Pig's Ramblings

Dear HurleyBurley, It was AH-mazing to see you last night and squeeze your neck.  Can't wait to spend some more time with you while I'm in Texas.
Dear Cheating Army Wives, Y'all are the worst representation of wives, ever.  I understand that your husband is gone for long periods of time. I understand that he works really hard and is tired and sometimes cranky when he comes home.  I understand that you make sacrifices, just like he does, for the Army.  But most of these sacrifices are made so that your husband can provide a better life for you.  Or at the minimum serve and protect a great country that provides you with a million opportunities each and everyday.  And then to go and betray all of that and to hurt a soldier in such a way... *insert face of disgust*
Dear MonkeyHubby, I'm so happy that our relationship is what it is and that it's getting better each day.  I feel blessed that we aren't what is turning into the Army "standard".  I pray everyday that we're reunited at the very beginning of your return window.  Can't wait to squeeze your neck and kiss your face!

My hugs and prayers go out to a good friend tonight...

Pig's Ramblings

Dear SPC Johnson (YES, that's right folks, he's been promoted to Specialist! Check out that sham shield on his chest!), I'm so proud of you.  Proud of you for your promotion, proud of you for the sacrifices you've made on your deployment, proud of the dedicated soldier that you are.  I know you've been 'bored', but bored equals safe in the infantry world and all I want is for you to come home next month!

Dear Crutches, Y'all kinda suck.  I can't carry anything because you've always got my hands occupied.  You constantly make me forget to take off and or put on my PC (i.e. Army cap).  And you just don't go with my outfit.  I can't wait until I can get rid of you...someday...like a month from now...maybe...

Dear Haribo Gummy Bears, I have missed you!  Eating a giant bag of you today was fabulous.  I will visit the PX often to replenish my stock.

Dear MonkeyHubby, I am praying everyday, constantly, that your homecoming date overlaps with my upcoming con-leave.  Getting to hug your neck and kiss your face is all I can dream of and look forward to right now.  I am falling head over heels for you again, chatting and messaging, barely getting to hear your voice.  It's just like it was when we started dating 7 years ago.  Your re-commitment is amazing and I can't wait to find our normalcy again, whenever that day may come.  It's always been you, it will always be you!

Back in Green

I'm back!  I'm stronger, faster (well, I was faster, but I'll explain later in this post), and dressed in camo head to toe.  I don't mind the camo's though, I look pretty good in them, and now that I have my Nike combat boots, my feet are nice and comfy.

It's been an adventure, for sure.  It all started with a week of reception, which entails lots of waiting in line for things.  All sorts of things, from clothes, to boots, to paperwork, to an ID card, to money stuff, to, and the least pleasant surprise at the end of any of the lines I waited in, shots.  Yes, I got 7 shots in a matter of 5 minutes, assembly line style...one shot in one arm, step forward, second shot in same arm, step forward, third shot in alternate arm, step forward, so on, and so on.  It was unpleasant.  At the end of a week of reception, you're take on a scenic bus ride to your beautiful new home for the next 9 weeks and 4 days and greeted, enthusiastically, by your new caretakers.  (Can you see the sarcasm dripping off of that sentence?!) In reality, you're herded onto an old broken down school bus with pounds and pounds of crap in your lap, we were forced to shove our faces in our bags while we moved and got yelled at, you're again herded off the bus and smoked for the next hour or so.  Oh, and don't, don't look at you drill sergeants, they don't like that.  All in all it's really not that bad.  I mean, basic sucks, but it's not bad.  After the first few days of constantly getting yelled, constantly being wrong, and constantly getting smoked (which really just helps your PT anyways), you start to get into training, and the days start to fly by.  You're issued an M16 which never leaves your side, except for church; you go to range after range after range, you shoot during the day, you shoot at night (optics are difficult at first, but pretty cool); you march everywhere and carry lots of weight; you PT daily; you spend nights out in the woods sleeping in hasties with poncho-hooches over head; you throw live grenades; you shoot machine guns; you run around and shoot in battle buddy teams; you run STX lanes; you sit under LPA's (lightening protection areas) because it just monsoon-ed on you and you're soaking wet; you eat tons of MRE's and your bum gets stopped up; you meet tons of new people and spend way to much time way too physically close to them; you like some of these new people and you hate others but can't change that they're always there; you do what you're told and get in big trouble if you don't; you become a United States Soldier.

