Army: Afghanistan Number 8

POST 8 WEEK 10: Ok, so it has been a couple of weeks, so I know it is time for a new post.  For the last week I have been out traveling around Afghanistan.  I have been to Kabul, Bagram, Shank, Sharana and back.  I have several places left to go but don’t know yet when I will be traveling again.  The main purpose behind my travels has been my lean six sigma project, but also to meet our Soldiers where they work out of.  Another big reason for the travel was a quick best practices conference to help create some standardization in our operations despite having people all across Afghanistan. 

But, per my usual style, I will give you a broken down update of life in Afghanistan.

Where the Taliban live

Financial: Oh, the frustration.  My plan was to do my investing before I left for battlefield circulation (what we call it when we travel around to see our Soldiers).  Unfortunately, USAA had other plans.  I did not know that it would take a week before the funds I transferred into my USAA account would become available.  So while I was out and about, I only managed to do some investigating once or twice and for a short amount of time.  So now I need to start my research over and find some stocks to invest in this week.  We shall see how it goes. 

Physical: So, I this week I plan on taking another diagnostic APFT.  My run time is improving (I think) but I honestly need to work on my upper body strength the most.  The other day, one of my workout partners decided it was time to do pull ups and dips and I was sad to see where I was at.  I used to be able to do 8 pull ups straight and now I am pulling out about 3.  So I need to work on that more now, since I have about a month before I will probably be taking my PT test.

Emotional: One step forward, two steps back this week.  I haven’t hardly been able to talk to Kevin while I was traveling since I can only really get a hold of him at night his time.  Normally when I would have been able to call him, I was traveling so it made everything more difficult.  But, what I am also struggling through is hearing the issues he is having at home without minimalizing them based off of what I am experiencing here.  For example, there have been some issues at work and with my chain of command that is resulting in some drastic changes on top of some already necessary changes.  2 out of 3 company commanders in our battalion are changing out because their time in command is up and two of our field grades are leaving the unit.  Just like every other Army unit, people are fluid and constantly changing.  And, like any unit experiences, there are ethical issues, moral issues and flat out legal issues we are dealing with on a daily basis.  And it is not that things are terrible here, nor even out of the norm (I think a lot of units experience similar issues down range.  It’s what makes deployments so hard).  On top of that, we get to deal with rocket attacks and the like on a fairly regular basis.   So when Kevin complains about something simple, like his grad school homework load, I find my patience growing very short and my temper rising.  I am guessing this is a similar reaction to what I have heard from before out of other Soldiers.  But, I know I get no excuses and I have to be respectful of my husband regardless. And there really aren't any good excuses for being impatient towards any one, because everyone is going through something and there are many, many people who have it far worse than me.  So for now, I am going to focus on being more patient and loving.  And to also be more open with Kevin about how I feel and what I am dealing with.  It is honestly hard to share what I am going through day to day because after the living the day once (and It is frequently a very long day), I do not want to talk about it and live through it again. 

My Life= Containers

Mental: So…. Lean Six Sigma.  I am finding my motivation leaving me as I sit through more and more two hour classes that start at 8 pm and I have to finish my work after them.  It doesn’t seem that there are enough hours in the day to get everything accomplished and the week before I left, I stayed at work until after 1 in the morning at least 3 days and didn’t get out before 11 pm for the other 4.  So, the idea of tackling something else is mentally draining right now.  But, after actually getting out and talking to the guys on the ground about movements of containers on ground across Afghanistan I realized that my project is a necessary one because there are issues everywhere. So, I guess my motivation has picked up a bit to get back out there and figure out what’s actually happening and how we can save Soldiers time and maybe the Army some money. 

Spiritual: So, despite traveling around the country, I have not missed a night of prayer nor reading my bible.  I am really enjoying the chronological bible, but I am not sure I will ever fully appreciate the genealogy in the bible.  It always just looks like lists of name I can’t pronounce in an order I find hard to understand (multi-echeloned and linear).  But, at least that is broken up by the stories of these people.  I find my prayers becoming more frustrated as I continue to pray for one of the guys in my unit who seems to have no more inclination towards Christianity than when he first got here.  He seems very bitter against God, but is also the type not to share anything personal.   I know that this is a matter of faith and patience on my part, to continue praying and leaving it in God’s hands.  But I think I better understand how God must feel to be constantly revealing His majesty and His love with people and still leaving the choice to them.  To know what’s best for someone and let them make their own decisions is probably also going to be my hardest parenting decision.  To love someone so much and only want the best for them but respecting their right to choose for themselves what they think is best when you know better and then not holding their choice bitterly against them is one of life’s hardest lessons and can only come through unconditional love.

