A Letter to My Wife - Part 11

Well, this last week has been pretty "easy," at least by Army BCT standards. We have continued our PT and worked on our Drill and Ceremony in preparation for our graduation ceremony. I know that you guys probably wanted to come out and see, but since I'll be home in a few weeks anyways, we can celebrate my graduation when I return for Christmas.

And I'm not the only one graduating. You have been right here with me, in my heart, the whole time. As you have been carrying yourself and the Brats through the world without me, you have also carried me through training. I know this has not been easy on you, but still, you have stood by me. Therefore, for myself and on behalf of the United States Army, I would like to thank you for and recognize you for all that you have done.

DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Certificate of Recognition

Private 2nd Class "Delta"
of the United States Army

hereby recognizes

A Loving and Beautiful Wife

for exceptional bravery in time of separation,
and outstanding performance in fulfilling all duties
and responsibilities of two parents in the absence of one.

Your proud service to Private "Delta,"
to the Army Brats,
and to the United States Army is greatly appreciated.

Just know that you have still been on my mind, every single day. I love you and miss you very much. Some may think that over time, it gets easier to miss someone, but that really hasn't been the case for me. I miss you just as much now as I always have when we're apart.

Tomorrow is Payday again. This week I think you ought to get yourself some Art-type things. What do you think? I know you've been wanting that storage thingy for your art supplies, and now would be a good time to get it. While your at it, go ahead and replenish any of your art supplies you may need for upcoming projects. No sense in having an empty storage unit. :)

Okay, well I'll be home soon. Can't wait to see you again.

I love you.

Love,
Your Husband.

A Letter to My Kids - Part 11

Well, it's that time again folks.

Check and make sure you guys have been on good behavior, because this one's a biggy.

Is the answer yes?

If so, today is your lucky day. Well actually, tomorrow, because we don't get paid until tomorrow. You each get.... drumroll please.......... $20! Holy crap, that's alot of money! Buy whatever you would like with the money, and be good and nice and helpful to earn next week's surprise.

I love you guys.

Love,
Daddy.

A Letter to My Wife - Part 10

Holy freakin' crap. I made it through the most intense week of my life and I survived (I hope... hopefully these posts aren't coming from "beyo-o-o-ond the gra-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-ave." Ha ha ha). I spent the last week surviving off of very little sleep (which was done outdoors in the dead of winter), and crappy "food." Actually, I'm not sure if this stuff can legally be called food. That's probably why they're called MRE's. I have decided that MRE means "Might Regurgitate Everything." It's alot like eating neatly packaged shit out of a plastic bag. Never thought I'd say it, but boy is that chow in the Mess Hall DELICIOUS! But we spent the last week many miles from the Mess Hall, so we ate what we got. This phase of our training was crazy intense, and also alot work and alot of fun.

Our platoon worked together as a team to overcome some seemingly impossible obstacles in the midst of a full-scale battle simulation. Some of the other platoons tried to kill us by day, while our drill sergeants had a little fun trying to kill us on those rare occasions when we dared to sleep.

After spending the last week and all of our energy fighting our way through Victory Forge, we all felt like real god-damned soldiers. On the 9 mile march in the middle of the night back to base, we really looked like a bunch of veterans fresh out of battle!

And when we returned to base, the Battalion Commander and a whole slew of Drill Sergeants were there to greet us. As it turns out, it wasn't just in our heads that we felt like soldiers. Our drill sergeants, who have mistreated us and pushed us to our breaking points in every which way possible were there to recognize us as real-deal US Army Soldiers. Even the Commander recognized us no longer as recruits, but as American Soldiers.

As it turns out, our drill sergeants really are human after all. The crazy realization after all this is not only are they human, but the actually love us and regard us as Brothers. Everything that they have done over the last couple of months has not been done to us, but done for us, to make us stronger, to make us better, and to help us become the best damned soldiers we can possibly be. After all that we have been through, we owe them a huge debt of gratitude for all that they have done for us. Cheers to the United States Army Drill Sergeants, the baddest and best instructors in the world!

