Good Morning Baltimore

We finally moved in to our new house on Sunday night. Our movers didn't arrive with our household goods until Monday night, so for a day and a half we were using the air mattress and paper plates. The movers arrived at the house at 6pm on Monday and were finished unloading all the boxes by about 1030. Of course, it was a group effort for the three movers and me to get my bike down off the truck. They were all afraid that they would accidentally drop the thing, so I had to steer and control the clutch/brake while they pushed. Luckily, the bike made it off the truck and around the street with no issues. The bed frame and one of the laptops were not so lucky. The movers broke the frame to our bed and dropped the box that had one of our laptops in it. The Army has a "full replacement value" policy on all movers, so the moving company is coming out to verify the damage and then pay for us to replace both items. Annoying, but not the end of the world.

The last couple days have been focused on unpacking and getting the basic stuff done to set up the house: cable, internet, phone, ADT, and carpet cleaners. ADT is finishing up as I write this. The majority of the house is unpacked and set up, minus a couple boxes of books and the disaster that is the office. That will be my main job next week.

This coming weekend is Stephen's wedding, so we'll be driving down to South Carolina. This will hopefully be the last of our seemingly endless trips up and down the east coast. I am tired of driving. I am tired on I-95. I am tired of Washington D.C. traffic. Nothing feels better than knowing that D.C. no longer sits between my house and my family's house. I will no longer dread the holidays.

Well, until next time I will continue to be at home setting things up. Bana starts work on Monday, so I get to be a house husband for the next month and a half. My Olympic weight set and power rack should be arriving in the mail next week, so I can spend that time working towards becoming a trophy husband too. Here's to heavy workouts, long play sessions with the dog, and having dinner on the table when my wife gets home from work. HA!

The Last Dance

Today is my last day of work at Fort Bragg. It is hard to believe my time at Bragg is coming to a close (at least for now). April 2005 seems like a decade ago. I look back at 2LT Miller when he reported into work on his first day and it's shocking how much I have changed in these three years. Three years, three jobs, three platoon sergeants, three first sergeants, three company commanders, three battalion commanders, thirteen lost friends. The cold of Ft Bragg, the filth of New Orleans, the sweltering heat of JRTC, and the 15 months of Iraq.

Thank you Stephen for being the commander we needed. Thank you for mentoring me, trusting me, and leading Bravo Troop through the worst of times. We could not have had a better commander.

Thank you 1SGs Clemens and Metheny for holding me accountable as an officer and Paratrooper. Thank you to my platoon sergeants for turning me into a worthwhile platoon leader. Thank you to the men of Bravo Troop for the privilege of fighting beside you, especially the men of 2nd platoon. Thank you to the nine who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

Thank you John for being the best friend I have ever had. Your strength, kindness, and faith have changed me more than anything else over the last three years. I don't open up to many people, but I couldn't help but open up to you. You were an amazing man, husband, leader, and friend. Your memory will forever be a source of inspiration and humility. You are my brother and I will never forget you.

Thank you Jesse for being an awesome friend, roommate, and FSO. The artillery and fire support you brought to the fight kept us alive when we were outnumbered and surrounded (which we often were). You kept me sane when a lot of our friends fell. Good luck in Iraq. Don't worry, you'll get a few boxes from me.

Thank you Bana for being my strength and hope. Your love has made me the man I am today. No man can claim to have a more exceptional wife. You didn't know what you were getting yourself into when you kissed me ten years ago. I do not deserve you. Thank you for supporting me during the dark times. Thank you for supporting the other families. Thank you for being my partner in life. Three years without separation seems like a dream too good to be true.

OK. This chapter in my life is coming to a close. I think it's time for another tattoo.

Embracing old age

Of course, every day together is a celebration. But today - today is special.

In the spirit of never taking a single moment for granted, we're celebrating the hell out of Matt's birthday today. We're reinstating some traditions we started when we were dating and newly married and unfortunately missed out on last year.

T minus 4 weeks until MARYLAND!!

GIMME

Matt has his RFO in hand! If we're proactive (which we are) and motivated (which we TOTALLY are), we'll have the movers scheduled by the end of the week.

It doesn't suck to be us

First of all, Happy Mothers Day to our mothers, and all the mothers we know (especially mom-to-be Shana!).

This is the first weekend in a long while we've been able to relax the entire time. We didn't get to the farmer's market like we planned, but we did start the process of cleaning and organizing the office for The Big Move.

We also had matinée tickets to Avenue Q, which we thoroughly enjoyed. Go if you can, but leave the kids at home!

Overload

The ingredients of our overwhelming weekend:

a. Job interviews galore
b. A Naj-sib college graduation
c. Dual home ownership
d. Being rear-ended by an obnoxious young lady a mere 30 miles from home and relaxation

Enjoy the pics, we're going to bed.

The graduate

The fam

Sibs over the city
Did we mention it was a long weekend?

Last but not least...for H!

To catch a falling star

This week I was awarded my senior parachutist badge. The senior parachutist badge is earned by graduating jumpmaster school, completing at least 30 jumps, and for being a jumpmaster on a night airborne operation. The jumpmaster duty for a night jump is the hardest thing to get and I finally got mine last Thursday. I now wear a star above my parachutist badge to signify my senior rating. Being a senior rated jumpmaster will make it that much easier to get back to an airborne unit after law school.

30 jumps to go before I'm master rated.