Robert and Kenna

Recent Mission Photos 2010

2010-01-13T14:22:00.000-08:00

Here are some photos of Rob that he recently sent over. I've got a bunch more that I need to post so stay tuned! :)

Halloween 2009

2009-10-31T23:00:00.000-07:00

Halloween was a blast this year! The only thing that would have made it better is if Rob were home to play dress up with me! :) Here are some pics from the evening!

I love Lucy, Army Pin-up Couple, and I'm a Jockey. :)

Posing with Kristen and Andrea

Kristen and Adam. Loved his short shorts :)

Another halloween of finding last minute costumes! Kristen, next year lets plan a month in advance instead of a couple days! :)

My Riding Crop(whip) was the highlight of the costume! :)

Another Broadcast from Sha Joy!

2009-10-31T15:22:00.000-07:00

October Broadcast! Rob explains that they will be breaking ground soon for a Girls High School! I just love listening to him and watching him work. He is such an amazing man! Enjoy!

2009-10-25T11:16:00.000-07:00

Broadcast from Sha Joy. :)

News Report Sha Joy

2009-09-20T06:34:00.000-07:00

News Report on Rob! I just absolutely love him! What a stud! :)

Rob in Sari-Safa

2009-09-16T21:42:00.000-07:00

Some pictures from Rob! :) Yay!

At a school in northern Qalat.

He is in Shar-i-Safa meeting with the district chief and the local government officials. He was advising them on how to devise a district development plan.

In a pretty good conversation with some ANP guards in southern Zabul.

Qalat City

Close to FOB Mescall, Romanians letting Rob fire their sniper rifle.

At a base called FOB Apache in this photo.

Fun with the Girls!

2009-09-16T21:04:00.000-07:00

My mom gave us tickets to the Utah State Fair. It was nice to get out for a fun summer night!

Kristen and I.

Happy Sumo with Girlies!

Chilis- One of our Favorite Restaurants! :)

Overwatch for the Elections

2009-09-09T07:54:00.001-07:00

The second presidential election in Afghanistan was held on August 20th, 2009. The previous election held in 2004 was won by President Hamid Karzai, who was running for re-election. The President serves as the head of state and the Command-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Afghanistan. He or she is elected by receiving more than 50% of the votes. If none of the candidates for President receive more than 50% of the votes in the first round, a run-off election is held within two weeks. In this round, only two candidates with the highest number of votes are allowed to participate. In the run-off, the candidate who gets the majority of the votes will be elected as the President. The President serves a 5-year term.

The picture above is of Robert providing coverage on the day of election. His mission was to provide overwatch from Alexanders Castle to the City below, keeping an eye out for suicide bombers, ambushes and attacks on the polling stations. Two rockets, a few indirect fire attacks, a firefight between Taliban and the ANA, and an IED made up the days significant activity.

Tuscany

2009-09-09T07:00:00.000-07:00

This place is absolutely beautiful! I've been diligently hunting for a wedding venue for the past month. After looking at literally everything in Utah, this was my last stop. I couldn't be happier!

They're Sisters!!!

2009-09-08T20:23:00.001-07:00

Long story short, I met a lady who mentioned my dog (Adah) looked just like her daughters dog. They are both Chessapeake Bay Retrievers, both around a year old, and when I told her we got Adah from a breeder in Rupert, Idaho. . . we realized they are related. Not only are they related, they are sisters! From the same litter! The other dogs name is Mia, and they met again for the first time since puppies, last week. They played so cute together! They have their similarities and it was fun to talk about their personality traits. :) Here are some pics of them playing!

Labor Day Vacation

2009-09-08T19:55:00.000-07:00

My first real vacation since Rob left. Kristen and I went to her cabin at Flaming Gorge for 3 days of relaxation! We didn't take many pictures because we were busy playing with all her nieces and nephews, watching fireworks, and tubing on the lake! :) Soooo fun!

2009-08-15T21:09:00.000-07:00

Foot Patrol in Sha Joy.

Meeting with a Village Elder, going over projects that need to be completed in the area.

