Convoy?

I was so excited about yesterdays adventures, I need to share it with my Blogosphere! As everyone knows that reads this on a consist basis, I have been in Texas for the last month getting ready to head out into "the sandbox." A lot of the training has been class work and study. Yesterday, I did things a little different.

Meet Rocko and Bull

These two handsome vechiles are the newest craze in the Army. both are mine/IED resistant, completely are armored, go anywhere you need them, and have their own Life support system in case of a chemical attack.

More Images

I Got to play with Rocko and Bull, along with a few of their friends. The Army viewed it as training us to look for sign of explosives while driving in convoys. I saw this as a day of off-roading. Mother nature was even kind enough to have it rain all night prior, so we had plenty of mud and puddles to climb through, and by the end of the night we were MUDDY.

The next day, we started a more "life-like" We drove around the back of Fort Hood to simulate a convoy. I was placed in lead car, Gunner seat (the Turret up top) it was fun to be standing in a moving vechile after all those years that mom never let me. 

Army gives you many opportunities to full fill your childhood dreams!!

To the Music?

Rhythm, Either you got it or you don't. That's just a lie that black people say to white boys in the barracks to explain why we dance "like a retarded seal" But in truth, we all have a steady, consistent pace. Just because the world doesn't hear the music you dance to, doesn't mean its not there.

I have found my Battle Rhythm. That is the Army's way of saying I got settled into what I will be doing. Mostly that means being able to wake up and fall asleep on time, get hungry at the right time, etc etc. I'm very pleased that I can adapt to the things I need to do. Everything will go according to plan, because we are all just little solos in Gods master rhythm

9600 hours

1 O God, where art thou? And where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place?

2 How long shall thy hand be stayed, and thine eye, yea thy pure eye, behold from the eternal heavens the wrongs of thy people and of thy servants, and thine ear be penetrated with their cries?

       There are many times in my life that I feel I need to just do it.... ya know? like the dishes, you see them and you say "Self, just do it." I was expecting this deployment to be like that. It was to be just another nuisance in my life that displaces plans all together. (Not to say that they were good plans, they were held together with duct tape)

      It has been much harder than that, much, much harder. To start with, I didn't know the first couple of days would be this emotionally painful being away from Ashelyn and Addy. As I gather around with the men in my barracks to have another sausage filled night, I seem to be stalking Ash on Facebook, more or less just so i remember what a girl looks like.

      I do have a confession, I have let myself go since AIT about a year ago. Back then, running was annoying because it wasted my time. I could go through the motions of Physical Training with no worries.  I have been enlisted into the Darnell School of Smoke U. Sergeant Darnell likes me to do at least 20 pushups every time I see him, now that we live in the same floor, that is often.  The first day we ran over 3.5 miles to get us "acclimatized." Yesterday, we ran suicides (Google it) along with squats and bench presses. 

7 My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;

 8 And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.

      Today has been my break through. I am still missing my girls, but the pain is manageable. SGT Darnell, in his infinite wisdom, let me work out myself.  This allowed me to run at my pace a.k.a a little slower, and it allowed me to practice my strides.... along with letting my mind run.

      The lights are out. so I must retire, but I will be glad that I served my country.  I know I will succeed in what I do, but until then, it is a long painful road 

EPIC FAIL

i was writing this blog in my head as i was making sunday dinner. I was going to brag about how awesome i am at throwing things and ideas together and making them work. I would still do that, but then i would be lying to you. it started with the mistiming, i forgot that with my pans, water boild after 20 minutes, and i need to cook the pasta for less than 10.
pasta= 30 min cook time. the italian chicken i was planning to cook takes 20 minutes after the pan gets hot. chicken=25 minutes. i started the chicken when the water boiled. so what am i to do when the pasta is done and the chicken aint? *lightbulb* put marinara in pasta after, so they can warm up. mean while, chicken pan is too hot, but the recipe says dont open the lid or youll dry out the chicken....... pasta is too wet when combined with sauce,  so boild some out..... chicken is "done" but all it really is is batter burned on bottom, runny on top. pasta and marinara is "done" but the bottom of the pan is burned and the pasta overcooked. while im eating this, all i hear is the food network judges critiquing my food, and that one guy saying "sorry, but you are not a sweet genius"

it came to my attention that my last blog was incomplete..... just to prove a point, im not going

its not the hand your dealt but how you play the game

it has been brought to my attention that i suck at emotions. i suck at coping, dealing, displayung, and more importantly aknowledging said emotions. many people will labor in trying to justify why they do such a thing ( i will to in a second). there isnt much difference between my life and yours, we all have stress right? here area few of mine. Surprise! im going overseas in a few months, i dont realize how big of an adjustmet that will be ( lack of emotion remember?) i will leave eveything behind for about a year, my present family and my future one (which is under construction as we speak) i have to leave my love of my life to grow up and mature very rapidly ( not to say she isnt eons more mature than i am). i would love to stay here and play with kids and launch rockets, go shopping for antiques and such, but that isnt what i have been dealt. i knew i wouldsacrificr thingsfor my career choice, and one of them is my whiny complaining self. there has got to be one grounded person to reasure the rest that everything will be ok. i have gine through over a years worth of training to

10,000 feet in the air

this week has been a week full of airports, for those who follow foursquare, i am now working my level 3 jettsetter badge, thats 15 airports, all within the week.

i have only learned a few things while jet setting...... heres the list

1 check in 24 hours before flight time, you may get a good seat, and you can print off you ticket, one less line at the porte de air

2 if you aint first (class) you're last, so why hurry on the plane?

3 bring lots of toys, and don't use your phone to play angry birds, because then when you are at the mall of america the same day, may not have enough battery to take pictures of the lego statues.

4 hotels have free shuttles

5 you know how if you tell enough people that monday evenings at the movies are crowed, eventually no one goes to the movies on monday, and it winds up dead ? well the airport is like that from 11 am to 4pm