I took this video of Danica and Alyssa this morning:

Happy Birthday Buffy and Peter! We hope you both have a great time celebrating!!! We are having a great time here. I am so impressed with everyone and the running challenge, you are all awesome!! I am so inspired! As for the relay I think it sounds fantastic and I would love to do it. I can't see the future but I would think that since we are moving in June it would be a nice idea to plan to come back in August of 09 for a visit, we will have been away for over a year and will be surely missing you all. Plus, Alyssa will be just turning two so I shouldn't be pregnant yet. I make no guarantees for August of 2010. Is the race before school starts? I don't know what Tom will say since he is the stoic who says we aren't coming back until we move back but I am still optimistic since I haven't made that long flight yet! Anyway, those are my thoughts on the subject!

So let’s see, what have we been up to for the past week or so... last week Alyssa had croup and Danica had a bad cold so we didn’t do a whole lot. It was wet and rainy most of the week which cancelled Tom’s softball game and Hayden’s t-ball practice. On Saturday the sun was out and Hayden had a birthday party for a friend at preschool. I came up with the plan to drop Hayden at the party and to then for Tom and I to go to Miramar Lake and run around the lake with the girls in the jogging stroller. So we jumped in the car a few minutes before the party was starting and I punched the address in the nav system and it came up saying the party was 25 minutes away!! What are they doing driving so far for preschool!!!!!???? Well, we had no choice but to race to the party, Hayden had his heart set on it. We were hoping that maybe we would find a nice place to run near the party since it was too far to drive back to the lake. Unfortunately the party was up in the hills of Escondido with such huge inclines it would be miserable, especially with the stroller! But to make things worse as we pulled up to the house there were a ton of cars and I came to the quick realization that they didn’t intend on having us drop Hayden off... we hadn’t showered and were in our running clothes. I threw on my jacket and tried to forget my current state as we headed into the party to mingle with all the other preschool moms... Tom was thrilled to be in on all the fun, he loves to mingle with preschool moms.

Well, we did manage to salvage our Saturday, when we got home Tom went running around the lake and we got the house cleaned up. Saturday night we went bowling and had a great time, it was boys against girls and everyone did really well. They had one of those metal frames you could just push the ball off, it was perfect! Alyssa enjoyed all the commotion and Danica and Hayden were cheering for each other, it was great.

On Monday I had Hayden’s parent-teacher conference at the preschool and as I expected they gave a great report. He scored well in every area except scissor cutting and skipping (don’t you wish that is still what you were tested on!) He is very social and she said he never interrupts during group time and is good at helping other kids resolve conflict (was she talking about my Hayden?) His favorite activities are blocks and building materials and the playground. She said “Hayden is very sweet, bright and soft spoken. He has an easy going personality and likes to avoid conflicts and is level headed. He enjoys spending time with friends and shows an interest in learning new things.” So that is Hayden at school. Here are few things that I have observed lately:
He is very concerned with keeping Danica safe. If he is aware that she may be in danger he panics! He gets so frustrated with her if she won’t hold my hand in the road or if she gets to close to the treadmill, etc.
In the bath tub Danica was pouring water on his head so he shouted at her, but he didn’t shout “stop” he said “Danica, I don’t have invisible goggles on my head!!” Too bad she didn’t realize that!! He regularly has funny dreams he tells me about in the morning, I’ll have to start writing them down!

Danica has found a new love, she can’t get enough of Finding Nemo! She calls is “Emo” and asks for it all day, from the minute she wakes up. In fact, if she is the first one awake in the morning, which she usually is, I can pull her into bed with me, turn on Nemo and go back to sleep until someone else wakes up, it’s fantastic! Recently she has been willing to branch out and is now watching The Little Mermaid as well. It’s so funny to watch her because she laughs and laughs during the shark chase at the beginning. Finally watching movies with words, verses Baby Einstein, is helping her vocabulary as well and she is saying new stuff all the time.

Alyssa is great at sitting up and loves her baby food. She loves to smile and giggle and reminds me a lot of Hayden with her sense of humor. When the other kids act silly she will just start laughing, it’s hilarious. She is as bald as can be which seems to be the trend with my babies. Right now she looks so much like Hayden at this age! She loves the swings at the park. And (knock on wood) she is starting to sleep better at night... just in time for us to go out of town again... oh well... who needs sleep?

I think I got side tracked, I was talking about what we did on Monday. Monday night we went to our home teachers house for FHE. Our home teacher happens to be the wife of my good friend Victoria and the dad of Hayden’s best friend Cameron so he was in heaven. On Tuesday we went to the Wild Animal Park. Lately Hayden has been bored at the zoo and just begs to go home so I was nervous but we had a really fun day. We rode on the Safari tram, played at the playground and saw some animals. As we were walking out Hayden said sweetly, “I had a really great day here today.” Phew! Danica loved all the animals and could even name them for me.

Wednesday I had a girl come to my house to color my hair, I got it weaved with blond. It’s nice to be “blond” again, it’s just more me than the dark color. I’ve started a new thing where I run with the jogging stroller when Hayden is at school. I did 5 miles on Monday and Wednesday! I’m hoping to go run alone today when Tom gets home. It’s gorgeous this week so I can’t pass up going outside. It was 81 degrees at the Wild Animal Park!! This morning I babysat for a friend then we went to the park and Hayden went on a play date, his favorite activity!! Now the girls are sleeping and Hayden is watching the Backyardigans, he’s in love with that show again.

Okay, this is way too long... take care!

Yes - I am on a quest to acquire some hot pink leggings for an 80's party Dave and I are going to this weekend. I have the entire ensemble, but need the leggings, so if anyone has any insight into where one can obtain these, that would be very helpful! We went "shopping" last night for our clothes and it was so fun - we will be sure to capture the moment and share.

We also went to a Hood to Coast party last weekend - they had ROCK BAND - and we played for a while. It was so much fun - though I have to admit that I suck at the drums. Really bad. But I think that would be a fun family item to have for gatherings...

My brother, Ray Jr. is getting married - for those who know him. June 7th, Oakland temple. We met his girlfriend at my grandpa's funeral, and she has demonstrated an affinity for my motley family and has agreed to become an Archuleta. Pretty cool. I am so happy.

Kim - I am anxious to see your haircut. I am on the verge of doing something drastic with my hair, though I have said this numerous times and still sport the same do I've had for years. I am wavering between simple highlights or putting some kind of wave into my hair. I am a huge coward when it comes to my hair (to state the obvious) and admire all of you who undergo frequent changes. Loan me some courage. Buffy - I made an appointment at your salon - but I am debating whether or not to keep it until I have figured out what I am doing.

