Afghanistan Calling...

I was up late tonight baking cookies..... It was about 10:30PM and I had finished mixing up some dough, turned off my mixer and heard my cell phone ringing. (Thinking it just might be nick) I threw the mixer down, ran out of the kitchen, but not before lifting the child gate completely out of the brackets and had to carry it with me across the living room to my cell phone. Just in time to hear the MISSED CALL tone as I picked up the cell and saw "Afghanistan" on my caller ID.

$@&*$^!!!!! See what desperate military wives do for a simple phone call! Luckily, he called the house line a few minutes later. And trust me, I was waiting with my hand on the receiver!

"Hello!!!!!!"
And what do I hear on the other end? "Is this Mrs. Nicholas Turner?" (immediate sinking in my stomach.....thinking it wasn't Nick, why was someone ELSE calling me?!?! **BAD NEWS***) .... but then the voice continued..."This is Ed McMahan from Publishers Clearing House..."

Ok, phew! It WAS Nick. (What a jokester!)

We talked for over half an hour! It was great! No interruptions, no break ups, I could hear him pretty good most of the time! It was great to hear his voice again after so long!!!

I did get a chance to ask him about some things he and the guys/gals might need now that they are in their NEW LOCATION and here is what I have for anyone looking for ideas for care packages:

1) HAND SANITIZER!!!
2) BABY WIPES (PREFERABLY IN THE HARD PLASTIC CONTAINERS)
*The guys/gals don't have running water where they work to wash their hands, so wipes/sanitizer are a great need there so they can wash up every once in a while.
3) "MECHANIX" GLOVES (click HERE for example)
*Elastic wrap/Velcro on wrist (MEDIUMS) approx. $15/pair
*Nick said the guys/gals that work on the helicopter could use these the most, as the heat during the day literally bakes the aircraft and at times makes it hard for them to even TOUCH the parts/helicopter.

The weather has been around 102 degrees during the day. If there is a breeze, Nick described it as, NOT refreshing, but more like someone blowing you with a hair dryer. AND, if its blowing enough to blow the sand, he described it as sitting in an oven, with a hair dryer on you, and someone throwing talcum powder at you. The sand there is not like your standard "beach" sand... its very fine like blowing dust or talcum powder. He said their biggest battle is the heat. They don't really ever get any relief from it....but other than that, he said the living conditions are tolerable.

That's all I have for updates... but I will add the items to the sidebar for care package ideas. Nick has been able to check his email occasionally, but they only have ONE computer and ONE phone for the entire squadron, so its' hard for anyone to check their email and respond very often.

I hope everyone has a safe Memorial Day weekend! And don't forget to take a moment to remember the purpose behind Memorial Day!