Colorado Update!

Anthony and I have been in Colorado for nearly 2 months. I haven't posted as often as I would have liked to because our laptop broke, and we didn't have internet for a while, but thanks to our wonderful parents we now have a working computer, and we finally got internet and cable! We are loving Colorado Springs so far and we live in a wonderful area only about 7 minutes or so from Ft. Carson. There is so much to do here and we are central to pretty much everything! We recently got a new kitten, names Nimby, after the Nimbus 2000 in Harry Potter, and she is absolutely adorable! She is however just getting into that fighting kitten stage, and she attacks absolutely everything from legs to napkins.

We celebrated our first Halloween in colorado, and it was sadly very uneventful. We didn't even have a single trick or treater, despite my wonderful decorating skills. We also received our first snowfall, before Halloween even got here! It was really beautiful and we took the fur babies out to play in it. Mini-Cat didn't really like it too much, but Nimby found it interesting.

We are currently looking forward to celebrating Thanksgiving for the first time in our own home, and Anthony is planning on inviting a few of his friends over that don't have families here to celebrate with. We are also excited about decorating that afternoon for Christmas, Christmas shopping, and having Scarlett come to visit! This should be a wonderful holiday season!!!

Back In South Carolina

Scarlett and I made the long trip back to South Carolina about 2 weeks ago. I have been so busy lately hanging out with family and friends before our big move to Colorado Springs, CO! Anthony will be coming home in 6 days and we are all anxious and excited! He finished Camp Bullis yesterday, his final field training exercise, and he is finally MOS qualified! After 4 LONG months, he is finally, officially, a Combat Medic! The next few weeks are going to be really hectic as we pack and move, but we are going to enjoy all of the time we have been given with family and friends! We are going to prepare for my first snowy winter, and plan a camping trip in the Colorado Mountains! We are all so proud and excited for our soldier, and can't wait for him to be returned to us!

San Antonio Rain Storm

Last night we had our first storm since being in San Antonio. I was woken up around 3:30 from some pretty bad thunder and lightning. The kitties were kinda scared, and jumped a few times at some of the popping. Our power went out a few times, three probably. I was freaking out about whether our stove was leaking gas into the apartment (Never had a gas stove before) and it got really hot which made it impossible to go back to sleep. I fell back asleep around 5 am. The good news is that Anthony's platoon woke up around 4:30 and a female Sargent came in and told them to all go back to bed until 6:30 because of the weather conditions. I know that made him happy! Living here so far has it's up and down moments. It can be extremely boring at times, because we're broke at the moment, and one can only entertain themselves so many ways within the confines of a hotel room. I would go down to the pool - but the psycho neighbor who has a crush on Scarlett may just start stalking us again..... Things will get better once Anthony's pay gets fixed (they have been paying him as an E2 instead of an E3) and we receive our backpay - and once I get my car accident injury settlement. Once Scarlett leaves though, I will probably drive myself quite insane. Today we went to the bookstore for entertainment, though we have no money to buy anything! We have to save our money for food and gas for this weekend with Anthony. I am just thankful that we are close together right now. We could be 1,000+ miles apart. God is good, and is showing us the true meaning of happiness by allowing us to simply be together.

Update from San Antonio, Texas!

I haven't written in a while because my laptop has been under the weather, but good things are happening in San Antonio! I moved here on the 2nd of June, and have seen Anthony for the past 2 weekends in a row! It is sooooo good to be close to him again! We really enjoy spending our weekends together studying, watching movies, and playing video games. In the next few weeks we plan on going to Sea World and Six Flags - Fiesta Texas....We may also go to the San Antonio Zoo. Anthony is doing extremely well and passed his National Registry EMT test today! He is now officially an EMT! I am so proud of him! He starts his MOS phase tomorrow- 68W. He will be getting his aid bag and start doing the cool stuff, more directed at combat casualties.....I'm kinda nervous, but he's excited. Things are coming together, and the move here was a lot easier, because I had Scarlett come with me. We brought the boys along too. Charlie only got mildly sick because we had both of them drugged up! haha. We gave them some Kitty Prozac or something.... Aong the way here we ended up staying at a very shabby Motel 6 in Mobile Alabama, and then we stayed at a Howard Johnson in Lafayette Louisiana before we got to our temporary living in San Antonio. It's not the nicest place I've ever lived- but i'm close to Anthony and I couldn't imagine being anywhere else. I bought Anthony a gift today for passing his EMT test - a MP3 player - so he can listen to music on his free time that he can't have out his cell phone. I am current;y loading all of his music to it - and that could take a while.... I guess it was smart of me however to bring his CD case before I came to TX. I really hope he likes it and appreciates all of the hard work and effort I am putting in for the hours it's going to take to load all of this crap! I really hope he enjoys it, and this will be the FIRST gift I have ever been able to surprise him with! He always manages to weasel it out of me. Anyway - I'm going to go so I can work more on that - I promise to update again soon!

