Monday, October 26, 2009

The adventure continues

Our picnic spread on our last killer hike

I have made it as far as Kuwait and am in a holding pattern to catch a military flight into Afghanistan. If all goes well, I will be back with the team in the next day or two.

Nate and I enjoyed a last adventure together getting to the airport. We took a train from Garmisch to Munich, and had fun just looking at the sights and reliving our vacation. After checking in, we tested out one last brewhaus, right there in the airport! And, according to the Beer Drinkers Guide to Munich, the place gets 3.5/5 rating, not bad for an airport pub! We shared a last wheat beer and some yummy Bavarian cheese spread with fresh pretzels, a perfect way to wrap up our trip.

So far, our respective travels have been anticlimactic. I have managed to get this far with only one mouse incident. The little pest managed to get in my backpack and nibbled my Twizzlers! What a pain! I caught a couple hours sleep here in Kuwait and am now waiting to see when I can hitch a ride for the last leg of my journey.

Nate is taking off from London as I type and looking forward to seeing the kids soon. He had a LONG layover (12 hours!) in London so stayed in this crazy space-pod “Yotel” place. It is a little cubicle with a bed, TV and private bathroom right in the airport and seems to have been a saving grace for him. He says it was crazy “futuristic” but served the purpose and added to the adventure!

As I head back to the team, it is with mixed emotions. I loved being in the real world—albeit the vacation world—for the last two weeks but am ready to get on with the mission. I know it will take a couple days to settle back in and get up to speed on what has happened while I was gone. With the election runoff pending, I am sure we will be busy, not directly with the election but providing mentoring and support to the process. I will post updates as I can, and thanks to Jim (the editor of Reflections on Nursing Leadership) I can do it via e-mail as well.

3 comments:

  1. I enjoyed reading all your vacation posts and seeing the photos of you two! I'm so glad you got to R&R together; what a fun adventure for you both. Your parents do rock - but we already knew that!

    Looking forward to more updates from Afghanistan.

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  2. Sounds like a well deserved and fun vacation. So glad Nate was able to come join you. Parents sure are a blessing! I think of you often! Blessings, Jacki

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  3. Lori - just wanted to say that today (Veterans' Day) and every day, you and your colleagues have my admiration, gratitude and respect for everything you do for the US. Thank you for serving!

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