Giving Thanks

Ouch. I ache all over this morning. I expected to feel this way last Thursday after the PT Nazi led us through the 12-days of PT. Yesterday, the PT Nazi went back to the usual stations around the basketball court. There were probably about 21 stations, and about every third station, he would have us run laps on the bleacher steps. Those bleacher steps really kick my butt. It was a good workout and I left sweating profusely as usual.

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So Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

What am I thankful for this Thanksgiving?

- I'm thankful for being blessed with my Lovely Wife and two great little boys (they have their moments, but overall they're both great kids).

- I'm thankful that I was blessed to have such a loving and supportive extended family.

- I'm thankful for the opportunity I have had to serve my country on the pointy-end of the spear doing the really cool tactical things that SSNs get to do (but we can't tell you about).

- I'm thankful for all the places around the globe the Navy has taken me. Granted, one or two I didn't enjoy so much, but I am grateful for the experience of having seen those places so they make me appreciate the places I like all the more.

- I'm thankful for the opportunity to spend Thanksgiving with my family this year.

- I'm thankful for so many of my fellow service men and women (like my very good friend Steve in the picture above) who are forward deployed on the pointy-end of the spear and not with their families this Thanksgiving. I'm also thankful for the families like Kim, Josh, Daniel, and Adam who wait at home for Steve and provide him their love and support around the globe while putting up with so many sacrifices in his absence.

- I'm thankful for KLOVE radio. It helps lift me up, keep things in perspective, and remind me of the many blessings in my life. Not only do we have KLOVE repeater station here in Hawaii (some of our previous duty stations have not had KLOVE), but here we actually have two frequencies. So when I get static or interference on one, I can switch to the other.

- I'm thankful for pecan pie. :-9

- I'm thankful for our Command PT program that'll help me work off that pecan pie when I've finished it off.

- I'm thankful we were blessed with a nice house in one of the newer housing areas of Pearl Harbor instead of one of the older places that will eventually get torn down.

We've got a majority of the wardroom coming over for Thanksgiving dinner later today. As for now, I need to go to the boat and take a couple of pies that LW baked for the guys on duty.