North to Alaska

    Greetings from the Land of the Midnight Sun! Here is the quick recap of our moving day, Tuesday:

    0600: Wake up (well really I need to back up to . . .)

    Monday evening 2200 (10 p.m for you non-mil types): drop off rental vehicle at PAX terminal, check out of TLF, final pack through of every suitcase we own - - -> crawl into bed after midnight.

   0600: Wake up, turn on coffee pot, shower.

   0620: Finish the download of the GPS update started at 2000 yesterday evening.

   0645: Wake up big kids, get them dressed and pack bathroom bags into large duffel bag, kids pajamas into last suitcase.

    0700: Haul 8 suitcases/duffel bags, 1 car seat, 1 stroller, 1 dog crate, 1 dog, three backpacks, 1 medicine cooler, 1 camera bag, 2 big kids to sidewalk to await arrival of shuttle to airport.

   0715: Wake baby, dress her, haul her, Mrs. P and myself out to sidewalk. Send big kids and self back to room for a pre-car ride pee.

   0730: Shuttle supposed to be at curbside to pick up 8 suitcases/duffel bags, 1 car seat, 1 baby, 1 dog crate, 1 dog, three backpacks, 2 larger children, 1 medicine bag, 1 camera bag and 2 adults for trip to Sacramento airport for 1015 departure.

   0735:  Call shuttle service, leave message asking, "Where are you?"

   0745: See 0735.

   0750: See 0735, 0745. Worry is on the horizon.

   0755: See 0735, 0745, 0750. No message left this time. Just keep hitting send every time the message comes on and we hang up. Worry looms larger.

   0757: Mini van with 2 gentlemen in front seats and baggage area full of first passenger's luggage pulls into parking lot, bearing the markings of the shuttle service. Driver steps out and says, "We're going to need the bigger van." I refer you to the list: 8 suitcases/duffel bags, 1 car seat, 1 baby, 1 dog crate, 1 dog, three backpacks, 2 larger children, 1 medicine bag, 1 camera bag and 2 adults.
    Worry has now been replaced by a small dose of panic, accompanied by a large dose of frustration. You see, Mrs. P told the gentleman on the phone when she made the reservation for the shuttle that, "We are moving to Alaska, we have 2 adults, three kids including a baby, and a dog." Clearly a minivan wasn't going to hack it to begin with, let alone one that already had another passenger with his three bags in it.
    Driver makes a phone call, reassures us, "He'll be here in about 10 minutes."

   0815ish: Small black pickup dating from the mid 1980's pulls into parking lot. Driver of mini van, driver of pickup truck and myself begin feverishly loading luggage into the back of the truck. All kids pile into mini van, Mrs. P and myself crowd in, and we are off, sort of. The Base Housing folks are giving away free "breakfast on the go" to everyone who drives by. Of course they aren't expecting a mini van with 7 people in it, so it takes them a couple of trips to get enough juices and breakfast pastries for everyone.
    Guess what the juice is? Strawberry! 100% Real Juice! Mrs. P just happens to be allergic to strawberries, so no drink for her this morning. Meanwhile, I am trying to figure out how to secure Pretty Girl since her seat belt has no tab portion, simply a strap and a receptacle. I finally tie the end of the seatbelt strap around the receptacle and pray we don't get in an accident.

   0830: Mr. Mini Van driver takes off and we race up to Sacramento, doing 10 miles or more over the speed limit the whole way, which gets us to the airport around 0910.

   0916: Haul all our luggage into the airport, discover a giant line. Mrs. Penguin takes Buck out for a quick potty break, I have the kids pile all the luggage together outside the line.

   0920: Having made no progress in line, Mrs. Penguin having returned from pottying Buck, I move over to the first class line to check in. The lady at the airline counter was extremely helpful, but the airline had us sitting in three different rows, with only 2 of us together on our first flight. The only way to get us even somewhat close together was to stick us in first class. By the time we got all our bags checked, TSA had inspected the dog, and we were headed up to security checkpoint it was after 0930.

    0945: Pre-boarding is already in progress when we arrive at the gate. Up we march and on we go. Phew! We made it! The flight attendant hands us a sticker saying, "Don't worry. I'm on board too!" Buck is on his way as well.


