Brown County Inn - Nashville, Indiana

In lieu of Dad coming home from Iraq, we thought it would be a good idea to escape away for the weekend with the whole family. We decided Brown County would be the perfect place. Lots of shopping, swimming and hiking. We were able to have four rooms right next to each other, so the kids were able to go from room to room.

Sunday, February 14th - Happy Valentine's Day!!! I knew we were spending Valentine's Day away so I brought the girls and Lance's Valentine's Day gifts with us. The girls were so funny. I could have given them a pack of gum and they would have been happy.

The second we told the kids it was time to swim they would throw on their suits and take off down the hallway.

The pool was so warm and we had the whole pool to ourselves. The kids really enjoyed every moment they were able to swim. They especially loved being able to chicken fight. Samantha was hilarious. She is my little fighter. Very determined and also very competitive.


In the park we found a look out tower to climb. It probably wasn't the safest thing for us to do. The steps had ice and snow on them, but we had fun climbing it anyways.

There was also a nature center in the park that we were able to visit. There was one room full of different stuffed animals and another room set up for bird watching. It was neat to see all of the different kinds of birds that would come right up to the window.

These pictures are the best of the four kids. The girls are both wearing the Valentine's presents. They loved getting compliments from complete strangers.

The lodge had a very nice restaurant in it. They had excellent food and it was nice not to have to leave the warm inn to get a meal, especially with all of the kids.

Back to the swimming pool. You may have to click on the below pictures to see them well. My children are up in the rafters of the pool room. Reuben can throw them higher than anyone else. They absolutely loved it. Poor Reuben must have been exhausted.

We headed home early on Monday, due to the incumbent weather. We drove for about an hour then stopped for some breakfast. Everyone was in good spirits and optimistic about the ride home even though we were in the middle of a snow storm. Erin was even feeling better. She had spent the weekend in bed and missed most of the activities, because of an illness and fever. We all felt so bad for her.

The ride home was fine. We just took our time and the girls watched one of their princess movies on the DVD player. I think we made it home in a little over three hours. Which is not bad at all considering the amount of snow on the roads.

Valentine's Day Party

Valentine's Day Party at Locust Corner Elementary School - February 12, 2010
Laney's Kindergarten classroom

Friday - I was able to work from home today, which gave me the opportunity to run over to Laney's Kindergarten classroom during my lunch hour for her Valentine's Day party. She was so excited to see me walk through the door of her room. She stood up, ran over and gave me the biggest hug. I was so glad I decided to help with the celebration and see Laney with all of her friends in Mrs. Schmittou's classroom.

Snow Day! Tuesday, February 9th

SNOW DAY! YEAH! What a fun day! The girls were excellent and such good little helpers!

We spent the first hour shoveling the driveway snow into a huge pile. I let the girls sled ride down the pile, which helped pack it down. Then we went inside to warm up. After a couple of hours inside we were experiencing a little bit of cabin fever, so back outside we went. The girls now wanted me to help build an igloo. I must say it turned out pretty awesome!!!

My girls are so stinkin' cute! I told the girls we will make the igloo big enough for the whole family to fit inside, the next time it snows. Looks like I will be busy this week!!!

Welcome Back from Iraq

(letter from my Dad on Sunday, January 31st, 2010, Last Day in Iraq)

To my family and friends,

I am sitting here in at tent at Camp Klecker where this adventure started nearly 19 months ago. I will be leaving here tomorrow morning to catch a flight to Dubai and then on to the States. I sit here with mixed emotions. The joy of a reunion with my wife, children, grand kids, and the rest of my family is foremost on my mind. Re-connecting with good friends who have supported our family through this adventure,will bring a since of relief and happiness in the knowledge that you have been there to make the time pass quickly and without to many bumps along the way. A debt for which it will be difficult, if not impossible to repay.

During the time that I have been gone, many people have asked, "Why". My good friend Bill Watson said it the best. "If you know Todd, you wouldn't have to ask that question". Those of you that know me closely understand why I decided to do this. It is not a mystery. In fact, I know that many of you would have done the same thing if circumstances in your lives were different. Know this, I have loved every minute of being here. At the same time I have missed being with my family and friends. Each of you have made contributions that made it possible for this to happen and for that I want to thank you.

There is an interesting quality about living in a war zone environment. I have never felt more alive then when I have been closest to the grim reaper. Every time we went out on mission I realized it could be the last. You learn to understand and accept that concept. You have to accept it or you cannot function. That reality was made more real this last week. I thought that I would make it through this mission without any causalities. Unfortunately that didn't happen. This last week we lost an employee who died from a mortar round that dropped into his chu. He was with another employee. One survived, one died from the blast. I was hoping to return home and say that we didn't lose anyone while I was here, but that is not the case. It reinforced the idea that each of us lives on borrowed time. There is no promise of tomorrow. We cannot change the past. We have each day to improve ourselves and the world around us.

If there is one important lesson that I take back with me, it is to cherish each moment that we have. Keep those dear to us close. Be patient and understanding. Forgive quickly. Be mentally prepared for the worse. Give thanks to God for a new chance as each day dawns. When I came to Iraq I had no ill conceived ideas or misconceptions about what I had to offer. However my goal was to one day look back 20 years from now and say that I had a part in building the foundation of a new born country. Iraq has been at the mercy of one invader after another for thousands of years. For the first time they have the chance to decide their own fate. What they do with it is up to them. I leave knowing that I did just a little bit to help it along the way. I rely on the "Butterfly Effect". You just never know what influence you had on one individual who could change the future. One Iraqi said it best. Iraq is like a torn carpet. It can be mended, but it will not look the same. Maybe it shouldn't, but it will be up to them to make it happen.

It is with great excitement and enthusiasm that I close this chapter of my life and begin the next. What that chapter will look like I do not know. My children have made it clear that my lone adventures are over. I believe that my wife is up for a challenge after she retires, so maybe my next adventure will be "our" adventure. I know this much, I am not ready to sit back and watch the world go by. It is not in my nature to do so. So again, thanks to each of you. I am looking forward to seeing all of you soon.

Sincerely Yours,

Todd or Alan or Jidu

Alan Laney

FOB Commander

FOB Kalsu MND-SInternational Narcotics and Law Enforcement Babylon

EMAIL: alan_laney631@hotmail.com