Letter Number 7

This letter was written on March 22 - 25th. It was Anthony's first letter in black ink instead of blue.

In the top right corner he smeared some machine gun grease. He know's I'm sentimental like that! He fired an M249 SAW and a 240 BRAVO. The instructor told Anthony that he did a good job, better than most and it made his day. The amount of time you actually hold the trigger down is the time it takes to say "Die, Terrorist! Die!" It lets off about 9-15 rounds at a time. He had a lot of fun doing it though! He apologizes for not being able to write as much because of how busy he is, but that's okay, and I understand that he's incredibly busy. Anthony received his orders on the 22nd. He has to report to AIT on April 30th and was assigned to Alpha Company 232nd Medical Batallion in Ft. Sam Houston, Texas. He catches a plane on the 29th. I pray that I can see him off that day before we come home from his graduation. He did more of the MACP and it was basically like a refresher course for him because of his Jiu-Jitsu background. He said that it was fun! He got to fire the M203 grenade launcher and the AT-4 anti tank weapon which is kinda like a rocket launcher. He's really excited about that! He qualified with his M-16 on the 25th. He said he "shot like a badass." He hit 35 of the 40 targets and qualified as a sharpshooter. He was only 1 target away from expert. He broke the company record and he shot the highest score out of his whole company! The targets are timed. He prayed that god would give him a steady hand and that he would have the strength and skill to qualify and know which targets to shoot. He sharpied my initials onto his trigger finger so that he could feel like I was there helping him. He said that it was a great day! He said that he thinks about my often during PT because it's still dark out. He said that it reminds him of how we used to spend a lot of time together in astronomy in highschool. We had it so easy back then and took everything for granted. He also said that he misses my singing, and that he would give anything to hear my voice again. He apologized for ever getting mad at me for singing and telling me to be quiet. He said "you can sing as much as you want babygirl" Because Anthony's platoon has been doing so well he was allowed to have the contraband out of his MRE. He said that they were probably 5 years old from the stale taste, but they were awesome none the less. He said that Basic is only getting easier and easier. Today he leaves for his FTX2, or second field training exercise. He will be coming back on Thursday, so I probably won't be getting any mail while he's in the field, and I know he won't be receiving any. He said that he looks forward to his mail when he gets back, and that I am his motivation and he will write again soon. He completes the letter with "I love you, see you soon beautiful, with all the love I have to give, -Anthony"

Letter Number 6

Today I am in Georgia, visiting my brother and sister-in-law! My sister, Jessica, checked my mail today and there was a letter from Anthony!!! She scanned it and sent it to me! This is by far my favorite letter so far!

Because it is so long, and I only have a pdf of it at the moment, once I have the actual letter I will edit this posting and add the contents to it! I miss him terribly, and our relationship is being taken to a new level. I never thought that would happen through a letter, but somehow, I feel closer to him than I ever have. I love him so much!

In Anthony's 6th letter home he had just gotten news of the United States firing missles into Lybia. They let them watch the news while eating dinner on the 19th of March. He is excited, because soon they will be firing the machine guns. They have been firing their M-16's for about a week or so at this point. He said that he's getting pretty good with it! He also got appointed the platoon Guidon Bearer and from doing a little research it's supposed to be an honor. I am so proud of him! He marches out in front of the platoon near the commander with the flag. One of the DS's told them that they could get milkshakes as a joke, but Anthony being lactose intolerant, he didn't really mind too much that it was a prank. He also was the only person in his platoon that threw his dummy grenade into the oil drum during grenade training. He was very proud and happy about that! He received his letter from Kiefer, and said he will write back soon. He said it was a nice surprise. He has so many letters that he has to keep them somewhere else now because they are bulging out of the pocket he was keeping them in.

