SANDSTORM

21FEB08. Thursday. Got up today to welcome a huge sandstorm. I've got grit in my teeth, ears and nose. Needless to say, it's absolutely miserable outside.....Wind conditions are impacting just about everything. I'm surprised communications are still working....Tried to get through last night on the Telephone but the circuit was constantly busy. Well, gotta go before the tent blows down. Take Care. Doug

THE OVER-THE-HILL GANG

20FEB08. Wednesday. Wow, another georgous day in the middle of nowhere. Found some decent pics of my wife and thought i'd share. these are some innocent snaps of women who are in their prime. notice the big birthday being celebrated.... i certainly will not say that it 50. cause, i know i'll get in trouble. doug

STILL HERE WE ARE.....

19FEB08. Tuesday. Another Nice day. we must be setting some kinda record. First, it's very cold. and i mean cold. next it's a record-setting pretty day. I just can't believe it. Just got ahold of a machine to gen-up my blog. seems the satellite is slow today.

My wonderful bride sent me the below email. Like her, it quickly made us think of kristen when she was very little. Kinda weird expecially now after getting her prom dress....still, it does bring a smile to my face. for the record, I never drank the tea...

One day my mother was out and my dad was in charge of me.

I was about 2 1/2 years old and had just recovered from an accident.

Someone had given me a little 'tea set' as a get-well gift and it was one of my favorite toys.Daddy was watching TV when I brought Daddy a little cup of 'tea', which was just water. After several cups of tea and lots of praise for such yummy tea, my Mom came home.My Dad made her wait in the living room to watch me bring him a cup of tea, because it was 'just the cutest thing!' Sure enough, here I come down the hall with a cup of tea for Daddy and she watches him drink it up. Then she says, 'Did it ever occur to you that the only place that baby can reach to get water is the toilet?'

THE WAR ON PAPERWORK

18FEB08. Monday. Another Day with the Beast. Rumors have me getting out of the Field and back behind a Desk. I know I excell at pushing papers.....Just what the War On Terror needs! Oh, well. It was fun while it lasted. Seems my new reigment will be pressed uniforms, clean shave, nice haircut and lots of policital in-fighting. All these nice things vice finding bad guys. On the upside, the only thing I gotta worry about is a papercut. Ha. Ha. Doug

ANOTHER NICE DAY

15-17FEB08. Friday - Sunday. It's yet another nice day in the middle of nowhere. It's certainly hard to believe it's winder amongst the pretty days. what a nice change of pace. My apologies for not updating the blog earlier. I have been absolutely swampped with work. The pace has certainly been nonstop. Long hours with huge returns. On a seperate note, Rumors abound. I might be leaving this wonderful oasis in the desert for another yet another. So, either my charastmatic charm has given me an opportunity to excel. Or, I f*ked up. Either way, I'm still here......Oh, the below Joke was sent by my lovely bride.

To make it stand, you wet it !.
To make it wet, you suck it !
To make it stiff, you lick it !
To get it in, You push Damn !!!!!!!

Threading a needle when you're older is a *BITCH* NO JOKE ! ! !
AND SHAME ON YOU FOR THINKING WHAT YOU DID.

BEAUTUFUL DAY

14FEWB08. Thursday. I can't believe the weather today. What an absolutely beautiful day. It's about 70 Degrees outside. Certainly a far cry from last night. I'm absolutely floored by the change in weather. Chatted with my war buddy Trooper Jim. With the DNC meeting in his state this summer, we will have to delay our get reunion until next summer. Oh, well. The Rumor Mill has be moving within the next several weeks.....Again. I'll certainly update all when and if this happens. In the interim, the Navy Seabees are doing some major construciton (in the middle of our sleep). Still, the trade-off is to get some decent walls and electricity. Simple things we take for granted. Well, got a meeting to go to. Take Care. Will update when I can. Doug

ANOTHER SLEEPLESS NIGHT

13FEB08. Wednesday. Yet another sleepless night in the middle of nowhere. Lots of things going on, yet the same old thing. Surprised the ole' wife with some flowers to lift the spirits. That reminds me of a joke. When I say ole' Wife I mean Old...Just Kidding. Hope she really enjoyed the flowers. Oh, got a package in yesterday with toiletries. Not a minute too late. I was just running low. Thanks for thinking of me. Well, gotta run to yet another meeting. Keep on Smiling. Will update when I can. Doug

A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS

12February08. Tuesday. Finally, I got a whole 6 hours of uninturrepted sleep. Even slept through the road maintenance outside. Fatigue can be a wonderful thing.... I was able to get the pictures from Diane's visit. Boy, they turned out wonderful. Looks like a good time was had by all. Oh did I mention the reason Diane visited? It was to celebrate Terri's BIG FIVE OH. That's 50 Years Old. Almost 350 years old in Dog Years...... Thanks for sending the pictures. Kids are back to the School Routine. And the Florida FCAT Testing is ongoing for this week. Good Luck Kids.... Doug

THE PARTY'S OVER

10-11FEB08. Sunday-Monday. Well, the Party is quickly winding down. TERRI IS FIFTY YEARS OLD! There is certainly no getting over that fact. The OLD GIRL is simply GETTING OLDER! I can only wish the OLD GIRL my best in all she undertakes. Also a quick Thanks to Diane for coming to Florida for a visit with her old College Roommate. Also, thanks to Dad & Pat for bring her out for a Valentine's Dinner. Goodness knows, she deserves it. I just wonder if she was able to take advantage of the Blue Plate Special for Seniors???

