September 5th letter (Tom had it in his office!)

I knew there was a letter with a list of places to get food!! I found it in Tom's office. GRRRRRR!!! Doesn't he know better than to separate my letters from Mike???? I'm sure I gave it to him to read when he was busy and just set it down and forgot it. Oh well. I'll forgive him.

He says it's ok that I talk alot when he calls me. :D I tend to ramble on and on and just can't make myself stop sometimes! So I wrote to him to try to explain why I did that.

They are back out of red phase. again. Next week is test to enter blue phase.

September 15th letter

I told him about another Soldier we are writing to that isn't getting mail from his family. I guess he could tell by his address that he's still in reception. I'm not sure why he is, but I am sure it's boring as can be. I feel bad for him.

He's really excited about the laptop he wants me to get and bring him. He even knows he can't keep it for AIT and he's excited. Amazing. I guess I'm gonna be talking to the top of his head as he plays Crysis all weekend. :P

Letter dated 9-12-08

This was a short one...he told me how to fix my A/C in my van...Yeah, right! LOL He commented on the few family dramas going on, he wants to know if anything has happened that might be entertaining. He also included a letter from his Commander regarding family day and graduation. * I typed that out and emailed it to his dad and step mom.

He wants a lot of people to come to his graduation. Unfortunately he is going to just have us for this trip. His dad might come to graduation in Nov. I'll see who else I can get in on the trip.

He's also writing a story...maybe for a videogame (most likely).

September 11th letter

This is the letter I got dated 9-11-08 (I'm still trying to catch up)

He remembers what time I came to pick him up from school on 9-11. He was in the nurse's office and probably one of the few kids to know something really bad had happened. Most kids were in class and oblivious, but he was in the nurses office, next to the main office and being near a bunch of grown ups that were panicking and crying tends to get an 8th grader's attention. He called me to pick him up and I couldn't get there fast enough. The school was already asking parents to stay home, not come but Mike called me so I got to go get him. And there were a lot of parents there already, they weren't going to stay away. Most of them were parents of kids who had their other parent working in the Trade Center or in the area of the Trade Center. I don't blame them for being there, despite school asking them not to. No one wants their kid to hear news like that from someone at school. I think that the few kids with cell phones had leaked the info within the next hour or so anyway and school was just over at that point, and they took them all home.

Ok, I got way sidetracked...

So, after asking who is coming to his graduation and then asking if I can bring his ex-girlfriend who is now married (I am SO not even going to act like I heard that) he asked where everyone else is. I guess one cousin wrote once, his dad didn't write, no one but me and the girls have written. Of course, it's enough to wear him out at mail call, but still...it'd be nice to know he's worth a letter once a week from these people.

He's not sure where he wants to live when he gets out (boy is he fishing for something to focus on, or what?). He wants to move back to Florida, he doesn't want to leave his dad's family again, he's just as undecided as he was before he left. Too bad the Army hasn't fixed that.

He's working on getting EIC (Excellency in Cavalry) *according to his last phone call he has EIC and just has to hold on to it through AIT now*

Then he goes on about computers and video games. He really is getting back to himself!!

Saturday phone call

I got TWO calls on Saturday!! I was just sitting down to a huge plate of BBQ ribs when he called the first time. We talked for 26 minutes. Then while I was doing dishes (yes I ate my ribs cold, he's worth it) he called back again. This time for 10 minutes.

I was totally unprepared for the second call so we just babbled. I told him we are going to have to stick either him or Mark (the Soldier we are adopting for family day, and his best friend there) in the back of the Escape. After some grumbling (and me saying we could leave them both there, or just tie them to the luggage rack) they agreed it would be JUST FINE! LOL :)

He sounds like he's definitely past the point of being depressed, now he's just ready to go be a Soldier. NOW!

He wants to go to Six Flags in Louisville, I have to make sure that's an authorized destination before I buy tickets that we can't use. I'll ask on GAP but if anyone here knows it's definitely off limits, please feel free to let me know.

I asked about when he gets his beret, and he says he has it already. He doesn't like it much either. (I won't even tell you his words to describe it :( ) He would rather have his Stetson. I really never ever in all my years ever would have imagined my little boy wanting a Stetson. It makes my cowgirl heart so proud. :D

Now I have got to go get some work done.

Talk to you all later!!

:)

I apologize for being absent

I'm scrambling to earn money to get to Ft. Knox (we leave at O:TOO:Early in the morning on Thursday) and boy am I exhausted already. And I still haven't accomplished anything resembling my goal. I'm gonna have to pump up my efforts!