He also really misses music. He wishes he could have a radio. He said they sing to pass the time, even really GAY songs, like "I'm coming out" He went on to tell me about Fireguard and how it interrupts your entire sleeping pattern while you're there and about this retarded kid Donovan who is a total know-it-all. Apparently Donovan left his locker unlocked and that DS messed all of his shit up. I told Anthony to learn from his mistakes!

He went on to tell me about the platoon's farts. ewwww. He said that all 58 guys have farts that are "long, loud, and they smell like you shit yourself." Definitely more info than I needed! It's kinda gross and disgusting as well as hilarious at the same time. Apparently they get hit in the face with letters too. The DS's just throw them at you after they call your name.

He said that the walk to church is about a mile long and it takes forever. He said that he uses a prayer request form every Sunday for me. He went on to tell me about "Army Wii" which is a shooting simulation thing that they do for training. He is hoping to get an expert on the rifle qualification.

After most of the Army talk he went on to tell me that he thinks about me all the time and that this is the beginning of the rest of our lives together. He said that once we get settled at our first post that maybe we can start talking about starting our family. I never thought the day would come when Anthony would want to start talking about having a baby, so it was a total and complete shocker. I was so excited and happy after reading that, and he knew it too! He continued by saying "I know you're probably excited right now, so try to calm down. lol" He goes on to tell me that I'm the only person that he's ever wanted to be with and that he has so many more dreams for us to follow. As the years go on our love will only grow stronger and one day we will be able to look back on this experience and smile at how much it strengthened our relationship.  He said that I am his motivation and strength and knowing that he is going through all of this to get back home to me, gives him the strength to do anything.

He says many I love you's, before saying I'll write again soon.

No Phone Call Tonight

There is nothing that can top the feeling of expecting a call home from your soldier, and then the time passing by without receiving one. This stinks....

Letter Number 5

Today I received my 5th Letter from Anthony! I also received an answered questionnaire that I had sent him!
In the questionnaire I asked him what time he did things.

He answered that he wakes up at 4:30, he has breakfast at 6:00, lunch at 12:00, dinner at 5:30, and goes to bed at 9:00. He sometimes gets free time anywhere from 8:00-9:00 but mostly they have to clean their barracks shower, clean their rifles and do laundry during free time. He also told me that he likes his bunkmate, he's about the same age as us and has a 2 month old son back home. that pulled on my heartstrings just a little. He can't send me any pictures, which stinks! They usually doesn't have to do push-ups for mail unless someone left off their rank, misspelled something, or if your letter smells like perfume. LOL.

His 5th letter is dated for March 15th 2011.

He starts his letter by saying "I'm SO Sorry I haven't written you in a few days! We've been super busy lately! and my platoon fucked up, so we got our personal time taken away for a few days." He then goes on to talking about going to the rifle zeroing range to adjust their sights. He qualified! His first 5 shots were together, but weren't in the silhouette. His next 25 however, were! They had to shoot the target from 25 meters, but it simulates a person at 300 meters. He did really well and was  one of only 21 people who qualified that day, and it was pouring down rain when he did it! He was laying in a huge mud puddle. He also said that it was great to talk to me on the phone the other night, and as he was saying goodbye he heard me start crying. I didn't men for him to hear me get choked up, but I guess it happens occasionally. He said that hearing my voice was like the highlight of his week! Ironically, that's the exact same thing I said to Kiefer and Dad when I got off the phone with him. He said that having the best wife ever and a huge supportive family helps him every step of the way and that he's looking forward to seeing everyone on family day! He also said that he loves having pictures, and when he starts to feel down he looks at his home-made photo album and it cheers him up really quick. He is also getting excited, because next week he gets to throw a live grenade. He promises that he will be careful though... I think I'm still entitled to worry though! He has also made the decision to NOT go Airborne. He said that there would be a higher chance of him getting deployed to a special ops unit, and they get deployed for a year, come home for 30 days, and then go back overseas again for an additional year. He said that he doesn't want to do anything that will increase our time apart. He said that he feels that he took me for granted and the times that we argued, we should have been cuddling or something else instead! He also told me that he wants to get another tattoo for me. He wants to get my "lipstick print" somewhere so he can always take my kisses with him wherever he goes. I thought that was incredibly sweet! I can't wait to go to the tattoo shop with him to do that! I guess he figures I hive his initials in my key, he should have something for me too!

