Finally Getting Settled!!

Tiger Williams and myself at Canada House!!

So, its been a few days since the last update and I will see if I can do it some justice.

I have been able to get adjusted to life here even though I have been here before there are alot of new changes. We are now staying in modular accommodations instead of the tents, some say they would have preferred the tents, but in only 7 days I have taken a liking to them, no more LONG muddy treks to the showers in the morning, I have mine right across the hall. Tim Hortons is only a 3 minute walk from here and the line ups have not changed, still miles long, the best time is at 6:15am when the initial rush dies down and then the remainder of the day is nuts. There has been an influx of vehicle traffic here on camp, not sure if its more troops or just vehicles, but some (most) days its just easier to walk, besides I have some pounds to shed, its good for me!!

I went on a mission the other day to find the American BX, it also has moved and is bigger and better, lots of stuff including electronics. From the BX I carried on to the Boardwalk and it has also grown in numbers, it has many different shops like from local vendors selling nik nakky type stuff to afghan carpets and pashmina's. There has also been a very large amount of food vendors, some I will try, some I won't, had KFC today for lunch..meh, alright I suppose!  The latest food spot to show up still under reno is Coffee Time, they have taken over the old Tim Hortons trailer on the BW, curious to try their coffee. I was able to ship over from home a coffee pot and accessories for the shacks, that is just getting to be used now and should save on trips to Tim's and money!!


The weather here has been golden, up untill the day I got here the guys were saying that they had 3 weeks of crappy wet weather (winter) Since I woke up last Monday morning it has been hot and sunny, reaching high 20's, I'll take it, sorry about all your weather back home. :)  But you can have the sand and the smell of poo floating around this country (poo being the above ground septic system they have in place). So, as the days go by I stopped to think that tomorrow will have already been 1 week. I know Lana will difer, but the time here has just flown, before I know it I will be home enjoying the late spring helping Lana plant and get the yard ready for the summer, that which I will miss. So I will sign off for now, we are going in to work for a bit, Till next time Support Our Troops.

~M

PS, I forgot to mention, A large group of ex NHL'ers came for a visit, Lanny MacDonald was a highlight, but the above picture is with Tiger Williams. They spent 5 days here doing various things and was a real treat to see them all around at Canada House!!

The Beginning of a new Day!!

After a few very long travel days en-route to Afghanistan, I have finally made it here, arrived here late into the morning and all I wanted when I hit the ground was a Timmies, which in fact is Rolllllll up the Rim here as well. Well my Tim's was going to wait till the morning, I did get my fix of caffeinated Tim Horton's coffee and my day was off to a good start. It was very busy day with clearing in and getting all of the "paper work" stuff out of the way, picked up my meal and phone cards. Speaking of meal cards, its been 2 years since I was in one of the DFac's (Dining Facility) and my immediate reaction was that the food standard has improved. Lets just see if I'm still saying that in 4 to 6 months from now. On a brighter note, there is an increase in other eating establishments around the camp, just have to pay for them, KFC, TGIFridays, a burger joint, pizza place, and a few others that I'm sure I will sample over time. So, after a very full day of running around, after supper we headed to the boardwalk where Ex VP of Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment Tom Anselmi and a group of NHL Alumni were gathered at the outdoor ball hockey rink to take an all girls team in ball hockey. It was very entertaining to say the least, especially tough guy Andre Roy, others on the trip are Tiger Williams, Lanny MacDonald, Mario Tremblay, Pierre Turgeon, Jamie MacCowan, Mark LaForest, Chris Nilan and a slew of others, including Canadian funny man...Tom Green. The show tour continues today with MMA fighting and oh, don't forget the Montreal Alouette cheerleaders....OK, enough about that, but in all honesty, it makes being over here very bearable and I thank them for that.
So today is another admin day and then I should be all set, I still have some setting up in my bed space but in a couple of weeks I will be changing spaces for the duration of my time here and that I am looking forward to, I need to be able to set up my space to be comfortable, after all this is "home" for the next 6 months. So I must get ready to start my day, I'm not sure how often I will be updating but keep checking back, I hope to do it every few days. Thanks everyone for the support and especially Lana and the girls. Lana came down with a nasty cold just as I was deploying and she is still on the mend, it never fails only when I go away. Get better sweetie!!!  So in signing off I'd like to say that this tour is likely to be an interesting ride especially with everything that is going on and I look forward to it . Till next time, continue to Support Our Troops!!