I'll be in here this evening and post all sort of "catch up" posts. Really. :)

I got a 22.5 minute phone call last night!!

I was amazed! I asked him how long he had to talk when he first called, and I made him repeat his answer twice! LOL

He's excited about us coming up. I had to fess up and tell him we were having garage sales last weekend and next to pay for our trip. I didn't want him to think we'd not be able to make it. Honestly, I'd walk if I had to. But I didn't want the slightest bit of doubt in his head during BCT. I let him know last night I might need some help with something, like the hotel. Talking to him about that doesn't bother me as much as it used to. We've had some rough years and he has sort of resented some of it, I think. He did miss out on some things because he worked a lot as a teenager, but once he moved out, he thanked us for teaching him how to discipline himself and balance life and not waste it.

Our conversation last night was great, even with a few minutes spent discussing the money. He sounds so much like himself now, it's amazing.

We are adopting a Soldier on our Family Weekend. His buddy, Mark, won't be having anyone come for this so he asked if he could come with us. SURE!! The more the merrier! I just have to change our transportation plans. We were taking a Mazda 3 up, but I don't see 4 adults and 2 kids in car seats fitting in there. We'll be taking the Escape now and just have to squish someone in the back area. I'd take my van but it's got no air conditioning and it needs a compressor so that's not a possibility right now.

Like I said...I'm getting up there. I'll walk. Carrying two girls on my back.

He also asked me to call his Unit Sgt. again...I thought he'd forget but, no such luck. His Unit deployed this month and Mike is trying to get me to make sure he's going to Iraq with them next year. He's got bits of details so he's confused. Heck, so am I! His big request that I don't want to do is...if he is NOT going, he wants me to find out how he CAN go. He's set on going. I don't know why. But if it's in his heart to go, who am I to stand in the way?

We have a friend here that I talk to at gymnastics. She's friends with a family of a Soldier here. This Soldier went to Iraq and came back home unscathed. Then this Soldier got into a pretty famous car accident and now he's a vegetable basically. At least that's what it sounds like to me. She and I both discussed how if something is going to happen to them, it's going to happen...and keeping them home is not always a surefire way of keeping them safe.

So I will stand behind any decisions Mike makes regarding Iraq or whatever he is going to do. I also will not lie to him and tell him I called his Sgt and that he can't go. I will likely email his Sgt and ask him Mike's questions (mostly because I'm not sure I can talk to this man without losing it and crying). I will be the person I taught my son to be. Whether it's painful or not.

Army Wife Shares Her True Feelings

Bring hankies when you check this one out!

POW/MIA Recognition Day

I keep missing everything...maybe I should check all my regular blogs BEFORE I start work? Oh, no...then I'd spend all night responding and never get work done. :P

Anyway, I also think this should have been something more people knew about. I have more respect for those that served our country and sacrificed their own freedom or life than those boneheads throwing nasty commercials at each other these days.

You can check Yankeemom's blog, she has explained POW/MIA Recognition Day extensively.

IV's and deployment news

Well, he got certified to give IV's. Mike says he gave a successful one on his first try. Unfortunately his battle buddy didn't do too well. I think after 4 attempts, lots of blood and a swollen arm, Mike cursed a lot and walked off. Can't say that I blame him really.

He's making a list of items to eat on Family Weekend. He's up to #25. LOL

I had sent him a letter trying to explain how proud I was of him and at the same time so scared something would happen to him. But that the pride always won out and I was crying tears of joy when I was talking to him. He says he knows it's got to be hard but then his excitement over the very word I dread won and he started telling me all about how he's supposed to go for Stryker training right after he gets out and that he's off to Iraq in January. I could have done without the specific details, that included things like "hotspot" "lots of action" and then the number of times it's been hit by rockets and mortars. He finished all that with, "It's gonna kick ass!!"

*sigh*

He's also upset that he only got 32 out of 40 when he qualified for sharpshooter. And even though that was sufficient it wasn't good enough. He also says that coughing like mad from bronchitis at the time didnt' help, but it's not a good enough excuse for missing 8.

He also gave me a list of guns to check out on YouTube.com. (we already had to check out the M240B recently) This time he wants us to see the M2 .50 caliber machine gun. He uses the "F" word 4 times in one sentence to describe how much he liked that one.

Once again...wants buffets and Dairy Queen on Family Weekend.

He said 4th platoon was sneaking phone calls so his platoon might go to red phase for the rest of BCT because of it. He says his DS's are very rough when provoked. (obviously!) He says one is "very tough and scares the F*** out of us!" The one he likes better (or so it seems) isn't as rough, "even though he made me do iron mikes for 30 minutes the other day"

What the heck is an iron mike?

