Hello All

Clearly I'm not meant to blog but let me see if I can give you guys a quick update on Mrs. E. So I finally got to speak with her two days ago which was a surprise. She is doing well and happy to be really close to graduation. Basic is not for the faint of heart and I am very proud that she has made it through. Not only has she made it through but she has excelled! She has been ranked as runner up for Soldier Leader of the Cycle out of almost 230 people! She has even gained an understanding of why Mr. E does some of the odd things he does. Lol. Mrs. E said that her feet and hands have been through a lot and you can tell by looking at them but she has also been through a great deal emotionally. She has grown as a person and is very proud of herself (as are we) that she has made it through something so trying. In just one day she will have access to the real world. Maybe she will have time to give you guys a quick update but I'm not sure. I mean she hasn't seen her husband (or anyone) in a while so we shall see. Tomorrow (4/20) is family day and she actually graduates on 4/21. Well that's it for now. Peace! :)

First Week at Basic

So I know it's been a while since I have written on the blog. Sorry guys but life has been busy. As of today I have received 2 letters from Mrs. E. During her first week in basic training there was alot going on. On Monday she had her first PT test, of course she passed. Thank God! Tuesday she had to climb the victory tower. For those of you that don't know the victory tower is like a 90 foot tower that she had to climb up and then repel off the other side. She said this was scary for her especially when she was at the top of the tower getting ready to come down. She thought that was difficult until Wednesday came around. On Wednesday she had to do the gas chamber. Which she stated she never wants to do again. She had to stay in the gas chamber for 5 whole minutes and state her full name, rank, social security number, and say the Soldier's Creed. Unfortunately, Mrs. E only got one line of the Creed out and then she started throwing up. Everybody was throwing up and passing out! It was so bad that her nose started bleeding and it got all over her uniform. I know she is glad she got that part over because it was what we talked about the most before she left. Glad she made it through throw up and all. Lol

Thursday they did team building activities and a course called Fit to Win. The course was 2 miles long with all kids of different stuff like a a net to climb up, a mud pit to crawl through, walls to jump over, etc. Friday she had to participate in a Land Navigation course. They dropped them off deep in the woods when it was pitch dark outside. They had to use a map and a compass to find their way back. For those of you that really know Mrs. E you know she is deathly afraid of snakes. So all she could think about during the activity was being careful not to step on a snake. So that concludes her first week in basic training. As you can tell once someone goes through something like this they probably don't want to do it again. Mrs. E is no exception she said that it is really hard and she is sore. She has bruises all over and skin missing off her feet from her boots and all the marches they have to do. The Drill Sgts. are a whole 'nother (yes that's ebonics!) story! Let's just say they aren't pleasant. Lol. I'm counting down until her graduation so we can see her again. Just know that her second letter sounded way more positive so don't get discourage if you plan on joining the Army :). I will try not to take so long posting again but until next time peace!

WHO NEEDS SLEEP IN RECEPTION?

