So it has been over a month since my last blog, and so much has happened! I will be breaking things down so I can include pictures and give more details, but here goes for a brief overview.
Kevin's Coast Guard graduation was November 21st. I flew to Philadelphia the night before, and my mother in law picked me up from the airport, we stayed in a hotel (which has a REALLY funny story...) and then went to the graduation and flew back that same night. The weekend flew by and was a whirl wind of family and friends.
We left on Tuesday, November 25th anddrove straight through to Baltimore. It took us 29 hours and there are some good stories that go along with that expereince that I will go into later on! We arrived on Wednesday, November 26th. We were just in time to have our firest Thanksgiving together as a married couple, but we were also in our new house in Baltimore. It was very different but it was so nice to finally be with Kevin again after so long.
Kevin and I had some good time together and on Tuesday, December 2nd I flew back to Texas to take my finals. I drove back up to Baltimore with my Dad on December 7th, and we got here on Monday December 8th. We didnt drive through the whole way, but it only took a total of 23 hours. My dad stayed about a week, and actually left this past Saturday.
It has been interesting being up here and knowing that I now have to make this my "home". Kevin and I have a Coast Guard Christmas Party to go to tonight, so I will let everyone know how that goes!!
Monday, December 15, 2008
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Our Big Move!!
Well today I finally got to talk to Kevin on the phone after 5 weeks! Monday will be the start of week 6 for him, and we are slowly getting to the end of all of this torture. As November 21st gets closer and the excitement of seeing Kevin grows, the worries have begun as well. It has finally hit that we will be packing up everything and moving November 25th! We will be driving to our new home... BALTIMORE!! Yup... When I got to talk to Kevin today he gave me the big news. It was a little bit of a shock since I have been expecting to live in a small beach town, but this will be a good start since it is a big city and I can hopefully find a job fairly easy. This has also been a blessing since Kevin will never have to be on a large ship for months at a time, but instead the longest he will ever be on a boat is for 3 days.
So how to prepare for a move that is in 3 weeks?! I am beginning to collect boxes slowly, and I plan on packing a few boxes a day. To try and keep things as organized as possible, I am hoping I can pack each room into boxes and somehow code them so I know exaclty where everything will go. That is a whole other stress I get to deal with... trying to find a place to live! We will have to have all our living details planned and taken care of before Kevin even graduates! He will hopefully be given a list of popular military housing areas in Baltimore this coming week. Kevin should hopefully be able to call this coming Saturday, and I am hoping he will have some more information for me!
Please keep us in your prayers that we find the perfect place to live and that I can find the perfect job! I still can't believe we are moving to Baltimore, Maryland!
So how to prepare for a move that is in 3 weeks?! I am beginning to collect boxes slowly, and I plan on packing a few boxes a day. To try and keep things as organized as possible, I am hoping I can pack each room into boxes and somehow code them so I know exaclty where everything will go. That is a whole other stress I get to deal with... trying to find a place to live! We will have to have all our living details planned and taken care of before Kevin even graduates! He will hopefully be given a list of popular military housing areas in Baltimore this coming week. Kevin should hopefully be able to call this coming Saturday, and I am hoping he will have some more information for me!
Please keep us in your prayers that we find the perfect place to live and that I can find the perfect job! I still can't believe we are moving to Baltimore, Maryland!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Updates
So I have been a pretty big blogger slacker lately, and I apologize for that! School has been more chaotic than ever, and figuring out life without Kevin has been an adventure in itself. The dogs have taken turns surprising me with wonderful little presents in their kennels everytime I have a stressful day, and between exams, projects, quizzes, and group projects my days seem to keep running into one another. I can't complain too much about this though, it has made time fly by much quicker than expected.
Kevin is already in his 5th week at basics. I have only received two "real" letters from him, but both have been deeply needed. It still surprises me how quickly time has flown by, and how well I have managed to handle everything. I really expected to be an emotional wreck with him gone, but taking things one day at a time really seems to work. Don't take me wrong, this has not been a walk in the park and lately it seems like everything reminds me of him, but we are in the home stretch now. Only 23 more days until I get to see my wonderful husband!!
I'm not going to quote his letters word for word since they are special and really only meant for my eyes, but I will let you know what exciting expereinces Kevin has been dealing with over the past 5 weeks.
I recieved his first letter October 17th, and ripping it open was like I could finally take a huge breath again. It was such a relief to hear from him and know that things had gotten a little easier from the first week. He has made some friends while being there, most of which are in a relationship or engaged themselves. He talks about his friend Mills who is planning on proposing to his girlfriend once they get out of basics. He is also guaranteed district 5, so there is a possibility that we could live in the same city, or at least near eachother.
