1st FTX

The Army LOVES to abbreviate everything!! So, I will fill you in on what it means. ;) I believe FTX means, Field Training eXercise, I'll have to check with Mat on that. It started on Wednesday and ends...who knows, the training schedule isn't very clear on it.

So, how did it go, you wonder?? HORRIBLE!!! :(

1st: I was NOT ok being alone!!! Now I am used to being by myself at nights, Mat just got off graveyards at the SO, so I was doing 3-4 overnights by myself, so why did I have such a rough time?? Well, I'm in a new town, new house, with all it's new noises, and it's a condo, so if the neighbor makes noise, it sounds like it's coming from your house!!! The 3rd night, I'm positive someone banged on our door about 10p!! It was a very unnerving 4 nights, to say the least.

2nd: At the beginning of the week, I was told it would only be 2 overnights, on Wednesday it became 3 nights, and by Thursday, it became 4 nights!!! WHAAAAA????? I was only mentally prepared for 2, so 4 nights just pushed me over the edge. :( Thank God for Mom's and cell phones!!!! I spent a lot of the last 5 days talking to my mom, she's the best!! :D

3rd: Saturday was a, I'm not going to nap, day for Gavin. By 3:30p I decided we'd go for a drive and get Gavin to nap. We stopped at Wendy's for a snack and I just started driving. Now, this is only my 2nd time ever driving in Saint Robert and get lost VERY easily, so glad we own a GPS!! Well, I'm on this road, no idea where I'm at, so I'm driving just under the speed limit, surveying the area. I found a HUGE park, by the way!! :D Well, I'm driving along and of course everyone else is going over the speed limit and passing me. Well, this truck goes around me and ALMOST sideswipes me!!!! :O I quickly took in the vehicle placements, thinking he was trying to avoid someone, and realized he hadn't, so I did what anyone else, like me, would do and I honked my horn at him!! What was his response?? I'm pretty sure I got the 'finger' and lots of cursing and shaking of his fist and just all out PISSED at me!?!? That did not help my nerves or overall well being, so I decided to go back home, it would be the safest option. :/

3rd: I just found out that Gavin is going through a sleep strike for, possibly, the next 4-6 weeks!!! Which means, he will only take about three-45 min naps, and between the night hours of 8p-7a, he will get up every 1.5-2 hrs and nurse for about 30 min each time. What does this produce?? An EXTREME state of exhaustion.......

4th: I was just looking at Mat's training schedule and am pretty sure, military time is still slightly confusing, and it looks like he has ANOTHER night training on Tuesday!!!! :O I'm soooo tempted to get a hotel room, which feels safe, is WARM (that's a whole nother story), has a real bed, a pool, and the best part...CABLE TV!!!!! :D

Well, there you have it, my 1st FTX experience and I am so ready to put the whole situation/memory behind me!!

But....this isn't the last you'll hear about this, he has 2 more FTX's. One is only 2 nights, and the last one, right before graduation, is..........

wait for it...........

7 days and 6 nights!!!!!! :O

Who wants to come visit for a whole week???? ;)

A new year, new state, new, temporary, home.....

Whew, it is only January 14, but soooo much has already happened!!

This is going to be the biggest year of first's for us. Mat was scheduled to go to BOLC, the last part of his officer training, which is located in Missouri. Neither of us have been there and we had no idea what to expect, we've lived in Wyoming and Montana our whole lives, what can you expect?? lol

So, the 1st week of January, we temporarily packed up our house, just enough to survive 5 months, and fit it in a 5'x8' Uhaul trailer!! Yep, I packed our family of 5 into that small trailer, whew!! :) Then we traveled 1300 miles and about 30 hrs in 2 days!! With two 3 yr olds, who did quite well, considering they were strapped into carseats the whole way, and a 3 month old who had to nurse every 3 hrs, was awake for 1 and slept for 2 and then repeated it all over again, who also did a LOT better than I expected. Guess what??? WE SURVIVED!!!! :D

We were able to find a 3 bedroom condo that fits us nicely, well, to be honest, we don't even come close to filling it up!!! The only furniture we have is a table, 4 folding chairs, a crib and dresser/changing table and 2 cots!!! No couches, or end tables, or entertainment center, or beds, nada. Although we're praying we can find these used or free, considering we won't take them back with us. ;)

The girls have done well, they haven't gotten 'home sick', of course they are with us, so just the location has changed. Gavin is too young to know any better, he has mom and that's all that he needs, lol. I am having a lil harder time adjusting than I had expected, but I just have to get into a new groove and hope that the weather warms up, NOW!! lol

So, stay tuned, I hope to keep everyone updated, at least weekly, with pictures, crosses fingers, but we will see, life tends to get hectic with 3 kiddo's, lol. ;)