I'm starting to feel very nervous about this whole Army thing.
I've been doing my very best not to get my hopes up and get excited, but it's difficult. It's not exactly what I wanted in the first place, but it definitely seems like a good choice. On top of that, J is supportive of it. He would support me in any decision I made, but he has definitely let me know time and time again that he's rather I didn't join the Marines. He continually tells me that I'll hate it and it's not as glorious as I think it is. The more he says it, the more discouraged I get and the less passionate I feel about the Marines...
Of course, J would never tell me that I couldn't join the Marines. We don't tell each other what to do. But he is looking out for my best interest and he doesn't think it's a good decision for me to make...again.
With the Army though, things are completely different. In fact, you could almost say that it was his idea. We were laying in bed one day at the hotel in 29 Palms when an Army Recruiting commercial came on. He looked at me and said "Why don't you do that?" I looked at him confusued.
"Do what...?"
"join the Army!"
And it's not like it hadn't crossed my mind but I just figured they wouldn't want me either.
When I got home from 29 Palms, I went to the recruiting station and I talked to recruiters and they told me that I could serve in the Army Reserve, go to school, do ROTC, and graduated with a Degree and as a Commissioned officerYou get paid as a reservist, you can have another job and your schooling gets paid for...Okay, how is that a bad idea?
The best part is, that J is completely supportive of it and it will make our life together a whole lot easier than if I went active duty Marines or did something beside what I've decided on (that is if it all works out...)
So wish me luck. I will find out in the next couple of days here. When I know...my 10 followers will the the second to know. (gotta tell J first!)
Showing posts with label waiting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label waiting. Show all posts
On The Bright Side
Holy crap a lot of stuff is going on right now. And all good stuff for the most part! That doesn't happen very often so I'm going to shout it from the roof tops my blog and enjoy it while it lasts.
First of all, yesterday was the anniversary of the day that J asked me to be his girl friend. I was so excited to talk to him all day and he didn't end up having time to talk to me until the very end of the day. When I finally got to talk to him I nearly exploded with enthusiam...I was pretty excited. I told him happy anniversary and he finally unblocked (he blocked me on Facebook because he thought it'd be so funny or something...uh, not funny...) me from FB as my gift. How thoughtful right? Overall, a good anniversary and I got another gift that I'll be posting about later. I don't have a picture to go with it for now.
Also, I am on the 'Top 20' list at work! That means that I have one of the top 20 test scores in 4 call centers! All you get it a lame candy bar, but it's still really exciting. On top of that, I have the highest score on my team! Hopefully I keep it up. It would be nice to be one of those consistently high-scoring CAs...It's nice to know that you're good at your job and be recognized for it!
Next, I have finally begun to tear my room apart. I'm starting with all of the paper clutter and working my way up. Since I put my sewing machine in my room (probaly a really bad idea...) I haven't gotten much done because I'm just teaching myself how to sew cool stuff. That wouldn't be a problem if I didn't already have so much to do. It might be weird, but crossing stuff off of a To-Do list is one of my favorite feelings. It makes me feel so accomplished!
This next thing might be a little bit shocking... I'm going from the DEP in the United States Marine Corp...
And I'm trying to get into the Army Reserve. What the heck right?!
I'm actually really excited about it. With the Army Reserve, I have a lot of opertunites that I definitely would have had to pass up if I had continued to pursue going active duty Marines. So I'm currently working with a recruiter getting my package built up and I'm submitting all of my medical documents for review at the end of the month...I'm tyring really hard not to get my hopes up becasuse it's not unlikely with this type of injury that I will get denied, but I'm hoping for the best and trying to prepare myself for some disappointment.
If I do get in in these next few weeks though, I will start drilling with my unit, go to Basic Training in a few months, after that AIT and I'll be a freakin Soldier...after that, I can start school and ROTC and work on becoming an officer in the United States Army...What up?
Hopefully, there is even more good stuff to come but we all know what happens when Katie here starts to make plans and get excited about things...So, join me in hoping for the best, and preparing for the worst.
Country Music
Currently, I have this obsession with Pandora Internet radio. Along with that, I like to take screen shots of my favorite songs...so in my iPhone camera roll it's mostly screen shots of a million different songs.
I feel a need to do something with them, so here I go :)
Basically, every night before I go to bed, I turn on Pandora, plug in my headphones and cruise Facebook. Or sometimes it's when I'm getting ready for work or for my day or whatever. When something good comes on, I click the home button, rush to Pandora, X out the ad and *BAM* screen shot that. And sometimes I'm dumb like on the Jamey Johnson one and just screen shot the lockscreen...oh well.