He talked about how the minute they got there it was just constant yelling, and his team has not been able to work together as a team. He got his head shaved, drug tested (which someone pooped on themselves during this...), and a ton of shots. He has found ways to cope with the stressfulness of everything, mainly by praying.
The second letter I recieved I got October 23rd. His company is still having problems working together, and he is frustrated since they all have to pay for the mistakes of others. He found out he got his first cavitiy and had to go to the dentist! He was also asked to be his CC if he would like to be yeomen/ squad leader. He is now the CC's right hand man for leadership and extra paperwork and filing. He has to do his best on everything now since he is being constantly watched. He now gets to go to bed at 11 pm and wake up at 4 am!
He recently had a class on the history of the Coast Guard, which gave him a sense of pride in what he is doing. He said, " I am a part of something so much bigger and it scares me, but at the same time it feels great."
--------------------
Sounds like he is learning to love it there and that he is doing great. I am so proud of him, and I know he is doing his best (obvioulsy he is doing something right if he was asked to be a leader)! Please keep him in your prayers. I am hoping for my first phone call from him this weekend and might actually find out where we are moving to (keep your fingers crossed!).
Kevin is already in his 5th week at basics. I have only received two "real" letters from him, but both have been deeply needed. It still surprises me how quickly time has flown by, and how well I have managed to handle everything. I really expected to be an emotional wreck with him gone, but taking things one day at a time really seems to work. Don't take me wrong, this has not been a walk in the park and lately it seems like everything reminds me of him, but we are in the home stretch now. Only 23 more days until I get to see my wonderful husband!!
I'm not going to quote his letters word for word since they are special and really only meant for my eyes, but I will let you know what exciting expereinces Kevin has been dealing with over the past 5 weeks.
I recieved his first letter October 17th, and ripping it open was like I could finally take a huge breath again. It was such a relief to hear from him and know that things had gotten a little easier from the first week. He has made some friends while being there, most of which are in a relationship or engaged themselves. He talks about his friend Mills who is planning on proposing to his girlfriend once they get out of basics. He is also guaranteed district 5, so there is a possibility that we could live in the same city, or at least near eachother.
He talked about how the minute they got there it was just constant yelling, and his team has not been able to work together as a team. He got his head shaved, drug tested (which someone pooped on themselves during this...), and a ton of shots. He has found ways to cope with the stressfulness of everything, mainly by praying.
The second letter I recieved I got October 23rd. His company is still having problems working together, and he is frustrated since they all have to pay for the mistakes of others. He found out he got his first cavitiy and had to go to the dentist! He was also asked to be his CC if he would like to be yeomen/ squad leader. He is now the CC's right hand man for leadership and extra paperwork and filing. He has to do his best on everything now since he is being constantly watched. He now gets to go to bed at 11 pm and wake up at 4 am!
He recently had a class on the history of the Coast Guard, which gave him a sense of pride in what he is doing. He said, " I am a part of something so much bigger and it scares me, but at the same time it feels great."
--------------------
Sounds like he is learning to love it there and that he is doing great. I am so proud of him, and I know he is doing his best (obvioulsy he is doing something right if he was asked to be a leader)! Please keep him in your prayers. I am hoping for my first phone call from him this weekend and might actually find out where we are moving to (keep your fingers crossed!).
Coast Guard Jounral Entry- October 28
NOVEMBER 180 TRAINING WEEK 4
21OCT08:
0530 reveille rolls around and so does a big week for November company. Week 04 begins and today was certainly a big day. Normally recruits do not go off base but November was the exception because we had to go off base to shoot the basic pistol course. The range here at the training center is out of service for the time being so we went 45 minutes north to try and qualify. Some people in the company did better than others, not everyone qualified. Regardless of skill, the range provided hands-on lessons in safety and basic shooting skills. It would have been a great experience if November didn't lose their minds. Just a tip, never say "hey man" to a first class petty officer if you're an E-1. Many big things are still to come this week. Maybe November can figure out how to act like Week 04 recruits in the meantime.
22OCT08
Today was big, probably even bigger than the swim assessment. The physical fitness assessment was today and it was a success for November. First were the pushups and the sit ups. The majority passed both, which is kind of surprising considering the amount of slackers during incentive training.
Next was the 1 ½ mile run. No one failed the run, which never happens. More than a few shipmates were worried about the run but everyone did very well.
