The Lion in the Valley

This post is dedicated to my my fellow servicemembers who are doing the good work for America and its Allies...especially Curt and the rest of the PRT in Panjshir.  :)

With Afghanistan on my mind most days, this is my lapis and lion piece that I designed with Curt in mind.  I picked up the lion beady from Artybecca who posted a few more feline pics the other day.  Plus, the color inspiration for mixing the smokey quartz with the rich blue Afghan lapis came from Cindy Gimbrone who had a great post on Monday featuring that color combo.

Here's a recent photo from Panjshir...

(Left to right) Mohammad "Marshal" Qasim Fahim, Afghanistan first vice president; James DeHart, U.S. Department of State and Provincial Reconstruction Team Panjshir director; Khalid Siddiqi, PRT Panjshir political advisor; and U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Curtis Velasquez, PRT Panjshir commander, talk during a May 20 meeting at Fahim's home in the Khenj District.

You can read more about this meeting and tons of other things happening in Afghanistan and around the world at the DVIDS website.

I'm not the only one with my mind on the comings and goings of folks in Afghanistan. Over on Summers Studio blog, you'll hear the love and concern of a mom whose son is in the Kunar Province.

Many thanks for your prayers, good wishes, and support. 

Jen

A Treasury Tribute to My Sweetie and His Team...

My husband, Curt, is still in Afghanistan. This morning I was thinking of him as I spent some time looking for lions and lapis...things that make me think of Afghanistan and, specifically, the Panjshir Valley.

Here's a screenshot of the Treasury I came up with...

Curt's Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) is working hand in hand with other U.S. agencies and local Afghans within the Panjshir Province of Afghanistan.  Why lions? Panjshir means "five lions" and is noted as the home to Ahmed Shah Massoud, known as the "Lion of Panjshir."  Why lapis?  It's pretty!  And, he sends me some, occasionally.  :)

If you're interested in seeing more about the PRT mission in Panjshir, here's a recent video that shows the importance of the relationships between the PRT folks and the local security forces.

My Air Force: Simple & Chunky

They're ready for primetime!!!

The Air Force blue themed pieces that I'm donating to the 2010 Air Force Charity Ball!  A couple of weeks ago (okay more than a month ago) I posted about the custom blue wacky chunky beads I got from Heather at HMB Studios...well, it has taken me this long to realize that I really needed to keep it simple. This project was starting to stress me out! 

For the necklace I ended up with a simple gathering of the disks that makes the best of the clouds, wind, air, and entrails that come to mind when thinking of Air Force blue.  The inspiration for this simple design actually came from day one of the Humblebeads challenge from last October:  Fun with Focals.  Heather used a design by Teri Bienvenue as her inspiration; you can see both of their designs here.

Then, for the bracelet, I wanted a couple of dangles for the sheer entertainment value, but focused on lapis lazuli (aaaahhhh the Afghanistan connection!) for the meat of the bracelet.

I am really starting to get in a simplification groove...I am usually so far over the top on adding things to a piece that I get overwhelmed with it and then wonder why it doesn't look perfect.  So, I'm practicing a little "less is more" mantra lately.  It's sort of against my nature, but seems to have worked out in this case, if I do say so myself.  haaaaaaaaaa I got a little validation on the simplification from The Rabbit Muse this week...she's been doing more basic shapes with her ceramics with less of the bells and whistles and I think they're gorgeous!

So, that's that for now.  Hoarders is on tonight...so crafty "collectors" unite!!  haaaaaaa


Jen

Panjshir Valley - He's there!

I got a phone message yesterday confirming that my sweetie's arrived at his final destination:  The Panjshir Valley, Afghanistan. 

My husband, Curt, is going to be in command of the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in the Panjshir Province.  I've been studying Afghanistan for the last few months here at Air Command and Staff College (ACSC) and there is still a great deal I want to learn about the country and it's culture--or variety of cultures.  I hope to share some of my newfound knowledge so you can understand a little better, too. 

First things first...here's a map

And, just to show you that there's more going on than the Marjah offensive that you may see on the news, I'd recommend checking out this link to the U.S. Central Command (they're in charge of the area of the world that includes Iraq and Afghanistan) page and this document on Counter-insurgency or COIN.  This is a different sort of activity for the U.S. military and its Coalition partners than you might think of when it comes to a "war-fighting" organizatoin.  You may have seen Gen Stanley McChrystal on the news...he's the commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) over in Afghanistan.  This newsletter includes his directions on how COIN should work.

A PRT is part of the COIN effort because they're focused on security and stabilization in each of their assigned provinces.  Curt and the team in Panjshir--which is more than just U.S. military--is ready to take the reigns in helping the provincial government move forward.  I'll explain more as his assignment goes on.  :)

Thanks for the support!

Jen

p.s. if you're looking for some relationship to beads and such...think lapis lazuli!!!