HI EVERYBODY THIS IS MR. E BUT YOU CAN CALL ME SGT AWESOME (FAMILY GUY REFERENCE). A REAL QUICK DISCLAIMER UNLIKE MY BEAUTIFUL AND INTELLIGENT WIFE AND HER BFF I'M NOT VERY WELL VERSED IN WRITING SO BEAR WITH ME THANKS. SO HERES A QUICK UPDATE ABOUT EVERYBODIES FAVORITE BASIC TRAINEE. SPC. E (AKA MRS. E) ARRIVED AT FORT JACKSON S.C. (GREATEST STATE EVER FYI) ON 7 FEB 2011 AT 2330 OR SO WHERE DRILL SGT(DS FROM NOW ON) GREETED HER AND THE REST OF HER BATTLE BUDDIES WARMLY WITH A SHUT THE F#%K UP AND GET OFF MY F#%KING BUS. (GOTTA LOVE DS) ANYWAY FROM THE FEW CONVERSATIONS WE WERE ABLE TO HAVE HER DAYS PRETTY MUCH CONSISTED OF 5 MIN MEALS A LOT OF YELLING BY THE DS AND OF COURSE PUSH UPS AND FLUTTER KICKS ADD TO THAT ANOTHER PHYSICAL, CLOTHING ISSUE, FINAL INPROCESSING PAPERWORK, RANDOM FORMATIONS AND FINALLY ABOUT AN HOUR OF SLEEP OR SO A NIGHT. THIS OF COURSE HAD OUR FAVORITE SPC NOT IN THE BEST OF MOODS AND QUESTIONING HER DECISION, THIS MOMENT LIKE ALL OTHER MOMENTS OF SUCKNESS (THATS A WORD LOOK IN THE OFFICIAL MR. E DICTIONARY) PASSED AND SPC E WAS PICKED UP BY HER BASIC TRAINING DS ON THAT FRIDAY. ONCE SHE AND THE REST OF HER COMPANY WERE PICKED UP THEY WERE GIVEN A QUICK 5 MIN PHONE CALL. SHE TOLD ME SHE LOVES ME AND THE REST OF THE FAMILY AND WILL SEE US AT GRADUATION. SINCE THEN I KNOW ITS ONLY BEEN A FEW DAYS BUT WHO CARES I'M IMPATIENT I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR A LETTER. SOON AS I GET ONE MYSELF OR T WILL BE SURE TO UPDATE THE BLOG, UNTIL THEN DO SOME PUSH UPS!!!

MEPS

Okay guys just a quick introduction and an update on Mrs. E. Like she stated in an earlier post I am her best friend, T., and I (along with Mr. E) will be keeping you guys up to date. This is my first blog post so lets see how it goes! Yesterday was a very looooong day. And I do mean long. We all rode up to MEPS (Me, Mrs. E, Mr. E, and Mrs. E's mom) really early in the morning. We woke up at 3am just to make it on time. It was 5:30am when we finally arrived. Mrs. E had to get out of the car and get in line with the other soldiers almost immediately. However, because the office did not open for family members and friends until 8am we had to stay in the car. So we stayed in the car. In the cold... until 7:50am when Mr. E decided it was close enough to opening time and we went inside. When we went in we sat in the family lounge which was comfortable enough besides the tv being very tiny and inaudible. It wasn't that many other family members there when we arrived in fact it was only one other family. While all the recruits were waiting in the big room for their name to be called they watched tv and walked back in forth between their waiting room and the family lounge. We could see them from the family lounge through a big glass window. While we waited I bombarded Mr. E with questions since he is a recruiter and I just wanted to know what my best friend had gotten herself into. He informed me that all the recruits would be called into their respective offices (Army, Marine, Navy, and Air Force) and they would be weighed and asked if any of their information had changed. By 9am more family members showed up to join us in the lounge but they still hadn't called Mrs. E back in the room. They finally called her later around 9:45am and it took them a while to get her information updated because she had to change her name from the old one to Mrs. E. After that we waited some more (hurry up and wait military moto) until finally they said Mrs. E was about to take her oath. Then she decided to wait and take her oath with the next group because her father hadn't arrived yet. Once he got there she went right in to take the oath. It was really cute! Her first "real" solider moment. I'm so glad I got to be a part of the ceremony. Of course all of us are very proud of her decision but we were all sad because she had to leave. And so soon after getting married!!! After taking her oath she had to go and get debriefed (I have a feeling she will be doing this a lot). Finally around 2:17pm Mrs. E and a group of 51 others got on their charter bus to head to basic training. While we, family and friends of all the recruits waved and cried. It might be a while for the next update I have to wait for Mrs. E to write me or Mr. E before writing more. She has contacted both her mom and her husband so we know she is safe :). Until next time T. signing off.

The Time Has Finally Come!!!!!!

Well the time has finally come!!! Time for me to ship out to Army Basic Combat Training! I enlisted 10/1/10 and I can't believe how fast my ship date came! I'm nervous because I don't know what to expect but at the same time I'm excited to begin this new journey. Of course I'm going to miss Mr. E...we haven't even been married a month yet :o(!!! Hopefully these 6 months will past quickly (10 weeks for basic and 16 weeks for my job training). Mr. E and my best friend T will be updating my blog while I'm away. I'm not sure when I'll get to write letters but as soon as I get the chance I'll be sending letters home so they can update the blog. Everyone wish me luck and I'll get back to blogging after basic!!! Mrs. E signing off!