Everything else is good. We've had sunshine for the last couple of weeks, which has made running a pleasure. I will miss it when the rains come again, which they undoubtedly will. Took a day off today for strength training. I am inspired by all of you and think a family relay would be an unforgettable experience.

Happy birthday, Peter - have a good one. Have a good Thursday, everyone.

Adina

Hope this is a great day for you, Peter! Since we'll be celebrating Buffy, Peter, Brent and Anne's birthday together on the 8th, I was very negligent on cards but I am remembering the day. Peter, we are so glad that Anne found you...and brought you into our family!!!

Also... for those who don't regularly look at the other blogs that are linked to ours. The Schickie blog has some great stuff about Kay-Kay...a response to a question from Sophie who never really knew her. Also, the Bennett blog has a great current picture of Sawyer...what a cutie!!!

I just got back from running and need to get a quick shower so I can meet the Hospice nurse over at Grandma's at 11. I am finding that I need to take two showers a day...one before seminary and then one after exercising...obviously I am exerting myself more than I used to because I used to be able to skip the second one.

Love to all,

Mom

Happy Birthdays!! Buffy and Peter ditto what Kim said.

I have been seriously slacking in the running challenge but it is not because I want to. I had a million projects to get done before my mom got here and I had to spend time researching for a meeting I had with Ellyn's school yesterday. The meeting went really well. I was pretty nervous, it was me convincing the principal, the school psychologist, the EFMP manager, 4 therapists, Ellyn's teacher, and the Early Intervention Rep. that Ellyn's current program was inadequate (not that it wasn't obvious but I was afraid they would fight it) and drawing up what I thought was appropriate. I wasn't sure how supportive everyone was going to be. Most everyone was right on board, the speech therapist thought we could do it with minor changes- I think her ego was seriously getting in the way. The principal was cautious but agrred with me, which I expected, especially after last year. Anyway, during the next month all of the info. has to go up through admin. for Europe. Chances are very thin that they will be able to get Ellyn everything that she needs but we need to make sure first. From there they will work on getting us back to the states. We would move early and Mike would meet us after deployment. It sucks in most ways but it's killing me that Ellyn isn't getting what she needs over here.

Well I have to go get Sawyer dressed, he's prett upset that he's still in a onesie. Hood to Coast would be awesome, I would just have to see where we were.

I cut my hair today! 10 inches off! I absolutely love it. It is SO much lighter and I remember now how much I love short hair. I was so sick of having long hair. The summer was going to be miserable with long hair and I just really felt like it was time to cut it. I also realized how hard it would be with a newborn when I was holding Beck in Boise. SO I did tonight and I am donating the 10 inches to Locks of Love. I just have to send it in to their office in Florida. I will post pictures when I get some. I just have to do a ton of homework tonight so I decided to post just a small blog and blog some more tomorrow.
Happy belated birthday Buffy and happy birthday to Peter as well! Hope you both have and had a great one!
Oh! And we find out what the baby is on March 20th at 9:30 am!

Kimberly

So where is everybody? On the 'runnerschallenge'? Well, you knew what this running thing would turn into. I have got an idea. Although it may not work if TnT are going to the Far East. We should really do one of these relays together. The Hood to Coast would be a great one just because it is so close. So it is a relay of 197 miles, 12 runners. Each runner runs 3 legs about 4-5 hours in between legs, each leg being 3-8 miles, varying in difficulty. Then you need two vans to drive. It is more fun than you would think, but takes some preparation and forsight.

First of all you need 12 people. These are the ones I could muster up: Dave, Adina, Tom, Tracey, Paige, Marnie, Anne, Peter?, Kim?, Treven?, Mom?, Brent, Buffy?, Mike?, Brooke?, Brian?. Drivers: anyone that doesn't run and Dad...unless Dad wants to run (which I personally think you are totally capable of).

Second, you have to commit. And I don't mean get excited and then bail 6 months before. You need to COMMIT. It is a pain to try to find a replacement, and it isn't as fun as the original team.

The third thing you need is to register. You typically have to register a full year in advance, and you are not guaranteed a spot. So we are talking at the very earliest August, 2009, maybe August, 2010. This gives you PLENTY of time to either continue exercising like you are or SLOWLY, VERY SLOWLY ramp it up. Remember, this isn't a race to major mileage, it is a steady course to changing your lifestyle to choose to be fit. If you do it too fast...burnout....right back to where you started possibly with an injury.

Seriously, anyone can do this. I have run it and seen the people that run it. It isn't as crazy as you think. AND, it isn't a race against others. You run to try to get as close as you can to what you predicted. As your training increases approaching the race, you run a 10k and get your average pace. On my team now, we have people from a 7 minute mile to a 11 minute mile. It doesn't matter how fast you run it, just that you do it in the time you predicted. So, NO PRESSURE. Just make sure you train for whatever speed you are going to run.

I can promise you it is truly an experience like no other and you will remember it for a lifetime. Plus, the bonus of getting fit. There is plenty of time so that you could, starting now with a 1/2 mile run, increase each time you run 3-5 times a week by 100 feet. That's it, 100 feet. No matter what body you have, you will accomodate to that additional 30 steps over time and it won't seem overbearing. By the time the race arrives, if you are running about 20 miles a week, you are set.

Think about it.

Dave

Aside from having to drive long distances to eat....I hope you had a great day! Red Robin...Olive Garden...what more can you ask! Next birthday, you'll have a little one with you!

Love,

Barb

We hope you enjoy your day off - and make sure Brent pampers you! Have a wonderful birthday - I'm glad we can celebrate with you next week! Love you!
Dave, Adina, Isaac, Taylor, Parker & Morgan

Hey Family,

I know it has been quite a while since I have blogged. I am sorry for that. Today Buffy and I went to her first appointment with the doctor. Buffy was going through the exam and the doc tried to get the heartbeat of the baby on the doppler but was unsuccessful. So she had Buffy get an ultrasound and I tell you what, I never new how powerful that feeling is to finally see your first child on the screen. He/she was moving around and stretching his/her legs and arms. We also heard the heartbeat and all ws good. Buffy is doing well and is very happy to have just one child in her belly.

