We're Moving on Up.......Moving on Up......to the East Side...

Michael is in week 4 of AIT and has received his PCS orders as of Monday. We will be heading east folks! We are going to Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. There is so much to consider when traveling this far and my mind is scrambling right now but I cannot complain. We had a huge scare the week before because we thought his orders were to Korea and we were devastated! It wasn't that it was scary to go but right now with my Dad's health and Brit's new life on her own, it is scary to think that perhaps we could not get to them easily. Fort Bragg is a good sixteen hour drive from where we currently are at in Missouri, but I asked and prayed for East Coast and I got it. I fell in love with the east coast when I was in basic training, South Carolina to be exact. Then I went on to Virginia. I loved it so much, the smell of pine, the people, the houses, the rich history. As a history teacher, the southeast is the best place to be! I cannot wait to spend countless weekends traveling to different places around the country and keeping scrapbooks on each of them. I can't wait to walk the battlefields of Gettysburg and stand in awe in front of the Lincoln Memorial yet again. I want to smell the Cherry Blossoms bloom in front of the White House and see New York City. There are many things on my bucket list but most of them have to do with traveling to different places on the east coast.

I am ready for our new beginning even as nervous as I am. I cannot wait to do this and be by his side once again. Even if he leaves to go off to war, I still have family close by. I have an aunt and cousins that live just a few hours a way, close enough for a weekend jaunt and I have a couple of friends that I have known for a long time that are there. One of them, I graduated with and I am so excited to be close to her! Her parents will actually live about fifteen minutes from me.

Michael has increased his PT scores and gets more determined every day to run more. He is so in shape and Im not. I will be but I am not. Now, we will have a free fitness center at our disposal so that should be much better for us. We have alot to learn soon about North Carolina so if you have info. for us feel free to pass it along.

ADDRESS TIME!!! WAHOO!!!

Michael called and has given me his new address for the duration of his stay at Ft. Sill. Please, please send him a line and just let him know we are thinking of him and pulling for him. Also, NO packages, meaning care packages at all. He has a debit card with him so if he needs something he is able to get it (i.e. personal care items). He stated that it would not be a good thing if he got a box :)

He is doing well and is able to call every day sometimes multiple times a day which is helping tremendously with me being so sad and him being homesick. The technology today is so different than when he and I were in the first time. It definently helps to keep your loved ones connected with each other. He is able to text in the evenings alot so you can shoot him a text if you want and he even Instant messages with his phone.

He is having alot of problems with his sinuses and allergies there in the dust bowl. It is kicking his butt so right now he sounds like I did last week, very husky. :)

He begins his medical combat training this week however he was relieved to find out that they have done away with grenades and the gas chamber in this training. Those are two less things to scratch off our list.

Mike had his first PT test yesterday just a dianostic one, not a record one. He did okay but there is room for improvement he said. He wants to cut down the time in his run by a minute or so and he will be happy with that. I guess alot of guys there did not pass though and one or two were even over by several minutes on the run so I would hate to be them in the coming weeks. I remember that feeling of watching the failure team run past while we were getting to write letters home and have free time. Thank God that will not be Mike and he will still get to call and write :)

Here is his address:

PFC Michael L. Hodges
E Battery/4th Platoon
5960Rothwell Street
Ft. Sill, Oklahoma 73503

One week and some change in....

We have gotten to talk to Mike a few times by phone by mainly by Yahoo Instant Messenger. He is doing well so far. He has completed inprocessing and his last day at reception is today. Tomorrow he begins actual training. It will be very hard and different for him. Apparently some of the NCOs went over today to meet with the Drill Instructors and they came back with the news that they are in for a different world starting tomorrow. I don't know why they started things out so lax with the guys for the past week though, I definently don't agree with it but who I am to say that! I just know that feeding grown men cheeseburgers, pizza and fries for a solid week with no PT is a dumb idea. Mike said they are very overwhelmed with new recruits and they are not focusing as much on the WTC recruits at reception, they are the least of their concerns they have "been there done that " so to speak.

As of tomorrow, it will be at least a week before I will hear from Mike again. I have a picture of Mike in his uniform and I am trying to get the picture uploaded on here but I may have to wait. Michael has made a buddy in there and for whatever reason he likes ot whistle constantly the theme to the Circus....it's kind of hilarious if you think about it. Only Mike can make friends with someone that saracastic :)

As of right now Michael does not have a permanent address but as soon as he gets one we will pass it along here. Until then. Start praying and don't stop until graduation date.


Love and camoflauge.

Tammy

My new life as a military wife THE FIRST DAYS

Monday, February 15, 2010, changed my life forever. I kissed my husband goodbye and I am not sure when I will see him again. I became an Army wife. I knew this life all too well but never as a married adult. You see, I was a soldier. I was a proud American soldier fifteen years ago but I never knew what it would be like to share that adventure with someone you love, much less have a child with. It is a different ballgame that is for sure. On Tuesday, I had a good day because I still had pretty consistent contact with him up until he got on the bus for Ft. Sill to go to Warrior Transition Course training. He was in the Navy before so he has to get acclimated to the Army way of life. Hoo-Ah! I did not hear from him again until the next day. On Wednesday when I got a text from him he said he was exhausted, he had gotten only thirty minutes of sleep. When he got to reception his group was asked to help in process all of the new basic training recruits and Mike said there were hundreds. They inprocessed these boys and girls until three in the morning. He then laid down only to not be able to fall asleep immediately because of all of the adrenaline. Then at four o'clock sharp, they had to be up and running again. Mike loves to sleep I don't know how he did this! When I read that text I have to tell you my feet started hurting for him because I know what this is like and remember being up for forty eight hours straight once on duty and I remember the pain from it. Today, on Thursday, I did not hear from him until late into the evening, almost my bed time. He texted my daughter so I knew it was important because he couldn't get in touch with me. I immediately ran to the my piece of crap phone that won't ring and waited for an incoming text. He said he was sorry that he cannot talk to me tonight, he had five minutes to text and that was it after that it was lights out and that he is not allowed to actually "talk" to me until he earns a pass. That is okay, I was disappointed at first but AT LEAST he's able to have his phone on his person at all times. That is such a luxury compared to when I was in.

I miss hearing his voice so much that it hurts. Tonight, Brit went out with Jordan and I could not bear to stay home alone so I left and went to eat alone and window shopping. Being alone is a different ballgame. It's not that I can't be alone because after all he did work second shift but honestly it is the sound of his voice that I miss, the nervous lip twitch he does, his big toothy grin, the smell of his hair, the daily watching of "Let's Make a Deal". It's totally the little things that I miss the most. I realized today more than ever before that I am still so in love with this man. He is my best friend, my hero, and my favorite shopping buddy. I am so blessed in that area because for the most part the loves to shop, especially for shoes. He could buy a new pair of Nike's every day if I would let him or we could afford it.

This is a new adventure for us but one that I am so greatful for and ready to ride the waves with. I am ready to begin our new life and start over. We have had such a rough ten years with so many more downs than ups and I know we can survive through training periods or deployments, no problem! I have to be positive and strong for him and our daughter who depends on seeing one parent together these days. Speaking of which, she misses her Daddy and asks every few minutes when she gets home from school if he's texted yet. She was so excited tonight when he texted her. And she gave the old Army the standard "Well that sucks" about not being able to talk to him. She said "Well, what if I HAVE to".......I just said, "Not today, those are the rules" and again I got the famous "That sucks" and then she added "that's stupid". She has so much to learn and I have to teach it to her because I've been through this rodeo before she hasn't.

I will post as I get new information regarding Mike or our life as a military family. Thank you all for being there for us on our new adventure.