Post-Christmas

It is the 26th and all is well. Even in a deployed setting, you are exhausted after Christmas. With all the hustle and bustle with 2 church services, the Brigade Commander visiting, and having a mini-Christmas party with Nasty Santa game, (Dirty Santa if you will, My PA decided he was going to call it Nasty Santa instead). We saved up all our treats that everyone sent, especially the homemade ones, and defrosted them for our party. Christmas in a deployed setting is definately different. Number one: I still was working and I was still on call for Medevac. Number two: No mimosas or bloody mary's on Christmas morn. Number three: the Candlelight service for Christmas Eve was actually a Chemlight service which didn't quite work out. Coordinating the breaking of Chemlights doesn't quite work out. Number four: I didn't pass out around 3pm from all the wine and turkey. Number five: No family, kids, or bird dogs running around was definitely missed. I did watch "Scrooge" my favorite Christmas movie and enjoyed it as always. I want to thank all of you who sent care packages for Christmas. I enjoyed everything and distributed a lot of stuff that I had excess, (the 12 jars of Peanut Butter was one of those things in which I couldn't justify to myself for keeping all of them....Thank-you Mayhues!).

(The following paragraph may not be for kids).

Probably the low point of the day was when my company commander came to the aid station with gifts for all the single soldiers.....Yeah! I got two Army socks stuffed with girly things like deodorant, tampons, summer's eve wipes, and of all things petroleum jelly. I really don't know what these people were thinking when stuffing this stuff in the socks. I mean are they telling us that the reason we are single is that we lack hygiene? And I don't even want to touch the reason they gave us petroleum jelly. It was extremely weird.

(It's okay for kids now)

So now, we recover from Christmas. I soon will be 29. I love and miss all of you. Just know that I am doing well, getting to know more and more people everyday. I believe in what we are doing here. I love MEDEVAC. I am in an environment in which I can be myself and also have room to learn and develop both as a physician and as a person.

P.S. the pictures are of my office status post Christmas cards and gifts and my dorm room.