Going Private

I love blogging. It has been such a release and a great way to share with family and friends about this entire deployment process and army life in general. With that being said I feel that it is time to make the blog private. I know… I know I hate when blogs go private so not sure how long I will keep it this way. I guess we will just have to wait and see. If you shoot me an email I will be more than happy to add your email address to the list! Once I add you, an email will be sent and when you accept the blog invite you will be able to read the blog by logging in. I would love for everyone to still keep reading I would just like to practice “safe Internet use.” :)


I have an email link on the left hand side of the blog so you can just click that to send me an email! Let me know by next Wednesday because I am planning on making it private then!

Too keep you amused in the meantime, here are some pictures sent all the way from A-Town…

This is a picture of Wyatt and Wita, the unit's bomb sniffing dog!

I collect owls... and I love when Wyatt gives me them but I never thought he would catch a live one!

Check out the background.......ahhhh my sweet boyfriend in front of a very large field of marijuana.

Down to 2 months time until he gets home! WHOOOO HOOOO!

In the 10th Year of War, a Harder Army, a More Distant America

I read this article and thought I would share with everyone. It's long but thought it was worth sharing...

http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/09/09/in-the-10th-year-of-war-a-harder-army-a-more-distant-america/

Happy Tuesday....

Oh yeah and tomorrow we are going to break through 100 days left until January! Whooo Hoooo!

Never the same

No one will ever forget where they were when the United States was attacked 9 years ago today. I was sitting in my history class at Green Bay Southwest High school. Each year that has passed since then I would say a prayer for those families that lost a loved one and ask God to protect our troops but that was about it.

This year it is different. It is personal. It is the reason why I haven’t seen Wyatt’s face in two months. A lot has changed in the past two months. I hate to admit it but I had my first break down about a week or two ago. Not breaking down because I miss Wyatt…which I do very much or because I am scared for him…which I am… but because I read somewhere that there were 7 casualties that particular day. As ignorant or immature as this might sound, it was the first time that when I heard the word casualty I associated it with real human beings. Ahhh I can’t believe I am admitting that. I am so embarrassed to be 23 years of age and just now realizing what a sacrifice our troops make for our country. It is easy to hide real lives behind a word like casualties. But that day I imagined those soldiers. That they were people that have a favorite football team, a place that they call home, friends that they drink beer and tell stories with. They have mothers and fathers. Brothers and sisters. And then, I imagined someone like me. Someone being head over heels in love with one of those soldiers and that’s when, for the first time, the tears came. I felt such empathy for those families. I was hurting for them. It is bringing me back to tears writing about it but I also know that those tears were a long time coming and it felt good to let them out. I think that it would not be normal to not have days like that and to feel that way when you really stop to think about it.

I will never be the same and I am forever changed. Today I again feel sadness for those who lost their lives that day and those who have since died protecting our country. You are not forgotten.

Wyatt's Birthday

24 years ago today...well tomorrow USA time... Wyatt Lee was born awwww! Happy Birthday Wyatt!

For the past week I have been coming up with a list of reasons why this birthday is going to be great!

• With the time change you have officially have an extra 9 and 1/2 hours to celebrate your birthday! Hints why this is posted on Friday and not Saturday!


• You don't have to worry about anyone throwing you a surprise party and you not "looking cute" because you were truly surprised.


• This is the first birthday that you have known me...so it is obviously going to be one of the best :)


• It might not be the beach but you can have a great day in the sand!


• The Army was sweet and decided to give you and your unit some time off this weekend!I have a feeling they don't do that for everyone's birthday! haha


• Facebook doesn't know you are in A-Town and will still let EVERYONE you have EVER known that it is your birthday!


• 24 has now become a cool number thanks to Kiefer Sutherland.


• Less than 24 weeks until you are back in the U.S. of A... we are closer to 19 right now!


• You get to have the Army themed birthday party you always wanted!


• Once you do get your mail...which might be weeks or months later...you get to celebrate all over again.


• Your amazing... wonderful... pretty girlfriend can’t embarrass you with a Birthday Video…oh wait… Yes I can! Enjoy! Happy Birthday Wyatt! I love you!
  

Wyatt's Birthday Click for Video!

Counting up vs. Counting down

Part of my daily routine is reading through the blogs that I follow. One in particular that I am ever so grateful for is Dana’s who has a “Happy Life as an Army Wife” (that’s the title of her blog) and for someone that I have never met, or even spoken to, she has helped me immensely through this deployment and really in a strange way I look up to her. And I say all this trying not to sound like some crazed Internet stalker…I don’t know how well I am doing haha.