And then, once you're finished with basic, you get shipped off somewhere else in the states, Fort Lee, VA for my case, and you start your AIT training where you learn the specifics of your MOS i.e. Army job.  But, if you're me, you make it to AIT, go visit a doctor, get put on crutches, and consequently put on med-hold statues i.e. I can't start training.  Why might you ask has this happened to me?  Well, it all started about half-way through basic with a little bit of groin/hip pain.  I saw the doctor, I got on crutches then as well, I had a bone scan.  During my consultation after my bone scan I was told that everything was good, I might have some pain, but I was okay to return to training.  So after a week of profile to rest, I did just that and returned to training.  I was in pain the majority of the rest of basic, but I pushed through because I wanted to graduate and I kept remembering that the doctor said I was okay to train.  Well, after 6 weeks of continued pain, I decided to go see the doctor during in-processing at AIT, only to be told that I'm broken, and have been broken since my initial bone scan.  I have two fractures of the pelvic bone and a fracture in my right foot.  Injuries which I somehow managed to PT test on, complete Victory Forge field training, and a 10 mile ruck march, among other things.  Injuries which now have me sitting on my tush with 30 days of con-leave in my near future, which I should be more excited about because I get to go home to rest and heal, but I'm just kind of frustrated that my training process has come to a screeching halt.  ARGH!  But I know I've got to try and take it one day at a time, one day at a time.  Everything happens for a reason right?  Just have to figure out what that reason behind all of this is.

But, at the end of it all, I'll be back around on the blog more often, keeping you up to date with how this fracture is going to affect my Army future, my career future, and my general health future.  And here in a month or so, Monkey will return from his 'vacation' in Afghanistan as well.  I'd say he'll have stories galore, but he's been pretty bored.  Something I won't complain about because bored means safe!

Til next time...

The Great Crusade

When I began thinking about what I wanted to say on the D-Day post, I have to admit I struggled.  How does one honor the memory of the most amazing, courageous and awe inspiring act in human history?  How can I sit here, in the comfort of my office, behind a keyboard, in the safety they provided, and show these men the respect they deserve?  The answer came to me and to my surprise it was rather simple...talk about D-Day.  Do not let it pass without reminding at least one person about the sacrifice that these young men paid for us. 

Many of the men who loaded into those planes the night before or the boats on the morning of, knew that they were not going to come back from this.  And yet they went anyway.  They knew that the Atlantic Wall was the most formidable defensive structure ever built.  And they went anyway.  They knew that Rommel had the best that Nazi Germany had to offer on that wall.  And they went anyway.  6,603 Americans died on those wide open beaches and I know that to this day, if the chance was there for them to go again...the would go anyway, again. 

This is why they are the Greatest Generation.  This is why we have the honor and duty to remember them.  This is why we must not let their last act on this earth, their amazing sacrifice, fade into the annals of history. 

Every single day, our Military is living up to what these amazing men paid.  That much is not in doubt.  But are we?  Are we remembering them as they deserve to be remembered? 

Never Forget

~Travis

PS ~ I will make sure and update you on Amber as I can.  Thoughts and Prayers are always welcome for this amazing part of my family.

Howdy From Texas!

Those of you who have been following this blog for any amount of time know that our Piglet ships out for Basic today.  Her strength and tenacity are truly inspiring for us all.  I will be popping in over the next few months whenever I get a chance to update everyone on both Pig and Monkey's status and while I am at it, maybe entertain you just a little. 

I met Kevin when I was 4 years old playing t-ball out in Irving and since then we have been much more than friends.  Kev is my brother...there is no other way to say it, no other words can describe our friendship. 

I was even with him when he ran into Amber that fateful Thanksgiving Day in Aggieland.  Since then, Amber has been added into the mix without missing a beat.  To say that they are perfect would be a lie, but to say that they are perfect together...well there's no more truth than that.  And to me, that is right where their amazingness begins.  You see, to protect this country and fight for the freedoms we all live with, they are giving up so much more than themselves.  They are giving up those things many of us hold most dear, precious times with loved ones.  All those lazy Sunday mornings, late nights on the couch, home-made dinners, road trips and long bike rides through the country...all these things are what they are giving up for you and for me.  To stand guard while we sleep safely. 