My Tattoo:

The Tattoo Anthony Plans To Get:

He also told me that he is continually pushing himself to do better. He recently ran with A group and many people dropped back down to the lower running groups, but he stuck it out and completed a 3 mile uphill run in formation with about 12 other guys out of all 4 platoons! That's 12 out of 240 guys! He was in the top 3 at the rifle range and top 7 on the pt test recently too! He seems to be doing great! He said that he loves the shirt I designed, and he wants me to wear it to family day!

Front of Shirt:

Back of Shirt:

I am so proud to wear this shirt! He said it is really sweet to know that I support him that much, and it makes him fall more and more in love with me every day we are married! He went on to tell me he loves, misses, and can't wait to hold me in his arms again. He signed off by saying " With all the love a soldier can give his perfect wife, PV2 Beaudry. US ARMY."

Anthony's Parents First Letter!

Today Mrs. Elizabeth and Mr. Mike received their first letter from Anthony. They were kind enough to share it's contents with me. He seemed really good and told them a lot of the same things that was in the letters to me. I am glad that I have such a wonderful family, and that Anthony took the time to write them a letter. We miss him, and are very proud of our soldier!

Second Surprise Phone Call!

Tonight I received a phone call from Anthony at 8:45 PM. I got to talk to him for 10 minutes, and though it was a short conversation, I have never been happier to hear his voice. He told me that he switched from the Red phase of basic training to the White phase last night. Hopefully he will also be able to call home every Sunday, depending on how the 3rd platoon does that week. He sounds great, and was happy that he was one of about 10 people to pass his PT test yesterday. I am so incredibly proud of my husband. We must have said I miss you, and I love you nearly50 times or more. He told me that his platoon's mascot is a Spartan, so I'm going to watch the movie 300 tomorrow night. I am so glad to hear from him, and I can't wait to see him again. He said that he was going to buy me a great gift on family day because I deserve the best, and near the end I got choked up and started crying as we said our goodbyes. I miss him so much, and can't wait to hear the sound of his voice again. Here's to hoping I get another phone call next week! Hearing from him was the highlight of my week, and I hope I get to feel this way every week until graduation. It has made all of my waiting seem a little more legit, and gives me hope for the future. I am proud of my soldier, and I look forward to his return.

Letter Number 4

I received my 4th letter from Anthony today. It was dated for March 9th, 2011. 

The first thing he tells me in this letter is that he received my first 4 letters over the past 2 days as well as a letter from his family and my brother and sister-in-law. He has already experienced training in the rain and freezing weather. He got his first "smoking" where he was practically worked to muscular failure. They finally got to go back to their barracks after the lightning started getting bad. Anthony was extremely excited to get his mail though, so it wasn't that bad of a day. He said that it made him feel so loved. He's more relaxed now knowing that we have the addresses right. He said that he enjoys being able to write letters to me and that communication the old fashioned way seems romantic to him! He goes on to tell me that he likes a lot of the guys in his platoon, and they do "cadences" while they march rather than saying left, right, left, right. He said that it sets the mood for training really well. He saw a squad get smoked for taking their M-16's into the portapotties. They had to do chin-ups with their weapons and yell "DO NOT TAKE YOUR WEAPONS IN THE PORTA-SHITTER!!!" Afterwards a few of the guys that had gotten smoked passed Anthony and his bunkmate. They asked him, "Hey bro, do you know if we are allowed to take our weapons in the Porta-Shitter?" the guys got a FML look on his face and walked off. Apparently one of the DS's has a hook for a hand too. The other DSs' make fun of him for it, but he's a good sport. There's another guy in his platoon that is here from Austrailia, his wife overstayed her visa for one day and got deported for 3 years. Apparently he gets made fun of for the names he calls things, like a flashlight there is a torch.  Anthony also tripped the other day during a march and almost ate the pavement. His DS asked him if he was drunk, and he replied no DS. haha. He has also been doing land navigation, and is very good at it. he got a perfect score on the platoon competitions. He is also used to the sound of machine gun fire now. He can't wait to be able to use them in the next week or so. He also did an IED course that was a mock-up of Baghdad. He is now able to tell what kind of IED it is and how they are set off. the more training the has the safer he will be though! There was an IED that was made from $32 dollars of household cleaners that was able to blow up an Abram Tank. He was excited to hear how many people are going to be at his graduation. He also had a really great MRE the other day that consisted of Ravioli, a brown sugar pop tart, beef jerky, and toffee cookies. He also loves the French toast, peanut butter, and syrup recepie that our Brother-In-Law, Darren, gave him before he left. He also managed to plan for a week how to get a piece of yellow cake. He hid it under a piece of lettuce and no one noticed. That is a contraband item around there. He said they just put it out to mess with you, but it was worth it, and his tummy was very happy afterwards. He said that the weather sucks, and his goal right now is graduation and family day. He said that he really enjoyed Psalm 9:9 that I sent him in a recent letter.

