Four Months Down

Today Drew and I celebrate four months into deployment. We are so happy that we are already 1/3 of the way done with this thing! And tomorrow (March) we get to say see you next month!! I can't talk about that too much because I start to get heart palpitations. :) Seriously! Drew and I are already so excited so I can only imagine where our excitement will be next month. We cannot wait!

Even with having so much to look forward to, this week was still a rough week for us. This crazy schedule of non-stop work mixed with 24 hour shifts is starting to take its toll on the guys. Drew is really looking forward to having some downtime soon. It doesn't help either that they have been dealing with bad sandstorms at the beginning of the week and now it will not stop raining. The entire city basically turns to slop when it rains which makes for a more difficult patrol. I'm so proud of Drew though and all those guys for that matter. They just keep at it everyday day in and day out and continue to work hard. Drew has at least been able to get to the gym which is his chance to get away for a little bit. We haven't been able to talk that much this week with his crazy work schedule but we continue to steal any moments we can together even if only for a minute.

Here's a picture that Drew took during a sandstorm. At first I thought maybe the flash had done something funny but Drew explained that this is truly what it looks like. The sky turns yellow when the sun tries to shine through the sand. He said he's never seen anything like it.

Elections in Full Swing

Elections are in full swing in Iraq! I am starting to think I need to update this blog twice a week or take notes or something!! This has been another whirlwind of a week and I can't even think of what has been going on with Drew! Things are nuts! He has had up to three missions per day with 24 hour checkpoint security thrown in. He has tried to get to the gym for his version of "down time" but has been interrupted as more missions come up. As Drew's boss explained, in the United States, politicians campaign for years. In Iraq, they campaign for 2-3 weeks. This election will essentially decide which group has control over the city so things are intense. Even amidst all the craziness, Drew did have the ever-so-coveted day off this past week. We had so much fun! We were able to hang out together and Drew was able to go to the gym, clean his room, and have time to himself. So thank God for that! Then it was right back into it for the last few days. One day even took longer than planned because he got a flat tire and had to sit there and wait. One plus is the food. Drew loves falafels!! Falafels are a local food which are really popular over there. I think Drew has one everyday! One day they were taking pictures because his group bought over 40 falafels. He has yet to send pictures but I'm sure I'll share when I get them. :)

Last weekend I was able to pull off a really fun surprise for a good friend. Her husband sent out an email to all of us announcing a surprise b-day dinner for her and he was quite surprised when I responded that I would be there. Why not?!!? We had a great time on Friday night. Saturday, I went with my parents to Kansas City to see my sister and brother for a night. It was definitely not enough time as I only got to see a few people but I will plan more trips soon. The only downside of the trip was that I did not get to see Drew's parents. I had them on my agenda (yes, I have agendas when I come in town) for Thursday night dinner but my flight was delayed and I got in really late. Darn!! We were so disappointed! Next time!

Here's a neat picture Drew took of his gear on his truck. I love that he has a hunting sticker on his truck. Nothing like pieces of home in Iraq!

This is the friend I surprised Christina and her husband John. I wish this was better but I forgot my camera and had to use my phone.

This is in KC. We were trying so hard to get a picture of the snow but you can't see that it is really snowing.

It started accumulating so we got one with the snow! You have to understand- it was 70 and sunny in Savannah today so it is fun to see snow!

Drew would normally be right in the middle of this beer tasting with Dad and Wade. They both ordered one of Drew's favorite beers to begin with in honor of him. :) We all cannot wait until he can join us!

111 Days Down

I just read an email from Drew's boss that said we are 111 days into this deployment. That's almost 1/3 of the way there! That's pretty good. Things are getting really busy in Iraq. The elections are coming up in two weeks so the activity in the city is at its peak. Drew said people are everywhere and the energy is very high with the campaigns that are taking place. The soldiers are working to prepare the polling locations as far as security goes but this is a difficult task with over 200 locations and only 2 weeks left. Drew has had missions day and night as well as his 24 hour security checkpoint shifts thrown in there too. It's a lot of work but they know right now is an important time for Iraq and the soldiers need to do what they can to support the Iraqi Police.
This has been a weird week for me because I have basically been sick all week. It's stupid. Between Drew being so busy and me being sick, this week has been a blur. But it's another week down in the books and we are another week closer to mid-tour leave. :)

Superbowl and 10K

Last year Drew missed the Superbowl because he was in basic training, and this year he missed it because he was on a 24 hour mission guarding the checkpoint. But, good news! He was able to drink his two ice-cold Bud Lights today. He was pretty tired by the time he went to have them but the whole group went and they had fun. I think that is definitely what you would call a well-deserved beer! This past week Drew was really busy for much of the time. We were able to talk everyday but didn't get a chance to really catch up until later in the week. We love when we find the time and can spend a couple of hours together. Although we would love to talk that long everyday, our week flies by when we are both so busy. They also had snow in Iraq this week which is rare. In Drew's words: so much for global warming. :) Here's a picture of Drew in his full face mask. He said he was freezing!

Here's another one of the guys. Hodge is being silly.


I also found this picture which Drew's boss took around Christmas. They had all of the married guys from 3rd platoon stand by the Christmas tree. The other wives and I were laughing because they look so cute and dorky at the same time!


This weekend my cousin Ellen O came to visit and we ran a race in Hilton Head. Here's us after I finished my 10K and Ellen finished her 5K. It was non-stop laughter from the time she called me telling me she was on her way until the time she left. Seriously hilarious! I love having visitors!

And of course we had to have a beer after running before we hit the Hilton Head outlet malls. :) This diner in Hilton Head was neat. We had our own jukebox!