Lego's

I tell you what. Lego's can have a grip it seems on a boy even when he becomes a man. Especially once he has a little boy of his own.. Or so it would seem...

Check out Titus and Mia's blog to see the picture, Titus had a competition with Mia to see who could build the best Lego zoo... Mia won initially but He would not be undone.. :))

I was at Toys R Us.. Last christmas looking for presents, and already had a few good gifts in my cart... then I happened upon the Lego section and (boy oh boy I got excited) and Voila, suddenly just like that my christmas shopping was done ( + I'd overspent) LOL....

Kids r fun to shop 4!!! Now I know why gifts generally stop coming once you turn 15-16 or so. :)

On to a different topic though... I read everyone of y'all's comments to my posts. And I try to make comments on y'alls also.. It's a easier, even if it's a less private way to comunicate.. (in my opinion).

Anyways, continue to update your blogs and websites y'all. And have a good time prepping for christmas...

Thanksgiving #2

I had to get off real fast before i was done with my last entry.
Last years thanksgiving was real good also. Uncle Creig, one of my mom's brothers lives in Macon, Georgia about 4 hrs drive from Ft Benning. Last year I called him up to see if he was doing anything. Well, they were spending it with his wife's family and they said I could come spend it with them.

Well, I made it a bit early before all the food got there.. I had gotten a Ham and no-one knew how to cook it (the cook hadn't gotten there yet and we were all hungry) so, we nuked it.. :)

Anyways, after the food all got there we ate and hung out for a bit and I had a good time..

In my opinion this time of year we are supposed to think about the blessings God's given us, good food, a nice family, and a wonderful life.. (not always so wonderful but God has a plan)..

This Thanksgiving, we're out at a patrol base. We come out here pull guard, do missions and sleep... :) We just recently got phones and internet out here which has made it real nice and added a bit more to do to pass the time out here. (the real reason I've been able to work on my blog so much recently)

Anyways, today they brought out a bunch of food and drinks from the Base(forgot the gravy) but I was surprised that we got to eat good food after all..

Well, I'll try to call everyone today (if I got your # out here with me.) From now on though it's time to prep for christmas which, even though I'm over here I'm still going to try to celebrate. :)

Thanksgiving Day

I've had a few real memorable Thanksgivings these last few years that I was thinking about today.

First one was when I first joined the Army. I was leaving for Boot camp on the 5th and so Mom basically decided to have it early. It was nice to have all the family together once more before I left, although I did feel a bit in the spotlight.

Once I got to Ft Benning though things were crazy. They didn't know when they'd be able to get us a slot to go through, so there I am stuck for nearly a month. Me and about 50 others then took a 6hr bus ride to FT Jackson to do basic training there instead. We arrive 2 days before thanksgiving and get to eat a nice meal there.. Oh yeah, one more thing...
Although serving Turkey guts is traditional "suposedly" don't accidentally get them on your plate. And if you do, just throw that plate away and get another.. :)

Another thing was that it was that we were able to get 2nds, which was great. In Ft Benning you had 2 minutes to eat. And no chatter..

Another one was 2 years ago while I was over here in Iraq. Every day was something new, except for the Food.. We had Steak patty's, or Veil for lunch and dinner with rice or Patatoes and some veggie.. After 5 months of that every day I kinda got used to eating the same each day. Come thanksgiving though they surprised us, we had to go accross the street, not to our d-fac but the main one. Anyways, they had Colonels 1st sgt's and Sgt majors serving the food. They had everything there 2 it was great..

Well, Happy Thanksgiving y'all. Eat well, drink well and live well. And "try to b happy :D

Turning 5 today. so happy birthday Arwen

Contact info...

A lot of people have recently made comments on my blog. My e-mail address is

timo_andre@yahoo.fr

I tried to get a normal .com account recently but I almost imidiately forgot the user account and password so I don't wanna change over accounts right now.

Feel free to write anytime and I'll do my best to respond.. My schedules gotten unpredictable once again. No-one really know's what our schedule's going to be like so I don't know how often I'll be around a computer.. But when I can I'll try to write back..

poor daryn

I up till 0230 today and there's only like 4 people in the entire internet room. There are so many things I can't do normally cause the internets wayyy to slow.. Like I'm never able to watch Mia's movies from her and Titus' blog. I think the best was the one of Daryn locked in a Monkey cage.. In my opinion no home with kids should be without one.. ;P

Man.. i wish I could post pic's on here and have more graphics. But then I'd never be able to put blogs up cause i'd never be able to lead the page :) once again that "ballance" thing comes up..

Like Perla.. well, after trying to view her page my computer overloads from all the pictures and I have to reboot. So, sorry perla but I never see your web-page....

Wow, and christmas is right around the corner.. and the day will probably come and go for me and it will be just like any other day.. :( so sad...

