Humid desert?

Well I've been here almost 2 weeks now and I'm currently enjoying (sort of) my first day off. We've been busy. I think that's good though, it makes the time go by faster.
The weather here is pretty crazy. It's humid, which you wouldn't normally expect in a desert environment. I work from midnight to noon every day. when I get up and get ready for work it's still pretty hot and starting to get really muggy. By the time I get to work at midnight, the air is as thick as pea soup. The humidity continues to build throughout the early morning until sunrise.
You can sweat just by stepping outside. I have been drenched everyday by my own sweat. Luckily the laundry service is fairly convenient and timely.
I didn't imagine this weather when I was preparing to come over here. I figured the night time would be much cooler than the day. We actually look forward to the sun coming up. Because it's so hot it burns the humidity off pretty fast. By 7 or 8 in the morning it's fairly dry and getting hotter fast. It dries us of too. I can be drenched in my own sweat before sun up and almost completely dry 2 hours after the sun comes up. I know I don't stop perspiring, it just evaporates that quickly.
One thing that doesn't evaporate or disappear quickly is my longing for my family. That's one thing about this day off. It's a needed break physically and mentally, but it leaves a lot of time to think about what I'm missing at home. I believe in what we are doing over here. I know that if we do not fight our enemies here, who attacked us unprovoked, then they will bring the fight back to us. I know that I am where I'm supposed to be, even if I wish I were not. But it's still hard. I miss my wife. I miss my children. I miss my family (immediate, extended, church).
I pray that some good will come from this experience. That I will be test and grow spiritually. That I will come to appreciate my wife and children and family and friends love and friendship more and more. That we can achieve relative peace if only for a short while.

On the Way

Well, I'm somewhere between Abilene and the Middle East. (Can't say just yet.) We left this morning, just before noon. Flew to Bangor, Maine, which was an awesome experience. They have a group of mostly retired aged vets that run a military member welcome center there in the airport. Most large airports have a USO office and lounge but Bangor's airport is about the same size as the Abilene airport. So the people in the area took it upon themselves to care for traveling servicemen and women.
They had a large welcoming line, telling us thank you and shaking our hands. If you've ever spoken to a Mainer, you know their accent is very different from the Texan twang. They were all fine people. They also provided, through donations from local businesses, free cell phones for us to use to call home and free cookies and candy to keep us fat and happy while we waited for our plane to be fueled and cleaned. It's good to know that there are still good people throughout this country.
Then as quickly as we came we were off again. Hopefully I'll be able to sleep on the next leg of the trip. I don't really know what to expect when we show up for duty. Will we get some time to settle in and sleep off the jet lag? Will we just get right to it? We'll see.
Candace, I love you. Kiss the boys for dad.

Well it's official now, I will be deploying to the Persian Gulf this summer. I'll get there when it's just getting good and hot. It's been 5 or 6 years since I've experienced 120+ degree weather.
It's weird the internal struggles that a man goes through. On one hand, I don't want to go. I don't want to miss birthdays, anniversaries, Thanksgiving, Christmas. I want to be here to take Brendan fishing and build things with him. To take Corbin camping and watch him continue to grow and learn. I want to be here to help Candace love them and discipline them. Most times they take things a little more serious when it comes from dad. I want to be here to work in the yard with Candace, to take after dinner walks, to talk into the night, to make love to her. Pray for Candace and the boys in my absence.
But, on the other hand, I am looking forward to the deployment. There is nothing that makes a man feel more alive than to be doing what he was meant to do. To have a clear goal and purpose. To suffer and sweat and work with a team of men toward a common goal. When you spend every waking moment with a group of people, they become your family. I joined the military to make a difference, to help those who can't help themselves, to have an adventure, to serve. Now I am getting that chance again.
I also know that God will use me where I am being sent. I know that it will be a time of spiritual growth for me. Pray that I will have the courage to listen to what God has to tell me and follow
where he wants to lead me.
Kelly