THANKS FOR ALL THE PACKAGES AND CARDS!

To all- thanks to all my friends and family for sending all the packages, cards, gifts, snacks, "stuff," well wishes, and prayers my way. It is really uplifting to us when we come to work to look at the mail call and see that you have something waiting for you pick up. I really do appreciate it very much, as do all service members who are deployed during the holidays away from family and friends. It has especially ramped up, obviously, during the Christmas season.

Throughout the month of December, coming in for a call day is almost like waking up Christmas morning and coming down the stairs to see what Santa has left you. One day was especially "bountiful," as you can see from the picture. My trauma team had to take a cart out to the mail tent to get all of our boxes, packages, cards, and letters! Like Christmas morning, we open up the packages together and see what everyone has gotten. It truly is a lot of fun. Some of the things we hoard for ourselves, but much gets shared among the team and the rest of the ER (especially the food :)! Now, I will have to admit, some of the stuff we get is a little "different." Not sure what I am supposed to do with the chicken-loofah thing but it did make an interesting hat. My corpsman Will enjoyed being Rudolf for the day with the blinking nose and Santa antlers he received!

Again, my heartfelt thanks for remembering me and my fellow service members during this holiday season so far away from home!