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Since I was so upset about not getting to put up lights this year, I decided to decorate my wall for Christmas. The first time Mugs visited my family in Natchitoches during Christmas, she was utterly amazed that Mama had decorated the bureau instead of a Christmas tree. So in true Manry tradition, here’s my Christmas wall:

Last night, some of us got together for a white elephant gift exchange. Sarah had printed out mistletoe and taped it to the ceiling, so you had to be careful where you stood. I was able to give everyone that came a homemade Christmas card from Gabe’s second grade class at Fredericksburg Christian Schools. In the picture above, notice all of the cards on the white paper. Each kid in Gabe’s class made me a Christmas card. They also made extra cards addressed to “Friend”.
CDR Charles Kliewer joined us for the festivities. He is a US Navy Submariner assigned to the US Army Corps of Engineers for a 6-month deployment to Iraq. He is here on FOB Marez attached to the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) as the liaison officer (LNO) for USACE. He’s still looking for his submarine! Here’s a shot of Charles and Rick unaware that mistletoe is lurking above.

This morning, I slept in until about 0800. After making some coffee and checking email, I just lazed about most of the morning. I got to watch “It’s a Wonderful Life” on AFN. For lunch today, we decided to go to town. So we drove over to the DFAC on FOB Diamondback. The display wasn’t quite as extravagant as Thanksgiving, but they did have a giant Frosty appropriately covered in frosting. Santa Claus was also at the DFAC, so we had one of the DFAC workers take our picture with Santa and Frosty.

The DFAC worker liked it so much, that he asked me to take a picture of him and his buddy with Santa. The he had his buddy take a picture of the two of us with Santa. Next it was a picture of just his buddy with Santa. Then it was a picture of me and his buddy with Santa. Finally, it was a picture of just him with Santa. Here is picture number 2, me and the first DFAC worker.

For Christmas this year, I got a deluxe care package from Richard, including homemade peanut brittle. No one is allowed to tell Howard that I got homemade peanut brittle.  He never reads this blog, right? From Abby, I received the Grumpy ornament, and from Gabe I got silly putty. Zeke gave me a Santa Pez dispenser, while Josiah sent a coffee cup where you can design your own decoration. Mugs gave me a desktop bowling game and a stress-relief football to squeeze. It feels like Stretch Armstrong, if you remember that toy. I guess it feels like Stretch Armstrong even if you don’t remember that toy!

Merry Christmas from Mosul!

The kids have been praying Psalm 91 over me each night of my deployment. Mugs sent me a small digital recorder recently where she recorded various messages and other holly, jolly sounds. On one of the sound bites, the kids recited Psalm 91 from memory. Zeke participated as well. I couldn’t quite hear Zeke playing it back on the recorder, but once I uploaded the sounds to my PC, I could hear every little sound. It is great to hear Zeke’s echoes as he recites with his brothers and sister. I converted the file to Mp3 for your listening pleasure!

On Friday, the middle school classes went to various homes to rake people’s leaves as an act of service.  We were on the list of yards to be raked because of Dale’s deployment to Iraq.  Not wanting Abby and Josiah to rake their own yard, they were assigned to rake the leaves at the house of an elderly widow.  She treated them grandly with homemade hot chocolate and cookies.  She informed them that whichever cup they chose, they could bring home to keep.  Josiah apparently missed this bit of information and picked up the cup closest to him.  After he drank his hot chocolate, he finally realized that he was supposed to keep the cup.  At this point he noticed that it had a large pink rose on it.  He attempted to trade with his sister until she held up her cup.  It not only had a big pink rose, but the word “love” written all over it.  He was forced to carry his pink flower cup with him for the rest of the day.  Immediately upon entering the van, he thrust the cup at me.  “Here!” he said.  My great dislike of coffee cups and the color pink did not deter him.  “Thanks,” I said.  “What a lovely birthday gift.”

A good pair of sunglasses is essential to survival here in Iraq. Actually, I have found that 2 different pairs of sunglasses are better. I prefer one type for day to day FOB life, while I use a different type for going outside the wire. I have a pair of the Uvex XC that I was issued while preparing for deployment at Ft. Benning, GA. I wear them everyday in and around the FOB. But when I head off the FOB, I switch to the WileyX which I bought at the military clothing sales store at Ft. Belvoir, VA. The WileyX sunglasses have a much tighter, closer fit to the face. They also have more of a goggle-type setup, while the Uvex XCs are a single lens system. So the WileyX pair does a better job of keeping out the blowing sand. Both pairs of sunglasses came with interchangable lenses. In limited visibility, I can put in the clear lenses, so I can still have some eye protection even when it’s dark outside.

Here’s a picture of me wearing my WileyXs while flying in a Blackhawk.

Tonight the kids had a school skate night at the roller skating rink. It was Gabe’s first attempt at roller skating. He gave it a go. By the end of the night, he wasn’t falling down quite as much. He stuck with it and both he and Abby improved quite a bit. They both came home exhausted and in need of a good soaking bath to ease the pain. I remember going to the ice skating and roller skating rinks as a kid. It was a part of the repetiveness of life that happens when you live in the same place from 1st to 12th grade. My kids have had no repetiveness of life yet. I’d like them to, though. Growing up in Northern Minnesota, all I ever thought about was leaving to see the world. Well, now I’ve seen the world, and I’d really like to stay in one place for awhile. Back in April, when we were told that Dale would deploy, God pressed upon my heart 1 Peter 5:10: “But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.” Dale reminded me of that verse a few weeks ago, but it is difficult to always be positive when you are “suffering a while”. I do keep this deployment in perspective. There are many people enduring much worse suffering than I. I try to keep myself together most days, but there are moments when I become a big sook (Aussie for cry baby). Watching the other Dads help their kids skate was a bit tough. Dale is a decent roller skater. He gets his talent for skating and bowling from his Daddy, who was a fantastic skater years ago and is a great bowler still. Hopefully, next year, at skate night, Dale can be out there with the kids giving them some advice and assistance. Next year…it seems far far away. When my pastor taught 1 Peter 5:10 to the church, he reminded us that Samson asked, “Please strengthen me once more.” So, I ask that as well. “Please strengthen me once more.”