My next station turned out to be Fort Carson, in lovely Colorado Springs, Colorado. Upon deployment to Iraq, I learned that I am very happy to be an American. Iraqis are very big on lying to Americans if it suits their advantage. I didn't see anyone who didn't, which is distressing and makes me wonder sometimes if we'll be able to help fix that crap heap of a country. At least I got to spend some quality time with good friends and do my job 24/7 for a whole year. This first picture is of my friend Meghan and I on the top of Pike's Peak. We huddled for warmth but she is a wonderful friend and an incredible person. Hers is a family that is blessed by God and I have a great time hanging out with her. She let me stay with her when I got back from Iraq until I found my house, and she even helped me find a good one- I needed a female opinion, and Meg and my boss' wife fit the bill! Unfortunately we'll soon be going separate ways (we're not in the same unit anymore) but I pray she doesn't forget about me.
The next picture is of the view outside the back door of my house. The great thing is that I can see the mountains but the bad thing is that the cell phone towers are on the top of the big mountain right in front (Cheyenne Mountain) and I don't get signal in my house. Racka fracka! I like my house and I am remodeling the kitchen and figuring out the deal with the automatic water sprinklers, which haven't worked in years. I love crawling around in the tiny little crawlspace, but the house is really great and I don't have any military neighbors even though I live a mile from post.
The final part of my new stuff is a great girl I met (again) over Labor Day. She was Alissa's roommate in Texas. Unfortunately she deployed to parts unknown since being recalled into the active service.
The final picture is of the two of us at a good friend of hers' house. I actually knew her friend Jen from years before but I guess I hazed her too much as a freshman at West Point so she thought Kristine was a crazy kook for liking me. It certainly was weird to ask for her kindness in putting me up for a night when I treated her poorly in 1995. But then again the magnanimity of others is always such a fresh feeling that I sincerely appreciate her kindness.
