Set Free

February 5^th the doctors signed me off. I am free to return to work with NO restrictions and 20% disability in each knee. But I am not going back to Iraq/Kuwait until the 25^th.

I notified all the appropriate parties and it didn't take long to get from being released to being sent my itinerary for my flight back.

I boxed up two foot-lockers and two medium size U-Haul boxes and one little box and sent them to Victory care of my site lead and my immediate lead. I kept in touch with them and found out I would be rooming with one of the girls who used to work with us as a soldier, but she got out of the service and came back to work with our company as a civilian. She was like a daughter to me. We were great friends. I'm so excited that it worked out that way. She said she has been telling people her mom is coming back over.

BUT… first things first!! Before leaving for Iraq, my brother wanted me to come visit him. With so much to do, I was kind of struggling with how I was going to be able to handle that. PLUS, I had no money. So being the wonderful, kind, loving person he is, he bought my tickets for me and I went to California. He picked me up and then took me on a tour of a lifetime. It was great. I am so amazed sometimes at the things I have not seen in our country. (Which might explain why I never have been outside of North America once in my life before I signed up to go to Iraq, there are so many things to see in America, that you can take a whole lifetime to do it)

We took several hours to get back to his house, stopping in really neat places on the way. We stopped to eat at a little restaurant where we sat outside and had a great breakfast. I learned a little about my brother, too. He is very outgoing. He talks to people walking by and just starts conversations. One couple walked passed us with a little tiny pug dog. It was no bigger than a kitten. He picked it up and held it and talked to the people and let the dog lick him and, he laughed and then put the dog down and the people went on their way, talking about the weird guy they just met. (Just kidding) We finally got home and he showed me around and I got some great pictures. He has a beautiful place. I thought his wife would be home, but she was gone. Shortly after I got settled we heard her car, she had school that night… as in teaching, not as in learning, but then again, I think she’d say she has learned a lot from her students. It was great to see her. We sat and talked for a ling time, while watching the presidential campaign and election results. Life was very good.

Then it started raining. All I have to say is thank god I didn’t have to go out in it and walk to work. However, we did get a warning from highway patrol to hurry and go get anything we might need to last us for about a week or two in case of the roads being blocked due to mudslides. Hahahahaha!! I didn’t expect that one! Well, we decided we had enough to last us, so we sat home for about 3 days in the rain and didn’t go out anywhere. It was pretty cool. We got a chance to really spend time together and bond. I really couldn’t have been happier. Then the weather cleared and we were able to go out and sight see a bit. We went to a “Toy Train” museum, my brother and I spent several hours there and my sister-in-law went shopping. We met outside afterwards and we also went through the botanical gardens. It was fascinating. We went to a restaurant called Corvette’s, and they had good food and it was almost like being in the movie Pulp fiction, except you didn’t sit inside cars and there were no waiters and waitresses dressed up like celebrities, and they didn’t have a DJ or dance floor going while we were there. OK, it wasn’t anything like Pulp Fiction. It was just a 50’s set up and it was totally groovy!

We had the opportunity to go see her daughter and the new house they were building. It was so good to see her. Her kids have grown so much it was hard to imagine they had been so little last time I saw them. That same night we went to a movie, but we stopped at “Michael’s” craft shop first and we bought a bunch of silk flowers to make arrangements in containers they had, plus there was one she had seen in a magazine that she just loved and wanted one like it for her dining room, so we found what we needed for that as well. It was my last night there, so after the movie, when we got home I got busy and showed her how to make a wreath, so she worked on that while I worked on the other things, and we had a very productive night. I think she liked everything we made. I did. I know… I’m an egotistical little brat.

But as the proverbial “THEY say, all good thing must end. And the next day my brother took me back to the airport and I flew home to get ready to go to Iraq.

But I must say this. I had a wonderful time and I’m so glad I was able to get out there. Thank you both so much and I love you dearly!