Annual Training

For the past week, Derek has been gone for what the kids call "army work" and what adults call annual training. If you've ever seen a National Guard commerical, this is the "two weeks in the summer" obligation, only it consists of less rapelling and jumping out of helicopters.

This is a different than when he was away for two weeks at the beginning of August, which was a training course for his new job that accompanied his promotion to sergeant. Annual training is a group exercise, while his training was for an individual role within his unit.

Derek has been spending his time at annual training between St. Joseph (his "home" station) and Fort Leavenworth in Kansas. It's not common for the National Guard to work inbetween states. The National Guard is federally and state funded and so typically operations run at a state-level. Derek's unit, however, provides all of the signal support for the entire 35th Infantry Division, which is spread over multiple states. While he often gets to work here in Missouri, his duties always support the division. With his promotion to E-5, Derek switched from working in NetOps to COMSEC, which has to do with security and encryption... and other techincal stuff that is far beyond my understanding.

The Family Readiness Group (FRG) hosted a family picnic today so the kids, Derek's parents, and I ventured up to visit! It was a nice treat to be able to spend some time with Derek in the middle of annual training.

Derek gave a tour of the armory and all of the equipment.

 

Everyone loved Belle's dress!! (and of course, I do too!)

Local emergency services came by and the kids got all sorts of goodies and they each got to sit on the police motorcycle.

Jackson enjoyed the bounce houses, but he was really hoping to get to do this game (whatever it's called) with Daddy.

We had a great afternoon and it was followed with more great news: Derek was released for the evening after the picnic! After spending a few hours up at the armory, Forrest and Linda brought the kids home and Derek and I got to have an impromtu date! Derek has been so busy with 15+ hour days that we hardly even talk. It was wonderful to enjoy a nice, uninterrupted dinner catching up on the last 9 days.... only six more days to go!

Sergeant

This weekend was a special drill weekend for Derek-- he got promoted from Specialist to Sergeant! We're so proud! :) 

Don't they all look great in their camo??

I've been itching to share this news for what seems like forever!! Derek has been promotable within his unit for over two years and the promotion talk really started taking off last fall when openings became available. The paperwork started earlier this spring and his official promotion on paper was in April! I've known how awesome he is for quite some time and I love that other people recognize it too! :) 

With the promotion comes additional training coming up in the next couple of months. Fortunately, it will be broken down into two, two-week trainings. He does have his two week annual training in between the two other trainings, but even so, six weeks doesn't seem all that big after managing nine months two years ago. 

Derek really enjoys serving in the National Guard, though he wouldn't describe it as "serving". He loves the culture and the camaraderie. And while he sees it as something he feels led to do, I see his service every time he goes. Even though he "only" serves one weekend and two weeks each summer, those are weekends that he sacrifices each and every month. Those weekends he spends at drill creates a 12 day working streak between his civilian and army job without a single day off. And that happens every month. Even when he loves what he does, his army weekends wear him out.  Eventually when I'm employed, I'd love for him to be able to take a day off in between because he really deserves it!!

The guard and reservists get a lot of grief at times from their active duty counterparts, and even sometimes lack of recognition from the civilian, at times. And that's okay-- the soldiers I know don't really do it for the recognition. But service in the guard or reserves comes with a unique set of challenges, which includes managing two careers at once. Derek excels at both-- and that makes me a super proud wife. :)

Christmas at the Armory

This past weekend was Derek's drill weekend, but it was a special one! Sunday was the annual family Christmas celebration so we traveled up to visit his "army work", like Jackson likes to call it. He's been a part of this unit for about 18 months now and so I'm starting to feel a little more connected. 

Finding the military connection as the wife in the Guard/Reserve is a challenge as families are generally only involved in two annual activities. But also, Derek's unit location is about 80 miles away, an hour and a half drive. Most Guardsmen that I know actually serve multiple hours away from where they live, many even in different states {which can sometimes lead to large expenses in terms of finding places to sleep and meals out on drill weekends}. And while a Family Readiness Group (FRG) does exist, the families it represets are scattered across the state and so there's not a centralized location to actually go to. This is a little off topic, but it just consider it a bonus peek into our Army life. :)

The FRG had some amazing collection of gifts for the kiddos! We tried to get Belle to be interested in the cutest Pillow Pet, but she wasn't having it. There was a doll in her package and as you can tell, she was TOTALLY into it {not}. Though she was thrilled to play with one of the Spiderman tops that Jackson got in his present. 