To celebrate our achievement, I would like for you and the kids to go out to dinner this week at the Olive Garden or a restaurant of your choosing. While you're there, raise your glasses and toast the fact that I am now officially an American Soldier!

And when you are done with your toast, raise your glasses again. Salute yourselves for your own outstanding courage in making it through each and every day on your own. These last couple of months have been a true test of your own will and determination, and you have passed with flying colors!

I love you all. And I'll see you soon.

Love,
Your Husband.

A Letter to My Kids - Part 10

Hello again kids. I think Thanksgiving is this Thursday... or was it last week? Shit I don't know... time is confusing in BCT.

Anyhow, I hope the turkey's delicious. Make sure to pig out hardcore! Tell everyone I said hello. This year, I am thankful to have a great family who is being good and sticking together while I'm away in training.

What are you guys thankful for?

Well are you ready for this week's surprise? Check and see if you've earned it.

Did you earn it?

I hope so.

This week is a special surprise. Ready? You get to clean up dog poop! YAY! Isn't that fun!

Ha ha ha. I'm just razzing you. You surprise this week is "Kid's Choice Movie Nights." Man-child, you get to pick the movie on Friday night,

Girl-child, you get to pick the movie on Saturday night.

Make sure to head over to target before movie-night and grab a big box of microwave popcorn so you can all have big bowls of popcorn on the movie nights.

I love you guys.

Love,
Daddy.

A Letter to My Wife - Part 9

This week we will begin our march up to Victory Forge. It ought to be a pretty intense week. This is where we put all of our training together in a full scale battle simulation.

And since I'm nearing the end of my Combat Training, I think that this would be a good time for you to ditch all of your old friends and get some new ones. No offense, but I just don't like your friends. They are all screwed up and half of them don't even work. The easiest way to replace them would probably be to go to Amazon.com and buy a whole new Friends box set. :) Ha ha. Gotcha. Bet you thought I was talking about your human friends, huh? No way, I love your human friends... they're awesome. But your DVD Friends have got to go.

Anyhow, I hope that things are going well for you. I know that you have been doing a great job on your own. Even if not everything is going right, be sure to take some time to focus on the things that have gone and are going well. Congratulate yourself on all of the little victories. The kids are fed and off to bed, the house is still standing, and you've done alot on your own for months now without me.

If there's anything else you would like to have or do, please, feel free to just do it. Trust me, you deserve it. These little "surprises" in the blog are just something extra for you. Make sure that you are also taking the time to do some nice things for yourself.

I love you so very much. I'm very proud of you. I'll talk to you again on the other side of Victory Forge!

Love,
Your Husband.

A Letter to My Kids - Part 9

Another week has passed. It won't be long now til I'm on my way home.

So I bet you guys are wondering what your next surprise is, aren't you? Well, first things 1st, check and make sure that you have been good enough to earn this surprise.

If the answer is yes, here you go. You guys are going to enjoy this one.

You guys get to go play a round of Miniature Golf at Golfland! Have fun. Think "hole in one!" And remember, if you don't play the last hole where they take your ball, you could always sneak over to the other course for another round. Since everyone may be getting tired by the 2nd round, you may want to try "speed golf." Remember that one? No waiting your turn, everybody goes at the same time, blocking is legal, and the first one into the hole wins and then zoom! On to the next hole!. Good times. You guys might have to show my Army Wife how it's done.

Okay, well have fun. And be good so that you guys can get your next surprise.

I love you.

Love,
Daddy.

A Letter to My Wife - Part 8

Hello again, my lovely!

It's hard to believe, but I'm already 2/3 of the way through my Basic Combat Training.

In a strange twist, it seems as though my drill sergeant may actually be human. Not quite sure when it happened, but he doesn't seem to be yelling at us quite as much as he used to. Sometimes I almost wonder a little if maybe we're finally learning to do things right. Stranger things have happened.

Truth is, we do get rewarded alot here. We get to eat free food. You know how much I love free food!. We get to shoot guns and throw grenades. We get free time every day. We do get time to rest, mot as much as I was used to in the civilian world, but more than I expected here. We get to wear awesome uniforms, and we get to serve under the baddest branch of the military for the greatest country in the world, besides maybe Hawaii. Ha ha ha. Tell Desirae I said hello. lol.

