Dandy in Afghanistan

Season’s Greetings Gang,

 I am a slacker.  I know I haven’t dropped a few lines since Thanksgiving.  So to catch you up, December has been slow.  We did get some snow a few weeks ago and I took the liberty of catching a few snowflakes on my tongue.  It was exciting and festive for a brief period of time.  We really have been trying to make the most of spending Christmas in a combat zone.  We have a beautiful six foot tree with all of the trimmings and stockings hung and Christmas movies/music each day.

I might not get to fight the crowd at the mall, but I do get to fight the slow as snails internet as I browse my favorite online stores selecting gifts for the babies.  We’ve had numerous packages abundant in peanut butter fudge, molasses cookies, caramel corn, white chocolate dipped pretzels, rocky road, peanut butter cookies, banana bread, pumpkin bread, and so many more goodies to count.  I’ve certainly had my fair share of coffee and tea and cookies.  So all in all we’re keeping our scrooge factor at bay.

 Two days ago we got the first group of replacements in.  It was exciting knowing we’ve begun the first step of our redeployment process.  A few of our new ER technicians will start work tomorrow so I’m sure the next week will whizz by with training and orienting them to the ER.  There are several more groups projected to arrive between now and sometime after Christmas.  The infiltration has begun!  We’ll soon be vacating out of our rooms and be moving into a transitional tent and our work space at the ER will become crowded with twice the people waiting for patients to treat.  The laundry room will be harder and harder to find open washers, there will be lines to the showers and dining facilities, and the BX will be a mad house with the new arrivals purchasing sundries that they forget to bring with them.  Give us the strength to be patient with each other and make it through this crazy time as the light at the end of the tunnel is getting so bright I’m going to need to find myself a pair of sunglasses.  We’ve coming home!

 May your Christmas and New Years be filled the peace and love of the season and y’all enjoy some well deserved down time with your families.

Dandy wants you to have a mug of egg nog for her Aaron