Jackson's favorite part was when Derek took us out to the motorpool. 

Derek is a part of the signal corp. These big trucks carry giant satellites.

They took turns making special calls regarding the mission...

And lastly, Jackson showed up his upper body strength!

 Oh, and a quick pic of me and my soldier! His buddies teased him about me making him take a photo-- so naturally, I planted a big kiss on his cheek right after... :)

It was a great afternoon! I loved that the kids were able to experience a little bit of Daddy's army work so they can understand a little bit more when he leaves on the weekend to go up there. We love our soldier and we are so thankful that he gets to be celebrating this holiday with us unlike many other military families. 

Being the Wife in "Wife hat"

This past weekend, Derek and I attended a Strong Bonds marriage retreat hosted by the Army Chaplains here in Missouri. We didn't really know what to expect, but it turned out to be a really great experience. We were treated to two nights at the Four Seasons lodge in Osage Beach, most meals, and we came home with some great reading material! But more than all of that, it was just really, really, REALLY nice to have a full 2 1/2 days to focus on just being a wife!! And being a better wife at that. :)

It started out with an enjoyable three hour road trip through deadbeat rural Missouri. We seriously should have taken pictures of the sites we witnessed. A town called Tightwad, which included a closed down and vacant Tightwad Bank.

Sessions started on Friday night, resumed on Saturday morning and afternoon. Saturday evening was left open for a date night and we finished up on Sunday morning. There was a combination of speakers, panels, videos, and exercises. I laughed, I cried... and I only dozed off for like three minutes in the afternoon session on Saturday.

I think the biggest thing Derek and I both brought home from this weekend was a rekindled friendship. It sounds so simplistic, but it's true. With kids, jobs, school, etc. we were focusing more on co-parenting, maintaining the house, doing finances, blah blah blah.... But we laughed more together this weekend than we have in a long time. It was good.

When I named my blog, I purposefully wanted "wife hat" to be in front of "mom hat" because I know that my marriage should take priority, however, it's not always easy to make that happen. This weekend was a good reminder that I should be making more of an effort to always fulfilling my "wife hat" and letting other things fall behind it.

I will end with saying that I wish the Chaplains would have spent a little time addressing how not-good-husband-like it is to jump out from behind a corner to scare your wife after watching a creepy movie. Also, that good husbands with competitive (read: poor loser) wives should learn to lose at mini golf to minimize the case of the grumpies that follows.

Oh, but he did buy me a new Coach purse. And it was cute to see him excited that we got it on sale at the outlet mall. So, all is forgiven and he's still totally my BFF. :)

Circle Day

First things first… Derek’s home! Yay!

As soon as Jackson woke up this morning, he came into the kitchen, looked at the calendar and asked very energetically, "Is it circle day, when Daddy comes home? Can I stay here for a bit so Daddy can come home and I can give him a big hug and be very happy?" I was so happy to be able to tell him yes. He was so excited.

I told Jackson that we were going to church, come home and eat lunch, take a quick nap and then Daddy would come home. But then, Derek showed up at church this morning, way super early! It was quite the pleasant surprise.

Derek and I went over to Jackson’s class and when Jackson first saw Derek, he shouted with delight, “Hey! That’s my Dad!!” and he ran over to Derek, jumped in his arms, and said, “I just didn’t see you for a long time!” It was so sweet. Belle was a little more timid with Derek, but she had also just woken up from a nap. She kept giving Derek cute little smiles, but wouldn’t go all that close at first. But then she kept getting a little closer and a little closer until she finally clung onto his legs for a hug.

And she didn’t let him out of her sight for the rest of the day.

If she was a Daddy’s girl before, I don’t even know how to classify what she is now. She would fuss to be picked up, but if I tried, she just pushed me away. She cried and cried when Derek closed the door to go to the bathroom in peace. When I took away some small object she was putting in her mouth, she marched right over to Daddy to “tell on me.” Belle apparently feels that Daddy owes her lots of attention and I’m nothing but second class. But that’s okay. It’s super cute seeing them together.

