Another countdown from the atrocity that has become Black Friday to Cyber Monday weekend, plus extended hours and days to buy things for yourself and family members to open on Christmas to show them how much you care about the items they can later throw away. I always loved the gifts my mom got me, feeling like she knew me the most and then Caleb came along and got to know me on a different level — one more adult and personal, but a change happened to where we stopped collecting panties and cups and other trinkets and experiencing moments that would last in our memories for as long as we could take pictures, write about them, and retell them.

In living with this tradition, we have started off the month with a BBQ of steaks and chicken for the guys, veggie skewers with pineapple for me, and some sausages for Michael’s (renter of the villa where the event was held in Amwaj) British girlfriend when she arrived later after work. Caleb made potato salad and there were two giant bowls of mac-n-cheese (one more al dente than the other) to go along with other food. Some guys watched TV while I got to meet Cheng (Reggie is his civilian name) and who Caleb had made a birthday cake for — to celebrate the oldest guy on their ship at 37 years old.