Crowded Bazaar in Sha Joy. (A bazaar is a permanent merchandising area, marketplace, or street of shops where goods and services are exchanged or sold.) Everything here is built out of mud, so when it rains the mud can be knee deep. They are hoping to pave this area to allow for a proper gutter and drainage system.

"Acoff, where the heck did you get a watermelon?" Acoff says, "Sir, I hope it's ok. . . I've been craving me a melon!" :) Rob told me the story of the picture above. I was laughing so hard because of the way he told it! I had to post this because I think it is such an adorable picture and it makes me smile when I think of Robs reaction to him having a watermelon!

Rob found an easier way to send me pictures! These are the first 4 of hopefully many that he will be able to send over. He tries to take a significant amount of video of their missions , which he then uploads and is able to take snapshots of the video and send them by email, to me. The picture quality isn't the greatest but I told him I'd take what I could get! :) Anything was better than nothing! So I am excited because I think that I should be able to post pictures of him at least once a week, as long as he keeps them coming!

The election is this week which means an expected increase in violence. Robs leave has now been decreased to only 7 days from what used to be 14 days. He isn't even sure when he will be able come home. There was talk of September but with the elections going on this week, he is thinking it will continue to get pushed back. I will keep everyone posted!

I have been sending him at least one box a week. This week I sent 5! (See post below) I know he doesnt like to eat a lot of the food over there so I mail him snacks to munch on in between meals, along with lots of protein to keep his body mass up so he will have the strength and endurance needed to get through his daily missions. He continually asks how things are back at home, how friends are doing and what his family is up to and why they haven't kept in contact. He said that he did receive a letter from a lady who was a pen pal of the soldier that was in Rob's position before he arrived in Afghanistan. When the previous soldier returned home, he passed on the soldiers information that would be replacing him, which happens to be Rob. :) This sweet lady sent him a letter and package with some M&Ms and popcorn. I thought that was the cutest thing that a complete stranger would send something to show her appreciation of his efforts over there! What a blessing it is to have good people like that in this world! Thank you to whoever you are. . . :)

Upon receiving his popcorn, we realized there was no way for him to cook it. The base does not have a microwave. . . so I decided I'd try to find one that was small enough to fit in a flat rate box but still had enough "juice" to cook a decent sized meal. So. . . I found this microwave at Costco. I am going to try to ship it to them so that the guys at his base can have a microwave to cook the food sent from loved ones back at home. We all know that a guys idea of dinner is anything that they can stick in one of these right?? :) I'm positive it will get some good use! :)

2009-08-15T21:02:00.000-07:00

Sending Daddy some boxes of goodies! :) She always tries to put her toys in the boxes. . . I take it out and when I go back to the box there is another one of Adah's toys in it! Next time I will get it on video. . . Cutest thing ever!

We miss you babe!!!

2009-08-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

My dad came to visit from San Diego! He was here for 4 days and I spent every night that I could with him! The first night we hung out at my Grandma's house while Adah was the center of attention, playing with toys and refusing to let anyone relax. :)

The 2nd night we had dinner at my place and played cards while enjoying the view of the valley and a wonderful sunset.

The next day, I took a half day off work and we went up to Sundance and walked around while waiting for our river rafting bus to arrive. We then rented a 4 man raft and went down the provo river! It was an absolute blast! Took us about 2 hours to get down the river and when we were on the last leg of the river, we got soaked by some teenagers that thought we needed to cool down. :) The water was 46 degrees so it was quite a shock at first but gave us a good laugh! On our way down the canyon we decided to hike up to bridal veil falls. What an incredible feeling it was to be misted by the freezing water while standing on the edge of the waterfall. :)

On his last day in town, he worked on my brothers bronco, and we enjoyed a late lunch before saying our goodbyes! It had been 9 months since I saw my Dad last, hopefully I'll get to make a trip down to Cali before too much time passes. Sure enjoyed having him here!

Finally a picture!