Army Wife Creed

So I ran across this on California Girl to Army Wife and I thought it was the cutest thing! We have a Soldier's Creed but I've never seen a Army Wife Creed! I just had to post this to my blog!!!!

Army Wife Creed

I am the wife of an American Soldier.
I am a supporter of the United States Army -
an encouragement for the protectors of the greatest nation on earth.
Because I am proud of my husband and the  uniform that he wears,
I will always act in ways creditable to him, the military service
and the nation he is sworn to guard.
I am proud of my husband. I will do all that I can to protect
and provide for my family in his absence. I will be loyal to my
husband and to the vows that we made as we entered the
covenant of marriage.
I will do my full part to carry on the values
and goals we have set apart for our family
and I will continue to instruct our children in the same manner.
As a soldier's wife, I realize that I play a vital role
in my husband's decision to become a member of a time-honored profession -
that I am doing my share to keep alive the principles of freedom
for which my country stands.
No matter what situation I am in, I will never do anything,
for pleasure, profit, or personal safety,
which will disgrace my husband, his uniform or our country.
I will use every means I have to encourage my husband to be
the best soldier that he can be.
I am proud of my husband, my country and its flag.
I will fly the flag and will always remember the sacrifices
made by my husband and by generations of men and women
that have served our beloved country.
I will try to make my husband proud of the
manner in which I accept his decision to defend my freedom and
the freedom of all American citizens -
for I am the wife of an American soldier.

-Author Unknown  

Basic Training Shopping!

Me and Mr. E went shopping last night for some of my basic training stuff. The only thing left to get is my underwear and sport bras. We're going on Base today when he gets off so we can go to the military clothing store to get my undergarments. It was a lot of fun to shop for basic training but at the same time of course it was a little sad. It's so soon...too soon!!!!

Here are some items that I bought for basic training. We have to arrive with trial sizes because they don't take us shopping for our supplies until like the 3rd day there!

Last Day of Civilian Work!!!

Today is my last day of teaching...bye bye civilian work!!! Still can't believe I'm shipping out to basic training next week! I joined back in October and my ship out date came sooo fast! Today when I get off I have to go by the BX and buy all the stuff on my "What to Bring List: Prior to Shipping to Basic Training". I have to buy travel size soap, deodorant, toothbrush/toothpaste, disposable razor, shaving cream, comb and hair accessories, combination lock, shampoo and conditioner, 2 pairs of underwear and 3 shorts bras (don't worry...they let us buy more underwear and bras once we get to basic lol!). And everything has to fit in our little Army bookbag that we got when we first enlisted. Anyway...off to my last day at work. I'll have more time to post once I'm off!

MilSpouse Friday Fill-In #28

1.  If you were a famous movie star, what types of movies would you star in?  
Probably a comedy because I like being silly and I love to laugh!  

2.  What is a vacation you would like to take if money were no object?
I would love to either take a cruise around the world or do a cross country drive across the United States. I've only lived in GA, so it would be nice to see other places...which I'm sure I'm going to do since I'm a new MilSpouse and I just joined the Army!

3.  Did you have pets growing up?  
Of course! I had 3 dogs, 2 rabbits, and a hamster. I love love love animals...except for snakes...yuck!

4.  What do you do for exercise?  
Well since I'm trying to get ready for basic training, I currently do push ups, sit ups, and I run.

5.  What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received as a MilSpouse?  
Communication is a must! I know communication is important in all marriages but it's extremely important in military marriages because of all the things we have to endure and go through!

Being Sick Sucks!!!!

Ugh! So all the mornings of me running in the cold and running at night in the cold has finally caught up with me! I'm sick...and it sucks. My husband has ordered me to stop my training and rest but it's kindof hard...because I think I'm addicted to working out now! At first I hated it but now I really look forward to going to the gym with him every night and running around our neighborhood before we go to sleep. I leave for basic in about a week and a half, so I guess I need to rest and get myself better because I definitely don't want to start basic feeling like crap! I know the Drill Sergeants aren't going to baby me like my hubby...*tear*sniff*tear* I'm going to miss him so much. But I know in the end it'll all be worth it!!