Jackson has referred to this day “circle day” all day long, so I’m sure the term will stick. And as it goes, circle days are hectic. Lots of excitement, kids off schedule, lots of catching up. I’m super thankful that Derek has tomorrow off work so we can enjoy some more family time together!

{and why I blogging when I should be hanging out with my hubs? Well, he’s watching Black Hawk Down—he always gets into these war movies after he comes home from extended army time. I’ve been watching a little bit with him, but I just don’t really do war movies well, so I needed to take a break! Tomorrow is chick flick movie night FOR SURE! Dirty Dancing I think.}

Operation Keep-Busy-While-Derek's-Gone

When I planned to keep busy while Derek spent his two weeks at annual training {National Guard}, I didn't imagine myself being so pooped! Today we got home after being out and around the state for seven days. Whew! 

First stop: I went down to visit my sister who transferred to Missouri State in Springfield, which is also where Derek and I went to school {*cough* nine years ago.} Mom and Dad kept the kids for a few days and it was super fun hanging out with Laura and totally nostalgic to be back on campus and around town: eating at the student union, Thursday night ministries, late night at the coffee house.... parking tickets. Totally a flashback college experience. I also got to catch up with several college friends-- shopping, Starbucks, McAllisters {yum!}. It was super fun.

Second stop: I drove up from Springfield to stop by and see my other sister who is at Mizzou. My parents met up with us there and Ashley walked us all around campus and showed us around. It was fun because she was just so excited about it all. It was a definite reminder of how much walking I did in college. Geez. But I guess I wasn't carrying around a whiney, napless two year old then either. But at least we got to eat some Shakespheare Pizza. Delish.

Third stop: I spent a few days up with my parents next. Mom cooked fried chicken on Sunday {more yum!}, we took the kiddos to see The Lion King, which was cool in 3D. I taught Dad how to use Craigslist {again}. Jackson and I also made applesauce!

Pit stop: I drove the kids over to Derek's hotel {fancy army training, right!?} so that we could see him for a quick minute after he got back from the post, Fort Leavenworth. Derek's been working 12 hour days for nearly a week and he has over a week left-- no weekend! He's even more pooped than me and seeing the kids for a little bit really boosted his spirit!

Fourth stop: Mom, the kids, and I traveled up to Trenton to visit my Grandma's on Monday. Both grandma's were happy to see the kids {me and mom too, I think} and Grandma Trickel made homemade noodles for lunch today {even MORE yum!}. The kids and I did make a quick pit stop to visit a high school friend and her kiddos.

We made it home from Trenton at 3:30 this afternoon-- just in time for me to change and get ready to head to YoungLives club at 4ish and then off to book club at Panera {need I mention another yum?!}. Tomorrow morning is MOPS, which I'm super excited about. And tomorrow evening we have the Wednesday night meal and church. Thursday is Belle's 6 month doctor visit {yes, she just turned seven months... we're a little behind, okay?!} and then Friday we are headed to get Jackson's allergy shots and possibly meeting my mother-in-law for lunch.

Operation Keep-Busy-While-Derek's-Gone complete. Maybe a little overboard, but I've had a great time catching up with SO many friends and family even if we have spent way too many hours in the car this week!

The best part of being an Army Wife

Without a doubt, The best part of being an

 Army Wife is the pride. 

I swoon with pride every time I see him in his ACUs or his Class A's. I am reminded of what a great man that he is and the hard work he put into earning the privilege of wearing it. And even when I see just anyone wearing a military uniform, I just develop a mad respect for them. I can't help it!

I was already filled with a such pride first when Derek enlisted, and second when he graduated from basic training. That pride has only increased as he's worked hard during his additional training. He graduated from AIT today; he completed the final training in his path to becoming a soldier!

Not only did he just graduate- but he graduated as the Distinguished Honor Graduate from his class. Soldiers can earn the title of Honor Graduate by achieving a 90% gpa throughout the training. However, the Distinguished Honor Grad title goes to the top student of the class and requires 95% gpa. Derek finished with a 96.21%. Here's a tidbit from the certificate he received:

SPC Creason's impeccable military bearing, professionalism, and attention to detail are keeping with the highest traditions of military service and bring distinct credit upon himself, the 447th Signal Battalion, and the United States, Army.

Yeah, he's pretty awesome! Here's a few more pictures of the day:

Derek's Aunt Judy drove down from North Carolina to attend the graduation too! She was very excited to meet and cuddle lots with Belle!

