Hey Gurka,

Sorry about the IT problems...



Remeber what I said early on about how your mind will almost always think of the "worst"??? She might, but then again she might not.

If you're still in Plan-A mode, then recgnize this thought/feeing and then put it away. Otherwise, the next time you e-mail/talk with your wife you're liable to say something like "..and you've been hanging out with your ex in Dallas" Again, might be true, but then again, it might not.

Do you guys have anything special planned for the 4th?

Semper Fi,

RIF

Yeah, work! A longer day than usual, actually.

Good Morning Gerka!

I've been wondering how you are doing. Seems like you are losing steam.

This point is worth repeating, frequently.
Tuck this away to remind yourself to continue Plan A until a different plan is started.
Gerk, you really don't know how this will play out, until you get home.

Keep on with the letters and the pics.
WW says that she doesn't look at them, I highly doubt that.
If she reads your letters, she looks at the pics.

Continue doing the best Plan A that you can, under your circumstances.

Hey Gurka - Thanks for all that you're doing!

Semper Fi,

RIF

Hey Gerka and RIF, Thanks for your sacrifice and all you do to keep us safe. Happy 4th of July!

I never served with them, but much of my life was spent in the company of United States Marines. To them, and to all who wear the uniform of my country, whatever service branch, I salute you in your dedication and sacrifice.

Thus, I hope you will take this in the spirit it is offered:

HOORAH!

Thanks for your sacrifice and for keeping us safe. Thinking about you and all of your comrades this July 4th.

Hey Gurka - Just checking in to see how you're doing...

Semper Fi,

RIF

Ok. Ww picked up the dog and took him back to AZ. She sent me an email telling me he remembered her and seemed fine. Haven't heard from her since she got back to AZ though.

So now does she have the dog and her brother?

Hey Gurka,

Baby steps... so her e-mail wasn't mean or nasty? That's a GOOD thing!

How many days until you re-deploy?

Semper Fi,

RIF

I believe she has the dog and her brother, but I'm not really sure about the brother. There was some talk of sending him home a while back. About 2 weeks until I redeploy.

Just wondering because having her brother living with her is not going to be as easy as she thinks.

Your wife is going through a lot right now - father sick, no dog, brother, her career and affair.

Follow the MB plan and ramp up Plan A. Send friendly emails asking about how the trip with the dog was, glad that the dog remembered her, how you miss the dog, how is her brother, blah, blah, blah.

Pretty soon you can go to Plan B.

Hope you are doing okay.........

Hooah! I like believer's suggestion... ramp up your Plan-A. Once you're home, you can re-evaluate where things stand with her.

Semper Fi,

RIF

Finally heard something back from her:

I just got back to my room. It was such a long day. There's been so much work to do lately I'm constantly on the move, running around putting out (figurative) fires. Also trying to put together a continuity book for my replacement that should be here at the end of the month. I got a tough box packed full of stuff to ship back to Fort Polk. I need another tough box but the PX is always running out of them. I haven't bitten my nails in weeks now. Also I've gained about 10 lbs since I've been here, I've been trying this gallon of milk a day diet and it seems to be working pretty well, though it'll be easier to keep up when I can buy gallons instead of drinking 15 little containers of milk each day.

Just wanted to touch base with you. I hope Apollo's settling into the dry AZ climate well and hasn't pooped on the floor or gotten into the garbage. I love you both very much. Hope you have a good weekend.


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Apollo is doing fine, I do know how to take care of him after all.

So when exactly are you coming back? You still planning to come to Arizona? And what do you plan to do about my stuff? Or do I not get that back either?

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I should be back by the 4th of August at the latest, though I think I should be back a bit before that, hopefully before the 1st of August.

I'll come to AZ if you want me to, so we can spend some time talking. I think not trying to sit down and talk through all of this would be regrettable, and I'm willing to fly there to try and do that. I'm not just going to show up unannounced\uninvited though.

I'm not sure why you're worried about getting your things back; I think I've been pretty good about getting you the things you want and need, at least I've been trying. We can decide together how we want to handle our stuff.

Love,
GG

Sheesh, at first read I thought that the initial paragraph was from WW to you and thought WOOHOO, this sounds good......but that was from you to her.

You are doing so well with your emails, not a nasty jab in there at all.
I just want to shake WW myself and tell her what a fool she is for not seeing the great young man before her. UGH!

Gerka, I've never heard of a 'milk diet', I can't imagine that working. lol!
(maybe the idea is that you will feel so full, of milk, you won't feel like eating!)

Trudge onward. You will be home soon, this is good.

It's a weight gaining diet. You drink a gallon of milk a day. It works. Trying to get from 170lbs up to 190lbs or so. I'm a runner type so it's hard work.

I give my ds10 (who is a swimmer) whole milk....it does put a few pounds on him....he needs the calories because he swims 4 days a week for an hour...that is outside of normal kid play.

I don't understand why anyone in the world would want to GAIN weight. You are going to get older, not be as active, and will have your metabolism slow down. That will be more weight to take off in the future. As someone who runs 25 miles a week, spends another 4 hours in the gym weight training, and tries to watch what he eats, people like you guys make me angry. I'm jealous. Having trouble putting on weight is a heck of a lot better than having trouble taking it off.