As for work, I am in the middle of the mas hire for the new store. I have hired 40 people in the last 3 days and it is all a blur. We go into the building on March 7th, so for all you who are visiting that weekend I will try to be around but I will be working a lot. I am excited to get in and start merchandising the new store and begin with a brand new staff that I can train from the beginning. My Management staff is great and I know this store will be very successful for the company.

I hope everyone is doing well and staying healthy. Buffy is calling me to dinner so I better go. Love you all.
Brent

Well I guess it is time for me to post. It may be short as Andrew is sitting next to me begging for attention and pretzels. Yes this kid is obsessed with pretzels, he could eat them all day long if I allowed him to.

Things are going well here. I am recovering from 2 weeks of company and I finally have my house back into order somewhat. I was so happy to finally clean up after Kim and Treven left and now we can see we have a carpet. I now see what 2 toddlers can do in a house in a weekend. I need to vaccum badly as there are crumbs from all kinds of snacks that Andrew and Melia had over the weekend.

Beck is growing and eating like a champ. He eats so much more than Andrew did and definitely is not spitting up anywhere close to how much Andrew did. Beck is such a calm and good baby, I still can't believe both have been this good.

We are coming home to visit the weekend of the 7th of March. Mom and Dad are flying us home since they are unable to come out the previous weekend for Beck's blessing on the 2nd. I am so excited to hear that Tom and Tracey will be there also.

Well Beck needs me now and Andrew is getting into everything. We love you all and can't wait to see those who will be there in March.

Love,
Anne

We we had a really busy week last week trying to get settled after our trips and then having Valentine’s day and Tom’s birthday, all the while Tom having duty for 4 of the last 9 days! Valentine’s day was fun, we (Danica and I) made heart shaped muffins and scrambled eggs for breakfast. When Tom got home from work he had to follow a trail of Hershey Kisses up the stairs to the guest room where he found us hiding in the playhouse with homemade Valentine’s for him. Hayden was sooo excited to hide he couldn’t wait for Tom to get home! Then we had a romantic evening all together eating at In n Out and buying new swimming suits at Old Navy!
On Friday Hayden had his first practice for his t-ball team! He was so nervous about it was really cute. It’s his first team sport so he wasn’t sure what to expect. He ended up loving it and his coach seems great. Now he asks me several times a day if he has t-ball that day! Somehow I got suckered into being team mom, hopefully it won't be too hard. Saturday Tom was on duty so we went to meet up with our friends the Kiser’s who are stationed up at Camp Pendleton. We knew them in Cleveland and they will be moving to Okinawa as well. Her husband also had duty on Saturday so we met at the beach on base there and had fun playing in the sand and running from the waves. She has three kids and her oldest two are boys age 4 and 3. They were running from the waves with Hayden when they tripped and fell in the water. They tried to get up to keep running but the three year old was struggling. Hayden looked back and saw what was happening so he ran back into the water and tried to help the little boy. Luckily it was only a foot or two of water and his mom was running out there to help so he wasn’t really in danger. However, I was so touched to see Hayden running back there to “rescue” him. It was one of those moments that makes up for all the bad ones. He truly is a remarkable kid. Afterwards he just ran to me and said “I got my pants all wet but he fell down!” I just wanted to hug him and tell him how proud I was of him! Saturday night we drove down to see Tom at work for his birthday and had dinner with him and hung out for while. Yesterday we had sugar pancakes, Tom’s favorite dinner and chocolate cake to celebrate. Marnie came over to help us have a party and we played "Ticket to Ride."
Today is finally the day Hayden has been asking me about for the last week! Marnie told Hayden she would take him to see the new movie Spiderwick Chronicles. He has been dying for it to come out and couldn’t wait! Everyday he would wake up and say “Okay, is today the day I get to go with Aunt Marnie?” When I finally said yes today he stood on his chair and started dancing and saying “Woohoo!” He is at the movie right now so hopefully he’s loving it as much as he thought he would! Thank you Marnie for making his dream come true! The kids are really enjoying the time they get to spend with their Aunt Marnie. Danica actually says “Marnie” and today she kept pretending that she was calling Marnie on her toy phone! For a girl that barely talks that is a big thing!
We are coming to Vancouver to visit March 4-9th. I am soooo excited and so is Hayden. He regularly asks me when we are going to his cousins house and I just try to dodge the question because I don’t have the heart to tell him that it will probably be a few years. I just keep telling him about the chance he will get to see them on a boat this summer. But last night I told him we are actually going to their house and he can’t wait!
Well I better go finish mopping, loading the dishes and folding the laundry while the girls are asleep. After their naps we are going down to meet up with Tom at Balboa Park right next to his work. I am going to take the girls in the jogging stroller while Hayden hangs out at Tom’s work. Hopefully he won’t get any emergencies that foil our plan. I am sure I am forgetting a lot of things I wanted to say but I am too tired. Alyssa has a bad cold and isn ‘t sleeping well, not that she usually does anyway! Maybe I can catch a 20 minute nap if I hurry... take care!

P.S. I didn't get this posted this afternoon so here is the follow up: No nap, too bad. The run at Balboa Park was okay but will go better next time when I have an idea of where I am going! Hayden LOVED the movie, when he got home I asked him if he liked it and he said "Are you kidding me, I loved it!" He's been glowing all day! Thanks again Marnie!

Here are some random photos just for fun:

I just wanted to be the one since I have contributed so much to this blog

Happy Birthday! I can't believe you are so grown up and married and a second kid on the way. I swear it was just yesterday that Mike was taking you on all the rides at Disneyland after we were married. You have grown up into a wonderful woman. We love you. love, the Mike Stinchfield clan

Hey, just wanted to send out a very happy birthday to you. Hopefully you are being able to spend the time with your family. We look forward to maybe seeing you early next month, hopefully I can get leave on such short notice. I put this picture on here from when you came out and we went to Niagara falls, that was a great time. We love you!

So I guess I'll contribute to the "Race to 3000". I am "enjoying" a weekend in. I came down with a chest cold this last week and am taking a couple days to hopefully get over it so I won't have to miss any work. Not the best for the little running challenge but I'll catch up once I'm well. I am feeling better each day so hopefully I will be completely better tomorrow so I can at least enjoy my Presidents' Day holiday.

So, you know when I said Breaking Dawn came out in April? Well, if I took two minutes to actually read the pre-order on Amazon I would have seen that it was in fact August and not April. Sorry. Good thing I've got that order in.

