A novel

I got a 9-page novel from Allen in the mail yesterday. He told me the whole story of last Saturday, and why he was freaking out: They went to a track to do their 2-mile run after they did push-ups and sit-ups. His attending DS wouldn't tell him how many of those he did, and he got yelled at when he tried to sneak a peak. So they went to the track, and could take a battle buddy with them to help motivate. He took Villalobos, because, in Allen's words, "that little Mexican can really haul ass." Villa did a great job of motivating him and talking to him the whole time. What he DIDN'T do, was count Allen's laps. 8 laps for a 2 mile run. Allen ended up running 9, and so turned in a failing time. Ready, set, FREAK OUT! Villa went and talked to DS "Satan" (as Allen calls him) to explain the mistake, but he was told in not nice terms to 'go away.' Luckily, he must've checked into it, because Allen's name was never called for a councilor's certificate, which is what you get when you fail. So - yea! He also had to do a moving target range to be able to graduate. They had a laser sight on their M16's, which is supposed to help you aim better. He failed the first time. He failed the second time. By this time Allen was very frustrated and worried, because he knows he shoots better than that. He decided to take all of the high-tech stuff off and go back to regular sights. He completely dominated that round. I guess high-tech isn't always the best way to go. On that one, I'm thanking his dad for teaching him how to shoot. When he last wrote, he was down to 197lbs. They asked a DS if they could get a scale in their bay, and have been tracking their weight. After supper, fully dressed, he was 200lbs. Pretty good, I'd say. He wants to maintain at 205 or 210. I'm not sure I'm going to recognize him on Wednesday! He didn't think he'd make it all the way through, but he surprised himself, and I'm hoping he's realizing just how strong of a man he really is. I mean, we all knew it, but he needed to find out for himself. Don't you love it when we're right? :)

Passed!

Allen passed his PT test this morning! Yea! He said there were 10 that had to retake, and 5 passed. Thankfully, he was one of them. They were told that if they didn't pass to tell their families not to come to graduation because they won't be in it, and they won't be able to see their families. Cael and I are excited about going to see him! First, I have to get through the marathon on May 1st!

Saturday

Tomorrow is Allen's "do over" for his PT test since he missed it by one sit-up. Last Sunday, Webster made Allen do sit-ups to see if he could get 36, since he only got 35 on Saturday. He did 40. He knows he can do it. Now he just has to do it. He did the push-ups fine, and he came in his running time with 4 seconds to spare. That makes him nervous, but I'm sure he'll be ok. Prayers, please! There were a couple kids that didn't get the push-ups, and one that missed his run time by 2 minutes. Allen's the closest to passing. We'll have only 3 hours with him on the 4th, and 7 hours on the 5th. Actually less than 7, since we'll have to get back to base early because everyone will be trying to get through the gates. They need to be there at least 10min before the pass runs out. I know Allen wants to play catch with Cael on Wednesday, then Thursday after graduation we'll get lunch, and the boys will get a Dilly Bar. Allen has requested that we then hole up in the hotel as a family as long as we can after lunch. Tuesday night, I get to meet the other wives of the "4 Amigos" (4 Amigos = Blake, Webster, Woodall, and Villalobos). We've even been invited to Villa's wedding in Arizona. Unfortunately, the rest of the guys will be in AIT still, but I think they're planning a Vegas trip for us when they're done. Sounds like a good time to me! I'll post pics of grad week as soon as I can. If anyone has anything that they want sent to him, I can take it with me, or if you would like to help get Allen's laptop, I'm going shopping on Tuesday after Easter, and I want to make sure to get everyone's name on it. Thanks, everyone!

Easter Eggs

On Saturday as we waited for Daddy's call, we colored Easter Eggs! Allen missed passing his PT test by one sit-up. His official results weren't in when he talked to us, but hopefully they passed him. If they didn't, he has one more chance on Saturday. I'm sure he'll be fine. I'll find out when I get his letter that he's sending out today. Cliff hanger! Otherwise, he's doing well. They had a combatives (wrestling)tournament on Saturday as well. He won every match he had, but, of course, he got passed over for the platoon representative. 2 more weeks and he'll be done. Send your letters this week, but probably nothing after Friday or Saturday. Thanks for all of your support! Keep praying!

