Weigh In Day & Running Totals for 01 Jun 09

Well I am a little frustrated for a couple of reasons, first my Nike+ is giving me fits for my morning run. Normally my Nike+ is a little ahead of what the treadmill reads mileage wise, because of my stride on the treadmill I normally run a little farther than what the treadmill says. Well that wasn't the case today, I actually ran faster than I normally do because I wanted to get in a longer run this morning. When my Nike+ is working correctly it gives me a reminder every mile I run but for some reason I was half a mile off by the end of my first mile. When I checked to see what it was doing my speed was like a roller coaster so I don't know what was going on. On the treadmill it says I ran 7 miles but I barely got 6.1 on my Nike+. Since this is the first time it has happened with this sensor I will just have to keep an eye on it.

My second frustration is that I have hit my first weight plateau. It sucks but I think this is where I hit my first plateau in Kuwait also, right around 260. All I need to do is work through it and my weight should keep coming off. I think that now that it is June and that I run during work I am going to incorporate some weights into my schedule now. Once I get off work I will head to the gym and do a quick 45-60 minute workout. I think that will help the weight loss also. Now is a good time to start recording what I am eating also. That way I can start tracking how many calories I am actually taking in. My running totals for today were as follows: I ran 6.11 miles, burned 1230 calories, and I ran for 76 minutes. I weighed in at 262 today so I only lost one pound this week which I don't understand how that is possible but it is what it is. So in total I have lost 20 lbs. since I arrived here. Until next time...

Running Totals for 31 May 09

Well I didn't go run this morning and I almost said screw running altogether today BUT my running conscious got to me and so I got my lazy butt up and went for a run. Now I have to run again in the morning which is my fault for getting off schedule. I might have to figure something else out for a day off, like running Saturday's and making Sunday my day off. I think I will try that this week and see how it goes. I never really want to run on Sunday morning because I am starting to get spoiled running on my duty time. So when I have to work a whole shift without running it really sucks, even though everyone else in the shop does just that. But I am not everyone else in the shop!! Yesterday was my day off from running and like always I really didn't do much else because I still had to work that night. And normally on my day off all I want to do is sleep the day away so I am that much closer to going home.

Tonight I had a good run and I could of went for a longer run but I am going to go for another run in the morning so I didn't want to wear myself out. Tonight I ran 6.3 miles, burned 1268 calories, and I ran for 70 minutes. My totals for the week are as follows: I ran 36.27 miles, burned 7292 calories, and I ran for 6 hours and 44 minutes. Since it is the end of the month I will give my end of month totals which are as follows: I ran 136.24 miles, burned 26, 820 calories, and I ran for 25 hours and 41 minutes. I hope that I can duplicate or beat those totals in June. I feel good about the monthly totals and I just need to keep it going for the rest of the deployment. Well I will end this novel by saying that I love and miss you all. Until next time...

Running Totals for 29 May 09

Well my Internet sucks here and it is hard not to be frustrated by it especially when you pay an arm and a leg for it. But what do you expect when you are in the middle of Afghanistan, I guess I can't expect to have DSL connection, so it is what it is. I just love paying for the Internet and having the connection down all day long. So with that said I better hurry and post my totals before it goes down again. Today I ran 6.26 miles, burned 1260 calories, and I ran for 70 minutes. I am happy tomorrow is my day off from running. Until next time...

Running Totals for 28 May 09

Well today was a much better day energy wise. I didn't feel like I was going to fall asleep at work all night and my run was much better than yesterday. My knee is still bothering a little bit but not enough to cut back my mileage. I don't feel like I am overdoing it right now either, so that is good. That is probably because I run at such a slow pace right now but it works with the mileage and time I want to do right now. It would be nice to get up over 40 miles a week but I am sure that will come in due time. I am happy that I am putting in at least 35 miles every week right now. I plan on starting Hal Higdon's Marathon Training Program for Novice runner's the first week in August. It is a 18 week plan that will lead up to the Naha Marathon the first weekend in December. I want to have a good running base by that time. I feel like I am on track to do that before I start my first marathon training program. On a side note I have completed my first month here yesterday on the 27th of May. So one down and three more to go. Hooray!!