   1015: Plane takes off on time, and we arrive in Seattle on time. The highlight of the flight is Baby Bop consuming Mrs. P's entire cheese and fruit tray, after Mrs. P declined getting one for her.


   1230: Lunch in the Sea-Tac Airport is Wendy's, eaten at the gate of the plane we arrived on, which is also the plane we take to Anchorage, but since we changed seats, we had to unload everyone in between flights. Petunia has a chance to run around and stretch her legs, the first time since we got into the van around 0815.



   1310: Board the plane again, this time the last two rows on the co-pilots side of the aircraft, conveniently close to the bathrooms for those of us with bladders the size of pecans.


   1340: Another on time takeoff. This flight is much longer and Little Bit is done sitting in her seat. I am sitting next to her, and quickly exhaust her books and toys trying to keep her entertained. I let her out of her seat, and she wallers around on me. Back to her seat. Back to my lap. Repeat for 3 hours, with her fussiness getting worse.


   1615: Touch down just a little late, but it takes nearly half an hour to get off the plane since we are the last rows. Grumpy and Nonna are waiting for us as we head towards the luggage carousel. Petunia isn't sure about Grumpy, since she's never met him before. Fortunately, all our luggage is already there since it took us so long to get off the plane.


   1645: Load luggage into Grumpy's truck, wrapping everything in garbage bags, since it is raining. The kids are divided between vehicles, as are the adults, and we are off to Lithia Chevrolet of South Anchorage, where we sign some papers and take possession of Mrs. Penguin's brand spankin' new Chevrolet Traverse 7 seater, complete with back-up camera, ultrasonic back-up assist, heated front seats, all-wheel drive, etc. Carl Decker has us in and out in less than 45 minutes. In the meantime, Nonna takes Buck and the two girls to Grandma and Grandpa's house where she leaves Buck.


   1730: Head over to Lone Star Steakhouse for dinner with all 5 of the Penguins, Grumpy and Nonna, Uncle Caleb and Aunt Betty, and Cousin Erin.


   1745: Seated at the restaurant, thanks to Nonna's heading over early after dropping off Buck.


   1800: Call Uncle Caleb to ask where he's at. They are across the Street at Cattle Company. Apparently Erin had sent Mrs. P a message on Facebook about the different restaurant, but Mrs. P never got it because we didn't pay to get internet access in flight or at Sea-Tac. Since we are already seated at Lone Star, the Eagle River Austin clan head over to join us.


  1830ish: These times are approximate, as we are all tired and not really paying attention to time anymore. We order dinner. Pretty girl falls asleep, head on the table.


   1900ish: Appetizer arrives. Pretty Girl continues to snooze.


   1945 or so: Dinner is finally served. Pretty Girl takes 3 bites and pukes. Yay! Mrs. Penguin and myself spring into action. Mrs. P literally drags her chair backwards away from the table. I grab a large collection of napkins off the table, throw them at Mrs. P and Pretty Girl and head out to the brand new car to grab a change of clothes. Fortunately, her suitcase was the first one at the back, so it was easy access. As I head back in, I see Pretty Girl on her way to the bathroom. I give the clothes to Mrs. P, who has grabbed a 1 gallon ziploc bag out of Petunia's diaper bag, and she takes them in to Petunia. Petunia changes, the icky clothes go into the ziploc baggie, and we all get back to dinner.


   ~2130: Dinner is over, the bill is paid, and we head off to base to check into TLF for the night.


   2200: Check in, drive back across base to the TLF that we passed on the way in, and unload the vehicle. Pretty Girl crashes into her bed, clothes still on, meds not taken. Petunia is quickly changed and laid down as well by Mrs. Penguin while I haul all the luggage in. It is still broad daylight! I keep thinking it is earlier in the day.


   2330: Mrs. Penguin has already sacked out, and I decide that maybe that would be a good idea. What a busy day!