Psalm 9:9 -"The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble." 

He signed off by saying that he loves me more than life and he can't wait to see me again.

"Love, your adoring, loving, BAMF of a husband, PV2 Anthony Beaudry, US. ARMY."

Letter Number 3

After nearly a week of receiving no mail, Today I received Anthony's 3rd letter home. It was written over March 4th - 6th, and was Mailed on March 7th.

On the 4th after "working his ass off" he wrote about his first mail call. He was certain that he was going to get a letter from home because I'm only one state away, but he didn't. The sadness in his letter was almost too much to bear. I had been writing and writing and writing some more, and he still hadn't received a letter. He said that he was kind of down, and that he felt he was being overly homesick, or it was just that our separation was finally setting in. He told me that he had $2000 worth of gear in his locker, $50 cash and a debit card that he would trade all for a post-it note from me, or something scribbled on a napkin, or ANYTHING. He told me that it's going to be his most prized possession once he receives a letter from me.

He also wrote about Rappelling. He said that it was kind of scary to just lean back over a wall that was 60 ft. off the ground and only be holding onto a rope, but after doing it he would do it from a much higher distance if he had the chance.  They taught him to tie a "Swiss Seat." He said they were starting the Modern Army Combative Program (MACP) soon. The MACP is how to disarm people with guns and beat people up. He's excited to do that I'm sure given his martial arts background.

Later in the letter he told me about his MRE and how he was excited to have some candy or something sweet from it, but the DS passed around a "contraband box" and they confiscated their sweets. All he wants is a bunch of candy, and I'm going to make a basket of sweets to take to him for family day and graduation day! I know he will appreciate that!

He also told me that he had been doing fireguard with his bunkmate. He had to do it from 2-3 and then went to sleep by 3:30. Then the fire alarm went off at 4:00. His DS decided that they should make the best of their morning and start the day's training early. He had just wanted a little more sleep, but he's gotten used to waking up in the mornings. He said that he's starting to wake up around 4 all on his own now.

He told me that he went through the Gas Chamber on the 5th. He said that he was excited to go through it, but afterwards he said "F%^* Tear Gas!!" He said that they called it Riot Suppression Gas. They made him enter the chamber, and once he was in he had to break the seal on his mask and recite his last name and social security number, then take a breath in. He was then allowed to reseal and purge his mask. After that they made him take off his helmet and then rip off his mask completely, he then had to strap his helmet back on, hold up his M-16 and hold their gas masks in their left hand for about a minute and "just suffer." He said that his nose was "pouring nastiness" and that his eyes were stinging and watering. He said that he was "coughing his ass off" and could barely get any air. He said that another guy yelled "I can't breathe!" and tried to run out the door. A Drill Sargaent in a chemical suit and gas mask yelled "You're not going anywhere!" and pushed him back in the corner. He said that he started laughing, and it made it a lot harder to breathe. After a minute or so he was released from the chamber and coughed for like 10 minutes. He said that despite it sucking so bad he had a really good day.

He said again that he hopes to hear from somebody soon, and that he wanted me to give his address out to everyone, which I had already done. the desperation in his letter to receive a letter made me kind of upset. I wonder if ARMY personell are keeping letters for a few extra days or something.... He should have gotten something by now!