2009-08-03T20:50:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love this picture! It's the first one I have received in about a month and I can't stop looking at it! I think it is so neat to see the helicopters behind him and to see the terrain surrounding him. He was trying to send over a few pictures at once but only one made it through.
The internet at his FOB is not as fast as we originally were told. Rob has a hard time accessing email at the time and sending pictures or video, is next to impossible. They are looking into going with a different internet contract that promises faster speeds so hopefully that will be fixed by the end of the week!
He received his combat badge within a couple days of arriving in Afghanistan. They have engaged in quite a few attacks since last month but he has remained safe. The physical demands of what he is doing has really taken a tole on his body. His back and foot are always sore. He doesn't sleep nearly as much as he should. On his down time he is studying, networking with other knowledgable people, always trying to learn as much as he can.
I continually ask him if he needs anything, searching for ideas of good things to send him. I can't ever get him to really say he needs much. I have a lot of people asking me what they can send him and at this point I think lots of love and prayers is something that is most appreciated by him.
They have been discussing his "leave" dates and so far it is looking like it will be about a month before we know for sure. He was told September originally but then it was changed because of the elections that are taking place soon. I will keep you all posted since I'm sure I'm not the only one missing him like crazy!!!
Lots of missions and projects up ahead. He is in one of the most dangerous parts of Afghanistan right now and there is a lot of activity all around him. He is not able to share any information with me regarding his missions but I do pay close attention to a few websites, that I feel, give me an accurate idea of what is taking place over there. According to the casualties report for "operation enduring freedom" the number of coalition deaths was the highest last month (July). It is now at 77 deaths just last month alone which is almost double any other month since 9-11!
Rob is the most capable man I know. He has more determination and ambition than I've ever seen someone have. I believe he is absolutely qualified to do extraodinarily well and make such a difference in the lives of people around him. Even during these scary times, I have no doubt that he will make it home safely!
He sends his love home. He's always asking about everyone, always wanting to make sure things are going ok back in the States. He is missing his friends and family and looking forward to coming home and making lots of great memories!
If there is anyone that you know that would like to receive future blog updates then just get me their email and I will make sure to add them to the list. Thank you to everyone for all the support!

“Excellence is the result of caring more than others think is wise, risking more then others think is safe, dreaming more than others think is practical, and expecting more than others think is possible” – Marc Anderson

Camping in the Uintas

2009-07-27T20:16:00.000-07:00

Adah and I decided we wanted to get out of town for the holiday weekend! Adah has not been camping before and since it is one of my favorite things to do, we decided to go to the Uinta Mountains and find us a perfect camping spot! :)

My friend Steph and her husband came with us and we found the most amazing camping spot ever! We literally had no idea where we would end up when we began our road trip up the canyon, and we scouted out a few places before stumbling upon the "ideal" spot!

We had to hike our things down a small hill so that we were right by the provo river. There was a nice fire pit already built and a flat area for a tent. It was a very private secluded area and we literally had about a mile stretch of river to ourselves! It really doesn't get better than that!

Adah was in the water immediately, and I of course took a million pictures for Rob to see how well she swims and to show him how much fun she was having! She swam for 24 hours straight! I had to put her on a leash eventually, just to get her to dry off enough so she could go to bed inside the tent. :)

For Dinner we had tin foil dinners and Adah licked the tin foil spotless once we were finished. With a full belly and beyond exhausted we hit the sack and prayed we wouldn't have any curious animals coming around throughout the night.

I posted some videos of Adah playing in the river the next day. She was retrieving logs that were longer than her! They weren't sticks, they were actual logs!!! I couldn't believe her strength and determination! She was not satisfied until the whole log was out of the water! :) It was incredibly fun to watch her play! We are defintitely looking forward to Rob coming home and being able to take more camping trips, and hopefully visit this place again! The pictures do not do it justice!

2009-07-27T19:50:00.000-07:00

Update From Rob

2009-07-16T10:30:00.000-07:00

Rob was able to call me for the first time in a month, and it was so good to hear his voice. He used a satellite phone and said it probably took him twenty minutes to figure out how to dial home. :) He sounded great; enthusiastic and upbeat. His missions have been running at a high tempo, he never stops. He has moved into his own room and he sleeps on a full size mattress instead of a small cot like the rest of the soldiers. His living arrangements are unique because of his job title, which doesn't allow him to have a roommate. This will be the first time in over 6 months that he will be able to enjoy his own space and privacy.