Primus' Petition Part Three

    A funny discovery occurred today. The kiddos and I were hanging around Target while Mrs. P was getting her last California cut and color for her birthday (Happy Birthday, Mrs. P!). She figured it would take about an hour and a half (actually 2 + hours, but I digress). We didn't really have any specific plans, so I thought it might be a good idea to look at Target and get some ideas on area rugs, since the houses we are looking at off base in Anchorage have hard floors. Also I wanted Pretty Girl to look at some bedding, since she will have a new bigger bed when we finally get unpacked. And, being the procrastinator that I am, we needed to pick up some birthday cards as well.
    Of course, once we were in the store, Primus made a beeline for the toy section, specifically the legos, and most specifically, the Star Wars Legos. Guess what we found?
    That's right. . . the Lego Millenium Falcon is now for sale at Target!
    And now the Saga is complete. Great struggles, anxiety, pains, plans, proposals, counter-proposals, a trip south to the great Mecca that is Legoland, and now, lesson learned; Be sure and check your local Target and be patient when looking for that next Lego set. It will come, just not when you want it to!

Primus Petition . . . Part 2

    A couple of weeks ago, I posted about my son's letter he was thinking of sending to Lego, and the reasons behind it.

   Since then, we went on vacation, and he had the opportunity to visit Legoland!

   

  If you are a fan of anything Lego and are ever in Southern California, be sure and check it out. Here are some pics to give you an idea of how cool it is!

One of Connor's favorite areas was the newly added Star Wars section, featuring displays from each of the movies, as well as the Clone Wars cartoon.

 It got to the point where I gave up taking pictures, because I was afraid I would use up the memory card and we wouldn't get out of there before the park closed. The attention to detail on the models was extraordinary.

    Guess what we found in the Lego store at Lego Land? A Lego Millenium Falcon! Hooray for Connor! This will be his birthday present, and required a pitch-in from Grandma to help cover the cost.

Post 100 . . . on why I will miss California

     A little over three years ago, Mrs. P, Mini and the two kiddos packed ourselves into my new Pick-up truck, hitched the car onto the trailer and "headed out west" to California. I have to admit, we had a lot of trepidation. None of us had ever been to California before, and the few people we knew there were going to either not be allowed to talk to us, or just as busy as we were. We had no idea if we would find a good church home, or if we would be confronted by the liberal wackos that everyone seems to think are so prevalent in California. Would I be able to finish out my anesthesia program (OK, Mrs. P says she was fully confident, and so do the big kids, so I guess I was the only one with doubts about that) or end up another washout? Would we grow spiritually or stagnate? Would I get to teach or preach or lead singing or do any of the other things I've done in the past at different congregations? Would the kids have anyone else in their Sunday school classes? Would they have anyone to play with? So many questions.
    Tonight, after having said goodbye to so many of my friends and church family at the Vacaville church of Christ, I know the answers to all those questions. I am truly sad to leave. California has been so good to us. We have been so blessed in our time here. Sure, we had times of struggle and frustrations, but we set out Tuesday for our new adventure knowing that we leave here with so many strong friendships and relationships, that we will always have a place to stay (or 10) if we ever get back this way, and that there are so many people praying for us, that I can say our time here has been an unqualified success. As I told Mrs. P, our kids have so many "grandparents," "aunts," "uncles" and "cousins" in California who are going to miss them when we are gone. Our own nuclear family has grown, we have grown as individuals, and we have so many reasons to look forward to that final reunion.
    Thank you all, and God Bless.

P.S. Regina, don't cry :)

"Carmageddon" it wasn't

    Every time we told someone we were driving down to Disney this weekend, we were asked about the traffic around Los Angeles. I have to tell you, it was the fastest I've ever gotten through L.A., day, night, or any other time. This was our fastest road trip to Southern California ever. Maybe if you have to travel this way, you should plan your travels for when they close the roads.
    I heard on the radio as we were driving through L.A. that traffic accidents had gone down 50% by the closure of the one road. The radio DJ said next weekend they should shut them all down and have an accident free weekend.
    

Discount Workout!

