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.