Anaconda

Well, at the moment I’m laying in my rack listening to Reliant K. It is 1705 and I'm pretty worn out. I woke up this morning at 09 and didn’t go to sleep until 0630 after lying in bed for an hour and a half trying to sleep, but things were just filling my head keeping me awake. When I woke up at 09 I used the latrine and headed back to bed for more sleep as I was still worn down pretty bad from a long night. But again, thoughts filled my head and sleep was not going to happen. After lying in bed thinking about grand things I finally got up at 1100 and headed to the showers to get up and ready for the day. On my way there I came to see that the shower was closed for cleaning so I just headed to the latrine to shave and clean up as best I could.

So ready to do what I needed to do I headed to the PX, the military store, to pick up some needed stuff, stuff I needed to mail home. After getting everything I went to the Post Office and sent my stuff to the Hill of Sugar. It was still kind of early, about 2ish, so I went to the MWR and got on the computers and talked to Nancy. We chatted for a while and then I made my way to the gym to shoot. My game isn’t very good, but better then when I first got here. Last night playing in a game I hurt my heal, not sure what is wrong with it but if I move my ankle fully extended it hurts pretty bad, so jumping wasn’t to good for it. Odd turns and high pressure aren’t good either. Plus my bad knees aren't holding up well after so many days streight of playing. So I took it easy and then I finished out with a good brick.

Then I went back to the PX and got some OJ and the CD I'm listening to now. Now on track three…not to bad, but I like K. So now I'm about dead, physically, after playing ball last night for three hours and staying up all night and then only getting two and a half hours of sleep. But mentally, I'm wide awake and even if I wanted to go to sleep, all I would do is lay here and think. Which wouldn’t be bad, most thoughts are pretty good ones. But I guess here in about an hour I’ll walk down and get some chow. On my way back I might stop at the Internet Café and post this blog, other wise it will be a day late, but that wouldn’t bother me to much.

I'm hoping to be heading back to Bernstein in the next couple of days. I have been here way to long, thirteen days now. And I've been away from my FOB for a month and five days. If rumors are true and I’ll be home around the 15 of November; then I should only have about 55 days left. That seems like so far off, but less then two months. Compared to the 9 months I spent on the front end of my tour before leave that isn’t much at all. But coming home was so amazing and refreshing.

I tend to forget the blessings of home when I’m there: going to church, when ever I want to just to hang out and not only on Sundays; going out to eat with friends, and it be okay to just sit there for an hour or so and talk and the food be good; driving for hours back and forth to Atlanta and it being one of the best days of all; eating dinner with my family in Christ; talking to Dustin for an hour at two in the morning when he comes in from spending the evening with Anna; getting to see such a couple as them in love; sitting though the edifying teaching of Sam in Sunday school; sitting in Tim’s office and chatting like we use to; discussing the current events with Angie; playing games in Erin’s new and awesome room with cool friends; eating the Miller’s food; getting to pick up some one who can’t drive yet at 6:30 in the morning for prayer breakfast; no-school day; beating my Aunt in ping-pong; talking to my mom on the phone with out a delay after every word; spending a day with my family and meeting my newest cousin; going to poets and buying frozen chi and hanging out in the bookstore; telling Nancy something I thought was a secret; going shopping with Leah and her finding me appropriate pink clothing; listening to Rye tell me I'm not suppose to where pink; watching Kara play volleyball; seeing Caleb get sack like Josh did when he didn’t have a O line; seeing Cookeville beat the Warriors again; talking to some one about something that actually has importance; standing in the youth room talking to Kayla as if I had never left; watching Brit paint some words on the wall; surprising Nancy on my return and getting hit; surprising Leah on my return and getting hit; hiding under a cloth from Dan when I first came back; bring a gift of chicken to the Benningfield’s and King’s; seeing David Miller run his mouth over stupid stuff; to see Joel so happy with his new girlfriend; driving Doug’s huge truck during the scavenger hunt and making a few people man, sorry; spending my last morning in Sparta with two of the coolest little kids, whom I would now call friends; talking to Ronda as she tried to pry info out of me; waking up around 7 everyday and having a purpose to get up; seeing rain; being rookie of the day at corn hole as I won every game, sorry…a little prideful; eating at Red Lobster and having the worse customer service I have ever seen and listening to Erin pray for her; seeing Rye’s dorm room and meeting her friends; talking to Phuong about my plans as we waited for the girls to get done shopping; going to Atlanta and the only thing we come back with was something for someone who didn’t even go; about dieing as a trucker tried to run us into a wall, twice; about hitting Kara in Kristie’s Kia; going to Hidden Hollow and just walking around; seeing a movie on my second day back with some good friends; listening to Leah say that fake fog smells like wet feet; taking my cousin Nicki shopping, playing put-put golf and all three of us so bad that we cheat almost every hole; talking theology with my Aunt Sue on the way back for Pigeon Forge; playing disk golf and getting my “bottom” kicked hard by Josh and Lance, but beating Jojo…haha; getting my debit card unauthorized because I spent more in two weeks than in the past year; having Nancy there to back me up; having the excellent customer service people of Belk help me find something nice to wear; getting chewed out because I don’t try my clothes on before buying; finding out that I bought the wrong size and hearing, “I told you so”; Dustin taking the shirt because it fit him fine enough; me wearing his shoes for the most part of the last week; having to label all my clothes so I’ll know which ones are mine when they are all in his closet; seeing my friend’s faces; hearing my family’s voices; starting to hear what is going on in the lives of those I love; and I could go on forever.

There were some things that I didn’t like though: letting some one down by not meeting them like I said I would; seeing some one hurt by my foolish words; paying so much for gas; it being only 15 days; people standing for me in church, as if I had accomplished something; seeing a woman, who was a friend, once married to a friend of mine now living with another man; her having kids and them no longer being in church; it being as if it was no big deal, as if divorce isn’t that big of a concern, as if a man and woman’s marriage isn't a picture of Christ’s marriage to the church; having to tell so many that progress in Iraq is so slow; people trying to get political with me; seeing how Tim has no help in the youth ministry because most people at church are so lazy and they only care about themselves; hearing about the worst revival preacher to ever come to FBC and most of the church thinking he was the best thing since sliced bread; finding out that one of my good friends has an illness and she doesn’t even seem to care enough to make the preventive measures to keep it from getting bad; seeing one who I have looked up to for so long act so foolish because his plans for his son’s future aren’t going as he planned; saying good bye to everyone I love so much.

Well, as you can see the good out way the bad greatly. All in all, I don’t think a better leave could have been possible. So now I'm about to come home to leave again though, only not over the sea this time. I’ll be heading to Georgetown, God willing, in January. I'm not accepted yet, Nancy has just mailed in the paper work, but I trust that this is where God is leading and that will be further evident when I'm accepted and there. I can’t wait to start. I'm so old and so far behind, but all things are according to His good pleasure and I wouldn’t give up my past for anything in the world. The past 4 years, since my graduation, have been the best years of my life. I have learned so much and made so many friends. I don’t think I would be here now if I hadn’t been where I was then. Further showing that, “all things work to the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.” So that is where I’m headed, and I can’t wait.

Okay, I’ve said enough for now so I’ll sign out. I love you guys. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

A brother in Him,

I'm Almost There

Well, I have made it to Kuwait. It was a good flight, though very long. Don't have much to say, I'll try to write more when time allows. I love you guys and thanks for the best 15 days ever.

Your brother in Christ,