    It always amazes me that no matter how convenient it is to work out (example: complete 24 hour gym less than 5 minutes from my house), I want it more convenient. Hence, my slow accumulation of various workout equipment over the years. We have exercise balls, weights (ankle and dumbell) in various sizes, a small collection of workout dvds and at one time, a large treadmill that took up a huge amount of room.
    The treadmill has been consigned to dumpster land after I tried to put it in the storage position, forgetting that I had left the incline up. OOPS! No matter how hard I tried, or how many people I got involved, it just never worked right after that.
    My workout video collection was expanded during my deployment by the addition of the P90X videos on my laptop. It was great when I was right there and could set my laptop on the counter in the little tent gym right outside the hospital in Bagram, but I just couldn't picture it working at the big gym here on base, or any other gym I might have access to.
    My solution was to get all the weights I would ever need, and a weight bench, and I could do the workout at home. Sounds great, right? Have you ever priced dumbells? Not the type you might find sitting on a couch in front of the T.V., but those weights designed to be lifted one handed? If you can find them for a dollar a pound, you are doing pretty good. Considering that in just one P90X workout I might use the 10s, 15s, 20s, 30s, 45s, and 50s, I was going to need a lot of weights. I only had the 15s, so how was I going to afford all those weights? I wasn't. 
    Someone very smart had a solution, a weight set that was completely adjustable from 5 to 90 pounds, and much more affordable than 1 dollar per pound. They are called PowerBlocks. But, they still ain't cheap. According to the website www.powerblock.com, "The Elite 5-90 set comes with plates 1-8, and has a weight range of 5-90 lbs per hand. The Elite 5-90 lb equals/replaces 28 pairs of dumbbells, or 2565 lbs of free weights while taking up the space of just 1 pair (90 lb dumbbell is just 16" in length) This set is expandable to 130 lbs per hand using the 8-11 Elite Big Block Kit. The dimensions of the Elite 90 are; 16"L x 6" W x 6" H. Ships in 4 boxes. Made in USA." Price: a measly $588.00 per pair, plus $89.00 shipping and handling.
     Hard on the bank account, but I was willing to do it, especially since we are moving to the land of snow and ice and other cold weather phenomenon. I was still going to have to find a weight bench as well.
    And then Mrs. Penguin happened to check the Travis yardsales e-mail one evening a week or so ago. Lo and behold, a weight bench and the PowerBlock Elite set for the low, low, low price of $350.00! Immediately Mrs. P sent an e-mail saying we were interested, and I went and picked them up the next day, plus the safety mat the seller had the weight bench on. Half price! 
    I rushed them home, set them up in the garage, and . . . there they sat until the movers packed them up on Tuesday. We will be reunited in Anchorage, where I intend to get my money's worth out of my discount workout equipment!

Who Knew? Penguins Laugh when Tickled!

Ran across this tonight and had to share. Too Cute!

Penguin Getting Tickled

A Day in the Life at Craig Joint Theater Hospital (Warning: May be considered graphic)

This is the final article I wrote about Afganistan, also intended for publication in the newspaper. This is not for the kiddos.

    The alarm clock begins beeping, signaling the start of another day. It’s only been a few hours since he closed his eyes, but for Capt. Robert Austin of the U.S. Air Force, there is no sleeping in, no matter how tired he is. “Service Before Self” is one of the three key tenets of the Air Force, and this deployment has provided an exceptional opportunity to live that tenet. 

Austin, a Nurse Anesthetist deployed from Travis Air Force Base in Northern California is a Nurse Anesthetist with the 455^th Expeditionary Medical Group at Craig Joint Theater Hospital, Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan. 

He says, “On paper, we only work 8 hour shifts. I’m usually at the hospital 12-14 hours a day, minimum. So many of our patients require so much that we often have 2 providers in the room, or we are busy enough that we end up staying over to help cover the cases.” He is referring to the nearly 300 anesthetics he has provided or helped with in the past 6 months.

“My last day off was the day I got here, December 21^st,” He smiles and jokes, “My next will be the day I go home.”

The hospital cares for a large majority of the American troops wounded in theater, as well as Afghan National Police, Afghan military, and local nationals. He explains, “Bagram is the primary hub for evacuation to Germany. No matter where in country you are injured, you will most likely come through this facility on your way out.”

