Afghanistan Souvenirs

The twelve day wait ended this past friday with a call from Afghanistan. I missed my boyfriends first call that morning, because earlier in the a.m. at about 1, he left me a text saying that all is well over there and that there is about 5 and a half months left to go. So I took that text as being his communication for the week, therefore, not expecting to hear from him hours later.

my phone was charging upstairs on my nightstand next to my bed, where pictures of us are scattered on top of the stand, along with notes from him and cards he has sent over the past year. I went to check my phone, and I saw that a weird number had called me literally a minute before I came to check. To my surprise, it was my boyfriend. And to my sheer dumbness, I tried calling back the unreachable number, in hopes to hear his voice. I'm not going to lie, i started to tear up a bit, because I felt bad that I missed his call. Maybe he called to say something bad happened, or that i missed his call of what he wanted in his next care package.

I calmed down, and said to myself that next time i wont miss it. As soon as I went into the bathroom to take a shower, I heard my phone ringing, and to my surprise, it was my boyfriend trying to get a hold of me once more. I picked it up frantically, and was glad to hear his voice.

He said that this was his first day off, and that he just completed his first 10 day mission. This was also the first call that he actually had details of how his days have been going. He said that he rode shotgun in most of his convoy missions, that he didn't get to see too too much outside the trucks, and to his dismay, didn't get to fire his issued M16.

I was relieved to hear his voice, and found him to sound upbeat and happy, his normal self i remember from back home.

He then told me something very interesting. I guess that on days off, soldiers are allowed to venture into some of the neighboring, safe towns, to shop and look around the environment and meet locals. My boyfriend told me that he stopped at a hajji store and bought a chess set, with the pieces whittled from marble or something like that, from the old man he bought it from. He said that the store and the town is pretty interesting, and that he hopes to find neat collectables for me and his family to take home with him.

Hockey and Marines

Today I went down to tour Consol Energy Center for a piece in my other class. The tourguide was amazing, giving us so many exciting details about the new building, and showing us behind the scenes on the first playoff game played at Consol.

Towards the end of the tour, the guide mentioned how they love doing group parties and special events, and it got me thinking. In between periods at one game I was at in Mellon Arena, they had a soldier that was allowed to ride a zamboni as they congradulated him on his tour overseas for our country.

A light bulb turned on inside my brain, and I instantly thought that it would be an awesome gift to give my boyfriend -- to let him ride on a zamboni!!!

So after the tour, I talked to the guide, and he gave me his card and email contact information so I could get in touch with the right people to make this dream a reality. I could only imagine my boyfriends face if this could actually happen. :) Now, if only I could meet Sid.

Easter Eggs Overseas

So it had been a few weeks, and I decided that I was going to send my boyfriend an early Easter basket, (carepackage style, of course). Last Easter I made him one, full of chocolate eggs and bunnies, and all the kinds of Reeses' candies ever made, alongside a toy of Avatar, since that was our first movie we saw together.

So, since I can't make him a "normal" basket, I made him one for overseas. You can't send chocolate since it melts, so I got plastic easter eggs that are have a camo design.

and then filled them with Lifesaver and Jollyrancher flavored jelly beans. I then sent him a bunch of snacks and two cans of powder Gatorade, and then topped it off with that crappy easter basket fluff you place in an easter basket.

I hope to hear from him soon and that he received this package, because a day after I sent him the package, I watched on the news how a semi-tractor trailer full of mail flipped on some major road. All I could think was that his Easter basket was onboard. :( I'm crossing my fingers it wasn't.

No $ For My Man :(

Throughout the past weeks, where I live, there have been many issues with our states government policies, and bills that may be passed shortly. One issue that seems to hit pretty close to home for my boyfriend is this whole government shutown. The last time it got like this, it was in 1995-6. Back then, workers for the federal government were reimbursed for their lost pay, but there are rumors that this time around, it may not be so. Since my boyfriend is in the military, they are told that they will still be working as usual, yet their next pay may only have one week's worth in it. It may get even worse, and he may not get paid at all, from what I have read. Though, there are other reports I have read that some congressmen are trying to pass a law stating that military men and women will still get paid during the shutdown. Here are two sites with information about this issue. For some reason, I can't get it to be able to be clicked on. Sorry :(

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2011/0408/Government-shutdown-101-What-does-it-mean-for-the-military

AND


http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gowgx-LCK1RPT9cdfpmpIE-n7PuQ?docId=2ae9c1d5220c41d485df8cdc98c59f8c




Which brings me to my next point...

