It's hot in Phoenix, and cool in Sacramento.

I returend home from my trip to Phoenix to visit my Grandmother and her husbend Dale who is not my Grandfather. To bring you up to speed on things My Grandfather died in 2002 wi'll I was deployed to Okinawa. I was able to fly home to the funneral and visit my family. A few years later, she remarried Dale a man she meet in here winter home of Mesa Az. I did not like the Idea of this and really havent spokin to her sence she remarried. I did not like the idea of her with another man and the fact that she had changed her last name from Culpepper to Kunze. My dad and I had felt the same about the hole thing and felt as if she had discraced my grandfather and all they had bilt together over 60 years together. She sold ther home in Mesa and had bought a new home with Dale. She did not come back to Oregon for the summer insted she would go to Minnasota with Dale to his home. I had asked her for some things of my Grandfather and she would not give them to me. So I stoped talking to her and really did not want anything to do with her anymore. Over time my dad had made peace with her but I was not ready to do so. A few weeks ago she and Dale were in a vary saver car wrecke and she was not well. My folks had told me they were going to fly down and see her last week. I had decide it was time for me to make peace and decided I should go with them. I was vary unsher of how I would handle being around her and Dale but figered with Mom and Dad there it would be a little easyer to handle. My grandmaother is still in a recovery center not far from ware they livr in Mesa she is still in bad shape but getting better. Dale is a vary nice man and I could see he really care's for my Grandmother and wants whats best for her and is not trying to take over for my grandfather. It was good for me to see. The weather was HOT and I mean Hot. they do not use AC in there home and keep it vary warm all year which was hard on me, I tend to like it cool because my med's tend to make me sweat alot in the heat. I didn't sleep vary well on there coach and have been sore all weekend. I was vary happy to see my bed when I got home today. Well it back to work in the morring so I'm off to bed.

Monday, Monday

Another week down and now it's monday. I had a nice weekend at home tfor a change. I really dont know what happend on Sat, I went to bed Fri night about 10 or 11 o'clock and didn't get up untill 3:30 Saterday after noon. It dosent evan feel like it happend. But I do fell better today, I'm not as tired as of late. Trisha and had talk about getting new phone sence our contract was up and at&t had been sending offers for new phones to resing with them. So after I got up and showerd trisha and I went off to Yuba city to look at what they had. I had forgot the email they sent me about a nice smartphone that I did some reaserch on and thought it would be nice. We got there right as they were closing but got in and talk to a sales rep. I told her what I wanted and she asked for the email but I did'nt have and she would not take my word on it so we didn't and new phone's or serve deal. We went over to nextel but they were closed so we went home and hung out for the night.

Trisha got up early on Sunday for a meeting I stayed home and sleept. I heared her get back and got up and dressed and ask her if she wanted to go back to Yuba city to wheel and deal on some phones she said know and that I know what she like so to go ahaed and go. I thought I would go back to Nextel to see what they had to offer for a family plan. I was really interested in the walky talky phone's so I could get aholed of Trisha with our calling. I looked at some phones and found one I liked but the prises were really high. A sales rep came up I told hime what I was looking at and he brought the price way down on both phones and said I could get a 25% discount on my monthly bill for working with DOD so said and done I got the phones for about $150 for both phones and a plane better then what I had for less money. I was pretty happy with it so far, I'm have a hard time getting use to the new phone, It's a lot bigger then my razor was. But should talk the abouse better I hope?

I'm leave for Mesa on thurseday to see my Grandmother who was in a really bad car wrecke a few weeks ago. I havent seeing her or talked to her really sence grandpa died 6 years ago and am not realy looking forward to seeing her. I'm still a little mad at her for remarring so soon after his death. My Dad seams to have made peace with it so I guess I should to. My Mom and Dad are flying out tuseday morring and I will meet up with them on thurseday night after work, and come home on Sunday Morring.