Accurate numbers were not available, but Austin estimates that the facility averages 10 surgeries a day, ranging from laparoscopic appendectomies and gall bladder extractions to multi-specialty, multi-hour cases. "We have specialties here that you’ll only find at large hospitals stateside. Neurosurgical services, pediatric orthopedics, vascular surgeons, ophthalmological surgeons. We have it all. Often we’ll have one surgery with 4 or 5 services scrubbed in. It can be very hectic." 

One of the surgeries that stands out in his mind is a Polish patient early in the deployment. “I started his case one evening and took it back over and finished it the next day. He was in surgery for over 18 hours. He had Ortho, General Surgery, Neuro, and I believe, Urology, all working on him.”

Such extensive surgeries are the exception, not the rule, fortunately. Unfortunately, the signature injury of the war, amputation of both lower extremities and one hand with or without groin injury are seen almost daily, and are increasing in frequency. “These patients are the hardest,” says Austin. “Usually we are not the first to see them. By the time they get to us, they have already sustained not only their original injury, but the first of what will be multiple surgeries. They are the recipients of massive transfusions.”

‘Massive transfusion’ refers to when a patient receives more than 10 units of blood products. The average circulating volume of the human body is 5 liters. 10 units of blood products comes close to completely replacing that volume. 

“We recently had a patient who had received 70 units of packed red blood cells (pRBCs), 64 units of Fresh Frozen Plasma (FFP), 21 units of whole blood, 4 10-packs of cryoprecipitate and 5 6-packs of platelets before he got to us. He had the equivalent of 14 people’s entire blood volumes for one surgery. We took him back to surgery, gave him another 8 units of whole blood, 8 pRBCs, 13 FFP, 3 10-packs of cryoprecipitate and 5 more 6 packs of platelets, or about another 4 blood volumes, just for the revision and washout of his injuries. He’s facing probably another 20 or more surgeries over the next few months, and then years worth of recovery and physical therapy.”

Austin says he wonders about how well these patients will do. “We’ll never see these guys again. I have no idea if they will recover and adjust to life without three limbs, or if they will die of infection, or what. It’s hard.”

Some patients exhibit a spirit that reassures him. “We had one guy who had lost a leg. He had to go back to surgery for a washout of his injury. After surgery he was in a lot of pain, both physically and emotionally. He was really struggling with accepting his injury. One of the ICU nurses told me the next day he was gonna be ok. I asked her how she knew and she shared a joke with me that he had told her that night. 

‘Where does a man with only one leg go for breakfast? IHOP!’ If you can joke about it, you’re probably going to be all right.”

There are other patients that Austin will never forget either, the ones who didn’t survive. Speaking of the first patient who died while in the operating room under his care, Austin says, “I carry a lot of guilt,” he says. “They died under my care. While I can know that I did everything right, that we all did, it doesn’t change the fact that we lost him. We tried until it was apparent that he wasn’t going to make it, and then we kept trying. There were four anesthesia providers working on him and six surgeons. At one point there were over 20 people in the room, all contributing to try and keep this soldier alive. He had the best of the best giving it their best, and it wasn’t enough.”

Austin says he is glad he’s going home soon. “I have been privileged to care for our troops, but it’s someone else’s turn. The cost is of caring for these boys is high, mentally and emotionally, not just for me, but for my family as well. I’m looking forward to being reunited with them, and to my upcoming PCS.” Austin will be moving to Elmendorf AFB in Anchorage later this summer.

What are the odds?

This is actually the first article I wrote, before I found out about Davin and Dan being there. This was also intended to be published as a Newspaper article

     It is approximately 6500 miles as the crow flies from Homer to Bagram, Afghanistan. That distance was bridged in an incredible way this spring. Sometime in Mid-April of this year, a chance conversation at the local CarQuest between Mariah Thomas-Wolfe and R.J. Austin led to the discovery that both of them had sons deployed to Bagram with the 455 EMDOS, serving in the same unit.
    Mariah’s son, Senior Airmen Zach Schindler is a 2004 graduate of Homer High and works in the Contingency Aeromedical Staging Facility or CASF as a medical technician. R.J.’s son, Captain Robert Austin, graduated Homer High in 1994 and is a Nurse Anesthetist working in the Operating Room inside the hospital. The two met a about two weeks after their parent’s encounter, during a IDF or Indirect Fire attack, when the CASF was evacuated into the hospital.
    “It is incredible. No matter how far away we get, I always run into somebody from home. My last deployment (To Balad, Iraq in 2005-2006) I worked with a guy from Kenai. There are a couple of docs here from Alaska as well. I am impressed with how well represented Alaska is in the Armed Forces.” says Captain Austin.

