Sunday, September 4, 2011
He's Sitting!
These
Guy has most of his toys back (though I was pretty slow to unpack the majority of them), but I have only reinstalled batteries in things like clocks, remotes, and flashlights. Oh, the ball popper - that toy has it's batteries back, but that's only because shortly after we got it Rob cut the music/speaker wire -- best move ever.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
And We're Back
We've been in our new place for three weeks tomorrow. All of the downstairs boxes are unpacked, with the exception of the garage (does that ever count?), and yesterday I finally did a makeshift reassembly of our hamper (just one of the things our movers didn't move very well). So there's progress. Yesterday I even got two sets of shelves to help me organize our five cupboards they call a kitchen in our floor plan (okay, it's not quite THAT bad, but it's close).
It's great to be back together as a family, and in our own place again.
Lots of stuff going on. Last week I felt pretty back to normal busy while still surrounded by boxes. I was able to help watch two different ladies' children for doctors appointments on Tuesday and Thursday and Wednesday I was able to participate in a missionary discussion with the elders in our ward. It was great.
In the list of most remarkable things of note:
- Rob and Guy's Saturday tradition as of late is to try out donut shops. As a result, Rob discovered the best donuts I've ever had (Bill's) - crispy on the outside and super soft inside. Now, if only he'd stop (kind of). He's down to his high school weight and his smallest pair of jeans is loose on him. I need COT much more than he did, if only I could have gone in his place. He's lifting 3xs a week during lunch, trying to fit in running when he can, and tracking it with the help of his birthday present, a new Garmin Forerunner 305. We all love having him home every night of the week for the first time since he started school in August of 2008.
- Coop has a love affair with food. This six month old could beat any adult anorexic in an all day eating contest, hands down. Yesterday he started the day off with 10 oz. of milk (measured because I was wondering if he's getting enough from nursing), then he ate four large containers of baby food, 2 2x6 inch baby crackers, four large handfuls of baby puffs, one regular sized rice cake, and I can't remember what else, but there was more, I'm positive. Now if only the kid would stop all his drooling and just grow some teeth already. He cries almost every time I wipe his face and take him out of his chair. It seems he's certain that he thinks he is going to starve to death. And the only thing more interesting than food to this little boy is the beloved big brother.
- Guy is occasionally sleeping through the whole night again. With all the changes, he's had it the roughest, I think. And in the upheaval, night terrors began. His first was the worst and it was a full-fledged kicking-and-screaming-it's-unbelievably-scary-what-my-child-is-capable-of tantrum in the middle of the night. It was especially disturbing because I didn't know what it was. My mom was a huge help that night (I woke her up not knowing what else to do), and then she was talking about it with someone the next day and that's when we figured out what it was. He's had a lot of night episodes since then, but nothing nearly as bad, thankfully. Guy is really doing great here. He loves all his new friends - including but not limited to the five boys ages 6 and under in our circle. He's speaking really well - saying tomato and banana as clear as can be (sometimes I hear him practicing to himself, it's darling), and his interaction with all the neighborhood friends is really good, too. We're thrilled to be where we are, but learning the not-so-fun part of the military life fast, as the 2 boys that Guy plays with most will be off to a new assignment in mid-October, probably.
- I get to order PhotoShop tomorrow. That is, IF a paycheck comes through for the FIRST time since Rob made the job change. "Clerical Errors" have been a massive pain in my side for the last month and a half. Last Saturday I did my first paid photography gig. So the short version is that a neighbor/friend asked me to do her family after seeing some of my photos of Guy and Cooper. I said yes on the spot, but didn't think anything of money. Afterwards she offered. In the same sentence I said yes and told her Rob will be thrilled. I want to get better at the whole marketing side of it. I NEED to if I'm going to succeed.
With PhotoShop I'll be catching up a lot more with pictures soon enough. But in the meantime, enjoy this little gem. I love that when my little boys are holding hands it looks like it could be a multicultural/unity/togetherness ad.
It's great to be back together as a family, and in our own place again.
