I love Saturdays. I wake up, feed AJ, get dressed and sit down with a cup of coffee as I go over my computer addictions. (hehe) Im enjoying these days as I know I will not have many more of them as this deployment comes.
A whole month has gone by. Labor day 96 wasn't too bad. We didn't do much the entire weekend but we did go to the beach with some friends. Jack & Amanda (OIF), and thier friend Adam & his wife Morgan. Plus we asked Mitch and Misty. So we spent the day hanging out, playing volleyball, and getting a great tan. Wow did I get dark =)
Drill weekend wasn't too bad. I got to the unit at 6:30 am. Everything was planned out. Who was going to take what truck and when, but some idiot messed it all up and rather than get out of Orlando at 9:30 we didnt get out until almost 11:30. By then it was raining. I drove the Ambulance HMMMV w/ our Corpsman on the second stick. It was so hot and we have no AC and no fan.(ICK) So by the time we got up to Jacksonville, FL around 1700 I was soaked in sweat. We staged our vehicles in our make shift motor poole and we humped our way to the squadbay. They always try to separate the females from the males so our squadbay was spaced pretty far from the males. Kind of ridiculous if you ask me. I mean if you want to do it, so be it, but there were plenty of other squadbays closer. We got to bed around 2200. At 2400, the rest of the unit showed up and then we got the bad news. One of our vehicles broke down. Luckily Im not a Vehicle Recover Operator. Those guys got no sleep. Saturday morning we prepared for the Gas Chamber. I remembered not to shave anything but my sunburn was going to be a problem. I got everyone's canister on and then rushed to get mine ready. I was in the first group of 15. Our 1stSgt was in the chamber setting off CS Grenades. (Please note: grenades are for open environment situations and release enough gas to feel the effects over a football field.) So in I went as capsules and grenades going off. A room not larger than a normal size living room. Then I realized my canister wasn't on. I was breathing in all that gas... I tried to stay in but I was getting sick. So I ran out like a little girl. (You can laugh. I know I did) But thenI had to go back in... I was completely freaking out. I couldnt get my hair to stay in place and it kept breaking my seal. But I did it. I went back in, ran around, did jumping jacks, broke the seal and held it in front of my face. Once we were told we could put the mask on, we did. I couldn't get my back on. My hair got stuck in it. So I ripped it out of my hair, placed it on my face and held it there closing my eyes. Then we were allowed to get out (thank goodness) and i did. With snot dripping out of my nose and tears pouring out of my eyes. My skin felt like it was on fire. Some guy got a bloody nose. We drove back, got cleaned up and had classes to do the rest of the day. We didn't get to bed until 1am and had to be up at 3:50 am. I got to A-drive in the LVS. It was my first time. I have always been in the 7ton or HMMMV. Cpl Stehle (OIF PLT) drove and my job was to keep him awake. We headed out of Jacksonville and got to Orlando pretty early. The day was over around 5pm.
Rob now has AJ home everyday. It works out better and we save so much money. About $900 a month between tuition, gas, and tolls. Rob leaves for NY October 5th to go finish up testing and comes back the 11th. I took leave for the week so I could take care of AJ. Hopefully we have more info about his academy by mid Oct.
TIMELINE: October 13th, the group Im going to Iraq with gets mobilized. The 17th we leave for Camp Blanding up in Jacksonville, FL and we are there until October 24th. Then I leave for 29 Palms October 26th. I get home Thanksgiving Day. Then December 15th I go on leave and Rob's friend Rich comes down. Colie will also be down to help. We pack up the house and head to NY. I stay on leave until Jan 3rd. Come home to FL and leave for Camp Lejuene Jan 7th. Im there until mid February and then we leave for Iraq. So I should be getting home mid September of 2009. Not too shabby.
AJ is doing great. He's so smart and he has this great imagination. I hope the school that Im sending him to in January can help broaden his horizions. Now I just have to find a babysitter for the mornings while Rob goes to the Academy until 7. So if you know anyone let me know. This is my son so I'll pay whatever to make sure he is taken care of.
Im not trying to lose all that weight anymore. Im 23 yes, but im not as superficial as I thought. I discovered that after reading a friend's blog. Like her I just want to be healthy. Yo-yo dieting isn't healthy and I will be losing plenty of weight while deployed. So my goals have changed. I want to be at a healthy weight. I want to be fit and have plenty of energy. Im going to the doctors next week to make sure that I am cleared for Operation Fitness LOL. I want to be healthy inside and out. Tanning everyday, barely eating and working out is so unhealthy. I don't drink heavily and I don't smoke. I eat red meat in moderation and well I want to be healthy for Anthony and any future babies we have.
I actually want a girl really bad now. I already have the name picked out. The name is a mixture of my favorite name and my mother's confirmation name. But if I have a boy I also have a few names picked out.
My life isn't perfect. Money is really tight. But I still have my family together. There is food on the table, clothes on our back, and a roof over our heads, and most important love and support. Money will come. We just have to keep working hard. OK this blog is long enough. I need to get my stinky man dressed. Smooches
P.S. We made a trip to Universal and we got AJ on spiderman and he loved it and then he met Spiderman. He was starstruck
P.S.S. Sex and the City movie comes out Tuesday =)