~M

3/175

A few moments in time!!

So here I sit in my nice cozy warm comfy living room, I only have 5 hours before I will be airborne and on my way to the Middle East, which from this day forth will commonly be known as "The Stan" as in Afghanistan. Unlike my previous 3 trips overseas, I will be spending my entire 6 months in The Stan. Some of you may remember I referred to the other place as "The Safe Zone". Well Kandahar is as safe as it gets for this trip. But having spent a great deal of time in KAF (Kandahar Airfield) and I am quite confident that we are well protected inside the wire!
I would be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to this trip. I am going to be working some of the best technicians that I know and we are going to be working on what could possibly be the best Aircraft in the world, and yes I am very bias. We will be working in the same area of KAF but living in a different area. We are moved out of the "old" army style tens and have moved into very comfortable Mods, picture 8 to 10 sea containers all joined together with some doors and a few windows in for good measure. There are a few other "nice" updates in the camp but I will update you all on stuff in later Blog entries. So before I sign off on this entry, I want to thank everyone for the ongoing support, I want you to remember that I am not the only one serving over there and your continued support of ALL the troops is needed. I want to thank my family for being there for me, I know its not going to be easy (at first) so just keep smiling. I love you Lana, Victoria and Vanessa. See you soon!!

~M

T minus 40 hours

Hello again everyone, The time has almost come, we are 2 sleeps and a wakey or 40 hours away from boarding our plane out of the Middle East. The time cannot pass quick enough. I am just trying to kill a little more time then head off to bed, and tomorrow we have a relatively busy day ahead of us, that is a good thing for sure. Just sitting here chatting with Lana for the last 30 minutes or so, I have been reflecting on my time away. It has been valuable, not just because I have missed my family dearly, but because of the relationships I have made, most of them I have mentioned in previous blog updates. My time away has helped me understand life better, why we are here and the job we have been put here to do, now I'm not talking about a spiritual spin, but just us as human beings on earth. Maybe not making any sense, but it does to me. I have seen allot over the past six months, ten months if you count my in between time, I have definitely grown older and wiser. My only wish is that I can take what I have gained here and bring it home and use it positively, again, I'm being very vague, but it's because there is so much diversity to a trip like this to pin point a few things, there are so many. My goal is to be a much better person after this and in my opinion, I'm on my way, and I don't mind saying that!!
So, this will likely be the last from this part of the world, I will certainly post again from home with sporadic updates about the family and developments. Thank you all again for following me on my journey, and that it has been a journey not to be forgotten. Looking forward to seeing many of you upon my return to Canada. Till next time...

Continue To Support Our Troops
~M

Hi it’s me, the Wife

Well here I sit reading what might be Mark’s final blog report for this tour and thought why not make a post myself.

So I’m thinking about the past 6 months which in fact were actually 10 months in total and some of you are thinking huh?  Yes Mark was gone for 6 months, but in fact the 2 month breaks home in between for me don’t count.  During the 4 months we couldn’t get into a routine and Mark basically had to stay in the “mode.”  The first 2 months home were great, kind of like a little honeymoon if you will and the 2^nd break home was “Hell”

When Mark came home I was sick and sick of being sick.  Mark was very cranky and had a little depression happening I think.  There were so many emotions, that neither one of us could get a handle on it.

It has been very, very difficult getting used to this whole Military lifestyle. 

I have a great deal of admiration for the wives of military husbands with small children and have learned a lot.

I don’t know how they do it, I really don’t!!

I have learned to be quite self sufficient in doing the things I hate doing. I have also come to really appreciate the things Mark always does for me!

Examples you ask, well…Taking out the garbage, putting gas in my car, making supper (god I can’t wait to have a good meal again;) making my tea in the mornings, running small errands while I’m at work ETC!!

During this past 10 months we have missed a lot of things together, which were difficult for me.  We have been together 10 yrs this March (I think, Ron and Larriane help me out here lol) and this was the first time for both of us to be apart for so long.

We tried to celebrate everything during his breaks, but it wasn’t the same.

We (the girls and I) spent Christmas together with Mark on a web cam, well in 8 days we are having our family Christmas when he gets home.

