You Can’t Catch Me!

“Run, run, as fast as you can. You can’t catch me! I’m the Gingerbread Man!” I thought since Christmas is fast approaching I would tell the story of Spoony, and the story of Spoony reminds me of The Gingerbread Man. For all our meals we eat in a dining facility like a cafeteria. We enter the dining facility, wash our hands, and then grab a tray, silverware and a plate.   For at least the last 2 months we’ve been noticing a steady decline in the availability of spoons. There are always plenty of knives and forks, but you were lucky if you get a spoon. There have been so many morning where there are no spoons I’ve become so accustomed to eating without a spoon that even the mornings when I’m lucky enough to get a spoon I still eat my yogurt with a fork. I’ve adapted by dipping my melon in the yogurt and scooping it out. We’ve all made adjustments. Morning cereal has to be eaten with a fork. I would like to quote one of my colleges regarding eating cereal with a spoon, “When you eat cereal with a fork it allows the cereal more time to be influenced by the milk.” The breakfast conversation continued by talking about how the milk left after the cereal is gone is also more delicious to drink since the cereal is also”influencing” the milk more. So who needs a spoon anyway? There are small celebrations every time someone gets a spoon for cereal, soup, yogurt, or ice cream. The spoon saga has resulted in poster being put up in search of the spoons. No one knows where the spoons are, but we do know they are not here for us to use! We couldn’t catch them like the Gingerbread Man!

 

For the month the since the original poster was created more posters have come out. This spoon search is getting very serious. This morning I saw someone on my floor in the barracks (where we sleep) with a spoon. I actually thought, is there somewhere I can report this spoon thief? This really is getting out of control!

This week also marks the week when the colleges who I started this journey with leave to start their journeys home. They are  on seven month orders where I am on fourteen month orders. I met them early in the morning at the helicopter landing zone to say good bye. I had just finished my morning workout. My colleges are running and running as fast as they can and hoping not to be caught by the Afghanistan Man. It is very humbling to be the last one left from your initial group and knowing you have to have the mental fortitude to make it another six months. I have no doubt these next 6 months will go quicker and be more fun than these last ones.  At least that is what I need to tell myself, mind over matter.

We are also getting a lot of packages from different organizations. I remember getting one when I was deployed on the USS Rodney M. Davis and I still have the homemade scarf I received in that box. One of the Marines here received over 200 boxes and we all got one. In mine was the knitted hat I have in the picture above. I wear that hat everywhere I’m not in uniform, which is not a lot of places. I wear it to and from the gym, pool, and movie night. The Australian’s are also getting packages. I received one from an 8 year old girl in second grade, just like my Timyra.  I didn’t get Tim Tams, but I did get a package of Hundreds and Thousands which are like Circus cookies and reminded me of my childhood!

Throughout the holiday season various VIPs come to visit us and wish us well. For Thanksgiving we had Vice Admiral McCollum. This week the Arch Bishop of the Military Diocese came to say mass with us on Friday. Friday happened to be his birthday so we organized singing and cake cutting as well.  I had to make sure I got my picture with His Holiness!

It’s also probably about time to give an update on the Genie in a Bottle, my mom and her rug. So after much deliberation and many backs and forth the final decision was to keep the initial rug.  On one of my dad’s visits to my house, he brought pillows and cushions from their furniture. After laying it out altogether my mom decided the original rug was the one for her. The Genie is happy now!

 

I also wish I could have shared this picture earlier, but Timyra submitted this for Veteran’s Day at her school. These things pull at my heart strings. Why are you honoring this Veteran? “Because I miss my mom.”  I miss you too baby and I’ve even started counting the days until I get to hug you again!  CAN’T WAIT!!!!

So for sure this week sucks and we all want to run home and hug everyone.  But since these Gingerbread Sailors, Soldiers, Marine, and Airmen have to be here,  we are sticking together having fun and enjoying each other.  I’ll give you the full Christmas update next week, but like Thanksgiving we’re making our own fun and laughing all the way!  If you can hug my babies for me, give TJ a high five (or hug, I know he likes them), and enjoy your family and friends!  Love and miss all of you!