I'll Be Home For Christmas.....

Happy Holidays Everyone!!

It is that time of year. A time for family and friends to get together, sing Christmas carols, drink egg nog, and try not to eat too many Christmas cookies or else your New Year’s resolution will be to drop the 15 pounds you gained during the holidays, again. I am so looking forward to being home for the holidays. Because it will go by so fast, I will have to enjoy every minute I have. Sleep will be an "option" during my leave I think.

I spoke with Sarah last night and she told me that she has all of the presents wrapped up and ready to go. Now she can relax and listen to her Christmas music and pet the cats, waiting for me to get home. I can't wait see her and her smiling face greet me at the airport and say..........”I'm happy your home because the cat boxes need cleaning and we need to run some errands.” Just kidding Sarah, I know you wouldn't say that, or would you??????

Well this week we moved out of the hanger and into a shed outside of it because they are remodeling the hanger for a month. They are redoing the electrical so the fire hazards are less, if you know what I mean. They are also repainting it so that we can be at war and look good doing it. It will have better lighting for working at night and they are spraying it with "New Hanger Smell" so that we won’t know it is our old hanger. Anyway, we had to move everything out of it so that was a task in itself. It took a couple of days, but now we are settled into our temporary office and back to work. I'm just glad I'm going on leave so I won’t be around much to work outside instead of the hanger. It does get chilly here at night but not like back home.

That’s it, no more news. My life is pretty dull wouldn’t you say? Eat, sleep, and work, every day. Good thing there is poker night tonight……YEA! I need some Mexico money!!!

Just to let you know, this will be my last post for a few weeks till I return to Iraq. Wish me safe travels and I'll wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Take care.

Dan

Feliz Navidad!!

Hola,

I'm brushing up in my Spanish for my trip....how am I doing? Well, to tell you the truth I only know how to say hello, where's the bathroom, and to order beer. That’s all I need to know. I am so looking forward to the trip that Sarah and I am taking. It will be nice to be a civilian again for a little bit. I won’t have to shower in the same place as 10 other guys. I won’t be eating my meals with a weapon by my side. Just little things like that.

I hope all of you have finished your Christmas shopping (or Hanukah or Kwanza). I had mine done a while ago as most of you loyal BLOG followers know. Now I get to just enjoy the season and all of the nice things about it. Thanks to the Shea Family, I now have a 12" tree and a stocking in my room. Sarah also sent me a Santa pillow that you see in the picture. Now all I need is snow and I'll get some of that when I get home on leave.

This week in Iraq has been uneventful which is good when you are in a war zone. I did treat myself to a new DVD, The third Pirates of the Caribbean movie. I saw it in the theaters and I liked it so I bought it. Jesse also is back from his leave. It was nice to have the room all to myself for 3 weeks but it is nice to have a buddy around to go and do things with. Like today we are going to the East side for dinner at the Turkish Cafe that is over there. There gyros are very good and I'm in the mood for one tonight. Jesse and I have a lot in common so it makes it easy to get along and hang out. Other than that, I wear ACU's every day, carry my weapon every day, and go to work every day........very exciting!!

Take care everyone and have a Happy Holidays,

Dan

P.S.) I almost forgot to say thank you for all of the care packages and letters I have received this week. It is like Christmas every time the mail person comes around and hands out the mail.

I'm Dreaming Of A White Christmas

HO! HO! HO! Everyone

I am starting to get in to the Christmas spirit. I went and bought some Christmas music, a Santa hat (as you can see), and finished my shopping this week. Maybe I'm so in to the spirit because I'll be home soon, but whatever it is I do love this time of year. My friend Rick set up this picture and I thought it was a fun idea to do. To put us in the mood for the picture I was playing Jingle Bells and singing along. Be thankful that you can't hear my singing on this BLOG because it would put you out of the spirit........LOL. We had so much fun setting this up that other people wanted to take their picture with the machine gun. I felt like I was the photo guy at the mall with Santa, It was fun.

