Life on the Vine

Well, the deployment to Iraq has come to an end.  I successfully redeployed through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Deployment Center in Winchester, Va., yesterday and caught a 5 p.m. flight home.  I am back in St. Louis now. Tom works a compressed work schedule, 10 hour days, Monday - Thursday so he is off today. We plan to go do some shopping later this morning.  The weather here is beautiful but I did have to close one of the windows in the bedroom last night because I got a bit chilled.  I had started to adjust a bit to temperatures in the 90s and low 100s.   I will be taking two weeks off before returning to work at the St. Louis District, June 22. Maxwell, my stepson, is graduating from high school the 16th of June and Tom, my father-in-law Jack and I are traveling out to Pennsylvania for his graduation.  Not sure if Maxwell has decided what he'll do post-high school.  He seems to be considering a lot of different options. I halfway unpacked last night when we got home

Greetings from sunny Winchester, Va.  This morning I arrived at Dulles International Airport outside of Washington D.C. after a 13+ hour flight from Kuwait City.  I couldn't have asked for things to go smoother with my travel and flights back.  The C-130 flight from Baghdad to Kuwait was a might bit uncomfortable with the 100+ degree weather but I just focused on other things... Like saying prayers for all my battle buddies and friends I'm leaving in Baghdad, and for my family and friends back in the States.   I'm sure there are those of you out there who would think it strange to say that going to Iraq was a "blessing" but it truly has been.  I am in awe of the experiences and the opportunities the Lord has given me since I started working Army Public Affairs in August 2001.  I couldn't have asked to work with more wonderful people (military, civilian, contractor and Iraqi) as I did at Gulf Region Division.  My life has been enriched by this experience and th