The Boonie Hat

This past week was a bit gut wrenching with the loss of six service members and many more injured, primarily in one awful instance. The unpredictability of the attacks makes it feel very random, and with that a fear of just being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The reports that I have seen are very factual but of course the reality is that there is much emotion attached to those facts.

My work is pretty steady and more often than not,the changing weeks are marked more by who is coming and going, rather than a single event. There is always a countdown going on in the office. Sometimes it is for R&R, sometimes for the end of a tour. The transient nature of life here is interesting. People come and go all the time; I have watched so many leave and now it is almost my turn. Kind of hard to believe but very welcome.

When I arrived in mid August the temperatures were steady around 115-120, but had dropped from highs around 130. Now we are on the climb and it just keeps getting hotter with the occasional respite after a dust storm. But that is not much of a break, I would take heat over dust. On the really hot days it feels like your skin is cooking a bit. To ease this feeling on my face, and ears, I have changed to the boonie hat. When I put it on, I feel like I am going fishing or putting on a shower cap. Both seem kind of silly but the wider brim offers a welcome bit of shade so I think I will be wearing it till the end.

I also continue to beat the heat and enjoy a break from my normal workdays with my regular Sunday morning visits to the pool. Candace and I not only got a chance to relax poolside today for a couple hours, we also got a generous amount of laughing in while side stroking up and down the pool. It was a great start to a new week. And with another one past, only five to go before I say goodbye to Iraq, and shortly thereafter, hello to home. Sounds so nice.

Love,

Krista