sororitysoldier.com » Craig

Around the World in 15 Days

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 14:58:51 +0000

London was awesome… except that Craig left after two days. It’s not as bad as you think… I mean, yes I was left in Europe, but that hurts your pride more than anything – after a day of heart break, I got mad and then I took a deep breath and moved on. Cade really stepped up and kept me distracted. We finished out all we wanted to do in London – lots of retail therapy, of course, London Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace, the parks, Wicked (amazing), London Eye, Westminster Abbey (breathtaking), St. Paul’s Cathedral, Fat Tire Bike Tour (my favorite of the trip), Parliament & Big Ben, Harrod’s, etc. etc. Cade lost his passport the first day, so we had a fun time trying to figure out how to use a London payphone and we found it after 5 days there, safely tucked away in the Lost Property Office at London Heathrow, Terminal 3. ((Relief)) With the Craig ordeal hanging like a black cloud over my head due to hate mail from one of his family members (“you’re sick for trying to ruin his life… I hope you know you’re putting him in his grave…”), I decided I wanted Momma Time, so we cut the trip short after a week and headed to Shreveport. I had so much fun at home, just what I needed. I spent a ton of time with my mom and best friend, Amanda. I spent every morning outside with Chevy, throwing the ball and walking him around the apartments. He loved riding with me on errands and I treated him to half a day at the doggie spa for a hair cut and bath. The last night we had “dinner club.” It’s something we started a while ago, that fizzled out but is now back in full swing. It’s just a handful of high school friends (girls only) that get together once a month for dinner to catch up. About half of the group is married with kids and the other half is climbing the corporate ladder. It was so good to see them, and even better because we invited the Mommas. We ate at Cantina Laredo and I finally got to meet Jaxon, Amanda & Mark’s baby boy – This fool’s in love again.

After 40 hours of travel (Shreveport to Dallas to London, for a 12 hour layover, to Bahrain to Kuwait, for 3 days, to Basra) I’m back. I was so dreading getting back here, but I was so happy when I walked in the office to see all my favorite soldiers. Ty almost tackled me when he saw me and they all said they were glad to have me back. Now we’re on the downhill slope for real. Our replacements should be here in about 2 months and then it’s Adios Basra, Hola Future!

Here’s some pics from our trip

Independence Day in Basra

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 07:18:31 +0000

We didn’t shoot off any illegal fireworks for the 4th, although we could have probably put on a good show with tracers and grenades. We did however celebrate like full-blooded Americans – with a cookout. In true trailer trash fashion, we set up a collapsible grill between outside the conference trailer and brought over chips, burgers, hot dogs and “near beer” (non-alcoholic coors) from the chow hall. The meat was all cooked and frozen (in that order) when we got it, so it was just a matter of heating it back up. I can’t say it was the best burger that I had, but it was the 4th of July and dangit, eating burgers is just what you do. The guys smoked some cigars and we sat around with our near beer (and my diet coke) sharing stories of traveling in Iraq. I think the funniest has to be Barney’s story about throwing up on the C-130 when he left for leave. He got sick and had nothing to puke in except for his hygiene bag – talk about ironic. So after he got the sickness out of him, he carried the bag (he says there was no where to throw it away) off the plane and onto the bus, for a one-hour bus ride to base camp. The bag was leaking everywhere and he ended up throwing it away in Kuwait, after much deliberation because “Hey, I paid 10 bucks for that thing.” It’s been determined that Barnhardt and Crankshaw can’t travel together anymore – all of their travel stories are bad juju.

We ended the night with video games at the trailer. I called Craig and talked to him and Momma B for about an hour. They had a lot of people over and I wish I could have been there. It sounded like they were having a good time! Craig’s dad told him not to tell me what they were doing, because he shouldn’t rub it in. I told him it just gave me something to look forward to. I think Christmas and the 4th are the holidays I miss most when I’m away. The good news is – we’re over halfway through our time in Iraq! I’ve got my Europe trip coming up next month and by the time I get back, I’ll have just 2 months until our replacements arrive. There’s a light at the end of the tunnel.

Check out Adam’s slideshow of all the 4th of July Pics here.

Knowing God

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:48:06 +0000

Craig and I are reading ‘Knowing God’ by J.I. Packer and it’s amazing. I’ve been able to read a lot since I’ve been sitting in Kuwait (I’m still here) and the two of us have really been able to share with each other which is great for communication and understanding.

