Hey All, an update!

Well all,

I'm in Saipan which is part of the Marianas Islands. I'm at one of the local hangout bars. I've had a few drinks, which is probably too many. There isn't much here to do so it's usually just end up at the same place every night. Last night they had this kickin' cover band and they totally rocked! Gave me total inspiration to learn the guitar and songs and maybe get back into the vocal realm. Well, tonight a different band is playing. I really can't drink enough to make them sound better, hence the reason I'm blogging.

On the technical side of the house, they are running a Cerwin-Vega combination which has got way too may watts for this Small place, but it seems to work if you enjoy permanent hearing damage. Using a Berringer board. I'm not sure what kind of amps, but that is okay. Bass is killer! Last night and tonight the bass players were playing 5 string bass's. They are pretty good. Last nights band covered Nickleback, Brittney Spears, 3 Doors Down, and such. This band has slaughtered way to many to even claim they tried. I figured if I had a few more, they'd sound better. Well, nope. I guess I shouldn't talk because I still suck, but I'm trying to learn. It's okay, everyone has got to start somewhere.

Well, so far we've been to Guam and Saipan. Guam was on base liberty only which was okay. Saipan I golfed and spent way too much at the bar. Went to a Vegas like Copperfield show. Wasn't worth the money, but I can say I did it at the Hyatt Regency in Saipan.

My chain of command has proven to be exactly what the rumors have been. You have to be very careful of who you select as friends and trust. I think I've found a select group, most have transferred in with the same opinion. Hopefully we'll be home soon. Man, I pray that is the case.

Life Church seems to be moving along. I got a e-mail from Alex the other day. He said that they are in the new building now, but tithe has been way down. I'm praying that it comes up and that they are growing and glorifying more then I could even imagine. Keep them in your prayers!

Well, I'm going to go now. I'll talk to you all later!

Update from the ship.

Ok so here is the latest email from Chris. I figured I would let you all know how he is doing. Oh yeah Ryan and I are doing as good as we can be.

Stephanie

Well all,

Here we are on day three. It was a busy day for the ship today but not so much for me. I ended up catching up on some sleep and moving my test equipment around. We had Hamburgers for lunch which weren’t too horribly overcooked and Pork Adobo for dinner. Yes, I ate Pork Adobo. I will be soon attempting to maintain a diet and start to loose weight. I have no “goal” per say, but I would like to loose at least 15 or 20 pounds.

After dinner I broke out my guitar and learned some fundamentals. I actually know what each string is now (EADGBE)! I even know how to play a scale, and how to play different notes on different strings. Tomorrow I’ll probably learn more about Chords and such. ET2 Francis, also named Chris, has been kind enough to teach me. So if you really think about it, in three days, about an hour or two a day, I’ve learned a lot.

Our internet/e-mail connectivity was down for a while but seems to be straightened out. I’ve noticed a few people have commented on my you tube videos, but you tube is an unauthorized website. I’m having blog withdrawals like you wouldn’t believe! I just want to blog away about all the silly stuff, how much I miss Stephie and Ryan, etc.

Tomorrow looks like an interesting day. I’ll send out an e-mail and keep you all updated. I keep forgetting to import my address book off of my thumb drive (which is in my rack right now) so I know that I’m missing many people. If you happen to speak/e-mail them, let them know I haven’t forgotten. I should be getting off of here. There’s not going to be much hot water left in the showers by the time I get there. I know I’m supposed to do our Navy Showers (which I do) but it is nice to have hot water when you take one! Talk to you all soon!

-Chris

Deploying, NOW.

Well all,

I know I have a ton of fans who read this so, I'll see you in a few months! When I pull into a port where I have internet, I will post and let you know what's going on. I'm not allowed to post from the ship.

Well, I must really go, otherwise I will be late. Take care all of you and see you soon!

Shipboard Mailing Address

Hey All,

Here's my shipboard mailing address if you want to snail-mail me:

ET2(SW/AW) Stout, Christopher H.
USS GERMANTOWN (LSD-42)
ACU-5 Det Charlie
FPO AP 96666-1730

Send whatever you want, just don't expect it to get to me in 5 business days. They usually take about a month and a half. Also, baked goods, um, just remember that they'll be sitting there for a while and a rat or two might help themselves. Don't send beer, as much as I may want it. Don't send anything fragile or valuable. If you send DVD's, or movies, just make sure they are packaged correctly.

As far as the e-world, all of my e-mail addresses will be forwarded to the ship. If you absolutely must update your address books, you can e-mail me at stoutch@lsd42.navy.mil and you can check out the website here.

Well, that's all for now. I have to finish packing. Talk to you later.

New Family Pictures

So, this goes directly against Los' successful blogging secrets (or maybe it doesn't), but here are some pictures that we had taken on Wednesday:

Copies available upon request!

Good Times, Good People.

So, we had a few people over last night:

• Alex & Jen McLean
• Chuck Hudson
• Josh McConnel & Christi Harris
• James Van De Water
• Chris Clark
• Robert & Maria Libert
• And a couple of Josh's and Christi's friends.

We ordered pizza from Murrieta Pizza & Brewing Company which was pretty good! They do offer a Military Discount FYI. Anyway, it was a pretty low tech evening so we didn't get any pictures; however, it was just a good little get together of some of our closest friends before we left.

Thank you for coming over guys! James, Chris and Josh are deploying with me, but I look forward to seeing the rest of you soon!

Happy Birthday Mom!

I just wanted to say, that today was my mother's birthday! Happy Birthday Mom! Wish we were with you!