More Pictures!!!

A picture of Kara and I. I am not quite sure where we are at.



This is Kara and I at the first hotel that we stayed at in Santiago.




This is the view that Kara and I had when we ate in Puerto Plata.



I always try to get Kara to smile for the camera and this is what I get everytime:) I love you sweetie.



I finally got her to smile. Aww isn't she beautiful.

So we had a lot of fun, we saw a lot of things. New things that I have never seen before. The people we different but nice (some of them). We did everything with little problems. We think that Kara got her wallet stolen, it had about 30 bucks and her Debit card in it. Fortunately there was an ATM on campus so I was able to get her enough money to last her the rest of her trip.

La Republica Dominica

So I finally have a real reason to Blog something. Usually I just feel like I am talking about nothing, but now I have something special to talk about.

I wen't to see Kara en la Republica Dominica from the 1st to the 8th of November... all I have to say is wow. It was an amazing experience and it just makes it that much better when you get so spend it with someone you love.





This is the first hotel that we stayed in in Santiago. It was actually very nice and had a Garden out back.



This is the Hotel that we stayed in in Cabarete (the most beautiful beach that I have ever been to) It came with complimentary Windsurfing lessons, breakfast, beach chairs and beach use. The hotel was literally right on the beach, we could walk less than 100 feet and be 10 feet from the water.




Here is a picture of the breakfast area.



That is all that I am able to put up so I will be posting more tomorrow.

...it's been a while!

So I figured that I would update everyone on my life at this point, since it has been a while. Things are going well at work and I can say that I still enjoy it. I started working with a couple of new doctors. One of which is a pediatric orthopod. That is cool considering that has been one of my interests from the beginning. I also work with another doc who is cool and teches well.

The car is doing well nothing to complain about with that. The new place is also doing well, it is good to be able to leave the base after a long day of work. I haven't heard anything back about the possible school that I will be going to in Texas. All in all things are going well, I will put more pictures up later when I have time.

my first house...

So I have had a lot of things going on recently in my life. I bought a car, and then I moved into my first house. It seems like it is all happening so fast. There is only one person that I have to thank for making things go over with only minor detours. That is God of course.

Here is a picture of my new house. This is from the front... not huge but you can't beat the rent.

This is a picture of my back yard... lots of room for different things. That includes cutting the grass again. I will have to get used to that.

Here is another picture of the backyard but also the back of the house.

Here is a picture of my room, yeah it looks a little barren but my expert decorator is on vacation in The dominican so I am waiting for her to come back in a few months.

Here is another view of my room

The New Ride...

So I finally decided that it was time to get a car I just thought I would put up some pictures so that everyone could see. I hope you enjoy I will try and put up some more later.

All grown up!

So I am finding that being all grown up has it's negative sides. Things just aren't as easy as they were when I always had someone looking out for me. I mean being grown up has it's perks, but those are sometimes outweighed by the responsibility. Today I got my first credit card, and tomorrow I am going to the bank to get my first car loan. I can always remember when I was younger wishing that I was just a little older. Now being older I wish that I was just a little younger. I guess that is life though, moving as fast as it does. It doesn't slow down to wait for you,and sometimes you feel like you just can't catch up. It seems like the past 20 has gone by in a flash. I can't imagine what the next 20 years are going to be like, but I know that I am definately not going to take them for granted.

Some More Pictures

This is where I lived for 165 days


Guys I rode in the Blackhawk with


The Helo taking off.

Good to be Home

So I have been home for a while and thought that I would update my Blog since I haven't in a while. Wow, the time flew so fast. I never actually thought that it would go that fast. I have to say that in being home, I have a whole new perspective. I am much more thankful for everything here ( except for Starbucks because I am pretty much convinced that there is one everywhere that I will ever go). Everything eles though is seen in a whole new light to me. The color green actually has meaning, the color brown is now my least favorite color and I can leave the base without a gun and a Arabic phrase book.

I may be bringing accross the image that I didn't like being in Kuwait. Well, that is a lie, I wouldn't change it for the world. I learned so much and grew so much in my knowledge. I know that I am a better person all around because of that place. I am thankful that God sent me there and kept me safe. He always does, I don't know why I ever doubt him. I am thankful that for the most part though that I had the peace of mind to know that I would be taken care of. That is all I have to say about that. It look like this is going to be the last post of MY Experience. Coming Soon... "The Frustrations of a College student in the Military"

R&R

So there is something good about going on a deployment, and that wonderful thing is called R&R ( Rest and Recooperation). It gives you the opportunity to do things and not have to worry about a strict schedule or having to wake up at 0600 every morning. It is nice just to be able to do whatever I want to do. Oh did I mention that they have a massage parlor and a spa here? Well, if I didn't I have now. So, it is a wonderful thing to be able to have R&R (not everyone gets to). There will soon be some picures for those of you who want to see what I am experiencing. I haven't had the chance to get many yet, but they are on their way. As of now I am thinking about home and how wonderful it is going to be back in civilization. I will soon be home to see my loved ones. It will be a surreal but welcomed moment.
More pictures to come, I PROMISE!!!