Lots of stuff going on. Last week I felt pretty back to normal busy while still surrounded by boxes. I was able to help watch two different ladies' children for doctors appointments on Tuesday and Thursday and Wednesday I was able to participate in a missionary discussion with the elders in our ward. It was great.
In the list of most remarkable things of note:
- Rob and Guy's Saturday tradition as of late is to try out donut shops. As a result, Rob discovered the best donuts I've ever had (Bill's) - crispy on the outside and super soft inside. Now, if only he'd stop (kind of). He's down to his high school weight and his smallest pair of jeans is loose on him. I need COT much more than he did, if only I could have gone in his place. He's lifting 3xs a week during lunch, trying to fit in running when he can, and tracking it with the help of his birthday present, a new Garmin Forerunner 305. We all love having him home every night of the week for the first time since he started school in August of 2008.
- Coop has a love affair with food. This six month old could beat any adult anorexic in an all day eating contest, hands down. Yesterday he started the day off with 10 oz. of milk (measured because I was wondering if he's getting enough from nursing), then he ate four large containers of baby food, 2 2x6 inch baby crackers, four large handfuls of baby puffs, one regular sized rice cake, and I can't remember what else, but there was more, I'm positive. Now if only the kid would stop all his drooling and just grow some teeth already. He cries almost every time I wipe his face and take him out of his chair. It seems he's certain that he thinks he is going to starve to death. And the only thing more interesting than food to this little boy is the beloved big brother.
- Guy is occasionally sleeping through the whole night again. With all the changes, he's had it the roughest, I think. And in the upheaval, night terrors began. His first was the worst and it was a full-fledged kicking-and-screaming-it's-unbelievably-scary-what-my-child-is-capable-of tantrum in the middle of the night. It was especially disturbing because I didn't know what it was. My mom was a huge help that night (I woke her up not knowing what else to do), and then she was talking about it with someone the next day and that's when we figured out what it was. He's had a lot of night episodes since then, but nothing nearly as bad, thankfully. Guy is really doing great here. He loves all his new friends - including but not limited to the five boys ages 6 and under in our circle. He's speaking really well - saying tomato and banana as clear as can be (sometimes I hear him practicing to himself, it's darling), and his interaction with all the neighborhood friends is really good, too. We're thrilled to be where we are, but learning the not-so-fun part of the military life fast, as the 2 boys that Guy plays with most will be off to a new assignment in mid-October, probably.
- I get to order PhotoShop tomorrow. That is, IF a paycheck comes through for the FIRST time since Rob made the job change. "Clerical Errors" have been a massive pain in my side for the last month and a half. Last Saturday I did my first paid photography gig. So the short version is that a neighbor/friend asked me to do her family after seeing some of my photos of Guy and Cooper. I said yes on the spot, but didn't think anything of money. Afterwards she offered. In the same sentence I said yes and told her Rob will be thrilled. I want to get better at the whole marketing side of it. I NEED to if I'm going to succeed.
With PhotoShop I'll be catching up a lot more with pictures soon enough. But in the meantime, enjoy this little gem. I love that when my little boys are holding hands it looks like it could be a multicultural/unity/togetherness ad.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
keeping busy
Here's what we've been up to the last couple of days - in photos.
Draper Days Bike Parade
Guy's face after free watermelon and rootbeer + some $5 pizza
All the photos I took of Cooper were fuzzy. But he, being the easy going baby that he is, hung out in his car seat the whole time - spending the time taking it all in, or sleeping.
Visiting with my Grandmother at her home for the morning.
Playing with water after nap time.
Cooper? ... sleeping. :)
Draper Days Bike Parade
Visiting with my Grandmother at her home for the morning.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
photo update
no photoshop right now - in another month or so I'll add that to this computer (and rob's got the other computer at COT).
My Half
I've got 115 blog entries to read in my blog reader right now. I'm really not subscribed to too many blogs, but it's been weeks since I've had a chance to sit and read. Then there are all of the private blogs . . .
The night Rob left I had some stomach pains. An hour after losing my stomach I finally fell asleep (at 1:30 am). Not a great way to start out.
