Day Seven.

It's Christmas, and it's officially been a week since my soldier went overseas!

There are some ways it's felt like an eternity and others it seems to have gone quickly.

My boyfriend and I got to chat via Skype video chat this morning!  It was so nice to see his face, and "in person." I can see his face any time in pics, but it's just so much nicer when I'm able to talk "face to face" with him!!  It's actually the first time we have been able to video chat since he's been gone!

He has to share the one internet cable with 2 other people, but fortunately he had it all to his self at that time, so we were able to talk for over 1 1/2 hours!! It went by so quickly and I wasn't ready to disconnect yet, but I had Christmas plans to attend to.

I did however jot down a couple things today while on the phone so I would remember what all we talked about.  He got a new hat today. It looks like a camo-fishing hat, with his rank sewn on it. They can wear it while "in country" and it's approved head gear.  I assume it just helps cover the face and neck more than a regular BCU cap that he has been wearing.  They switched over to the BCU cap while he was at AIT, from the black berets.

He said they got to go through some care packages today.  They just open up the boxes and the soldiers can go through them at their leisure.  He picked up some SPF 15 lip balm, Avon brand... I only know this because he showed it on the webcam, and we were holding things up to the webcam because the writing was backwards on our screens but it was of course the right way on the other person's screen who was viewing it.  It was just amusing for some reason!

He was able to get some Red Bull, but I guess they have another brand there that is free to them that tastes similar to Red Bull. There are skids of water bottles stacked all over the base as well.
He described the bathroom & shower area and showed me his room on the video camera.  One of his buddies that is rooming with him came in and I got to wave Hi to him too.

I really enjoyed chatting with him, but tonight as I rehash all the details and picture it in my head, I have such a sense of longing to be there with him...

So far, at least as of 7:30pm in Iraq, all was well on base and no sign of getting shelled.  He did inform me though that it usually doesn't happen in the daytime.  Sometimes I wonder why I ask some questions..because I'm not sure if I really want to know the answers!!  Oh well.

We were talking about the potential for no more phone or video chats later on due to being moved to a new area in a couple weeks.  Apparently the National Guard is going to be filtering in. So, at that time his unit will be moved into what he says is a warehouse and they most likely will not have internet connection there.  Which, if I must say, really sucks!

I told him that they should at least give them SOMETHING!!  To which he replied, "they don't have to give us shit!"  Which is true, but annoying, and really terrible for morale.  But I guess it is what it is and we'll just have to deal with it.  I guess what bothers me the most about it, is that they won't have internet, or cell phones, and they are shutting down snail mail in a couple weeks.  So these soldiers are just out there with no family contact.

I shouldn't say none I guess.  There is a "MWR" Center (which stands for Morale, Welfare and Recreation) that has internet and phone service I think.  But if you take 90+ soldiers who all want to call or email or whatever, I'm sure it'll be a pain. Sigh.

SO, anyway... he showed me his crazy pillow today.  He was telling me before that he has a crazy lumpy pillow. It is basically like giant chunks of foam stuffed in there and when he lays his head down the lumps get all displaced and it kinda swallows his head.  It was pretty funny because I could see all the little edges of the pillow foam chunks sticking out.

Speaking of pillows, I am ready for bed I think. I have been fighting with my computer this evening trying to get a video message that my boyfriend sent to me on oovoo, but for some reason I think oovoo is having issues, I hope, or it's my computer having the issues!  So we'll see!!

I'll be thinking happy thoughts of my wonderful Christmas present tonight... getting to see my honey's face on my computer, on Christmas morning! It's not as good as the real thing, but it's the next best thing!
Merry Christmas!