Even though November proved to be physically fit, team work is still lacking. To "hook us up" our company commanders provided something called the krackin. The krackin is a thick towing line that everyone in the formation marches around with. By the way, she is an older line and fraying, she bites. November's precious E-1 hands figured that one out quickly. Even though having the cracking with us is less than enjoyable, maybe it will help. November needs all the help possible.
24OCT08
Week 04 is finally coming to an end. On Thursday dream sheets were filled out. This was very exciting and also very stressful. Some gave up "A" schools and others surrendered their guaranteed districts. All of our company commanders assured us that this is the right choice. Today was a pretty big day as well. The mid-term took place this morning. Good news, everyone passed and company average was 96%. This was a fantastic success for November. So far the company has proved to be physically strong and book smart. But we need to focus on teamwork which is what we lack. Still, even after numerous incentive training sessions, our heads are still in the dark place, considering Week 05 is right around the corner, maybe a change is too.
21OCT08:
0530 reveille rolls around and so does a big week for November company. Week 04 begins and today was certainly a big day. Normally recruits do not go off base but November was the exception because we had to go off base to shoot the basic pistol course. The range here at the training center is out of service for the time being so we went 45 minutes north to try and qualify. Some people in the company did better than others, not everyone qualified. Regardless of skill, the range provided hands-on lessons in safety and basic shooting skills. It would have been a great experience if November didn't lose their minds. Just a tip, never say "hey man" to a first class petty officer if you're an E-1. Many big things are still to come this week. Maybe November can figure out how to act like Week 04 recruits in the meantime.
22OCT08
Today was big, probably even bigger than the swim assessment. The physical fitness assessment was today and it was a success for November. First were the pushups and the sit ups. The majority passed both, which is kind of surprising considering the amount of slackers during incentive training.
Next was the 1 ½ mile run. No one failed the run, which never happens. More than a few shipmates were worried about the run but everyone did very well.
Even though November proved to be physically fit, team work is still lacking. To "hook us up" our company commanders provided something called the krackin. The krackin is a thick towing line that everyone in the formation marches around with. By the way, she is an older line and fraying, she bites. November's precious E-1 hands figured that one out quickly. Even though having the cracking with us is less than enjoyable, maybe it will help. November needs all the help possible.
24OCT08
Week 04 is finally coming to an end. On Thursday dream sheets were filled out. This was very exciting and also very stressful. Some gave up "A" schools and others surrendered their guaranteed districts. All of our company commanders assured us that this is the right choice. Today was a pretty big day as well. The mid-term took place this morning. Good news, everyone passed and company average was 96%. This was a fantastic success for November. So far the company has proved to be physically strong and book smart. But we need to focus on teamwork which is what we lack. Still, even after numerous incentive training sessions, our heads are still in the dark place, considering Week 05 is right around the corner, maybe a change is too.
Coast Guard Journal Entry- October 22
NOVEMBER 180 TRAINING WEEK 3
16OCTØ8:
There was one lesson that November learned today, and that is to not be a "Dirty Bird." A "Dirty Bird" is someone who keeps dirty laundry in their racks. This lesson came to be when the company commanders had a surprise rack inspection. The racks were chosen at random, so it was pretty much luck of the draw as to who got hit. There are probably more "Dirty Birds" scattered about November company, but hopefully they learned from their shipmates. The punishment for being a "Dirty Bird" is that you have to carry you dirty laundry around with you at all times, you lose respect and most of all you look dumb. Even though the inspections really lowered the morale of the company, it was needed. Too many shipmates still have their head in the "dark place" and hopefully this helped. Hopefully it did, because it's about that time for reversions to begin.
17OCTØ8:
Today, November was kind of a shipwreck. Nothing came together correctly, not even once. While marching around the regiment, no one could stay in line with each other. This resulted in a punishment that was more embarrassing than anything else. We had to hold our arms up to keep the correct spacing and shout "Left" as our left foot hit the deck. This is a training tool that forming companies use, and November is almost in week Ø4, to be using tools like this is a bad sign. After that, November had rucksack (backpack) inspections. There is a long list of things that aren't allowed to be in the rucksack such as trash, LETTERS, dirty clothes, etc. The process of a rucksack inspection consists of having all the contents poured out and then inspected, simple enough. A lot of trash, more dirty laundry, and LETTERS were found. Just a tip from an insider, never keep letters anywhere, except for you personal ditty bag. Also, never write something incriminating and then leave it loose, outside of an envelope. As a result of November's less than desirable performance, clean up time was taken away and incentive training was enforce upon some other shipmates. Week Ø4 is rapidly approaching, November really needs to get it together.
