hey all....

as you all may have imagined, i've finally made it back all in one piece -- well, sort of. i lost about two inches of rib cartiladge and bone in a surgery done on whatever day earlier in december. the comeback has been swift and strong. im only expecting good things from this point on with regard to my useless and fracturable rib cage. at any rate, im home and integrating into real life very well. i came home to move into a new house with my mom.. so, i've been unpacking like crazy, decorating, proding her annoyingly -- more or less just gaining control of and organizing my life. and, no, before you ask -- not back to normal. being stuck in a rather unsavory position for a year has opened my eyes not only to my priorities but morover to goal and such that i would like to accomplish. im a living testament to the fact that an experiance can change you -- change you for the better. i've never felt more like i can take over the world... muwahahah. kidding. but, the basic thought behind it still stands.

anyway, i have plenty of funny stories of my reintergration into home life... namely with these crazy drunk old ladies, and a farewell to iraq. stay tuned for the "fun".. haha. yeah right. kaitlin out.

hey all.. just wanted to update you all real quick..

ill be home in 3 days!!! yes!!!

and, happy thanksgiving. bueno.

hey all... im bored out of my everlovin mind and just thought that i would write to say hello and yeah, thats pretty much it. i've got nothing else. im literally sitting here just pinning away about coming home earlier than expected. but, knowing the military -- doubting it wholeheartedly. oh well..such is life i suppose. nothing of any great consequence has happen to me in some time -- hmm, oh, my ribs popped back out of place for the third time now. pain is evil.

oh, im flying out to McKenzie tonite, only to turn around and come back here to anaconda tomorrow... oye. at least its another blackhawk ride before i go. so much fun! then, wednesday i've got my last convoy to Ashraf -- which means i get to see the ever sexy "Medic Men of Spartan". yes!! love it. and, hopefully chow down on some of that Iranian terrorist food... who knew?! terrorists can be masterful chefs! anyway, thats pretty much the long and short of it. but, basically my days have been spent showing the new people around and thinking about what the hell im going to do when i get home... pretty much will it mexican food first w/ a margurita? or steak and such w/ a beer? hmm, decisions, decisions. haha..

last night SSG Sanchez and i watched "Napoleon Dynamite" for about the 20th time and laughed our asses off. i think ive figured out why i love that movie so much -- theres a big part of me in that poor dudes nerdiness: from the way he feeds tina the llama (sorry chloe) to the way he dances by himself for entertainment... yeah, its offical, i have reached the ultimate in nerd status. oh well, such is life. im out. hasta.

GUESS WHAT?! my replacements got in here last night!!! yay!!! that means i leave this god forsaken country within two weeks. yay!! wish me luck. and, on a much happier note, my 22nd birthday didnt suck like i thought it would. i slept in until 9am. got up, showered, mail 80$ worth of crap home that i didnt have room to carry, went into the office -- checked my email and hung out with the crew (minus LTC Jetter, thank god), went to lunch and ate a big fucking hamburger with onion rings, two dr. peppers (which i havent had all year), a piece of cake and a piece of cheesecake (which was dry, so i nixed that one after a few bites). it was muy bueno. then, i took the afternoon off packed a bit, cleaned my room, read some of my nasty-romance novel, and then my friend Matt came over and we hung out for a few hours.. sad though, he left today to go home, so we had to say goodbye which was a bit gut wrenching b/c he was undoubtedly my closest friend over here -- at least the one i can talk to about anything. and, it doesnt hurt that he's  way hottie. so, easy to look at and talk too. anyway, said goodbye, had dinner and watched a movie w/ Puentes and rowland -- pizza and applepie and rootbeer. and, then, the day was complete by my replacements coming -- yay, the light at the end of the tunnel is near. home is coming. yes. bueno. im estatic. cant wait.

love and miss you all... k