On a seperate note, I couldn't Post due to another Black-out. Yup, we lost another guy the other day. Another Memorial Ceremony. Another Communications Blackout. On an upswing, I have been enjoying my matress for the last couple of days. Finally got 6-Hrs of Sleep last night, and I feel pretty refreshed. Oh, and before I forget. I finally got a decent coat. Purchased one on the open market. This, in-lieu of the Cold Weather Gear on order. Perhaps, the cold weather gear and my hot chocolate will find me in July......

Well, the only thing left to say, is I wish I could have celebrated the HALF-CENTURY (BIG 50) with My SoulMate. Will certainly update when I can. Doug

HAPPY FIFTY TERRI

9FEB08. Saturday. It's offical. Terri is FIFTY YEARS OLD. Yup. The BIG 50. Half A Century. That's a lot of water under the bridge. I know my Bride Terri would get upset if folks knew she was FIFTY YEARS OLD. So, I'll certainly keep that secret to myself. Her friend Diane came to visit and I know they are having a Blast. I only wish I could be there to celebrate the Big 50 With Her. Well, Have a Wonderful Birthday My Love. Hope all your wishes come true. Doug

SURPRISE FOR TERRI

8FEB08. Friday. Well, the Surpirse has been Laid. Conspiracy for Terri abounds. See, her College Roomate (from long, long, ago) came into town from Wisconsin to surprise Terri. Seems lots of people were in on the plan. And, I mean a lot of people. Little did Miss Terri know, that after work yesterday. Her friend Diane was waiting on the couch with the kids. Nevertheless, she was pretty surpirsed. Wish I could have seen the look on her face. The kids did a wonderful job at keeping the secret. Good Job. So, the BIG 50 BIRTHDAY GIRL was caught off guard. Great Job Everyone. Thanks also to Diane for making the trip a reality. Not much going on here. Couple of rockets hit the Boardwalk yesterday. Of course that was just about dinner time. So, no one could go to chow until the "all Clear" Signal was blown. Did get some mattresses delivered this morning. Can't wait to try them out. Well, I'm rambling. Take Care. I'll update when I can. Doug

HAPPY DAYS

7JAN08. Thursday. Happy Days are here. We are getting mattresses for our cots. Whooo Hooo. Living Large. A Matress for my Cot. Hopefully, this will cure my curved spine. Ha, Ha, Ha. Life is certainly changing for the better. Also, will be getting some cold weather gear shortly.... Thru unofficial channels. But, at least we will have some decent gear. So, Life is going great. Oh, the big news. Got a Cable Drop for a TV. So, we get 166 Channels in French, German, Pakistan, just about every language but english. Too Funny. The Plus Side, most channels from Europe have frontal nudity. Again, Too Funny. Well. Lots of work to do. Hope all is well. HAPPY FIFTY TERRI. Your Hubby Doug

BLACKOUT

3-6JAN08. Sunday-Wednesday. Well, have not had access to the internet in quite a few days. There was a Blackout on the communications. This is pretty standard procedure when we loose someone. And, yes we did. Lost a couple of guys in Iraq just a few days ago. Had a Memorial Service Today. Pretty Touching all in all. To Change the Subject, was able to watch the Superbowl (me and 6 other guys crammed around a laptop). Still, it was a game worth watching. Went to Chow today. Had Snapper. And, it tasted just as you would think fish in the desert would taste like...... Yukky. Did get a package from dad. Thanks Dad. Also, thanks for the shirts and pants Terri. Oh, just got the local media company to install cable in our hootch. Too funny to watch the local nationals work. But, at the end of the day, I can watch Ballywood (Indian Version of Hollywood) all day with several channels to choose from. Whee.. Well, back to the grindstone. Will update when I can. Doug

WOMEN ARE EVIL; BUT NOT MY WIFE

1FEB08. Friday. What a horrible day outside. Wind is blowing the Rain unders the door. Puddles of mud and water are everywhere - Inside. And, of course it's cold. Still. Was able to talk with the wife and the rest is easy. Man, are we working our asses off. Sleep is certainly a commodity here. Oh, my bride sent me the below funny. Thought you'd like it. Will update when I can. Doug
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Women Are Evil By Nature...

A woman went up to the bar in a quiet rural pub. She gestured alluringly to the bartender who approached her immediately. She seductively signaled that he should bring his face closer to hers. As he did, she gently caressed his full beard.

"Are you the manager?" she asked, softly stroking his face with both hands.

"Actually, no," he replied.

"Can you get him for me? I need to speak to him," she said, running her hands beyond his beard and into his hair.

"I'm afraid I can't," breathed the bartender.. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Yes. I need you to give him a message," she continued, running her forefinger across the bartender's lip and slyly popping a couple of her fingers into his mouth and allowing him to suck them gently.

"What should I tell him?" the bartender managed to say.

"Tell him," she whispered, "There's no toilet paper, handsoap, or paper towels in the ladies room."

SWAMPPED

31JAN08. Thursday. My apologies for not updating sooner. I've been absolutely swampped with work. The Winter Winds are really Kicking-up and no, haven't received any cold weather gear yet... Did receive my care package from home. Thanks Terri!! Love the Dickies... Chatted with the Family just a little while ago. Found my son finally got Second Class in the Boy Scouts. Congradulations Ryan. Job Well Done. More News. My Lovely Bride Turns 50 in Ten More Days. WOW FIFTY YEARS OLD... Hard to Believe it. And She still looks beautiful.