Need a pick-me-up!

Nic has called us a few times since Mother's Day. He called Dad yesterday and talked to him for a little bit. Dad couldn't tell if he was tired b/c it was late in Iraq or if he was down so we hoped it was just that he was tired. Well, he called me this morning and he is definitely down. It was only 3pm there and he sounded very down. So if you are thinking about sending him something in the near future now is the time. Anything you can send will be appreciated...even if it's just a card with a nice note would be great. He just needs to be reminded that we all think about him all the time and that we're very proud of him.

If you need his address please email one of us (listed to your right) and we will get you his address ASAP. Remember, if you want to send him a box use the "Flat Rate Box" at the post office. It's $8.95 to mail a box stuffed as full as you can get it regardless of the weight. So that helps on postage. :-) Feel free to email any of us if you have any questions as to what he likes, needs, wants, etc. We're happy to help! Just send him some love however you know how.

Nic called yesterday.

He called to tell Mom and I "Happy Mother's Day!" He sounded tired, but relieved. He said they were done with Sadr City, at least for now, which was probably the best news I heard all day yesterday. He didn't know how long they would have to rest, but he did say they would get at least the rest of the evening off to relax and rest up.

He wanted me to make it clear that the photos that the NY Times photographer took were NOT as peaceful as they appear. He said the one of them taking cover behind the stryker was very scary. The rest of his squad were either crying or out of control with rage...but the three in the picture just let their training kick in and tried to stay calm, cool and collected. He said people were screaming, crying, and things were blowing up all around them. He said it was very much like Saving Private Ryan (which I can't allow myself to watch right now) only it's real and he's in the middle of it.

So there ya go. He just wanted me to make sure you all knew the truth about the pictures. :-) He's truly a hero and he's back in Taji safe and sound right now. So we can rest easy for a little while.

Birthday time of year!

In case you didn't know, Nic's birthday is May 16th. So if you would like to send him a card or something for his birthday you should probably get that out ASAP. Things take about 2 weeks, sometimes less to get there. :-) Just thought you might like to know. I know Aunt Pat's already on top of it without even mentioning to her. hahaha. (Love you, Aunt Pattycakes!)

No word since he called to tell us about the NY Times. He was headed back to Sadr City that day so he'll probably call in another week or so. We'll keep you posted. Thanks for all your love and support.

NY TIMES!!!!

Nic called this morning to let us know that he's famous. :-) (his words) His picture is on the NY Times online. He's been in Sadr City, where all the chaos is. He said he's been shot at pretty much every day and that things are just crazy there. He's heard bullets whiz past his head and ping off things when they ricochet. He said no US soldiers have died in Sadr City, only Iraqi soldiers, which is a relief to me. Below is a link to the slideshow where he shows up on slide #8 and another link to an article. When you get to the article scroll down to the orangey picture and click on it to enlarge it. They've taken cover behind the Stryker while being shot at. So these photos were taken in the thick of it.

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/04/18/world/20080418SADR_8.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/18/world/middleeast/18sadrcity.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Enjoy!!

We haven't forgotten about you!

We haven't been posting because there has been very little word form Nic. He did make it back. He called us all (me & Brad, Mom & Dad, Zac & Nikki) after breakfast the first morning he got there (2am). He said he had been awake for 3 days due to having a hard time catching a Blackhawk from Baghdad to Taji. He had to stay awake to make sure he heard his name when it was called because when it was he had to run out to get in line to get on the helicopter and he was always the last in line and was told "You'll have to catch the next one!" So finally after 3 days he made it back to Taji. He got some sleep, got up for breakfast and called us to tell us he was going out on a mission and would be gone for a long time.

He logged onto myspace, but none of us heard anything from him and he hasn't logged on since 4/14...so I'm thinking maybe he got online on base in Baghdad or something while they were out on their mission. Zac said that Nic said they were headed to Sadr City for a month. So that's all we know and we'll definitely post when we hear from him. Go ahead and keep sending your goodies. He'll be pleased when he gets back to be reminded how much we love him. He told me the trip back was the worst trip of his life because he knew what he was leaving and knew what he was going back to. So I'm sure he's going to need all the pick-me-ups he can get.

He's leavin' on a jetplane...

don't know when he'll be back again...

He left us this morning at the airport. We all met (Mom, Dad, Zac, Nikki, me, Brad, and Evaline) at the airport to bid him adieu. It was difficult to say the least. Mom cried, I cried and Brad said Nic even got choked up. So it was very rough, but it's what a soldier does. So he's headed to Dallas (hopefully he'll have better luck this time around) and from there onto Germany (I think) and then to Kuwait and then to Baghdad and then to Taji to get back into the mix.

Keep the letters/cards/boxes coming...I'm sure after being home for a while he'll really enjoy some care packages and well wishes. Also, as a side note, he doesn't have time to look at photos on myspace or on here...so if you take GI Nic pics, burn them to DVD and send them to him in a card or package. He can watch those on his XBOX whenever he has time. He said this would be much more convenient. He has 45 minutes online at most and he said he barely has time to reply to people...so keep that in mind. :-)

Thank you so much to those of you who had time and were able to visit him while he was in. It meant the world to him and to us as well. That's all I've got for now.

THE MAN HAS ARRIVED!

Well, he finally, after many calls, flight changes, flights, and hours of waiting and rain drops, is home! We greeted him at the airport, but his flight got in early and he surprised us...so his sign that Mom made for him wasn't as proudly displayed as we would've liked and we didn't have time to get our flags in hand, but by God he's home and we're thrilled to see him! He is happy to be here and we're ready to enjoy the next 18 days! Woohoo!!