I don't mean to preach, but when I think about what my friends are doing, I get goosebumps and swear I hear Lee Greenwood off in the distance somewhere, singing softly.  As a Fightin' Texas Aggie (c/o '08) I have always had a deep appreciation for the military and what they do for us.  But I can honestly say that my friends have amplified this feeling inside me 1000%.  I am so proud to call them family. 

OK I am sure that Kevin would slug me in the arm right about now and tell me to quit being so sappy.

So in that spirit I will leave you with a final thought, one that will hopefully lead to me finding some sort of voice on this thing, because after all, I am a guest blogger!  We all want to do something amazing, something that has never been done before (at least I know I do).  We want to be remembered for something great.  But maybe true greatness lies in the effort.  Maybe we don't have to accomplish anything great to be remembered.  Maybe all we have to do is try.  Maybe, all that really matters, when our final tallies are added up, is that we dared greatly.  Because then, even if we fail, we're blessed with truth and not cursed with "what-ifs". 

Thanks and Gig'em
~Travis

Getting Ready to Ship Out Pig Style

So, I've spent the last couple of days gathering all the stuff I need and getting ready for shipping off to basic training in...well, in less than 48 hours from now I'll definitely be sleeping in a bunk bed with an OD green wool blanket.  "What do you pack when you head to basic training?", you might ask.  Well, travel size bathroom essentials, a couple extra pairs of underwear and socks, a Bible, and, if you have a squared-away, slightly OCD hubby like myself, a baggie filled with name tapes, US Army tapes, US flag patches, and rank patches.  Therefore, I've packed about half of a backpack, and that's all folks!

On the other side of training prep, I've had to let go of a few things I normally always wear.  Contacts have been traded for glasses, my tragus piercing has come out (with hopes that it won't close up), and, oddly enough this one feels the weirdest, I removed my toe ring.  With some effort involved,and a bottle of Windex, of course.

I bought, and put on, the toe rings about two years ago at the State Fair of Texas, and haven't moved them an inch since.  Whenever I'm in flipflops or barefoot, I'm constantly using my big toe to spin them around on my next toe, and as I sit here chatting with you lovely internet readers this evening, my toe feels quite naked.  It's like there has been a divorcing of the toe and it's jewelry.  #momentofawesomebutawkwardsilenceplease But, alas, I'm sure my foot will get used to it's nakedness eventually.

On another, sadder note, this will probably be the last time you hear from me on our little blog for quite some time.  MonkeyHubby will I'm sure attempt his best to keep you updated as he prepares for deployment over the next few weeks, but, with all the late night's he's been working, we can't be 100% sure he'll have the time.  In that case, we have a very close, very trusted, and very loved friend who has offered  to pop in periodically during our absence and keep you all entertained and updated.  I'm sure he'll introduce himself at the right time, but let me briefly introduce you to Mr. Lindner.  Or, as I like to call him when I talk about him, Travie.  (I'm not even sure he knew I called him that until now!!)  He's desk-riding businessman int he wild west that is Houston, TX and has been a part of our little family since, well, before I was really a part of our little family.  Travie grew up playing baseball with MonkeyHubby and are those childhood friends that only movies can accurately portray.  Either way, if he does us the honor of popping by over the next few months, make sure and make him welcome!

I'll miss you all - see you on the flip-side, with a new camo wardrobe!

Three Thoughts on Thursday

1. I love when HB smiles at me.  It makes my insides giggle.  It's even better when I've been talking to him for 20 minutes like he's a human, and he responds with a smile and then stretching out his paw to touch me.
2. Four days from right this moment I will be trying to sleep on a bunk bed somewhere in Fort Jackson, SC with an army green itchy wool blanket and 50+ other women in the same room.  Should I be freaking out a little?! Maybe, but kinda been there, done that with LTC.  Hoping 9 weeks go by quickly so I can get to some more normal sleeping quarters.
3. Hair dye smells funny.  Which is really weird, because I always feel like after I've finished dying my hair, it has the best smell ever.  Well, the boxes definitely come with the best conditioner ever.  Ohps!  Timer's up...time to rinse!