Back in the saddle.

Well, I know it has been awhile since I have blogged. I have been busy with work and havent had the time. I will try to blog more now that my schedule is slowing down. Talk to you soon.

YSA Fireside

I just got home from a YSA Fireside where President Uchtdorf was the speaker. It was a very good talk that centered on some of the concerns of the youth of the church. The spirit was strong and I was glad that I went. He talked about how when he met his wife it was love at first sight for him. However, she was not as convinced and continued to reject his advances. She told him that he was immature. He then traveled to the United States to train to become a jet fighter pilot and when he returned after many years she told him that he had matured. He seized the moment and within a few months had gotten married. It was overall a very good discussion and he passed on loads of good information concerning issues that I as a Single Adult face. Life has been difficult lately and it is always good to feel the spirit and get away from the world for a little while.

Irony of Life

You know, life is funny. I have told myself that I am starting to get a little older and that my body is just not as strong as it used to be. However, I still thought the I could go out there and run around with the young kids in my platoon. I let them talk me into playing on a flag football team with them and now have a swollen ankle to show for it. It was our first game and I was feeling good. The THIRD play into the game, I jumped up for a pass and came down on an opposing players foot. The toe of my cleat caught in the ground and my ankle proceeded to twist all the way around making a cracking and popping sound the whole time. I was rushed to the ER in an ambulance where they made me sit around for 4 hours before seeing me. ( I hate Army Healthcare.) The good news is that nothing was broken. They think I only dislocated my ankle...yeah they said only.... It was the most painful thing I have ever went thru. The irony of this story is that I have been in the Army for 11 years and have been on 5 deployments and have never had so much as a scratch. Then when I am in the states playing a seemingly harmless game of flag football, I cause the worst injury of my life.... Life is funny....

Geaux Tigers!

Well, it was a sloppy win but we pulled it out. The defense is young and not playing as well as it should be. I am kinda scared that we have hired a defensive coordinator from Tennessee. The teams from Tennessee in the past few years have been crappy to say the least. I think the time change and jet lag played into the sloppy play. I am hoping that Les will take the next few weeks to get the team ready to play the powerhouses in the SEC. This could be an interesting year for us. The good thing is the offense looks pretty good and Jordan Jefferson is going to be a stud. I am looking forward to seeing how this year plays out.

El Paso- Change is good

Well, I have finally completed my move to El Paso and am excited about change. The area here is very beautiful and there are lots of outdoor activities to do. I am looking forward to doing some hiking in the mountains and riding my motorcycle around the lovely sites. I am also in a new job that is challenging yet very rewarding. I am finally doing what I joined the Army to do. I am back to leading young Military Police Soldiers and preparing them for the impending combat deployment next year. I love my job and am so much happier here. After spending two long years in Alabama being miserable everyday, it is nice to wake up looking forward to going to work again. I have also recently attended the University Singles Ward here and am excited about the possibility of having good friends to do stuff with. All in all, change is good.

My Hero

It was bound to happen one day... I knew this to be true... I just didnt think I was ready for it when it finally happened. The day I found out that my Grandpa was in the hospital was the best day of my year and the worst day of my year all at the same time. I was spending some quality time with my mother and she was trying to show me how great Midland was (by taking me to the Presidential Library) when we received a call from my Grandma that we needed to come to Utah. While we made plans to travel to Utah, I received another phone call. This one was from my First Sergeant in Recruiting. He told me that I had put on a curtailment list and was leaving recruiting a year early. As most of you know, I have hated recruiting since day one. This was a blessing and a gift from above. As you can imagine my thoughts were running the entire spectrum of emotions. I was happy to be leaving recruiting but terrified that my Grandpa was leaving this earth. My Mother and I flew to Utah to assess the situation with my Grandpa before we informed the family to come up. When we arrived we found my Grandpa weak but in good spirits. The rest of my Aunts and mother were not taking it well and I was put on night watch to tend to Grandpa at night. I could tell that my Aunts were exhausted and so I gladly accepted this watch.

The only other time I have spent worse nights were when I was in Iraq and Africa. I did not get hardly any sleep at all because of the constant sounds of machines beeping and alerting me that my Grandpa was not getting enough oxygen. I constantly jumped up and checked the machines, paged the nurses and assisted my Grandpa with his oxygen mask. I was able to spend some time on those nights talking to my Grandpa and letting him know how much I loved him. He told me that he was proud of me and loved me too. We spent a great night watching a Utah Jazz game together and trying to spend as many precious moments with each other as we could.

The day that the family decided to stop the machine was the hardest day of my life. I have always looked to my Grandpa as being a superhuman man that could do anything. I never thought it would come to this. I did not want to be present in the room when he passed and so me and my Aunt Carol decided to go sit outside and reflect. She had lost my cousin Dean a few years before and hated hospitals as much as I do. I have seen and experienced way more death than I should have in my short time on this earth and did not feel I could take anymore at this time. Grandma finally came out and requested that we all be there to support her and my Aunts and so I reluctantly went back into the room. He finally passed and we all rallied around each other to support each other.

We were able to give Grandpa a nice military funeral that I am sure he was proud of and buried him where he wanted to be buried. I have always found that area of the country around Bear Lake to be some of the most beautiful land I have ever seen. I once had a conversation with my mother before I went to Iraq for the second time that if I was called home, then there were only two places I wanted to be buried. Either in Arlington National Cemetary or next to my Grandparents in Utah.

I still do not think that I have fully come to grips with losing my Grandpa and dont know if I ever will. He was my hero and one the main reasons I ever decided to join the military. He was proud to serve his country and was always an inspiration to me.

My single regret that I will always carry with me is that....my future wife (whoever that may be), and my unborn children will never get to meet this man that has meant so much to me. I love you Grandpa and miss you dearly.....