Our Return from R&R
Mood:  happy
August 28, 2006 We have returned to our “home” at Camp Fallujah after a very eventful R&R. We flew from Camp Fallujah to Al Taquaddum (TQ), Iraq in a CH53 Helicopter. We arrived very late in the evening and were to spend the night. Usually, in TQ, they give us our own tent and allow us to stay together. But this time, they did not have available tents for us to have our own due to some AC problems. So we spent our first night away from Camp Fallujah apart. We had hoped to fly directly from TQ to Kuwait and had not packed a pillow or sleeping bag because it was just extra luggage we would have to carry aboard our commercial flight and on our cruise. They told us to come back at 6AM to sign up for the next flight - Chris said he would sign us up and let me sleep. To sign us up, he had to have my ID. This proved to be a very bad mistake…. The next day – the Ugandans who provide security – asked for my ID. I explained to them that my husband had it. Not only would they not let me through the check point, but they would not let me return to my tent. They went in the terminal to look for Chris or to try to verify my identity – but Chris was not in there. They told me that they would need to detain me and turn me over to the ATFP (Anti Terrorism Task Force). As I was about to really freak out, a guy I know from Camp Fallujah who works for NCIS walked by. I pleaded for his help. I asked him to please vouch for me. He was able to show them his badge and escort me back to the tents to find Chris and get my security badge. Thank goodness I have been at Camp Fallujah for a while and know so many people! When we got to Kuwait, we decided to stay in a hotel instead of on base so that we could stay together. We had a day that we could spend shopping, which was a good thing since we had nothing to wear for our cruise (our wardrobe consists of jeans and cargo pants). Our flight to Rome was very uneventful, except we nearly missed our connecting flight in London. I was extremely happy to arrive in Rome and check in to our hotel which had a marvelous marble bath tub! We did all the touristy things of Rome – there is so much history there. We had planned on renting scooters – but realized that it would be very dangerous to rent scooters there! The traffic is just as bad as New York – if not worse. Each day we were there, we went sight seeing and shopping. I was very impressed with the smooth check in process on the day of our cruise departure. We had a wonderful stateroom – complete with fresh flowers, fresh fruit, a bottle of Champaign (that we never drank) and a private balcony. They brought us a fresh fruit bowl every day as well as canapés (which we called stinky snacks – lol). Evidently, the rooms we got made us privy to a few extras. On the cruise ship, we enjoyed lots of spa treatments, acupuncture, art auctions and just lounging on our private balcony. The first port of call was Naples and it is an awesome place. We would both like to return there someday! We did an exclusive tour which included a scenic drive up the Almalfi coast, Sorrento, and Pompei. It was a great day and Chris started to show some real talent for photography that day. The next port of call was Santorini, Greece which was one of the most beautiful places I have ever scene. We took a tour that took us by boat to a volcanic island where we hiked up the volcano. After our hike, we took the boat to a Hot Springs. They anchored the boat and we swam about 500 yards to get to the hot springs which was great. The mud there is said to be really good for your skin. Many of the women were rubbing it on their faces – but I thought it looked like poopie! Chris put some on my arms – but I quickly rinsed it off my arms! Our bathing suits got stained a nasty rust color from the minerals – but it was worth it! Next stop was Mykonis Greece – once again – the Greek Islands are of the most beautiful places I have seen. Here, we rented a scooter and explored the island on the scooter before going to a beach. Messina was the next port of call. Chris was ill and I felt a little puney myself, so we ended up staying on the boat for that port of call. The French Riviera was the next port of call. Here, I discovered that my chest is NOT the smallest in the world. i Š As a matter of fact, the trip to the French Riviera made me grateful for what the Lord endowed me with ;) Yes, there were women sunbathing topless… And – NO – I did not sunbathe topless – but Chris did –lol. After a little exploration and some time on the beach, we returned to the boat. Chris was still feeling really bad – so he decided to go to the ships doctor….. I went to the internet café to check my email and chat with my friends. Upon returning to our room, I discovered that my trip to the internet café was to be the last trip out of my room for the duration of our trip. We were quarantined! Chris was diagnosed with symptoms of Norwalk disease. We were to remain in our stateroom for the duration of our trip – no going ashore in Florence/Pisa! I was so bummed – what were we to do for the remaining two days? So the last couple days – I just relaxed on our balcony and laid around in bed…. When we made it back to Iraq – we got stuck at Al Taquaddum (TQ) for almost a week. It was miserably hot and the ACs in the tents did not work well and the canvas cots were very uncomfortable – not to mention the waiting for 10 hours a day to try to fly space A back to Camp Fallujah. Needless to say, we were ecstatic to get a flight back home on a Black Hawk Helicopter. I love the day flights – and it was awesome to have a “window” seat on a Black Hawk. I saw a part of Iraq that I had never seen before! It was pretty awesome to see the farms below! Of course, as luck would have it, when I returned home, I found out that a couple of my friends had gone back to the states early i Œ I was so disappointed that I did not get to say good bye. I am starting to worry that if I go away without Chris, that I will come back and find out that he is gone too! I also found out that one of our friends that works off base was in an IED accident while we were gone. Everyone is OK – but 5 of them suffered from concussions. I am glad he is OK. That is the second person that I know and am friends with that got a concussion from an IED – the other one is a girl that lives in my trailer park. Everything is back to status quo here at Camp Fallujah. We are awaiting contracts from our company to sign on for another year. We are still hoping to be back in the states for a month before the end of the year. And of course I am already thinking about our next R&R. I am thinking about either a New Zealand/Australia Cruise or South Africa Safari & Beach trip. We plan on doing both trips – but just are not sure which we will do next. I have updated the website with a few pictures from our R&R, so take a look at it when you get the chance. Love to All Hugs ~~