I’ll probably post a little about the book once I read some more, and I encourage whoever wants to develop their relationship with God to get it. It’s amazing and touches on God’s greatness and unchanging character. Something that really convicted me was when Packer said this:

“Amid all the changes and uncertainties of life in a nuclear age, God and his Christ remain the same – almighty to save…… If our God is the same as the God of the New Testament believers, how can we justify ourselves in resting content with an experience of communion with him, and a level of Christian conduct, that falls so far below theirs? If God is the same, this is not an issue that any one of us can evade.”

Wow, talk about the truth hitting home and hitting hard. I see such faith in the New Testament believers and such a willing, loving heart to follow God. So, why aren’t we more like them? God hasn’t changed, why have we? We’re so content in our bubble, knowing we’re Christians and thinking that’s enough to please God.

In other news, Stone emailed me this great article about the dating game via cell phones in Iraq. Check it out here.

Happy Hearts Day

Sat, 14 Feb 2009 00:00:58 +0000

Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm.

For love is as strong as death, it’s jealousy as enduring as the grave.

Love flashes like fire, the brightest kind of flame.

Many water cannot quench love, nor can rivers drown it.

If a man tried to buy love with all his wealth, his offer would be utterly scorned.

Song of Songs 8:6-7

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML39bwvbU88[/youtube]

Skype – my new best friend

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 19:11:51 +0000

Today turned out to be an awesome day, but it didn’t start out that way. This morning, with nothing much to do, I pulled guard duty at the headquarters building for about an hour and 40 minutes (Foliente took over the last 20). Not long after, when I was getting ready to shoot a stand up for a story I did, we’re told the Command Sergeant Major wants the sidewalk swept and all the leaves gone. Since it rained last night (a good thunderstorm around 10:00), leaves are everywhere and it’s still pretty windy. Sweeping the sidewalks in Iraq is pretty pointless. It’s like sweeping dirt in a dirt hut. But, we got out there anyway and swept the leaves from the sidewalk and made a good attempt at moving the dirt around. After I shot my standup, we were told it wasn’t good enough and we went at it again. I was more than a little frustrated.

Then, I had to pull the second guard shift at the TOC. Foliente was going to pull it, but the Major couldn’t make her meeting so he went in her place. It’s an hour long shift and he relieved me for the last 20 minutes again. With the guard shifts and sweeping, it would be an understatement to say I was behind on what I had planned to do today. But, I got to work on my little projects and then went to the habibi (my friend in arabic) shop with my new favorite girlfriend, the LT. She gets a good deal (so good, he whispers it to her) on movies and we walked out with 6 movies for just 8 bucks. I got W., Revolutionary Road, Major Movie Star, the Duchess, and Secret Life of Bees. They’re not always the best quality (some have english subtitles that just rhyme with what the actors are actually saying, others are fuzzy, and some are filmed in movie theaters), but at these shops you take what you can get and hope for the best.

After a long day, I came to Foliente’s room to borrow his computer and skype connection for something I’ve been reluctant to mention, and still am going to keep to myself for the time being. I will say this – God works in amazing ways and He’s got his hand on something that I could never have dreamed of. I did get to talk to Craig on skype and it was awesome. It made my entire day so much better! Forget sweeping dirt from the dirt and pulling guard shifts.. I got to spend like an hour talking to Craig and actually seeing him on the webcam! I also got to call my mom and aunt tracy from the skype. I was going to call Mammaw and my Dad, but I had to pay to call actual numbers (if you talk through internet it’s free), and I didn’t have much of a balance. Skype is still awesome, but it did make me miss Craig even more. It’s almost torture to be able to see him and not reach out and hug him. = ( I miss him tons.

All my missions up until now have been cancelled, but it looks like I might get out for a small deal tomorrow. I’m hoping so! I’ll head back to Baghdad soon, but I’d like to get out on at least one mission before I leave.