Gotta go check that one out on google.

OSUT Definition

When I say my son is in OSUT, it brings on blank stares...so I end up explaining this a lot. His MOS is not one that consists of a typical 9 week Basic Training period, it's a little different. He goes to "BCT" for 10 weeks, gets a short break (1-3 days, depending on many factors) that he takes within 50 miles of his base, and follows the rules given to him as if his life depends on it, then goes back to the same place and finishes his training with six weeks of Advanced Individual Training.

Here is a description of what OSUT is according to WikiPedia.com

• One Station Unit Training

With some MOSs, both the BCT and AIT phases of training are accomplished back-to-back at the same location, with the same instructors, as well as with the same fellow recruits. This is called One Station Unit Training, or OSUT. For example, the Infantry MOS consists of the usual ten weeks of BCT followed by six weeks of AIT, all within the same location. A similar program is followed for cavalry scouts, tank crewmen, field artillery cannon crewmen, military police, combat engineers, and chemical operations (defensive) specialists.

Glad he got to call us :)

Got a letter from Mike telling me how happy he was to talk to me last time. He's sending me, what appears to be, last minute instructions for our trip up. I have a list of items I'm supposed to bring, all of which will be returning with me when we come home. He's asked me to get him a laptop so he can play some games. I'll grab one this week and install Crysis for him. I'm not sure what else he wants so that's all he's getting til we get there. Unless he calls again.

He wants game news. I'm going to print some stuff out but I remember someone saying they couldn't have printed pages from the web...I'm not going to hand write 6 pages of technical details on games so...he's getting it printed right from wikipedia.com. I guess I'll find out if that is ok or not, won't I? ;)

He's going nuts for news...anything on new games, new movies, new music. He wants to see Batman, maybe I can see if it's playing at a discount movie when we are there, as I'm pretty sure it won't be in the regular theaters still on October 3.

He's all fired up about the new Challenger. I guess someone got pics or something, he's practically drooling about this cars specs. I'm going to create some note paper, to write to him, using the images I downloaded from the Dodge site.

He also got to shoot a rocket launcher and claymore mines. He sounds happy about getting a couple of pounds of C4 next week and getting to blow up whatever they want on the course. Sounds like fun.

He had to go because his DS was chasing them and shooting rubber bands at them from a "rolly chair"...He's always indicated that his troop is great and I'm guessing they all get along fairly well. That has to help a lot in this situation.

Ok, off to get girls in bed and then will catch up on the rest.

:)

Gonna play catch up here...

I'm going to post the last few letters I got while I was tired and just struggling to get through work. I'm still tired, but I'm tired of being tired so I'm going to push myself to do this and get it up.

The next few posts should have been posted last week, but they didn't all come in on top of each other like it will appear.

Dog Tags for Kids

I got my Squidoo Lens of the Day email this morning and this is who it was: Dog Tags for Kids Squidoo Lens.

The original site is Dog Tags for Kids.

This is such a great idea!! I donated a little, don't have much right now but that just made me feel so good for the kids that get them...I had to send out a few dollars.

I think it's an amazing idea. In case you aren't in a position to read the whole thing...they donate dog tags to Soldiers and the Soldier's then send them back home to their own kids. The kids get so excited and happy to get a package from their parent! And imagine the look on their faces when they get dog tags just like their parent has on at that time! Very awesome idea. I love it.

:)

Phone call today and letters I forgot to mention

I'm sort of burned out lately. I have a lot going on here and I hate to admit it, but it might just be too much for me to handle. I'm working on getting rid of the house so that will help. Going from a too big house to a too small house may be just as stressful but at least I'll be eliminating some of the cleaning! :)

Mike called today, he had about 10 minutes again. He's asked me to get a laptop and says it's keeping him motivated to get through BCT.

Michelle wants to make Mike a "food map" where we map out all the places to eat in the Ft. Knox/Elizabethtown area so we don't waste time looking for places to eat. I thought that was a good idea, since that is all Mike wants to do on his Family Weekend. I'll post it when we get it done. :)

I'm going to go get something done and will be back with more details...hopefully it will be tonight. ;)

I missed Support America United!! GRRRR!

My mom watched it and tried to let me know about it but I missed her message. I never even knew it was going to be on.

Regardless of the fact that it was on earlier tonight, still check it out if you get a chance...Support America United

Another phone call!!! And I'm not sure it was a good one

Mike called again today!! He said he had 4 minutes 30 seconds and then blasted through a list of items he wanted me to send.

