Less Than A Month

In less than a month from now I will be sitting in my new apartment in Texas enjoying the little luxuries of life such as:  seeing my familyJ; a fully stocked grocery store right down the road; the ability to drive my Jeep when and where I want; wearing my hair down with civilian clothes, earrings, and makeup; being able to cook my own healthy meals; no rifle to carry around all the time; no wondering if the latest boom was a controlled detonation or an indirect fire strike; weekends J; a place to live that has a real kitchen, indoor flush toilet and shower with hot water; a washing machine and dryer to use when I want/need; wearing contacts again (or maybe getting laser eye surgery); being many time zones closer to my family and friends; being able to spend time with my friends while wearing civilian clothes in a setting other than the DFAC; being able to go home in the evening and get away from the military world for a bit, or at least the majority of it;  clean drinking water from the tap; the ability to have an alcoholic drink if I want to, although I still don’t like the taste of alcohol very much; no longer wondering if this week might finally be a week where we don’t go on commo blackout; the ability to use the internet without having a time limit or waiting in line; a really cool cell phone (I have one picked out already that I want to get); being able to tithe right away; bookstores; going clothes shopping; not having to wear ballistic eye protection every time I go outside; baking from scratch with both a sink and even a dishwasher nearby; and finally, being home from Iraq!!!