I'm constantly sleep deprived. Last night was particularly bad. Cooper woke up just as I was going to sleep, so I fed him, simultaneously nodding off throughout the process. Then he woke up at 5:30 this morning. He wasn't happy about something (still never figured that out), but he cried for 30 minutes before finally calming down enough to eat. He hasn't cried like that since he was a month or two old. Which reminds me, today he is 5 months old. Last Sunday I put him in a 6-9 month dress shirt for church. I couldn't even button the top two buttons because it is already too small. I'd already put a onesie on underneath, so it stayed on, just unbuttoned. It was the first (and last time) he wore that shirt. I'm hoping he doesn't grow too fast in the next few weeks - I only packed 6-9 month clothes for this last month we're in Utah.
Guy's doing better at sleeping through noise. The 3 of us sharing a room right now is working better than I expected. We could spread out more, but I know Guy likes being in there with me and until I let Cooper cry it out, I want him as close as possible.
One of my saving graces this month with be the Bakker family. Their mom was my visiting teacher while we lived her before and we've kept in touch. Her 4 kids love the boys, and are wonderful with them. Her oldest, Dani has been a huge help with Guy (watched him the first time we went to the base), and takes both boys for times like my orthodontist visit (since I lost my retainers in the move). Today she and her sister took the boys to the Dinosaur Museum for 3 hours. It was my first break during normal waking hours where I didn't have to get something done that I can remember in a LONG time. She has plans to take Guy to the farm at Thanksgiving Point next week. If her sister is around, Cooper will go, too. They wear the boys out, who then come home to eat then nap, and I feel rested for the first time in again, a long time.
Sunday evening we went over to their house for snow cones and we all loved it. They pass Cooper around, Guy entertains and is entertained, and I mostly just sit and chat.
It's such a HUGE blessing to have people that care close to me right now. I felt like I was a mess for the first week. I kept finding out that things were lost - almost every time I needed something I couldn't find it. Yesterday I finally found everything that fell into that category - checkbook, a lost check written to me for $500, some gift cards, Guy's socks, etc. A huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders in that regard, and I'm grateful to once again gain my bearings. Now I'm just hoping to get back on the bike, get in shape, and go shopping before leaving for Ohio.
Now for some photo updates if Guy doesn't wake up before I can finish . . .
The night Rob left I had some stomach pains. An hour after losing my stomach I finally fell asleep (at 1:30 am). Not a great way to start out.
I'm constantly sleep deprived. Last night was particularly bad. Cooper woke up just as I was going to sleep, so I fed him, simultaneously nodding off throughout the process. Then he woke up at 5:30 this morning. He wasn't happy about something (still never figured that out), but he cried for 30 minutes before finally calming down enough to eat. He hasn't cried like that since he was a month or two old. Which reminds me, today he is 5 months old. Last Sunday I put him in a 6-9 month dress shirt for church. I couldn't even button the top two buttons because it is already too small. I'd already put a onesie on underneath, so it stayed on, just unbuttoned. It was the first (and last time) he wore that shirt. I'm hoping he doesn't grow too fast in the next few weeks - I only packed 6-9 month clothes for this last month we're in Utah.
Guy's doing better at sleeping through noise. The 3 of us sharing a room right now is working better than I expected. We could spread out more, but I know Guy likes being in there with me and until I let Cooper cry it out, I want him as close as possible.
One of my saving graces this month with be the Bakker family. Their mom was my visiting teacher while we lived her before and we've kept in touch. Her 4 kids love the boys, and are wonderful with them. Her oldest, Dani has been a huge help with Guy (watched him the first time we went to the base), and takes both boys for times like my orthodontist visit (since I lost my retainers in the move). Today she and her sister took the boys to the Dinosaur Museum for 3 hours. It was my first break during normal waking hours where I didn't have to get something done that I can remember in a LONG time. She has plans to take Guy to the farm at Thanksgiving Point next week. If her sister is around, Cooper will go, too. They wear the boys out, who then come home to eat then nap, and I feel rested for the first time in again, a long time.
