Life in the Field

For the past two weeks we have been in the field. This week is the only we where I actually count being in the field though. The first week I didnt' even make it out of the office. The second week I was in the TOC (tactical operations center) in the morning and then went out to the field for the day. I returned home and slept in my own bed every night though. Love it! During this week I certified and entire battalions worth of operational decon teams. For this our Brigade commander (really big deal kinda guy) recognized my efforts in my field and gave me a brigade coin. That is a really coveted thing.

Then Saturday morning I was up bright (or dark however you look at it) and shiny early in to the office to run my first convoy. I was the convoy commander for around 30 vehicles. I had to take us through the op for (opositional forces) village where we were attacked by small arms fire. WE just kept on trucking and everyone made it to the site in one piece.

We started site set up and got our actual time in the field rolling. I helped set up the TOC and then headed out with the XO (Executive officer : Maj Soliz) to a meeting with all the commanders and 1st sgts.

Then I headed back to our area of operations. I sat in the TOC for couple more hours until I asked what time the shift change was going to be. IT was apparently a few hours prior so I called my NCO and told him it was his turn (since he was night shift). I went in to sleep in my truck. I layed down my sleeping bag and got in some shorts and was asleep faster than you could imagine. I slept so well for sleeping on a steel bed of a truck. I only have 5 more hours on shift and i have been at work for 8 hours and 45 minutes so far. lol. Too bad I don't get paid by the hour.

Its not a bad job. I really lke it most days. Looking forward to our little vacation in June. I just filled out my leave paperwork today and will turn it into the S1(admin office) tonight when he comes in for work. Hopefully everything goes well.

I guess we are slacking....

In the past couple of months we have been really busy. Between work and family and friends visiting we haven't had a moment to sit still and just be.

A few weeks back Jake's younger brother Adam came for a few days to visit and see where we lived. We had a ball taking him all over and showing him the area. I played hookey from work one afternoon so I could join them going to the Waco Zoo which was amazing and since it is so close we got a membership to it! While in Waco we also went to a place called Buzzard Billy's - its a local Cajun restaurant where we tried craw fish for the fist time. Thor is IN LOVE! we couldn't peel them fast enough for him.

We also took a picnic lunch and went to the Dino Park near Austin. It was fun for the kids although not a great adult activity. On the way back home from there we stopped in at the Harley Store in Round Rock to check out the bikes. Thor had a dollar bill that he thought he was going to get a bike with. He showed it to a salesman and the guy told him when he had big stack of those with some zero's behind it he'd hook him up.

WE had a week's reprieve from visitors when Jake's step mom Cori came for a visit. The kids were so excited that MeeMaw Cori was coming. WE ate BBQ at the Salt Lick (and although very tasty every time I am done with it for a while)...Went out to Belton Lake to do some recon for a project I am working on, ate some steak and Jake and Cori took the kids to the Waco Zoo one day while I was at work.

The highlight of the visit for me was going to the Inner Space Caverns. It is a giant cave that Texan's are very proud of. The kids had fun and so did the gown ups. I wasn't able to go back to Austin to take Cori back to the Airport but while down there they also went to the Lady Bird Johnson Gardens. It was really amazing Jake said.

Thor was asleep when they dropped MeeMaw off at the airport so when he woke up an hour later at home he was devastated to see that she was gone. It was really sad.

Jake and I went to a newcomers training for the Brigade a few weeks back and had a great time meeting some of the people in my Brigade. The chaplain is really amazing and it was a great time to just spend together. Rarely do we get out with out the kids so it was wonderful that they provided daycare at the church where the training was held. The kids a ball and Jake and I got to relax.

I know that we have done more since I last updated but can't think of what at the moment.

The kids and I decorated/dyed easter eggs last night and they searched for their easter baskets this morning. The bunny only left a few candies and some trinkets so as not to set the bar too high for next year. : )

moving/house update

I know I haven't updated this in a while but for some reason I can't get on at home. So I am doing this via blackberry. Just over a week ago we moved into our new house. It is a spacious 3 bedroom with an eat in kitchen, HUGE living room and two full baths.
We were not overly impressed with it when we walked in since all the flooring was a light colored cheap tile/linoleum floor. When we got past that shock we saw it for what it could be. High ceilings and big rooms. We have three large storage areas and one big laundry room.

We bought a new(to us) black leather living room set, and a new beautiful shaggy rug. It is so soft and the kids love just hanging out on the floor playing!
The kids have a vibrant play area with lots of space for imagination play. Thor has really blossomed here and loves making up elaborate stories about all his animals. He is such a ham!
Thor and Baleigh helped pick out all the decor for their bathroom. It is bright and very underwater/coral reef themed. Lol. They love it!

I love the giant kitchen with the first gas range I have had since I lived at home. I love cooking on it. I would love to upload pics but can't seem to get them on from my phone. Check them out on face book if you are curious.

Not So Bad.

This was my first official week of work and I have to say it isn't so bad. I know things will pick up when I am doing everything but I think it will be good. I came in on the busiest week for me and managed to do everything I was asked to. I like the people I work with/for and as of Monday I will have my own office space.

I had a pleasant surprise on Wednesday... I found out i was getting a four day weekend. I didn't realize it was Prez Day this weekend so that was really cool. Not to mention that Thursday's are family time days. We are let go at 3 PM instead of 5PM like normal. Granted, I didn't get off until around 5PM on Thursday anyway but I have a 4 day weekend!

