Raw steak and twinkies

 The lists continue to arrive. 
Now we not only have a list of what to bring to eat...but clothing too.
A favorite shirt or two, comfy socks, a bathing suit.and a pair of jeans.
But wait...there's more!
Not only is there a long list of clothes he would like, but the second half of the list is comprised of the items he wants "ready to eat" in the car.  It's hilarious.  Not only is it separated by food group...but it's grown to more than 8 lines of things to have ready to open and consume as soon as he is in the car vs. what he would like to have on hand for our free time in the hotel.  Good thing we have a suite!
Oh...and the food groups? 
All things hostess....twinkies, ho ho's, cupcakes, donetts and king don's. 
Meat...and lots of it.  Chicken, steak and every edible animal on the planet, along with Montreal Steak seasoning.
Cold cuts...ala Subway
Fast food via Taco Bell, Wendy's, Cinnabon, Sonic and  McDonald's
Buffalo Wild Wings...a class all by itself
Beverages....Monster (I can only imagine what will happen here...with someone who has had Zero caffeine for nearly 3 months), Mountain Dew and chocolate milk, which by the way, he says is great with Cheerios...
"You should try it Mom!..and have Emily over so she can try it too!"
And lots and lots of great movies to watch, some games to play and a spot to just chill, chat and chomp.

Sounds like a great time, doesn't it?
Yeah, I thought so too.

27 days to go.

Now for the latest news on the basic training front....

We've learned how the unit is split up for the 220 guys.
There are 4 barracks with 55 Soldiers in each one.   Each unit is numbered.  And each Soldier is numbered.
Michael is number 26, in the first unit, therefore his number is 126.


Red phase, the initial  and hardest of the phases has finally completed and the units have fully moved now into the next phase, the white phase.   This did not happen right on schedule as hoped as "lots and lots" of the guys did not pass the testing for red phase.  And someone snuck  cigarettes into barracks 3 and 4, causing  the guys to get "smoked" and having their barracks searched.  Thankfully, the first barrack was found clean.

Whew.

He says they have the toughest DS (drill sergeant) and though initially thought to be bad news...this is really working well for them.  When tested out of red, he missed one question...not realizing til then that his DS was the Master, or Head, or Chief...or something like that. 

Whoops.

Red includes multi mile marches hauling 60 pound packs.  If the guys fall behind, they are given orders to hang onto the Soldier in front of them...and Michael found himself doing just that at one point...causing him no amount of difficulty as the guys behind him dragged and the guy in front of him kept insisting he let go....the end result was that my Soldier had to haul the 10 guys behind him for the final miles of the march...and leaving him livid with anger. 
Yup, I'm still thinking of heading down there and straightening them all out. 
Move over Mr.Drill Sergeant...I'm a mom and I have something to say.


So there is great relief in the air as they leave red behind and go to white.  No more 5 minute meals..with no choices, no time  and Drill Sergeants hovering over every hurried bite.
Eat what you are served Soldier!
Consume it  and move it Soldier!
White  gives freedom....of sorts. 
The Soldiers are now allowed to walk themselves to the  meals..allowed to choose their own food items and even allowed free time after their dinner meal.  The are "strongly" encouraged to continue P.T. in the evening.

I surmise that strongly means "do it".

  The training is now focused in more ways than one....but the most important is the focus of your weapon.  As many may know, my Soldier is no stranger to target shooting.  So it came as no surprise to read that he did great on the closest targets..and even did well with the next distance.
What blew me away was when he said that the furthest target was too far away to see clearly. 
Huh?
He hit it 2 out of 5 shots into a target hundreds of feet away. 
My goodness...I can't find a parking space in hundreds of feet, how can he hit a target with one tiny little bullet?

The Soldiers did well though and within days the entire platoon passes, earning a phone call home this w/e.

And that is where we stand today.  Happy to hear the voice of a great distance away.  The voice of a young man with the hopes and dreams of becoming a Soldier in the U.S. Army.

Dreams do come true and we live, pray and hold onto each little tidbit of news.

Waiting for 27 days to pass and flights to soar across the miles separating  us.

Holding each breath in anticipation.

Reminiscing about  the voice of a boy turned man so many miles away.



 

The busier I am the faster time flies.... 

It's been three weeks and a lifetime of hanging out the upstairs window watching the mail truck move along the nearby blocks in town.   Pondering the possibility of the US Postal Service forgetting our address,  I played with the idea of standing outside with a megaphone announcing my presence....but that was apparently not needed as the mailman has started waving at me as he passes on the other side of the block   What is really cool is that he no longer carries a taser when he walks up the step. We've settled into a safe routine of permanent committment.
He may even like me..he thanked me when I told him last week that I had been not only praying for letters and news...but also had prayed for snow (long story....).  Can you imagine....a mailman thanked me for the snow!

Stalking has proven worthy as we've had three letters plopped into the box in the past couple of weeks.  One was a brief explanation of how to address letters...with a sad caveat about the condition of the handwriting...
"been doing pushups in frozen sand, so fingers are frozen". 

Do you suppose his drill sargeant would mind moving over while I bring him some hand warmers?

Mealtimes are FIVE minutes from beginning to end.   Do you know what I can do in five minutes?
Absolutely nothing.   Good grief, it's taken me longer to write this paragraph than that!
Breakfast is ok, eggs, pancakes and french toast. 
Lunch and dinner leave much to be desired....once eaten tuna pasta...oh my.

After I boot the drill sargeant out of the way, I'll be heading for the kitchen.

We've learned about a 36 hour "local" pass he'll be granted in April.  Hotel is reserved as all he wants is a comfortable bed, and food....and to be sure we got the picture, he listed the food he would like us to have prepared and ready....
Are you ready for this?

Steak, Subway Chicken Bacon Ranch sandwich, Wendy's Baconator, pizza,  McDonald's Double Cheeseburgers,  Monster, Mountain Dew, chocolate cake, fudge and reese's.
Good gravy!  The food budget will be bigger than the cost of our flights down and my cholesterol levels rise by the moment. 

It's hard to read about gas chambers and multi mile marches, pushups in the snow and night time chores that steal sleep all but 1 out of 4 nights.

Should I mail him his favorite pillow?

Hand deliver wool socks?

Abscond with  the drill sergeant's alarm clock?

There has been a virus taking many of them down, so in lieu of church last Sunday they were granted an hour off in the barracks.  Michael chose that time to write some letters home.  He says he is reading his bible every night before sleep, and he really wanted to send information home.  Hey Mikie!  You remember us!

I'll have to remember to take antibioitics and some Nyquil with me too.
Oh...and his blanket.  A set of warm  fuzzy slippers. 

Or maybe I'll just stay here and wait.  Breathless and busy.  Staying in touch with each day, writing letters and hoping for news.  Hesitant calm of a fretful parent.

I'll put his pillow in the truck just in case.... 

Trusting that the next 6 weeks will soar past in both Georgia and Michigan.

Loving from afar with the prayerful passing of time.