Currently, I'm listening to "Eric Church Radio" and these are the lovely songs that I have just loved so much that I had to screenshot them.
Typically, they are songs that I relate to. Ones that when I hear them, I get all weepy and emotional or I get goose bumps or basically just have some kind of response to. So this is what I've got
Jamey Johnson "In Color"
Kenny Chesney "She's Got It All"
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band "Fishin' In The Dark" (I would consider this one mine and J's song...)
Brad Paisley "Mud On the Tires"
Josh Turner "Time Is Love" (This song is new and I loooove it)
Lee Brice "A Woman Like You"
Jason Aldean "Dirt Road Anthem"
Eric Church "Springsteen" (recently, I downloaded this song and I have been listening to it on repeat for the past...like week or so. And I still get excited when it comes on the radio...)
So there you have it. I'm officially crazy for country music...I've always loved it, but this is a whole new kind of obsession for me. (and this isn't even all the screen shots I took...)
I shoulda been a farmer...or at least a fence builder
So, my garden is complete. I have been working my butt off out there for days under the hot sun and it is now planted and I'm so excited to watch it grow...(hopefully!)
My garden has been a figment of my imagination for quite some time now. At work the other day, I drew plans for about 79 different gardens I knew I would never have (however, I did discover that I have quite a knack for drawing 3D plans.) Ieally, I would have made three different raised beds and it would have been so adorable and it was going to yield beautiful fruits and vegetables that I would be very proud of. Currently, my garden is nothing that I planned, but I couldn't be happier.
I made cute little signs out of random wood and some old nails I knew no one would ever use and strung together a bunch of wire fence pieces that I found. I love that I can just take what I have and make it work. (case and point, hoe/machete...)
Today I drove two fence posts with a driver that weighs 20 lbs. Let me tell you, if you have some pent up anger or some type of issue in your life and you need a physical outlet, driving a fence post will make you feel real good.
I planted the herbs in the adorable washtubs. Don't they look pretty?
And of course, it's necessary to make a sign that says "Herbs" just in case you forget...
Here is my lovely finished product. Looks pretty good to me! Now lets say a little prayer that it doesn't get eaten by snails...
Life is tough...
Right now, J and I are going through what you might call...a rough patch. On Monday, he broke up with me.
I say, "he broke up with me" and not "we broke up" because I had zero input and wasn't able to get a word in edgewise. He simply explained to me that he couldn't handle a relationship anymore. He said that he was too stressed out for all of "this". I don't think going into detail is necessary, but for right now, we're not engaged. We're not even together at all.
Since Monday, though, a lot of things have changed. He asked for his ring back so I took that along with several other things I had of his to his house the next day and I cried on his mom's couch for a few hours. We talked about what we thought was going through his head, what I could do to help him realize what he did was wrong (not the breaking up with me part. If he doesn't want to be with me, it's not like I can force him, but he didn't do it right...not that, to me, there is any right way, but you get the gist...), and how I could help him relieve his stress, and how no one thinks that our break up is for good.
On Monday, if you had asked me if I thought we might be able to work something out, I would have said "No way, Jose." I felt like his mind was made up. I spent the entire evening literally screaming at the top of my lungs and crying my eyes out...so it basically felt like the end of the world. On Tuesday though, everything changed.
I got home from his mom's house and I decided I needed to keep myself busy. It was my day off so I didn't have to work. I cleaned my room and did some laundry and some dishes and tried not to throw away things that reminded me of J. I did a pretty good job. I made plans to have dinner with his sister and tried really hard to not...feel like shit I guess is the only way to put this.
As I was cleaning, he gave me a call and he was clearly upset. He had just gotten off the phone with his mom and was starting to feel like he had made a big mistake (I'm all like...DUH!). I told him that he had to calm down and go to work. The fact that he had about seven minutes left of his lunch and had to go soon made me very hesitant to start anything. So I told him a few things that I knew would make him feel better and explained that I was going to be okay and we hung up the phone. I felt...so much better.
Later, when I was driving home from his sister's house we had a nice long talk about nothing specific and decided that when he got back from his month long training, we would reevaluate our situation and talk through things together and decide what we wanted to do...
So here I sit, waiting out these 23 days and praying that he still wants to be with me...
I mean come on, look how cute we are together.
