Renee: Thank you also.
It is actually unseasonably cool down here due to Fay and Gustav. We are slowly emerging from the regional 2 year drought so I guess that’s the upside to an active Hurricane season. We are having so much fun just kicking around eating lunch out, getting some things repaired, and as you might guess, catching up on our all important video viewing: a plug for “Lars and the Real Girl”. Great acting, almost zero profanity and endearing story. Patricia Clarkson,(as always) delivered a great performance as FP-shrink in a small northern Ontario town. (Another reason I loved it) and Ryan Gosling was perfectly cast. You would like it …although Ted might not. A great, my-husband-is-tdy-again movie.

Thanks to everyone for your well wishes and support. We are enjoying the days before Erik heads back to work in a couple of weeks.

We did stop at EAMC last week as Erik needed to ‘check-in’ and submit paperwork/meet with the Chief of Medicine. On the elevator someone shouted out from the crowd, “Well if it isn’t Dr. Rupard, back from Iraq!”
I also had to practically pry his department co-workers away from him so we could finally go eat lunch. There was a significant reception line of happy/rejoicing women!! (and a fellow soldier who had been out there at the same time as Erik). It was a nice homecoming for him.

Welcome Home! Best wishes to you, Lorri and the girls. I have some backtracking to do in your blog, as I have been swamped in recent days, but it is on my to-do list (so don’t dismantle). Thank you for making such good use of your time away- the history, comedy, philosophy and testimony that you have compiled is really a treasure.

Gary Fillmore

I’m so glad you are reunited! We will continue to pray for you as re-entry can bring it’s own struggles! Meanwhile enjoy the honeymoon phase, the Georgia heat(which probably feels like nothing after Iraq)and your family!

Love Renee

Thanks for the call last night. Even though we were both yawning into the phone, the love as still there, and I am glad you took the time to call me. It sounds as if your reunion was as sweet as you had hoped it would be, and for that I am grateful. Lorri must be beside herself with joy, not to mention the three musketeers.

So what did you think of Joe Biden? He seems like a good man, I wish he was running for president, and not Barack. I can’t wait to find out who McCain chooses, as I feel sure it will be Romney. We can only hope and pray. sometimes the good guys don’t finish last. He would be a good complement to McCain and I hope he has sense enough to choose him.

I am so happy you are home . My dearest wishes of the last 6 months are come true. I am so happy for all of you and I feel a new perspective for the servicepeople of our country and what they sacrifice on behalf of this great country.

I love you with all my heart and then some, Mit

P.S. I can’t abide Hillary. I hope we won’t be seeing too much more of her. Even little Juliet is sick of her.