First being info on his unit being deployed. HUH??? Yes, apparently his National Guard Unit is heading for Mississippi for 2 or 3 months to train and then are heading to Iraq early in 2009. Now...he doesn't graduate until the end of November so...what this means for him, I do not know. I have asked on GAP and it's apparent we will have to wait and see. I'm not sure if I want to throw up now or not but I'm getting real close to it.

He also wants me to send him any ANY news on new games, new songs, new movies...ANYTHING!!! Seeing as he can't have magazines or news articles...I guess I'm going to be writing a LOT of stuff down for him. Oh well. He's worth it.

He also asked me to get the address of RSP (or it could be RSD) 2 in Allentown, PA. I don't even know what the heck that is. I tried googling it, but I got lots of possibilities...including fire department stuff...and since he was a volunteer fire fighter before he left...I'm really really confused. Guess I need to dig more. If anyone has any clue...lay it on me! LOL Any direction would be better than fumbling around google and sending him loads of addresses and telling him to pick one. :D

Gotta get back to work. Those darn bills are piling up while I'm having my Army Mom Nervous Breakdown period. (someday when I'm long gone and my art is up on the walls of the Louvre, they will be using that exact phrase to describe these years..."her Army Mom Nervous Breakdown Period was some of her most interesting work!" :p (yes, I've lost my mind, JUST in case you were wondering!)

I got a 10 minute phone call!!!!

That was the most awesome call that I've gotten yet. It wasn't great news but it was like talking to my kid again. He sounded so depressed and beaten down before. Tonight he was upbeat and he did almost all the talking. He called for two reasons.

One to see if we were prepared for Ike, and if we thought it was going to hit us. He also asked how we fared with Gustav. I'm guessing a DS was standing by when he was asking all this.

Then he said he had some time to talk so he shared the fact that he's on profile, he's hurt his ribs and back during something to do with navigation. Now, I thought navigation had to do with giving someone directions so...I have no idea what he did to hurt himself, but he did. I get an image of him standing on top of a tank, pointing the way...and then tumbling off. My mind has too much time to imagine crazy scenarios, sorry.

He even said hi to my mom, just because she was standing there. One of his sisters was there, but she just yelled at the phone...I hesitated to let her talk to him directly because A. she'd take forever just saying hi B. she'd likely make him cry and C. she'd rub it in to her sister that she got to talk to him and it would get real ugly.

She was playing Webkinz anyway (she's 7) so it wasn't a huge loss to her at the time.

and now...I have to work.

I'm sure there is something he said that I was going to share and forgot...so I'll probably be back when I remember. LOL

:)

We've had lots of activity this week!

I got my three page letter yesterday. After some excessing cursing about two other platoons getting them smoked and humiliated and set back to red phase (this is obviously the same day as his last phone call), he goes on to how he likes the Army and wants to be there but BCT is BS and it's a huge motivation killer when his platoon is great at almost all they do, winning competitions, etc and never ever get rewarded. The other platoons screw up and get to eat cake, pie and drink soda. He's not sounding like a happy person at this point. I'm sure it'll pass but he's sounding beaten down and tired of it all.

Then he goes on to tell me about how he just found out the schedule changed for gold phase and instead of being out in the field for 5 straight days with a 20K ruck march back in full battle rattle...they'll be out for 14 days with 2 Bradleys, 2 Humvees, and 2 Strikers. They get to live off of MRE's and have to march the three hills...Heartbreak, Misery and Agony.

I'm not sure if he's complaining or excited about that. To me it sounds like it's going to be a giant camp fest with big giant toys and weapons...every guys dream.

He also said he's still got a respiratory infection, bruised ribs and severe shin splints. He also complains that his pants don't fit since he lost 4 inches off his waist.

You know, if he ever reads this, he's gonna be annoyed at all I share. But, I'm just so freaking proud of him, and worried about him, and no one else understands this stuff by my fellow Army family members.

I'll just let him go hog-wild at a buffet, show him the blog, and then feed him half of Dairy Queen. He'll be just fine with it between the gorging and sugar rush. LOL

This is just a great post...All Military Parents should read it

InfantryMom has penned a great article, go check it out: Why Did I Let Him Enlist?

A Phone Call AND Letter Within 24 hours of each other!

I've been so busy that I can't see straight. And we had a foundation leak in our master bathroom. Can you say MESS?? Ewww...it's just beyond what I can think of right now. Tom spent 2 days digging up our bedroom/bathroom floor just trying to locate the leak. They actually put the pipes in concrete!! What were they thinking???