Mood:  not sure

Mala Kuum Salam ~

Another two weeks have past since my last update. Where to begin? Well, I guess the best news is that Mikey, our little rodent office mate is no longer with us! Woo Hoo! After much torment and horror (to me – not the mouse), he was finally caught with an old fashion wooden mouse trap! He had gotten mighty brave… He actually was ON my DESK one morning! Talk about freaking out…. I stood outside my door for quite a while until Chris and a Marine friend assured me he was gone. He would taunt me. He would sit and stare at me. I kept saying that I would not freak out when I saw him next, and that I would stomp him – but I always freaked out. I did get to the point that I did not always scream when I saw him. I could sit there – see him sitting there and looking at me – and I would not budge… at least until he did – then I would scream… I have to admit, I do feel a little bad for the little fellow. Lying in the mouse trap, he did not look nearly as big as I remembered him. He looked a bit pitiful. Oh , it was a little sad – but that being said, if another beady eyed rodent tries to take up residence in my office, I will still set out more traps….

My work out buddy left earlier this week. I am happy for her that she is on her way back home, but sad that she will not be here for me to hang out with. She is leaving the Marine Corp after over 9 years of service. She is about to make a bigger commitment, she is getting married! How exciting of a time this must be for her. Another friend has also left. He was here for just a few months this time. The last time he was out here, he was here for a year. I am sure his wife and little girls are happy to have him home. There are many more friends who will be leaving soon. It is so sad for me to say goodbye. I have never been good at that.

Well, as I told you in my last update, the pool has been opened. However, I have learned that the pool is a “pick up” place…. A place where the Marines can check out the females in their swimsuits…. Needless to say, I have not been there. That is just not my scene… I have, however, sent a suggestion to our camp mayor to have a “female only” time at the pool. He has not yet responded to my request. There has not really been much going on here…. I guess it is more exciting in Israel right now… Chris and I were thinking maybe that would be our next home. HeHe – just kidding. We leave “soon” to go on our R&R. I am extremely excited. I have never been to any of the places we are going. I believe that I told you in my last update that Chris and I will be extending our time out here. Our original contract is up on September 28, but we are extending for one more year – so we will be in country until September 28, 2007. We were hoping to come home for 28 days in October (between contracts). However, our Lt Col needs us here in Camp Fallujah for the month of October due to Operational needs. He will be letting us know when we return from R&R when we can go back to the states for a month. We are assuming that it will be the month of November. We will have a lot of personal and legal business to take care of while at home, but we are also hoping to visit with many of our friends and family while we are there. We will let you know as soon as we have dates so that hopefully, we can get our schedules together to see everyone.

We love and miss you all. I will send another update once we return from our trip. Hugs ~~ Be Happy

