Letters from Iraq....

I got my first "care package" in the mail yesterday from Dave. It contained a few gifts for Liam and I, as well as a few books he'd finished reading. He also included a card and a letter for me. Both made me cry.

He talked about how he missed me a lot, how he's got pictures of Liam and I hanging over his bed and when he gets frustrated, he just looks at our pictures and he's reminded of why he's there and who he has waiting at home for him. He called me his "lovely wife" and Liam, his "son who needs a haircut." :)

He always knew how to make me laugh through my tears.

He thanked me for the packages, as they keep him going. And he hopes he should have the internet soon (he'd better--we've had it paid for for the last month!!) so he can see Liam and I.

I've read his letter at least 50 times, and it is sitting on my nightstand. I had to read it once more before going to bed last night. And I fell asleep faster than I have in a long time.

Now if I could just shake this flu bug, life would be okay...

Things I'm learning...Part 2--Post Office Edition

See? I told you I'm learning a lot.

1. Flat rate boxes are a life (and bank account) saver.

Counting the boxes I'm dropping off tonight, I'll have sent 6 packages to Iraq already. Six. In less than a month. I think I'm doing pretty good as a wife. :) And considering the flat rate boxes cost 8.95, no matter how much you pack into them (just as long as they don't bulge) it's really saved our pocketbook too.

2. I really CAN pack. I just didn't know it.

Maybe we could call this 1.b, because it is kind of along the same lines. I had no idea I could fit so many pictures, dvd's(because I take them out of their cases), books, papers, drink mixes etc etc etc. into a box. Creative packing...that's all I've got to say.

3. Don't let the toddler near the boxes while packing.

I wouldn't be suprised if Dave called to tell me that one of Liam's cars ended up in Iraq. Liam's always pulling things out/putting things into the boxes when I'm trying to find the customs form/find more things to put in the box/clean up Liam's previous mess. I've learned I just have to sit down with all of my items, THEN put the box together, THEN pack it. No breaks in between. Because Lighting McQueen might end up over there...and heaven forbid we have to wait the shipping time for it to come back!!

4. The people at the post office already know me.
I go to the same post office after work when I have a package to send. And the postal employees have started asking me how he is...lol. They wave and smile when they see me now and know that when I come in, our transaction will always end with, "Can I get a few more of the flat rate boxes?"

Well, time to fill out those oh, so fun custom forms!

He called!! He called!!

David called today and said he was able to purchase a calling card which was only .04 a minute...WAY better money-wise!! He's able to re-charge this card too, which is great!!

He thanks everyone for their well wishes (parents, cousins, siblings, aunts, uncles...you get the idea) and apologizes that he isn't online as of yet. They're working on it (to the tune of $50/month per guy--$100 for start up fee) but it'll be worth it.

He also said that he's pretty sure he can recieve non-military e-mails (apparently they loosened the rules), so if you'd like his military e-mail address, please contact me and I can send it to you.

He does have a few rules though:

1. NO FORWARDS.
If you send him a forward, he may block you. He's serious about this, folks.

2. NO JOKES.
Again, this could cause you to be blocked.

3. Keep it clean.
Remember, we don't want him to lose his internet privledges.

4. No "doom and gloom" aka "Save the drama for yo' mama".
He knows that we can't sugar-coat life. However, anything that's going on at home, he really can't do anything about. So it's best not to mention things beyond his control or things that will make him worry. He's got enough going on over there...he doesn't need to worry about a fender bender or runny nose.

5. Don't be offended if he doesn't write you back.
He's a busy, busy guy. And he's not too fond of typing. So he may write you back...he may not. Don't be offended. Heck, I'm his wife and he has yet to respond to ANY of my e-mails. :)

So those are the rules, folks...from Dave's mouth to our blog.

Love Thursday...Foto Friday...Update from Dave....

Hey, I'm a busy woman. Cut me some slack.

Dave is at his base in Iraq, and has started a mission. I haven't heard from him since Wednesday, and I'm hoping to hear from him soon. That being said, he needs phone cards...bad. They still don't have an easy form of internet (one that doesn't require standing in line for an hour or more) but they plan on getting one soon.

As of right now, our only form of communication is phone. If you would like to help out, please send an AT&T phone card to me so I can give Dave the code #'s on the back.

I will be sending a package to Dave today and one next week. If there is anything you'd like to send him, please send it to me.

I thought I'd share this touching picture of Dave and Liam, just hanging out on Dave's bunk at Fort McCoy.



Love is just relaxing with your son and husband...not thinking about the year ahead...just enjoying each other.

Sending mail or e-mail to David....

As I mentioned earlier, David and I talked about the mail/e-mail method of contacting David during his recent few days of leave. It had been brought to our attention that there were a few family members/friends who were not happy with this decision. After talking to each other, talking to his other buddies in his unit (who are doing the same thing), and talking to the commander (who suggested that only one family member have the address), he's decided to keep his method he decided on in May.

So, if you would like to mail anything to David, please mail it to my home address where I will send it off in a large package. I'm looking to mail him at least a few times a month so he has some mail from home to look forward to.

I understand that this may frustrate some. I apologize for that, but I feel that it is of utmost importance to honor my husband's wishes at this time. Please do not question me about his decision, it has been made. David has enough on his plate right now and he doesn't need to worry about family being frustrated about his decision. Please respect it. I also have a lot on my plate right now. This is a VERY emotional time for us all. Please respect my husbands wishes so that I may respect his wishes.

As for e-mail, while overseas, Dave's been told (again, by the Commander) that his e-mail account cannot accept any e-mail from anything but an AKO account (security reasons). So, a few weeks ago, he set me up on one (he was allowed to set up an account for a dependent and since Liam can't type yet..he set me up on one). If you would like to e-mail David, please contact me and let me know so I can e-mail you my military e-mail address and send it on.

Please be assured that I will not be reading anyone's e-mails or letters to David. That is NOT the point of this system. It is to make sure that David does not get anything that might get him into trouble, to condense the items he has to carry with him and to make this deployment as easy on him as possible.

Please respect these decisions that David has made so we can make this deployment as easy on him as possible.

Dave is away...

The family went together and bought David an Ipod for a going away gift. Angela and Sandy were nice enough to stay up on Tuesday night and load over 800 songs on it for him. YAY!!

Per Dave's request, I will be the point of contact while he's deployed. If you would like to send something to him, please send it to me and I will send it on. Dave wants to do this for security reasons (address safety) and mailing reasons (if everyone condensed their mail, there would be less volume and things would move faster).

If you do not have my mailing address, please e-mail me and I will e-mail it to you. I'm sure we'll be sending packages bi-weekly so your letters, treats etc will get to Dave in a timely manner.

Thank you all for your prayers and well wishes. I'm sure we'll both be needing them in the upcoming months.