...if the people who work for President Obama are not being paid, is his pay frozen as well? Just a question.

Tension

I heard from my boyfriend a few hours ago, and he said all is well. he recieved his care package, and immediately placed his fluffy pens blanket on his bed in his room :) We talked few a few minutes, and I learned about what else I can send over there. I told him the news of our friends that had their baby, and that his good guy friend and his girlfriend are now engaged.

We both feel that so far, his deployment is going pretty fast. He has already been there for a month, and says that everything is going as decent as it can. I did ask him about the troubles on the news dealing with uprisings in Afghanistan, with the people upset about the issue of the Koran being burned in Florida recently. My boyfriend says that these uprisings don't help him and his unit at all, saying that the Afghanistan people are being even more standoff-ish and hostile towards the troops. My boyfriend said he hasn't witnessed any problems with this issue, but members of his unit already has.

I've also heard that Obama wants to send more troopsc over this summer, and is already postponing his date to bring home the troops. Hopefully, things can be sorted out soon.

Coming Home

While my boyfriend is away, I try to remain very busy with classes and finals and papers. Once school is out, I plan on working a lot during the summer to keep myself occupied and not be able to worry as much.

However, I do give myself "down time", to be sad or worry. During this time, it usually falls on a Sunday, when the network Lifetime's new showed aired a few weeks ago about soldiers coming home early and surprising their families.

The one wife I know that is married to a marine in my boyfriend's unit watches it religiously as well. The last episode was about a Navy sailor coming home to surprise his wife with the wedding of her dreams. The other story in the show was about a young wife who had a baby while her husband was away, and Lifetime was there to document the happy reunion and meeting. The show reminded me of this wife, and how her baby boy was born while her husband was down in Quantico. Luckily, my boyfriend's higher-up's allowed this man to come watch his son be born.

The show airs on Sundays, and is called "Coming Home". This is the only time where I will allow myself to cry or get emotional over my boyfriend being away.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIqVP6UepBw


It is also a tearjerker, because most of the stories deal with the families with younger kids who miss their daddy's and haven't seen them in over a year. I cry when the kids realize their daddy is home, but the tears are happy tears. I reccommmend this show to anyone who not only has a loved one overseas, but also to anyone who has a heart.

Sending Care Overseas

Today was the first time I have been to my post office a few miles down my road since I was a young girl. I have passed it endless times, and never really thought much of it, that is, until this morning at 8:15 a.m.

My boyfriend called me on Sunday. The first time in 10 days, and the second time since landing in hell. We talked for about 15 minutes, about what has been going on over here, and what all he has been doing. Apparently cleaning big trucks is a 10 day ordeal. When the conversation ended, he told me some things he would like in a care package. A care package. Next to letters and phone calls to home, a soldier loves receiving care packages. Over the weekend I made my first care package of what I expect to be many.

I included the usual suspects that are enclosed: baby wipes, gatorade, toiletries, canned food, and snacks. I tried to make it special though, by placing some things in it that would separate my boyfriends care package from the rest.

I wrote him a letter about how I feel and also about what I placed in the box and why.

I sent movies that I thought he would enjoy.


I placed a box of Flintstones Vitamins,

because even though he is 25, he is still a child at heart, and loves them. I also placed a stress ball, and told him to use it when he is stressed. I gave him a nerf ball, to throw at the guys. I also sent him two books of facts. One was a book about facts of PA and another of just useless stuff. He would look at the fun fact books we have placed in our bathroom at home, take them and read them on our couch. I also put a rubix cube, and a fish bath sponge. The two best things I placed were things that I know he loves and misses back home: A huge, fluffy Pens blanket for the nights when it gets really cold, and a pack of cards, poker chips, and fake money, for when he has the urge to go to the casino.

I know that this is the first of many that I will send, so to not be repetitive of what I send, I found a website that describes different types of themed care packages to send. The site also tells you the rules and regulations as to what you are and are not allowed to send. The website is www.marriedtothearmy.com

The post office man told me that I am lucky he is in the military, because if I was sending it to him if he just lived overseas, the cost would be way more than it was. I just hope that he gets it!