Mood:  a-ok

Mood:  energetic

MALA KUUM SALAM~ Has it really been over two weeks since my last update? Thanks to Liz for her gentle reminder to get on the ball with another update. Well, I am back home at Camp Fallujah . I flew in late on June 1st. Chris flew to Ramadi/Blue Diamond a couple days after I left Al Asad. He will hopefully return home to Camp Fallujah sometime in July. A SECOND new guy just showed up last week - so I have been trying to train him amidst all the madness. We are excited because now we should have the coverage needed for us to go on R&R the end of July. When I returned to Camp Fallujah, I was sad to find out that one of my new friends had left to go to another base. It is always hard to say good bye when someone transfers - but it is even harder when you find out someone left while you were gone and you did not get to say good bye. It is not the first time that has happened to me since I have been out here, and I am sure it will not be the last. My new friend was actually my next door neighbor - he was an Iraqi. He worked for the Marines as an Interpreter. His name is Safe and he is a really neat guy. I had just started hanging out with him the week before I left. It was nice to talk to him and hear the opinions from someone who was from here. I learned a lot from my friend, Safe, despite the fact that we had only started our friendship just before I left. He is an awesome person and I hope that our paths cross again. I sure missed the baby geese while I was away. When I got back I was amazed at how much bigger they had grown in just two weeks! The other day I was on my way home (I actually left early! Only worked 12 ½ hours and left before it got dark!). I saw the geese off in the park and they all started wobbling towards me. I was thinking - uh, oh -I have no food for them. They came right up to me and I told them I had no food. I guess they are Arabic geese, because they did not understand what I said. They kept following me until I made it to the gate - I guess that they know the Ugandans are standing there at the gate to check Ids and since they have no id - they finally turned around. Either that - or they realized I had no food for them. J I have to say that I am happy to be "home" - of course I wish Chris were here with me, but if we are to be apart, I am at least grateful for the friendships that I have here. In my last update, I talked about wanting to go out to the CMOC….. Well, I found out that they have moved many of their operations to the FLT (Fallujah Liason Team) which is just west of Camp Fallujah. It is a safer place and closer to Camp Fallujah. It just so happens that we have BAT Systems at the FLT (I have been out there several times). Well, they have requested a site visit J I am really excited, because I managed to arrange the site visit on the same day that most of the kids are there! So next week, I will take a very short convoy to West Baharia to visit the FLT. I am really looking forward to getting away from Camp Fallujah for the day. I am especially looking forward to visiting with some children! I am going to go buy a bunch of candy from the PX to take to pass out. I got a bottle of bubbles in a care package and plan on taking it out there to play with the kids. I am really looking forward to it. This week, I saw my first scorpion since I arrived. Luckily - it was already dead. Everyone was surprised that it was the first scorpion that I had seen. The temperatures continue to increase. It is so strange to turn on the cold water and have it be so hot it is uncomfortable. One day this week, the maintenance people let themselves in my room to clean and service my A/C. They turned it off to do it and did not turn it back on - so my room was like an oven when I got home that night. I sat out side visiting with some of my friends in the "trailer park" for about 45 minutes to an hour while waiting for the A/C to cool it off enough to be tolerable. Some exciting news is that I now have`uncensored/`unfiltered internet access! That means I can access instant messenger and chat programs. I am really happy about that - so if you have chat programs - add me to your buddies list and feel free to message me any time! I will put my sign on names at the bottom of this update. And of course - the most exciting news….. I know it is ALL OVER the news back home…. Is that we got Zarqawi - "OORAH!" I have to admit that I was amazed at the stupidity of the reporters while I watched the news at chow the day after we got him. Does it really matter that the Military had enough respect to clean up the dead guy before they took photos of him? They are darned if they do and darned if they don't….. And are they serious when they ask if plastic surgery was done on him before the pictures were taken? Can they not just be happy that we caught the guy? JEEZ! Makes my eyes roll every time I watch the news… Anyway - My sign on names are: AOL Instant Messenger - LDSDinks1993 Yahoo Chat - ChBayBrat MSN Messenger - sandyherwig@iwon.com Gmail Chat - sandy.herwig Add me to your buddy list if you have instant messenger. Hope to see you online or hear from you soon. Love to all ~ Be Happy

Mala Kuum Salam~ Hello All. It is a small world. While here in Iraq, I saw a young Marine around base several times with the last name Fulks. Everytime I saw him, I thought of Kathy Fulks - a girl I went to school with. I saw him probably 5 or 6 times on our small base and each time I saw him, I thought of Kathy. Well, I heard from a former classmate of mine that Kathy's nephew had been injured in an IED that blew up on a convoy of RECON Marines. I remember that day. I remember how we went in to what is referred to as "River City". River City is when all communicatins are cut off to the outside world. I hate it when this happens, because it means something bad has happened - usually the communications are turned off until the next of kin is notified. I remember when I heard about the convoy and how some of the RECON Marines were lost, wondering if it had been any of the Marines that I had trained (sorry to admit that I can not remember the names of all the Marines I come in contact with through my job). Anyway, Cpl Fulks was on that convoy. I just heard the other day from my friend back home that he passed away from injuries sustained. It was like a stab in the heart when I heard. My heart aches for his family. I hope that they know that he did not die in vain. I hope they know that he did make a difference. Ronald Reagan's quote keeps going through my mind "Some people spend a lifetime wondering if they have made a difference. Marines don't have to." This is so true.

