WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So I know that I have seriously neglected my blog, and that's partly due to the fact that the bandwidth here is such garbage, that uploading pics to here as well as Facebook becomes quite time-comsuming, not to mention the thousands of pics I have taken from my trips around Africa. I also haven't posted much here lately, and for that I apologize. I have been consumed with a beautiful new baby boy (whom I get to video with and chat to), logo creations, and the fact that I only have 19 days to go.

Once I have settled back in in San Diego, I promise to upload pics form the trip, and continue to keep you all in the loop. So keep your subscriptions, as I'm sure you will enjoy the pics to come.

More Caleb

Here's some more pics of the new baby boy!

Caleb Declan Price

As most of you know already, Caleb Declan Price was born October 12, 2009 at 5:45 am. He weighed in at 8 lbs 6.5 oz, and measured 21.5" long. So far, he has received a clean bill of health, does not have Jaundice, and was circumcised (although apparently thoroughly disappointed with the latter). Jeannie is also healing quit nicely, and hope to be discharged today (Oct. 14). I was able to hear the entire birthing process, which was absolutely amazing, and my mother in law has been iPhoning me some pics which is very awesome.

Below are the photos that I have received and would like to share with you. Enjoy.


This pic is of Caleb shortly after he was born, not even a day old.



Another one on the same day as the pic above.

Here's my baby boy in all his cuteness!

And another completely cute photo of Caleb.

No, he's not crying, he's actually yawning in this one, however I think I will see this face again and again accompanied by a high decibel audiotone.

And last, but certainly not least, a pic of my baby boy and my beautiful wife. Congratulations to her for sacrificing 10 months of her life to make for an eternity of loving memories. I love you Jeannie, and I am so very proud of you. Thank you for giving me the BEST gift possible.

New Addition

So, it's been quite a while since I have posted anything, and for that, I apologize. I spent the last two weeks traveling to Kisumu, Kenya, the islands of Comoros & Seychelles on another AIS mission. Details to come, as well as pics (yes, pics, I promise).

But that is not what I'd like to blog about today. Today is by far the greatest day in my life. Today, my son, Caleb Declan Price was born. Weighing in at 8 lbs 6 oz, stretching out at 21.5", rocking a pointy head topped with a little bit of hair, and arriving at 5:45am, he has finally blessed us with his presence. This is truly the greatest day of my life, as Jeannie and I will now be venturing into the unknown, only with the advice of close friends and family to guide us.

Jeannie and Caleb both came out at 100% after the birth. What is truly great about today is how God allowed the timing to be impeccable. I landed in Djibouti around noon (after my 2 week mission), and was able to call Jeannie's delivery room directly via DSN. This is great because I was able to sit in my shop and call as I desired, without the need of a calling card because she was on an Chairforce base. At first, I was calling every hour, but that didn't last long, as she hit 10 cm within the first two. After that, I was calling every 15 minutes until the Dr. advised to cll every 10. I was also washing my laundry at the time, so between one of the calls, I went to get my clothes out of the dryer and fold them. This stretched the wait between calls to 20 minutes, but I swear it was for a reason, because when I called back, I was able to talk to Jeanie's Mom for a few minutes, and then the head started to appear. Shortly after that, the phone was put on Jeannie's pillow, next to her head, and I was able to listen in on the miracle of childbirth. Despite the crappy situation the military has me in, I was still able to make the best of it, as I was there to hear my son come into the world. It was truly an amazing day in my life, and I still recollect today's events to try and comprehend what my life has now become.

I am truly thankful that I was able to be back in Djibouti, where I had the capability to call and not have a phone time limit, and that the timing worked out to where I was able to hear my son come into the world. Today is simply the best day ever, and I am truly excited to get home to meet my boy.

Thanks to all of you for the support, and I will post the pics of Caleb as soon as I get them. I've only got 58 days left here, and then it's back to my life as I don't know it, lol!

Kenya - Part 1

Ok, so I know this is only 2 pics, but I haven't posted in a while, so I wanted to give you all a little something.

These 2 are of me flying in a C-130 to Kenya. No, it was NOT comfortable, yes, the flight was long, and YES, it was loud!

BACKDATED - Camp McCrady

Here are some more pics from Camp McCrady.

Here's me waiting on the firing range to shoot.

Here's a few shots of all of us waiting around to shoot (very boring).

This is the range for the big guns, like the .50 cal automatic machine gun, the M240 SAW automatic machine gun, etc. I shot at the tanks out there with the .50 cal, that was pretty sweet.

Here's me getting into the prone position with the M240 SAW. Note that glorious pine needle only found in the south, lol.

