BCT or Basic Combat Training

There really isn't as much to say, as I thought there would. I remember he left, and it took about three days before he called me.

    My husband didn't bring his cell phone. All he had was a calling card to call home. If your solider is leaving for basic training, he or she should be able to bring their cell phone. I ended up having to ship his cell phone to him.

      They aren’t able to keep their cell phones on them. My DH’s cell phone was locked up and release to them when they were able to call home.

    My husband was able to give me his address, on the first or second call. After he was done with inprocessing, the only communication we had was letters. He was finally able to call me three weeks in. It was great to hear his voice, and I looked forward to that phone call every week.

    After that he called every Sunday. There were times; he didn't call due to some doing something and their phone privileges getting taken away. When he was able to call, it was around the same time and it only last 30-40 minutes. So make sure you prepare yourself for that. Every soldier’s experience is going to be different.  A motto my husband has picked up is prepare yourself for the worst and hope for the best. 

      It went surprising fast! Before I knew it, it was time for me to drive and see my husband graduate. Since he started basic in October and finished right before Christmas. We were able to enjoy Christmas Exodus before he left for AIT in January.

          This was the first picture I got of him during bootcamp! I was so excited to see my husband in uniform and I was very proud of what my husband had accomplished! I hope you have enjoyed reading my blog. Check back for my next post when I explain my trip from Louisiana to Fort Sill; and his coming home for Christmas!

Rachel

And it begins!

There is a lot I can write about my experiences while my husband was gone for boot camp. It’s funny, but the things I thought I would miss I didn't seem to notice. It is the things that aggravated me about my husband that I truly did miss.

     I remember been completely stressed the week before he left.  I had to make sure that everything taken care of. This included being able to access bills to making sure he had everything he needed for the duration; to making memories with him and the kids, to help the kids through the separation. To top it all off, I was planning my boys birthday party, and a surprise party for my dh. I had to send him off in style.

    If you are considering having a surprise going away party… don't do it! Looking back, I was so stressed that I missed out on spending precious time with my husband so others who would not make an effort, could tell him "Goodbye".

   My husband’s ‘departure date was moved forward two days. I had to share my time with extended family. I know I sound selfish, but if you fast forward to where we are now, you would understand. An angel must have whispering in my ear.
    I remember my mother in law drove us to MEPS, so he could do his finally paperwork. After MEPS, we drove to the airport to say goodbye.

    Out of all the goodbyes we had to say that was defiantly one of the hardest. I think it was because it was sooner than I expected. Or maybe it was because this was the first time I had to say goodbye for any period of time. Though I think what a big part of it was, I knew right at that moment our lives would be changed forever!

  I remember crying so hard I caught the attention of those around me. I really did not intend to be that emotional, but I honestly couldn't help it, the tears kept flowing. One woman came up to me and told me that she was grateful for our sacrifice, and that she would be praying for us. That was hard to hear, I didn't consider what we were doing a sacrifice. My dh was going to Fort Sill for boot camp, not getting deployed.  I thanked her anyway, and told her I appreciated it. I did that for all the women and men, who are experiencing a deployment. I knew one day I would too.

     I thought I would be able to talk about more than the week he left.  I feel the need to share about the emotions, I experienced. I will write more about our journey, for now I leave you with this. Pray for those who are gone, pray for those who will never return, and pray for those families who stand behind our military!
                                            Rachel

Becoming an Army Family!

     My last post was about how my dh and I met. I am going to tell to explain how our family became an Army family.  After my second son was born, my husband thought it would be important to get a college degree. I was in the process of getting mine, and I agreed that it would.

                  When he completed his bachelor’s degree in IT, and the job market being as it was. He started to consider the option of joining the military. This was not the first time David had considered the military. He thought about joining the Navy, like his Dad once when he was younger. Though at the time his dad thought college was more important and pushed my dh into the direction.

                  Here he found himself, at the same decision once again. This time he was considering the Army. We discussed this option, for over a month. This was not an easy decision for my husband.    The perks of joining the Army for us were defiantly worth considering. If he joined he would be making more money. He would be getting paid on time and the right amount. This believe it or not, was a major problem at the last place he worked. Then our family would have medical insurance, dental and eye insurance.

     My dh also would qualify for Loan repayments. All those were major improvements over what we had. Though of all the good, we had to consider the bad.  What kind of danger would he be in? How much of the children’s lives would he miss? Could our marriage survive the long absence away from each other?

    After a lot of prayer and careful consideration, we decided that it would be our best option for our family. So my husband started the paperwork. He signed his papers in June 2010 and he left for basic training October 2010.

     I hope you are enjoying reading our story. There is still much to come before we even make it to where we are now. If you are or have been in this same place then you know what a hard but rewarding road our soldiers take. Please feel free to comment or share your story!

This Picture was taken the night before he left for Basic.

Rachel

The Begining

A new start and a new blog! Boy the road that my Dh and I have traveled has been a bumpy one. I can still hear my dad preaching to me when I announced my engagment to my husband. We were very young when we got engaged. My Dh had just turned 21 and I was 20. We have been best friends for a couple of years, before we decided to start dating.

Our story is an interesting one to say the least. I honest have to thank my ex-boyfriend for introducing me to the wonderful man I married. We met shortly after I started dating this guy, and we will call him J. J and my husband had met in high school during their senior year. They became gaming buddies, so when I started looking for a guy to set up with my cousin, J suggested David.

Yes I know what you are thinking. I did say our story was intesting one, did I not? J and I eneded our relationship about a year after my cousin and David. Since I helped David though his break up, he was there to comfort me. That's when I truly started tp see him, as more then a friend.

I was not quite ready to start another relationship, but David swept me off my feet. We ended up dating and getting engaged all in three months time. I want to say my parents were shocked when I announced our engagement, but I honestly do not think that they were that suprised. I am sure they had their suspicions.

A year and a half later, we became husband and wife. Shortly after, we became pround parents to a beautiful baby boy, Nathan. Shaun joined Nathan two years later. Then two years after that we accquired our cute little pug Cole. Yes, I am in a house surrounded by men.

This was only the begining of our jounrey. In another post, I will share how we came to be an Army family expereincing our first TDS. For those of you that don't know, my husband is one a one year unaccompanied tour. When I say TDS, I mean Temporary duty station.

Stay Strong and Keep Reading,

Rachel