I am currently in Al Asad. I arrived here in the middle of the night on Friday night/Saturday Morning. I was able to go to a middle of the night cook out to eat, go shower and take a one hour nap before returning to the landing zone to fly out to Haditha Dam to pick up equipment. I will be here in Al Asad for about a week, at which time I will return to Camp Fallujah and get enough of my belongings to last approximately one month - and then return here. Chris and I have been apart for over 2 weeks - so it is nice to be with him again. A new FSR (Field service representative) has been hired. I finished training him and he will be handling our area of responsibility for the first month before he comes here. There is lots of work to do in the Al Asad area - mostly organizational type work - finding out who needs new equipment, etc. I am really sad to be away from Camp Fallujah. I have made some great friends there and hate to have to come to another base where I have no friends. Plus I had really started to enjoy my new work space. The first week in there was lonely - but by the second week - it had become the hang out spot for all my old friends as well as some new ones. I really miss the "park" at Camp Fallujah. I miss the birds, the scent of the flowers as I walk by, and the baby geese. I miss seeing greenery - I miss seeing trees. That is something that I took for granted at Camp Fallujah - Al Asad is all desert - sand and hardly any trees. I am looking forward to going "home" to Camp Fallujah. It is funny how so much has changed since I have been out here. The fact that I do not want to leave Camp Fallujah.... when I first got here, I would have jumped at the chance to be stationed in Al Asad where there is a beauty salon, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Subway, etc. Now, we have been given the option of transferring here and I just want to get back to Camp Fallujah. When I first got here - I did NOT want to go "outside the wire" or off base. We had to take some convoys to some FOBs (Forward Operating Bases) and ECPs (Entry Control Points) in Fallujah and in the beginning, I was none too thrilled. Now, I am itching to go. I am really wanting to go to CMOC. Mainly because there are so many kids there. I miss seeing kids! I am wanting to get together a bunch of toys, coloring books, etc. and go out to CMOC to pass them out to the children out there. I also did not like the helicopter rides when I first got here. But this last trip to Haditha Dam and back - I really enjoyed it. The last couple of helicopter rides that I have been on were not scary to me at all. I think I enjoyed the Haditha Dam trip so much because it was daylight and I could see so much. It was really neat. I also did not like to do training. I felt really uncomfortable training the Marines. Now, it is one of my favorite things to do. Of course, I still do not like to use the porta potties and the Marines tease me that I will LITERALLY walk a half a mile to get to the Latrine trailers - just to have a flushing, porcelain toilet. I guess deep down, I am still somewhat of a girly girl. Of course, if I have to, I will use the porta potties - but luckily, I can usually walk a half mile or so and get to a real one. In my last update, I talked about how the temps had reached 98 degrees. Well, now we have hit 100 - the average temp the last week is between 100 - 104 degrees. Now, that is hot! I can not imagine how it will feel when it gets above 120 in July! Hey - maybe I can sweat some weight off :) Well, I will end my ramblings - maybe I should call these "Herwig Ramblings" instead of "Herwig Updates" :) Please drop us an email when you have time. Take Care and Be Happy :) HUGS ~~Sandy~~

