Nearly 9 months after coming back from Iraq, I have finally finished cleaning and organizing a garage. The garage is certainly a small step for humanity, and probably a small step for most people. But, for whatever reason, having a clean and organized garage (except for Shayna's Pilates machine which I promise will get moved!) is a great indicator that we've finally settled into a place. Of course, it's also a great indicator that I've ran out of excuses for not unpacking. For the first time since 1999, I have finally completely unpacked from the military.
I have roughly a week left on the military payroll until I'm completely out of the military. For the past 70 plus days, I've been working for LAM Research while on leave. LAM Research is a semiconductor equipment company that produces machines, for a lack of a better term, that are integral to the production of computer chips. The machines that LAM makes, and exports, etch and clean the silicon wafers at fabrication plants worldwide for other companies that buy our products. This is obviously not what my West Point Physics instructors would've predicted my post-Army career would involve - but I'm having a great time here. The technology, pace, and the quality of people who work with me at LAM are all exactly what I wanted to do outside of the military. As an extra sweetener, my work is roughly a 5-8 minute drive from our home.
Unfortunately, I'm loathe to really describe what I do at LAM yet as I'm still figuring it out! But, basically, I work in an organization called Business Operations that acts as both a planner, manager, and sort of a traffic cop if you will for manufacturing and other business processes within LAM. There are a number of analogies that I've heard that describe what Business Operations does at LAM. But, I'll leave that for another blog post - by then I hope I can articulate them more succinctly.
Recently Shayna and I have been exploring California on the weekends. We went down to San Louis Obispo and met some absolutely amazing people there. I hope we get to go down there again in June actually. This time though, I won't try to take Highway 1 on the way back because the drive is a bit too slow for a Sunday evening (i.e. narrow, curvy, and touristy).
Oh, and finally, it is the thrill of a lifetime to feel your baby kick through her mom's stomach. Lily is either going to be a soccer player or a volleyball player, that's for sure given her love of kicking (fist pump?!) inside of Shayna! Regardless of volleyball, soccer, or anything else she wants to do - she's going to have a Dad who loves her.
O.k., well, it's time to get to bed. I wake up at 4:30am Monday through Friday so I can get to the gym and then get to work by 7:15am. It's a good routine, and not too brutal because I work so close to home. The working close to home has also allowed me to go home for lunch and see Shayna.
Life is good.
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