It rained here a couple of days ago. It was the kind of rain that had BIG drops but it didn't come down hard. I took a picture if it, so look down below to see what I am talking about. The next morning it smelled so nice outside. The rain knocked down all of the dust, dirt, and pollutants in the air so it smelled so nice out. It was the first time it rained here and it was a nice break from sunny all of the time. At the same time back home they got 4 to 6 inches of snow. Now I wish I was there for that. I always like the first snowfall of the year. It is so clean and the way it hangs on the trees is so pretty. Sarah was telling me all about it and I started to get those pictures in my head. I can't wait to get home on leave and see it with my own eyes. Only 2 weeks left for that to happen.......WooHoo!!!!

Well, today is my day off so I am going to go get a haircut and get a pedicure. Now I know what you are thinking, Dan's at war and he can't get a pedicure???? First off it's ok for a guy to get a pedicure, and second it is not like it is an Avada salon or something. It's a trailer by the PX that's a beauty salon for the girls on post but more guys go than girls. Go figure, there’s like 10 times more guys here than girls. It is so nice, they rub your feet while they do it. After wearing combat boots all day, every day it is a nice treat to give yourself.

As a reminder, I will not be here for Christmas so if you are planning on sending items to me either do it now or after Christmas. I do want to thank everyone that has sent items already. I share everything with my platoon so the guys that don't get much mail can have things also. You all are so nice and I can't thank you enough for your support. Without your support I couldn't do what I do over here.

I have rambled on enough so I will say chow for now. Have a great holiday season and I'll talk to you all next week.

Dan

A Chill Is In The Air

Did you have enough turkey?

I did. Even though it was turkey loaf, it was still turkey. Be sure to look down below to see pictures from the chow hall. They really decorated the place well but, it till wasn't home. I did get to talk to my parents and Sarah's family on Thanksgiving so that was nice to do. Too bad the leftovers will not keep till I get home on leave (I do love Sarah's Grandparents stuffing...mmmmmm).

Instead, our company had a cookout yesterday. There was steak, ribs and chicken a plenty. It got cool last night, around 50, so everyone hung around the grills to warm up. There was fake beer, or beer flavored pop as some of us call it, and some if the guys had a jam session in the hanger. The whole event lasted for about 4 hours and the music for 3 of the hours. So, with the live music, fake beer, and BBQ, it was a little bit of home here in Iraq. It was a needed escape from the norm. I will also post those pictures down below.

That's about it for the week that was. I'm looking forward to my leave coming up here and going on vacation with Sarah. The days are going by quickly and I'll be home in no time. Just to let you all know, When I am on leave I will not be posting to the BLOG for obvious reasons. But till then, stay tuned for the latest updates on the adventures of SGT Dan Zirbes!!!

Take care all and I'll talk to you later.

Dan

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Gobble, Gobble,

Thanksgiving is days away and I see the turkey loaf, canned stuffing, and instant potatoes at the chow hall coming my way. The weather here is in the 80's for highs so it doesn't feel like it is only4 days away. there is suppose to be a chill in the air and lots of holiday commercials on the TV. Sarah told me that it sleeted yesterday after the Vikings game, that’s what I'm talking about. Well, I do get to go on leave here in less than 4 weeks, so I get to see it then. Call me weird, but I do like winter. Also, all of my Christmas shopping is done and the last of it will be mailed to Sarah in a couple of days. The deadline for mailing items to make it before Christmas is December 10th so I am trying to beat the rush so to speak.

I was also quite busy this week at work. Now that we have been in country for 4 months, things are starting to break and that’s where I come in. Between my two guys and myself, we have done repairs on 5 different aircraft. They are all still flying if that was your next question. Come on now I'm not that bad at mechanics. I do have a manual to go by, so it helps. We also had a BBQ at the hanger last Monday. There was steak, chicken and lots of junk food to eat. We even had beer flavored pop (non-alcoholic beer). I put some of the pictures from that on my facebook page so if you want to check them out you are more than welcome to. It was a nice break from the norm.