Sunday evening we went over to their house for snow cones and we all loved it. They pass Cooper around, Guy entertains and is entertained, and I mostly just sit and chat.
It's such a HUGE blessing to have people that care close to me right now. I felt like I was a mess for the first week. I kept finding out that things were lost - almost every time I needed something I couldn't find it. Yesterday I finally found everything that fell into that category - checkbook, a lost check written to me for $500, some gift cards, Guy's socks, etc. A huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders in that regard, and I'm grateful to once again gain my bearings. Now I'm just hoping to get back on the bike, get in shape, and go shopping before leaving for Ohio.
Now for some photo updates if Guy doesn't wake up before I can finish . . .
Incredibly Busy
Right now I feel like life is flying by faster than I can keep up, but the important things (necessities - and some fun for Guy) are at least getting done.
What I've heard from Rob's end:
He went to church on Sunday - on a bus. With 18 or so other men dressed in ABUs (the camo). 10 other men also went in other vehicles. He stayed for just sacrament meeting then returned to the base to get some stuff done, but next week he'll be able to stay for the whole block.
He ran his fastest 1.5 miles ever yesterday. It was "12 something" (he's too busy and tired to even remember). I know the fatigue is wearing on him because he didn't pull through so well on pushups for the first practice PT Test. That morning, he did his worst set of pushups in a long time, unfortunately. It'll be fine, though. I'm sure he'll get back to those okay. Regardless of how he does at COT, he has to redo the test in Ohio shortly after we get there and that is when it will really count.
For the first time ever, they are doing room inspections at COT. He had a list of things to do to prepare his room for that, including fold all of his socks a certain way - not to mention the specifics of how each garment is to be folded. He's only allowed one 8x10 framed photo in his room. Because of the specific instructions about that, he doesn't even want to worry about. They all get to hang photos on a bulletin board in their flight instruction room (where they receive most if not all of their daily instruction), so I'll send some photos off to him soon.
Since he got there last Tuesday I've gotten to speak with him every day, but each of our conversations (including over the weekend when he should have more down time) haven't lasted longer than 15 minutes.
They had a test on Saturday (still don't know what that covered), but he and his roommate were the only ones in the flight (that's what they call his study group) to get 100%. His roommate is a dentist, and his wife is too. They are both doing COT together. Unfortunately, though, they are both on 72 hour leave right now--his father is dying. Even though he was gone, his half of the room had to be ready for inspection anyway, so Rob and others in their flight did all that work for him.
When we talk I should start writing down points to remember. He wants to add a blog update himself, but I'm not sure that's going to happen anytime soon.
I know this is very non-cohesive - sorry about that. I get it all in bits and pieces myself.
What I've heard from Rob's end:
He went to church on Sunday - on a bus. With 18 or so other men dressed in ABUs (the camo). 10 other men also went in other vehicles. He stayed for just sacrament meeting then returned to the base to get some stuff done, but next week he'll be able to stay for the whole block.
He ran his fastest 1.5 miles ever yesterday. It was "12 something" (he's too busy and tired to even remember). I know the fatigue is wearing on him because he didn't pull through so well on pushups for the first practice PT Test. That morning, he did his worst set of pushups in a long time, unfortunately. It'll be fine, though. I'm sure he'll get back to those okay. Regardless of how he does at COT, he has to redo the test in Ohio shortly after we get there and that is when it will really count.
For the first time ever, they are doing room inspections at COT. He had a list of things to do to prepare his room for that, including fold all of his socks a certain way - not to mention the specifics of how each garment is to be folded. He's only allowed one 8x10 framed photo in his room. Because of the specific instructions about that, he doesn't even want to worry about. They all get to hang photos on a bulletin board in their flight instruction room (where they receive most if not all of their daily instruction), so I'll send some photos off to him soon.
Since he got there last Tuesday I've gotten to speak with him every day, but each of our conversations (including over the weekend when he should have more down time) haven't lasted longer than 15 minutes.