Army: Afghanistan Number 7

Hey everybody.  So here is post 7 from the sand box as I am in my 8th week here.  This is also my 40th blog post, not that it is a big deal, but I just noticed that this week.  When I first started this blog, I never knew who would actually want to read it, and I honestly never knew if I would write something worth reading.  But the past two weeks, I have actually had more responses to my blog than ever before.  It has really surprised me to find out who is reading them and it makes me wonder what is so interesting about them to different people.  I hope that whatever I put in here is actually helpful to people and maybe even inspiring.  It makes me want to write more and more personally with more accountability.  Maybe my successes and failures can help others as well as myself.  I guess the only thing I can really say is thank you for reading, please continue to do so, and if you really enjoy it, please share it. 

But on a normal note: here are all of my updates in the manner of which I am sure you are now accustomed.

Financial:  For those of you who caught my blog last week,
you know that I am going to be investing in the stock market soon. This probably won't start until next week sometime and no I don't really know when. I have some ideas of how I want to invest my money, but I haven't chosen any companies yet. Honestly, a lot can happen in a week and I don't want to get too tied to any one company. This week, I will probably do most of my research this week and will be able to tell you all at least what I am planning to do by my next blog post.

Not containers I have encountered, but similiar.

Mental: Oh Lean Six Sigma, you may be the death of me. We have gotten into our project charters this week and let me just say... this is going to be a very big part of my life for the next several month. I am mostly trying to create efficiency in a process that no one is really paying attention to. It means dealing with just about every task force (battle space owner) throughout Afghanistan and the transportation units just to track containers. For those of you that don't know, I have been told that there are so many containers here in Afghanistan we could supposedly pick up our whole Army and move it... twice! That's a lot of containers. Some are empty, some are full, some have important stuff, some have trash, some are broken, some are new... and all of it matters and gets counted and moved. This is my new life.

Physical: So, good news, my run time is one track to max my APFT (army physical fitness test). However, my goal is to try and get it back down to a sub-15:00 min 2 mile. I have a good running partner who has the same goal, so hopefully it will happen. The problem.... my pushups weren't looking so hot. So now before my workouts, I am going to do some pushups ladders and pyramids (10 pushups, 1 min abs, 11 pushups, 1 min abs, etc. are ladders, pyramids come back down once they reach the peak). Sit ups were as easy as they have always been for me, but working on abs more will still help. Honestly, I think I have gotten thinner since I first arrived here, but it is hard to tell. I can definitely feel myself getting more toned, so that makes me happy.

Emotional: So, of course, I am as happy as ever being here and thus am emotionally well off. But as I talked to Kevin this morning, I realized I am already getting sad about leaving here (as dumb as that sounds). There is something about the relationships you form here and they will not transfer back home. Here, you learn to appreciate people for exactly who they are. Your friends may not be like you in the slightest and may have totally different interests, which in America would deter the friendship. The reality is that in the states, you find the people that are like you or share your values and you base the friendship off mutual interest. Being out here, you learn to like the people you are with and appreciate people for who they are.  Plus, you cross ranks in ways that are not acceptable in garrison.  Spending time with a bunch of captains here is acceptable, at home it is not. 

On another note, I am still working on being a better wife.  I have changed around when I call both my husband and my family to get extra time with Kevin every week.  We have been communicating both more and better this past week.  I still pray for him every night and try to send him text messages before I go to bed.  I want to do so much more than I can and it is extremely frustrating.  Being a good wife is never measurable, but at least at home it feels more tangible. 

Spiritual:  Yet another full week of prayers and bible reading here.  It has become a very natural part of my schedule and something I always make time for.  It has also led to some very interesting conversations with a LDS friend of mine that lasted about 5 hours regarding salvation and the afterlife.  I am glad for the opportunities for conversation have occurred, but truth be told, I am still wanting one different conversation.  I have mentioned in my blog before that I am learning to love individuals outside of my comfort zone.  This week marks four straight weeks of praying for one individual in my life.  I seem to be no closer to a spiritual conversation with him.  My goal is the same as in most of my relationships with non-believers, if they say something that is just wrong, gently correct but otherwise, wait to be asked.  I have made my position very clear to this individual but a spiritual conversation still hasn’t occurred. I don’t want to force my beliefs on anyone (well, actually I do, but it’s been my experience that doing so turns people off to the Gospel) but I do want him to know the joy I have.  I pray nightly that I can love this individual well with no misunderstandings of why and that it would point to the Savior that I know and love.

