Week 26- Update on Joe

We're getting close! Joe has already started counting down the days. I'm waiting until his birthday to start counting but he reminds me how many days are left each time we talk so I guess I'm already counting down by default. He had a pretty good winter as it snowed quite often. It seemed to snow 4"-6" inches each time. He hated it! He says the temperatures were similar at times to Oklahoma. The weather seemed to be the same too. He said it would be cold and snowing one day and then 55° the next. He's traveled around more since my last update. I think he has flown in every helicopter that's there except the Apache attack helicopter (whatever that is?). I guess you have to be an Army pilot to fly those?

In his travels he takes lots of pictures. I'm glad he does because some of them are pretty neat. Below is a collage that has some of them. One of them, he's standing in between to UAV's (unmanned aerial vehicle - and yes I had to look that up.) when he was in Mazar-e-Sharif. The other is him standing next to the Apache helicopter. Lastly is the picture of him standing on the heli-pad, waiting for his ride to pick him up from a FOB.

He latest trip to Mazar-e-Sharif was one of my least favorite! The Internet was horrible there and we could barely talk. Below was his "chariot of choice" as he calls it. It's a Huey which is flown by a Canadian company. He said is was a fun ride. I'm not so sure I'd enjoy flying thru the mountains of Afghanistan but hey, to each their own. 

    (Joe's home for the last 5 months)

 This picture is with another UAV but this one is flown by the Germans. He was on a coalition base that consisted of a lot of other countries that were stationed there. Some of them were Croatia, Mongolia, Sweden, Norway, Germany and of course the US. 

Yet another picture of him with another UAV. I liked this one because of the BEAUTIFUL American flag in the background.

 He told me a few days ago that there is a coffee shop on the bases over there called Green Beans Coffee. He never went there because he thought it was only a coffee shop and he doesn't drink coffee. While he was on one of his trips he went I to one and found out that they have tea. He said he's now hooked! I can't believe he's been there for 5 months and just finding this out. Of course they have ice so his tea is cold in top of that. He says he's in heaven (tea heaven that is)! 

All in all things are the same for him excepts the weeks that he travels.  He started mailing home bags this week which was a welcomed sign.  Sign of his trip nearing the end.  Thank the Lord!! 

Enjoy your family~