Forgot To Mention...

Soooo...while I'm in basic I won't have access to the internet, or computers at that. I really want to keep this blog active so I decided to make Mr. E and my best friend (T.) guest bloggers. If you look to the right, you'll notice that they're listed under the "contributors". When I write them letters they're going to update the blog and keep everyone informed. Just a little warning...weird stuff can come out of Mr. E's mouth lol! I'm sure I'm going to have a lot of crazy posts from him when I get a chance to check out the blog after all my training!!!!

Reality Is Starting to Sink In!!!

So I was sitting at my desk today at work and reality started to sink in that I'm leaving in 2 weeks! I can't believe that I'll be leaving for basic soon. Don't get me wrong...I'm extremely excited to go. I'm ready for the Drill Sergeants to get up in my face and yell at me (yeah I'm actually ready for it) and I'm ready to constantly get "dropped" and made to do push-ups. I know all of this is what makes basic training and I'm ready for it. What I'm not ready for is to leave my husband, Mr. E. We won't even be married for a month yet when I ship out for basic. We're going to spend almost the first year of our marriage apart but I know that comes with military marriages. This is just a little touch of what we'll be going through when he deploys again and when I go through my first deployment. But...off to the gym I go! I still have to work on this 2 mile run...I will not let it defeat me lol!

MilSpouse Friday Fill-In #27

1.  What do you usually want to know about someone when meeting them for the first time?
Umm...their names, what they do for a living, just little details like that.

2.  Would you rather know everything about your spouse, or be regularly surprised?  
I would LIKE to know everything but I know that's not possible. I guess I would like to know the big, major things and be surprised about the little, minor things...I hope that makes sense lol!

3.   If you could live in one city for the rest of your life, where would you live?  
You know what? I'm not even sure. I guess once I start traveling with the Army I'll have a better idea of where I would like to live! Sorry for the lame answer!!!

4.   When you go out of town, what one material thing do you ALWAYS take?  
A book!!! I'm such a nerd...have to have a book with me at ALL times! I really should look into getting a nook...hint hint Mr. E if you're reading this!

5.   Using no more than 10 nouns, and ONLY nouns, describe yourself.
Oh gosh...let's see:  
* Wife (hehehe I love saying that!)
* Reader
* Soldier
* Military
* Blogger (yay!)
* Mom (to our furbabies! yes they count!!)
* Christian
* Zeta (my sorority!) 
* Friend
*and finally...DIYer (very good at creating almost anything crafty! I designed our whole wedding and made EVERYTHING!)

So there you have it...my first MilSpouse Friday Fill-In!!! I know I did it on Saturday...but hey...I'm new to this whole blogging thing!

Running Sucks!

So I got up at 6:30am to go running around our neighborhood and I nearly passed out. I can easily run a mile in the gym but outside in the cold is another story. I have to get this 2 mile run down before I ship out to basic in 2 weeks! I'm a beast at sit-ups and push-ups already. This past Thursday at Future Soldier Training I had to take a PT test since I'm within 30 days to leave. I did 35 push-ups and 50 sit-ups but I ran my mile in 11 minutes...sucky time!!! For these next 2 weeks I have to get into the routine of running every day, preferably in the mornings because I need to get used to running in the cold since I'll be in BCT during the cold. Boo cold weather and boo this 2 mile run!!!!

Trying Out This Blog Thing!!

Ok...so I've read plenty of blogs and they look pretty interesting. Plus my best friend is really pushing me to write a blog since me and Mr. E will be leaving the area soon. She figures this will be the easiest way for friends and family to keep up with our travels...so here's my attempt at this blogging thing!! I've always wanted to do it but never had the time or patience to actually sit down and type out my thoughts. Sooooooo...without further ado...welcome to my blog...Our Dual Army Marriage! I hope you enjoy and decide to follow!