Now I am starting to ramble on so that must mean that I am running out of things to say. I do want to say thank you again for all of the letters, cards, and packages I have received. I do try to respond to everyone that sends something but if I have missed you do know that I do appreciate it. Have a Happy Thanksgiving and shop till you drop this weekend.

Take Care

Dan

11 Days to "Black Friday"

 

Hello all and happy Veterans Day.

This week, I turned to my retail side and did the rest of my Christmas shopping. The post office here says that if we don't mail everything out by the 10th of December, that it will not get here for Christmas. It's not the same shopping here as back home as you may already know. It is still in the 80's and 90's for highs and the sun is always out and bright. It's hard to get into the spirit when I'm used to cold weather and running my store with bustling shoppers looking for that perfect gift to give someone. That's why I reference "Black Friday" in the title. Call me crazy but, it is one of my favorite days of the year. I loved seeing the lines of people to get into my store and the energy that my employees had because of the fast pace. One year, I couldn't sleep because I was so excited, just ask Sarah. Retail is in my blood, and in 11 days I'll be missing the most exciting day in retail. Well, I could always pull guard duty, that could be exciting!! (Don't worry Sarah, I wont do that)

Also, today is a day to remember all of the soldiers that have fought for our country and allow us to live in the freedom that we have today. Yesterday,some of the guys and I were saying "Hay, we are vets now, we can join the local VFW." And one of them said "That's why we go to war every 10 or 20 years, so that they can get younger members into the VFW.". We had a good laugh at that one. Seriously though, Being here, doing what the the Army has trained me to do, makes me think about everyone over here. All of us are needed here to fight the fight. Weather you are a cook, mechanic, pilot, or ground pounder----every job is important. On days when I am not so busy, I think about that and realize that even though I was not needed today, I am here for when they do need me to get a bird back up into the air to "Fight the Fight". I guess what I'm am trying to say is-----hug a Vet today, because all of us in the armed forces are here for you and to make sure America is safe and free for the next generation.

Off my soap box now. Time for........."Mug at War" update. The screening was this last week and it is better than I even thought. It made me laugh, It made me cry. It is an epic for our time. I believe that it is Oscar worthy. Right up there with, the Dirty Dozen and Platoon. I'll post another movie poster below. I hope all of you Cargillians are spreading  the word. Getting the buzz out around the office.

That's it for now. I'll leave you with this........"The early bird gets the worm but, the second mouse gets the cheese." Think about that and enjoy the rest of your week.

Dan

Is It November Aready?

Hello everybody and welcome.

First a word from our sponsor, The US Army.........

Ever want to see foreign lands? Be in warm climates? Carry an M-16 everywhere you go? Then the Army is for you!! Not only do you get all of those things, you also get...FREE clothing, food, and Living quarters at the base of their choice!! Be Army Strong!!.........Now back to the BLOG you were reading.

Sounds great.......maybe I'll join up and.....oh.....wait....I'm already in the Army. That’s why we all dress alike here. I get it now.......LOL.

This week went by quite quickly for me because I was busy most of the week with maintenance as you can see in the photo above. I do like keeping busy and learning as I go. I try to learn something new every day. The only problem with that is I probably forget something when I gain the new knowledge. One of these days I will learn a new thing and forget how to walk or something strange like that.

Sarah and I also booked our holiday trip.....to Mexico. I'm so excited. Fun in the sun without wearing my ACU's. Can you say Mai Tai? Then we will be back in time for Mark and Jill's wedding. That will be quite the event also. Can you say open bar? Well, I don’t know if it open bar but I won't care because we will be dancing and having fun at the reception with family and friends. So all of this is happening in December, then back here for the final 7 months of my deployment.

"Mug at War" Update........Still in editing because we (me and a friend are putting it together) keep coming up with new ideas and things but it should be done real soon. It will be out for the big holiday push. Oscar material if you ask me. Great acting and the mug is brilliant in the roll of "Mug" the Cargill mug. I'll put a preview picture down below so you can post it up around the house it preparation.

That’s all I have this week. In the coming weeks I'll get into my Christmas shopping and getting ready for leave so stay tuned........

Take care all and I'll talk to you all later.

Dan