Also, not on my own, I finally found out why Jane was getting picked on at school. The other night at a Valentine's dinner for all the wives at the Mess Hall I was telling my friend that I had pulled Jane. I was telling her why and saying I just didn't quite get it. She looked around, leaned in, and said in a low voice "Brooke, it's because she's white." The next day when Jane's friend Shyah got home from school she said that she and Ranisha had been talking about it and they thought that maybe kids were being mean to Jane because she was white. So, I told Jane one of my friends had said the same thing (I didn't tell her who). I had debated telling her because I didn't want her to build up prejudices but I also didn't want her to continue to wonder what she was doing wrong. I guess I hadn't thought that direction. I was talking to our R.S pres. at church today. She is a good friend of mine but between our schedules we rarely do anything. She asked how things were going and I told her about our week. She looked at me and exclaimed "I'm not the only one(her husband is the manager of the new commissary)! That's why I kept asking you at the beginning of the school year if Jane was doing okay. I feel like I picked up my kids and dropped them into an inner city school (she has one in eighth grade and one a junior). They debate homeschooling on a weekly basis."

So while it is frustrating, I feel better knowing there isn't some bizarre part of my daughter that ostracizes her. I don't mind if it's her dad's rank, her values, or her skin color which seem to be the offending combination. Only because those are things we can't or won't do anything about. In some ways I think it is a good lesson for her.

Everything else is going reasonably well. Mike should be home around the 11th. Have I said this? We aren't excited or anything. By the way I did two rest days. I tweaked my back lifting Ellyn on Friday. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be good again. It was nice to read an e-mail from Tom. We love you all. Oh- good news! They have changed the Space-A rules and I can get a letter for Mike's entire deployment and fly CONUS as well as OCONUS. So for those that don't know what that means. I can fly within the U.S. on the Space A flights as well. So I can fly into McChord and then fly McChord to somewhere that flies to Ramstein. So maybe I will be there for part of the summer. I'm really grateful for that change.

Well, this is the race to 3000, this post will be #2995, so, there is a little motivation. Thank you to all for your birthday wishes. I was in fact at work all day. It is just the way that the schedule worked out with me on duty this weekend. We have it set up so that you have a sunday, then the wednesday, then that next saturday. That way we only have to do it every 5 weeks and it makes it so that we do not have to do those long weekends that David warned me about when I came here. So, it is not that bad. But, it was my week and so I did last sunday right when I got back from the training in Texas and then wednesday, and now saturday. I still have to have duty on Monday for presidents day. It is my holiday to do it so it had just been kind of bad timing. So I got to the hospital yesterday, helped the oral surgery resident see a follow up at 8 am, then had nothing the whole rest of the day and night. It was a little boring but beautiful. I was really hoping that it would be that way, so, there is my greatest birthday present. It gave me a chance to read up for a presentation I have to give in 2 weeks, rest a little, have dinner with Tracey and the kids, examine the kids teeth(Danica was not too keen on that), and I even had a chance to run 5.7 miles, with which I will be entering the competition. So, not an unproductive day, and even though I was at "work", Tracey was doing exponentially more work trucking the kids to the beach and down to see me, and to the grocery store. They are quite the handful at this age since the older two just bicker and bother each other, and Alyssa provides her own challenges.

I will be very excited to move on after this residency. We went to a seminar a few days this week and I met an old GPR resident, LT Evers. He said that he knew Dad and knew of David. He was a real nice guy. Anyway, he was in Okinawa for 4 years and said that they had just loved it. I am sure it is like anything, it is what you make of it. Congrats Anne and Peter on the Baby, hopefully we will get a chance to see him before we take off. It sounds like all is going well around the family so that is great. I wonder how Buffy is feeling occasionally. I am happy to be in such a wonderful family with so many great friends. I cannot wait to be closer to all of you someday in the not too distant future. I am sure the next 3 years will go by fast, I cannot believe that my residency only has 4 more months. It seems like yesterday it was starting.

The training that I went to in San Antonio was alright. They have cut out a lot of the more enjoyable stuff because of feedback from past attendees. Like repelling, they used to do it and now they have cut it out, so now you look at some vehicles we will be using, go through and warehouse simulation of a mass casualty, and go through different setups of medical stations in the field. Oh yeah, and we carry a stretcher over walls and through sand. So, I guess I did it. It was not amazing but it was not so bad. We did get a chance to go into San Antonio one night and I was impressed. It was really beautiful. I have never ever thought of it as a tourist town but it seemed to have a nice feel.

So that is all I have got.

Tom

You've been on my mind today. I hope our card got there in time...by yesterday so you could actually get it. It's a real bummer that you have the duty on your birthday!!!

I'm enjoying the time with Anne and Peter and Kim and Treven and kiddies. A 2 bedroom house does seem a little small with 5 adults and 3 children and all the paraphenelia....however, not as small as at Thanksgiving when we had two more adults!!!

Can't believe you are 30 already!!! Guess I am getting old too!...lately everyone is giving me the senior citizen discount without even asking my age!!!!

Love,

Mom

I hope you have a great day. It doesn't sound like you get too much time to celebrate this weekend but I'm sure you'll find a way to par-tay!

Hope you're enjoying the day with your family in San Diego. To celebrate, I came to Las Vegas to attend 16 grueling hours of anesthesia updates. Headed home tonight arriving about 0045am Sunday.

Have a good one.

Dad

You might not be able to tell in this one. I couldn't find one right away with him asleep. I'm going to bed. I finally finished Harry Potter 7 tonight.

Adina and Dave (since I know you were right there with Adina picking it out),

Thank you so much for Ellyn's velvet jacket and jeans. She looks adorable and she is so wearing that jacket to pick up her daddy. You are so amazing and thoughtful. Thank you.

Oh, I forgot to tell you all something in my novel I wrote yesterday. First of all, you can pre-order Breaking Dawn book 4 on Amazon and it is due out April of this year. Second, they are filming the baseball scene for Twilight at Multnomah Falls (my friend's aunt's friend is working with the crew)and the movie will be out this year- December. I'm so happy I'm practically sparkling (practically, I leave the real sparkling to Sparkle).

A copy from BEECH TREE
So, the fastest way to put Sawyer to sleep (when nursing doesn't do it) is to wrap him in his blanket, lay him in the middle of my bed and turn on Cold Play really loud. It works wonders. You can't be there with him though. At night he'll normally just lay here beside me while I e-mail Mike and fall asleep but today he found his feet so he keeps kicking off his blanket to play with his toes. He thinks they are great. Now he's moving his head to angle himself for easy eye contact, just laying in my lap as happy as a clam. I ADORE this kid, you know, just like I adore his sisters.

