September at a glance

This is a taken form our newsletter we write each month about our month:

(Patxi started writing it) I’ll start with my trip home starting in August. The unit replacing us is a Guard unit from Kentucky and they started arriving at the very end of July so that they were all there by about the 5^th of august. We had one mission which was my last up to Habur Gate, this was also the destination of the very first mission I did back in December. Their truck commanders came on the trip with us so they could see how we did everything and they saw pretty much everything from break downs of each group we escort, KBR trucks, Green trucks TCN’s trucks and even our own. We had to also stay an extra day at Habur Gate because of our own breakdowns so they were able to see how to handle Battalion when they get mad at us for things we can’t control. The only thing they didn’t see fortunately was and IED. For the last month and a half there I was probably averaging about four hours of sleep a day mostly because they changed our mission leave times to two and three in the morning and because we had to get everything accounted for and signed over to the next unit. By the 16^th of august we were done with our hand over and were living in tents waiting to leave. This was a very boring hot time because about half of the time the air conditioning and or internet didn’t work. There was a not very good gym without AC that I went to and to help pass the time I would take the 45 minute bus ride over to the main D-FAC to eat instead of going to the close one. On the 29^th we loaded up our gear and flew in a C130 down to Kuwait where we stayed a couple days and then flew to Shannon, Ireland to Bangor, Main, to Joint Base Fort Lewis McCord outside of Tacoma, Washington. From landing they said it would be less than 14 days probably six to get done with demobilization paper work and medical checkups. On my sixth day I was getting ready to sign my final paper so I could go home the next day when they came in and said that there were problems with about half of the soldiers’ medical paper work so for the next couple days we went and waited in line hoping they would figure it out and let us go which happened on our 11^th day and I rode the bus home to La Grande calling Jess on the porch to surprise her and ask if she would help bring in the bags. 

If it’s okay with Patxi, I’d like to into a little more detail because I think it’s a hilarious story that I want my kids to remember.  So like Patxi said I was first told on Monday night that everything was set and ready to him to leave on Wednesday morning.  All He had to do was sign that ridiculous DD214 form taking him off active duty.  So then I get a call Tuesday evening telling me that his paper work didn’t get into the system.  I felt like my insides had shattered into small pecies.  It was bad enough finding out that the moment that I had look forward to wasn’t happening, but also no knew when I would get my husband back.  So I did what I could to put myself back together, prayed, got Papa Murphy’s, and watched “Mary Poppins.”  There’s nothing like greasy pizza and the song, “Stepin‘ Time” that can raise the spirits.  So then Wednesday passes without anything progression and then finally Thursday Patxi texts me and tells me that he signed the pivotal form and hopes to come home the next, if they find transportation.  I tld me that he would finally find out wehn he was coming home at his formation, Friday at 1:00 ing the afternoon.  I felt that they wouldn’t be sending them home so late in the day since it take about seven hours to get here.  My feelings were confirmed when Patxi texts me friday afternoon, “Well, I have good news, looks like I’ll be seeing you Saturday.”  Now what would you conclude from this.  I totally thought that they couldn’t get a bus from them until Saturday.  And to tell you the truth, I was livid!  Usually I don’t boil over and lose my temper, but I did.  I was so furstrated at the people who got Patxi’s paper work wrong and could find a bus to send my husband home.  I pretty much lost it when I thought another day was going to go by without Patxi being home.  It’s hilarious now, considering that Patxi was receiving my abusive texts as he was exactly on his way home.  Anyway, so Patxi got my parents in on his surprise and they delivered a car to the armory, while I was having a girl’s night.  I finished cleaning up, putting the kids to bed, and changed over the laundry, when I sat down ready to talk with my friend Shanel and my phone rang.  I got up to answer it didn’t know what to think when I heard Patxi say from my phone and the front steps, “Can you help me with my bag?!”  I was so surprised! I was unbelievably happy but didn’t know what to think about not being told about something so crucial like him coming home.  I felt ashamed for losing my temper earlier and a little crushed because my plans for his home coming were ruined.  But those feeling quickly melted away when I realized that I had my husband, the father of my children, and the love of my life back with me.  Valin hadn’t fallen to sleep yet, so we got him up and he was so happy to see his daddy again.  We accidentally woke up Boston so she wasn’t as excited to see Patxi but the next day she was.  It’s an extreme understatement to say that we love having Patxi back home, but I don’t know how else to say it. 

Anyway, back to Patxi...        

From then on it has been getting more hectic every day. I decided to go to school for a term at EOU while I put in an application for the paramedic program at Chemeketa that starts in the spring. I hadn’t signed up yet so I applied for winter term and talked to them hoping to get in this fall which took some explaining and fortunately they let me in, so then I had to figure out the classes I would take. First I was waiting for an assigned counselor. When I didn’t have one by the Friday before classes started so I called Kenn, my father-in-law who teaches theatre at EOU and he helped me sign up for History 201, Applied Anatomy 311 and Intro to theatre because it was the only one that would work time wise with the others. For some dumb reason it seemed 80% of the classes offered are at 9:00 in the morning. The application packet is 20 some pages of paper work showing I meet all of the prerequisites to get in which has to be done a certain way and turned in by the 12^th of October.  We hope and pray that I can get into the spring class, if I don’t then we will move to Salem and I will start on the fire program as soon as I can and then do the other.  During this time I have been trying to buy cows using the small business grant offered to Union County. This is taking longer than expected because they haven’t answered my e-mails so I don’t know what to do next. We are also looking for an affordable reliable minivan as well as a good, working pickup. Adam Kerns also called and lets me work for him whenever I can, helping put sprinkler pivots together. 

It is great to be home and with family and hopefully I will see you all sooner rather than later. It is fun going on walks around the block and to the park with Valin and Boston. By the end of the walk Valin will be carrying two hand fulls of sticks because he can’t pass one by. Boston wants to walk only holding on to one hand which is slower so it is like herding cats trying to keep Valin somewhat close. He has learned to stop at the end of a block and wait for us to cross the street. Boston has been taking three or four step by herself here and there for the last week now. She loves to do things by herself like eating and playing. Jess does a great job of teaching and caring for them and it is wonderful to see their love and trust for her. 

(Jessica) This last weekend we traveled down to Slat Lake because my parent got tickets to watch General Conference at the conference center for Sunday morning and my sister’s hadn’t seen Patxi since he left last September.  I was way excited because it had been about 10 years since I’ve seen it at the conference center and Patxi had never been.  Well, come Sunday morning and we ended up leaving way too late.  We got to the Center right when they let the stand-byes into the empty seats.  So, needless to say, we didn’t get seats but ended up watching it in a little theater off on the side.  But during the intermediate hymn we decided to go and enjoy the beautiful weather on Temple square while listening to Conference on the loud speakers.  It was a great way to listen to it and would have been better if we had brought a picnic with us.  Even though we were disappointed, we still really enjoyed ourselves.