On the 6th he had written to me after going to bible study. He said that he had dosed off several times during the study, and that he felt horrible about it, but he was just so tired. He had fireguard the night before from 3-4.  He said that he was having his first Field Training Exercise or FTX on the night of the 7th. They are going out into the field and staying the night in order to learn compass and star navigation skills. He also gets to go to the rifle range in about 2 weeks. He told me to go out and buy myself something, because he wants nothing more than to buy me a gift, but he can't send out packages. So, in a few days I am going to go out and treat myself to something. He also hopes that I am "X-ing" the days on the calendar off until his graduation, and he knows me too well, because I definitely have been! He wrapped up his letter by saying he would write again as soon as he could, and that he loved me.

I can't wait to get another response from him soon, and I hope he has received a letter from me already. I miss him so much, and I want nothing more than for him to feel loved and missed.

Graduation Reservations

We have made the necessary accommodations for Anthony's graduation. We were planning on renting a cabin, but they were all booked up by the time he had a full head count and everything, which REALLY stinks! So, instead, we will be leaving at 7:00 AM. Tuesday, April 26th for Ft. Benning. We will check in to our rooms at the Holiday Inn Express Suites at Victory drive about a mile from the Post gate, and make lunch reservations at a nearby restaurant for the next day. Family Day is the morning of the 27th (Wednesday), where I will finally get to see my hubby for the first time in over 2 months! He will get a pass to go off base with us until 8:00 PM. The following morning, Thursday, the 28th is his Graduation. I am going to be so proud of him! We will also have him until 8:00 PM this night as well. Then, the next morning Anthony will be leaving for Ft. Sam Houston, Texas. We are leaving the morning of the 29th as well for South Carolina if we can't see him off. If we can, we will be leaving that afternoon. I hope to God I can say goodbye to him before he goes to Texas! He will be there for double the time he was at Ft. Benning! I am just happy to know that our reservations have been made, and we don't have to worry about that anymore. The hotel is beautiful!

3 Weeks Down, 7 Weeks To Go!!

Today my love has been gone for 3 weeks. I only have 7 weeks more to go until I see his handsome face again. I miss him more than I ever have, and this is officially the longest time we have ever been apart. I haven't received a phone call in nearly 2 weeks. Before this experience we have been inseparable for 3 and a half years. Once we met, the attraction we had with one another kept us stuck together like glue. It is so weird to not be able to just pick up the phone and call him whenever I want to, I mean I can, but he won't answer. I know he is out there making me proud though, and I am supportive of his decision 100%. He is a great man, and he is willing to risk his life to provide a good life for me, and for the children we will have one day. My husband is my hero, my life, my soul-mate. I can't wait to hug him again.

First Time Bringing Visitors On Base And Going To The Commissary And BX

Yesterday was the first time I have ever brought visitors onto the military base. I took Shelby and Kiefer with me to the visitors office and signed them in, and we received a 3 hour pass. They showed me the Commissary first, and I was amazed at how many things we buy were so much less expensive there! I can't wait to take my first grocery shopping trip! They also showed me the BX which they recently remodeled, and it is more like a mini-mall now. They have a food court with an O' Charley's, a Burger King (complete with a digital menu screen) and ironically, an Anthony's pizza. They also have a GNC, an alteration shop for uniforms called "STRIPES," and a few other little places. I think my favorite place so far has been the American Greetings Card isles inside the actual BX. They had cards for every emotion that I have been feeling lately! Wal-Mart surely didn't have any like these! I bought Anthony 2. A sweet one and a humorous one, hopefully it will give him a little bit of a laugh when he's feeling down. I know I could use a good laugh just about every day while  he's away. They also have really nice appliances for cheap. I plan on getting a new top-load washer and dryer from there. I have heard horror stories about the front load ones. They also had some really nice TV's and stuff for cheap too, and I don't think I have ever seen so much Hello Kitty merchandise in one store! I want to Hello Kitty Bluetooth now! All in all it was a great day, spent with great friends. It couldn't have been much better, well, you know, unless Anthony was there.

Receiving My First 2 Letters And Getting My Military ID!

