CFO Discovery 2

Lynnie and I are walking down the street to go to Clare and Libby's BBQ when all of sudden...A CFO discovery! Four 20 dollar bills just laying there on the sidewalk. There weren't any people around to ask if they drop these bills, so Lynn and I picked them up and $40 richer we both would be!

On my way home from Clare and Libby's fun BBQ, no public transportation for me. Nope! I took my new found cash and cab it home. And then the next day I had a no guilt grande soy chai tea latte from starbucks! The remaining cash stayed in my wallet for additional "extras". And I have to say I smiled every time I spent one of those "sidewalk" dollars:)

See Kyle...Maybe I'm better than we thought at this whole CFO thing?!

Kyle and Kathy Listen to Eric and Kathy

Mornings in the Hartman household were something like this:

Kyle, requiring far less sleep than I do, would wake up first. He would turn on our morning radio show (a way to ease me out of bed), take Simba for his first walk of the day, feed Simba and start the morning coffee. By this time I am awake. We, like many locals, listen to the Eric and Kathy morning show over breakfast, and while getting ready for the day. Kyle would even occasionally listen to some of the show in his office. Many conversation would spring from this morning show, "Did you hear the segment on...? or about the...?"

Mornings are slightly different around here. Simba and I still listen to the morning show and I am now responsible for his first morning walk and most days I even remember to feed him breakfast. The coffee just isn't the same so I have made the switch to tea.

I admit the conversations about the morning show just weren't as fun when Kyle didn't hear any of it. So what did Kyle do? He brought some normalcy back to my mornings. He discovered a way to listen to the morning show over the Internet. He can't listen everyday and doesn't listen to the whole show but does catch some of it. Its more of a mid-afternoon show for him with the time change.

It's just another way we can keep some normalcy in our lives. But mostly I'm ready for us to be listening to the show from the same radio, in the same city, under the same roof. And Simba, well...he is just ready for an adult that can consistently remember to feed him breakfast.

Listening to the show in the picture above with one earphone in:) Not sure what the face is all about?

Arab's version of da Vinci

Photographed above is a statue of the Flying Man.

On the road from Baghdad to the airport is this beautifully optimistic statue of Abbas ibn Farnas. It might be a safe assumption that all soldiers that have flown in or thru the Baghdad area have seen this statue. A prominent figure is Arab history, he is considered the first man to make a scientific attempt at flying, and is renowned by Arabs all over the world. His statute stands with one leg taking a step, arms outstretched and wings spread full in mid-flight; the expression on his face is one of pragmatic hopefulness. He knew full well that his experimental flight may end in death, but that it was risk worth taking.

Flying Man, as he's affectionately called by many in Iraq, has seen both his fair share of optimism and destruction as he looks toward Baghdad along the five mile stretch of road called Route Irish by the U.S. Army. Traveling on Route Irish - until recently the most dangerous stretch of highway in the world - the sight of Flying Man gave one relative comfort, signaling the route would soon end within the barricaded confines of the airport, where travelers would be shielded from IEDs and homicidal car bombers. And hopefully, if you heading to the airport, you are on your way HOME!

So there it is folks, the Flying Man and his statues of Baghdad.

Poker Face

Kyle, like his dad, enjoys poker. More specifically, Texas Hold 'em. The base where Kyle is located holds an organized poker night once a week. No money is involved, that would be against Army rules. But sometimes they have a prize. Kyle took 2nd two weeks in a row, then 8th and then this week, he was excited to take the top spot in the tournament! Unfortunately, on this particular evening no prize would be won. Except this awesome certificate and gloating rights of course!

The tradtion of the Military Ball

Military ball! So fun. One of my favorite things about dating an ROTC boy in college. That and the uniforms (oh, and that he would be the boy I married)! It's not just an ROTC tradition but a military tradition.
Photographed here, the MU military ball circa 2002. How young do they all look?!
The tradition of the military ball has been going on since the beginning of ROTC programs nationwide. They begin with a receiving line, always a little nerve racking. Followed by the posting of the colors (flags) and the MIA/POW ceremony. They have toasts, a guest speaker, dinner and then the dancing begins! A little like a wedding and a prom all rolled into one.

We Play Virtual Scrabble

Kathy:
Being in a marriage that is temporarily separated by miles can be difficult but its all about staying connected (and good communication and trust and ok well, I guess its about a lot of things...). Kyle and I have found, and continue to discover more and more ways to do just that. At the risk of again putting out there just how nerdy we can be...Our virtual scrabble game. I have the board here at home. I take a picture of the board and his letters and the game all takes place over email. It's just like when we play at home, except at a much much slower pace. This current game has been going on a few weeks now!

Kyle:
I would add that it's also about compromise, doing things you normally wouldn't do, or don't enjoy to make the other person happy. Case in point, I don't even like scrabble. I'm not a strong speller, and the game requires abstract thinking skills that aren't my strong suit either. On top of that, guys in my section give me grief about it when I work on it during the day. Nevertheless, I play, and I enjoy it.

Colbert's Home Page

The Colbert Report homepage:
http://www.colbertnation.com/home

Posted a link to the article with Kyle's interview on it. It's in the center with the news link, titled, "Wisconsin solider gives Colbert's Baghdad show thumbs up."

If you haven't checked it out yet, you should!

Kyle's Interview

Kyle was volun-told (that's when someone tells you what you are volunterring to do. This seems to happen often in the army.) to take an interview with the Examiner. The article turned out great and Simba is even MORE famous now! Here is the link to the article:


Wisconsin soldier gives Colbert’s Baghdad show thumbs up

Posted using ShareThis

Happy 234th!

