Hau'oli Makahiki Hou (Happy New Year!)

Alright, let's see where to begin... The first photo was taken from the week before X-mas when my friend Kelli Bullock had a "Deck the Balls" party where everyone had to decorate a X-mas ball and then we competed for the top ball. I won first place with my 'Mele Ball' (get it? MELE Kalikimaka). Anyway, the holidays were a big blur. Planes, trains and automobiles, but I ended up seeing just about everyone that I wanted to and having a damn good time doing it (a little too much at times).

Photo number 2 is of Jan and I the day after X-mas. Kelly (sister), Mike (brother-in law), Jan, Anthony (her squeeze) and I went to a local brewery in PA and had a blast catching up. I have to say - spending time with Jan again was one of the highlights of my vacation. As much as I love Hawaii, I wish I were closer to her. BUT perhaps late in the year 08 will bring a visit from her and Anthony...

I enclosed a picture of me in my dress blues. I made my mom very happy by wearing them to Christmas Eve Mass. I felt very proud wearing them, and it was nice to have people come up to me and express their gratitude for just doing my job. (On a side note - my Group Surgeon heard about all of my 'supposed' accomplishments during the deployment and he informed me that I was nominated for the Flight Surgeon of the Year Award. This award distinguishes one Flight Surgeon around the globe for his or her accomplishments. The winners haven't been selected yet, but it has been an honor just to be nominated.)

The next picture is of my family and I in PA during the holiday. My X-mas present to my mom was a new computer and high speed internet (which she figured out before Christmas despite my careful attempts at keeping it a secret from her). My mother is an extremely clever woman - believe me when I say that NOTHING gets past her! So anyway, my mom should post a reply to this blog for the first time ever after I submit this entry. We'll see if she can remember what I taught her!

Next, my niece Kiera and I the morning of her Christmas pagaent! She was a star and it was another highlight of my vacation. I spent four days with my sister and her family in Virginia. It was relaxing and just what I needed before going home and seeing all of my friends up in the Northeast (or as I called it - the Arctic...it was bite ass cold - but they said it was mild for that time of the year. It's all perspective I guess.)

Finally, New Years! I spent it with my friends at Billy's house. Pictured in the final photo are friends Rocco, Me, Billy, Jacintha and her boyfriend Eneko. It was a great New Years and I couldn't have thought of a better way to ring in the New Year than with my friends.

So here I am, January 8th, settled into my new apartment, new furniture, new life, fresh start. I'm happy, but there are times that I miss the simplicity of Iraq. Does that sound strange? I mean, every decision there was pretty much made for me and I didn't have to worry about the stupid things that cause stress in life. It's a rediculously complicated world we live in. This past weekend I got stressed because: my high definition cable box crapped out, my high definition channels had a slight voice delay which drove me crazy, my garbage disposal got clogged because a random screw fell in it, my newly washed car (whose name is Angelina by the way) got caught in a rainstorm and got dirtied up, I accidentally put '87 octane gas instead of '91 into it, a few ants crept into my apartment and my flawless place is being invaded, I broke one of my Riedel crystal wine glasses, my high speed internet went down for an entire day, my dishwasher left spots on my glasses which caused me to be behind by 10 minutes on my dinner party because I had to hand clean my glasses, one of my magazines arrived bent because it was stuffed the wrong way into the mailbox, my brand new I-phone crashed and I had to return it for a new one, my I-tunes music won't burn properly onto a CD, my dryer takes 3 cycles before it dries my towels and my remote controls, all 5 of them, have a mind of their own. When did this happen? Just 3 months ago, I was content when the AFN Military Television Network broadcasted a show, snowy and skipping every 3 seconds and barely coming in. I was content and grateful, and all of a sudden, life is trying its hardest to make me forget about the important things. My health, the health of my friends and family, the fact that a war is still going on overseas. So tomorrow if my automatic coffee maker is late in finishing its morning cycle, I WILL laugh and not stress. One of my New Years Resolutions is to be more grateful, enjoy life and not get so stressed by everything, being ever mindful of those things which are most important in my life.

I wish you all the best of New Years! It has been a challenge for me to keep in touch with all of my Angels, let alone my friends. Let me just send you these greetings - May 2008 bring you health, wealth and peace of mind! I love and appreciate all of you, every day - my friends, my family, my pen pals, Jan, Victor, Barabara, my family, my sister, Mike, Kiera, Ryan, my Soldiers Angels. God Bless you all!

-RJ