SparkleShan

Today I say good bye to the Army after a 13 year career. I am being medically retired early, so I will receive retirement pay and benefits just as if I stayed for twenty years. It is bitter sweet. I love being in the Army, my job, my unit and the people I worked with every day, but I'm also excited to start a new chapter in my life. I also get to have some freedoms that I didn't have before like painting my fingernails, coloring my hair pink and getting my nose pierced again with out having to take it out every day. Today I also got promoted to Sergeant First Class and received two awards, the Meritorious Service Medal and the Connecticut Medal of Merit.

Wow I didn't realize how long it's been since I last updated this blog. A lot of has been going on in life. I'm getting ready to retire from the Army in a few short weeks. And then I will be doing nothing until I start cosmetology school in the middle of July. I will being going to Paul Mitchell School in North Haven for the next 11 months full time. I also started two college classes online 3 weeks ago just for fun and for something to do when I'm bored and not working. I'm taking a Buddhism class (I'm Buddhist so it's fun and I know most of the stuff) and a Hinduism class. It's weird for the first time I have my homework done early and am not waiting until the last minute before it's due.  I have finished a few knitting projects since I last posted. Most recently was a second Frisson shawl designed by an awesome designer and friend Brittany Wilson. I knit it in a yummy silk blend yarn by Handmaiden Yarns called mini maiden. You can download t...

My life is pretty boring so my daily routine isn't really anything special. During the week this is my normal routine:  0700: wake up, brush teeth get dressed. 0800: Leave the house 0830: Yoga 0945: drive to work, shower and put on my uniform.  1015- 1615: Work 1615: Drive home 1635: take dog for a walk 1700: change out of my uniform into comfy clothes 1715: do some cleaning around the house 1830: knit, sew, journal, watch tv. 2030: read 2130: meditate 2200: sleep

Today I want to say thank you to all my fellow soldiers and all those past and present who have served and protected this wonderful country. Thank you all so much for keeping us safe. My super sweet boyfriend took the day off of work to spend with me. He bought me a dozen roses and a sapphire and diamond ring!! how awesome is he?!? I have never received gifts on Veteran's Day and its nice to know someone appreciates my service! Thanks babe love you!

Since I was gone for a year I had tons of partying and going out to make up for with my friends and BFF. Here are shots of everything that went on in May of this year after I got home. Since I am way behind on Posting I am going to do everything for the month!! This picture is from the first night that Ann I went out after I got home from deployment. We went to Ultra 88 of course. This night we went to Shrine at Foxwoods and the dumbasses kicked us out because they said Ann was drunk, so not true, jerks! I then when out with my two wives that were deployed to with me. We went to a party in Bradford, but it was boring so Velez and I decided to bring Kristen to Van Dome in New Haven, since she had never been to a club. I haven't been to Van Dome since I was a freshmen in college (and I will never go again, lol). They took our picture for the website! LOL

So I got to come back to the states a week earlier then the rest of the unit because I was in charge of making sure that all the mobilization Adminstrative part was all set and run smoothly (and trust me there was a lot to be done). We got 150 people through Fort Dix and demobilzation in 4 days when it normally take a week or more for less people then that. We arrived home on mother's day. What a great Mother's Day gift to see my little girl! It's good to be home but weird to. I'm used to having people around me ALL the time and now it's just me in the house. I have the next 3 months off to spend every day with Emma once school gets out and to do much knitting and spinning. I got a brand new spinning wheel that was waiting for me when I arrived that I need to learn how to use! I also had a lots of fiber that I ordered waiting for me. Prefect to practice on the new wheel with (like I don't have enough already). And the a wonderful friend from Ravelry Meliss...

There are 4 AVCRADs in the National Guard, the one I belong to, the 1109th AVCRAD in Connecticut is the best one of all. Each of the have been rotating in and out of the war since it started in 2003. And yes the CT AVCRAD were the first one's here, we set up the Theater Aviation Maintenance Program here in Kuwait and now the unit is back for there second rotation. This is my first one here though, I was pregnant when they had a 3 days notice back in 2003, so I didn't go. Well the last two units that were here right before this rotation started a thing of painting a barrier to represent their unit. Well I must say that like our unit being the best AVCRAD our Barrier is also the best. The other two look very similar but ours is completely unique and original. This is our barrier which was designed and painted by SSG Langley. And Below are the Barriers done by the Mississippi AVCRAD and the ADMRU

A few days ago we had a sand/dust storm for two days. You couldn't see a thing. The roads were red, and no one was allowed to drive off post. Even the sun looked like a white ball (yes I thought it was the moon at first). My hair was full of sand and it took two washings to get it all out. My Chief said sandstorms mean its almost time for us to go. It can't come soon enough, I've had my fill of this place. I am eager to get home and relax for the summer, go to the beach whenever I want, and best of all not go to work! This will be my first summer off since I was 16! The morning started out a little foggy and the sun looked like a little white glowing ball. By Mid afternoon it looked like this and stayed this way for two days.

I took my first ride in a Black Hawk last week over Kuwait. It was fun and a lot less scary then riding in an airplane. Our Shadow in the Sand Me freezing my butt off, it was actually cold that day and I forgot my fleece! Mr. Bowdy laughing at me, Shouldn't you be watching where you are going!! My home for the past 7 months from the Air The coast of Kuwait and the Persian Guld areial shot

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.

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

It was a last minute thing, but some peeps from the unit decided to have Halloween "Party" Cook out. No one really got costumes, but Kyle and Amy were able to put together costumes with the available clothing. We grilled out at the airfield and ate tons of candy and played uno and jatzee. Kyle as a Russian Polock/Bouncer. He wore an under armor shirt that was WAY to small and Amy's Jeans. The hat is from the Polish Army! Amy dressed up as Mish We played Jatzee and Uno, it was a great time, the only thing missing was the alcohol

It's been almost a month since my last post. I was in New Jersey doing some FOBtastic Army training and did not bring my laptop along. We are now back in Connecticut at Guantanamo Bay, Niantic . Well its really at one of the Camps in the state that is 15 minutes away from my house and we are not allowed to go home, drive in POVs or wear civilian clothes! We have about two and a half weeks until we leave for country and I wish we would just go! The crazy thing is, is that when we get there we are allowed to wear civilian clothes off duty when we aren't working! I'm not sure how much I am going to be able to post on here while I am gone. The wireless Internet access is very slow and this site is blocked from government computers . I'll try though.

This is the fun army training I was doing yesterday. There is me all geared up on top of a Humvee getting ready for a convoy. It was interesting and a change to the normal work day. But once again we are training for the desert in the snow! I started getting sick towards the end of the day and felt like crap! I had to do squad movement and do low crawls through the snow, but I was Alpha squad leader and attacked the offensive, even while feeling sick. All in a days work.

This year has started out sort of blah so far. On 2 January, I returned to work after having 11 days off for the holiday. I was sick for 9 out of those 11 days, so I was getting used to sleeping in as late as I wanted 9, 10 or 11 even one day. So I found it hard to get myself at of bed at 6 am for work. Once at work, there was no slowing down, back into a full swing of pre-deployment stuff. Our Mobilization order came out and they are saying we need to bring more people now then we have currently scheduled to go. Looks like some one's New Year isn't going to start out great. I found out I have to go to another school before we leave the country too. I am already scheduled to be be traveling to 3 different places in 3 months, this makes 4 in 4 months. Starting February I am going to be gone for two weeks at a time and only home for 5 -7 days in between those trips. Then as soon as I get back from the last trip, it is off to Mob station. I don't know how I am goin...