no subject, just an apology

so... yea.. its been a very long time since ive posted. and i am sorry for that. but when the t-giving and xmas and new year rolled around. the work week was hectic, so i either had time to post, but never got around to doing it, or never had time to even open my laptop. so i am sorry. but ive had a few new year resolutions, and one of them was to begin posting/writing people and a semi-regular basis.

so as for my t-giving and xmas, it was pretty nice. my thanksgiving was spent at a guys flat where we made everything from basically scratch. we had chitlinns (dont eat them, they are disgusting), stuffing, ham, mashed potatos, greens, black eyes peas, and wicked lemon cup cakes afterwards. and then xmas, they had this awesome spread down at our d-fac (dining facility), that had like turkey, ham, roast beef, potatos, veggies, the whole works. it was pretty cool. very nice too, they were handing out 60 min phone cards, but i gave mine to the guy behind me, so he could talk to his folks. then  called home and did my gifts over the phone, which was nice. it was good to talk to the fam again. then we had a week of port starboard which is like ill work one day, hve the next off, then work the next day. its a pretty sweet deal, but my two good friends had the "port" side of work, and i had the "starboard" side, so it was kinda boring when i didnt work, but i would eat lunch with them. then came new years, it was pretty tight. we went to this house party, and i had a quick drink, then it was like 2230, so we booked it to this awesome bar near this hotel, and there was like eleven of us right around the stroke of midnite. and we stayed there and danced and partied till like almost 0200. just dancing with everyone. like i went to use the facilities, and i would yell happy new year as i walked a group of people, and theyd be like happy new year back, and give me this shot glass or alcohol, so it was a pretty good night. i remember everything, so i wasnt too sloppy.  good photos were taken as well, so im sure some of you will see the facebook of mine, and begin to laugh.

as for some news changing, i was originally supposed to go to Sicily right, well my detailer (the person in charge of securing my orders to go there, contacted me and said that i was supposed to go, but that they could not send me there. so im sitting there like... eff, no italy, no europe, no traveling. but i began to think about it, and if i get to chose where i want to go, b/c they told me to contact them between the 6th and 9th of jan so "negotiate" orders, so if i get to chose myself, then ill 95% chance definitely go to california, to NMCB 4. Ive got two buddies in the battalion from 'a'-school, and they both want me to go there. plus its A) cali, B) in the states, C) you can surf there pretty much all year long, D) has enough skate spots to make me cry, E) you could just about snowboard everyday of the year, and F) its cali. i mean co'mon, the west coast, hollywood is like 30 minutes away, and ive already got like 5 people i know down there waiting for me. so im pretty confident ill be happy there. so yea thats about it. nothing really big going on, just chilling, and counting the days. 

i hope everyones holiday season was great, fun, and safe. and i promise i will be posting shortly, hopefully with news about where i will be going after bahrain.

i love you.

kev

oops

sorry for the misspelling... i forgot the do spell check... oh well 

so its been a good minute since ive posted

it think the last one was like around thanksgiving... and since then alot has happened. where to start. well the week after thanksgiving, i think it was just a regular work week, nothing too special. actually... i had ERT that week, and i was promoted to fire team leader... which is good, and that means i get to be the first into a burning building, and last out... woohoo danger. um... then the next week i sent out my families christmas gifts... i hope they arrive on time. and then the remainder of the week was pretty basic. made plans for this weekend, and then thursday, like about 230 pm... i got a call from my LCPO (Leading Chief Petty Officer) and he was asking me if i wanted to take part in this "run" this weekend. These "runs" are usually for like Admirals and Captains of the base and stuff.... well this one was a little bit more prestigious. Lets just say i spent majority of my weekend, this weekend, driving around Bahrain in....drumroll... the Secretary of Defense's motorcade. yea... i was a driver for his staff actually. and the coolest part was just seeing him... the closest i thought i would have gotten was no more than maybe ten feet from him. and in his motorcade i was about three cars back.... mind you i had half of his staff in my van.... there were four 05s... (big wigs), the guy who was running this entire weekends operations was riding with me... and as our base liasion officer in charge, he was an 05 as well. so i spent some pretty predigious mounts of time rubbing elbows with some high class DC people. AND... to top it all off.... right as the SecDef was boarding his plane... they pulled out all the drivers of the weekend, and we all got a picture with him. i was standing right next to the United States Secretary of Defense. AND i got to shake his hand, AND i got a command coin from him (this is basically priceless, its the third highest coin you can probably get). Man was it awesome. it was tough hours, up by 6 (5 for the final day which was today) and back home by about 8. long days, but man was the payoff worth it. i got to hang out with the head secret agent guy for the first night, then the second in charge of the agents was with us the whole time. i had my dinner one night bought by the O5 riding with me the whole weekend. and then there was an O1 from the army and basically shot the poopoo with us the entire weekend. he was ordering us to call him by his first name... and he was an officer on base.... boy was it an exciting weekend. and another thing... the SecDef's plane.... EFFING HUGE... SERIOUSLY. the puppy was some site to see. we got all sorts of photos of all the places we went and ill be posting them on my facebook once i get my hands on them.