Speaking of web cams; Thank god for technology!  I don’t think I could have made it all this time without the computers.  Also with a web cam I was able to feel like I was right there in the desert with Mark, except I wasn’t afraid of what might be flying over my head. Also in 8 days, I can finally relax and get good nights sleep and so can Mark.  We can finally stop worrying about each other; well we will never stop worrying.  But it will be a different kind of worry.  I Love you Mark!!

I want to thank you all for the Support and Love you sent to Mark while he was away.

OH Ya, remember what Mark posted in his blog?  You know, the part that said “my family needs me back and I need them back. I am really looking forward to being home and plowing all that snow that never seems to stop falling and give my baby a break.

You did?  Great!  Now I have proof HAHAHA don’t worry I’ll be nice to him, for a week or so!!

 

From the Military Wife to Be (hint hint Mark)

AKA Lana/Mom

Thank you

~S.O.T.~

 

PS. Please don’t stop supporting our troops, they are still over there and need it!!!!!

8 Days a week!!

Well folks, I know its been some time since my last update. Since returning from KAF to the "safe zone" our internet has been in a bad state. The only computers available here on camp have a 30 minute limit, I felt that it was important to spend that time...when I could get on them, to chat with Lana back home, all the time thinking about those of you diligently checking my blog looking for the next update!! Well, where to start, we returned from KAF to find ourselves deep into work, and relatively busy, not a bad thing, the last thing you want to do with 16 days left in the trip is too sit around and do nothing. I have had the chance to go into town and get away from the camp for a bit, saw Cedric, remember he is the fellow that has 2 young children back in the Philippines supporting them, his girlfriend and his parents. Well, Cedric finally got promoted to supervisor, he was happy to tell us and then the conversation turned to the upcoming UFC fight on TV. As we were getting ready to leave, he said if we come and see him one more time, he will be sure to send us "home" with some Cinnamon buns from the store. I may just have to make the effort, they are really tasty!!
About a week ago, Cam and I were able to find information that told us that we were eligible for a 48 hour R&R period at the camps expense. Well, my father has always taught me...if you don't A.S.K you don't G.E.T. So, we staffed the memo up and in a very short period, we were granted a 24hour R&R, we will take it, so plans were put into motion and we were of to Abu Dhabi, to a five star resort with almost everything included, the food was awesome, the rooms were great and the weather was perfect. It was everything that this crew needed to finish the remaining 11 days on tour. As you can appreciate, you live, eat, sleep, work, play with the same 10 guys for 6 months you will start to "get sick" of seeing them. It was the prefect way to rejuvenate ourselves for the home stretch and end this thing on a really good note.
So here we are with 8 days remaining, and yes that song has been stuck in my head all day, I want to say a week left, but its an 8 day week. We are going to be extremely busy and my only hope is that we don't get home and we are to tired to do anything, but I'm sure that won't be the case. My 6 months is all but done and I am feeling really good about the tour, although, I have ZERO desire to ever come back here. Been there, done it, and I even have several T-shirts to show for it...my family needs me back and I need them back. I am really looking forward to being home and plowing all that snow that never seems to stop falling and give my baby a break. I Love you Lana and you certainly have been a trooper during this time while I have been away...THANK YOU!!!
So as I sign off, with no guarantees if this will be the last one or not, all I can say is, Stay tuned...till next time!!

Support Our Troops
~M

Final Few days in KAF!!

