Do You Ever?

Do you ever want to write, but you just have too many things jumbled up in your head to make sense of it all?  Do you ever want to write, but you just don’t feel like putting in the effort to describe everything in precise detail?  Do you ever want to write, but not about anything important — rather the mundane going-ons in your daily routine?  Do you ever just want to write, not caring if it really even makes sense?  Yeah, that’s how I feel today.  If I miss anything, just ask.  I’ll fill in all the gaps.

Thankfully, I’m back from Afghanistan.  The first half of the trip was hell (as mentioned in my last entry), but in all honesty, the outcome was completely worth the grueling, hostile days.  We delivered a product far superior to that of our former competitor, and by the time I was wrapping things up and packing my bags, the 82nd Airborne was begging to keep me.  Now, that is gratification.

I hopped on a C-17 on the 16th bound for Doha, and spent a few days relaxing, drinking wine, and smoking sheesha (better known as hookah in the states) before catching my commercial flight home on the 19th.  I did make it home with a few souvenirs, including my very own sheesha pipe.  You can call it a bong if you so wish.  Fortunately, there’s a craft store right near my apartment that can sell me all the smoking paraphernalia I need — Hooked on Hookah.  Clever, no?  I also brought home several cashmere, Indian scarves as gifts for all my girls.  It’s hard to capture their detail and beauty with a camera lens, but these shots will still give you an idea.

Sent this one to Mom.

This one went to my stepmom, Debbie.

This one went to my sister-in-law, Becky.

And I picked up four of these smaller ones for my Mom, Alsie, Tammy, and of course, myself.

Oh, and at some point during my trip, I rode a camel.

Boy, it smelled foul, but look how cute that face is!

Tammy’s pregnant.  See, I told you this would be a scatter-brained entry.  I’ve known for a while now.  I was the first person she told aside from her husband, of course.  She’s about three and a half months along, and absolutely tickled pink.  When she first floored me with the news, I didn’t really know how to respond.  I was out of the country when she and Jeremy decided to forego the birth control, but she assumed she’d told me.  I honestly didn’t know that she and Jeremy were doing so peachy, but if they can really make it work after all the problems past, good for them.  And I have to admit, I’m looking forward to throwing her a baby shower.  I’m crossing my fingers it’s a girl.

I’m leaving Friday to meet my brother in Orlando for five days, and it’s going to be a ridiculously busy trip.  Friday night, we have tickets to a Ring of Honor independent wrestling show, and we’re going to try to hit a Flyleaf concert afterwards.  Saturday will be spent meeting and greeting WWE performers, followed by an afternoon at Universal Studios.  That night, we will be attending the WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony.  We’ll be riding more rollercoasters on Sunday, then Sunday night… ringside at WrestleMania XXIV!  He and I are both gleefully excited, as we’re expecting the supposed Ric Flair retirement match with Shawn Michaels to be one of the most monumental in years.  We’ll also be capping off the weekend with a day at EPCOT center, drinking around the world.  This will be a much needed and well-deserved vacation.

My plate in the coming months will be just as full as usual.  I’ll return from Florida on April 1st, and the following Saturday, I’m hopping right back on a plane headed for Texas. I’ll be spending about four days in the south visiting Chuck.  And no, I don’t have any major updates on that front — aside from the fact that he’s been so super sweet to me over the last month that he’s almost sticky.  I’ll more than likely be heading back to Germany shortly after my romp in the lone star state.  I have a feeling I’ll end up spending a good two to three weeks in Heidelberg, but I’m quite looking forward to it.  I’ve heard that area is beautiful.  After I make my way back to the states, my brother and I have another trip scheduled for the second weekend of May… Las Vegas, baby!  This will be my first adventure in Sin City, and I can’t wait to see how much trouble I can get myself into.

Let’s see.  What else?  Oh, I bought a new car this weekend.  I just picked it up yesterday!  A year and a half of driving that stupid Nissan Xterra was all I could take.  I needed more juice behind the wheel.  Speed, power, luxury, and all with a sports car attitude.  The Audi TT.  Oh, yes.

You know, I think I might actually like this car more than I ever did either of my Firebirds, and we all know how much I loved those damn Pontiacs.  This thing’s fully loaded with a HomeLink system, 6-speaker Bose sound system, iPod interface, Bluetooth integration, tiptronic transmission with automatic and manual shifting, paddle shifters on the steering wheel…  Hell, it even has a fin spoiler that can be raised and lowered with the touch of a button or when the car reaches a speed of 55MPH.  Craziness.

Tonight, I’ll be bottling the honey cream ale and the chocolate imperial stout that have been clarifying in my closet for a couple months now.  I’ve got to make a run to the home brew shop for bottles anyway (though I think it’s really just an excuse to drive the new car), so I’m thinking about picking up the ingredients to brew either a brown ale, an Irish red, or an oatmeal stout tomorrow.  We’ll see.

I have a ton more pictures spanning the last six months that I’d like to post, so I’ll try to get on that this afternoon.  Ciao!

Felina</div>