Life continues to stay busy and get busier. I pulled Jane out of school today. She's going to homeschool for at least a quarter and see what she thinks. I have not had any problems with her teachers. Actually, they love her. But this is a rough school. Not to sound like an elitist but I wouldn't be putting my kid in this school if we were in the states. Every day she is getting picked on, multiple horrible things said to her and it's kids in general, not just one or two. I was talking to a friend tonight and she said her son was facing the same problem. They have a very religious family and her kid is a straight arrow and I think these kids are really more likely to be ridiculed. Even more so than at a normal middle school (because we all know that m.s. sucks). I can't think of what else it would be, Jane's cute, she wears cute clothes, she's funny, and she has some really good friends. So I don't really know if Jane was a target or if it is just a general condition but it was really bad and I kept trying to have her stick it out and stick up for herself and then it was disturbing me because asking her to have an attitude or make snide comments (not insults)back went against so much of what Jane is- a good, sweet girl and it wasn't working anyway. She has her faults too, we know she can be a little drama, but her moral compass is finely tuned and I don't want that to go away. It isn't our parenting, trust me.

Not to compare but a funny little example of that would be this- just the other day Sadie was complaining that she didn't get a sweetheart at the end of the day because she wasn't being good but she couldn't because she and Sophia were having too much fun. The story of her life

Anyway, day one went really well but it was English and Social Studies and P.E., tomorrow is math and science and French (the language of choice)but the good news is that her math teacher sent me her whole curriculum and her on-line textbook and their schedule (I told you her teachers love her). So hopefully it will all work out.

It's funny but in some ways I feel like I'm becoming the mom that I always pictured that I would be. Really careful about my kids nutrition, very earth conscious (you have to be over here), very involved in enriching their education (I always wanted to home-school until I realized I couldn't teach the real fundamentals and that I didn't want my kids to be dorks-maybe that hasn't worked). Maybe the Lord knew I was too lazy to do it on my own- not that I wasn't concerned about all of these things to a certain extent but never to the level that I felt comfortable. Aren't you all so glad that you get to read all of my babble- yikes. I will get off of here before I bore you to death. You can just be happy I don't have time to blog very often.

I couldn't write another blog. I have to go to bed and wake up early and run alot of miles cuz I don't want to embarrass myself. One of the good things about Jane being home is now we work out during the time that I would normally be helping her get up and out the door. Getting up any earlier than 6 was just too much but it was still hard to find a time that worked with both Sawyer and Ellyn and the things I needed to get done in a day. No Schickie numbers here I'm afraid. Love you all. Brooke

You MUST read to the end. Jay Leno puts it into perspective and makes us think about the pathetic negativity. That's right, Jay Leno!!

Jay Leno wrote this; it's the Jay Leno we don't often see....

"The other day I was reading Newsweek magazine and came across some poll data I found rather hard to believe. It must be true, given the source, right?

The Newsweek poll alleges that 67 percent of Americans are unhappy with the direction the country is headed, and 69 percent of the country is unhappy with the performance of the President. In essence, 2/3's of the citizenry just ain't happy and want a change.

So being the knuckle dragger I am, I started thinking, "What are we so unhappy about?"

Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours a day, 7 days a week?

Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter?

Could it be that 95.4 percent of these unhappy folks have a job?

Maybe it is the ability to walk into a grocery store at any time, and see more food in moments than Darfur has seen in the last year?

Maybe it is the ability to drive from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean without having to present identification papers as we move through each state?

Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe motels we would find along the way that can provide temporary shelter?

I guess having thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine from around the world is just not good enough.

Or could it be that when we wreck our car, emergency workers show up and provide services to help all, and even send a helicopter to take you to the hospital.

Perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of Americans who own a home. You may be upset with knowing that in the unfortunate case of a fire, a group of trained firefighters will appear in moments and use top notch equipment to extinguish the flames thus saving you, your family and
your belongings.

Or if, while at home watching one of your many flat screen TVs, a burglar or prowler intrudes, an officer equipped with a gun and a bullet-proof vest will come to defend you and your family against attack or loss.

This all in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or militias raping and pillaging the residents. Neighborhoods where 90 percent of teenagers own cell phones and computers.

How about the complete religious, social and political freedoms we enjoy that are the envy of everyone in the world?

Maybe that is what has 67 percent of you folks unhappy.

Fact is, we are the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats the world has ever seen. No wonder the world loves the U.S., yet has a great disdain for its citizens. They see us for what we are. The most blessed people in the world who do nothing but complain about what we don't have, and what we hate about the country instead of thanking the good Lord we live here.

I know, I know. What about the President who took us into war and has no plan to get us out? The President who has a measly 31 percent approval rating? Is this the same President who guided the nation in the dark days after 9/11? The President that cut taxes to bring an
economy out of recession? Could this be the same guy who has been called every name in the book for succeeding in keeping all the spoiled ungrateful brats safe from terrorist attacks?

The Commander-In Chief of an all-volunteer army that is out there defending you and me? Did you hear how bad the President is on the news or talk show? Did this news affect you so much, make you so unhappy you couldn't take a look around for yourself and see all the good things
and be glad?

Think about it...are you upset at the President because he actually caused you personal pain OR is it because the "Media" told you he was failing to kiss your sorry ungrateful behind every day.

Make no mistake about it. The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have volunteered to serve, and in many cases may have died for your freedom. There is currently no draft in this country. They didn't have to go.

They are able to refuse to go and end up with either a "general" discharge, an "other than honorable" discharge or, worst case scenario, a "dishonorable" discharge after a few days in the brig.

So why then the flat-out discontentment in the minds of 69 percent of Americans? Say what you want, but I blame it on the media. If it bleeds, it leads; and they specialize in bad news. Everybody will watch a car crash with blood and guts. How many will watch kids selling
lemonade at the corner? The media knows this and media outlets are for-profit corporations. They offer what sells, and when criticized, try to defend their actions by "justifying" them in one way or another. Just ask why they tried to allow a murderer like O.J. Simpson to write
a book about "how he didn't kill his wife, but if he did he would have done it this way"...Insane!

Stop buying the negativism you are fed everyday by the media. Shut off the TV, burn Newsweek, and use the New York Times for the bottom of your bird cage. Then start being grateful for all we have as a country. There is exponentially more good than bad.

