Lil Sheep Herder Boy...

Today at 6am my phone started to bark. (my cell phone ring is actually that of a dog barking) I don't get many calls on my cell phone and when I see "unknown" come up on the caller ID...I know it's RJ. Happy days!!

RJ is doing fine. I don't have much to tell unfortunately as he was going to call back but for some reason was unable to. But what he did say was that what's going on now is "a hair raising experience". That should be interesting being that none of them have any hair. ha! I guess a lot has been going on there. That's why communication has been cut-off so often. Whenever there is an incident, they shut it down. I hadn't talked to him in 9 days (originally I thought it was 8). That call was very short. We barely got past the "so what's going on?" stuff. But he did sound just fine. Spirits are still pretty good, it's just been crazy lately. I hope it isn't like that the entire time he's there, but I wouldn't be surprised if it is. Fingers crossed that it won't be.

They spend a fair amount of time searching for IED's (improvised explosive devices) and doing look-outs. I'm sure there is tons more they do but that is what I heard about this morning. He said they're difficult to find even in the dark when they use their night-vision goggles. I've read that they learn more of what to look for all the time, so hopefully they are one step or more ahead of the insurgents.

The weather has been in the very chilly 30's in the evening and the low 70's during the day. He said the nights are very cold. Those tempuratures should start to warm up soon unfortunately warmer for not just the evening but also the day.

I guess at some point when RJ was out, probably goofing off (KIDDING!!!), he ran into a young sheep herder boy and his brother. He gave them some candy and had a little chit-chat. RJ has made a couple new friends. He sounded like he was sort of smiling when he was describing it. Cute.

Please keep sending emails/Motomails/letters and packages as I'm sure they help keep up his moral and let him know he is loved by many and missed terribly. He sounds pretty good but this is the beginning of a long road. I wouldn't ask any important questions in any of those forms of communication as he doesn't answer them. I'd wait until you have him on the phone, if it's important. Motomails are good because he can get them fairly soon after writing them. Packages and letters take about 3 weeks to get to him. And as far as emails go...don't expect a lot of them. His online time is limited and after reading the one's he's gotten and checking his pay there is little time for much else. So email responses are very few. I've sent him a handful of ecards too. He hasn't said anything about them, but I know he's gotten them. If you'd like to send one I'll put a link or two under "links" (listed to the right).

Have I mentioned how much I absolutely hate this deployment thing????!!! But despite being half asleep, there is nothing like waking up to his voice.

Safe travels. Warm nights. Cool days. Any food other than MRE's. And peaceful, happy dreams. All wishes for RJ and the troops in Iraq.

Carrie Ann