For The New Year

Happy New Year everyone! This one has gone by surprisingly (and thankfully) fast. To celebrate the event we had a bonfire, which was constructed of pallets stacked to make a 15' tower. We also threw some smoke grenades and grilled steaks and burgers. Not bad for the middle of nowhere in Iraq. Earlier that day I was a bit disappointed. I had invited some of the Iraqi guys over for pizza because they had never had it before. I went and picked up 5 pizzas from Pizza Hut (yes there is one here) and brought them back anticipating a great lunch and hoping to build a stronger relationship with the Iraqi guys. Sadly though, something must have been lost in translation because nobody showed up and I was stuck with a ton of pizza by myself. The Iraqis are busy prepping a bunch of their vehicle for a parade in Baghdad later this week. The only bad part is that the tanks they are driving are from the 1970s and there aren't many parts to repair them. Hopefully they at least make it the length of the parade route without breaking down!

I will be coming home later this month, so I am very excited for that. I can't wait to see Melissa and Isaac and Luke! I'll even get to see Lola so that's cool too. One thing I want to do while I'm home (besides not freezing to death) is go ice fishing. I haven't done that in such a long time, and I think the boys would enjoy it, so if anyone knows a good spot to go please let me know!