We are among the most blessed people on Earth, and should thank God several times a day, or at least be thankful and appreciative.

"With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, "Are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?"

Jay Leno
2007

The race has just started but you can keep track of us on our new google group:

http://groups.google.com/group/runningchallenge

Everyone is welcome to join! I can send you an email with instructions if you would like! Okay, gotta run! :)

Okay, I have a ton to say in only a few minutes. I have had a really great couple of weeks. Before I get started, there was a lot of interest in having a running challenge and now that I am back in town I would love to get it started! I am thinking we do a contest to see who can run the most miles in 30 days with other sub categories like most consecutive days, most miles in one day, most improved, fastest mile, etc. It should be fun and hopefully very motivating because I need it!!! The thing I need to figure out is the best way to track it. I could start a google group for us or something, I will work on it tomorrow and then maybe the contest can start on Tuesday. Does that sound good to everyone?

So here's is what I have been doing the last few weeks. It started with an awesome visit from my dear friend Elise Dixon from Cleveland. Her and her husband Bren moving in across the street from us was one of the best things that happened to us in Cleveland. We had so much fun with them and have really missed them. I have been begging her to come and get out of the Cleveland weather and when she finally did it ended up raining here!! I couldn’t believe it, it was so pathetically sad! We managed to salvage a trip to the beach and just enjoyed hanging out but we didn’t get to go to the park and play in the yard or all of those fun things I had dreamed about. Luckily I still had the fun of seeing her and her two little kids! I have taken a ton of pictures but I can’t find the cord to the camera so I will have to post them later.

After her visit I got ready for a trip to Utah while Tom was away at a Navy training in Texas. We pulled out of the driveway at the same time, him headed to the airport and me to St. George to stay with my great friend Cori Hench. Driving alone with the kids was a bit intense but overall went really well. The highlight was Hayden needing to go to the bathroom SOOOO bad while I was stuck in Vegas traffic due to an accident. I finally managed to make my way off an exit but couldn’t find a gas station so I decided to stop by an old building. I was about to the open the door when I noticed a strange man in the bushes... we kept driving and found a large empty parking lot, so fun. Danica was a champ and didn’t have any accidents despite being so new to the potty trained scene. It was great to see Cori and her darling girls and Hayden was so happy to play. The next day we drove up to Spanish Fork and picked up my nephew Parker. He’s 3 1/2 and Hayden was so excited to have a sleep over with him! We all drove to my parents and had fun playing with grandma and grandpa. On Saturday Hayden’s dreams came true and we went sledding. He loved it! Danica and Parker weren’t so sure they liked it but they went down the hill a few times. On Sunday night I took Alyssa and went to visit my grandma. She is getting older and we knew I couldn’t possibly visit with her and watch my kids at the same time so they luckily got to stay with my parents. It was really nice to see her, I miss her a lot. On Monday we went swimming at an indoor pool. Alyssa loves swimming! She just smiles and splashes the whole time! Danica is getting really good at swimming as well, she wears her little floaties and goes to the side of the pool and climbs out by herself so she can jump back in! On Tuesday I had a great visit my best friend from my childhood Melody (Just) Terry. We had fun visiting and Hayden loved played with her son Josh who is 4. It was fun to catch up with each other. On Tuesday night we got to see Parker again along with his dad who is my brother Ryan and his wife Amy. My parents treated all the grandkids to a night at Jungle Jim’s Playland. It’s a fun little amusement park type place in Sandy. Hayden was in heaven and wanted to go on the little roller coaster a million times. Danica loved the swings and Alyssa took a nap! We had a great time with all the activities. On Wednesday my cousin Deanna came to visit me and then I spent more time with Melody before packing up to come back. I also stopped at the store and got some Rainbow Chip Cake mix and frosting, and Stephens hot cocoa mix to bring back with me, yum!!! Overall the trip was great, it was fun to see everyone. Sadly we didn’t get to see everyone we wanted to due to illness and heavy snowfall. I don’t know if I’ll be back before we move to Japan but I try not to think about that.
Well I would love to write more, things like the fact that Alyssa is now sitting up and eating solid foods, Danica is trying to talk all the time and Hayden is funnier than ever. But I need to go to bed. Tom is on duty, ugh...

Oh yeah, now the real last thing, it was 80 degrees and sunny today. Have I mentioned I love this place!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

School is going well. Treven got 100% on his first anatomy test and a B on his first Chemistry test. Now he knows what to expect on his chemistry tests so he will be able to study better. I always hate the first tests from teachers because you don't know what to expect. But all is going well in school and we will be done with this semester on April 10th.

We are planning on coming home during the break between semesters... so April 11th or 12th through the next Thursday. We will be driving so we will see what happens. We also decided that Treven is just going to stick it out here and finish. They have the fast grad program that he is planning to start when I graduate and if we moved he would lose like 14 credits. It just isn't worth it to put him farther behind. So we will be staying here! We will be coming to visit more hopefully. He just can finish faster here with the fast grad program and keeping credits.

It has been snowing like crazy here on top of the wind. We got a foot of snow in one night last Wednesday. It was ridiculous. AND Rexburg did not budget enough for the snow plows so they are already over budget. They did not expect it to snow as much as it has. So the roads are not great! They never are though! They say that it hasn't snowed this much since 1997 so yeah! They definitely did not expect it!

The Rexburg Temple is being dedicated today. We weren't able to get tickets which is sad, but we are watching our friend's kids so that they could go. It is interesting to see Melia interacting with a younger baby. She hasn't been around any kids that are younger than her. She keeps trying to scare him and it is definitely not working well.

Pregnancy is going well, I guess. It is definitely completely different than Melia. I threw up 3 times on the way to work yesterday, but I have been feeling fine for about a month so it was out of the blue. It isn't the flu at all so I guess it is just the pregnancy. My moods are way different than they were with Melia and I am craving salty things. I craved a lot of sweet with Melia. Treven keeps saying if it is a girl then we are in trouble! She is going to be a handful. I agree!

Just added some pictures from Melia lately and when we get our video camera, we will start putting some videos up.

That is the boring update from us. Seems like I say the same thing everytime. I am so excited to go to Boise on Friday and visit Anne and family and to see Mom. We are going to celebrate my birthday there which will be fun.

Love you all,

Kim

I'm up early this morning...and Dad even earlier since he had a Stake Priesthood Meeting at 7 am. He was not overjoyed about that although he always really enjoys the meeting when he goes. I figured the least I could do is get up at the same time with him!

