Meet the Newest Member of the Clay Clan...

Peter Camelside!!   aka "Stinky Pete"
So I literally let the computer sit overnight to try to load a video of my little guy playing with his squeaky sandal, but to no avail... I had grand ambitions of posting this last week but technology doesn't seem to agree with me, so I apologize for the delay. You'll have to settle for some pics.
Our little puppy joined our family on Wednesday, June 9th. He's a King Charles Cavalier Spaniel and the sweetest, calmest, and most wonderful companion dog I've ever seen. Of course I'm more than a little biased being his mommy and all, but everyone falls instantly in love with him upon sight. I'd wanted to get a dog for a while and purposely moved into a complex that accepted dogs so I could have someone to keep me company while Dave is gone. I started researching breeds and fell in love with the Cavaliers--then found out they were insanely expensive because they are typically show dogs bred for competition. Both sides of his family are champion dogs though I have no real intention of showing him. Long story but I contacted a breeder outside of Rochseter and as we emailed back and forth she told me that her grandson had served in Iraq and her husband was a Vietnam era veteran and they were willing to work with my budget to help out another military family. Extremely touching how she really reached out to me and helped me find just the right little guy to keep me sane while my husband is halfway across the world.
Of course he's a lot of work but he's doing just fine. Now officially 4 months old, he isn't nearly as energetic and out of control as I would have expected. His favorite things are to sit in my lap and to chew carrots under the coffee table. That's actually how we got the name--his love of carrots made me think of Peter Rabbit and Peter Cottontail. Dave noticed his markings on his right flank look like a camel and so he wanted to name him Camel and we compromised on Peter Camelside.


He's still super shy around strangers and is trying to get used to all the changes in coming to his new home, but he's handling things well. He's accompanied me to a few group meetings and would hang out sleeping under my chair while we worked. He's survived two baths now toon (including the super scary blowdryer)! His house training is coming along great--despite peeing in the house for the first few days, he has been 100% outside for almost a week now! He still piddles if he gets excited--usually only when I've been gone for a few hours and come back or when he meets a bigger dog than him (which is everyone except for the occasional chihuahua). He's 10 pounds, the vet says he's healthy as can be, and we are thrilled to have him join the Clays. Enjoy seeing the cuteness!!

The Sights and Sounds of Victory

Dave:  So here we are seeing the glorious sights of Baghdad, or at least the glorious sights on Camp Victory.

First on our stop is Saddam's Victory over America Palace. In an effort to show his great victory over America in the 90's, Saddam decided to celebrate with a palace.  Unfortunately the palace is still in construction, and Saddam is still working on that victory over America thing too. Way to go Saddam!

Next we have the Flinstone's village.  Originally when I heard about this place, I thought it just looked like the Flintstones because of the construction.  The truth is that Saddam's kids like the Flinstone's cartoon so much he actually built them a fully functioning village patterned after it.  I was a little disappointed to find out there weren't any foot powered cars or dinosaurs. 

As you can see, Americans couldn't help but decorate in their own special way.  Too bad. 

I'll get more pictures of the palaces and other fun stuff  when I can.  But I can't drive around here without wondering, now that we are legitimizing the government here don't they want all this stuff back?  I think and I know Kristine agrees that we should give it back to them, right now, as long as the said transaction would require me returning to NY.  I think this deal has promise.

Hooch to Work, Work to Chowhall, Chowhall to Hooch, repeat.

Hooch = room, work = work, chowhall = food

Dave:  So here I am in Iraq.  This time feels very different than the last. Before there was a real fight that we were trying to win, but now the feeling is we are all just waiting to leave.  Much of the country is shutting down, packing up and moving out.

I on the other hand have just moved in.  I am working in an office.  I now proudly wear the biggest indicator to the fact that I don't really feel the need to go out on missions: the shoulder holster.  I turned in my rifle, so all I have is a pistol to lug around everywhere.

Here I am getting ready to go to chow.  The Army came out with great athletic clothing that was reflective so we could be seen at night. But it must not have worked well enough because we also must wear a highly reflective belt as well.

Kristine doesn't like my lack of hair, but it keeps me a little cooler, which in 120degree heat actually means a lot.

Here is my room for the next year.

Saddam during the 80s and 90s hosted a number of international meetings.  At the beginning he did have enough hotel space to fit all his guests, so he built a couple palaces near the airport.  Another meeting happened and he still didn't have enough space, so he built a huge complex of canals, palaces and lakes to impress all who came to visit.  The last palace Al Faw was completed in 2002. All of the area around the lakes and palaces was lush and well maintained. Little did he know that the US military would be the ones to appreciate his hard work.