19OCTØ8:
Divine hours are the one time a week when Coast Guard Recruits have time to themselves. During this time, which is now, shipmates are ironing, shining boondockers, studying, or writing letters. Today, shipmate Mills submitted a poem:
November-18Ø
Stay the course November,
Keep going with strength and pride.
The road is rough to graduation,
But fulfilling with time.
Sound off loud November,
And always march with pride.
Remember the days are long,
But the weeks fly by.
-By SR Mills, J. D.
16OCTØ8:
There was one lesson that November learned today, and that is to not be a "Dirty Bird." A "Dirty Bird" is someone who keeps dirty laundry in their racks. This lesson came to be when the company commanders had a surprise rack inspection. The racks were chosen at random, so it was pretty much luck of the draw as to who got hit. There are probably more "Dirty Birds" scattered about November company, but hopefully they learned from their shipmates. The punishment for being a "Dirty Bird" is that you have to carry you dirty laundry around with you at all times, you lose respect and most of all you look dumb. Even though the inspections really lowered the morale of the company, it was needed. Too many shipmates still have their head in the "dark place" and hopefully this helped. Hopefully it did, because it's about that time for reversions to begin.
17OCTØ8:
Today, November was kind of a shipwreck. Nothing came together correctly, not even once. While marching around the regiment, no one could stay in line with each other. This resulted in a punishment that was more embarrassing than anything else. We had to hold our arms up to keep the correct spacing and shout "Left" as our left foot hit the deck. This is a training tool that forming companies use, and November is almost in week Ø4, to be using tools like this is a bad sign. After that, November had rucksack (backpack) inspections. There is a long list of things that aren't allowed to be in the rucksack such as trash, LETTERS, dirty clothes, etc. The process of a rucksack inspection consists of having all the contents poured out and then inspected, simple enough. A lot of trash, more dirty laundry, and LETTERS were found. Just a tip from an insider, never keep letters anywhere, except for you personal ditty bag. Also, never write something incriminating and then leave it loose, outside of an envelope. As a result of November's less than desirable performance, clean up time was taken away and incentive training was enforce upon some other shipmates. Week Ø4 is rapidly approaching, November really needs to get it together.
19OCTØ8:
Divine hours are the one time a week when Coast Guard Recruits have time to themselves. During this time, which is now, shipmates are ironing, shining boondockers, studying, or writing letters. Today, shipmate Mills submitted a poem:
November-18Ø
Stay the course November,
Keep going with strength and pride.
The road is rough to graduation,
But fulfilling with time.
Sound off loud November,
And always march with pride.
Remember the days are long,
But the weeks fly by.
-By SR Mills, J. D.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
A Journal Entry from Cape May, NJ
On the Coast Guard website there is a link to read and follow journal entries written by recruits who are in basic training. Kevin's company is called November 180, and en entry was posted on October 14th. Here is a little insight on what Kevin is going through these days...
NOVEMBER 180 TRAINING WEEK 2
The real training begins for November-180 after a few days of anticipation, we finally met our Company Commanders, Chief Stanton, Chief Bou and Petty Officer Mullins. As the weekend begins our Company Commanders teach us the boot camp basics for being a weekend dedicated to introducing the process to new recruit, there is a lot to be learned. The biggest challenge thus far for November-180 is marching. For a pace that is technically walking, there is a decent amount of coordination that has to be put forth. Many recruits caught on quickly, some struggled. That is a part of the learning process. Hopefully the company will soon evolve in one, fluid marching machine. A lot was learned over indoctrination weekend and even more progress needs to be made. November-180 has the guidelines in order to be the best company Cape May has ever seen, now we have to figure out how to put it to good use.
Tuesday (7 Oct) was a days that many shipmates were concerned about. It was the initial swim assessment. Although there was apprehension in the air, most of it was wasted energy. Out of 67 recruits, only 05 failed to complete the swim circuit. Even those who did not finish made it fairly far. As a result of the success with the swim, the company's morale was high. There is still a lot of work that needs to be done, but at least we have one sizable accomplishment. We worked on Close Order Drill or marching and that brought out larger deficiencies. By the end of the session, we figured out that we need to figure out how to sound off, follow direction, and remain 100% focused on the task at hand. Teamwork would help us improve greatly, but it is a matter of figuring out how to work as a team that is the challenge.