Yesterday was a great day, with Parker's baptism. He looked so grownup (although as I get older, children being baptized look younger and younger....my kids couldn't have been that small when they were baptized...they seemed so grownup at the time). It was especially a blessing to be able to hear David and Adina's talks. Adina had had Parker select the roles for everyone and chose them for the talks. They were excellent and I couldn't help feel great joy as I listened to David and saw the great man that he is....as all of you are. I feel so blessed to have seven wonderful children that have grown up well despite the mistakes I made as a mother. I feel that is one of Heavenly Father's greatest blessings to us...that things can turn out well in spite of our errors along the way. I sound like Kay-Kay now, I guess, but I can understand now how as you get older you mull over what you wish you had done a little better in your life. I guess it is just one of those signs of old age!

Tomorrow, I am flying out to Boise to help out Anne...hopefully to help but at least I get to see Beck in person. Kim and Treven are coming out late in the week so I'll get to see them also. It will be nice to have a respite from seminary!

We had a great weekend at the Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko last weekend. It is hard to convey how much fun it is...because it sounds so peculiar! It is very relaxing and I got a lot accomplished on the crossstitch for Sawyer. I can almost see the end in sight....not here yet but at least visible in the distant horizon.
I am trying to put in some serious time since I have so many to do this year with our family expansion!

Love you all.....POST!!!!!

Mom

We are so proud of you. What a grown up, good kid you are. We wish we could have been there with you. We hope you had a great day.

love, Aunt Brooke, Uncle Mike, and all the crazy kids

Hi fam, all is well here. I have to say that ny life right now is stressing me out quite a bit more than usual. I talked to Ellyn's Dr. and she thought it was a good idea to try the gluten free casein free diet with Ellyn, but to do it for six months instead of two and to eliminate all preservatives as well. Oh- Adina, do you think that would include jam? Does that sound like a dumb question? But when it says on the jar "strawberry PRESERVES" it makes you wonder and I haven't had time to look it up. So...it has been alot of cooking from scratch which isn't exactly convenient when you have basketball practice for Jane two nights a week and the games on a third. Besides that Ellyn has become very comfortable in the kitchen because I bring her in with me while I'm cooking and now she keeps trying to get into everything. She has started doing a bunch of other things too and I really can't tell if it's good because she's becoming curious about things or bad because she is now becoming destructo-elasta girl. I don't know that that is the best combo.

I did go in and spoke firmly to the EFMP manager about the amount of education/therapy Ellyn is getting. She will be four next week and we are not making progress. I arranged for all of my respite hours to be used having her caregiver go into the school and work with her one on one throughout the school day. We are setting up another meeting with the school and if that all fails there are more drastic steps that I am at the point I'm ready to take. We'll see. It just isn't fair to her not to have the help she needs. Well she just woke up so I had better go. Sorry, this is kind of a downer. I really just wanted to write and say we were alive and well, which we are. love, Brooke

Not that I'm complaining. I realize it is much warmer here than other places in this world of ours. But is just looks like it would be much warmer than it is - totally clear skies and sunny and yet only about 50 degrees.

Work is still really busy for me but getting a lot better. I have absorbed most of the responsibilities for our P.E.T., Parent Effectiveness Training, department so I am dealing with a lot of parents and instructors which can be nice because I get to hear their success stories about how much P.E.T. helped them with their families. We are also finally finishing up a revision of a program for personal development which is very good and I think will get a lot of interest. I have also been in charge of getting our website revised and updated. It is a total overhaul and the project has been taking quite a while but we are finally seeing some progress with the people who are implementing my designs. It is going to look pretty awesome when it is finished and I am very excited for that to happen. I'll be sure to put up a link to the new site when it is live.

Other than work...hmmm...I had a LOST Premiere party with my friends last week which was very fun. My friend Marisa made her apartment look like a jungle and even built a tarp-tent over her TV - just like Sawyer's! I can't wait for tomorrow night's episode. It makes me so happy that LOST is back. And it looks like the writers' strike just might be over soon so hopefully we can get a full season instead of just the eight episodes they have already shot.

I have re-fallen in love with the band MUSE. I kinda went crazy and bought all of their CDs (like the actual CD - not iTunes) last weekend. They only have five so it isn't too bad, don't worry. I also pre-ordered their DVD of their last tour show which is coming out in March. They are one band that I most definitely want to see live and I really am kicking myself because back in September I had the opportunity to get free tickets to their concert when they were in San Diego for Street Scene but I had to work at Sport Chalet and so I didn't go. :( They are now performing in South Africa so who knows when they will be back in the States..... but I assure you that when they are, I will be there.

As you can see below, I also have my annual Oscar party coming up in a few weeks. I'm not gonna lie, I kinda forgot about it until a couple days ago. So the strike actually works well because I think it will be much easier to throw together an informal party than a formal one. Again, hopefully the writers' strike will be over so there is actually a show to watch.

I am also trying to find a race that I want to do or some kind of competition that will get my lazy butt into the gym. It really does make a difference to have that. Tracey - you mentioned starting up something like that next week maybe? A competition to see who could run the most miles in 30 days? Anyone up for it? I am thinking about maybe doing the Disneyland Half Marathon on August 31st but it is $100 and right now I really don't feel like spending that on a race....we'll see.

I also recently watched the movie "3:10 to Yuma"(R - for violence and brief language). It is very good and I highly recommend it. Also nominated for two Oscars this year for Original Score and Sound.

That is all I can think of for now. So there you go - update on me. :)

It's been a while, and there is no earth-shattering news to share, but here is a quick update on us...

It's 8pm and Dave is still at work. When it rains, it pours - and it's been pouring this month for Dave. He had to replace his server at work, and it's acting up again. There are always staffing issues to deal with and I won't even go into that (my face turns an unflattering shade of red and steam whistles out of my ears). It's just been one thing after another, and I feel for him. Of course, it's all normal for this transition and he is handling it well.

Isaac wants an electric guitar - his guitar teacher showed him one today "made by Mexicans" (a direct quote) that is good quality and not too pricey, so he is determined to get it. He actually has the moolah, but he doesn't want to deplete his savings and is looking for odd jobs and babysitting gigs.

Taylor is learning about electricity and magnets in school, so he has taken apart about four of his toys and pulled out wires and batteries to build things. He dissected an Elmo doll last week to get the magnets out and traumatized Morgan with the remains. Taylor is also on a constant quest for black hair.