    Coincidentally, only a couple of nights before Austin and Schindler met, Capt. Austin snapped a picture. He explains, “People back home make and send blankets and pillows for the wounded troops to use on their flight out to Germany. The litters that the patients travel on are lined up in the hall a few hours before the flight. That night, I happened to notice the embroidery on the blanket said “Homer, Alaska.” I don’t know who sent that blanket, but I hope they read this article and know that it did indeed keep a wounded service member warm on a long flight, and that it cheered up another service member, seeing that reminder of home. Whoever you are, thank you.”

Anchor Point Serves

    This is an article I wrote about some of the guys and myself from my hometown. This will be the first of three articles I wrote about my deployment. Enjoy!

    Anchor Point is a town of only about 1900 people, but it is extremely well represented in the Armed Forces. This point was amply illustrated earlier this month at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan.
    Three sons of Anchor Point, all Air Force, were briefly reunited thousands of miles from home. Davin Chesser, a Reserves C-130 maintainer deployed from Elmendorf AFB has nearly 10 years in. Dan Byrne, a first term Imagery Analyst, is deployed from Beale AFB, CA and will re-enlist while deployed. Robert (B.J.) Austin, Nurse Anesthetist, recently returned from his deployment to his home station at Travis AFB, CA. He has seven years in the service. The three attempted to meet for dinner, but due to schedule conflicts were unable to get all together. Instead, Chesser and Austin chatted for a few minutes, and later that evening, Austin and Byrne shared a meal.
    Austin and Chesser were neighbors on David Lee Street growing up, while Byrne and Austin both attended church together at the Anchor Point church of Christ, where Byrne’s dad preached. All three are graduates of Chapman Elementary and Homer High.
    While it is not uncommon for those from larger cities to run into someone from their hometown, reunions such as this must be extremely rare. “I’ve never heard of three people from the same small town all being deployed together since I joined the Air Force. I’m sure it’s happened before, but it was a real surprise to see these guys” said Austin.
    Mike Koch, U.S. Army and another former Anchor Pointer, just returned from Iraq. That is more than 2% of the entire population of Anchor Point serving overseas at the same time. The number in the service is even higher. Says Austin, “I know of at least 2 others from Anchor Point who are in the Navy, Gloria Velsko and Morgan Tracy. There are probably others on Active Duty I don’t know of, and many more who have served at least one term in a branch of the Armed Forces. VFW Post 10221 should take pride, knowing that their tradition of service to country is being continued, and strongly.”

Filet o' Flesh

    I spent six months in Afghanistan without any injury. I was home ten days and I rip up my hand. Maybe it was because I didn't have the opportunity for injury with power tools while I was there.
    Here is a picture of my hand after I power washed it. Fortunately, its not deep, so no ER visit was required.

Primus' Petition

     I have to start off by saying how impressed I am. I wish he were this passionate about something else, but I still applaud the thinking and effort that have gone into this. Primus loves Legos and Star Wars. He would rather get a new Lego Star Wars set than just about anything else in the world. He really, really, really wants a Lego Millenium Falcon. Lego currently does not offer them for sale in the United States, and those available for sale overseas are going for $300.00-500.00 on e-bay. He doesn't have that much money, even by combining his upcoming birthday (still 6 months away), his spending money that he's saved, the money that Mrs. P had intended to spend on his day out with her a couple weeks ago, and any other source he could come up with . . . the funds just aren't there.
     So, he came up with the idea of utilizing Lego's "Design by Me" program on the internet to design his own version of the Millenium Falcon, which would come with instructions and a box all specially related to his design. Just one problem, though. And I quote, "One good tip to make it past moderation is to use your own imagination instead of trying to copy existing names, designs or product-shapes." The Website goes on to elaborate, "

