I miss....

.... my dear sweet wife Anne Marie.  .... all of my friends and family everywhere.  ... being able to go out and get a beer and a decent dinner somewhere (or anywhere for that matter).  ... my baby kitties, Sidney and Crosby... and Milo and Fergus, too!   ... being able to just call and talk to whomever whenever and/or text, etc.  ... my car and being able to go places on weekends and other time off.  ... fall weather and seeing the leaves change and feeling the crisp cool fall breeze on a sunny 55 degree late October afternoon.  ... WEEKENDS.   ... Steeler Sundays at Players' Bar with all the Pittsburgh fans.  ... being able to watch Penguins hockey if I get the urge to go out to the sports bar.  ... my trips to Jackpot to the casino and the poker tournaments there.  ... being on close to the same time zone as everyone else.   ... having my own place and all my own stuff in it.  ... real cable TV with real channels to surf through in order to find something decent to watch.  ... talking to my daughter, my sister, my dad,  my mom, Anne Marie, and all my other friends I get to talk to every once in awhile.  ... just so many things about home. *sigh* 

I guess that happens after 2 months or so of being deployed.  Not that I haven't missed all of those things before now... it's just that I miss them that much more as the days pass by.  I get to talk to Anne Marie and see her just about every single day on Skype, though, and that helps immensely!  What did people do before Skype???  Good Lord!!!  I guess it was 2 things really... the telephone... and a pen and paper.  Yes, I'm going back before email, too.  I remember when I left for Turkey I had an address book with TONS of addresses and phone #'s in it!  That was around the time email was just starting to become fashionable.  It wasn't nearly as readily available as it is now.  I didn't even own a computer yet back then.  Being here is kind of like being taken back to those times with a few added bonuses.  You have access to computers everywhere.  Email and Skype are everywhere.  It only costs 4 cents a minute to call home compared to the astronomical phone bills from when I was in Turkey.  I had a phone bill of over $1000 once there.  My how the times have changed haven't they?  But somewhere lost in there is the art of actually sitting down and WRITING a letter.  It's so seldom we do that nowadays, but there's still something much more personal about a letter than typing out an email.  First... it takes EFFORT to write.  Your first and foremost thoughts go on the paper... and you can't just backspace to undo it.  It's obvious that it came from you.  Only you have that distinct handwriting that is your own, nobody else.  It's a great feeling to see a letter in the mail, too!  I don't know anybody who doesn't like to get letters or cards in the mail!  How many times have you heard, "Man, I sure would have rather had an email?"  NONE!  :) 

So... allow me to continue my story... back to my assignment to Turkey.  It was October 1995.  I was still fairly young and on my way to another part of the world.  I really didn't know what I was in for, either.  I got there and was immediately shocked by the time change.  I think I slept for 18 hours after arriving on a Saturday afternoon.  I worked in the travel portion of accounts receivable there.  It was different, but it wasn't really difficult to pick up.  I immediately put on my next stripe when I got there.  I was now a Senior Airman in the Air Force.  I didn't get through 15 months without my share of problems. 

I was still married to the wife who was back in Ohio.  While I was gone she sold my minivan for a huge loss (basically gave it away).  She was all about the money, too... I think that mindset was a big part of why I stayed single for so many years after we parted ways.  I just always felt like women would take you for whatever they could if they got the chance.  I do know different now, though, but I still have those moments albeit few and far between.  I had my own problems with money management that got me into enough trouble over the years.  The first time was while I was in Turkey.  I had a couple bills I couldn't pay because my wife was taking all the money I was making there.  She said I couldn't afford the van so she sold it.  I got into trouble for it, and my performance ratings suffered.  So that's really the only "bad" thing I have to say about my assignment to Turkey.  Otherwise it was a fantastic assignment. 

I went to the beaches on the Mediterranean on as many weekends as I possibly could.  I lived downtown about 20 minutes from the base, which was simply amazing!  I loved being out in the Turkish culture.  That didn't last throughout the assignment, though, due to the Khobar Towers attack happening in Saudi Arabia in 1996.  Following that everyone was moved back on base and has been ever since.  It was nice, though.  The traveling options in Turkey were endless, and I took advantage of several opportunities to do so!  If I only had some pictures to post on here I would.  I'm sure they are safely in my storage unit somewhere.  :)  I enjoyed Turkey so much I stayed until the very last possible day I could.  Most people tried to leave at the beginning of their DEROS (departure) month.  Not me!  I asked for the 29th of January.  The Monday before I left I took a drive down to the beach (yes... in January) and just walked there for a couple hours on a fine 55 degree day.  I knew it would be the last time I would be likely to stroll on the shores of the "Med".  However, I was wrong!  I would return after only 2 years and a few months of my departure... 

There was one very difficult thing that happened while I was in Turkey... I got the call from work that the Red Cross had called.  My grandmother had passed away at the age of 82.  So... a day later I was on a plane headed back to the U.S.  I missed the funeral, though, and that saddens me to this day.  It happens, though... when you're thousands of miles away.  It was nice to see all of the family, especially my 6 month old little baby girl. :) 

My daughter was also born while I was in Turkey.  That was my first trip back to U.S. soil since heading there.  March 12, 1996, was the big day.  Tiffany was a pretty big baby, too.  8 lb 12 oz and 21 inches long.  She's pretty doggone tall at the age of 14 as well!!! :)  I didn't have the chance to see her birth.  I waited until after she was born so as to have the opportunity to spend the most time possible with her.   So it was... an amazing 15 months with quite a few ups and downs along the way.  I departed on January 29, 1997, for Omaha, Nebraska, where I would spend my next 4 years.....

Happy Tuesday everyone!!!  I hope it's a great one wherever you may be!  I will be sitting on my shift in a half an hour and then going to a meeting a little after that at 7:30, and another day in the desert will be in the history books.  Soon it will be 5 AM and Skype time again!  :)  I'm always looking forward to that!  Until next time...

Peace, Love, and Poker