Date a Tanner

Trevor's poor date...
You get fooled to come in for 'just a moment'

Then you get cornered!

Do you see Trev's face?!? SO classic.


She survived!

But only after meeting Grandpa & Grandma & Earl & Peter &&&&&

Merry Christmas!!

First, wonderful blogger will not let me move the order of the photos...Grrrr. SO, pardon the random order!

I am a woman of few words...so I will let the photos show our family's
Christmas in Utah.

However, I need to send special loves to Mom, Dad & David in Korea: I LOVE you & miss you all horribly. There's not a moment that I didn't have you all in my heart. Emily did a fabulous job doing gathering my 'Santa' gifts...thank you.

Joe, Emily & Noah: I'm glad we followed a few holiday traditions together! Cookies, movies & Zoo Lights..Christmas 'musts' for me! Emily, your shopping skills amaze me. THANK YOU for being 'Santa's' helper! Give loves to my Max and kisses for Nephew!

Merry Christmas to all my friends in Iraq!
I'm blessed to have met you all & share some life changing experiences.
Thank you. Thank you & God bless your families.

Christmas 2008:

3 of 5!

Holiday Kisses

Christmas Naps...my favorite kind

I love Bob...even if he is a Boston fan!

Beautiful Laurisa & Kathy

Christmas PJs, Fab Slippers (Thank you parents & Emily!)
& Grandma's decorating magic!

Frosting sugar cookies in St Louis

World's biggest Eagle Fan.
(AKA Thabo)

Amber with beautiful, new Gavin

Happy Peter!

Vanna Alison!

Love these boys

Enough said.
(I already miss him)

Perfect.

Home Sweet Home

Home & Happy & Lovin my rash-covered nephew!

Fun Snaps

Goodbye Bear Hugs

Breaking the Rules

My Bad Boys

Ready to fly..again

They can think of Acronymns for EVERYTHING else...why did they need to spell this one out?!?
Just, plain, morbid.

Following the Tigris home


Ta-Ta for now... See ya'll soon...

Wonderful Homemade Breakfast.

Samoon & Fresh, made-this-morning Cream

Thank you Joe.

Your sweet holiday gift made my day.

Everything I need?!?

Really?!?

I asked if they'd show Twilight...yeah...no

Another space

Big Desk, little chair

Nicest Desk EVER

Wish I had time to do my hair

My latte makes life better

My private tent

Empty bunks

My body is spent

No need for rent

Turkish Coffee and other Ramblings

Since my time in the IZ, I've had an obsession with Turkish Tar, I mean coffee.

The way it's made, the variety, and the conversation

that comes with fellow coffee lovers..

Priceless.

Bonus: who can resist the delicate cups it's served in!

The coffee is boiled with sugar until the grounds disolve. Creating this blissful, thick tar.

Coupled with fresh bread, cheese and Iraqi sweets..makes for a Blissful & Buzzed afternoon!

Now. To jump subjects (I'm known for this):

I took this photo of a team member's ring on our travels:

Cool ring huh?

Although, we forgot the name of the stone.

SO, as a result, here is part of the email my buddy wrote searching for the name of this ring:

So, I asked my faithful teammate, “What is the name of the stone on Ben’s ring?”

She says, “I don’t know.”

I asked, “Didn’t you put the name of it on the picture?”

She replied, “No, I just put ‘special ring.’”

I'm so tired...

I don't know why that made me laugh.

Thought I'd share...

Kinda sad.

FYI: the ring is called Sulaymani. It's said to have mystical powers.

Jeez :)

Waiting

Leaving!

On to the next assignment.

Ok.

Let me pack real quick.

Really?

Cancelled?

Again?

Tomorrow?

Argh. Unpack.

Again.

Repeat

Funny thing

So, Iraq is at war.

Yup. Suprise.

There are certain things you get used to, other things you should never get used to. Always listening, always alert, always using that extra-something that lets you know when it's not safe.

However, there are certain times you let those defenses down. The shower being one.

So funny story:

Last night I was taking a shower (a hot shower!! YAY!!) when"BA-BOOOM"... with an equal disturbing shake to the shower trailer.

I stand there for a second, running through memories... if it sounded like incoming, listening for running...nothin. Then my mind goes to a possible cruel irony: if I have to run..I'm well...jeez. I only travel with a quick-dry shammy the size of a wash cloth..and that doesn't cover much! When you know it's real, you can't grab that one thing you want to keep safe, you can't think about where you left your ID, you can't change your clothes...you just duck and run for the bunkers. And in my case, right then, I was a little underdressed.

Luckily, it was outgoing. Really, some bad a*% sounding outgoing, for about 30 minutes!

"BA-BOOM"

CHU shakes

Silence

"BA-BOOOOOM"

Shaking

Silence

We have some pretty awesome power!

Well, long story short, I went and bought a towel today.

The biggest one they had...just in case

*A quiet space this morning...nothing to do with the post!*

MUD

When it rains...it muds.

I have never scowled at rain clouds, until now. While my new boots make me happy, the mud in the car, office, bed, showers, PX, EVERYWHERE is getting annoying.

Enjoy photos from the muddy FOB...from your clean, mud free computer.

(yes, mud has made it's way onto my computer. Jeez)

How do they not sink into the muck?!?!

Thorin giving me mud bunny ears

Up to my ankles is sludge

A 'dry' spot!

My heart today...how do I put it into words?

I know a soldier who was killed today.

The cost of this war...

Please, when saying our Thanksgiving prayers, bless these soldiers.

Bless their families.

Thank them for their sacrifce.

In the 'Hurricane Seat'

Sitting in the back right corner of a Black Hawk, with the door open,

is like sitting in a wind tunnel.

But the view...the view is spectacular!

Over the Tigris River

Flying with the sunset

Catching the end of the sunset at BIAP after the flight

More Random Snapshots

Genius...

Vineyards outside the gate

Now, can you say it in Arabic???

Yes. It's Starbucks. So rare here, so wonderful.

The theatre..with a make-shift mortar patch

Parking lot

Great guy

Sunsets over the up-armored Suburban