I am running out of stuff to talk about and we did not do a whole lot last weekend to generate new kid letter fodder. But, here is the latest kid letter installment.

Dear Cody, 07/28/2010

Hello son. The letter streak continues in to week 4. Woo Hoo! I am the man!

You are now a couple of weeks away from being 4mos in to your 6yr initial Air Force enlistment. I am sure in many ways it is flying by for you and in others it seems to have barely moved at all. Your mom and I talk a lot about how it seems that you have been gone forever and how we are excited about what and how you are doing.

It is a good thing for a parent when their kid is doing well and performing as a viable adult. So how is that feeling for ya? I think it is working out quite well but only you can decide how you feel about it. Hopefully you feel very good. Your mom and I think you should.

We got your text about your latest test score. Good job on the 90%. Keep up the good work and keep up the effective studying you are obviously doing. Deema and Deepa said that they got the text also. They are proud of you.

The builders in the development have started three new houses on our street. One on the lot two to our left, one next to our neighbor on the right and one a few lots toward the gate from the mail boxes. The one on our left has no impact on us since there is still a lot between us and that house. When they build right next to us we will loose some of our view depending on how far back on the lot they site the house. The one next to our neighbor on the right wiped out most of the view out of Max’s windows. He seems to enjoy watching all of the activity but once the house is finished his view will be shot. I have no doubt that all of the construction will result in multiple flat tires for us until they are done with all of the remaining ~12 lots on our street. I hope they get it all done soon but since nearly all of the lots are water front it may take years. Just think, if you had not joined the USAF you could be working as a laborer carrying supplies for the craftsmen. I am thinking that you are appreciating the climate controlled class rooms and data equipment centers over the alternative.

You probably know that Tropical Storm Don is in the gulf heading for Texas. It does not look like any of the models have it heading your way. Next time we talk would like to know about any preparation that they had you do on base. I have to say that having a storm bearing down on us has me itching for Insurance Adjusting. Then of course I remember how hot and sweaty it was schlepping ladders around buildings and climbing around on roofs in the hot Texas sun and humidity. It is kind of funny how years later the jobs that you miss are what most people would think of as less than enjoyable. For me that is Insurance Adjusting and my first engineering job. Particularly where I worked in the garbage truck factory removing and rewiring trucks with new control cabling and electronics. That was dirty, grungy work but I had a blast. It is good thing that I was working on new inventory trucks and not used garbage trucks or I am sure my memories would be significantly different.

Last week your mom and I tried the new Sushi place at La Centera. It is called Kendo and was pretty good. Of course we talked about how much you would like it. One of the rolls your mom ordered was a spicy role with a bunch of stuff including Unagi sauce. I can’t recall if it was the Hurricane Roll or the Nuclear Roll, regardless you would like that one.

Last night we tried the new bar/wing place that opened up a couple of weeks ago on the way to Fulsheer. We both decided it was the blandest dining experience we had ever had. The service was great but the food all tasted roughly like unsweetened oat meal. Even the martini and bloody Mary that we ordered were bland. So that one is definitely a One and Done on the Rags restaurant scale.

Saturday is our 17th wedding anniversary. Your mom is excited for the weekend. I am excited also but as usual do not have a comprehensive plan to appropriately pamper your mom. I do know where I am taking her to either lunch of dinner. I am thinking of a swanky place for dinner so we may do two anniversary celebration meals. One lunch, one dinner. I am running by the Rolex dealer tomorrow to see if he Tudor Princess is back from referb at the NY service center. I finally got Rolex to accept it for referb which was not a big deal here in Houston but was a total PITA when we were in Delaware. Why I have no idea. If it is ready I will give her that. If not it will be off to pick up a completely new BLING installment for her …. or …… to pick up that white leather sectional she fell in love with when she found the Zebra ottoman. I am not too sure about furniture as an anniversary gift. That would be about like giving her kitchen cooking stuff which would probably get me in big trouble but she has been fixated on that sectional since she saw it. Jewelry would be my usual choice but I have beaten that one to death and I am running out of easily portable ideas. The sectional would be good but if we go to Qatar we will just sell it anyway and that would also get me in trouble. If you have any ideas, please bail me out. I have to tell you that I miss having you around to keep me off of your mom’s shit list. Your guidance of “bad move Dad!” has kept me out of hot water many times over the years. Combined with your own bad moves that keep your mom distracted from mine and you provide a very valuable service to me. Thanks! Really, I mean it.

I hope that you are enjoying your current training class and that you are enjoying your non specialty AF stuff. My job is fine as usual but I am getting bored which is never a good thing so I am working on several professional certifications that benefit my current job but also keep me exposed to something new and different. I just signed up for a Risk certification seminar which I need as the group risk champion and will once again schedule the PMP test to try to finally get my PMP cert. Your mom is about to kill me over that one. Schlepping around my study materials for 7yrs has her highly sensitive to me finishing. To sustain life I should make that happen.

There is also a Maintenance and Reliability Professional cert that the company likes but it certifies me on stuff that I did many years ago and that I am not particularly interested in revisiting so I am not sure about that one. Certifying for a backwards career move does not seem like a wise idea even if the company recommends it. I don’t do backwards well. But, to keep you mom in bling it may be a good idea. Ha!

Your Uncle Bruce was just notified that he will likely be transferred back to the US in June-July of next year. We plan on going for Carly’s HS graduation next year. Keep that in mind for your annual leave next year. Your mom and I will pick up your ticket if you can go. I have no doubt that their return to the States will coincide very closely to our departure for Qatar. Things like this always seem to work out that way. When we want to move closer to home and family they are in Singapore. When they are coming back, we move to the desert. Oh well. Such is life.

Well, I have to shut down and head home to spend the evening with my bride.

I am proud of you and I miss you son. CALL YOUR MOM!

Love,
Dad