We went out to our second movie in 2 weeks on Friday morning. I am tired of waiting to find a baby sitter so we decided that the kids are old enough to sit through a movie. We went and say Valentine's Day and it was really good. We stopped by McDonald's on the way to the theatre and snuck in some "lunch" snacks for the kids. They had fun sitting on the steps eating their french fries and cheese burgers.

This morning Thor and i got up early and cooked like crazy. WE are back to that place that we have to plan our meals out again so we aren't making irresponsible decisions about our food. Both Jake and I want to get back into great shape and lose some weight too. Jake is planning on joining a mixed martial arts school here in town and I want to get back to the running shape I was in last summer. So Thor and I made a few healthy meals that we can just go to when we are really hungry.

In a kid highlights: Baleigh and Thor recently discovered singing. They have a few songs that they sing but my favorite is Little Jack Horner. Baleigh cracks us up with her interpretation of it. I am working on uploading a video of her and Jake singing it. Its too cute.

The Salt Lick BBQ and The Austin Zoo

Over the weekend we went on a bit of an adventure. We got up early on Saturday morning and headed out to Austin for the day. Jake got the address to a great bbq place we had seen featured on Diners Drive ins and Dives, along with an address for the Austin Zoo. We drove for about an hour and were out in the middle of no-where texas....(did i mention we were on our way to the zoo) when we passed the Salt lick BBQ. That is when we realized that I had entered the address for the BBQ place and not the zoo in the GPS. So we decided to get lunch instead of going to the zoo first. It was AMAZING!!!!! If you come and visit we will have to go to this place because it is so worth the drive. WE had the sampler platter of brisket, sausage, ribs and turkey. All smoked with a fabulous sweet spicy BBQ sauce. We all loved it!

The zoo was not a traditional one but rather a place that rescues exotic animals. They had several wolves, one with only three legs(so sad). There were pot bellied pigs, exotic birds, lions, and tigers and bears, oh my. The kids had fun and it was just big enough that they could walk almost everywhere without getting too tired.

That night Jake headed out to the local Buffalo Wild Wings to watch the UFC fight. We are looking forward to finding a permanent baby sitter so we can go to these events together. However, I had fun staying home with the kids by myself and we made all sorts of fun food for the superbowl. Good weekend all around!

Getting Started At Our First Duty Station.

I began in processing post on Tuesday evening, although it did not really kick off until Wednesday morning. I wrapped it all up on Friday just after lunch. i do have to say I LOVE being an officer. I didn't have to report in every morning like the enlisted guys. PT on my own and I processed at my own speed. Which was SUPER FAST!

We also got Neeka ( our cat ) declawed this week. Before anyone freaks out about how inhumane that was here is our reasoning. She has clawed the heck out of the kids, alot of times for no reason and she has come too close to getting the kids' eyes. I am not going to sacrifice my kids' safety when I could do something to change it. Thor was absolutely devastated when we left Neeka at the kitty doctor though. The nurse was amazing though. She got down on his level and promised to take good care of his pet and read a bed time story to her that night. I thought that was really nice of her.

On Friday morning I finished in processing and signed out of the reception battalion(so i could go to my permanent unit). I went to the S1 (administration office) to in process the 69th Air Defense Brigade Brigade. I was told I was supposed to be going to 4/5 Battalion (this is smaller than a Brigade so it falls under the 69th ADA Brigade). When I got there I was swarmed by people who knew who I was and apparently had been tracking my progress in school since my orders were cut last July. They have not had a Chemical Officer in a long time and the one they had at Brigade had gotten "stolen" by the 1-44 Battalion (also under the 69th). So they were so excited to see me and said that they were going to write an amendment to my orders right then and I would be staying right there at the Brigade level and be the "head chemo" so to speak. They rapidly in processed me and sent me over to the S3 (office where I will be working). I met Cpt Coscas and she showed me around. Since my primary job will be doing the Unit Status Readiness Report and she has been doing it for a while she will be my go to person for the next few weeks. She is really nice and very go with the flow it seems. I was also introduced to Major Reese and had a lengthy talk with him about my job and expectations. It was not how I imagined my Friday afternoon going since I was not even technically supposed to sign into the unit until Monday. Now instead I have a different job.... instead of answering to the Brigade Chemo and turning in the USR report for my Battalion I will be the one people turn in their USR's to and I have to make sure all their information in correct. So as it stands now I will have three other lieutenants reporting to me each month and have at least one NCO who can put Boot to Butt when when the need arises. Isn't that cool? I get my own muscle! lol. MAjor Reese said that I will have my own office but he has to figure out how that is going to happen since they are short on space at the moment. However he said it was VERY important for me in the job that I will be doing to have my own space to work in. He promised that that would happen by next week.

That's about it for now - except that we officially have an address now. Its just a PO Box but it will be our address for at least the next year.

Jake and Heidi Nielsen
PO Box 6094
FT Hood,TX 76544

sleeping in.

This morning Thor and I got up early to go get some waffles down in the breakfast room. When we got back, he wanted to wake Baleigh up, so he jumped up on her bed and started shaking her saying "wake up, wake up!" He is such a morning person. He usually wakes up just like me. When the alarm goes off he jumps up ready to meet the world. Baleigh on the other hand is deffinitly her father's daughter. She moans and groans and complains and just wants to take it easy for about an hour when she wakes up. So when her brother was assaulting her this morning she starts slapping in Thor's general direction screaming with her eyes closed "I'm sleeping, I'm sleeping Thor, leave me alone!" Jake and I were both belly laughing so hard we couldn't even make Thor stop. Just thought I would share one of those funny moments kids offer.