They had a test on Saturday (still don't know what that covered), but he and his roommate were the only ones in the flight (that's what they call his study group) to get 100%. His roommate is a dentist, and his wife is too. They are both doing COT together. Unfortunately, though, they are both on 72 hour leave right now--his father is dying. Even though he was gone, his half of the room had to be ready for inspection anyway, so Rob and others in their flight did all that work for him.
When we talk I should start writing down points to remember. He wants to add a blog update himself, but I'm not sure that's going to happen anytime soon.
I know this is very non-cohesive - sorry about that. I get it all in bits and pieces myself.
Friday, July 8, 2011
More of the Record
Talked to Rob for less than 15 min. today.
Guy actually got to talk to him for a little bit before he went to bed. It was really cute to listen to their interaction. Guy, on his own, asked Rob how he was doing. I can't believe how grown up this little kid is getting!
Things are insanely busy, but he's doing alright. He said he drilled for about 5 hours today. His Flight Commander is a nice guy who corrects errors in marching, but says he doesn't know it too well himself. during uniform inspection today he got 3 demerits, which he said was better than average. One guy got 12. I'm just happy to report that he's not sure if he wore the uniform that we paid to get patches on, or if he wore the one that I did after seeing them sewn on.
he's got blisters like crazy from his boots. tomorrow is the pt test, so he's a little nervous about that.
for some reason he can't log into his military issued computer, so he and his roommate borrow other peoples' to get necessary work done.
in the meantime, on our end, i've realized things just aren't going to slow down. big surprise, right? cooper is teething, so sleeping a lot, which helps. but i feel for the kid, i hate to see him hurt.
guy misses dad and keeps asking to go home, but overall he's handling things well.
some things are challenging, but that never stops now, does it? :)
Thursday, July 7, 2011
His and Hers
I'm not sure if we should do separate blogs - but for now this is how it works. I was thinking about his days compared to mine so far. I know he's tired, but it's definitely a different kind of tired.
Never again will I move four days before he ships out. I really hope that stands true for the rest of my life. Life has been EXHAUSTING. I'm grateful for the 2 evenings we had together before he left for 5+ weeks, and I really wish we'd had more time to just relax. No such luck with all the craziness going on, but everything has worked okay, so far.
The boys and I are at my folks' house, and I think without their help I would have gone crazy already. As it is, Bob Simons, in my parents' ward, had to go get Guy out of the men's bathroom at church on Sunday. Guy misses his dad tremendously, especially when he's wishing for a different answer to a question (wanting to eat or do something). Rob's not a sucker, by any means, but Guy just keeps hoping this approach works somehow. Anyway . . .
One of the ways we've tried to help him is to have him wear an Air Force pin every day. He knows that Dad gave it to him and he loves it--with the exception of when he's crawling over furniture and it scrapes his chest. Then he requests to take it off.
In the moving mayhem, I've lost a check written to me, our checkbook, my retainers, cash, and all sorts of other stuff. Fortunately, some things have resurfaced. Other things have been replaced. And, when looking for the checkbook this evening, I found the lost retainers. Unfortunately, I've already gone to the trouble of getting fitted for new ones. Oh well, my gap was already coming back hard and fast, and eventually they'll break sometime, anyhow.
Last week we bought a minivan on Monday. On Tuesday morning the boys and I went to the zoo with cousins. On Wednesday Guy played with the same cousins all day, and I worked with the movers (and cleaned the house around them). Rob helped with cleanup when he finally got away from work. On Thursday we went to a farewell lunch for Rob at work and finished cleaning the house. Friday was Rob's last day of work. After his 1/2 day, we went up to the Draper Temple (Guy loves seeing temples) and just walked around outside, then we finished shopping for Rob's COT necessities. That night, we went out alone, for just a couple of hours. On Saturday we took Guy to Boondocks in the morning, while Eden and other family members generously watched Coooper who was much more fussy than usual. I remembered to utilize the military discount for the first time ever at Boondocks. It was after they completed our transaction, but they were helpful and pleasant about re-doing that. Saturday night Rob and I discovered a restaurant we wished we'd found months ago (an Italian Bistro on State and 114th South). Sunday morning, when Guy woke up, Rob left. Never a dull moment, right?