My run today was a good one but my left knee continues to hurt towards the end of my runs. I am taking it easy on it and making sure that I don't push it where I will injure myself. Today I ran 6.15 miles, burned 1236 calories, and I ran for 70 minutes. One more day before it is my day off from running day which I am looking forward to so I can rest my legs before my long run on Sunday. Well I hope everyone is doing good. I love and miss you all. Until next time...

Running Totals for 27 May 09

Tonight was a pretty quite night, with not a lot going on here at Bagram. It is nice working nights here because I can go work out during my duty time. I wouldn't have that convenience if I was working day shift. Hopefully I can stay on nights the entire time I am here which will probably happen. Today we had a Fallen Comrade ceremony. These ceremonies really drive the point home why it is so dangerous here. A Fallen Comrade ceremony is to honor those who have recently died in the line of duty. And today there were three who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. The sad thing is I have participated in about 5 of these ceremonies since I have been here and I am sure that I will participate in some more before I come home. It is really a sobering experience for me and it really makes me feel for those families who have lost a loved one. I just thought I would share that with you all.

My run today was not a very good one. Not that my knee was bothering me, I was just tired. My legs felt like they have 50 lb. weights strapped to them and I felt like I was running in mud. I was not feeling it today BUT it is these types of days that I need to endure and struggle through it. That is the important thing is that I complete the day and finish the run or in today's case a run/walk. I felt good knowing that I finished the run even though I wanted to quit and call it a day. I would be happy walking for 60 minutes as long as I got out there and finished it. Today I ran 6.11 miles, burned 1230 calories and I ran for 70 minutes. The main thing to take away from today's run is that I finished it.

Heather told me that Bella is running a fever today, so I hope you get better soon Bella and I love and miss you, Mommy, and sissy very much. Until next time...

Running Totals for 26 May 09

Well today I trying something new with work and running. The guy I am working with, SSgt Abner and I decided to incorporate gym time in our work schedule. He goes to the gym and then I go to the gym. It seems like it will work for us as long as the others working in our shop don't get a wild hair up their bums and rat us out. Not that we are doing anything wrong, it's just that if people think we have an advantage over them then their feelings get hurt. The good part about this is soon to be MSgt Esposito is on our shift and he out ranks everyone and he goes to the gym during duty hours. So I doubt anyone will say anything. I think this will work out better because now that I am running on duty hours I won't have to worry about getting 8 hours of sleep and I now have extra time on my hands which is good for the little things, like dropping off laundry.

My run today was a pretty good one. I was totally expecting my knee to bother me early on in my run but it didn't start hurting until the 55 minute mark which was excellent. So I got in a full 60 minutes of running today. Alrighty, today I ran 6.11 miles, burned 1230 calories, and I ran for 64 minutes. It was a good run but I hope I don't pay for it tomorrow which I probably will. I hope everyone is doing good and I love and miss you all. Until next time...

Weigh In Day & Running Totals for 25 May 09

Well the Internet has been out all day so I finally get a chance to post. My day off really screws with my running schedule for the week. My sleeping schedule gets all screwed up and in turn it messes with my running. Luckily there wasn't a ton of people in the gym when I ran around 930AM today. The run was fine but like yesterday around 45-50 minutes my left knee started to hurt. But this week I am cutting back my mileage this week OR at least taking it a little more easy this week. I will try to limit my daily runs to around 5 miles at the most every day. Well today was weigh in day and I am at 263 lbs. That means I have dropped 19 lbs. since I arrived here at Bagram. I am pleased with that. I hope that I will be out of the 260's when I weigh in on the 1st of June. Today I ran 5.30 miles, burned 1068 calories, and I ran for 59 minutes. I will try to average this run everyday this week. I hope that my knee feels better by Sunday so I can do my long run but either way I should be able to at least knock out a 5 miler on that day. I hope everyone is doing well. I love and miss you all, until next time...