Mood:  happy
Greetings All!
Well R&R is far over and we have put our noses back to the grindstone. We have finally moved offices. We are not quite settled in yet – but our equipment is here and we have hooked up our private network. Chris flew out last Tuesday night (actually early Wednesday morning) for Al Asad. Al Asad is a huge base. We are not sure how long he will be there – or how long we will be apart. We are estimating about a month. Every day since he left has been an extremely LONG, BORING, LONELY day. Now that I have moved to the new office and Chris is gone – I am very lonely. No one else works in this office with us – so right now it is just me. I don't know if it is because it is quieter and I can get my work done quicker – or it is just slower than normal – but I seem to have a lot of extra time on my hands the last few days. I hope it is not the calm before the storm! With the exception of customers and friends stopping by and my "neighbor" in the tent next door stopping by – I am alone all day. These have probably been the longest days since I got out here. I am getting used to being alone already though. And it is sometimes nice to have peace and quiet, but I always enjoy it when someone stops by.
Our Lt Col was talking about sending us both to Al Asad (permanently) – but I don't think that is going to happen now. Things change on a daily basis around here – so you never know…. Saturday I had a "girls' night" with a couple friends. They came over to my room and we did manicures, painted toe nails, did hand massages and watched a couple of chick flicks. It was fun not to be surrounded by testosterone for a change.
I don't know if I told you about the "park" that is on the way from our room to our office. It is not really a park - but Chris calls it a park – it has lots of greenery (which is rare in Iraq) – some flowers and some trails. I overheard an officer tell some Marines one time that when Sadam was in power – they trained Iraqis to be gardeners so they could go to the states and try to get jobs tending the Whitehouse gardens – I don't know if this is true or not – but that is what he said. Anyway – there are lots of birds there. There used to be a "satellite" dining facility in the building across the drive way (it was a smaller chow hall that they just brought food in from other chow halls and served only – no food preparations). They would dump leftovers out there for the birds and when they closed it down to convert it to office spaces, I was very concerned about the poor birds not getting fed. I would, on occasion, get bread from the chow hall and throw pieces out there on the way back from lunch and dinner at the main chow hall. I have since found out that I am not the only one who does that. Anyway – there are some geese back there too – and they have babies! There are actually two families of geese. One family had three babies a while ago and the other family had a bunch of babies more recently. It is so neat to see them out there – and it is very common to see them walking across the street and through the parking lot to go to the pond. It is also neat to see the tough Marines get all soft when they see them. It reminds me that they have hearts too – they are not as rough and tough as they act. It is the small things that matter out here – it means so much to me to be able to see these birds and geese and baby geese every day. Something that I would have taken for granted back in the states brings me so much joy out here. I hope that I can remember to appreciate the small things when I get back to the states.
Remember me telling you about the Poptarts Chris used to spell out I love you? Well, I love the chocolate chip muffins they serve at breakfast in the chow halls, but everyone that knows me knows that I am not a morning person and I will skip breakfast just so I can have that extra few minutes of sleep… Well, people were always bringing me muffins and when Chris was in Al Asad – he managed to get a case of them – as well as a bunch of Hersheys Kisses. So when he returned, he used the chocolate muffins and kisses to spell out "I missed you" on the bed. Is he not the "sweetest" husband? Like they say – "Money Talks – but Chocolate Sings" :)
It is already starting to get HOT here. It has gotten up to 98 degrees several times and I am consolidating all my walking trips I can. You walk outside and you feel like you have walked in to a sauna! It is pretty miserable and it has not even hit 100 yet – I hate to think how it will be when it tops 120! Yesterday Chris called and told me about the big dust/sand storm they had in Al Asad. He went on and on about the strong winds and how they blew over a bus stop – yada yada yada…. Of course I had no idea how bad it actually was – until it reached here! OH MY! What a storm! It was so hot and miserable that I went to get the keys to the truck to pick up my laundry – I went back to our room to drop my laundry off and could see the HUGE dust cloud in the distance and was thinking I was glad it was so far off. It looked like something out of a SciFi movie! I put my laundry bags in the room and went to the bathroom. When I came out of the bathroom trailers, I stepped in to a HUGE cloud of dust/sand. I ran to the truck and then just sat there in the truck for a few minutes until I could see. It was so thick that I could not see to drive! I have pictures – but the pictures really do no justice to the storm! It was amazing! And of course the winds really cooled things off too – which was really nice. It is not yet noon now, but it is already a scorcher of a day… I am grateful for the Air conditioning! Well, I will end my ramblings now – I will update you again in a couple weeks (unless something worth writing home about happens before then) Take care and Be Happy ~HUGS~ Sandy

R&R
Mood:  a-ok
We have returned from our R&R in Dubai and boy did we have fun! Chris was a very wise man for deciding NOT to take me back to the states, because I honestly do not think I would have returned….

We really did “rest and relax” on our R&R. We shopped a lot, got several massages, spent time by the pool, on the beach and being typical tourists. The most fun I had was going on a Desert Safari. We went 4wheeling on the dunes and even surfed down a few dunes too! Our tour guide for the desert safari was Mr. Hussein. Chris and I laughed when we got the message that Mr. Hussein would pick us up in the morning. The morning of our tour – he picked us up and I about DIED when Chris got confused and called him Sadam! He was a really nice guy though and it seemed to roll right off his back…. While we were 4wheelin on the dunes – I looked over at Chris and he was white as a ghost and breaking out in a sweat. I asked if he was OK – and he said NO. We had to stop and he got up front with Mr. Hussein. He was fine while he was upfront. I was glad because I was having so much fun that I did not want to quit. The surfing was great too. I was glad that Mr. Hussein drove down the dunes to pick us up each time so that we did not have to climb back up to surf back down each time! The surfing was so much fun! We actually used snow boards to surf down the dunes. I screamed all the way down each time I went! We also rode a camel!

We learned a few lessons while we were there. The first lesson we learned is that even though you tell them you are paying in US dollars – they will give you AED price instead…. I told the cab driver that gave us a ride from the airport that we would be paying in US dollars and assumed he would quote the price in USD- well – when he said 60 dollars – we thought he meant USD and that is what we paid him. It was actually 60 AEDs – which is only about $20 in US – so that cost us! We learned quickly though!

Something that I found amusing was the bidets! I had heard of them – but to see them in all the public restrooms was quite amusing. I kept wondering how the women used them without water running down their legs! I was tempted to try one out at the airport – but was afraid I would end up soaked! As luck would have it – we had one in our hotel room :) I was right – I ended up with water everywhere! Glad I did not try that at the airport!