I say, "he broke up with me" and not "we broke up" because I had zero input and wasn't able to get a word in edgewise. He simply explained to me that he couldn't handle a relationship anymore. He said that he was too stressed out for all of "this". I don't think going into detail is necessary, but for right now, we're not engaged. We're not even together at all.
Since Monday, though, a lot of things have changed. He asked for his ring back so I took that along with several other things I had of his to his house the next day and I cried on his mom's couch for a few hours. We talked about what we thought was going through his head, what I could do to help him realize what he did was wrong (not the breaking up with me part. If he doesn't want to be with me, it's not like I can force him, but he didn't do it right...not that, to me, there is any right way, but you get the gist...), and how I could help him relieve his stress, and how no one thinks that our break up is for good.
On Monday, if you had asked me if I thought we might be able to work something out, I would have said "No way, Jose." I felt like his mind was made up. I spent the entire evening literally screaming at the top of my lungs and crying my eyes out...so it basically felt like the end of the world. On Tuesday though, everything changed.
I got home from his mom's house and I decided I needed to keep myself busy. It was my day off so I didn't have to work. I cleaned my room and did some laundry and some dishes and tried not to throw away things that reminded me of J. I did a pretty good job. I made plans to have dinner with his sister and tried really hard to not...feel like shit I guess is the only way to put this.
As I was cleaning, he gave me a call and he was clearly upset. He had just gotten off the phone with his mom and was starting to feel like he had made a big mistake (I'm all like...DUH!). I told him that he had to calm down and go to work. The fact that he had about seven minutes left of his lunch and had to go soon made me very hesitant to start anything. So I told him a few things that I knew would make him feel better and explained that I was going to be okay and we hung up the phone. I felt...so much better.
Later, when I was driving home from his sister's house we had a nice long talk about nothing specific and decided that when he got back from his month long training, we would reevaluate our situation and talk through things together and decide what we wanted to do...
So here I sit, waiting out these 23 days and praying that he still wants to be with me...
I mean come on, look how cute we are together.
Broken
Today's post is about October 16, 2011, the day all of my dreams were crushed. I explained it a little bit, but I didn't really give you a good idea of what happened. so here it is. All the gorey details (plus pictures!)
I remember looking down at my arm and seeing it all deformed and telling the people around me not to call an ambulance (I was too worried about how much it would cost. My dad had a heart attack a few weeks before and I remember my mom saying how expensive the ambulance ride was even with insurance.) But of course, they had to call an ambulance.
So they sliced me open and put in all that stuff. The picture with the stitches is actually from when they took out all the metal in my arm in January, but it looks pretty close to the same. Except when I hurt it initially it was much more swollen and bruised. It was black and blue and very very painful. I didn't let anyone take pictures when it happened initially, so I don't have any, but just picture really bad and real ugly and you get it... I also had scrapes and bruises on my forehead and hips and knees and hands. It was a bad situation.
Well, some time passed. I surprised J as his graduation and we got engaged on Christmas and things didn't seem so bad. J left and then I got my surgery to take the metal out of my arm. The pictures to the left are of my scar today. It is fading nicely and I barely notice it except for when I bump it really hard or it gets really itchy. But, the Marines don't care. I got discharged in February (or was it March?) and now I'm really feeling lost.
I went for a bike ride with one of my friends from the DEP. I didn't know that we were going mountian biking and I didn't bring my helmet, but I grew some confidence when I saw a lot of little kids coming up from the trail without helmets and their bikes. So, I hopped on my bike and headed down the trail. I had never mountain biked before, so imediately, it felt like a little too much. I took my feet off the pedals and started to walk myself down this first hill.
Right about now is where things go foggy. I'm not sure when I decided to take my feet off the ground and put them on the pedals, but apparently, I did. All I can really remember from this moment, was seeing a cement landing thing ahead of me and then...nothing. I remember the impact of the fall a little bit, but I don't even know how I fell or what happened. The friend I was riding with was ahead of me and looked back when he heard something strange behind him and found me unconsious in a bush. Apparently, the first thing I said was "Sgt. Oz is going to kill you." That was our recruiter. That was when the concussion set in. I remember hearing voices and wondering what was going on.
I kept saying "I don't remember things. I don't remember things." and "What day is it? Why aren't I in boot camp? Has J written me a any letters?"
I have now calculated that I didn't remember the last 3 weeks. J had been gone that long and I had gotten a letter 2 weeks before. Basically, I only remembered that Jake was gone. I think that was the scariest part. Not having a clue where you are or what has happened for the past few weeks is a very confusing thing.