Running Totals for 24 May 09

Well today I didn't plan on running in the morning because we were supposed to have a power outage here in Camp Cunningham from 8AM-12PM but around 9AM the power was still on so I decided to head over and knock out my run for today. Plus I was worried that if I waited until the evening to try and do a run either I would talk myself out of it or the gym would be packed and I don't like waiting for a treadmill. They never did turn off the power today which I am glad because it sucks trying to sleep when there isn't a fan or A/C blowing in the B-Hut. I know, I know, the Air Force has it rough. But just to let everyone know all the other services are staying in places with A/C too! I was a little worried about my knee today during my run. At about the 45 minute mark my left knee started giving me fits. I don't know if I had my Cho-Pat knee brace tighter than normal or if I was running different, but what I do know is my knee hurt. We will see how my run goes in the morning and maybe if it still hurts will will back off the mileage for next week. I will go back to 3-4 miles a day for next week so stay tuned.

I just want to point out before I get into my running totals for the day and the week that I hate carrying around an M-16 everywhere I go. It bangs into everything and it is such a pain (literally) to carry everywhere I go. Just in case you was wondering! Ok, now that I got that out there, today I ran 6.23 miles, burned 1,253 calories, and I ran for 70 minutes. Like I said previously, my run went really well until the end when I think I was running different or something. My totals for this week are as follows: I ran 37.14 miles, burned 7,536 calories, and I ran for 6 hrs. and 54 minutes. I am pleased with those totals and I hope to keep putting up those numbers for the duration of this deployment. Hopefully my body will allow me to accomplish that. It should get easier as I get skinnier and it is not so hard on my knees. Well I hope everyone has a great day and is ready for another week. Love you all, until next time...

Running Totals for 23 May 09

Well normally this would have been my day off from running BUT since I am a slacker I already took that day earlier this week I had to make up for it today. During my run I watched another amazing basketball game that went down to the wire which was great because when the game was over I was finished running. I am so proud of Heather, she completed her first 5K today. Way to go baby!! I also told her that running on the treadmill isn't as stressful as running on the street. Plus she doesn't have to push the stroller while she runs, she has air conditioning, and she can watch TV while she runs. Those are just some of the perks from running on a treadmill. Now that she has tried it she believes me. I am proud that she is sticking with the running because I know she hates it deep down inside. BUT she wants to do it because she knows I love it and she loves me and it will be something we can do together for a very long time...I hope. LOL!!

Well my run today was pretty good. I ran at a quicker pace than I normally do (5.7 instead of 5.5) I got a little more mileage in also which I was happy about. My totals for today are as follows: I ran 6.11 miles, I burned 1230 calories, and I ran for 65 minutes. I thought that it was a good run since I ran 8 miles yesterday and I didn't expect to run that far today. I am working my way up so I can run around 6.0 or higher on the treadmill for my hour runs. I will get there I just need to be patient, it will come. Well I love and miss you all, until next time...

Happy Birthday Genavieve!!

Two years ago our youngest was born and blessed our family. I wish I was there to give her hugs and kisses and I miss my family very much. The good thing is we have Skype so I got to see her pretty, happy little face. It would be very nice to be home and spend this happy day with my family. I love and miss them all. Since the day before yesterday I only got 4 1/2 hours of sleep so I decided to take yesterday as my day off. I literally slept the day away until I had to go to work. I was refreshed for today's run and it was a good one. Since I took yesterday off I decided that today would be my long run day. Today I ran 8.13 miles, burned 1,635 calories, and I ran for 87 minutes. The best part is I felt like I could of ran for a really long time. My legs feel good and so do my knees. I had Heather order me a new pair of Pearl Izumi's which I love to run in. They are my favorite. Well I will cut this sort but I love you all, until next time...