I'll keep them coming!

ps - I have finally gone through and weeded out al the not-so-good shot from Kenya. All that's left is to resize for the web. Standby!

EXW Pinning Ceremony

Here's some shots of me getting pined by a 1 star admiral. This is for me qualifying for the Expeditionary Warfare qual (EXW), which means that I have the knowledge & know-how to setup an expeditionary camp from start to finish, from picking location, to processing sewage & making potable water, to security & cover & concealment. There is much more involved, however I won't get into the nitty-gritty.

ps - Note the sweat?

BACKDATED - Camp McCrady

Here are some more pics from Camp McCrady at Fort Jackson, Columbia, South Carolina. Here's a shot of me in my "full battle-rattle" which is a nickname the Army uses for all of your gear (IBA, elbow/knee pads, Kevlar helmet, Camelbak, etc.)

Another Action shot of me slowly getting geared up.

These I took towards the end of the first week, before I realized what wearing this gear was going to do to me.

That's all for now, hope you like them.

BACKDATED - Camp McCrady

Ok, so I know I've been slippin' on the photos, I apologize. Please understand that my upload capability is 1-4 kbps, yes, 10+ times slower than dial-up. Therefore, I get frustrated that I can't get the ones I want out to you all because I take so many.

None-the-less, below are five more pics from when I was in Columbia, South Carolina. This is where we went through combat training taught by the Army. Some of the things we did were fun, but it was RIDICULOUSLY hot there, and solidified my reasoning for not moving to the south in a few years.

This is a picture of I think the second or third day, where we got to stand outside and wait, then we waited some more, and after that, we got to wait, just before waiting, and then go to go get our gear (i.e. gloves, body armor, helmet, tactical googles, Gerber, etc.)

Here's a pic of me putting on my body armor after firing the M-16 from the prone position (that's laying down). This was performed at least 9 times a day, constantly taking off & putting on the gear, mostly to get us accustomed to wearing it, and removing it or donning (putting it on) expeditiously if the need arise. By the way, the gear is 60+ lbs.

This machine here was kinda cool, until it was my turn to get inside. It's basically the cab of a humvee on a rotisserie, and we get inside, wearing all of our gear, and the rotate it to the angle that a humvee can remain driving, then the second angle it the critical angle at which you need to prepare yourself for a rollover, and then the flip it upside down. Once inverted, you have to use one hand on the ceiling to support your wait while you unbuckle your seatbelt so you can escape. LESSON LEARNED: if you do not tuck your chin inside your IBA (60 lb. body armor), when you release the seat belt, it will immediately fall on your throat and choke you. Yes, this happened to me, TWICE. We had to go through both as a passenger in the back, and either the driver or navigator. The two seats up front were the worst, because there is much less room, and therefore harder to get in, let alone out. So, like I said, I had to escape while being choked out by my IBA, figure out where the door lock was, open it, and somehow finagle myself out of the cab. When I was getting choked out, I started to panic, but told myself, if you can't breathe, you can't speak, and so it's up to you & only you to get yourself out, and then I was able to make it happen. Of course there were safety observers outside the cab for those who couldn't handle the pressure.

This is a passenger transport that is used in combat, bulletproof, heavy duty, etc. It pretty much speaks for itself. I believe it can carry 14 passengers, but don't quote me on that.

And here's me "driving" the carrier.

Now I can sleep tonight knowing that I have finally posted some new pics. I will make a better effort to post more, as I have a slew of pics to do with.

Djibouti Pics

As promised, below are several pics that I took of the city of Djibouti & shopping areas. It's pretty obvious that this place is quite poor, and so it may not be exactly what you expect. I wanted to write a little blurb about each pic, but I could only narrow them down to 95, and because Blogger only allows 5 pics per post, I have put all of them on my MobileMe Gallery. It's pretty cool because once you click the link below, it will take you to all the pics. At the bottom left of the page, you have 4 different viewing options (the second one I like the best), so feel free to play around with the site to suit your viewing pleasure. If you have any questions, feel free to comment and ask.

MobileMe Gallery

Of Course ......

Well, as expected, my paternity leave chit was denied. I will not be able to be there for the birth of my first child. Not really much more to say here, other than why do people still wonder why I want to get out of the military?

BACKDATED - English Discussion Group

Here are some pics of when I did some volunteer work for the English Discussion Group. This service is where military people go to the local "schools" and run a discussion group, where we take three suggestions of what they would like to talk about, and the they pick which one they would like to talk about. Then we run the discussion, mostly letting them talk, because the overall point is for them to practice their English.

Of course, they wanted to talk about dating/marrying women/men of a different religion/culture. It is very interesting how they put their religion before most other things, and the discussion had some very interesting points. Overall, it went very well. Towards the end, they wanted to know our opinions (especially whether love or religion comes first), and surprisingly all three of us a different opinions.