Anyway, after a few floods, and a visit from a plumber to just stop the insanity...I'm exhausted but wanted to share that Mike called during dinner yesterday and then I received a letter in the mail today! During his phone call he told me he wrote me a three page letter yesterday. Wow! I can't wait!!

He sounded really tired. :( He was also mad. Apparently they got put BACK in red phase. I won't even use the language he used to describe the reason why, but he's not a happy camper.

I started writing my "countdown" in the top right corner of the letters I send. Now he's doing it! LOL It's too funny.

He said he got to fire a M240B, he had us look it up on youtube.com. Pretty interesting...my kid wasn't allowed to play with knives 10 years ago and now he's blasting away with a machine gun with REALLY BIG BULLETS! He sounded excited about that. :)

He said they did rifle qualifications...got 32 out of 40, from 50 meters to 300 meter without using a scope. He said he's a sharpshooter and that he gets "a cool new badge" on his Class A's.

I asked him what he wanted to eat when we came up in October for Family weekend. He said a Buffet and Dairy Queen. LOL OH, and he asked that he get to sleep past 04:30. He also wants to go to a Heavy Metal club. :\ Not sure that will happen...maybe I'll just bring a pile of CDs.

He also wants a custom bumpersticker made. I need to think of how to say what he wants without getting myself banned from Zazzle. LOL

oh well..yet another challenge to keep life interesting.

:)

I forgot to share pics of our puppy!

This is Scout, we got him shortly after Mike left for Ft. Knox.

Here is the big baby (and the old lady). Scout is front and center, Hanako is off to the left.



and here is Scout in his most natural states...causing trouble...



...and in motion...

OMG! I just designed an Army Skateboard!!!

I might be getting delirious from lack of sleep, but this is really cool! Zazzle has skateboards in their list of items I can design...so I made an American Flag board and an Army board. Here's the Army board..



Army Proud, Army Strong Skateboard


ok, I'll stop...for tonight!! LOL

see you all tomorrow!

:)

and then there are bumperstickers!

I'm on a roll tonight. I think my Claritan D has finally kicked in! LOL I'm just creating stuff that I realized I overlooked.



Proud Army Girlfriend Bumpersticker



Proud Army Boyfriend Bumpersticker

I left girlfriends and boyfriends out of my

Proud Army Tshirts! So I just added them. :D

Proud Army Girlfriend T-Shirt





Proud Army Boyfriend

I'm not making these things to make money, I'm making them as a way to put my nervous energy towards something productive. It makes me feel good when I make this stuff so I keep on creating. If you ever think of something you think would be neat/interesting/worth attempting to make...let me know!

Thanks! :)

The Radio Is Going To Kill Me Tonight

Or make me dehydrate. I swear that 2 songs in a row that turn an Army Mom's blood to ice just came on. In a row. First Carrie Underwood's "Just A Dream" and then Tim McGraw's "If You're Reading This".

I love them both, and Tim McGraw's song has been out long enough that me and the girls loved it (and it was still heartbreaking) but we didn't associate it with Mike right off the bat. Now, I had to explain what it meant to the girls when they first heard it. So they were a little young at the time. Now that their big brother, their hero, is in the Army...it all has deeper meaning.

Carrie Underwood's new song is going to be the death of me though. Kids already make a beeline for the tv to turn off CMT or GAC when it comes on. I can't handle that song, it's just painful. I try to make it through without crying like a baby but it's hard. I only made it this time cause I started posting about it. (I used the distraction method this time! LOL)

I called Mike's dad this weekend to see if he'd heard from Mike. I am not sure I want to invite him into this sanctuary I've found. Between my blog and the forums I'm on, I am able to learn and handle the whole process of converting to an Army Mom much better. I'm not sure I could be quite as honest if I knew his dad and step mom might be stopping by and seeing my messages. And Mike seems to be withholding info to them, it's most likely because he's so busy. But what if it's not. I'm sort of torn on whether or not to push them to participate for Mike's sake. I think I'm going to just let Mike tell them what he wants and give them dates/info as he decides. As for the web stuff...I think I will let them find their own sources. If they show up, then they were meant to find it. I spend a considerable amount of time each week learning more and more about what my kid does and will be doing in his Army career. I'm a little hesitant to just provide info to someone who didn't want Mike doing this, hasn't been real supportive and isn't appearing to want to learn. I mean, I could be totally wrong and just have some serious bitterness towards them for things that happened to Mike years ago. I hate wondering if I'm being a bitter bitch or if I'm standing back and letting my adult son involve who he wants in his life. I'd like to think the latter, but I'm afraid it might be the former. *sigh*