Since then, things have been plenty busy - with the 4th on Monday (the Provo Parade), registering the minivan, a run to the bank, and the orthodontist's visit on Tuesday. Swimming today. I now sit here thinking, it's a wonder that Guy's had a moment to miss Rob. And it's no wonder that I'm exhausted. Holy cow. I need a break!
Thankfully, there's a family in my parents' ward that loves Guy. They played with him while I was at the orthodontist, and now they've volunteered to take Guy and/or Cooper to the Dinosaur Museum next week.
I'm not going to lie, I'm really looking forward to that break, already.
Never again will I move four days before he ships out. I really hope that stands true for the rest of my life. Life has been EXHAUSTING. I'm grateful for the 2 evenings we had together before he left for 5+ weeks, and I really wish we'd had more time to just relax. No such luck with all the craziness going on, but everything has worked okay, so far.
The boys and I are at my folks' house, and I think without their help I would have gone crazy already. As it is, Bob Simons, in my parents' ward, had to go get Guy out of the men's bathroom at church on Sunday. Guy misses his dad tremendously, especially when he's wishing for a different answer to a question (wanting to eat or do something). Rob's not a sucker, by any means, but Guy just keeps hoping this approach works somehow. Anyway . . .
One of the ways we've tried to help him is to have him wear an Air Force pin every day. He knows that Dad gave it to him and he loves it--with the exception of when he's crawling over furniture and it scrapes his chest. Then he requests to take it off.
In the moving mayhem, I've lost a check written to me, our checkbook, my retainers, cash, and all sorts of other stuff. Fortunately, some things have resurfaced. Other things have been replaced. And, when looking for the checkbook this evening, I found the lost retainers. Unfortunately, I've already gone to the trouble of getting fitted for new ones. Oh well, my gap was already coming back hard and fast, and eventually they'll break sometime, anyhow.
Last week we bought a minivan on Monday. On Tuesday morning the boys and I went to the zoo with cousins. On Wednesday Guy played with the same cousins all day, and I worked with the movers (and cleaned the house around them). Rob helped with cleanup when he finally got away from work. On Thursday we went to a farewell lunch for Rob at work and finished cleaning the house. Friday was Rob's last day of work. After his 1/2 day, we went up to the Draper Temple (Guy loves seeing temples) and just walked around outside, then we finished shopping for Rob's COT necessities. That night, we went out alone, for just a couple of hours. On Saturday we took Guy to Boondocks in the morning, while Eden and other family members generously watched Coooper who was much more fussy than usual. I remembered to utilize the military discount for the first time ever at Boondocks. It was after they completed our transaction, but they were helpful and pleasant about re-doing that. Saturday night Rob and I discovered a restaurant we wished we'd found months ago (an Italian Bistro on State and 114th South). Sunday morning, when Guy woke up, Rob left. Never a dull moment, right?
Since then, things have been plenty busy - with the 4th on Monday (the Provo Parade), registering the minivan, a run to the bank, and the orthodontist's visit on Tuesday. Swimming today. I now sit here thinking, it's a wonder that Guy's had a moment to miss Rob. And it's no wonder that I'm exhausted. Holy cow. I need a break!
Thankfully, there's a family in my parents' ward that loves Guy. They played with him while I was at the orthodontist, and now they've volunteered to take Guy and/or Cooper to the Dinosaur Museum next week.
I'm not going to lie, I'm really looking forward to that break, already.
Training Day ZERO
Yesterday was my first day at COT. I reported in around 12:30 and was going straight until 11:00 p.m. The day was filled with new things. Lots of yelling, marching, constant correction, being rushed and lots of waiting
I didn't get yelled at too much, but was corrected a few times for my shoelaces coming untucked.
Most of the time, when waiting, we had to stand at attention, which is not a comfortable position to hold. Also, whenever we are waiting we need to be reading our OTS Manual (Officer's Training School) or OTSMan. It is about the size of a 1/4 piece of paper and 115 pages long. It fits in my pants pocket. You shouldn't be caught dead without it. They were first issued when we got here with our folders, which we also carry everywhere. Originally I wasn't given one so I got yelled at and made to feel dumb. But I feel like that is just part of the territory, so though I still try hard to avoid it whenever possible, I try not to let it bother me, at the same time.