Here is the view from right outside my office.

This one is on the walk back to the hooch

Here is one of my favorite things to do.  The waterways are full of fish, mainly carp, and they love to eat anything.  Once or twice a day I will go out with a little muffin or a box of cereal and give it to them.  They see me coming and swarm. Any direction I swing my arm, they race to in order to catch whatever food lands.

Its hot. Its lonely. Its tiring, but as long as I get a minute or two to talk to my dear wife, its not that bad.

Ft Dix: Training Training Training

Dave:  So I've been here for 3 months now..not actually 3 months, but it feels like 3 or 4 months.  Technically I have only been here 3 weeks but time is dragging.  I know I will have some kind of leave or pass in another 3 weeks and I am really excited.  Between now and then we have a FULL schedule of training.  We have first formation around 5am then start gearing up for the day's mission.  We train on weapons, vehicles, convoys, and everything else the army can imagine us doing.  Except for the early mornings, sleep depravation and being away from Kristine, its not that bad.  Not really that great either. 

So basically this is what I do every day.  I am a driver, so I get the vehicle ready, keep it fueled, and drive to all the training. As a Detachment we drew 12 vehicles, and honestly I think I got one of the better ones.  It has an awesome A/C and heat, a turbo charged V8 engine, interior radios so we can hear eachother over the vehicle noise, and nice new seats.  It is similar to one I had in Iraq last time, so I knew how everything worked, which was funny cause I was the only one in my vehicle that knew how.  I had to take a sec and explain how everything works to the rest of my crew.

Cranston, Corriveau, Me

The main motivation that drives soldiers to do what it is that they do is comradery. We do things that nobody wants to do, but we have to do anyway, and if not for good friends, there would be many good people driven past the point of sanity. Here I am with a couple of my takeout buddies.  Once or twice a week we order take out and watch a movie.  I don't think I have ever watched an entire movie through though.  I keep getting up after a while and go call my wife.

Spring has sprung in DC

What better way to test out the new camera than a friendly stroll through the park and a visit to Eastern Market? To make things better, it was Easter Weekend and the perfect time to ponder the miracle of renewal and new beginning of Springtime that symbolizes our Savior's resurrection. Definitely a very special time of year.

It has been absolutely LOVELY weather and I utilized my weekend freedom from a window-less office to take a casual walk and try to find some venues to take pictures of people where I wouldn't be afraid of the camera getting stolen.

Along the way, I found some beautiful sights:

Despite having hardly any ground to really call your own in a row house 10 feet wide, a surprising amount of people have beautifully manicured yards full of now-blooming flowers! Exhibit A) some PURPLE hyacinth! the picture makes them look bluer than they really are...I should have figured out a way to fix that, but whatever.

I have a strange fascination with benches. Something about latent potential and the thought of how many different lives have crossed through this exact point, finding a moment of respite before continuing in their myriad directions. Poetic I think! This time the benches were framed by beautiful cherry blossoms--part of DC heritage. This is a park a few blocks from my house and the most enjoyable open place nearby. I love to stop over on Saturdays to see people's dogs socialize and witness kids' first bike rides, siblingn rivalries with wiffle ball games, and even some tai-chi in the "woods" on the North side. Love it!

I also love the park because of these gorgeous towering trees. Sets a good scene for a game of fetch.

After a mile and a half walk, I finally reached my destination at Eastern Market! I had grandiose intentions of getting some sourdough French Toast at a fantastic little eatery there, but the line was probably 3 hours long! No joke...the line is ALWAYS long, but this Saturday the line went clear through the back of the building through what used to be a stage and out into the market itself. Needless to say, my appetite wouldn't tolerate such a wait and I was by myself, so I settled on a fresh lemonade which I sipped while taking some more snapshots, and headed home.

Another wonderful cherry-blossom frame!!

And our little Maurice relatives are out en force! This one wasn't quite as friendly as the Franklin Park critter that ate from my hands, but friendly enough to pose for a quick picture!

While I was out, I wanted to get a couple shots to display the lifestyle of row-house neighborhoods. Narrow, deep houses smashed up against each other. This street was unique with front-facing parking where most streets are all parallel...so it caught my eye.

Here are some of the nicest row-houses in the neighborhood. I don't even want to begin to discuss what they sell for...suffice it to say I wouldn't consider it the most cost-effective purchase. Houses are small, often not well-cushioned from the noises, pests, and problems of your neighbors, and as mentioned before, outrageously expensive. Great people and fun neighborhood, tons of fun ethnic restaurants and shops, manageable traffic, and close access to downtown. So everything has tradeoffs!