As the days wind down here in the sandy land, there have been a few things happening, and it all seems to be focusing around media. Some of you may have already seen it, but Lana forwarded me a copy of the Napanee Guide here in Kandahar, they have a section in the newspaper called "Where in the world is the Napanee Guide" Well, it only took a little convincing for the guys to pose for a picture and then everything took off from there. The picture was Immediately printed, unlike other weeks, they usually pick the best one and then print that one, the editor told Lana that because of the efforts on both parts she felt it was best to print it right away. I was then put in contact with a reporter from the Kingston Whig Standard, Ian Elliot who was to be here covering the milestone of one of our aircraft's achieving 45,000 flying hours, he was also doing a local (Kingston) spin on the article and I was able to meet with him yesterday for about 15 minutes. The interview was very interesting and I can hardly wait for that to be printed, on a side but personal note, I really hope the picture he took makes the paper, perfect hero shot!! :) Anyway all of the "Hollywood" aside, It was really nice to see people from home here covering the things we are doing. If anyone is curious about what is being done over here in an Airforce role, I think the article will do it some justice. So we are definitely gearing down for our departure from KAF and gearing up for our remaining 17 or so days in the Middle East, like I have said before, this trip has been the easiest of the three, in all aspects, but we are all very tired, more mentally I think then anything else and I am really looking forward to a little down time and get back into my regular routine back home. Of course, I certainly cannot wait to be in my bed with my baby, I know it is going to take a little coaxing over time to get my side of the bed back but there is no real rush. ;) There is one thing I am not really looking forward to going back to the safe zone, the Internet has been drastically downgraded, only 60 people on at a time. So sit and wait your turn, not quite sure the change but I don't care, I will be home in no time!!
So, I guess I have a new nickname...Fifi, I had a chance today to go and have a real Thai Massage, $35 for 50 minutes of oil relaxation massage. WOW, I came out of there wondering where I had just visited, cause it most certainly was not in Afghanistan, I fell into a state of relaxation for 50 straight minutes and it was wonderful. I am very happy that I have experienced and yes Lana, now I know why you enjoy having massages!! So , I have now been to a tanning salon, had a massage and whats next, maybe eyebrow waxing or a pedicure....don't laugh, while I was waiting my turn for my massage, one of those big burly Marines walked in all sheepishly and asked the attendant if they "did eyebrows". He seemed quite disappointed when they said no!!
This will be my last update from KAF and in light of the Internet situation in the safe zone I will have to see how it goes there, ultimately I still have email at work. I will sign off for now and I hope all is well back home, till next time...

P.S I want to say a special Hello to my mother, who checks my blog often at the library. I'm proud of her for making the effort and learning how to use the computer! I Love you Mom and your in my thoughts, I will call you when I get home XO
Support Our Troops
~M

Half way home!!

Good morning all, as I write this entry we have just passed the half way point, at times it feels like time is going quick, but at others it feels like the time is standing still, I know from Lana's perspective, time is standing still and that I can appreciate. It's been some time since I have updated my blog, but because we have gone down to one crew here now, we have worked every day and most days I barely have enough time to chat with Lana, eat..sleep..work, then it starts again!! We have been treated with some pretty crappy weather these last 4 days, it has been raining quite heavily at times and because the ground is so hard, the rain has no where to go, it just stays in puddles and makes everything quite muddy. I suppose its would be ok if you were a pig, I think you get the picture. I woke up this morning to find my tent space completely flooded for the third time in 4 days, and to top it off, I even moved spaces after the first to what I thought was higher ground. Grrr, so today I think I will have to move tents all together, which kinda sucks, because I have put so much time into making this tent very comfortable for living in, almost like a canvass cottage!! So, I guess I will put my touch in the new tent that I move in to, oh well, it passes the time!! Update on the mail situation, and this is a very sensitive topic for me, and I am not at all happy about how it has been handled. Two days ago, I received 2 packages, one from Lana and one from Shelly, they were a welcome treat and very refreshing, the treats inside have been well received and who knew a box of clementines would have survived almost three weeks in the mail, only one showed any signs of decay!! I'm really sorry to say, that I still not have received Larraines packages yet, that has to be the most frustrating part, and my hands are absolutely tied, I ask "the bosses" every day if there is mail coming from our safe zone and I get the same answer..."don't know". There really has to be some explanation to this whole fiasco, but I'm afraid to say, someone has dropped the ball on this one. I know Lana did some legwork back home to try and find out whats has happened, and still is happening, but...there are still issues out there, I am certainly not alone in this either. I wonder...just wonder what would happen if the local media got a hold of this story...probably the most unfortunate thing to happen short of losing troops in this, Troop Moral is the next most important thing to your life when you are serving over here! So, all that being said, I still wake up every morning with a smile on my face hoping that I will receive the remainder of our mail...keep praying!!
There really has been not much else to update here, things have been exceptionally quiet, and for that I am very happy, it has made the time here in KAF quite enjoyable, except for the rain, but I guess you can't expect to go camping for three weeks and not get rained on!! I can only imagine how the guys in the field are coping! So I will sign off for now, try and scope out a new tent space and get re-settled. Till next time!!

Support Our Troops
~M