I remember looking down at my arm and seeing it all deformed and telling the people around me not to call an ambulance (I was too worried about how much it would cost. My dad had a heart attack a few weeks before and I remember my mom saying how expensive the ambulance ride was even with insurance.) But of course, they had to call an ambulance.
I got the hospital and my by then my family had been called and they knew what was up. Finally, several hours later (I believe it was dark out and the ride was in the morning) I came to and was coherent. I had a neck brace on and my arm hurt REAL bad. My mom explained it all to me and said that I was going to need surgery.
They put in a metal plate at 9 screws to hold all the crazy fractures together. When I got it taken out, they asked me if I wanted to keep it. Althought it brings back bad memories, I wanted to see what was inside there. I had shattered my radial head, (also known as the olecranon. Learned that one today in my research!)
and fractured a whole section of my raidus on my left arm.
So they sliced me open and put in all that stuff. The picture with the stitches is actually from when they took out all the metal in my arm in January, but it looks pretty close to the same. Except when I hurt it initially it was much more swollen and bruised. It was black and blue and very very painful. I didn't let anyone take pictures when it happened initially, so I don't have any, but just picture really bad and real ugly and you get it... I also had scrapes and bruises on my forehead and hips and knees and hands. It was a bad situation.
I went through several months of physical therapy and now I have full range of motion and mostly all my strength back. Physical therapy was not fun. It hurt a lot. The first day I went, I couldn't make a fist or even touch my fingers to my palm. I was in bad shape and when I was finished with it that day, I went home and cried over how helpless I felt. I did a lot of crying throughout those days. But I felt like I still had hope because they were going to take out all the dreadful metal and I would be able to go and be a Marine. Once I started to make progress, I was feeling really hopeful. I started going to DEP PT and pool functions (Stupid activities that the recruiting office makes you do) and I definitely thought that I was going to get my shot at being a Marine. It seemed like now that I could extend my arm, the whole world stopped sucking all at once.
Well, some time passed. I surprised J as his graduation and we got engaged on Christmas and things didn't seem so bad. J left and then I got my surgery to take the metal out of my arm. The pictures to the left are of my scar today. It is fading nicely and I barely notice it except for when I bump it really hard or it gets really itchy. But, the Marines don't care. I got discharged in February (or was it March?) and now I'm really feeling lost.
I didn't have a back-up plan. I didn't need one. And now, I'm stuck in this dead end job working only 28 hours a week and just begging for something exciting to happen to shake up my week. I feel like I have my whole life ahead of me, but what is all that time with out a plan or a purpose?
So this is what I've come up with.
The things I know:
- I'm getting married to the love of my life...eventually.
- I don't really like my job but it pays too well to complain.
- J is getting deployed next yearish and I'm going to be extremely without him for 7 months.
- I'm lost.
The things I don't know:
- Everything else.
29 Stumps
I don't have pictures becasue I suck.
I now understand why they call it 29 Stumps.
After getting off I-15 just after Primm and driving for 2 hours through the desert, we reached 29 Palms. As we began to get closer my sister starts to freak out. She's driving and saying things like, "Katie, you did see pictures of our hotel online, right? I mean this place isn't a crack hotel is it?" Or there was this one before we were even close to our destination: "I bet that we're just going to suddenly just go into a new dimension and we'll finally be in this dumb place."
And once we could actually see the "city" she started saying how she is pretty sure that we were in hell. Literally we just crossed dimensions into hell. She was freaking out and saying, "Is there going to be somewhere to eat? What if there's no food?!"
Of course food was her first concern.
Well, we got checked into our room and then headed to base to pick up my boy. When I saw him, I think I almost fainted. I was so happy. I gave him a big hug and a kiss and I just looked at him for a second completely in love all over again and it was fantastic.
He went to get his stuff and grabbed his friend (The friend was to keep my sister busy while we had time alone ;)) and we headed off base and back to our room.
I wish that I could tell you all about how much fun this trip was, but honestly, there is NOTHING to do in 29 Palms, we swam in the hotel next to ours' pool and hung out in our air conditioned hotel room. We ate some food in the various popular restraunt around the area (Denny's, MickyDs, Mexican restaurant with a name that escapes me, BK), but honestly, I had a great time. When you're apart for so long, you just get used to missing the person you're away from, it's as if you just start to not feel the missing any more because it's a normal feeling. But when I saw him, it all came back at once how much I had missed him.