Parker must be experiencing a growth spurt because he is "starving" every hour. He is also our behavior police, constantly telling people if they are doing something inappropriate. "Morgan - stop smacking your gum. That's inappropriate."

Morgan got her ears pierced last week. Her logic was sound. "Sadie got her ears pierced and she is five, and I am six!" She was a trooper - not a tear - just elation over having pink jewels in her ears.

Dave and I are hoping to do another half-marathon this spring with Paige. We are looking at Tacoma, Eugene, and Wenatchee. We need to just make a decision and get ready for it.
Parker's baptism is this weekend - I have some family coming in for it, and he is so excited.

That's it. Love to hear everyone's news.
Adina

We hope you have a wonderful day. I actually have something for your birthday but I don't think I will get it until March or April:). We all love you. You are a wonderful dad and grandpa. We are so blessed to have you. Have a great day!

Brooke and kids and Mike if he hasn't been able to write

Well I know it has been sometime since I have blogged. We moved from Baghdad to an area in the north Diyala province to conduct missions against AQ infested areas. Most the major AQI leaders here have now been killed or escaped to other areas and now we spend most our time rebuilding the communites they left behind and weeding out anyone who aided or abetted their operations while they were here. It is pitiful to see what these terrorist groups do to communities. They are truly like the Gadiantons, and they can really only work in secret now. It is tough for me to deal with all the deception and infiltration. I never wanted to be a CIA guy or a organized crime cop, but I feel like that is most of what we do. It is challenging but we are also learning much. Oddly enough, a lot of what I do feels much like my mission in Japan as I go door to door visiting families and "selling" our story of a stronger Iraq.

The family pictured above is the village "muktar" or mayor. His son on my left was seriously injured in an IED attack while he was working with US forces about a year ago. The village they live in has about 3000 people and the name of the town translates to LOST which I though Marnie would love. It is actually as idyllic a place as you get in this somewhat hellish landscape of Iraq. It sits on a rapidly moving canal with main dirt streets running on both sides as it twists through the classical middle eastern architecture. The white and sand colored terraced homes border a wealth of orange groves which extend in all directions from the village. It is quite pleasant to walk through these groves sometimes. Bright oranges dangle amidst the green of the fruit trees themselves while dense palm trees tower above filtering in the sunlight. That is until you find the bomb making materials buried beneath the scene. Then you realize how screwed up this place is as you hear the children playing back in town. If this was the location of Eden, then the fall of man is real apparent right here in the garden.

The men are doing well. They all expected something different and some really do not like the fact that there have been no firefights here. I am grateful for that myself and I think they will be too in years to come as they mature.

The facilities for living up here are beyond poor. The chow is nice and the one thing that cannot be complained about. But the living conditions...it is the one time I have seriously considered skipping the chain of command and writing a long letter to a Senator. People in America should know that there are serious implications to not passing a budget meant to finance this war. Silly partisan games are preventing Soldiers from living like decent human beings. You should know that those partisan politics are directly affecting your son/brother and the way I live day to day. No water to take showers most days, no place to sleep but our vehicles or to overoccupy a tent with cots with muddy floors. Mud everywhere, I had a Soldier contract dysentery the other day. My commander is doing everything he can, including letting us go to another base every few days to sleep in real bunks and take showers and call home. I do not want this to seem like whining, just to show that actions in Washington apply to real people. And it is stuff no care package will fix, however gracious. I would say if the constituents are going to support the war initially then you damn well better see it through until the end. And if it means pulling out early because you cannot continue to financially undewrite the decisions you have made then so be it, otherwise the people of America as represented by the folks in Washington better do the right thing and give troop support more than lip service while the Soldiers are still working hard here. The budget to support the troops is not something to be played with as the blackmail tool for partisan politics. Shame on all Parties.

I am writing from the nice base where we still have kept all our personal things. I say nice but relative to where we were in Baghdad, the place is pretty bad. Still it has most amenities here.

So I love all the Romney propaganda Dad keeps sending out. Good luck to him. Despite my rant above, I believe the country is ready for a major change and I see that in Obama. Romney will only maintain the dangerous status quo conservative leadership. I think they all are letting the country down right now, but I am interested in a major shake up and honestly in terms of education, health care, and regulatory controls of selfish corporations I side more with Democrats. I am all for raising taxes if it means better opportunites for everyone. But they should all be ashamed of themselves and yes just because I said that does not mean I do not despise Pelosi and Hillary.

It is still pretty cold here. It drops below freezing most nights. It is the rainy season so that happens every few days, increasing the mud.

The other day I had an interesting experience as I was invited to the funeral lunch for a 80 year old man that some of my men had accidentally killed. On the first day of operations we had found some large IEDs at an intersection. While we were preppping some explosives to destroy them, some of my men saw an individual several hundred meters away sneaking toward the most likely location of the trigger (the wire to detonate the bomb ran that way). So they engaged the man with their rifles and he was seriously injured and evacuated to a US hospital. He died a few days ago, the day prior to this lunch. It was simply a tragedy and my men did what they had to do to protect themselves with the information they had at the time. So there I was sitting with all the family and extended family outside (about 30 men) being fed a wonderful meal of lamb and rice, all eyes focused on me. I expressed my condolences but they told me not to worry, that Allah willed it. It was just bizarre. Also funerals are historically magneticallly attracted to suicide bombers so it was a strange combination of nervousness (not wanting to be there) and not wanting to offend the people who we had affected so tragically by not being in attendance. So obviously it all ended safely, I delivered a large sum of cash the next day as a condolence payment ( I know westerners cannot conceive of this, we would probably just beat down the poor guy delivering the payment, but here it is the way to make restitution and save face). Allah willed it? What if some foreigner had shot and killed my grandfather? Will Allah also will future revenge against US forces because of it? Is the restitution payment going to prevent Allah from willing that revenge?

I do not know what the coming months hold. I may be changing command in May. I might move my R&R leave to March. I may be taking command of the HQ company. Part of me would love to stay in command as long as possible. The other part of me would like to get back on staff and start working out and getting health again.

I love you all. I look forward to getting back home of course. I think we will be headed back to the states for an assignment no later than September 2009.

Mike

We are enjoying our time with Dick and Martha, Richard and Kathleen Webb in the old town of Elko. Lots of music, poetry, displays and food. We've had a great deal of snow during our stay and expect more on our way home on Sunday. Hoping that we can talk a few more of you into joining us in the ensuing years. Mom and Dad.