Kelly Smith Weblog Aficionado: Just a guy vs. Life

Ft. Hood, Texas. I will be going to Ft. Hood Texas tomorrow on TDY for some additional training before I go to Iraq. I am looking forward to getting the hell out of Camp Shelby for a little while. The VOQ( Visiting Officer Quarters) are filled up, so I will be staying in Killeen. It will be nice to sleep in a nice bed with with clean sheets, central air, and running water in the room. I will only be there for three days, but that is okay, it will be enough of a break for me. I have roughly twenty-four more days here before we get validated and I can go home on leave to see my family for the last time. I am looking forward to those nine days so I can reconnect with my wife and kids. I will also like the idea of not having a task to perform. I have not had a day off work since the 5th of July, and I am feeling the strain. More than the workload, the heat, and the ever-changing demands, the not knowing what is going to come next is the hardest part about this training. There are ...

Happy Birthday Alexandra!! My daughter Alexandra is turning four today. Unfortunately I cannot be there, just like I wasn't there when she turned three, or when she turned two. Fortunately I was there the day she was born, and on her first birthday. The Army has me missing out on a lot of things. I missed my wife's birthday this year, and I will miss it the next. I will miss Alexandra's fifth birthday, I will miss Devon and Robbie's birthdays this year. But, no matter what, the fact that I am thinking about them, and they are thinking of me will make it much easier.

Missing you..... Renee, I miss you so much, and I hate it when we argue. I am sorry for everything I did to keep the arguing going. Being without you and the kids is not easy. But, I know that you being there with the kids by yourself is very difficult, and perhaps I don't tell you that enough. I love you with all of my heart, and no matter what that will never change.

Resolute Drudgery..... Today is the first day of August, I have been with the Infantry battalion since the 27th of June, and I have been at Camp Shelby since the 5th of July. I think they make the train up site for deployment suck as much as possible so we will be ready to get to Baghdad. I actually went on a predeployment site survey to Iraq for a few days, and I can tell you that I actually enjoyed it. It was hot as hell, but it was quite a lot better than being in Mississippi. I was going to post a bunch of pictures of my trip to Iraq, but I am getting pressure from CPT Arthur who is pressuring me to let him get online to check his email. So, here is one picture. More to come later.