And lucky me, because my sister actually kinda hit it off withe J's friends (their names are the same actually...it got really confusing!) We're going back!
I get to return to my Marine again next week. And I already got work off and everything! I'm so excited. Even more so this time because I know what to expect and we'll be better prepared for the little amount of time that we get to spend together.
In other news, J told me yesterday that it's looking like their until won't be deploying until after the new year. That makes me very happy. I told him that I like that timeline much better than deploying this year. That means he might be home for Christmas! And we could possibly find time to get married when it's not on pre-depolyment leave : P I do not want to do that. I think it'd be a good idea because it's going to set us up financially for our future becasue until he comes back from deployment I will be living at home and getting his BAH for where I live. But I'll also have my own job and won't have much for living expenses so we can just save all that money and have quite a lot saved when he comes home and it's time for us to think about getting us a place to live and get all settled down, but I don't want to send my brand new husband off to war after being married for a week. Not cool. But, I guess I just need to get used to the reality of our situtation.
On the bright side, if his unit gets disbannded after this deployment, I might NEVER have to live in 29 Stumps!
I now understand why they call it 29 Stumps.
After getting off I-15 just after Primm and driving for 2 hours through the desert, we reached 29 Palms. As we began to get closer my sister starts to freak out. She's driving and saying things like, "Katie, you did see pictures of our hotel online, right? I mean this place isn't a crack hotel is it?" Or there was this one before we were even close to our destination: "I bet that we're just going to suddenly just go into a new dimension and we'll finally be in this dumb place."
And once we could actually see the "city" she started saying how she is pretty sure that we were in hell. Literally we just crossed dimensions into hell. She was freaking out and saying, "Is there going to be somewhere to eat? What if there's no food?!"
Of course food was her first concern.
Well, we got checked into our room and then headed to base to pick up my boy. When I saw him, I think I almost fainted. I was so happy. I gave him a big hug and a kiss and I just looked at him for a second completely in love all over again and it was fantastic.
He went to get his stuff and grabbed his friend (The friend was to keep my sister busy while we had time alone ;)) and we headed off base and back to our room.
I wish that I could tell you all about how much fun this trip was, but honestly, there is NOTHING to do in 29 Palms, we swam in the hotel next to ours' pool and hung out in our air conditioned hotel room. We ate some food in the various popular restraunt around the area (Denny's, MickyDs, Mexican restaurant with a name that escapes me, BK), but honestly, I had a great time. When you're apart for so long, you just get used to missing the person you're away from, it's as if you just start to not feel the missing any more because it's a normal feeling. But when I saw him, it all came back at once how much I had missed him.
And lucky me, because my sister actually kinda hit it off withe J's friends (their names are the same actually...it got really confusing!) We're going back!
I get to return to my Marine again next week. And I already got work off and everything! I'm so excited. Even more so this time because I know what to expect and we'll be better prepared for the little amount of time that we get to spend together.
In other news, J told me yesterday that it's looking like their until won't be deploying until after the new year. That makes me very happy. I told him that I like that timeline much better than deploying this year. That means he might be home for Christmas! And we could possibly find time to get married when it's not on pre-depolyment leave : P I do not want to do that. I think it'd be a good idea because it's going to set us up financially for our future becasue until he comes back from deployment I will be living at home and getting his BAH for where I live. But I'll also have my own job and won't have much for living expenses so we can just save all that money and have quite a lot saved when he comes home and it's time for us to think about getting us a place to live and get all settled down, but I don't want to send my brand new husband off to war after being married for a week. Not cool. But, I guess I just need to get used to the reality of our situtation.
On the bright side, if his unit gets disbannded after this deployment, I might NEVER have to live in 29 Stumps!
Ugh
Last night and today are the first days since J left for MCT that I have cried over missing him. Of course I miss him. And I've cried over many thing, but these past couple of days have been extra difficult.
I've been trying to plan a trip to go see him, but although I'm an adult and I have my own job and my own bills and responsibilities, I'm not "allowed" to go down to see J by myself. Not only that, I drive a 76 Ford Maverick. Not exactly and ideal travelling car. So I have to rely on someone else to take me down to see him because I'm not old enough to rent a car and I haven't ever driven a long distance by myself.
