Christmas Abroad
Well, Christmas is here again, and I find myself far from home. I have been home for Christmas more often than Thanksgiving, for which I am grateful. Still, this Christmas is especially tough; this is the first time Erica and I have spent Christmas apart since we met. Never before has there been a single person I wanted to spend the holiday with more than any other. Oh well. Hopefully, we can limit these separations in the future. It seems as though the market for war and soldiering has decreased somewhat in the past year, a trend I hope continues. To be quite honest, I would not be averse to the Army asking me to quit. I intend to stay to retirement, but there is other work available, and I am fairly certain I can find employment and salary commensurate with my current experience and education level.
I am listening to Christmas blues music on Pandora right now. (Many thanks to outotoro who first pointed me towards the awesomeness that is Pandora.) I, in a burst of complete and unusual impatience, have already opened all the presents I have received to date. (In my defense, most of them were mailed packages that I didn't know for certain were presents.) My haul, so far:
- Pelican computer case (Mom & Dad)
- PCIExpress card slot Bluetooth mouse for my netbook (my brother, boomime)
- Kindle leather cover (Randy, my father-in-law)
- Custom pin-up girl photo book (from my ever lovely wife, petite_chaton)
- Old Spice Cologne & Aftershave (My grandparents)
- 3 OU t-shirts (an aunt)
- Assorted candy and cookies (My aunt-in-law, Joyce)
- 4 books and some more cookies (My mother-in-law, Janet)
I am hoping for pictures of some of the presents I sent, since I only saw the pictures that were on the website. In Randy's case, I had his present custom made, and have no idea what it actually looks like. I suppose I should post pictures of my goodies, though I will have to leave out the candy, since I have either eaten it or given it away already. I shared out the candy, as it was too much for me to eat alone.
I am listening to Christmas blues music on Pandora right now. (Many thanks to outotoro who first pointed me towards the awesomeness that is Pandora.) I, in a burst of complete and unusual impatience, have already opened all the presents I have received to date. (In my defense, most of them were mailed packages that I didn't know for certain were presents.) My haul, so far:
- Pelican computer case (Mom & Dad)
- PCIExpress card slot Bluetooth mouse for my netbook (my brother, boomime)
- Kindle leather cover (Randy, my father-in-law)
- Custom pin-up girl photo book (from my ever lovely wife, petite_chaton)
- Old Spice Cologne & Aftershave (My grandparents)
- 3 OU t-shirts (an aunt)
- Assorted candy and cookies (My aunt-in-law, Joyce)
- 4 books and some more cookies (My mother-in-law, Janet)
I am hoping for pictures of some of the presents I sent, since I only saw the pictures that were on the website. In Randy's case, I had his present custom made, and have no idea what it actually looks like. I suppose I should post pictures of my goodies, though I will have to leave out the candy, since I have either eaten it or given it away already. I shared out the candy, as it was too much for me to eat alone.