Sorry so long!

I'm really sorry everyone, it's been over a week since I've blogged anything! But I do have a good excuse-I started a new job in Media Outreach. It's been crazy busy and with my hours from 12-10pm I feel like I never have any time for myself! The job is going to be great; right now it's a little overwhelming though. It's very rewarding; I go home at night feeling like I actually helped each day. The new job pretty much has me browsing all the news coming out of Iraq (I'm sure my dad is sooo happy I'm paying attention to the news for the first time since 2001) and finding the happy stories to market to hometown media. It's cool cause I get to take the stuff that's published in a small military publication, one that maybe only gets read at the camp it's about, and send it to a soldier's hometown. There are some great things going on over here, I really see that now. There are a lot of stories about how much the Iraqi Army is doing for the people of this country; I wish I could market those to the States somehow. Like how many people got running water/electricity/roads/safety precautions just this week. The US is doing a ton, don't get me wrong, I think we hit a point where we aren't teaching this country as much as we've stepped back to let the Iraqi's start helping themselves. I don't really know, I only started reading the news like a week ago, but that's what it seems like.
Omigosh! I still haven't blogged about Iraq's "Army Day" ceremony! Wow, it has been awhile since I've been on here. Well, if you didn't know, Iraq held a ceremony here in Baghdad at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (that place is impressive!) and I got to help escort the media to the event. Oh and by the way, this was the biggest military ceremony they've held since the US has been here. Anyway, it looked amazing. All the Iraq Army soldiers were dressed and pressed and they were really representing! A lot of work went into it, from the set up to the soldiers practicing drills. The day before a guy in my unit, Jeremy, kept talking about how we were going to take incoming rounds the next day for sure...crap like that, being all obnoxious. We all knew the ceremonies would probably be targeted but man, I hate when boys try to cover up a fear by doing this kind of stuff! Well, he was right. We were waiting in the buses during the ceremony and heard like 4 or 5 mortars. The first one was loud but still a way off. The second hit close enough that we could feel it. The last one I heard whistled overhead and I thought, "This is it!" I mean if you hear it cut through the air above you, wouldn't you think the same? Luckily that one never detonated because it landed about 100 yards away!! Thankfully, the ceremony wasn't interrupted and it went really well.
Other than that I've just been working my tail off, watching movies (I'm addicted to Scrubs), and playing Tiger Woods Golf. By the end of this year in Iraq I'm gonna be wicked at video game golf! And maybe real golf too! I found the "Baghdad Winery and Golf Course" and I'm checking it out Saturday. How cool would it be if I get to work on my drive while I'm here? And if I ever get internet in my hooch I want to do some online college classes. Oh, wanna know what else I'm doing Saturday? Something I didn't think I'd get to do in Baghdad, that's for sure! I'm getting a manicure and pedicure!!! It seems soo wrong somehow but I’m excited anyway! Okay, on that note...love, hugs, kisses...you know the deal! I miss you all!