My Vacation
There are so many things I have been wanting to write about and so little time to write it all. I have stories and pearls of wisdom to share from Iraq, but today I just wanted to tell you about my time at home.
The primary reason I had to go home was to recertify my Paramedic. I had to take an 8 day, 72 hour class at Norfolk community college. It was both interesting and taxing on the body.
Some days were 4 hours of commuting, and in that time, I put 1500 miles on the Ninja. I bought it with 1700 miles on it. In one week I put just as many miles on the bike as the previous owner did in two years. In the cold and in the sunshine.
We had Jay-David’s 11th birthday party at the bowling alley, and there were about 10 of his friends there. His new favorite toys are the GI Joe, Sigma 6 collection, and I made sure he has all of them.
Anakin (7) did a great job, and bowled the highest with a 132. You have to love those bumpers. I also bought them a Piranha EVO EXT paintball gun from the paintball authority www.pbauthority.com in Richmond Virginia. They had a great time shooting it in the back yard, and there is a fast growing interest in the sport. Kinda makes a mercenary proud, that his children want to play with Ninja toys and swords, and learn to shoot.
Speaking of shooting, I also took them to the local gun range, and rented a mini UZI with a suppressor on it. It was fun seeing a 7, 9, and 11 year old spraying an UZI on full automatic. Brought a tear to my eye. I have some video on the web cam, and if I can find a way to make stills out of them, I will try and post it.
The Children also tested for their new Tae Kwon Do belt, and the oldest three are all Red Belts with Black stripes. Next is their Red/Black, and then their Black. I told them they could take a three month sabbatical, with only going to class one day a week, to try something new, and not get burned out on Tae Kwon Do. They have been training for four years now, and Anakin started when he was 3.
I was also able to petition the local Freemasonry lodge. I met with two gentlemen, that came over the house, and talked to me about Freemasonry, and I liked what they had to say. I would recommend that anyone that has questions about freemasonry read the book, Freemasons for Dummies. Please do not listen to rumors or gossip, or Urban legends, find out for yourselves from Masons.
Why my interest in Masonry you ask? Several months ago, I met a Mason, and asked him about it. The answers I received were interesting to me. I did some key word searches, and studied a little. I bought a book or two, and talked to more Masons. One subject in particular caught my attention. The Knights Templar. For a simple explanation, the Knights Templar were Warrior monks that escorted pilgrims to the Holy land during the Crusades. Unfortunately, they were…French and as much as I really don’t want to give the French credit for anything, I must say, that the history of the Templar is a legacy of Courage. The way I see it, the Knights Templar were the first PSD teams. They left their homes, and with a belief in God, they protected those that sought something higher and worth fighting for. They were rewarded well and for men that started off poor, ended up very rich. Isn’t it amazing how God blesses a man that acts on Faith? But then again, jealous and greedy men that believed in the redistribution of wealth made false accusations against them, had them killed and confiscated their land and possessions; wait, that sounds like the modern day liberals, and the current government of France! Again, I would do the rich and courageous history of Masonry and Knights Templar a great disservice if I tried to share a spoonful of knowledge on such a large subject, so I recommend to you all, that you visit pro Masonic web sites, or visit your local lodge.
Then, to end my visit home, I flew into Amsterdam. I had a 12 hour lay over, and was able to visit some of the sights. I took a canal ride around the city, but did not in any way shape or form, eat brownies or participate in the sharing of body fluids with hookers in windows.
Was there more to my journey and time home? Of course there was. If I wrote about everything, it would be long and boring, I was able to see my Brother, and his family, I was able to be with my cousins from New Jersey, I was able to watch movies, and go to malls, and all the other things a man does when he is home after being away for so long. Then, after 20ish days away from the land of sand and blood, I am back. Refreshed, and ready to continue the mission and work toward bringing some civility back to a land that has not known it for a very long time.
Be fearless, not French.
The primary reason I had to go home was to recertify my Paramedic. I had to take an 8 day, 72 hour class at Norfolk community college. It was both interesting and taxing on the body.
Some days were 4 hours of commuting, and in that time, I put 1500 miles on the Ninja. I bought it with 1700 miles on it. In one week I put just as many miles on the bike as the previous owner did in two years. In the cold and in the sunshine.
We had Jay-David’s 11th birthday party at the bowling alley, and there were about 10 of his friends there. His new favorite toys are the GI Joe, Sigma 6 collection, and I made sure he has all of them.
Anakin (7) did a great job, and bowled the highest with a 132. You have to love those bumpers. I also bought them a Piranha EVO EXT paintball gun from the paintball authority www.pbauthority.com in Richmond Virginia. They had a great time shooting it in the back yard, and there is a fast growing interest in the sport. Kinda makes a mercenary proud, that his children want to play with Ninja toys and swords, and learn to shoot.
Speaking of shooting, I also took them to the local gun range, and rented a mini UZI with a suppressor on it. It was fun seeing a 7, 9, and 11 year old spraying an UZI on full automatic. Brought a tear to my eye. I have some video on the web cam, and if I can find a way to make stills out of them, I will try and post it.
The Children also tested for their new Tae Kwon Do belt, and the oldest three are all Red Belts with Black stripes. Next is their Red/Black, and then their Black. I told them they could take a three month sabbatical, with only going to class one day a week, to try something new, and not get burned out on Tae Kwon Do. They have been training for four years now, and Anakin started when he was 3.
I was also able to petition the local Freemasonry lodge. I met with two gentlemen, that came over the house, and talked to me about Freemasonry, and I liked what they had to say. I would recommend that anyone that has questions about freemasonry read the book, Freemasons for Dummies. Please do not listen to rumors or gossip, or Urban legends, find out for yourselves from Masons.
Why my interest in Masonry you ask? Several months ago, I met a Mason, and asked him about it. The answers I received were interesting to me. I did some key word searches, and studied a little. I bought a book or two, and talked to more Masons. One subject in particular caught my attention. The Knights Templar. For a simple explanation, the Knights Templar were Warrior monks that escorted pilgrims to the Holy land during the Crusades. Unfortunately, they were…French and as much as I really don’t want to give the French credit for anything, I must say, that the history of the Templar is a legacy of Courage. The way I see it, the Knights Templar were the first PSD teams. They left their homes, and with a belief in God, they protected those that sought something higher and worth fighting for. They were rewarded well and for men that started off poor, ended up very rich. Isn’t it amazing how God blesses a man that acts on Faith? But then again, jealous and greedy men that believed in the redistribution of wealth made false accusations against them, had them killed and confiscated their land and possessions; wait, that sounds like the modern day liberals, and the current government of France! Again, I would do the rich and courageous history of Masonry and Knights Templar a great disservice if I tried to share a spoonful of knowledge on such a large subject, so I recommend to you all, that you visit pro Masonic web sites, or visit your local lodge.
Then, to end my visit home, I flew into Amsterdam. I had a 12 hour lay over, and was able to visit some of the sights. I took a canal ride around the city, but did not in any way shape or form, eat brownies or participate in the sharing of body fluids with hookers in windows.
Was there more to my journey and time home? Of course there was. If I wrote about everything, it would be long and boring, I was able to see my Brother, and his family, I was able to be with my cousins from New Jersey, I was able to watch movies, and go to malls, and all the other things a man does when he is home after being away for so long. Then, after 20ish days away from the land of sand and blood, I am back. Refreshed, and ready to continue the mission and work toward bringing some civility back to a land that has not known it for a very long time.
Be fearless, not French.
posted at 9:29 PM
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