Running Totals for 20 May 09

Well this won't be a very long post because it is almost 10AM and I am normally asleep by now. I was talking to my Heather a little longer than I normally do in the morning. I love having Skype and the Air Force I.M. so that we can stay in touch everyday and I can see Heather's and my girls faces. My run today was a pretty good run but I think my legs are pretty tired. They feel really heavy when I start out my run but after about 30 minutes they feel great. I guess we will see what happens. My totals for today are as follows: I ran 5.73 miles, burned 1153 calories, and I ran for 64 minutes. It was a very good run and I am half way done with this week already. This really helps the time go by quicker here. Well I hope everyone is doing great and I really miss you all. Until next time...

Running Totals for 19 May 09

My Internet is acting very funny so this probably won't be a very long post. Well I have been waiting for a run like today. The kind of run that you have to force yourself to do and even though you give it full effort you never fully get what you want out of that run. Today, that was my run. I remember having them in Kuwait. It is like stepping on a treadmill or hitting the pavement for the very first time. It's like you have never ran a mile in your life. That totally explains my run today. I wonder if it is because of the night I had at work. I have a lot of things on my mind from work last night and maybe that is pulling my attention away from my run today. Or maybe my body is telling me to slow down and take it easy every once in awhile (nah, that can't be it). I did make it over the 5 mile hump but it took a lot of brisk walking to get there today. Still I made it to my 5 mile goal for the day so I am pleased that I pushed myself to do that.

My running totals for today are as follows: I ran 5.21 miles, I burned 1076 calories, and I ran/walked for 60 minutes. It was my best workout but it was A workout and I stayed on track to running 6 days this week. I know that days like this come and go and it is probably my body trying to tell me something BUT like Heather always tells me, "You never listen to what I am saying!" I think this might be the case here, anyways, until next time...

Weigh In Day & Running Totals for 18 May 09

Well it is the start of another week of running and I hope to duplicate what I accomplished last week. I didn't push myself really hard today since yesterday was my "long" run day. I think I will continue to do this after my long run day so I give my body a break from the longer runs I will put in on Sunday. Well today was weigh in day and last week I weighed in at 274 lbs. and this week I weighed in at 267 lbs. That is a total of 15 lbs. so far. I haven't been subtracting the 2 lbs. for clothes either and I will continue to post what the scale actually says. I don't think that it will be a problem getting down into the 250's, then the real work will begin. I like that the gym here has two scales right next to each other. They have a bathroom digital type scale and then right next to it is a scale that you would find in a doctors office. That is nice because the one can confirm the other that way you get a more accurate reading of your weight. My hope is that I can beat what I accomplished in Kuwait in 06-07. I ran 500 miles while I was there and I lost 60 lbs. I think beating the miles won't be the problem and I think losing 60 lbs. while I am here will be. I have started earlier than I did in Kuwait so I have that going for me.

My running totals for today are as follows: I ran 5.71 miles today, burned 1179 calories, and I ran for 65 minutes. It was a good work out today and I hope the rest of the week goes as smooth. I hope your marathon went well Dad and that you had an enjoyable run. Mom I hope you had a good time as well. Let Grandpa know that I am thinking of him and I will keep him and Grandma in my prayers. I love you all and I hope you know that. Until next time...

Running Totals for 17 May 09

Well I finally completed a full week of running! Not that I didn't try to talk myself out of my "long" Sunday run. On other days when I get off work I head right out, come back to my B-Hut, put on my running clothes, and head out to the gym. BUT for some reason on Sunday I lolly-gag around the work place talking and then when I actually get to the B-Hut I try to find every excuse to not go run. Well this time I sucked it up, got over my laziness, and went to run. Plus I always feel better after my run and I sleep a lot better also. Today I ran 7 miles, burned 1445 calories, and I ran for 78 minutes. It was a good run and I wanted to go farther but my body was telling me to stop and because I am still a fatty I listened and quit running. My totals for the week are 36.33 miles, I burned 7,528 calories, and I ran for a total of 5:52 minutes. I am pretty pleased with this week and I hope that I can keep it going. That is if my body will cooperate with all the running. Good luck Dad today on your Marathon. I hope everything goes well and that you enjoy the run. Until next time...