Life is...

It is funny to recognize how wonderful life really is. It may seem at first that things could not be worse than they are. Yet when you take a step back to actually examine it. Life is good. I have so many wonderful things in my life that I know I don't deserve. I have my wonderful family, who prays and thinks about me every day. I have a loving girlfriend who spoils me more than I deserve. Most of all though, I have my faith. I have the overwhelming peace to know that I have someone that is watching over me, someone who can control everything. I have my God, I often wonder if I would be as gracious to someone like me. When I turn away from him; when I don't recognize that he is watching over me, he still does.

It is just amazing the perspective that you gain when you just take a step back and watch. There is no way on this earth that I could have gotten where I am with out the leading of something higher and more prominent. I am thankful for that and everything else that I have been gien.

More Pictures!!!

So I finally decided that I would put more pictures up. After the constant hounding from a certain person:)
These are some pictres of my Helo ride. Pretty awesome!!! The pilots had some fuel to burn so they took us up and I was one of the lucky people to get to ride.

Here is a picture looking out the window of the HELO... the funny thing is, I am looking straight out if the helo. We are just turning so sharp that it looks like I am looking at the ground. It was pretty awesome, I haven't experienced anything quite like it before.

Here is a picture of the hospital from the helo, it looks small but we do pretty well.

This is a picture of the sunset on the day that I went on the Helo... I don't think that I have ever seen anything so beautiful.

I also wanted to add that the Navy spanked the Army 42 to 23 and I have to say it was quite an event

One more thing and then I am done. I guess we aren't aloud to fly flags around the hospital, but you know us navy people. We are so stubborn that we thought of a more permanent way to should our devotion.

Exposure

When you are exposed to certain things, it opens your eyes. You see things that disgust you and you tell yourself,I don't want to be like that or I don't want to do that. On the other hand you see something one time and fall completely in love with it.
I have found my niche in life. There is nowhere else I would rather be than in the healthcare industry. It is challenging, it requires a lot of knowledge, and you get to help people.
I have realized why people get into this profession, it is called passion. Passion is a necessity because there isn't much else to motivate you. The job is hard, it has long hours and is not always the most lucritive. For some reason though it is interesting and the best thing that ever happened to me. I don't think that I could do any other job in the Navy and I know that I won't be able to do anything else after the Navy.

THANKS

I just wanted to write and say thank you to all of you who are praying for me. I want to say thank you for all of you who support what I am doing. It means a lot to know that you have so many people who are pulling for you. What is even more amazing is when they are so willing to let you know.
I am thankful for all of the wonderful teachers that I have had in my life. I will name a few (if I leave you out don't hate me) my Mom and Dad, my brother, my cousin John, My pastor Sonny, my first real boss Larry, my cousin Nic, My grandpa Harry, and my girlfriend Kara.
If it wasn't for these people I wouldn't be where I am and I wouldn't be as happy as I am. I have learned some amazing things from these people and I hope I can share just an ounce of wisdom with somebody, as these people have shared with me.

- I can do anything that I put my mind to.
- Don't ever regret anything.
- What is it worth if you don't have fun doing it?
- The greatest fullfillment in life is helping someone else.
- Friendship is something to be trully thankful for.
- It doesn't take much to quit something, but it takes everything you have to finish.
- Whatever you do, make sure that it is done right.
- Sometimes crying is a good thing (thanks mom :) )
- Use your talents for good no matter what they are.

These are just a few of the lessons that I have learned. I am thankful everyday that I have these people in my life to help along the way. Even though sometimes it seems as though I don't appreciate them. I do and I wouldn't given them up for the world.
Thank You

Happy New Year!!!

It's that time of year again. You know that resolution you made? If you make it through the month then we all know that you are doing ok.
It is amazing to me how obscure things can be in a diferent setting. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years just weren't the same being here. It seems that the only people that I really want to be with, are in fact the ones that I can't see.
All in all, though it has been a good holiday season, I am relieved that it is now behind me. This just means that I am one step closer to being able to come home. I often think about what it is going to be like to come back to civilization. I don't know if it is going to be a shocking experience, but I do know it is going to be a welcome one. I hope that everyone had a good Holiday season.