Lunch was interesting. We had about 20 min to go through a cafeteria line, then eat and drink 3 glasses of water and put up our trays. No talking or looking around permitted. And there is a routine for sitting down, handing out napkins, and cleaning up when done.
Last night we got back to our dorm at 11:00 and were told lights out. I call home briefly (for 3 minutes, literally) and got ready for the next day because I was exhausted and realized that the first day of training wasn't until today...So I haven't even started yet! I will try and write later about TD-1.
I hope all is well. Please pray for me and Caitlin!
I didn't get yelled at too much, but was corrected a few times for my shoelaces coming untucked.
Most of the time, when waiting, we had to stand at attention, which is not a comfortable position to hold. Also, whenever we are waiting we need to be reading our OTS Manual (Officer's Training School) or OTSMan. It is about the size of a 1/4 piece of paper and 115 pages long. It fits in my pants pocket. You shouldn't be caught dead without it. They were first issued when we got here with our folders, which we also carry everywhere. Originally I wasn't given one so I got yelled at and made to feel dumb. But I feel like that is just part of the territory, so though I still try hard to avoid it whenever possible, I try not to let it bother me, at the same time.
Lunch was interesting. We had about 20 min to go through a cafeteria line, then eat and drink 3 glasses of water and put up our trays. No talking or looking around permitted. And there is a routine for sitting down, handing out napkins, and cleaning up when done.
Last night we got back to our dorm at 11:00 and were told lights out. I call home briefly (for 3 minutes, literally) and got ready for the next day because I was exhausted and realized that the first day of training wasn't until today...So I haven't even started yet! I will try and write later about TD-1.
I hope all is well. Please pray for me and Caitlin!
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Road to Montgomery
I’ve been on the road, by myself, for 2 days now. I had to say goodbye to my family Sunday morning. It was really hard, knowing that I wouldn’t be able to see them in person, give anyone a kiss or a hug or anything else for over a month.
I am about 3 hours away from Maxwell AFB, which is in Montgomery Alabama. I have to report sometime between 10am and 4pm. So I have plenty of time for the drive and can still get there early.
I’ve been driving a ton the last couple days. Sunday I drove for about 15 hours and today I drove about 13 hours. On Day one I went through Utah, Wyoming, and stopped in Nebraska City, Nebraska. Yesterday morning I was quickly out of Nebraska and into Missouri, skimmed Arkansas and Tennessee and decided to stop in Fulton, Mississippi for the night.
For the most part the drive has been uneventful, which is a good thing. The weather has nice and the roads have been clear. There was a detour that I had to make my way around, which added about an hour to my original expected time, but other than being long and boring, no complaints.
I hope to make some updates to our family blog during this next month to give family and friends an idea of what COT is like. However I expect to be extremely busy, so no guarantees.
Wish Caitlin and I luck! We will both need it during this next month!
And Happy 4th of July!
I am about 3 hours away from Maxwell AFB, which is in Montgomery Alabama. I have to report sometime between 10am and 4pm. So I have plenty of time for the drive and can still get there early.
I’ve been driving a ton the last couple days. Sunday I drove for about 15 hours and today I drove about 13 hours. On Day one I went through Utah, Wyoming, and stopped in Nebraska City, Nebraska. Yesterday morning I was quickly out of Nebraska and into Missouri, skimmed Arkansas and Tennessee and decided to stop in Fulton, Mississippi for the night.
For the most part the drive has been uneventful, which is a good thing. The weather has nice and the roads have been clear. There was a detour that I had to make my way around, which added about an hour to my original expected time, but other than being long and boring, no complaints.
I hope to make some updates to our family blog during this next month to give family and friends an idea of what COT is like. However I expect to be extremely busy, so no guarantees.
Wish Caitlin and I luck! We will both need it during this next month!
And Happy 4th of July!
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