Iraq

If I had to sum up my whole experience over here this time in a few words, it'd have to be. "Constant changes, being ready for anything and every possible outcome and situation, and boredom."

To be more specific tho, most of the time I don't do much, just walk around on patrols with the guys when they do, ride in a vehicle a lot, and carry my aid bag when I go outside our Base.
Not that hard of a job really. But we've gotta always have our stuff ready for action, Ammo for our guns, bateries in our equipment that needs it etc. And I always need my aid bag packed and prepped.

The hardest part about that is deciding what to carry and where to put it, cause I'd like to carry a lot more bandages, IV bags etc, but if I do I won't be able to access any of it as easily as I have to. So i have to find a good ballance.

About Changes, well, every two - three months it seems like we have a total turn-around in the type of missions we do, where we go etc. So you learn to not get too attached to things or places all that much. :P Not like you could get attached to this place that easily, too much sand, and sand brushes off.. easily, I've tried it...

One difference with the Army and civilian life though is that in the Army if you forget something and leave it behind, or if your equipment doesn't work you can cost people their lives. Whereas in the Civilian world you forget something you can most of the time just do without it.

Ahhhh, yes this place is also boring. Lots of Movie watching, game-playing, reading, and sleeping and no S___ . I should have come over here when I was a Teen I would be 6-5 or so if sleep really makes you taller like they say. Boring, has been good though. I as the Medic enjoy being bored and am not looking for an exciting time over here at all.
Just work, sleep and play. :D That's the life to have over here.

Oh yes studies too.. I've been studying Arabic, will be studying my Medications book and chemistry for now. When I get done with all that "never" I'll start on Biology, anatomy etc... "LOTS OF FUN!!!"

I'd say also that the nicest part of getting letters from home and hearing from Family so often is that... Well, it's not like we're sissy's and can't think of anything else. I know for me it's
nice cause I'm reminded that there is something better for the future, also I think without them I'd start thinking this was the only life I had and get depressed. Plus there are times, like while on guard looking at landscape for 2-4 hrs a day that I do think about home, family, and my future. So it's nice to know there's something more then "this place" and be reminded of that every so often.

I really try to write back when I can. Just not much to write about and my letters all sound the same. so they never find their way into the mail box. :( Plus I wish I had the gift of writing like Nadia who i think could write forever and ever, and never bore you.

Hi Mom

Happy Birthday.. You've been the best, and held our family together all these years. And always been there to listen to our problems, kept us on the right track, and so many other things. I really wish I was there so I could make it a better birthday, next year most likely I will tho. We'll go to starbucks or something... :)

For all y'all that know my Mom. Help make this next year a good year for her. She always puts so much into everyone around her and asks nothing in return, and we can all learn from her example..

Je t'aime boucoup moi mere. Bon Anniversaire

Another Day

Wow! It's really starting to get cold here. 65* and I'm freezing already.. :)
Thanks for all the posts to my blog. Denise, Mom, Dad, Nadia, Maya, Connie, etc.
I've been really slacking at writing e-mail's and keeping up with my blog these last couple of weeks. I just got the new Civ game in the mail, and I've been working on it quite faithfully.. :)

Titus and Mia's blog is so cool. They seem to be just having so much fun there in Japan. Sometimes I wish... but, then I reallize I can't be everywhere at once. And if I had any choice of where i really wanted to be. It'd have to be a nice little beach town in the Mediteranian with all my friends and family I haven't seen in so long... That'd be the life...

But I guess I have to settle for cheap thrills right now. Like something I did recently was an Air Assault mission in a Blackhawk.. Loads of fun and from my seat I got the best veiw. I was right at the edge of the chopper in the middle row with the side doors both open, (if you can't picture it that's fine I'll explain it later I'm sure) And when I got off I fell smack in a hole and faceplanted in the dirt :D It was at night of course and my Night vision goggles aren't the best so hence "not my fault". Let me also mention the whole thing was scary as hell. I thought I'd fall out of my seat belt and to the ground.. (could just be I'm scared of heights.) Of course just for Mom's comfort.. It is in reality one of the safest ways to travel over here.

However, that was also the day i was supposed to be getting out of the Army on.. So I thought about it for a bit, didn't get majorly depressed or nothing just a bit detatched for a bit and spent a bit of Dinero on stuff I could have done without.. (bad habit and I need to stop it..)

Anyhow, Happy Birthday Mom. And to Kiona also. H0pe you have a good year ahead of you, Lots of Fun, and that all you aspire to do works out for you.

Oh one more thing.. What is it with the girls in our family and Photography.. They're all good at it, and I get yelled at every time I try to take pictures cause they're "so Horrible" :p

My "Anniversary"

Well, it's now been 4 years that I've been in the Army, had some good times and I've had some bad. But mostly I'd have to say I've learned a lot.

I'll be writing more on here tomorrow but for now I've gotta get some sleep cause we gotta wake up early in the AM..

until then y'all have a good time and take care...