PT

I did my first PT yesterday! WOW! I passed. I ran 1.5 miles in 12 min 30 sec, did 50 sit-ups and 25 push ups! Better then the numbers I need to be doing to stay in the Navy! YEAH! I am so sore today though! During the run I was starting to get sick to my stomache, lesson, don't eat right before and running out side is different then running inside. The wind was blowing right at me and so my throat got so dry it started gagging me. UGH! When I crossed the finish line I stepped to the grass and sat down. My recruiter started telling me to get up and start walking. If I didn't I was going to pass out. Hopefully I will be shipping out for basic soon!!!!!!

The other thing that I have been thinking about is the fact that I am a divorced mom who let her ex husband take residential custody of the children. We still have shared custody with everything else. I have visitation rights. I posted a message on a facebook Navy sight and one of the replies was very jugemental. The best place for my children to be is with thier father. He and I couldn't get along. We had a lot of problems that we are both glad I left for. He was able to face them and to quit drinking so much. And, well, I was able to face a lot of things too. I have not been able to find full time work and for the last year not even part time work. So I came home to help my mom take care of my grandfather. She thought it would be a great idea to try and join the Navy. So here I am.  I will probably dealing with people who are quick to judge me because of this, but I am doing what is best for my kids. I am teaching my children something and I have not abandoned them. I know what that is. My mother and father didn't want me. My family that I love and charish are my foster family. He has a stability that I can not give my children yet. I call them every night and any chance I have to see them, we always work something out for. My time with my children is quality time. Whether it is on the phone or face to face. My babies are my world. I love them so much!

Mother's Day

This last weekend was Mother's Day. :) It went really well! We had my two babies up here for the weekend and everyone got along great! No melt downs or anyone trying to kill each other. It was great! So mom and I had a household of two 7 year olds, one 6 year old and one 4 year old, one 6 month old Newfoundland and two cats. A fun weekend indeed! It was bitter sweet. Everyone is starting to get the feeling that I will be leaving soon. There is a chance I will be leaving before the end of this month. I am really excited and sad all at the same time. I will miss my family dearly.

My first PT test is schedualed for Thursday! I feel that I am really close to ready. I am able to run 2 miles in less the 16 min and do the sit ups and push ups required. I wish I could do better then the required number on those though! I did sit ups yesterday in my jeans and today there are a few places that are a little raw. Hopefully it will heal before Thursday.

I have got the Sailor's Creed and the Eleven General Orders down pat! So all I need to do now is go through all of my kitchen boxes and get ride of most of it, move everything I am keeping to my storage unit and taking the rest up to the second hand store. I had an entire household, but it has been in boxes for a year now. I thought it would be good to keep it, but as time goes on and the realization that I will be stationed some where for three years, has me thinking less is better. The only things I will be keeping are the things I use now and the things I can not replace.

So wish me luck on my PT test!

Progress

So it took a lot of work and a lot of help from my mom to get all this stuff memorized. The final deal was a trip to town. Missoula is about 55 miles from where we live. She quized me and had me teacher her the whole way into town. I had to meet with my recruiter this day. We didn't think that I would be tested on what I had learned so far, but we were trying to be ready. I didn't think that I had them fully when I walked into the office, but I did. :D YEAH for mom's who work real hard on teaching us how to memorize! The last one, general order 11, was the hardest to remember. It has a few twists and turns in it.

11. To be especially watchful at night, and during the times for challenging, to challeng all persons on or near my post, and to allow no one to pass without proper authority.

Mom had  a hard time with 4.

4. To repeat all calls from post more distant from the guard house then my own.

So when I was sitting with the recruiter he started asking me about the orders. I knew them all and he signed me off on them. :D YEAH!

Now for the big news. I might be leaving for boot camp before the end of this month. That would be great! I get to get started! But it is a sad deal too. My mom is working on building a house and it is finally starting to come together so she really needs my help right now. I've been helping to take care of my 87 year old grandfather and helping with 7 year old twins. The hardest part will be not being able to talk to my children every night too. It is a bitter sweet deal. I start my life and get back on my feet, but will be missing my whole family to do it.