Army: Afghanistan number 6

Lewis doing his silly run (Kevin sent me this pic today. I miss them)

So hello everybody.  I have officially been in Afghanistan for 7 weeks and it has actually been flying.  We have about 31 weeks left to go though, so I still have a ton of time left.   Not much interesting has happened this week and all has been relatively quite for  my unit.  My biggest frustration is not being able to cook.  As people most yummy looking recipes to Facebook (you know who you people are), I have taken to emailing them to myself and labeling them in recipes I want to try.  I miss having my fully stocked kitchen to go home too. 

So here is my weekly update, broken down in my usual style, but I am adding a new category:

Financial: Yes! You read that right, but probably not the way you think.  Kevin and I are the most financially stable we have ever been.  We have only a loan for the house, an emergency fund (but we are constantly putting more towards that), some sort term savings (a savings account through the Army that accrues 10% on up to $10,000) and all of our long term investments covered (stock in his company, 401k, Wroth IRA).  So, as we continue trying to multiply what God has given us, I am trying my hand at trading stocks.  I won't be putting any real money in until mid-April, but we have set aside $2,000 to get me started.  I have already started tracking some since Mar 19th and am not doing too bad.  I don't really plan on day trading or anything like that, but I want to get it started.  I have a good mentor in my unit that has been doing this for awhile and made a lot of money over the passed few years.  He also challenges me to learn about different types of investing (yes, I know what short selling is and how it is one way to make money in a bearish market!) and I am learning a lot.  I am not sure how I will continue to provide updates on this new goal of mine (which is why I haven't written about it before) but I find find a way. 

The only piece of advice/ caveat I can say is this, only put in what you are completely willing to use.  Kevin and I have decided on $2,000 because we won't miss it (in generic terms).  We are already counting it as a loss and plan to never see it again.  I sincerely hope that won't be the case, but if we treat it like it is, even if all of our stock prices drop, we will have the time to hold out and wait for the market to improve.   

Emotional:  To be honest, I don't know that I am doing any better on the wifely front.  This week, I have definitely spent more time talking to Kevin and intentionally setting more time aside for him.  I have been praying for him more specifically and intentionally.  And I have been spending more time each day just reveling in the wonderful husband that I have, but I hardly feel like it is enough.  I know that it is really hard for Kevin when I am gone. And even though this has already turned into a period of growth for both of us, it is very hard to feel like a good wife when I am so far away and very wrapped up in my mission here.  Sometimes, I really wonder if it is possible to be a good wife when I am so far away and I wonder how women in business that involves frequent travel do it.  (Please keep in mind, my definition of a good wife is not just based on fidelity or something based on culture.  My definition can be found in Proverbs 31, Ephesians 5, etc. etc.)

Mental: So, lean six sigma projects are well kicked off and I am already working on my problem statement.  My project is focused on the way things are moved around Afghanistan.  Basically, a long story short is, everything moves in containers and we don't have a very good grasp of what moves, when and to where.  And since the Lean Six Sigma process is all about reducing waste and increasing efficiency, my job to took get a better picture of how things are moving, and then streamline those processes.  It's kind of sad, but my life currently revolves around metal 20 foot containers.  Heck, I even live in one!

Physical:  Alright, so my goal here is a pretty simple one, I have decided that first and foremost, I want to get back to a 300 on my P.T. test.  That means 45 pushups, 78 situps (I think, I always go over in this category), and run 2 miles in under 15:36.  I am pretty close on my pushups, way over on situps (I normally do over 95) and I think I am close on my run.  I think I am going to start doing P.T. tests every couple of weeks to track my progress.  Once I get back to a perfect score (300), then I will focus on strengthening my core and going back to Crossfit.  And, like I have said every week, I really need to get back to my yoga.  I think I am going to try to do yoga every other night or so and do some core and upper body strengthening routines.

Spiritual: First, a praise.  I prayed every night of March without missing!  I am very proud of myself for that.  It is an accomplishment for me, and even more so in that I journaled all of them.  I look forward to reading in the future and seeing all the answered prayers.   Kevin and I have also started a new reading program together.  We are reading through the bible chronologically and I am actually really enjoying it (not something I usually feel in the old testament).  We are about 8 days in, but I think this is something I will have no problem continuing.  It is set up so that we will read through the whole bible in a year, but I am guessing at some point, we will double up so that we will be done before I come home.