Numb

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 12:00:41 +0000

I’m handling everything pretty well or so it seems. When I left, I feared that I’d be occupied 24/7 with missing Craig and my family and friends. Although I think about them a lot, I’m not in agony over being gone. I’m not crying myself to sleep because I wish I were with Craig watching a movie. I’m not completely lifeless because I’m daydreaming about being at home with my family or eating out with Amanda. The only explanation that I can come up with is that I’m numb. Numb to the pain of being gone. I got this theory from my book – New Moon (second in the twilight series). It’s pitiful, I know… to have a book tell me how I’m feeling, but it’s true. It’s like I’ve subconsciously blocked out the feelings of loneliness and missing home. Maybe God turned off those feelings to help me cope, I don’t know. Although I think about home and Craig a lot, I’m not miserable and I’m glad for that. When given the choice of pain or numbness, I vote for the numbness. I just hope I don’t develop a pattern of being numb and have it take over as my primary coping mechanism. It’s working for right now, but I hope that once I get into the groove of things I don’t need it anymore. I almost started crying when I was explaining my numbness theory to Adam and Brian, and that gave me hope that I still have feelings. Adam said that’s kind of how he feels too, being away from Leslie. I was worried at first that I wasn’t feeling what I should feel. Then I realized that I had just gone into a numbing mode. To cope with these first few months of being away I just have to be numb to it. When I really force myself to think about how much I miss Craig, it makes me miserable. So, I try not to think about it. When my mind starts wandering to Craig, I try to distract myself because I know it’ll only make me sad. I miss him terribly, and I’ve only got to talk to him twice since I left the states. We’ve talked a total of 15 minutes at most and I can’t wait till I get to Baghdad and can talk to him more and for longer periods of time.

My friend, Amanda, is helping me so much. She’s constantly sending me e-mails, letting me know all the details of her life and keeping me in the know. I feel like I’m home when I read them. We didn’t stay in touch as well my last tour and when I got home I felt so awkward because I spent a year playing catch up to what I missed. This time, me and Amanda are like Barbara Walters and Diane Sawyer, keeping each other in the know about our daily lives. It’s the simple things I like hearing about – her school applications and her new computer, her weekend, who she saw and what they were wearing… I love that girl.

My friend, Brittani (deployed with me last time), is also giving me updates. She’s a Texas State Trooper and I love hearing from her and what she’s doing. B and Amanda are both keeping up with the blog and that makes me feel so good, like they’re really interested in what’s going on with me. I have amazing friends.

Back in the Groove and random thoughts

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 03:17:38 +0000

I was pretty depressed when I got back and really depressed on Saturday. Now, I’m getting back in the swing of things.. sorta. I really miss Craig and Amanda, plus the family. The good news is I’m back with SassyPants and Flintstone, and they always know how to cheer me up. I had an interesting conversation at lunch today. I was sitting with the LT, Crash, and McLovin. Crash mentioned that she got hit on my guys more when she was chunky than she does now. I decided to bust out my theory on guys and the looks factor. It goes like this: If a guy rates himself an 8 on a scale of 1-10, he is more likely to hit on a girl that he sees as a 6 vs. a girl he rates a 10. Here are my reasons:

The guy fears rejection from the girl that is more attractive, and feels he has a better chance of hooking up with a less attractive girl
The guy is intimidated by a more attractive girl, but sees the 6 as more approachable
If a girl feels her boyfriend is out of her league, she is more likely to put up with more from him (McLovin threw this theory in, and I agree)
It’s the girl that knows she’s in between unattractive and attractive that can get validation from dating an attractive guy. The hot girls know they’re hot and the plain girls know they’re plain.
McLovin adds that he will go for a less attractive girl because they’ll remember him… He was different from the less attractive males she dated
Maj B2 adds that a more attractive female might not try as hard to please her man

When asked if the same scale applies to girls, I simply replied, “I wouldn’t know, I don’t hit on guys.” = )

There’s been other interesting conversations lately, including a deep religious convo at the range with Flintstone and McLovin. We were sharing our ideas of what gets a person into heaven, discussing salvation and other religions and broadly discussing faith. I really enjoyed talking to them about it, because I could talk about Jesus all day. I’m becoming known as the “Jesus Girl” and anytime someone imitates me it’s always “I love Jesus.. I love Jesus.” I take that as a compliment. I like being known as a wholesome Jesus lover. Lately there have been sighs and rolling of the eyes when someone hears me talk about Jesus, but I don’t mind that either. As Christians, we should offend people. If we’re not then maybe we’re doing somethign wrong. I’m tired of all the sugarcoating to get people in the church. Just tell the truth and stop trying to please everyone. Jesus was offensive, and we should be too. It’s okay to want to bring people to church.. I want to bring people to church, I want to spread the Gospel. But, spreading the Gospel isn’t sugarcoating what the Bible says or catering the Word to make it sound appealing to someone. Just tell the truth, pray for the words to speak and let God do His work.

Leaving Home

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 04:27:29 +0000

It’s my last night in Shreveport, and the night I have to admit I’m leaving. Actually, last night was the night I really had to admit I’m going to be gone for a year – I said good-bye to Craig. He got on the road around 8:30 heading to Dallas to catch a plane to Colorado for a ski trip he’s had planned with his friends. We were at his parents house when he left and I stood outside crying a good 20 minutes, holding onto him and not wanting to watch him drive away.