• A box is a box and a car is a car, you can upload as many cars as you want, but if moderation can clearly see what type of car you had in mind, then your model will be rejected.
• You may make all sorts of products, chairs, lamps, speakers, whatever you may think of. To give an example, please go ahead and make a car, just make sure it’s not too similar to any existing car (i.e. dad´s, your teacher´s, or your own favorite car). So use your imagination, and by all means be inspired by your surroundings, but please DO NOT COPY names or details of products made, and owned by others."

All of which led us to believe that any attempt that was recognizable as the Millenium Falcon would be rejected. So, what to do? I suggested him designing another ship that would seem as if it belonged in the Star Wars Universe, or designing something else completely. As usual, my suggestion was rejected. I'm ok with that, and here's why. He came up with another solution entirely on his own! And it's not a bad one either. Here is the letter he wrote yesterday:

      "Greetings Lego,
           You may know me because I have entered a few contests. I am a lego fan and I am 13.
           The reason I am writing is I want you to put the Lego Millenium Falcon in stores. On the back of this page is a list of people who want the Millenium Falcon in my state. Thank you for your consideration in this matter.

      Sincerely, Primus"

    Maybe I am over-reacting, but I was blown away. People have started petitions for far sillier things. Why not a petition for Lego to sell the Millenium Falcon set in the U.S.? So far, he has collected 4 signatures. I would sign it as well. In fact, I'm thinking about creating an online petition to help him spread his efforts. What do you think? Should we do it?

This Ship is Listing

     I used to make fun of Mrs. Penguin for her use of lists. The first time I went to Mrs. Penguin's parent's house, I made fun of my then future Mother-in-law because she had lists around everywhere.

     I shouldn't have been so hasty in condemning them. Why? You see, I am now the king of lists in my house. Yes, Mrs. P has the honey-do list, and the grocery lists (one for each store), but I am the one with my laundry-list of lists: my to-do list for inside, for outside, for at work, for church; lists for future posts, future articles, for books to read or re-read, story ideas, things to do when we get to Alaska, and recently, things to do when I got home. And, this winter, when I get my Nook, I'll get to start a whole new list; books to download. I can hardly wait.

    Seeing this list of lists reminds me, time to go make another list: everything to take to the barbeque this afternoon. I better get busy.

The Sea of (Domestic) Tranquility

     I've been home a week now. Wow! I can't believe that is true. It is amazing how fast these seven days went in comparison to the seven before that. Looking back now, I am shocked that my six month sentence is really over. I thought it was taking forever. As Pretty Girl said in regards to Christmas being so far away, "But that's forever!" To which Mrs. Penguin replied, "We just did forever. It's really not that long." Upon reflection, PG agreed, "No, I guess not." I would have to agree as well.

    Since I have been here this long, the luster of "Daddy's Home" has started to fade. Discipline is being handed out quite frequently, routines are resurrecting, and I started on the dreaded "to-do" list. Unfortunately, it is rather long at this moment, since our house is being packed up in 10 days! That's right. . . all the Penguins will be wandering northward, to our new home at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson right there in Anchorage, a mere 200 mile road-trip from where I grew up.  Be warned fellow Alaskans, you are about to be invaded.

    So far today I have: picked up my computer from the repairs that were necessary after six months of repeated ups and downs on the hard floors of the hospital there in Bagram, taken the older two kids to lunch, bounced on the trampoline with Petunia Picklepuss, spread grass seed on some of the bare spots on the lawn, watered the lawn, made deviled eggs, aired up the tires on my truck, checked the radiator fluid and topped it off, used up the last of the windshield wiper fluid I had on the shelf to refill the truck, aired up Primus' tires on his bike, tried up air up the tires on PG's bike, discovered one of the inner tubes was leaking, pulled the tire off the bike, taken the inner tube out, and raised the handle bars and seat both about six inches on the same bike, tried to start a "Design by Me" Lego project with Primus only to discover after downloading the software that any design that seems recognizable as anything trademarked will be rejected, synced my Ipod touch and updated software for the first time since January, and updated the OS on my laptop. The internet at Bagram was too slow and spotty to accomplish those last two things. Oh, and I let Pet. Puss oversleep by 10 minutes for her afternoon nap.

