Hi, hola, konecheewa, yobosay-o, asalam alaykum

Well, been here a week and already have some pretty good stories. Got my first flight today, good stuff. Still trying to catch up on sleep. Hopefully the lag passes soon. i have been going out and seeing the town. Went to an open market the other day called Baata. You can find pretty much anything there from electronics to old military stuff to nuggets of gold. The prices are borderline astronomical. You can barder down the price some but it's usually still well over US prices. Found out shipping costs a butt load of money to get things sent here. Got into our 1st auto accident. The driving here is 10 times worse than NYC. Everyone honks all the time like NY but they also make their own lanes. A 2 lane road turns into a 4 lane road somehow. People will make a left hand turn from the far right lane. We were going straight as someone on our right side decided to turn left. It's interesting what events happen when there is an accident. You stop exactly where you are at, wait for the police which could take minutes or hours. I've heard sometimes they will take everyone to jail and decide blame there, witnesses included. I also heard if you are passenger, it's a good idea to book it. We stayed around for this one and blame was placed on the other person on the spot. Anyhow, exciting stuff. Other than that, just trying to find things to keep busy. Well, that's about it for now. I'm sure i'll have more to write as I start traveling more. So take care all, catch ya next time

Welcome to the Kingdom

Well I made it to Riyadh. It was a long trip and I'm definitely feeling the jet lag now. My coworkers say it takes about a day per hour you lose from where you came from. So in about 10 days I should be back to normal. I have a very nice room with great amenities. Went into HQ today for a little bit and got some stuff done. So far so good. Everyone has been great and can't wait to start flying. Thanks to everyone for your support. Until next time.

Riley

Thought i'd have a pic of my dog up. I miss her

15 hours to go

Well I am finally feeling human. The reality set in that I am leaving. I am not nervous but ready to get going. Just found out my buddy / old pilot got his job offer yesterday to come fly. I'm stoked to have someone I will know that also knows the area. Liz, it was great seeing you today and I am gonna miss you a lot. Glad I had the chance to see you. And here is my promise I will come home safely. Well I can't sleep so I will just play with this new itouch I got. It rocks!

Bye Phoenix

Well i'm starting the first part of my adventure. I'm sitting at the airport waiting to go to Michigan to spend a couple of days with the parents. Thank you Liz for coming to Phoenix and I love you. Thank you dad for coming too. I gave my girl away to my sis - aka my grand cherokee. 10 years and she's been great. Treat her good. I thought i'd be getting a little nervous about all this but to my surprise I am not. I couldn't be more ready. I just want to get there already. I arrive in Riyadh at 2100 on the 16th and start first thing the next morning. Thank you everyone in Phoenix that have been great friends and given me lots of memories. I will cherish them. Godspeed!

My plane ticket is booked!

Well it's official, 100%. My plane ticket is set for Feb 15th. I am leaving for Michigan on the 11th to spend some time with family. I'm packing everything up right now and wow, do I have a lot of stuff. Thank you to my friends here that are helping me out. It really takes a lot of the stress away. I gave Riley to Karen, a nurse in Colorado. She has a great family and lab named Jake. I hope she does ok until i get back. I miss her a lot. So just tying up some loose ends here. Hopefully I get the chance to see most of my friends before I leave. My pops will be here Saturday and my Sis and Eli will be here Monday. About time my dad visits me in AZ. Well next time i post will probably be just before i leave or when i arrive in Riyadh.