Last PT test

Allen's last PT test is tomorrow! Pray, pray, pray! He's also been doing more combatives, which I'm sure he loves. After the PT test, I think they get to have a combatives tournament. Can't wait for the phone call tomorrow!

Allen told me on Saturday that he would be sending me a surprise. I was so excited to get the mail yesterday! These were taken at reception, so he said that his face has thinned out some. Love it! :)

Combatives

Allen did combatives Saturday morning. I was excited to hear about how it went when he called that afternoon. He said it was kind of boring. They didn't get to live wrestle or anything. They were just learning techniques. Kind of blah. I then went on the FB page, and several wives/fiances were talking about how their men were tired or beat up from combatives that morning. Haha! Guess having a wrestling background does really help, right, Brad? There weren't any pics of it, though since they had to go inside (it was really hot, I guess), and they can't take pics inside the barracks. By "they" I mean several of the DS's wives that help take care of the Bravo Co. FB page. The guys were not looking forward to today though, because Bridgham was in charge of them all day. He's counting down the weeks, and thankfully, there aren't that many left. 7th week is starting! Get those letters out this week! Thank you for the prayers!

Blue phase!

They are officially in the Blue Phase (Last phase of training.) I got a phone call during 2nd hour today because they got 20min to talk to whomever they needed to about finances. You know, since if the gov't shuts down, they won't get paid. Yea, gov't. Hey, I got an extra 20min call out of it, I guess. They got certified on their rifles today. He was one point away from "Expert" but only certified as "Sharpshooter." I'm still proud of him, of course! They do combatives tomorrow. This is what he's been looking foward to the entire time, since it's basically wrestling. I'm praying that his knee and/or shoulder don't give him trouble. He and Webster are "Battle Buddies" which means that they are paired up for training exercises. They work really well together, so Allen is really happy about that. The DS that hates him is still making everyone miserable, but, as I was reminded, this time next month, we won't have to worry about it. Hooah!

Double checked

I double checked my letter from the CO, and it says that at the end of the 8th week we should stop sending letters. I got a letter yesterday that was the most positive one so far. Along with getting fitted for his dress blues, he said that he thinks he'll look good in them. Reading between the lines, he's saying that he'll be wearing them for graduation. Cael and I are getting excited to go to MO so we can see him. I've been talking to Webster's wife on Facebook, and getting know several other wives as well. (Webster is the one that became Allen's friend fairly quickly). It's fun talking to Allen's friends' wives. We're all over the country, but we have one thing in common that binds us together. Unfortunately, none of those guys will be with Allen in Georgia, so he'll have to start all over with getting to know people. Hopefully he'll be with another good bunch of guys like he is now.

Phone call

Yesterday, Allen called at 3:20. The play started at 3:30, so I missed the first 10 minutes, but it was a very small price to pay to talk to him for 20min once a week. He got fitted for his dress blues (Class A's) on Thursday. He had a bit of an ego boost, since he is once again in an "athletic cut" jacket and he's lost another 2 inches off of his waist. He gave blood yesterday, which will be in Afghanistan on Tuesday, so he didn't want to miss that opportunity. They will also be certified on their rifles this week. That shouldn't be too terribly difficult for him. He had a PT test yesterday, which he failed, but he has taken 1:40 off of his run time, so that's improvement. He asks that we pray not only for him, but for his friends of the 4th platoon. I told him I would pass that along. The guys chose "the old man" to say a prayer for them yesterday before the PT test. He was surprised, but honored at that. He's still having a hard time, but May will be here soon. 5th week is over. I think the light at the end of the tunnel is actually a light, and not a train ready to run him over anymore. I know that they've gotten their pictures done, but I don't think he's going to mail them home, since they get messed up in the mail. Thank you for all of your prayers and letters. I think it's the 8th week that they suggest stopping sending your mail. They're out in the field the last week, and it takes almost a week for our letters to get to him anyway. I'll double check on that. Blessings on your week!