I had a great venture into the Spring sunshine! SOOOOO happy that warm weather has returned!! It's not nearly as enjoyable walking by yourself, but I keep motivating myself to get out of the house and spend time doing the things I would do if I had Dave at my side. It's hard sometimes because I almost feel like I'm betraying us in some way, like I'm being selfish and making a life for myself that doesn't include the most important person in my life. Even small things like trying new restaurants or going to museums just make me feel weird. I know that, slowly, I'll get used to not having a traveling companion again, but for now, a morning stroll is a good milestone.

As Dave had mentioned in his post, we get to talk on the phone at various points in the day, every day. Those check-ins keep me going. I'm so incredibly grateful for modern technology that gives me a lifeline to my husband and gives us a pretty reliable, immediate method of communication so that we can keep each other actively involved in our individual lives. I guess I shouldn't learn to rely so much on it because I don't know how frequently we'll have contact when he's in Iraq, but I treasure every text I get in the meantime!

On a final note, I got to watch most of General Conference and thoroughly enjoyed listening to the various speakers. More than anything, I just learn to more deeply appreciate the comfort and strength contained within the Gospel of Jesus Christ as He exemplified humility and patience--qualities I have desperate need of. And, of course, I more deeply appreciate the fact that my husband and I share our core beliefs and our commitment to the Lord. Regardless of whatever personal capacity I might have for dealing with this whole deployment chaos, truly the only thing that keeps me sane is knowing that God is looking out for us, both individually and as an eternal couple sealed in His temple. Anyway, I wanted to quickly share with you all that I know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the Lord's true church and that His gospel is the most influential and stabilizing force I could have ever been given in my life.

Love you all and hope you enjoyed a spectacular Easter, Lent, or Passover!!

Ft Dix: The Beginning

Dave: I can't say that this deployment ever felt that real until saying goodbye in MD, and getting on a bus for Fort Dix.  I always knew this was real and serious, but I was always just 3 or 4 weeks from seeing Kristine, and that is what I focused on. Now it seems like the time away from her requirement is pressing and my desire to see her grows.

Arriving here, they put us in a building located diagonally next to the one I was in last time.  Once again I am crammed into a 12 man room.  It strikes me how much I miss my wife, how much I miss a normal life, how much I miss a little privacy and space to call my own.  Its like I don't have time or space to be me. We run (not literally) from training to training and that is how I identify my time.  I'm either in training or waiting for the next one to start.  We do have a little downtime, but all we can do is hangout or go to the gym.  Amazingly I am able to talk to Kristine frequently and she keeps me sane. 

Here I am learning how to use a 50cal machine gun, the M2 (pronounced Maw Duece). 

Last deployment we had individuals specified as gunners who were not military intelligence and whose sole purpose was to drive or gun when we went into country. This time the entire unit are officers and noncommissioned officers, and I am low man on the totem pole, which means I get all the tasks and training my hirer ups don't really want. So far I have trained on driving, and using two different kinds of machine guns. The sad part is that the M2 is no longer allowed in Iraq due to our agreement with the Iraqi government, so this training is just for ft dix and a waste of time that I would rather spend talking to my wife.

 Here we are after getting our gas masks tested.

Here is SSG Durham and Myself ready for brazilian jujitsu at combatives class. I know these uniforms look like awesome special occasion Army style samurai clothing, but in actuality they are our regular uniforms turned inside out. I guess the velcro is more dangerous than I thought.

It is Easter Sunday and unfortuneately I am unable to celebrate with my family or even watch general conference.  On an upside though, there is a small serviceman's group which I have a little time to attend.  Both this and last week there were 5 of us attending sacrament.  More than ever I am appreciative of the simple moments when I am able to feel the spirit of the Lord and feel renewed. 

Our new camera!!

Yep, it was time to replace the battered camera that had seen me through some wonderful years abroad...
Dave and I researched some of the newer cameras coming out this season and found one that we thought would be a keeper for years to come: the Canon sx210is. I was lucky enough to get someone to buy my old one, which helped bring down the cost of this new one. Then, with a gift card from our credit card rewards, it got even cheaper! Gotta love when you save up for something and then get it with a bargain.

It hit stores today and so I got one of the first off the shelves! Here is a picture from their website:I am sorry to say I haven't been able to really use it yet, but that is sure to be remedied soon :)