Big Ten!

Another busy week in Baghdad, this was a good one. I was pretty immersed in work but I still managed to get in all my workouts, and on Wednesday, I had a special visitor. My "Battle Buddy" from Ft. Jackson is stationed at Balad Air Base but a temporary assignment has brought him to nearby Victory Base for a few weeks. Lucky for me, Jason's work required a trip to the International Zone for a morning meeting, and the promise of an Embassy Burger was enough to get him to the NEC for the afternoon. He hung out in my office killing some time,and being the good sport he is, even helped out with a few tasks before we headed to dinner.

Our fellow classmate, and my running companion, Candace joined us for the "best burger in Iraq" and then we drove Jason to the rendezvous spot for his convoy back to Victory. A dust storm was rolling in but he made it back without incident. It was great to catch up and a fun break from the norm. And it is neat to think that next time I will see him will be on our way home. We will spend a few days trudging through the sand in Kuwait as we attend our mandatory warrior transition program. I am looking forward to seeing Jason and meeting up with other folks we went through training with.

Speaking of going home, today I hit my ten month mark. I celebrated by spring cleaning my CHU during my Sunday morning off. Packing to head home seems within reach and since I have accumulated quite a bit of stuff, a good, thorough review was in order. As people leave, items are kindly transferred, this is how most of my stuff was acquired. I made four piles: garbage, shred, Jen & Candace (now roommates), and a box to put in the bathroom with a "help yourself" sign. Extra toiletries, power strips, books, plug adapters...time for it all to go as I get closer to going myself! Even most of my extra furniture has been claimed by shipmates that will stay, but it will not move out until I do. The spring clean felt like another step in the right direction, another step towards home.

Love,

Krista

Pictures: Jason in warrior mode, Candace and Jason with dust storm rolling in.