I was hoping to go down with his sister so that we could do some engagement pictures. I haven't known J very long, so we have about a total of...5 maybe 6 pictures together and most of them are too silly or not all that cute. Basically not appropriate to use for wedding invitations or anything like that. But she can't. So now, we won't have any pictures of us together for a guest book, or to decorate at our wedding or for our invitations...And then when I asked his mom if she could go when I was planning, she couldn't either.
And even if they could go, it wouldn't be the same...I just want to spend time with him by myself and it just isn't a possibility. Being young sucks. So bad. I am feeling being away from him more than every becuase I just can't get help to go and see him...I hate it so much.
But it's what I signed up for. Right?
I've been trying to plan a trip to go see him, but although I'm an adult and I have my own job and my own bills and responsibilities, I'm not "allowed" to go down to see J by myself. Not only that, I drive a 76 Ford Maverick. Not exactly and ideal travelling car. So I have to rely on someone else to take me down to see him because I'm not old enough to rent a car and I haven't ever driven a long distance by myself.
I was hoping to go down with his sister so that we could do some engagement pictures. I haven't known J very long, so we have about a total of...5 maybe 6 pictures together and most of them are too silly or not all that cute. Basically not appropriate to use for wedding invitations or anything like that. But she can't. So now, we won't have any pictures of us together for a guest book, or to decorate at our wedding or for our invitations...And then when I asked his mom if she could go when I was planning, she couldn't either.
And even if they could go, it wouldn't be the same...I just want to spend time with him by myself and it just isn't a possibility. Being young sucks. So bad. I am feeling being away from him more than every becuase I just can't get help to go and see him...I hate it so much.
But it's what I signed up for. Right?
Hurry Up and...Wait.
One thing that I learned about the Marine Crops from day one is that everything you will ever do with them is a "Hurry-up-and-wait" type of situation.
When I joined my recruiter was so rushed. He wanted to get everything done right away (So that he could reach his quota of new recruits that month of course...but still). I took all of a couple days to think about what I wanted and then once I decided what I wanted they tell you what all you have to do to actually become a Marine.
1. Graduate High School.
The Marine Corps currently does not accept recruits with GEDs unless they have complete...some amount of credits (16?) in college. Some people get in after doing this, but it's typical for people to want to do this in high school when they just decided to drop out and then change your mind.
SO. If you join in high school, you HAVE to graduate. Or else you get discharged. Hurry up and get graduated...Unfortunately you can only make that go so fast, right?
2. Take (and pass) the ASVAB
(Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery)
This test is one that all Branches of the military require you take before you are allowed entry. You go to MEPS and they get you all registered and make you sit and wait. And then you take the test (it's 9 sections long!) And you aren't allowed to look at your score. You're recruiter has to open the envelope for you.
I got an 85 :) pretty proud of that.
So they rush you to take this test. Then you just have to pray you did well.
3. Clear Medical.
This picture I picked I feel is perfect. They tell you to get undress (in a timely manner of course) and then they leave the room for sometimes more than a half an hour. So you're sitting there in your underwear with your packet in a freezing cold room with any where from 1 other girl to 10 other girls while you wait to do a bunch of silly stuff mostly naked and get felt up by an old wrinkly man...I <3 the Marine Corps.
4. Pass an IST (initial strength test) and swear in.
This is by far the best part.
Then you get to swear in. I won't lie, this was the proudest moment of my life so far (besides watching J graduated from Boot Camp) and it kills me that I didn't get the chance to do it again. And again and again as I reenlisted time and time again...
I'm seeing that happen now with J big time. He hurried off to MCT where he was a lucky one and picked up on time. But then after, he ended up getting stuck at Camp Pendleton doing Guard Duty for weeks. This was because his MOS school was full and they didn't have room for him in 29 Palms.
And once he got there, he spent two weeks not in class because again, he hadn't picked up yet. Again, he got lucky and he ended up in a class that picked up while people who had been there even longer are still waiting.
It's just so frustrating that they are so quick to rush our men away from us only to make the sit around around waste space that could be used for other Marines...
And now, as he is in his field radio operating school, I am anxiously awaiting the day that I get to see him again. And we're PRAYING his orders don't say Okinawa...
I guess I better get used to this hurryin' up and waiting.
By the way, I don't claim ownership of the above pictures. Just borrowed them off of google. so...yeah. not mine.
When I joined my recruiter was so rushed. He wanted to get everything done right away (So that he could reach his quota of new recruits that month of course...but still). I took all of a couple days to think about what I wanted and then once I decided what I wanted they tell you what all you have to do to actually become a Marine.
