The time is almost here...

To pack up my gear and go to Ft. Benning for pre-deployment readiness processing. I can't believe how fast the time is going and how fast our time went in Phoenix. Michael and I drove both of our cars and both cats to Phoenix a few days ago to get them settled in before we had to go back to El Paso. When we were crossing the New Mexico state line there was a group of people taking a picture with the sign on their van, so I had to get a shot of it... Once we got to Phoenix, we tried to do as many relaxing, fun things as possible while we were there, and succeded! Michael took me to feed some giraffes that some rich guy owns and boards in Chandler. It was so cool! They were quite friendly and as soon as we drove up they came right to the fence, because they totally knew we were there to see them. It was like going to the zoo, but with no crowd and fewer animals. He had a couple of pygmy horses, camels and zebras too, but we opted to feed the only the giraffes and zebras. Here I am with a giraffe licking my hand as I am feeding her. Michael also had his hand licked by the zebras, as well as drooled on by the giraffes... Gross! Ha-ha. My dad and Carolyn were in Phoenix the week we were there, so we had dinner and hung out with them, along with two friends of theirs a couple of times. It was great to see them before left. We spent the remainder of our time being lazy on the couch watching Grey's Anatomy on DVD... It was great!

But alas, we had to pack up and leave this morning so I could finish out-processing at the hospital and get my gear together to go. I made Michael stop at The Thing on I-10 on the way home, because I was dying to see what it was. Well, it was nothing special and a little creepy to be honest... But it was only a dollar a piece, so it wasn't a huge investment for a huge disappointment. This was the creepiest part of the display... But now I can say that I have seen the self-proclaimed world's only display of torture devices hand-carved out of wood. You're jealous, I know. Ha-ha.

Anyhow, we are back in El Paso for a couple of days before I am off. I better get to bed, I have a couple of long days and a lot of preparation before I head out.

I'll keep you all updated as things happen!

66HM5 out...