It's the Army's birthday!

The U.S. Army was founded on June 14, 1775, when the Continental Congress authorized enlistment of riflemen to serve the United Colonies," for one year. While the record of the Continental Congress indicates only that Congress undertook to raise ten companies of riflemen, in fact there actions intended and achieved much more. The
Congress also, quietly accepted responsibility for the existing New England troops and forces defending various points in New York, totaling approximately 15,000 experienced soldiers. At the same time the Congress symbolically extended military participation beyond New England by allocating 6 companies to Pennsylvania, 2 to Maryland, and 2 to
Virginia. The following day, 15 June, 1775, the Congress unanimously voted to appoint George Washington the General and Commander and Chief of the Continental Army. Washington had been active in the military planning committees of Congress and by late May had taken to wearing his old uniform. His colleagues believed that his modesty and competence qualified him to adjust to the "Temper & Genius" of the New England
troops.

--KYLE

Major General Simba

Simba could be a tough army dog too. Except, he's under 18 years of age and as his legal guardian...I won't sign the release form. Plus, his training might not be exactly up to Army standards. Unless, he suppose to greet everyone with kisses?

Uncle Sam's Dogs

Dogs in the army get outfits too!

Most military working dogs are German and Dutch shepherds, Belgian Malinois and Labrador retrievers (for their sense of smell). These dogs, along with their handlers, are deployed worldwide to support the war on terror. There duties include guard duty, base security, individual and crowd control, tracking, and explosive and narcotic detection. Most dogs are dual-purpose trained: police dogs first, then with a specialty skill such as bomb detection. Just like Simba is trained as my cuddly puppy first and a specialty in the area of escape artist:)

In Iraq, several hundred Military Working Dogs perform their duties in heat and sandstorms, just like other soldiers. Heat exhaustion is a major concern and there must be frequent breaks and ample water to cope with it. In 2004, civilian volunteers worked with the military to provide Doogles (that's right goggles for dogs!) and other comfort items for the MWDs to protect them (like bullet proof vests!). So its not only Simba with a dog wardrobe, tough army dogs have outfits too! I've also learned from an army Military General, that these special army dogs and their handlers only travel on airplanes in first class! Sounds about right to me!

I am constantly asking Kyle to take and send pictures of ALL the MWDs at his camp! Kyle has even volunteered to take part in their training by suiting up for a takedown. Hmm, padded suit or not, this doesn't sound like a good time to me.

Colbert Report

Stephen Colbert will be in filming in Baghdad, starting June 8th. The Colbert Report show will have an audience of about 450 active service men and women each show. Tuesday, June 9th Kyle will be in the audience. Hopefully, holding a sign that reads, "Kyle's here!". The show is scheduled to be on the comedy central station, around 1pm. Above is a photo Kyle capture of the stage during set-up.

Kyle's Living Quarters

Kyle's Room in Iraq. Note the broom and swifer wet jet - I'm so proud of my domestic hubby. Even it's not the nicest living space, at least it can be clean.

Hands of Victory

The Iran-Iraq war was fought for nearly nine years (1980-1988), during which time both countries suffered millions of casualties and billions of dollars in damage. Some say (mostly Kyle-my factual resource here) that an entire Iraq and Iran generation was wiped out over this brutal war. The war was one of the most strategically important conflicts of modern times because it involved two major oil producers and the region where more than half the world's reserves are located. Despite the conflict's length and cost, neither Iran nor Iraq made significant territorial or political gains, and the fundamental issues dividing the countries remained unresolved at the end of the war. They came to a cease fire agreement with the help of the U.N.

The pictures here are a monuments from this war. The Swords of Qādisīyah, also called the Hands of Victory, are a pair of triumphal arches in central Baghdad, Iraq. Each arch consists of a pair of hands holding crossed swords. The two arches mark the entrances to a parade-ground constructed to commemorate their declaration of victory (that only they think was victorious) over Iran in the Iran-Iraq war.It is one of Baghdad's "sights" if you ever find yourself vacationing there. As much as I like to see new place and travel, Kyle's pictures and description are plenty for me. I don't see an Iraq vacation in my future.

Air Travel with the Army

No seats for short flights. They are on the floor in the belly of this aircraft. My favorite "army rule" about air travel is the puke rule. If you feel like you are going to be air sick, you are told to open you shirt and puke down the collar. What no air sickness bags? This is to prevent others from puking around you. Gross! Can you even imagine?!

Pass the Pig

Kyle is competitive. This is not an opinion, this is a fact.

In college, he and his roommates would play Mario Kart after class. The yelling and horseplay, from their competitive nature, would get so loud that public safety was called on a regular basis from concerned neighbors.

When we met, Kyle had never played chess. I taught him the rules and once he was comfortable with them, we played. I beat him, three games in a row. He didn't want to play anymore. He then proceeded to read a chess strategy book cover to cover before he would play me again.

Catch Phrase, a favorite game among our circle of friends, is another example of Kyle's competitive nature. When we play, NO ONE wants to sit next to Kyle because of his aggressive "passing" ways.

My family was introduced to Kyle's competitiveness over "Spoons," a regular holiday past time. Watch your fingers!

And now, his competitiveness is well noted among the soldiers he is currently overseas with. The game is, "Pass the Pig." I'm told its something like dice and that you play for points. Kyle keeps getting beat (not losing...)at the last turn, which of course is no good. His reputation for competitiveness has been well established over these pigs.

When I told Kyle I would be Blogging about this particular topic he responded with, "I could probably write it better." Oh my competitive husband!