10 More Days of Rest....

Dear Friends,

I signed into 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division on Wednesday. I was quickly assigned to a battalion. I met with my commander later that day. We had a good talk, and then he signed me out on 10 more days of permissive TDY (free vacation). It turns out that my future platoon was just getting back to the U.S. later that day. It was better if I just got out of the way for a week or so. There's really no immediate work for me. My future looks pretty low-key at least for the summer. My unit will be on block-leave until early August, and I won't get assigned a platoon until then or early September. Until that time I'll probably work a staff job. This is a little disappointing because I will probably not see a deployment until later 2009/early 2010. However, I am taking my commander's advice and enjoying my free time while I have it. I'll officially starting work on June 6...I'll just keep "hanging out" for now.

In other news, I continue to enjoy hanging out with the guys in my house and Bible study up here. The summer months are upon us bringing some of the best weather I've ever experienced. I bike down to the bay every week hitting trails along the way. The Northwest is truly a beautiful place. I think I'll stay here for a few years. Bye!

West Coast Here I Come...

Dear Friends,

I have spent most of my life in the Midwest. Every year growing up my family vacationed to the East Coast. For the past year I lived in the South. Ultimately there seems only one last logical place for me to go...and that is the West Coast. Tomorrow I leave for Fort Lewis, WA where I will spend the next 3 years or so of my life in the Army. I am about 90% recovered physically from Ranger School, and my mind is eager to move on from training to doing an "actual" job in the Army. I am unsure yet what I will be doing when I initially get out there, but I will keep everyone posted. All I can say is that I'm eager to go on to the next stage of this career.

p.s. I'm prepared for the weather out west...I already got a new rain jacket.

Update

Dear Friends,

Honestly there's not much to update on. Life outside the Army sometimes seems a little too simple to write about...good, but simple. I did get to spend last weekend with my family in Ohio which was great, and since then I have gotten to travel to Iowa City to see Micah as well as spend a night downtown Chicago with my cousins and friends. Truthfully I am just enjoying my break day by day. Bye!