On Wednesday we received our pieces. A piece is essentially a gun that can't shoot. Although they are no longer capable of fire power, they are very real. Some of them even had a part in World War II. For an item with such historic value, the pieces are not exactly popular with the recruits. All 09 pounds of the piece seems to increase as training continues. If a Company Commander says "grab your piece." That doesn't exactly define a good time. In addition to November's new toy, the recruits have been struggling with teamwork. The comfort level between shipmates is not yet ideal. But it will get there. Once everyone knows each other and begins trusting each other, maybe a time objective will be met.
After days of frustration, November finally made a time objective! The challenge was to make our racks. The time allotted was 10 minutes. This is a frustrating task, and very tiring but after a few tries, it finally got done. As a result the company's morale was high. A week ago this task would have been impossible, November seems to be finally connecting. Then of course, just as the day seemed as if it was going to the end on a good note, it took a turn for the worst. A few shipmates failed to keep their military bearing, so the whole company went down with them. The incident was just another example of what November needs to work on, a lot of teamwork and even more self discipline.
NOVEMBER 180 TRAINING WEEK 2
The real training begins for November-180 after a few days of anticipation, we finally met our Company Commanders, Chief Stanton, Chief Bou and Petty Officer Mullins. As the weekend begins our Company Commanders teach us the boot camp basics for being a weekend dedicated to introducing the process to new recruit, there is a lot to be learned. The biggest challenge thus far for November-180 is marching. For a pace that is technically walking, there is a decent amount of coordination that has to be put forth. Many recruits caught on quickly, some struggled. That is a part of the learning process. Hopefully the company will soon evolve in one, fluid marching machine. A lot was learned over indoctrination weekend and even more progress needs to be made. November-180 has the guidelines in order to be the best company Cape May has ever seen, now we have to figure out how to put it to good use.
Tuesday (7 Oct) was a days that many shipmates were concerned about. It was the initial swim assessment. Although there was apprehension in the air, most of it was wasted energy. Out of 67 recruits, only 05 failed to complete the swim circuit. Even those who did not finish made it fairly far. As a result of the success with the swim, the company's morale was high. There is still a lot of work that needs to be done, but at least we have one sizable accomplishment. We worked on Close Order Drill or marching and that brought out larger deficiencies. By the end of the session, we figured out that we need to figure out how to sound off, follow direction, and remain 100% focused on the task at hand. Teamwork would help us improve greatly, but it is a matter of figuring out how to work as a team that is the challenge.
On Wednesday we received our pieces. A piece is essentially a gun that can't shoot. Although they are no longer capable of fire power, they are very real. Some of them even had a part in World War II. For an item with such historic value, the pieces are not exactly popular with the recruits. All 09 pounds of the piece seems to increase as training continues. If a Company Commander says "grab your piece." That doesn't exactly define a good time. In addition to November's new toy, the recruits have been struggling with teamwork. The comfort level between shipmates is not yet ideal. But it will get there. Once everyone knows each other and begins trusting each other, maybe a time objective will be met.
After days of frustration, November finally made a time objective! The challenge was to make our racks. The time allotted was 10 minutes. This is a frustrating task, and very tiring but after a few tries, it finally got done. As a result the company's morale was high. A week ago this task would have been impossible, November seems to be finally connecting. Then of course, just as the day seemed as if it was going to the end on a good note, it took a turn for the worst. A few shipmates failed to keep their military bearing, so the whole company went down with them. The incident was just another example of what November needs to work on, a lot of teamwork and even more self discipline.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Information!
Today I finally got a letter from the Coast Guard! It wasn't from Kevin, and it was a very generic letter but it contained lots of information! I even found out that his graduation is actually a week earlier than we were expecting so he will be back before Thanksgiving and that is one less week I was expecting to not see him! His expected graduation date is November 21, 2008 at 11 am so I will be flying to New Jersey that Thursday. He is only supposed to get 5 days off, so he may have to leave before Thanksgiving, but I am praying that maybe they will be caring and give him until the day or two after. The letter also included the mailing address to send him letters. If you would like to send him a letter, which I know will make his day the mailing address is:
SR O'Connor, K.R.
Company November 180
U.S. Coast Guard TRACEN
One Munro Ave
Cape May, NJ 08204-5083
He can't get packages, but I have heard getting letters is like Christmas!
SR O'Connor, K.R.
Company November 180
U.S. Coast Guard TRACEN
One Munro Ave
Cape May, NJ 08204-5083
He can't get packages, but I have heard getting letters is like Christmas!
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