wonderful Easter too!

Love,

Krista

Pictures: Easter basket assembly line, left to right: Jill (Army LTC), me and Jen (Navy LCDR) at the DFAC this evening