-sigh- it was awesome. 

but i gotta run... need some fuel for the belly.

i love you guys, and ill post again before the holidays. everyone be safe on the roads, and buckle up (they told us that everytime we "mounted up"... haha agent talk... its cool) 

take care guys.... i love you.

Happy Thanksgiving

Obviously since you are reading this, i will not be home for thanksgiving... and for the holidays for that matter. but i wanted to personally take a moment and wish everyone a very happy thanksgiving, and a very very special merry christmas. i was away to school for the last thanksgiving, and it really hurt to know that i was only a few hours away. but this year it is a little easier to handle seeing as how i am 7000 mile away from you guys. although i did make it for christmas, i, again, will not be able to make it home for that either. 

i was pretty bummin when i knew i wasnt coming home for the holidays, and as they approached, i began to... well, lose it. getting somewhat irritable, finding myself sitting in my room, thinking only of family, and nothing else really. and then a very close family member, actually today, wrote to me and told me straight. they mentioned that i need to get my head on straight. that i need to realize that i made a commitment, and need to stick to it, the metaphor of marriage was said. they said that it was a blessing that i still had contact with family (i.e. phone, email, internet), and that you need to grow up sometimes. 

so after reading their message to me, i continued to surf the web, and it didnt really dawn to me until i started writing this post that, yea, i have made a large commitment. there are somethings in life that i do need to sacrifice. i cant live on the luxuries i had when i was a civilian anymore, i mean i can still enjoy the conversations, and the photos, but i need to stay committed to my job, and my country.. and with that comes long days and short nights, holidays with bosses and minimal luxuries. i realized that i will have to miss a few christmas's and a few birthdays, and a few thanksgivings, but that is what making a commitment to something like the military is. -inhalestofighttheurgetocry- i miss my family so much... but i know that if i was not over here, even though i dont shoot a gun, or ride in a tank on patrol or convoy, i know i am doing my part to give my family the freedom to celebrate the holidays. it is time for me to man up and not jones over the holidays, or the fact that i dont get to see my family everyday. 

i guess what im trying to say is that it is time for me to grow up, and start taking responsibility. 

i love you guys, and i miss you so much.

cant figure out a title

this is going to be short.

i need to leave here, and go back home..... i need to be surrounded by people i can trust with personal information. i need to be surrounded by people who can accept me for the "kevin" you all know, because seriously, im starting to worry if i am the same dude i was before i joined the navy. and if anyone knows of a sweet girl that needs a boyfriend.... give her my email.

i love you guys. i miss you each day.

kev

duty calls

i just finished my duty day for this month, pretty quiet, and i watched like 4 movies while on duty so pretty easy too. but i also wanted to put the word out officially, i sadly will not be coming home for thanksgiving or christmas. i know, im really upset too, but duty call when duty calls. and plus, ill have a pretty nice chunk of leave in the books when i leave here, so we can make up for loss time. and ive heard thru the family grape-vine that next christmas, not 100 percent sure about this, but next christmas, my family will be out in italy so we all will be together.... im kinda excited about that, especially  for bryan and andrew. they have flown.. a little bit, mainly stateside flights... i think, but for them to fly all the way to italy, for me.... i think itll be quite awesome.

this week of work has been usual. nothing too shabby. we had ert this week, so tuesday was a fun day, we ran hoses, and then searched a room filled completely with foam, it was like a european club night only no music or lights, then we did the tunnel crawl... long story short, its like climbing thru a 20 inch drain pipe for 300 feet. its fun, its hot, its a little claustrophobic, but still, fun none the less.

then, the rest of the week was slow, but same old stuff. next week should be fun b/c tuesday is veterans day, and we get that off.... tight.

well, im gonna go, i need some sustenance in my belly.

i love you guys...  miss you tons too.

kev

good morning

just a quick post, i fed a camel a tree branch this morning... yea. it was awesome.