He has completed some amazing missions since arriving there 15 days ago. He is out networking with village elders and meeting with other various branches of military. Everyone he has come in contact with really loves his ideas and mission plans. There is something about Rob that just makes him an amazing leader! His abilility to take charge and get things done has been tested frequently since arriving in Afghanistan. They have been attacked multiple times at the base he is staying at. He said that at one point, a RPG was shot at them and landed on the helicopter pad and DIDNT GO OFF. They had to call in a special team to difuse and remove it. Other times they have come across IED's either buried, or hidden, and they've had to secure the area while teams either diffuse or blow up the IED's. He has been able to stay safe throughout all of this and is confident his team is physically and mentally prepared for the next 8 months there.

Rob said Afghanistan is like going back in time to the 1300's. Everything is pretty basic, only about 15% of the land is suitable for farming and the basic infrastructures we are used to here in America are simply non-existent. Electricity is sporadic and dependent on generators, water shortages are common and the water that is provided is usually contaminated.

The 4 boxes that I mailed him on July 3rd still have not arrived so it seems it's hit and miss with the mail. The first time I mailed a package to him I think it only took a week. I sent him 1000 baby wipes and plenty of hand sanitizer, along with a few other essential items so hopefully they arive soon! When sending packages, I use the flat rate box, which allows me to make the box as heavy as I want and I only pay a flat rate of around $11 for the largest box. It really helps when you are sending over 4 boxes equalling almost 100 lbs of goodies for him. :)

The unit that was residing in Afghanistan the previous 9 months has been released to go home and in the meantime all of Rob's guys have arrived in country and are settling into their rooms. The taliban was attacking the compound as units were leaving to go home, and the new soldiers were coming in-which made for a pretty hectic week for Robert. Now that his guys are all there and the other units have left it has quickly become much more organized and Rob thinks things are really going to pick up! He is confident that his guys will be successful with the missions they have planned out and looks forward to really making a difference over there! I believe he is making the best of things and staying enthused about his job duties and missions. He misses home, but is confident the next 8 months will go by fast, especially with how incredibly busy he is.

Where to begin?

2009-07-09T17:05:00.001-07:00

He finally sent a picture! :) I am sure everyone is anxious to see what he has been up to and where he is staying. I have to be cautious when posting things on this blog so my apologies in advance for being vague on the details. Some updates that he has given me over the last couple weeks are:
The helmet cam that we bought sucks!
He has a hard time finding anything good to eat (vegetarian) so he's been basically living off the protein shakes I sent him! :)
He never sleeps! Has more than one mission a day sometimes. Usually ends up doing missions throughout the night as well.
It's hot!
There are Ants the size of Spiders! (Gross!)
Might get his own room "he calls it his cardboard box"! :)
Busy, Busy, Busy. The tempo is unlike anything he's ever experienced before.

So far we've been able to email back and forth at least every other day, which is better than we assumed. I was hoping we wouldn't have to resort back to world war II days, where letters arrived 3 weeks later.
My first shipment of boxes actually beat him to Afghanistan, I think it took about a week is all. I just sent off my second shipment (4 boxes) and am waiting to see how long it takes for those to arrive. I mailed him plenty of snacks and a few essentials he asked for. Hope it all gets to him before he resorts to eating (what he calls) the "rock hard salt ball yogart deal" . :)

2 weeks down and 8 1/2 months to go!

2009-07-09T17:05:00.000-07:00

Hiking-Bonneville Shoreline Trail

2009-07-09T16:00:00.000-07:00

Adah and I went hiking with some family members over the July 4th weekend. We followed the Bonneville Shoreline Trail South and ended up finding 2 amazing waterfalls! Adah was in heaven and loved pulling sticks out that were twice her body length! :) We are hoping to do the Lone Peak hike at the end of summer. . . Way too out of shape to attempt it right now!

Leaving to Afghanistan

2009-06-19T18:37:00.000-07:00

Rob getting ready to board the C5. It is a bitter sweet moment for us. This is the beginning of his lengthy deployment which is frightening and somber, but at the same time its nice to know we can start crossing off the days of his 9 months away!