There are many different cultures there – as well as a wide array of manners…. I was amazed to see men eating rice with their hands – like savages! I guess it is their culture though…

Our hotel was in Sharjah – which is about 30 minutes from Dubai – one of the other Emirates. It is a much more conservative area. No alcohol, no pork – more traditional Moslem there. There was a mosque right next door to our hotel. We could hear their call to prayer – I remember there was a debate back in the states on if they should allow them to do their call to prayer. I remember that lots of people said it was annoying. I really did not find it annoying at all. I actually found it quite relaxing – but then again – I am used to hearing lots of BOOMS- so anything would be better than that! There were lots of mosques all over – they are beautiful buildings.

The last day we were there – we decided to just kick back and do nothing. We went out to the beach and lay under an umbrella. I feel asleep in the shade and woke up in the sun. Needless to say – my back got fried. Nothing worse than wearing a flak jacket when you are sunburned! Luckily though, I did not peel.

Another lesson we learned is that when you fly in the Mid East – it does not matter if you buy a round trip ticket and pay for it in advance. You must call the airlines 72 hours prior to your return flight to confirm or they will cancel your ticket! We found that out when we went to the airport the day we were supposed to fly out! I was freaking out – I told the lady – YES I do have a ticket – and kept pushing it in front of her to show her. She finally brought the manager over there who informed me of the 72 hour policy. I said “Since When” He said it has ALWAYS been a policy in the Mid East. He was kind enough to go ahead and issue us new tickets without charging us. (Thank Goodness). The people there are very friendly. One thing I did notice is that you do not see very many women. We went by several parks and there were plenty of men and children but I did not say ANY local women – only one female tourist.

And of course, the military flights back from Kuwait were exciting as usual – lol. We flew from Kuwait to Al Asad on a C-130. Landings out here are nothing like the landings on a commercial air flight! The pilots do what they call “combat maneuvers” when they land. They warn everyone ahead of time and show you where the barf bags are because you are not allowed to throw up on the floors of the planes. ;) The combat maneuvers are kind of like an amusement park ride – you sort of float in the air and then do a nose dive and go quickly from side to side. I guess I am a sick puppy – because I actually think they are fun :) It is also fun to watch everyone’s expressions. It is funny to see some of the tough Marines turning green. I guess in some ways I can be tougher than them :) The flight from Al Asad to Camp Fallujah was on CH53 which is a cargo helicopter. This was our first flight on one of these – we usually fly on a CH46 which is a smaller cargo helicopter. The CH53s are really big – and they rain inside! Only they rain oil – not water. We were both on different flights – and we were both covered in oil when we returned. Our clothes were ruined and we are in the process of getting issued camis to wear on our next flight. They say if you are in a CH53 and it does not leak – you are in trouble, because they are “supposed” to leak. Is that crazy or what? I am just really bummed that I wore my favorite pair of jeans and my purple boots which are both now ruined.

We have been SO busy since we returned. I got back to Camp Fallujah before Chris because we stopped in Al Asad and I only stayed there one day but he needed to stay longer. It has been really hard to be back here after having a break and feeling normal again. I would be lying if I said I was not ready to come home now – but it looks like we will be here until at least the end of this year. We have started the process of moving to our new office but have been so busy that it will be a slow process. I am looking forward to the new space – more room and we have our supplies, training area and work area all right there together. That will be nice not to have to go back and forth to the different places once the temperature exceeds 100! It was 98 yesterday!

It is a lot different here than it is in the states. Here, if you are driving and see someone walking, it is no big deal to stop and offer them a ride – I would never do that in the states! Anyway – on one of my three trips to the detention facility today, I picked up a couple Marines to give them a ride to their camp over by the South Gate. One of them was only here temporarily. He is actually living out in the city. He has a very dangerous job and a couple of days ago, his convoy got hit by an IED. He was knocked unconscious and received a concussion, but luckily he is OK. It is really surreal to talk to some of these guys and hear their stories.

Well ~ I guess I have rambled too long as usual. We miss you all and I miss the states! Please e-mail us when you have a chance!

Love to all ~ Be Happy

Sandy

April 4, 2006
Hello from Iraq!

I am about as happy as I have been since I have left the states. Why, you ask? I am happy because I am about to embark on my first R&R. Today is my last day of work and I will start my R&R journey tonight. I am hoping that all goes well –especially since my airline tickets from Kuwait to Dubai are non refundable. We gave our self an extra day of travel to get to Kuwait – so we should be fine.

I think I forgot to tell you about the rain in our room..... A few months ago, while Chris was away at another base – I was awaken in the middle of the night. I wiped my face – and kept wiping my face – it was wet! And it was not from drool! It was raining outside and there was a leak in our roof! The water was hitting the metal headboard and then splashing right on my face! I put a towel there to catch the water and moved to Chris' side of the bed (since he was gone anyway). The next day, I moved our beds away from the wall so that I would miss the splashes. It is a lot of paperwork to get any work done around here – so I have procrastinated reporting it. Well, last night and the night before we had thunderstorms – outside and inside. I am hoping that the roof is fixed by the time we get back from R&R

Remember me telling you about the place I went to last month – the Fallujah Liaison Team? Well, the Marines that were there just rotated out – they were awesome guys. One of them, Cpl Melyas, came by to visit us and tell us good bye. He brought us some unit "coins". Evidently, that is a huge compliment to be given coins from a unit. A few days later – the Gunny Sgt came by to tell me good bye. He brought me a unit shirt. I thought that was sweet of both of them.

