At this point in time my re-integration period is occurring without incident. Although initially restless, I have started to really relax and am now looking to get back into a routine. Of course the Army has taken good care of us by quartering us in Limassol, Cyprus for 4 days to let off some steam befo
re we came back to Canada and assume our routine responsibilities. It really has been a challenge as Pattie has developed her own methods for doing things and now I have to refit into the mix. We learned some time ago when I was in theatre that she is in fact pregnant and we are expecting in September. We really have done some travelling over the last year. With both Pattie and I undertaking deployments abroad, we also took a more pleasurable trip to St Lucia in the new year.
re we came back to Canada and assume our routine responsibilities. It really has been a challenge as Pattie has developed her own methods for doing things and now I have to refit into the mix. We learned some time ago when I was in theatre that she is in fact pregnant and we are expecting in September. We really have done some travelling over the last year. With both Pattie and I undertaking deployments abroad, we also took a more pleasurable trip to St Lucia in the new year. 
Staying just outside of Castries, St Lucia is a progressive Caribbean country that has seemed to have taken the best traditions from its British and French colonial histories and also maintaining the richness of its own cultural background. We had a great time and the weather was extremely pleasant. The people were great and the landscape magnificent. My favorite feature was the swim up bar which we used to great effect. We were not particularly happy with the glass sizes but Pattie quickly resolved this by providing us with out own insulated (and rather large) cups. With 5 months of being dry behind me, it didn't take too many trips to the bar for me to find my rhythm. 
Cyprus of course was an unexpected bonus, and provided us with an excellent view of the Mediterranean sea but we were extremely glad to get home and link up with friends and family again. The process still continues, but we did take a trip out to Saint John area to visit Pattie's parents and family. As usual we were treated to the same high standard of hospitality that you would expect from the Maritimes. Staying at Pattie's brothers place we became acquainted with Doug and Wendy's new addition to the family "Mitchell". With her older sister "Sidney" I quickly learned that perhaps Afghanistan is not that bad of a place after all. The carnage that is left by those two is unbelievable and my hat goes off to their parents.... Doug, I don't know how you do it. 
Pattie's other Nephew's also were full of energy and once again I was able to play a bit of Playstation hockey with them although this time it was a draw. If I practice hard enough I am sure I can master the game. All in all it was a good trip. The route as always is bit long, however it was worth it and we look forward to doing it again. By the time the trip was done we were going to rest and relax in preparation to link up with my side of the family.