Today I’ve been lazy. My best friend, Amanda, spent the night and this morning we layed around with my mom and brothers watching home videos. After watching a span of about 5 years crammed into two VHS tapes, we concluded the following:

I was starved for attention after my brother, Cade, came along
I was born to be a journalist, evidenced by the constant interviews of relatives and anyone who would talk to my hand holding the invisible microphone.

Watching those memories took my mind off of leaving and I was thankful.

Tonight was family time at my aunt and uncle’s house. We stayed over there for a couple of hours, eating cabbage and black-eyed peas. I don’t really believe in all that… who needs luck when you’ve got Jesus? He’s got plans that cabbage and peas aren’t going to change. It’s a fun tradition anyway, but I didn’t eat the cabbage. Let’s face it… the military isn’t known for paying well.

So, tomorrow I’m on a plane back to New Jersey. We won’t be there for long before we head to Kuwait and then Iraq. I don’t want to leave Shreveport… don’t want to leave my family… don’t want to leave Amanda and Craig… don’t want to leave Craig’s family and our friends. I keep telling myself that this a big mission trip, Iraq is my mission field and the quicker I go, the quicker I come back. It’s been one emotional week. I really broke down on Sunday. I spoke to two sunday school classes about my trip, and the whole church prayed for me during our service. I felt so much love and the holy spirit was definitely surrounding me. I cried that entire morning, speaking to the sunday school classes and just having those gentle hands loving on me while we prayed for safety, protection and angels surrounding me. Brother Steve asked for specific needs, so this is what I’m asking for:

the absence of fear
protection and safety
a chance to witness to others, words to speak
a more intimate, personal relationship with God
comfort and peace for my family
world peace

Here’s an interesting thought: Craig and I were talking the other day in the car and he heard a guy say that maybe we shouldn’t ask for world peace. As Christians, we’re very comfortable where we are, so we’re not passionate about our faith. He says maybe if we’re fighting for what we believe, fearing for our lives and being persecuted, then we’ll be more passionate, better disciples… Isn’t that the same twisted logic for a lot of things? When it comes easy to us, we’re passive and laid back, almost lazy. When it’s tougher, we find we want it more, we’ve got more zeal and we fight for what we love and what we believe.

Maybe God wants me to have more passion, more love, more zeal… maybe that’s why I’m going to Iraq, to a place full of non-believers, a place where Christianity is dangerous. Maybe I’m going to speak the Word to others. I don’t know why I’m going, but I know God has a plan. Pray that I fulfill that plan and that all my actions are in accordance with God’s will. Like Craig says: It’s all for my good and His glory.

This is the song I’ve been listening to since I found out I was going to Iraq. It’s a great message for me to remember.. when times are tough, we still have to praise God. He knows what He’s doing, even when we haven’t got a clue.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ef9jKHwHueQ[/youtube]

Christmas

Fri, 26 Dec 2008 06:21:30 +0000

I haven’t thought much about blogging since I’ve been home, but I did see that “PA Dissapointment “ is still getting attention. As for me, I’m moving on.

Christmas was awesome – Me and Craig actually got to see everyone, and between yesterday and today we were able to spend at least 2 hours at each home (6 homes in all). My dad and stepmom came in town tonight, so they were our last stop after a long day of pigging out at my Aunt Tracy’s house. Yesterday we visited both Craig’s grandparents, plus my stepdad’s side of the family for a Mexican fiesta – not your traditional Christmas party, especially with a money filled pinada. We had a great time! I’m so thankful that God has blessed me with such an amazing family and great friends.

The tough part about being home is that I know it’ll be my last visit until I finish my time in Iraq. People like asking how I feel about going.. am I sad, etc… They’re valid questions and people are just curious, but I’d rather not talk about it. I want to live this next week in complete oblivion and deal with good-byes when they get here.

For your enjoyment: Here’s me and Aunt Tracy singing for ya!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fMiXBhPgdM[/youtube]

Because I can…

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 00:59:15 +0000

I added a new link to the blogroll on the right – It’s Frank’s blog, a print journalist in my unit. He’s written one blog so far, but he always has a lot to say so I’m sure he’ll keep it updated. Watch out for what I call “frankisms” like ‘can I just say something’ or ‘let me be completely honest with you.’ He says he doesn’t write like he talks, but I sincerely hope he’s lying. =)

Also, just want to remind everyone that I LOVE CRAIG and I miss him tons!