Being an Army Wife is no walk in the park. I make sacrifices in my duty, and you also make sacrifices that no one else in the world (outside of the Army) has to make. You deserve rewards as well, so let the rewards continue.

I hope you enjoyed your Day Spa treatment last week. If you haven't done that yet... get on it!

Here is your next mission.

This week, I want you to take someone (the kids or a friend or your mom or whoever) to see a movie in the theaters. You pick the movie and the time and day.

And remember that I miss you and I love you.

Can't wait to see you again.

Love,
Your Husband.

A Letter to My Kids - Part 8

Well, another week has passed, and hopefully you guys have been very good this last week to earn your next surprise.

Oh, I hope you didn't forget and start acting crazy once you got your $10 last week!

Remember to be on VERY GOOD BEHAVIOR EVERY WEEK so you guys can get your next week's surprise. Yes there is another surprise coming next week, and you guys have got to be very good to earn it.

Go ahead and ask the pretty lady in charge if you have been good enough this week to earn your surprise.

If the answer is yes, then you've got something to look forward to.

When the weekend comes, you get a special treat this week. On Saturday Night, you get to camp out in the living room! And yes, you may build a fort to sleep in if you would like. Remember to leave enough room so that the doggies can get in and out the door.

Everything needs to be cleaned up and put away no later than 3:00 in the afternoon on Sunday.

Okay. Enjoy your camp-out this weekend.

I love you guys.

Love,
Daddy.

A Letter to My Wife - Part 7

Can you believe another week has flown by so quickly? Training seems to really be picking up steam. We're slowly becoming a real team, and a real unit. And I can see the finish-line ahead. I know that the closer I get to the end of Basic, the closer I get to the beginning of AIT. And the closer I get to AIT, the closer I get to Exodus!, which means I finally get to see you again.

So we're still doing everything we've been doing since day one, and now we've added some stuff to our curriculum, such as heavy anti-tank weaponry and obstacle courses, which my battle buddy and I maneuver and complete as a team.

Enough about me... on to the good stuff.

You have been so patient in dealing with everything in my absence, so it's time for you to be rewarded. Therefore, I have a little surprise for you. I would have liked to have done this sooner, but without knowing for sure when we get paid, I just wanted to wait long enough to be sure that we got our money.

If you haven't been paid yet (due to a long processing time with the paperwork), you ought to have gotten paid now. Go ahead and take a peek at the bank account balance to be sure.

Ready for your surprise? Okay, here's what I want you to do.

1. Call your Mom (or maybe you want your mom to go with you, so you could call Gramma or Patti and arrange a time that one of them could watch the kids for a few hours, or of course you can use the "babysitter" we usually use when we go play poker. Wink, wink).
   
2. Go to AvalonExcellence.com and click the "Services" link, then click "spa packages." (If you don't like that place, feel free to select one of your own).
   
3. Since I have no idea what's what, I would like for you to select the package that you want. *IMPORTANT* Ignore the prices and just get the services you want! Okay?
4. Feel free to add any extras you would like (ie. haircut, color, style, mudbath (I've taken some of those here lol), or whatever else sounds appealing.
   
5. Give them a call to schedule your time (and maybe mention that you're military... military discount, hee hee).
   
6. Enjoy a day of relaxation and pampering!

Follow the instructions above to complete your mission. That's a direct order from a member of the United States Army! Mission failure is NOT, I repeat NOT an option!

I love you.

Love,
Your Husband.

A Letter to My Kids - Part 7

Okay, are you guys ready for your surprise?

I hope so.

The first thing you guys have to do is to check with my Army Wife and make sure that you guys have been on good enough behavior to earn your surprise. Go ask her right now.

So did she say yes?

If so, tell her to give you each $10. If she doesn't have any cash on her now, she can get it next time she goes to the bank.

You guys can spend your $10 on anything you want.

Have fun. Don't forget about the trash tomorrow night. And brush your teeth!

I love you.

Love,
Daddy