This pic is of the classroom from the students point of view. As you can see, I was surprised to see was was considered a classroom, as I was expecting something more Western.

Here are some shots of the students from our point of view.

And here's one of me with them (when I was 25 pounds heavier).Hope you like these, and I promise to post more, especially now that EXW is done. Thanks for your patience.

Hooray!

Well, as of last Friday afternoon, I am officially knowledgeable in all areas of setting up a camp and running it. What am I speaking of, I'm EXW qualified baby!

My new Naval name is ET2(SW/EXW)Price, Zachary I. It's my way of showing people that I have those quals, and it's kinda a big deal!

Also, just a side note, a marine brought me a circuit card from his 61" HDTV and asked if I could repair his broken connector. Even with a 3rd world 2M station and inadequate tools, I was able to fabricate a new connector, solder it to the circuit card, reinstall it & wouldn't you know, picture perfect tv! It feels good to be able to repair stuff like that.

One last update, I have submitted the peperwork to request authorization to receive 10 days of paternity leave so that I can fly to Alaska for Caleb's arrival. My chain of command really appear to be behind me all the way on this, but I don't want to get my hopes up just to have them shot down. So instead, I ask that you all say a prayer or two so that it gets approved and I can witness what I believe to be something truly amazing!

That's all for now, oh, yeah, now that EXW is come, I am preparing the pictures for your viewing enjoyment. Standby to standby.

EXW

This is just a heads up to let everyone know that I am on the tail-end of getting my EXW (Expeditionary Warfare) pin. Because of this, I am devoting the majority of my time to studying for the final oral board, and will be post-poning picture posting amongst other things.

Most of you keep lovingly reminding me that I need to post more photos, and I will get on that as soon as I am done. I have spent the better part of seven weeks completing all the pre-req's, online courses, and test and now it has come down to a final oral board.

I will keep you posted on the progress, as my board is this Friday. Wish me luck, and pray that I pass!

Pics to come, I promise!!!!

I'm Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!

Sorry for the delayed post, I returned to the fiery-inferno named Djibouti last week, however I have been under-the-weather since coming back. Yesterday, I felt extremely weak, so I went to medical and found a heart-rate of 154 just standing, to which I replied, "I think I'm going to pass out now."

Not to worry though, because after three liters of IV, I am feeling much better, so I will promptly get back to posting some more pics.

My Kenya trip was awesome! I got to see several cities, most with gorgeous coastal views. I definitely saw the tribal side of Africa, and how people live and what they do day-to-day. It's hard to imagine, let-alone see with your own eyes, how some people around the world live. Poor is an understatement, but if you think about it, these people aren't exposed to what we consider everyday life, so to them, ignorance is bliss.

None-the-less, it was an eye-opening experience, and I enjoyed it immensely. Pics to come!

New Site Section

Hey everyone, I am enjoying Kenya immensely, and boy do I have some stories to tell. But, in the mean-time, I have created a new window on the right side of my blog that shows a list of all the places that I have visited so far, just in case you guys want to check them out.

More to come, I promise.......

Fun Times!!!

Well, I am headed off to Kenya for a 5 city work trip. I will get to see some nice scenery, the temperature is between the 70's & 80's (a HUGE break from Djibouti), and there should be a 5-star stay for a few nights too :-)

I will also get to be a foreign dignitary, which means interacting with some very high-up foreign leaders, which should be pretty sweet.

I will definitely be taking some pics, so standby to standby. I don't know if I will have internet access, so if you don't hear from me for a little over a week, don't fret, I will be back online.

Later!

Donations

One of the main missions of the USNavy here in Africa is community assistance. There are quite a few programs that we are involved in, from volunteering at the english discussion groups & baby orphanages to donating a wide variety of supplies to the locals.

These people here are extremely poor. At an unemployment rate over 60%, the majority of people here just sit on the side of the road, where they also sleep. It is quite sad to see.

Therefore, I wanted to post an opportunity for any of you to feel free to mail me donations to give to the locals. There a many ways for us to get materials out to them, and below is a list of guidelines for items that we can give.

If you are interested, email me and I can get you the mailing address. Thanks again for your support.


Donation Guidelines:

Acceptable Donations:
- Clean, civilian outergarments in good repair
- Shoes (all sizes, including flip-flops)
- Baby supplies (for example, diapers & wipes)
- School supplies (paper, pens, pencils)
- Educational materials (magazines, books, DVDs, dictionaries)
- Personal hygiene items (for example, soap, shampoo, deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste)

Death Fog & Mice

So, an update on the ever-evolving "death fog:" I'm not sure if I had mentioned this before, but the Djiboutian dump is located right next to our camp, and let's just say that the Djiboutians are under the impression that if you burn something, it disappears. That being said, they burn trash, feces, dead animal carcasses, etc.

