Mission: Accomplished. Commence Operation: Into the Blue Yonder.
Aha. So, it’s been quite a long time since we’ve last met, eh blog? Please, allow me to blow the dust away from your neglected pages. *pfoosh!*
So, allow me to recap all that has transpired, and boy, there sure is a lot to tell.Finished deployment, and made an uneventful trip back to the states from Singapore. I then checked in to Transient Personnel Command, or TPU, which is the Navy’s version of hell on earth. I did meet a nice girl there, though, and we dated for a little while before I left San Diego.
A few weeks passed, and suddenly, without realizing it, I was on my way home to majestic [in it’s own charming little way] Cincinnati, Ohio for a visit with friends and family. The trip home was more than I hoped it would be. I had such an enjoyable time [probably because I wasn’t rushed] and did many exciting things.
- Shot guns with Ben Franzosa
- Went off-roading in the wilderness, getting the Jeep stuck, and initializing a lighting strike rescue operation
- Saw a Red’s game
- Had many a bonfire [s’mores were plentiful]
- Reminisced with all my old friends, and created some wonderful new memories together
- Went climbing and Krav Maga-ing with Erik, Nick, and Chris
- BBQ’d
- Took lots of pictures
- Went to the Newport Aquarium with my sister
- Took a trip to Rhode Island to visit with my father and evil wicked step-mother
- Visited a colonial village
- Took a tour of Battleship Cove, a mueseum of old Naval vessels which was amazing
And many more things too numerous to mention. The summer was going so well, fun-filled, and exciting, that when a tragedy struck it took us all by terrible surprise. Our dear and beloved friend, Robbie, took his life late June, leaving us all in shock and bewilderment. Robbie was such a wonderful person and very well loved in our circle of friends, and why he chose to leave us is a mystery. A few days before he died, Robbie was over at my house, along with a cavalcade of other friends, drinking beer, talking by the bonfire, playing poker, and eating the tremendous amounts of food my mother was throwing our way. It was such a wonderful evening, we all were having fun, and suddenly having him gone is a loss that will take us all a very long time to recover from.
Unfortunately, I could not stay any longer in Ohio to support my friends who were mourning Robbie’s death, and began my trip back to Hawaii. The plane ride was brutal, a gauntlet of stamina that I had to endure to claim my prize. Did you know they don’t give you food anymore on airplanes? You have to pay for it, and it costs almost as much as your plane ticket did [blame the economy].
But, alas, my love was waiting as I circled from above, bathing in a golden sunset and surrounded by an azure veil of brilliance. I gazed longingly at her mountainous crests, dashed with cottony, lumbering clouds, and got lost in her endless green jungle eyes. So then had I reached my destination and felt the weight of the world slowly melt and trickly off my sunkissed shoulders.
Now, I am finally settled in, have met with old and dear friends I have not seen in years, and am preparing for another fantastic journey. I don’t know what will lie in store, and the uncertainty is exhilarating and new to me. I’m eager to find what new paths I will walk, and the destination that they will inevitably take me.
.//chris