Whew! Much has happened since the last post! Last week I was in the field and we ran 4 platoon level missions. It was fun because they all dealt with engineering operations. Despite it being hot recently, we couldn't have had any better weather than we did. Chiggers are pretty bad out in Missouri this time of year. They are microscopic mites that bite your skin and spit an enzyme that digests the skin. They don't stay in you like ticks, but the bites get mighty itchy. If you plan to do camping in the summertime, remember to spray for bugs! After we cleaned all of our equipment upon our return to our company area, we had class on Thursday. In class we started learning about gap crossing/ bridging operations. As soon as we were dismissed on Thursday I packed up my things and hit the road to come back to Ohio. It was a nice drive. I was able to talk with friends on the way back and listen to some good tunes.
Katie and I had a jam-packed weekend! On Friday we left from Pickerington and went to Dublin where I had lunch with some of my college buddies who were stopping through on their way to the Ohio river. Then Katie and I started preparing a dinner for some of my high school buddies and their significant others. Katie and I made some chili cockaigne (cincinatti style) with noodles. We had such a good time eating, talking, and drinking that we left a little late for the fireworks. We made it to Goodale park before they started going off. We ended up watching them from the rail along I-670. It was twice as cool to see fireworks and have cars speed by at 65mph in front of us! On Saturday, Katie and I went to Indian Lake past Bellefountain, Ohio for her cousin's graduation party. It was my first opportunity to spend time with Katie's parents, Ray and Carol, since we've been engaged. We had a great time! My thought at the end of the day when we were driving back was that I couldn't be happier to be a part of her family (immediate and extended). I always feel so welcome. I'm truly blessed.
We spent Sunday going to church in the morning with my parents and then we had a cookout with my sister Gina and brother-in-law Adam (and the dogs).
So you can see it was an eventful weekend! Other highlights include: I found out last Thursday that I will be deploying in January with my unit to Afghanistan. I don't know much about that, but I will post more details later on. Also, Bev asked me to be a groomsmen at he and Elaine's wedding in October! I don't know what will be going on in October yet, but I'll find a way to be there.
And now to the reasoning for the post title, "Sigh No More." My buddy Zac gave me a CD before I left that I didn't listen to much until this weekend on my drive back to Fort Leonard Wood. The band is Mumford and Sons. They are from London, England. The lyrical melodies have an Irish ballad sound to them. The lyrics are powerful and the instrumentals are fantastic. I've decided that if I were going to make music, it would be in the same style. I call it Soul Grass or Progressive Folk. This kind of goes along with my previous post about identity in music.
Here's a link to one of their songs and the lyrics:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7TrU4_-JTY&feature=related
Serve God love me and men
This is not the end
Live unbruised we are friends
And I'm sorry
I'm sorry
Sigh no more, no more
One foot in sea, one on shore
My heart was never pure
you know me
you know me
And man is a giddy thing
Oh man is a giddy thing
Oh man is a giddy thing
Oh man is a giddy thing
Love that will not betray you,
dismay or enslave you,
It will set you free
Be more like the man
you were made to be.
There is a design,
An alignment to cry,
At my heart you see,
The beauty of love
as it was made to be