March 2nd, 2011 (Yesterday) - was one of the happiest days of my life! I got to hear from Anthony after nearly a week of absolutely no communication. For us, that is an EXTREMELY long time to go without talking. We have talked every day for the past 3 and a half years, and are pretty much inseparable when allowed. I had started feeling a little discouraged, like I was never going to be able to talk to him again and out of the blue I get a card, enclosed was his first letter. I have never been happier to open my mailbox. The letter was in a card with soldiers on the front of it, and it said "No matter how long the journey at Ft. Benning...." and on the inside it said "I'll always come home to you!" In his letter he expressed his deepest adoration for me, and told me he is doing wonderfully. He said he was in an especially great mood after completing his first PT test, and he was writing to me after "lights out" under his blanket. I hope he doesn't get in trouble for that! He is already counting down the days to family day, and I am as well! I cannot wait to see him, and just give him a huge hug. He said that they assigned him a Rifle on the first day of training, and I know he is enjoying that experience. He hasn't gotten to take her apart yet, or fire her yet, but he said he does everything with "her." His Drill Sergeant told them to give their weapon a "SEXY girls name." When Anthony was asked what he named his, he answered "Stephanie, Drill Sergeant!" When he was asked why he chose that name he responded "I chose that name because it is my wife's name, and I will always be faithful to her, as well as this rifle Drill Sergeant!" The Drill Sergeant responded "Good choice, Private." and walked away. I hope he was proud of that moment, because I know I was glowing when I read it. He was telling me about his body armor, and I found comfort in that fact! He told me that I am the perfect wife and that he wouldn't change me for anything in the world.... I thought that was completely sweet. He can't wait for us to have the cabin to ourselves, and I can't either! It will be so good to just spend time with him after this long separation. He also told me that he was excited to be going to church and bible study, and I am so proud of him for that. He wants to start going to a church regularly when he returns home. I am glad that both of our relationships are continuing to grow with God. I send him bible verses of encouragement in each letter I write. He was also telling me about how much time they have to shower and stuff. Anthony along with 57 other guys have 1 1/2 minutes to shower, 3 minutes to shave and brush his teeth, and 5 minutes to be dressed and in formation down 4 flights of stairs. At least he will be fast at getting ready when he comes home! He told me he can't wait to come home to me so we can sleep in late, and so he can eat whatever he wants. He says he is proud of me, and that I am his motivation to follow through and complete what he has committed to. He asked me to send him a few pictures and wallet sizes of me to keep with him at all times. I was happy to oblige. I received his second letter yesterday too. It was written on February 27th. He told me he was doing "The Confidence Tower." He will tell me how it goes in his next letter. He has told me about some stories of other soldiers and their nicknames. I can't wait to hear from him again!

Today I went to Charleston Air Force Base and got my Military ID. It was kind of intimidating but I got through it. I am happy to have access to it whenever I need to go now. I am planning on taking some friends soon to get a feel for the place and to see what all the hype is about!

I will write again soon, when I receive my 3rd letter. Until then I am staying happy, motivated, and staying strong. :)

Surprise Phone Call!

Tonight I received a surprise call from Anthony! He told me that yesterday was going to be our last call, so I was extra excited when I saw his face pop up on my caller ID. While we were talking he told me about all the different things he did today. He got his uniforms, his head shaved, and did a TON of paperwork. In addition to the phone call, he managed to snap his first picture in uniform and send it to me before lights out! He looks incredibly handsome in his new uniform! I can't wait to see it in person!

I had been praying every day since he left for God to help me see the bright side of his leaving, and to help me get through the day without shedding any more tears. God truly blessed me by giving him the opportunity to send me this picture! It made everything fall into place for me, and I know that the waiting is all going to be worth while. I love my husband more than anything in the entire world, and I am so proud to be a new ARMY WIFE <3

Psalm 107:1 "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; His love endures forever"