     Mrs. Penguin has been busy today as well. She has made pound cake, potato salad, caramel brownies, tried to do laundry and run to the commissary. I say "tried to do laundry," because our washing machine, which has been leaking for a couple of months decided to burn up today. So, our bulk pickup just grew by one washing machine.

    Still to do today: Dinner with friends.

    To do tomorrow: Well, that's also dinner with friends (a different set), but the to-do list hasn't seemed to grow any shorter, so I may try and knock off another item or two.

    One final note for the day. . . Just in case you were wondering, planning to move 2 1/2 weeks after getting home from a six month deployment wasn't one of my best decisions. But, we'll make it work. In the meantime, I know I won't be bored. I'll be too busy. Keep Wondering and Wandering.

We call ourselves "Christians"

We call ourselves “Christians,”
We wear the name of Christ,
But are we worthy?

We lie and we cheat,
And we call ourselves “Christians!”

We lust and we covet,
And we call ourselves “Christians!”

We gossip and we slander,
And we call ourselves “Christians!”

We smoke and we drink,
And we call ourselves “Christians!”

We curse and profane God’s Name,
And we call ourselves “Christians!”

We are gluttons and lazy,
And we call ourselves “Christians!”

We are hateful and hurtful,
And we call ourselves “Christians!”

We need to STOP!
We need to “walk worthy!”
We need to be truly “Christ-like,”
Or,
Stop calling ourselves “Christians!”

Eph 4:1, Col 1:10, 1 Th 2:12

He's Baaaaaaackk

Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen. . . The Penguin has now placed foot on American soil!

The six months of silence is over. I thought I would make my first post in six months one of thanks. I will probably forget someone, so I apologize in advance.

First off: Thank you Heavenly Father for seeing me through this. There are many of my fellow deployers who bear scars; physical and emotional from their time in Afghanistan. Many loved ones back home who now carry only memories of their military member. Thank you for giving me friends, family and coworkers who made my deployment, if not pain free, at least minimally scarring.

Thank you to everyone who kept me in your thoughts and prayers. I appreciate it so much. Please continue to remember those who are still over there. Everyday our troops are putting it all on the line.

Next, all my fellow hard workers at Craig Joint Theater Hospital. Thank you for doing amazing things, and making them look routine. You are all awesome.

Everyone who sent me stuff: food, cards, notes, cookies, candy, jerky, protein, water flavor packets, etc. Special thanks to the Oak Grove and Vacaville churches of Christ, Jeremy and Lisa Linden, and Jaclyn Strampher and Paul Hoppman of the Noland Road HyVee in Independence, MO for the 3 cases of SweetTarts. You all rock!

Melinda Elliott. You have been such a resource for Mrs. Penguin and the little penguin horde. I know you and she both leaned on each other. Blessings and Thank You.

Thank you to my 2 oldest kiddos: Primus and Pretty Girl. Your hard work and help with your little sister made your mom's life easier, and helped me stress a little less. I am very proud of both of you. Your mom keeps telling me I don't know how mature you have become. I wish I could have been there to see the maturation, but am grateful to know it occurred.

To my youngest, Petunia. Your Skype antics have kept me entertained and provided a welcome respite and counterbalance to the awful things I've seen.

Finally, to my wife Mrs. Penguin. I would say I couldn't have done it without you, but that wouldn't be right. Physically I might have made it. You were the one who took care of everything: Endless PCS hassles, 3 a.m. E.R. visits, surgeries, bumper bashes, and on and on and on. I have relied on you so much this past 189 days, and you have borne the burden admirably. I love you. Yes, I will still take you for granted on occasion, but you should just remind me of what a Superwoman you are, and I will bow before your greatness.

The Blog is Back

Coming very very soon . . .

After Six months of Silence . . .

The Penguin is Preparing to Post Again. Stay tuned . . .