No Run Day

Well today is my "No Run Day" which I really should call my "Go to Bed Early Day" because that is the only difference. Instead of going to bed at 930AM, I get to go to bed at 730AM. And for some reason that makes all the difference when I wake up that night. I didn't get around to taking any pictures this week. I need to just carry my camera around in my cargo pocket and take pics when I feel the urge. Good Luck Dad on the Ogden Marathon tomorrow. I hope that everything goes good for you and that it is an excellent run. I can't wait to hear all about it. Hopefully next year we will be home in Utah and we can run that one together. That would be great. Well it's time to get ready for another 12 hour shift so until next time...

Running Totals for 15 May 09

This will quick a quick post because I couldn't post this morning because my wonderful Internet was down. Today's run was a good one and I am glad that I made it through the week. I am also happy that tomorrow is my day off from running because my legs could definitely use it. Today I ran 6.23 miles, burned 1286 calories, and I ran for 70 minutes. I don't know how far I will run Sunday, it all depends on how I am feeling that day. I hope everyone is doing good. Until next time...

Running Totals for 14 May 09

If you have ever ran on a treadmill you know that it is not the most exciting thing in the world. All you are is running in place and if you don't have a television to keep you company a run can feel like forever. Although for me right now, I am very grateful that the "gym" here has two televisions to help me get through my runs. I am really enjoying my runs at the moment because the NBA Playoffs are going on during my runs. So I get to watch some amazing basketball while I run in place for an hour. When the games get more intense I find myself running at a faster pace and sometimes I lose my focus and run into the front of the treadmill, which brings me back to reality and reminds me that I am not playing in the game. I kind of dread when the playoffs are over and all I have to watch is baseball which I love but everyone knows that it is not a fast pace game.

Anyways today I ran 5.71 miles, burned 1179 calories, and I went for 65 minutes. I could of ran more and I wanted to which is a good thing BUT my knee is still bothering me and I don't want to over do it right now. Plus I promised Heather I would take it easy today so I didn't run over 6 miles today (but then again I didn't stop at 5 miles like I told her I would...oooppss!). I hope everyone is doing good and that things are going good for you. I love you all. Until next time...

Running Totals for 13 May 09

Well once again it took me about 30 minutes to get into my run but I wasn't as tired today as I was yesterday. I decided to put in a 10K today because I had it in me and so I did it. I don't think I can do that everyday at the moment but every once in awhile should be fine until my body adapts to running. My left knee was bothering me a little bit so I think I will cut it back to 5 miles a day for the rest of the week except for my longer run on Sunday. If it keeps bothering me then it will be time to whip out the Icy Hot and rub it down. My totals for today are as follows: I ran 6.13 miles, burned 1265 calories, and I went for 69 minutes. It was a good work out but I think I need to slow it down a little bit because I don't want to do too much too early. My body is still adjusting to running everyday so I need to give it time to adapt. Plus the elevation is killer! I thought I would have had a tougher time adjusting but it still isn't a walk in the park. I know things will get easier as I get lighter. I hope everyone is doing great. Until next time...

Running Totals for 12 May 09

Ok, first off I am a little frustrated with my Nike+ system because for some reason I can't get it to sync yesterday's run. For some reason it really pisses me off and I want to step on my iPod to show it I mean business!! Alrighty, now that I got that off my chest, today I wasn't very motivated to go run. But I knew that once I got over there and got on the treadmill that I would feel better. Well that feeling didn't come for 40 minutes. I felt like I was running in mud today. I wanted to quit so bad but I knew if I did I would be pissed that I didn't get in 5 miles today. I think I am a little obsessive-complusive with running. I don't feel like I got in a workout unless I put in 5 miles. It's a runner's sickness or in my case at the moment a joggers sickness because I run at a turtles pace right now. And I am not sure if that will ever change. Ok, let's get on with it so I can hit the hay and wake up in a few hours to work another wonderful 12 hour shift in Afghanistan. Today I ran 5.63 miles, burned 1163 calories, and I ran for 60 minutes with a 5 minute cooldown on the end. All in all it was a good run and I am glad that I did it. Until next time...