I have to tell you what Chris did the other day. First though – I need to give you some back ground information. One night when we were engaged, he was telling me how much he loved me and how much I meant to him, (blah blah blah) He was professing his undying love for me – all along, all I could think of was that I really wanted a Pop Tart. I know – sounds crazy.... Anyway – I waited until he was done. He was just staring in my eyes – waiting for a response and all I could say was "Do you have any Pop Tarts?" His jaw dropped and said that he was professing his undying love and devotion and all I could say was do you have any Pop Tarts? LOL – Anyway – since we are out here around these Marines and can not always say "I love you" I just tell him "Pop Tarts" and he knows that means "I love you". So – back to my story about what he did the other day..... After a long day at work – we went back to our itty bitty room – before we opened the door – Chris stopped me and looked me in the eyes and said "I love you" – we opened the door – and there – on our bed were a BUNCH of Pop Tarts – spelling out I Love U Sandy. Was that just not the sweetest thing? :) He said he bought me Pop Tarts since he could not buy me flowers :)

Well – I have lots to do before I am able to get out of here – so take care and keep in touch!

Love to all~

Sandy

March 22, 2006
Hello from Camp Fallujah!

It has been another month of Groundhog days!

I did spend one day away from Camp Fallujah this month. I know that I said I would not be going off base for awhile, but I went just a short distance away to a base really close to here. It is where the FLT (Fallujah Liaison Team) is located. This is where they issue badges to gain access to the city of Fallujah. It is also where the CAG officers are located so it is where the Iraqi citizens go to put a claim in if their cow is killed or their house is damaged etc. by any of our Soldiers or Marines. It was nice to be able to get away from the base for a while. The best part of the trip was that I got to see some kids! They were young teens who had come with their dads to obtain badges. I really miss seeing kids. It is something I never thought of, but there are obviously no kids on base at Camp Fallujah and it had been quite some time since I had been off base. There was one young boy who just melted my heart. Every time he looked my way, he would just smile from ear to ear. His eyes just sparkled. He was so adorable.

I think the west coast Marines are much more laid back than the east coast Marines. Sundays they sleep in and come in to work later. This is good since they work 7 days a week. Of course, what this means for us is that we do not receive many trouble calls early on Sunday mornings.

There are a lot more females out here now with the West Coast Marines than there were with the East Coast Marines. That means more people sharing the shower trailer I use. I think I am the only US Citizen that uses the shower trailer that does not have tattoos or body piercings! I have to admit that I am shocked and amazed at some of the body parts that girls pierce! All I can say is - Ouch! and that's all I have to say about that! I am really looking forward to taking a shower in privacy! I can not wait to step in to a shower stall without having to wipe the hair and soap scum out. I hate standing in the shower with water backing up over my shower shoes and on my feet - it is just so nasty to be standing there in that nasty water! I have been saying since I got here that they need to put a bench in there for us. All the men’s shower houses have benches but not the womens. Well, they finally put in a bench! I was happy at first. Then, the first time I took a shower after they added the bench. I sat down briefly on the bench and then the vision of other bare butts sitting there entered my mind and I jumped up. I just don't want my bare bottom there where everyone else's has been.I know - I am weird....

I have heard from many of our friends who have returned home to their families. They seem happy to be home and are settling back in to a normal routine. If I am still here next year - I may see some of them out here on the next rotation. I have to confess that I envy them. I would love to be back home right now. Even though the chow is good, I am so sick of the same food over and over. I would love to be able to fix myself a piece of cinnamon toast in the mornings and maybe even bake a cake or something.

Chris is flying out to Al Asad soon for just a couple of days. He has never been there - I am usually the one that goes there. He is going out there to get a turn over from a guy who is leaving to go back to the states. We will have to cover that area until they get a replacement. We are already one person short - so we sure hope that they will hire someone soon.

We are taking a really short R&R next month. We are flying to Dubai for my birthday  I am so excited. I can not wait to spend my mornings on the beach, afternoons in the spa and evenings shopping! We will only be there for a week, but are planning a "real" vacation sometime around July.