The Marine Corps currently does not accept recruits with GEDs unless they have complete...some amount of credits (16?) in college. Some people get in after doing this, but it's typical for people to want to do this in high school when they just decided to drop out and then change your mind.
SO. If you join in high school, you HAVE to graduate. Or else you get discharged. Hurry up and get graduated...Unfortunately you can only make that go so fast, right?
2. Take (and pass) the ASVAB
(Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery)
I got an 85 :) pretty proud of that.
So they rush you to take this test. Then you just have to pray you did well.
4. Pass an IST (initial strength test) and swear in.
Okay, so we would NOT have been allowed to wear that in my recruiting office But I liked that it was a female in the picture. in both pictures actually.
You've got to do at least 44 crunches in 2 minutes and no less than a 12 second flexed arm hang
Then you get to swear in. I won't lie, this was the proudest moment of my life so far (besides watching J graduated from Boot Camp) and it kills me that I didn't get the chance to do it again. And again and again as I reenlisted time and time again...
So I hurried up and waited for this. Allll Dayyy Looong.
It was cool. But Come one. It took so long to get to this point and they were rushing us through ever step.
I'm seeing that happen now with J big time. He hurried off to MCT where he was a lucky one and picked up on time. But then after, he ended up getting stuck at Camp Pendleton doing Guard Duty for weeks. This was because his MOS school was full and they didn't have room for him in 29 Palms.
And once he got there, he spent two weeks not in class because again, he hadn't picked up yet. Again, he got lucky and he ended up in a class that picked up while people who had been there even longer are still waiting.
It's just so frustrating that they are so quick to rush our men away from us only to make the sit around around waste space that could be used for other Marines...
And now, as he is in his field radio operating school, I am anxiously awaiting the day that I get to see him again. And we're PRAYING his orders don't say Okinawa...
I guess I better get used to this hurryin' up and waiting.
By the way, I don't claim ownership of the above pictures. Just borrowed them off of google. so...yeah. not mine.
A Proposal
In an effort to catch the blogworld up on why life as an almost-militar-wife, I believe I will be posting two updates today. Yay for double blog nights!
Below is an excerpt from my proposal. I had to work that night until 7:00 pm. I was...pissed to say the least. It was Christmas and J was only going to be home for 19 days. Besides that, it was our first Christmas together. It was definitely one I wanted to spend with him.
I had spent the few days before Christmas being minorly grumpy. Why, you ask? Well, J and just gotten done with boot camp and was spending his money like crazy...So I decided, hey, he is definitely not going to propose because there is no way on earth he had the money to buy you a ring. I had come to terms with the fact that he would leave me again and I would be ringless (I wasn't too mad about it seems how we'd actually one been together for less than half of our nearly 6 month relationship). But still, a girl hopes.
So finally, it get's to be 6:50 pm...and I just logged out, quit taking calls and clocked outta there a little too early. I couldn't have cared less though. My man was waiting for me.
After all the presents had been opened, one remained. I opened it up and discovered......a box of shot gun shells. Terribly confused, J reached across me and pulled a little ornament out of the tissue paper I had tossed aside and shocked me with this!
I hope that my uncle in the back ground isn't too annoying...You know how family Christmas parties can be. Listen carefully and you hear him say, "Who is this guy?" at the end of the video. HA! leave it to good old Uncle Mark to ruin the proposal video...
Below is an excerpt from my proposal. I had to work that night until 7:00 pm. I was...pissed to say the least. It was Christmas and J was only going to be home for 19 days. Besides that, it was our first Christmas together. It was definitely one I wanted to spend with him.
I had spent the few days before Christmas being minorly grumpy. Why, you ask? Well, J and just gotten done with boot camp and was spending his money like crazy...So I decided, hey, he is definitely not going to propose because there is no way on earth he had the money to buy you a ring. I had come to terms with the fact that he would leave me again and I would be ringless (I wasn't too mad about it seems how we'd actually one been together for less than half of our nearly 6 month relationship). But still, a girl hopes.
So finally, it get's to be 6:50 pm...and I just logged out, quit taking calls and clocked outta there a little too early. I couldn't have cared less though. My man was waiting for me.
After all the presents had been opened, one remained. I opened it up and discovered......a box of shot gun shells. Terribly confused, J reached across me and pulled a little ornament out of the tissue paper I had tossed aside and shocked me with this!
I hope that my uncle in the back ground isn't too annoying...You know how family Christmas parties can be. Listen carefully and you hear him say, "Who is this guy?" at the end of the video. HA! leave it to good old Uncle Mark to ruin the proposal video...