Running Totals for 11 May 09

Well here we are at the start of another week of running. Today was weigh in day and I am happy to report that last week my starting weight was 282lbs. and I weighed in at 274lbs. this morning. Now I am sure that most of that is water weight but I'll take it. The weight is currently going in the right direction, down! I am having some technical difficulties with the Nike+ website downloading my current run BUT the culprit is probably the wonderful Bagram Internet. Anyways my totals for today are as follows: I ran 5.61 Miles, burned 1190 calories, and I went for 65 minutes today. Sixty of those minutes we running and 5 was for cool down. All in all I am happy with last weeks progress and I hope to duplicate it this week. Until next time...

Just a quick note...

Well since the Internet has been out all day I finally get a chance to post a quick note. First of all Happy Mother's Day! I hope all of your days were very special. Heather I am very grateful to have you as my wife and as the mother of my children and I love you more than words can describe. I am a very lucky man. Mom, thank you for everything you have done for me and for the support that you continue to give me and my family. We really do love and miss you and dad very much. Becky, I am not sure if you read this, but anyways I just wanted you to know that you are in my thoughts on this day.

I moved into a room without a bunk bed this morning because the rumor is that they are looking for rooms with bunk beds to stick two people into them. That took me most of the morning to tear down my original room and set up my new room. Afterwards, since the Internet was still down I decided to lay down for a "short" nap and I woke up around 10PM and I slept through church. I must have been tired today. With that said I didn't get in a run today and maybe that is a good thing because I think the 26 miles that I put in this week was a shock to my body. This weeks totals are as follows: I ran 26.49 miles, burned 5100 calories during my runs, and the total time for the week was 5 hrs. 9 mins. I will try to improve on those numbers this coming week. Tomorrow is weigh day. I need to start paying attention to my diet. I hate the taste of the water here but ask Heather, I am a water snob!! I need to leave the soda alone and start drinking the nasty bottled water they provide us. I am taking in a lot of empty calories because of it. I think this week I will keep a food journal and put my BodyBugg to work for me.

Well I will end this for now. I hope all of you have a wonderful day today. I love and miss you all and I will talk to you soon. Until next time...

No Run Day

Well today was my day off from running which was nice because I definitely needed a recuperation day. Sunday will be my long run day each week. I don't know how long tomorrows run will be but it should be longer than my normal 5+ miles. I hope to work up to over 10 miles each Sunday pretty soon though. Since today is a no running day I figure I will take pictures from around the base here and post what life is like for me here at Bagram. I will start with photos of my B-Hut room. In the B-Hut there are 8 little cubicles which are 7 x 7. They are not the biggest but when you work 12 hours a day and hardly spend any time in it, it really doesn't matter how big they are.

Here is a picture from the entrance of my B-Hut and you can see that it is not very wide at all. You can also see that I have a bunk bed in there and I would hate to be the person who has to sleep up there because the ceiling is right on top of the bunk. Good thing I don't have a roommate so I can use it for storage for all my bags.

This is a picture taken from the back of my room to show both sides of my B-Hut room and to show you my computer desk. Pretty fancy right! Well I hope this gives you a little insight to what I am living in here at Bagram. It could be worse I could be living in what they call RLB's which house 4 to a room. It is nice to be able to shut my door and have a little privacy. Until next time...

Running Totals for 8 May 09

My internet sucks so I need to make this quick and post my totals for today. I ran 5.21 miles, burned 1105 Calories in 59:59. I am really pissed that I am paying for this crappy internet. I hope everything is going good with everyone. I will post a longer one tomorrow hopefully if the internet cooperates a little more. Until next time...