Work is busy right know Bob has been gone for a few day but will be back tomarrow then he'll leave for a class in GA. fortwo week which leave me all alone to teach. Normaly this wouldn't be a problem but I had two students get in a fieght today and had to brake it up. Afterr I let the class go to lunch I had them stay with the class leader and chewed there but out for being stupid. I't realy made me mad that they did that. I dont have time to babysit the people andtry and teach them at the same time.

Any how thats a enof for today.

A day at the VA

After an extremely long week and weekend at work. I finely took a day off from work to spend the day at home with Trisha. I also had an appointment with the VA today as well. All though I didn’t sleep vary well last night and in to the morning because I was out of med’s and took my last morphing pill on Sunday at noon I didn’t fell vary well this morning and was having a lot of pain both, back and withdraw pain. I forced myself out of bed and on to the coach about 0800 and watch some of the shows I had on the DVR but haven’t been able to watch do to Kristi in town to be with Trisha, and the fact that I’ve been just wiped out from work. On the way to the VA hospital I was listing to my I pod and the song that were playing were really hitting home to me for some reason they were all song I had heard before but for some reason I was really able to relate to what they were saying. A trip to the VA is always an eye opening experience for me not so much with the doctors put watching and looking and the people the Vet’s of war’s past and present. As I was waiting for my med there was man in line that caught my eye. He was a much older man in his late to mid 70’s I would guess his wife I’m sure of many years was with him. This man looked to be in good health unlike some of the other Vets there he did not use a walker or a cane. This man caught my eye because of a hat he was wearing it said WWII veteran with a Purple heart on it under Neath the picture of a purple heart it said combat wounded Marine, I thought to myself wow This man has seen combat and lived through it, he has made the best of his life rather then turning to drugs or alcohol like some of the other Vet’s have done. It was very easy for me to see this man 40 or 50 year younger and in uniform. He still wore the high and tight hair cut of a soldier, his hat sat on his head much like a soldier dose, I looked at some of the other people there and tried to imaging what they looked like back when they served, some were harder than others, and some I could see them serving at all. I tried to imaging what they saw and went through. It was easy to relate to what their life was like in the service having served myself I to was called to leave my home and family, my items of comfort if you will, and go to a foreign land ware I was not wanted and even hate for who I was and what I stud for. But luckily I have never served in combat were the law of War was Kill or be Killed. I did not watch my friends die beside me. I did not fire my weapon at another person who I did not know. But these men have! Some more than once in different war’s in different countries ageist an ever changing enemy. Don’t get me wrong I was ready to do those things at a moment’s notes but thank god I never had to. But these men did some by chose and some did not have a chose they were drafted, guess the draftees had a chose as we’ll serve or flee like some did. These men and women are truly what make this country greet and have help keep us free.
It is vary special for me to see these men wearing there veterans hat that display their medals and which branch of serve and with war they had served in. I wanted to talk to these men and share in that bond that soldier share but I couldn't bring myself to get up and talk to them, I don’t know why but I just couldn’t, I felt vary ashamed and I can’t put a finger on why, is it the fact that I’m out of the Army, or the fact that I never so combat? Or is it something else that eats at me, for whatever the reason I couldn’t get off my ass and talk to them. I got to thinking that I should get a hat as well sense I was part of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Noble Eagle. I walk down to where a man sells hats and shirts to Vets in the hospital to see what he had. This man had all kinds of hat for all different wars and branches of serves. I asked him if he had an OEF and ONE hat. He had told me that he had not heard of ONE but did have OEF hats. I bought one and an Army pin to go on it. Then proudly donned my hat and walk out of the VA to go home. I don’t know if buying and wearing a hat will make me feel any better but hopefully by wearing it that same man I saw today can look at it and know we both had served for a ungrateful nation who would rather spite on you rather then shaking your had and saying thank you for your service. And just maybe next time I see him, I can go to him and shake his hand and say thank you. Just maybe.

Please join my in praying of the men and women of the US armed services.
God we ask you to watch over these brave men and women as they are away from there family's and loved one. Be with them in there times of need. Confert there fear and give them the strength to do what is necessary for them to get home. If they are to die so far a way from home then welcome them into your are and tell them Job Well done Soldier, job well done, be at peace, your pain is no more,
Amen