The Beginning
This blog is one unlike any that I have ever written. Instead of being about the every day thoughts that tumble around in my brain, it's about my life. More specifically, my life that is yet to come.
I am currently engaged to a United States Marine. I'm aware that you think this is a blog you've read many times before about a girl who loves her Marine with all her heart and will support him and follow him anywhere he happens to go. And you would be right.
But we've also got a little twist to our story.
What's this twist you ask? Well I was supposed to be a Marine too.
We met in the Delayed Entry Program, or the DEP as it's most commonly referred to as. Both of us were enlisted and had boot camp dates several months away. His was in September and mine was in October. We met on July 1, 2011. It was a hot day and we were heading to Physical Training (PT) together. I had offered to pick him up because he didn't have a ride. I had remember seeing him around and I didn't mind driving about 15 minutes in the wrong direction to go pick him up. I even left about an hour early just in case I couldn't find his house or something...Kind of embarrassing.
Anyway, we didn't hit it off right away. We were just two kids right of high school talking about things that kids talk about. Music, the Marine Corps, tattoos, working out. Nothing too intense. But being the very social person that I am after that day, I texted him a little and we started talking and somehow, a few nights later it was the 4th of July and I was about to be a 3rd wheel to a good friend and her boyfriend. In a desperate attempt to avoid 3rd wheel syndrome, I texted him and told him what was up and amazingly enough he agreed to go with him to watch some fireworks with my friends.
After that night, we went out the next night. Then the next night, And the one after that, and the one after that...Basically, we just really seemed to get along and eventually decided that even though we were both heading off to boot camp in the fall, it was worth trying to be in a relationship. We made this decision 12 days after officially meeting eachother on the first of July...
Kinda quick. But here we are almost 9 months later, engaged and happy as can be.
There have been a few bumps in the road already for sure.
I broke my arm the day before my boot camp date and have now been "Permanently Disqualified" from the Marine Corps.
And I surprised J by showing up at his boot camp graduation in December.
He popped the question on Christmas night. And here we are. Planning to get married....10 years from now.
Okay, so not really, but that is certainly how it feels. If you thought that being married to someone in the Marines was difficult. Trying being engaged to one...forever.
This blog will follow us into matrimony and beyond...That is if we ever get to the matrimony part.
I am currently engaged to a United States Marine. I'm aware that you think this is a blog you've read many times before about a girl who loves her Marine with all her heart and will support him and follow him anywhere he happens to go. And you would be right.
But we've also got a little twist to our story.
What's this twist you ask? Well I was supposed to be a Marine too.
We met in the Delayed Entry Program, or the DEP as it's most commonly referred to as. Both of us were enlisted and had boot camp dates several months away. His was in September and mine was in October. We met on July 1, 2011. It was a hot day and we were heading to Physical Training (PT) together. I had offered to pick him up because he didn't have a ride. I had remember seeing him around and I didn't mind driving about 15 minutes in the wrong direction to go pick him up. I even left about an hour early just in case I couldn't find his house or something...Kind of embarrassing.
Anyway, we didn't hit it off right away. We were just two kids right of high school talking about things that kids talk about. Music, the Marine Corps, tattoos, working out. Nothing too intense. But being the very social person that I am after that day, I texted him a little and we started talking and somehow, a few nights later it was the 4th of July and I was about to be a 3rd wheel to a good friend and her boyfriend. In a desperate attempt to avoid 3rd wheel syndrome, I texted him and told him what was up and amazingly enough he agreed to go with him to watch some fireworks with my friends.
After that night, we went out the next night. Then the next night, And the one after that, and the one after that...Basically, we just really seemed to get along and eventually decided that even though we were both heading off to boot camp in the fall, it was worth trying to be in a relationship. We made this decision 12 days after officially meeting eachother on the first of July...
Kinda quick. But here we are almost 9 months later, engaged and happy as can be.
There have been a few bumps in the road already for sure.
I broke my arm the day before my boot camp date and have now been "Permanently Disqualified" from the Marine Corps.
And I surprised J by showing up at his boot camp graduation in December.
He popped the question on Christmas night. And here we are. Planning to get married....10 years from now.
Okay, so not really, but that is certainly how it feels. If you thought that being married to someone in the Marines was difficult. Trying being engaged to one...forever.
This blog will follow us into matrimony and beyond...That is if we ever get to the matrimony part.