Memorizing

I have the general orders memorized and in random order! I have the Sailor's Creed down now too! YEAH! My shins are finally healed enough to run. So now I am going to hit the gym hard to get ready for my first phyiscal assesment test. :D I'll write more the next time I get on. It is already getting late tonight and I am beat.

Exercise

I have to be able to run 1.5 miles in under 16 min., do 43 sit-ups, and 13 push-ups. I am really close to all those numbers, if not better. The only thing I am worried about really is the running. I can run it no problem, when my left leg isn't injured. This last winter I got tendinitise and I am now trying to get over shin splints. Does anyone know a good way to heal from shin splints? I started using a this rolling thing on it before I run and that has really helped, but every now and again it just aches. I hope that I get it healed before my first PT test. I am suppose to have one at least 30 days before I ship out and well, we really don't know when that will be for sure. It is still schedualed for July 20th, but hopefully it will be sooner then that.

Why?

It was pointed out to me that I have not even gave a reason behind all of this. Why have I joined the Navy? Who am I? Well I don't really know what to say to either of those. Of course I do know the answers, but what to say in a blog. This is all very strange and new to me.

I am a 27 year old woman who is divorced with two children. He has them right now. I was a house wife and have not been able to get on my feet since I left 2 years ago. It has been a trying time in my life. I am trying to do what is best for my children and me. The Navy was my mom's idea. We thought that I might finally weigh enough. lol! I am a very small woman. I barely make weight, but I did. My personality is perfact for the military I am told. And I am really happy about the idea and getting a move on for it. I really wanted to when I was in high school but was to small when I graduated to be considered and then life happened. My children are very excited about my new adventure. I know it will help me get back on my feet and out of my mom's house and back into the work force. I have been out of it for to long. I got to sick as well. All good things come in time and now this has too. Everyone, family and friend, are really excited and feel this is the best choice I could have made considering all of the circumstances involved.

I know that I will do well and excell greatly through all of this. I will be made into the person I already know that I am and to me that is the greatest thing of all. I will not need to be forced into something I am not. I already am that person, just need the training to show it.

How life is strange and mean....

So to catch everyone up. I cut my hair really short. I am talking it was almost to my butt and now it is above my chin short. I donated 16 inches to Locks of Love and then had about 5 more inches cut off. It is really cute. I will put picks up as soon as I can. I had my first DEP meeting and it was a lot of fun. We did some drill and then learned a little bit about what the Navy can offer us and our families. It was on Sydney's birthday. She and I met when I first went to MEPS. She will be leaving in June but we are hoping we might be able to leave together. She is a very sweet and funny girl. We hit it off really well and the funny thing is that she doesn't live far from my families ranch.

Now for the bad news for the week since it has been about that long since I last wrote. Our newest member of the family, Newfie, has hip displatia. For those of you that don't know what that is for dogs, after about two years it is very, very painful and possibly needs to have the dog put down. She is the best dog in the whole world. She learns so fast and remembers everything! She is very attached to mom and the family, but expecially mom. Little Gracie is taking it real hard too. It is a very sad thing for our family. We got her because we had to put our family dog down this last winter. He was old and had cancer. The vet said that he didn't have much longer to live except in pain. It was the saddest thing for me. I miss him and I will really miss our Newfie :(

MEPS

So MEPS actually happened about four weeks ago, but I am just starting this blog. My mom thought that it would be kind of fun. So I tested real well on the ASVAB, so I am what the Navy calls a woman mental. Ha, no pun intended. :D I got a really cool job too! I am really excited about all of it! I am in the DEP program right now and that is just working on getting my PT numbers up, memorizing the stuff that I need too, and getting ready to leave for boot camp. My official date to leave is July 20th, but I am can leave at any time between now and then. I have a lot of stuff to get ready and my two kids and my little sister and brother wishing I wasn't going at all. When I have some more time I will write more about all of this.