Last night's "burning" was RIDICULOUSLY potent! I don't even think that I can find the words on how to describe such a stench. As soon as you step outside a building, you inhale just once, and it's enough to make you sick. I seriously cannot take another night of that again. It truly is horrific.

I also wanted to mention that there are large mice scurrying about all over this base. It makes walking around at night somewhat annoying, because you never know which way they will flee, and mostly they will run into you. And of course, where there's mice, there are snakes. Now for me, and my extreme fear of snakes, I have not had the misfortune of seeing a snake, however something to keep in mind is that there isn't one species of snake here that is NOT poisonous.

That's all for now, more to follow........

New Job

Well, as I'm sure that you have all heard, I don't do hardly anything ALL DAY while on Camp Lemonier. Seriously, we sit around, swapping digital versions of movies, tv series, and music, read magazines, etc. while maybe training on operating a radio for a half an hour a week. It's ridiculously boring. I've had a photo taken to give you a good representation of how I roll in the shop.

Here's a shot of my desk, which I just kinda made mine, so that I could set up my MacBook in an attempt to continue my creativity.

This is the other side of our shop!

And the side opposite the pic above (note the hard work going on).

Now to get to the topic of the post, my new job. At the beginning of last week, I was informed that I was moving from radio operator to AIS, which is like a side job, but should still take up plenty of time. With this new job (and me keeping Operational Security in tact), I will get the opportunity to travel to several countries here in Africa anywhere form 1 to 3 weeks a trip, instead of just one country for 3 months. I will also not be allowed to wear my uniform, which means that I will be working in civilian clothes all day, every day. This is because I will be considered a foreign dignitary, and yes, my team and I will be meeting with VERY high up foreign military officials, briefing them on what our mission is while there. In other words, this is one of the highest visibility jobs here in Africa, and it is exactly why we are here. Without too many details, I will be involved with installing a particular system and training the operators on it's operation. This is pretty cool, because I will get to see a lot more of Africa, and it should also break up the monotony of the pics above.

Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that on some of these trips, I will unfortunately have to stay in 5 star resorts. God is GOOOOOOOD!

- BACKDATED - Celebrity Meet & Greet

So I'm sure that you all remember how these few celebs came to Djibouti to visit, and I'm sure you all remember how I erased the pics of me meeting them, well I have some of the new pics that I took for your viewing enjoyment.

This is Zach Levy who play Chuck on TV.

This is Joel Moore from Grandma's Boy (he wanted us military folks' autograph. Can you see where I signed?)

I'm sure that you recognize Christian Slater from Gleaming the Cube

And Kumar from Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle

Where I lay my head is home....

Well, I know that you all have been asking for pictures, and this past weekend, I resized a slew of them for your viewing enjoyment. So, as promised, let's kick it off with some pictures of where I sleep and my daily trek to breakfast & work.

These pictures are of my lockers iside my CLU. CLU stands for Containerized Living Unit. It's pretty much a trailer that has been converted into a 4 man dorm room, but it's divided into two sections, so I have just one roommate. As you can see, I have plenty of storage space.

This is the back of the CLU where my roommate sleeps. As you can see, his bed is supposed to be where the lockers are, because there is a desk in the back for oth of us to share, but he leaves in a few weeks, and I go to the Rec Center whenever I need to jump on the computer, and it's not too far from my CLU.

Here you can see that my rack is next to the front door, but also is right underneath the AC. As you may or may not know, I like the room to be freezing, so this is a big plus in a place where the temp averages 115 degrees.

You can also see that I am representing the STEEL hardcore with the hand-made Steelers quilt that my beautiful wife gave me for Christmas (ain't she grand?). I also have a few pics of her on the wall, and a shelf above where I can put whatever I need.

Directly across from my rack is a row of hooks that come in handy for hanging up my sweaty clothes so that they can dry out. I also have a chair, which gets utilized for drying my towel.

Here's an external shot of my CLU, just so you can have a visual. We have a lovely welcome mat, and an AC unit that is entirely too big for the size of the space, but I'm not complaining.

And finally you can see that this is the long walk from where I live to half way (the building in the far rear) to the Galley, which is half the distance from where I work. I believe it's a 1/4 mile walk, but don't quote me on it. Either way, the walk gets old very quick, and I have a tendency to plan my day around walking to & from my CLU as LEAST as possible.

So there you have it, I apologize for the lack of postings, however expect to see many more photos as I have resized them all (at least what I have taken so far). See you soon!