We found out today that we are going to be moving office spaces. We are currently in a loft with a bunch of other computer geeks. I am surrounded by testosterone and geeks ~ what a combination! We have lots of equipment that we are constantly moving in and out. We have a connex box where we store some of the equipment and we have to haul it back and forth. Our new office space is what they call a Mech Tent. It kind of reminds me of a pop up camper. Of course it has air condition and heating so we should be quite comfortable. It is the same place that we are using for training right now. We will use it for our office space, training, and equipment storage. So we will have everything right there and easily accessible. We will even have a TV there :)

You know how men like to play the one up game? Every time a Marine tells Chris how many times he has been deployed out here, Chris always just comes back with "Oh, yeah? Well, I am here with my wife". And they just say "you win". I guess they all think it is worse to be out here with a wife than out here 4 times alone? Wow - am I that hard to get along with? LOL I know that they are all just joking though. Quite a few of them do talk about how crazy their wives are... I am wondering, if I were not here, would Chris call me crazy too? ;)

Anyway, sorry there is nothing exciting to update you on.

Be Happy
Love to all

Sandy

March 22, 2006
Hello from Camp Fallujah!

It has been another month of Groundhog days!

I did spend one day away from Camp Fallujah this month. I know that I said I would not be going off base for awhile, but I went just a short distance away to a base really close to here. It is where the FLT (Fallujah Liaison Team) is located. This is where they issue badges to gain access to the city of Fallujah. It is also where the CAG officers are located so it is where the Iraqi citizens go to put a claim in if their cow is killed or their house is damaged etc. by any of our Soldiers or Marines. It was nice to be able to get away from the base for a while. The best part of the trip was that I got to see some kids! They were young teens who had come with their dads to obtain badges. I really miss seeing kids. It is something I never thought of, but there are obviously no kids on base at Camp Fallujah and it had been quite some time since I had been off base. There was one young boy who just melted my heart. Every time he looked my way, he would just smile from ear to ear. His eyes just sparkled. He was so adorable.

I think the west coast Marines are much more laid back than the east coast Marines. Sundays they sleep in and come in to work later. This is good since they work 7 days a week. Of course, what this means for us is that we do not receive many trouble calls early on Sunday mornings.

There are a lot more females out here now with the West Coast Marines than there were with the East Coast Marines. That means more people sharing the shower trailer I use. I think I am the only US Citizen that uses the shower trailer that does not have tattoos or body piercings! I have to admit that I am shocked and amazed at some of the body parts that girls pierce! All I can say is - Ouch! and that's all I have to say about that! I am really looking forward to taking a shower in privacy! I can not wait to step in to a shower stall without having to wipe the hair and soap scum out. I hate standing in the shower with water backing up over my shower shoes and on my feet - it is just so nasty to be standing there in that nasty water! I have been saying since I got here that they need to put a bench in there for us. All the men’s shower houses have benches but not the womens. Well, they finally put in a bench! I was happy at first. Then, the first time I took a shower after they added the bench. I sat down briefly on the bench and then the vision of other bare butts sitting there entered my mind and I jumped up. I just don't want my bare bottom there where everyone else's has been.I know - I am weird....

I have heard from many of our friends who have returned home to their families. They seem happy to be home and are settling back in to a normal routine. If I am still here next year - I may see some of them out here on the next rotation. I have to confess that I envy them. I would love to be back home right now. Even though the chow is good, I am so sick of the same food over and over. I would love to be able to fix myself a piece of cinnamon toast in the mornings and maybe even bake a cake or something.

Chris is flying out to Al Asad soon for just a couple of days. He has never been there - I am usually the one that goes there. He is going out there to get a turn over from a guy who is leaving to go back to the states. We will have to cover that area until they get a replacement. We are already one person short - so we sure hope that they will hire someone soon.

We are taking a really short R&R next month. We are flying to Dubai for my birthday  I am so excited. I can not wait to spend my mornings on the beach, afternoons in the spa and evenings shopping! We will only be there for a week, but are planning a "real" vacation sometime around July.

We found out today that we are going to be moving office spaces. We are currently in a loft with a bunch of other computer geeks. I am surrounded by testosterone and geeks ~ what a combination! We have lots of equipment that we are constantly moving in and out. We have a connex box where we store some of the equipment and we have to haul it back and forth. Our new office space is what they call a Mech Tent. It kind of reminds me of a pop up camper. Of course it has air condition and heating so we should be quite comfortable. It is the same place that we are using for training right now. We will use it for our office space, training, and equipment storage. So we will have everything right there and easily accessible. We will even have a TV there :)

You know how men like to play the one up game? Every time a Marine tells Chris how many times he has been deployed out here, Chris always just comes back with "Oh, yeah? Well, I am here with my wife". And they just say "you win". I guess they all think it is worse to be out here with a wife than out here 4 times alone? Wow - am I that hard to get along with? LOL I know that they are all just joking though. Quite a few of them do talk about how crazy their wives are... I am wondering, if I were not here, would Chris call me crazy too? ;)

Anyway, sorry there is nothing exciting to update you on.

Be Happy
Love to all

Sandy