Day# 183 - The Replacements Are Here

Wow, I hadn't realized it has been nearly two weeks since I last updated the blog. We have been busy lately finishing up things as we prepare to head back home. I didn't seem real until yesterday when our replacements arrived here in Mosul. It was a great moment as I watched the doc replacing me step off the C-130 and onto the tarmac at the airfield. I haven't felt that good in over 6 months.

It has been 183 days seen I left Christen and the kids early in the morning on the 28th of February. And now with each passing day the excitement continues to build. It has gone from months ... to weeks ... and now finally to days until I'll be returning back home to San Antonio. As of right now I am scheduled to fly out of Iraq next Thursday, September 3rd. I'll spend 1 day in Kuwait, and then fly from Kuwait to Ft. Benning in Georgia on September 5th. And if things go smoothly I should be back home in Texas by September 7th. I'll keep you all updated as I prepare for the long journey back to America.

Day# 169 - ER Staff

Posted below is a group picture of everyone in the ER here in Mosul. Our section is made up of 11 males and 5 females. 1 ER doc, 1 Family Medicine doc, 6 nurses, and 8 medics. Even though we all come from different hospitals in various locations throught out the U.S., we have become one big happy family, and thankfully we all get along really well. We are also known around the base for our amazing Cornhole playing skills, hence the two Cornhole boards in the front of the picture. For those of you not familar with the great American past-time known as Cornhole stay tuned in. I'll save the Cornhole stories for another post.

Day# 167 - Happy Anniversary Sweetie

Today marks the ninth year since Christen and I got married on that memorable summer day in Northampton, MA. Amazing how fast it has flown by ... next year will be the big ten year wedding anniversary and I will have to start planning for something big, especially since I am missing out on this year's. In fact, this is the first anniversary that Christen and I have been apart. It is suprising that despite medical school, residency, Army assignments, and my crazy work schedule this is the first, and hopefully last anniversary we are not together.

Some of you may remember that the start of our weekend wedding celebration didn't exactly go as planned. Our car broke down driving from Boston to Northampton the day of the rehearsal dinner, we had a monsoon of a thunderstorm that night, the rain carried over into the next morning, and somebody's mom had a monster hangover after deciding that shots of Captain Morgan's Rum was her new favorite beverage. Now most brides would have been flipping out at this point but Christen took it all in stride. And her positive outlook on life is what got us both through that day. And in the end the clouds parted, the sun came out, the hangovers subsided, and everything came together perfectly as we celebrated the joining of our lives with our family and friends. And on that beautiful summer evening in Western Massachusetts we made a promise to each other ... a promise to love each other forever, to see each other through the good times and the bad, and to never forget how blessed we are to have found the one we want to spend the rest of our lives with.

These last nine years have resembled the start of that weekend in many ways. We have been through major life decisions, career changes, job relocations, pregnancies, births, deaths, heart surgeries, military deployments, and long distance relationships. And during these times when things looked pretty grim we just hunkered down, focused on the positive things in our life, and always remembered those promises we made to each other so long ago . And in the end it has always worked out for the best ... but I don't think if I could have done it without her by my side.

With only 25 days left until we are reunited I feel like this chapter of our life is coming to an end, and a new one is about to begin. And the best part is I get to spend it with you. Love you sweetie ... always and forever.