We're nearing the end of our time here at Camp Taji. This has been a wild ride. We still have a few days left, but I think being here has given me a whole new appreciation for our troops and what they do. It's really hard to believe, after being here for a while, that ANYONE would volunteer to fight a war. The fact that they do makes them heroes.

Today is Sunday, and it's a beautiful day - by Iraqi standards. The sun is out, the sky is clear, it's about 120 degrees. What more could you ask for, right? haha. It's really hot. Kind of "hard to explain in words" hot. We're drinking plenty water, and we're doing our best to find shaded areas - and those are generally beside buildings. However, to my surprise, we have found some trees! There are a few palm trees, and we've seen some other trees that I can't quite identify (no one else seems to know what they are either).
I sent back a video tour of our "pod". It's the place Eric and I have been calling home. Of course, nothing quite feels like home here.

We'll head out sometime this week - and we hope to make it home in time for Mother's Day... If you're reading this blog and didn't know - it's a week from today. Make sure you've got that one taken care of. My mom has already reminded me a few times - so I'm going to have to do everything I can to make it back to Louisiana in time to see her and my grandmother.

I check on my grandmother in Lafayette just about everyday - and she has her prayer group going for me. I tell you what - it must be working. We were bombed more than 40 times in Baghdad - and we're ok, and now we're in a much safer area.