I assume that she is in her early 20s and you would think that she has 100 deployments under her belt. She is creative and honest with her posts. On bad days she writes about them. On good days she writes about those also.

Today’s post was really... well really...convicting. She talked about a lot but at the end she had this…

"Anyways, I think that everyone who is having a hard time with deployment should make a list (I love list making) of everything that they want to accomplish, try, and develop this year. I know most of us have our deployment "to do" lists. But go a little deeper this time. What type of person do you want to be at the end? What do you truly want to accomplish? Deployment doesn't necessarily need the soul sucking demon we make it. Our trials are opportunities. "

Wow! What a great way to look at it...and I am not sure that I was too far from this before Wyatt left, but with each day that he is gone, I have been focusing more on counting down than counting up if that makes any sense. Just trying to stay busy for the sake of being busy... so busy that I don't have to feel the deployment. I would do this when I was in college but the problem is that eventually I crash. I can't afford to crash right now. Don't you worry I still have my paper chain and calendar that I cross off every morning (feels so great to say goodbye to August!) but I am hoping to spend my time now becoming the person that I want to be for Wyatt and more importantly myself. Right now...I have my To Do List listed at the top of the blog. A list of things, not to keep me busy, but to make me step by step closer to the person that I want to be. Plus anyone that knows me and my Type-A personality knows that I too LOVE a good to do list!

Week 1 Done!!!!!!

Yayyyyy! Week One of Deployment is Officially over!

This week was....

...Filled with text messages, facebook posts, and phone calls from friends and family! We are so lucky to have such supportive people in our lives! As Wyatt put this this evening..." it is humbling to have people you don't even know pray for you."

...Cleaning Cleaning Cleaning! My house has never been so clean. There is something relaxing and soothing about cleaning. Ranger on the other hand, who is afraid of the vacuum cleaner wasn't feeling the same. Dished are done... laundry is folded and put away!

...Paper Chain count down is up and running. Yes I did... I made one hundred and eighty one perfectly cut one inch strips and assembled them into a paper chain. Right now it is a little long but before I know it the chain will be gone and Wyatt will be home!

This weeks goals....

...Attend my workout class everyday this week. Last week I was four for four!

* They don't have class on Friday. :)

...figure out what I am going to get Wyatt for his Birthday. What do you get your boyfriend for his birthday while he is in Afghanistan? If anyone has ideas PLEASE send them my way! Another challenge is that even though his birthday isn't until September I have to get something in the mail soon if I want it to get there in time!

Week 1 done 25 to go!

Deployment

Well the day finally came. Wyatt had to leave last Sunday for Paktika, Afganistan. Below is a map of Afganistan because like most of yall I thought to myself " where the heck is Paktika?" It is located on the eastern part of Afganistan.

It is hard to believe he has only been gone for four days. It seems like months have passed. I try my best to stay busy. I have attended a workout class everyday this week and have taken Ranger to the dog park!


I have been lucky and have been able to talk to Wyatt everyday since he left in some way or another. Gchat, Email, Facebook, a broken but very appreciated skype session (it was so great to hear his voice and see his face).



We are so thankful for all the love and support from our friends and family. Everyone has been so kind.



As Wyatt heads into the field in the next couple of days please keep him in your prayers.

Ranger School Graduation

That's right! Wyatt is done with Ranger School! Done with sleeping on rocks. Done with being cold and hungry. Done with not knowing current events (this whole oil spill was new news to him).

The day started pretty early. I think I got up around 4:30 am that day; one because of the time change I had to and two because I was so excited that I really couldn't sleep! Me being me I was one of the first people to arrive. As I was standing waiting at the entrance to the amphitheatre I could hear the Rangers below chanting and yelling. It kind of scared me at first but then just made me excited.

For those of you that have never been to a Ranger School Graduation, I will try my best to describe it. I would say it was like Auburn Sorority Bid Day with a mix of the Six Flags Batman Show. There were tents lined up selling mugs and T-shirts, Ranger mom this and Ranger Dad that. A masculine version of Heartstrings :) Lots of hugs, smiles and pictures being made. It was also just as hot as it always is on Bid Day!

The batman show comes in with this amazing demonstration that the Army Ranger Instructors conduct for all the guests. They demonstrate all the skills that the Ranger Students had learned over the course of the nine weeks. I was AMAZED with what they are able to do. They were jumping out of airplanes and blowing stuff up. I took some pictures but I don't know if they really do it justice.

After the demonstration we were able to go down and pin the Ranger Tab on Wyatt's jacket! It was so wonderful to see how happy and relived he was that it was all done! It was the day that we all had been counting down to for 62 days! All that was left of that day was lots of eating and sleeping!

I am so glad to have him back!