Leaving For Basic and AIT

Today Anthony reported to his recruiting office at 11 AM. Tonight he will be staying in a Hotel at Ft. Jackson in South Carolina. Tomorrow morning he will get up and go to this medical exam and then board a bus bound for Ft. Benning Georgia. The first few days he will spend in a reception batallion and after that he will begin his training. Saying goodbye was hard to do, but we all managed to keep our spirits up so Anthony doesn't have any worries going into this. Me, Scarlett, Jessica and Mom were there to watch him off. Shortly after Anthony's bus drove away his "Papa" showed up, and had just missed him. Thankfully we were able to reach him by phone so that he could tell him goodbye. Anthony has sent me a few text messages over the course of the day to tell me that he's doing alright and is excited for tomorrow. He also met a few fello 68W's that will be going with him to AIT in Texas to become a Health Care Specialist. He said that he is getting along with the new people that he has met and is anxious to arrive in Georgia. I know that he will soon have no access to his phone and I am not looking forward to that! I like beaing able to know what's going on with him. I am anxious to receive my first letter from him and already prepared to go to his graduation! I know he is going to do wonderfully.

Psalm 9:9
"The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble."

Celebrations of a New Soldier

Yesterday we celebrated Anthony's big decision. My family: James, Krystal, Ty and Tatum all came from Georgia. Amy, Darren, Shelby, Jake and Garrett came from upstate South Carolina, And Mom, Jessica, Brian and Aubrey were already local. Anthony's family, Elizabeth, Mike, Scarlett, and Wade are also local and they were able to make it as well. The day started around 1:00 with lunch at O'Charley's in Summerville where the food was good and the conversation was great. Afterwards everyone went to freshen up and get ready for the Bro-Sis-Bowling-Tournament.

We reserved 2 lanes at the local bowling alley from 9 PM - 2 AM and we had a blast. The guys kept Anthony's glass full and the tournament went well, although I don't think anyone was really keeping score as the night progressed and the good times got better. I did however win my first game of bowling ever, although I don't know if it counts because I was playing against people who had been drinking and taking shots. I was the designated driver.

Overall the night was great and James, Darren and Dad gave Anthony great advice for the trials ahead, and the ladies all promised to take good care of me while he's gone. I am excited for his journey and am ready to take the necessary leap of faith for him to follow his dreams. I hope it pays off! He leaves in 9 days!

Wish him LUCK!

2 Great Poems For Military Families

First, For the Wives:


Dear Lord,
Give me the greatness to see the difference between his duty and love for me.
Give me the understanding, to know when duty calls - he must go.
Give me a task to do each day, to fill the time when he's away.
And Lord, when he's in a foreign land, keep him safe in your loving hand.
And Lord, when his duty is in the field, please protect him, be his shield.
And Lord, when deployment is so long, please stay with me, to keep me strong.
Amen.



Second, For the Soldier:

It is the Soldier....
"It is the Soldier, not the minister
Who has given us freedom of religion.
It is the Soldier, not the reporter
Who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the Soldier, not the poet
Who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the Soldier, not the campus organizer
Who has given us freedom to protest.
It is the Soldier, not the lawyer
Who has given us the right to a fair trial.
It is the Soldier, not the politician
Who has given us the right to vote.
It is the Soldier who salutes the flag,
Who serves beneath the flag,
And whose coffin is draped by the flag,
Who allows the protester to burn the flag."

20th Birthday

I will be 20 years old in nine days. Funny enough, Anthony and I are moving from Walterboro back to Summerville that day and I couldn't ask for a better birthday present! We are moving back in with my dad  in preparation for Anthony leaving for Basic Combat Training and AIT.  He will be shipped out on February 14th. YES, I know what you're thinking..... "VALENTINES DAY? OH MY!" I thought that too at first.... But what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger right?

Philippians 4:13 says "I can do everything through him who gives me strength."

This is a going to be a main focus of mine when Anthony finally has to leave, although I think I have prepared more than most people think I would have. I am going to keep myself busy while he's gone. Finish School, Lose some extra pounds, grow closer to God, and maybe even find a fun part time job. I only have 3 days left working for Wal-Mart, and let me tell you, that is probably one of the WORST placed you could EVER be employed. I regret ever accepting that job! Needless to say I am really stoked for my last day on the 23rd. I bought an elliptical trainer yesterday, and I am pretty stoked to be motivated to get back in shape while Anthony is gone. I want to look good when he gets back!

So we move in about a week. Anthony leaves in about 3 weeks. The great part is that he has taken his paid vacation for the last 2 weeks before he leaves for basic, so there won't be a lapse in pay! We are super excited and I am ready to become an Army Wife!