It Seems He Thought That Call Sucked Too

I got a letter from him that arrived yesterday. He apologized more than a few times, and explained some of the chaos and aggravation he was enduring as he waited to make a call. He also said he was very VERY upset after hanging up.

That's probably the hardest part, hanging up and then realizing that you could maybe fix what just went wrong with just another few seconds on the phone...but you can't call back.

The Army is teaching us all sorts of new things about ourselves. Mostly I think it's teaching us to be in control of everything. Not just your physical actions. Your thoughts effect your performance and conversations could very well be the last one you ever have. Taking for granted that you'll always be able to apologize or try to repair whatever was broken is not a luxury the military affords us. I think Basic Training is for the family as well as the Soldier. We need to learn to say what our hearts mean first, and not to waste one precious moment we have on the phone or in person. Anger and frustration will just have to sit on hold until we have finished our call and hung up, or until we've dropped them off at their base. Then we can vent to our fellow Army parents/spouses/siblings and know that we are helping our Soldiers maintain the positive focus they need to succeed.

Ok, I'm starting to sound like a self help book. I just wanted to let you know he wrote me and apologized. Obviously our last call during OSUT will be memorable, but only because it taught us both something.

Phone call, promotion and graduation info

I got a 5 minute call today! :D

Mike is now PV2!! Hooah!!!!

He also said he's sending details (as soon as he gets them) about the graduation dinner. It's the night before so we'll have to zoom up there a little earlier than expected. Works for me!! I get to see him for more than a few minutes!!! :D

I was expecting to watch his graduation and maybe see him for 20 minutes, a few hours tops, on November 20. But getting to go to a dinner with him too is just awesome! Even if I have to share him with his Dad's family...if Mike is happy then I'm happy.

I also logged into his AIM account and let all his buddies know he wanted them to write to him. After asking him in this phone call, I put his address in the status window. I hope some of them write, he really is boosted by others writing to him. It means a lot when someone sits down and writes out (or even types) a letter and takes the time and makes the effort to send it. In this day of instant messages and instant gratification...most people just don't send letters through the mail anymore.

Ok, gotta fly and get some work done. Going to work on my Army store so I can start promoting stuff.

Oh, and I got approved to sell US Cavalry items through my sites as well!! That store just rocks!! LOL

now...really...going to work.

later!!

:)

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!!

:)

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.

:)

We got a few letters today

I haven't written in a couple days due to running out of stamps and money and energy...tomorrow I'm going to buy lots of books of stamps and send out Mike's care package with prestamped envelopes and writing paper.

I'm excessively tired lately and I've not been able to keep up with anything here. I am trying to do too much and need to sit on my butt for one day and just read and relax. BAHAHAHAHA!! Like that will happen.

I'm still working but had to write something since my brain won't stop going over it...one of his letters had the dreaded sentence, "It's starting to look like we will be shipping out to Iraq or Afghanistan right after training." Now I know that was expected. I mean, he's in the Army, right? What else are they going to do with him?? But I was also thinking he was going back to PA after training for a while before he got any kind of orders to ship out of the country. And I didn't want to hear it. Period. I did start tearing up when I read that...but...then it stopped. I've not started crying yet. That worries me. It could get really ugly later. I'll be needing some serious blogtherapy later.

For now, I'm behind on work and need to feed kids and rescue the cat from the dog...so I will be back later!

Another letter came today!

Mike wrote to his sisters, and they are thrilled! They are both writing back right now.

He did send an address for us to send mail to him now. So now we can write to him!!! Woohoo!!

I also just looked up how to get there, it's only 13 hours by car. And our route goes past Stone Mountain, Nashville, and then he's close to Churchill Downs so we can go check that out. (I'm a big horse junkie).

He says graduation is in November. No date yet, but I'm ecstatic with any information at this point so we'll just go with that...

:)

OMG! I GOT MY FIRST LETTER TODAY!!

I was sorting out some bills that came today, and found his letter stuck to the back of an electric bill!!! It's been here for hours and I didn't even know it!!!

I'm so happy I can't even think right now.

He didn't date it so I can't figure out how long it took, but he said in it that he won't have an address until the 21st and it was postmarked July 24th.

He sounds like he actually enjoys it!! He said how much he's learned, and how it's great when they work together. He's made some friends with the same MOS as him. The highlight of his letter was when he thanked my husband, Tom, (his step dad) for teaching him good work ethics and discipline. I thought Tom was going to cry. It made my heart fill up and get all warm seeing that written there. I'm sure Tom was just about to burst. He really has always made Mike push himself to do his absolute best, and when we pulled Mike from public school and started homeschooling him, Tom took him to our restaurant and put him to work on a regular schedule (he was 15 at the time). This is where a lot of his serious "training" came from. That kid was one of the best employees we ever had, and not just because he's my son. He worked hard, did what needed to be done, and never once complained because he got burned or because the kitchen was an average of 130 degrees every day. He was respectful to everyone, the customers LOVED him because he's just so nice and good looking. And yes, the waitresses also spent far too much time in the kitchen when Mike was working, but he'd most likely be embarrassed about all that.

I'm so overwhelmed with emotions right now...I cried because I didn't get a letter or a phone call...now I'm crying because I got a letter. Sometimes I feel like I'm going crazy.

I need to work but now I might have to take 5 and have a cup of coffee and just enjoy this feeling. :D