RANGERS LEAD THE WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He is done!

The best news that I could have hoped for came today in a letter... just proving that my mail box drama was well worth it. :)

Wyatt got his last and final go! He is going to graduate Ranger School THIS FRIDAY!!!

I couldn't be more proud for him.

Some statistics on Ranger School....

On average 366 men will start Ranger School....only 99 will finish without recycling. That is a 27% pass rate!

It is common for soldiers to lose 20-40 pounds during these nine weeks. (I can't wait to see him!)


With those odds, may all the glory be to God. I know that He was with Wyatt and I each and every step...or for Wyatt crawl of the way. Thank you to everyone for the kind thoughts an many prayers!

Wooooo HOOOOOOOO!

The Mail Man thinks I am crazy...

Have you ever lost your phone and you look everywhere but it is nowhere to be found? You flip over ever couch cushion, look under every pile of whatever but still you can't seem to find it.

Well that was me today, but not with my cell phone, it was with my key to my mailbox. AHHHHHH How could this happen? I hang it up on a hook next to my door everyday....EVERYDAY!

And it is that everyday part that is killing me. As I try to backtrack my steps, I can't remember yesterday from any of the other days because I do the same thing everyday for lunch! AHHHHHH!

1. Get home.
2. Grab key and Ranger. Head to mailbox.
3. Open mailbox and a. GET SO EXCITED BECAUSE I HAVE A LETTER TO READ. b. quickly close the mailbox and leave with stupid stuff like bills or catalogs for nurses from the chick who lived here before me.
4. Sit in the backyard and read my mail while Ranger runs around.
5. Go back to the house and HANG UP THE KEY!

You should have seen me today. I was looking in the bathroom for my mail key I was so desperate.

So with the haunting idea that there might be letters just sitting in there, I headed to the post office. I told the Mail Man that I needed a new key and he kindly handed me a form to fill out. As I gave it back to him I asked how long it would take to get my new key. He responded with a "NEXT WEDNESDAY." Well, Next Wednesday sent me to tears. I was overwhelmed and I think under normal circumstances that next Wednesday would be fine, but these by no means are NORMAL CIRCUMSTANCES.

Confused and maybe a little scared, he tried to calm me down and I then explained the military thing. Kindly, he headed to the back to "see what he could do." Jeremy is the man! I am getting a new key by 3:00 tomorrow.

I am so ready for Ranger School to be over...I can only imagine how Wyatt feels.

Thankfully and hopefully only 8 more days left of Ranger School!

Lawton, Oklahoma

I am guessing that most of you have never been to Lawton and I am also going to assume that most of you will never go to Lawton. But for me, Lawton will always be a special place.

After only a week of meeting Wyatt, he had to move to Lawton. I was really upset and to tell you the truth, I really wasn't sure what was going to happen with us.

About a week later, I was sitting at work and had this overwelming feeling of "What if I never see him again." I have never felt that way before and as soon as I got home, I bought a plane ticket and was headed to see Wyatt two weeks later.

My flight left early Friday morning and I was so nervous/excited that I didn't even bother sleeping that night. I left my house at 2 am and thought I would sleep on the plane, which didn't happen. But once I got there, it didn't matter that I was tired, I was so happy to see him.

Wyatt took the time to show me around town...which took all of 45 min :) Here are some pictures from the tour!




We spent the rest of the weekend in Oklahoma City with some of Wyatt's friends. Dinner at the Melting Pot with Colin and Katie was EPIC. I don't think I have ever laughed so hard in my life!

Phases

Well I did it. I am becoming a blogger. Please bear with me as I learn how to write a blog. I figured since I have two months of letter writing to Wyatt under my belt that now I might be ready to blog to the world.

For those of you that don't know, which I am not sure how because I talk about it all the time, Wyatt left for Ranger School http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzg3_LC3bGU 47 days ago. In those 47 days I have seen him once for an 8 hour break ( Picture below is from the break), talked to him on the phone for 5 minutes and 58 seconds and received many wonderful letters (mostly talking about food) from him. It has been a roller coaster of emotions, especially during those first few weeks. I am so lucky to have old friends that check in on me and to have made new friends that always seem to know what to say through this entire process.

Ranger School is divided into three phases: Benning, Mountain and Florida. We too have three phases that were handed to us right from the beginning of our relationship.

Phase 1: Oklahoma.
Phase 2: Ranger School.
Phase 3: Deployment or as I like to call it
“Wyatt’s Business Trip”.

I am hoping to keep up with this blog and be able to check off each phase!


Phase 2: 47 days down, hopefully 15 more days to go!



A sleepy, hungry but happy Ranger. Wyatt and I during his 8 hour pass.