Running Totals for 7 May 09

Well this week isn't getting any easier trying to get 6 days of running in. But what do you expect when I haven't ran for so long. I have made it through 4 days of running so far and every time I get off work I try really hard to talk myself out of running and just going to sleep. My justification is I can always run in the afternoon. But we all know that is not going to happen if I don't go in the morning. OK, let's stay on point here, today I ran 5.12 miles, burned 1086 calories, and it took me 60 grueling minutes to complete. Two more days to go for this week and I will hit my goal of 30 miles this week. That is if my legs don't fall off in the process. Until next time...

Running Totals for 6 May 09

Well today was a pretty good run. I switched things up today and went and ran after work. I did this because yesterday when I went in the afternoon I had to wait almost 30 minutes for a treadmill. I almost said screw the run but I stuck it out and waited. This morning there was hardly anyone in there. I don't know why but when I work days it is a lot easier to go run after work but when I work nights it is extremely hard to go run when I get off of work. I really don't get it. Anyways I ran 5.48 miles, burned 1162 calories, and I ran for 65 minutes. I am half way done with my first week of running and it hasn't been easy because I am such a fatty at the moment.

I got my new Pearl Izumi's in the mail today which I love (thanks mom for sending them to me). I won't be able to wear them until i drop quite a bit of weight because if I wore them now to run I would crush them within a month I bet. Anyways, I should be sleeping at the moment so until next time....

Running Totals for 5 May 09

Today I ran 5.28 Miles, burned 1121 calories in 59:48. The elevation is kicking my butt, but then again this is my first week and I haven't ran for awhile. I just need to stick to it. It was finally a sunny day here. For a minute there I thought it was going to snow here, scary! I love you all, until next time.....

Running Totals for 4 May 09

Today I ran 5.39 miles and burned roughly 1165 calories. It is pretty tough running above 5000 feet so I hope that will benefit me with losing weight. Or if it does't it could just make my life hell while I am trying to lose the weight. Either way I am heading in the right direction as of today. My starting weight was 282. I will weigh every Monday to see how I am progressing. Should be a good time.


Just wanted to post a quick picture of the front of my B-Hut. This is after a little rain storm. Can you imagine what it would have been like if it was a big down pour!! I will try to add more pics from around Camp Cunningham (where I live) as the deployment progresses so you have an idea of what I am dealing with here. Love you all and until next time...

Hello from Afghanistan

If you haven't figured it out yet, I finally got the internet hooked up in my room. Now the trick is getting it to work so I can use it. I actually got it set up yesterday but I have been waiting all day for the repair guy to come out and see what is wrong with my connection. He was supposed to be here between 2-4PM but never showed up. I got sick of waiting so I decided to play repair man myself and got into the cable/internet box outside our B-Hut and see if I could fix it myself. Yes, yes, I am not supposed to do that BUT who gives a crap!! Come to find out my line was disconnected so I plugged it back in and problem solved. Who needs a repair man when I can break into thier box and trouble shoot it myself.

Anyways, we arrived here on the 23rd of April and we were temporarily living in what I called the POL (Fuels) garage for about 5 days. I finally got moved into my B-Hut shortly after that and I finally got around to getting the internet yesterday. This place reminds me a lot of Utah, terrain wise. That is without Al Qeada and the Taliban running around trying to kill us. We are pretty busy here which is good, because I hope it makes my time go quicker. I am working in the Control Center here and doing the same job I did back in Okinawa so that is nice. Other than that life here is pretty mundane. I hope to get started with my "Running Project" on Monday because I have been dealing with one heck of a chest cold. I figure regardless of how I feel Monday will be the day I get to work on losing the weight and start training for the Naha Marathon in December.

On a side note before I end, we do a lot of Cash Sales for Fuel here. There is nothing like holding more than you make in a year in your hands! Until next time...