SparkleShan

For lunch we went to the chow hall and they had some amazing butter and ice sculptures. Complete with christmas dinner, I was a bit sad they were all out of egg nog though! In the evening our unit organized a unit Christmas Party.

Merry Christmas everyone. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday! I am here in Kuwait...still. This is my first Christmas away from my family and my little bean pie, Emma. I miss all my family back home, but I am thankful for a few good friends I have over here that were kind enough to spend Christmas Day with me. On Christmas Eve a few of us got together and watched Christmas movies to try and get into the Christmas spirit. Then this morning Amy and I exchanged gifts. Then at noon a few of us got together and exchanged secret Santa gifts. Our Secret Santa group (minus Amy, she's taking the picture). Perkins opening up her gifts. Amy looks happy with her gifts! Perkins got the perfect present for B, which he loves as you can tell. First Sergeant showing off his Lions presents from Rogers. He got pictures of what he got because the mail is a bit slow here around Christmas time! Natalie modeling the hats I knit her (below and above), she was my secret santa lady! Rogers showing o

Every year around Christmas time the Sergeant Major of the Army gets famous people/performers together and brings them to Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan to entertain the troops. This year they had a bunch of country singers I've never heard of and LeAnne Tweeded and Louis CK. All of of us in the crowd laughing at Louis' jokes. Velez and I being silly (it was so cold out!) Miami Dolphin Cheerleaders LeAnne Tweeden (I really have no idea who she is, lol)

I participated in a swap on the Ravelry site with one of the groups I belong to, Think Pink. Its for people who like Pink. I had just about the best swap pattern ever! Everything I said I liked or might want she got me! Here it is all wrapped in pink and christmas prettiness. I got my favorite rold gold pretzels, my favorite Tazo Calm Tea, 2 skeins of pink Malabrigo silky merino yarn, The Stitch n' Bitch knitters handbook, Gnome stitch markers, a pattern for a shirt, hersey's kisses, super soft pink socks, candy canes and a mini pink Christmas Tree! I love it all thanks so much Suzy!

We had to spread some Christmas cheer through the AVCRAD in this hell forsaken country. So the First Sergeant wanted us to set up a Christmas Tree at our Airfield. Amy crocheted some snow flake ornaments for it and the rest came from the PX (yes I find it a bit ridiculous that they have decorations on deployment!). Today we got together and had a pizza lunch and then set up the Tree in the outside break area of the airfield. Everyone got involved, well mostly the girls decorated the tree while the guys sat around and watched. The Crew after we decorated the tree. We forgot to get a star or the top of the tree so someone improvised and put two blue balls as the topper.

When I arrived back at work today, I had a big box at my desk and it was from an organization called Treats for Troops. I opened it up and it had a mini Christmas Tree with lights and ornaments. This is awesome because I love Christmas and decorating for Christmas. So Amy and I set it up in our room and we now have our own Christmas Tree Complete with mini sotckings!

My cousin Craig is also in the Army and he is currently attending his second MOS school in Fort Lee, VA. He got to come home for Thanksgiving (he just got married in September and had to leave soon after to go to school) so we got together with my other halves along with his brother David and his wife. We went to Double Downs and did a little family drinking. Its a good thing we set ourselves a budget, because we wouldn't have been able to drive home! Me, Amanda (David's wife), Craig and Lea. Cousins David, me and Craig. I think we have a picture like this from like 15 years ago!

For the past few years Emma and I have made some sort of gingerbread type of arrangement for Christmas. We made this one this year too. I put the walls together and frosted it and Emma decorated it with candies.

Did I ever mention I love tattoos?!? I don't care what anyone says about it either. I have been dying to get a tattoo the whole time I have been deployed. SO naturally while I was home on R and R I had to get one. I went to Flat's Tattoo Shop in Groton and got a small tattoo. Now I want more, I might try and get another small one before I leave.

I decided to make some presents for Christmas. I have been eyeballing the Calorimetry pattern on Ravelry for a while and decided to make a few. The pattern was super easy and fast they only took me a couple hours to make. I made the first one experimenting with the cast on number and it came out Emma sized, so its hers! Emma modeling hers, she can only wear it for a short time, because its itchy! This one is for my little sister, luckily we all love the color pink.

I had to have a get together with the 3 girl cousins of course! We had dinner at Margarita's ( I had veggie fajitas!) and then drinks and games at Meghan's house. I drank almost an entire bottle of Pinot Grigio! I love hanging out with these girls because they are so silly! Meghan and Stephanie at Margaritas No wine bottle opener! Whatever shall we do!?!? A swiss Army Knife will have to do (I actually ended up getting the cork out) First a Game of Taboo, it was my first time playing this game. The sad thing is that I Jared and I got it for a Christmas Present like 5 years ago and it was been sitting in the closet unopened ever since! Now on to a game of dirty scrabble. We had to use dirty words, or explain how the words related to something dirty.

I really like knitting simple hats, I can do them in a few hours and completing something gives me a great sense of accomplishments. Here is the 3rd stocking knit hat I have knitted. I made it for one of my soldiers because it is getting cold, yes we are in the desert, but its now about 75 at night which is 335 degrees cooler then it was when we first got here. I have another stocking knit hat on the needles in the opposite color of the picture shown, for another soldier in my unit.

I have been inspired to start learning how to spin yarn. Don't ask me why, but I have. I think it is the fact that I will aspire in my life time to do every crafty thing there is to do. So I have been browsing the Ravelry site and talking to other people that spin, so I bought a drop spindle and some Merino top and sari silk to practice on. This is my first attempt at spinning I think there is a little to much twist in it, but whateva. I also made a little flower with it. Ashford Drop Spindle Ashland Bay Merino Top roving, before being spun

Yesterday was Kristen's 21st Birthday. Unfortunately for her we are not allowed to have alcohol over here, but we wanted to make it as special as possible for her. So the crew got Neer Beer and Sparkling Cider. We decorated and had a cook out at the airfield and off course there was some fake drinking going on. Chug, Chug, Chug.... Someone's going to have fun tonight!

November 3rd was Amy's birthday. She is now an offical member of the dried up old lady crew. We got her cake and presents and had a good old time. One of the gifts was a bottle og Lube, actually she got two bottles from different people (you have to see the movie Superbad if you don't get it), Dillis got her a few pictures, one which included a picture of Kyle (her future husband) with a mouth full of 12 regular size marshmallows. Pretty, yummy Cake Amy Cutting the Cake

Today we got a new member to the AJ crew. One of our own, SGT Velez came down from Balad to help out the SSA and she is staying for good! Now I have a another girl to drag to Salsa with me! 1SG, SFC Zalewski and I went to pick her and SGT Carter (who is staying for a few weeks) up from Ali, it was quite an expendition. We had a cook out later on that night to welcome her to here new home. It ended up raining (go figure) but we didn't care! Amy, Velez, Shannon and First Sergeant