 It was Derek's turn to be proud! He was super eager to hold his baby girl! I totally love this pic.

Seriously, this is the kind of attention that Belle draws everywhere she goes!!

These two just belong together! It's one of my favorite pictures from the day!

I'll leave with the words I wrote as Derek graduated basic training. I loved what I had to say about him and I just wanted to share it again. It is still so very true. 

Words can't really describe the amount of pride I felt watching my husband graduate that day. Less than 1% of the United States population will volunteer to enlist and make it through basic training-- furthermore, these soldiers volunteered while our nation is at war. I have been a proud wife since day one because of the loyalty, discipline, and integrity that Derek beholds. But none of that even compares to the sense of pride that comes knowing that Derek worked so hard during the 10 weeks prior to that day earning the title of American Soldier. Stripped of all privileges, he crawled through mud, slept on the ground, ran miles upon miles, completed obstacle courses, among the many other unpleasant tasks that were required of him to earn a warrior status. Surpassing all expectations, he completed this challenge. And I am so honored to be his wife.

So, what exactly is Derek up to?

I've gotten this question a few times:

What is Derek doing now that he's graduated from basic training?

I'll do my best to explain it as far as I know and hopefully I'll get Derek to do a post again sometime because I got a lot of great feedback from the last one!

First and foremost, all soldiers are exactly that: soldiers. They attend basic training to become warriors, to learn war strategy, and are taught fighting tactics. Every soldier also chose an MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) upon enlisting in the army, which is basically a specific job that the soldier will have while enlisted in the army. According to goarmy.com there are over 150 jobs to chose from including pilots, truck drivers, and plumbers. Derek is a 25B, Information Technology Specialist, (aka computer nerd).

Derek's MOS is a part of the Signal Brigade

Upon graduation from basic training each soldier will then attend AIT (Advanced Individual Training) to be trained specifically for their MOS. Each MOS has a varying length of training after basic: military police training is nine weeks, while some special forces have training for 43 weeks. Derek's AIT is 20 weeks.

This is where he lives, basically like a college dorm.

So, it just took me that long to say that Derek is in computer school and will be until the middle of March. The atmosphere is definitely relaxed compared to the rigorous schedule of basic training, but he's still pretty busy. He gets up at 4am, has PT, sits in class, studies, goes to bed, repeats. He does have many more privileges like having his cell phone and personal computer in the evenings (if they have time) and will have the opportunity to earn more (civilian clothes on weekends, passes to leave post) in about a week.

This is the hang-out area outside the barracks. 

Picnic tables, a grill, basically a place to chill out.

The classes that Derek's taking are right up his alley. He actually already has at least one of the certifications that's required. He still had to take the class and pass the test, which he did. But he was the one making study guides and helping others learn the material. The best part is that Derek will end up with a few certifications that he's been wanting to get for quite some time, but finding the time and money to do it wasn't easy (some of the Cisco exams in themselves can cost up to $1,400. Even just the basic certifications though will run $300ish easily). These certificates will obviously prepare him to do his army job, but will most definitely boost up his civilian resume.

So, this is what he's up to. I really am going to get a little questionnaire to him to fill out, maybe over the weekend when he has more time. If you have a question, let me know or post it in the comments. He'll read them and will answer them (right honey?!)!

Life at Basic Training (written by Derek)

Because we are so loved and blessed by our friends and family, each week I have several people ask how Derek is doing and what he's been up to. We do write letters and we talk on the phone every once in awhile, and though I would read about things he's been up to here and there, I didn't have a good idea of what the whole picture was like... or how to tell other people about what he's been doing.

So, a few weeks ago (communicating via snail mail is very slow process) I sent him a "survey" of specific questions so I could learn more about what he has been up to and what life is like.  He graciously filled it out so that I could pass it along. He responded knowing that this information would be shared, so I'm not violating his trust or anything. It's a pretty long post. He said it took him about four hours from start to finish to get through it all! Even though I've been in communication with him this whole time, I really learned a lot! So, here's a glimpse of basic training has been like for him!

___________________________

Question: Describe the organization of the army, in terms of platoons, company, etc...

There are four squads (12 guys), in a platoon (50 guys). Then 4 platoons in his company (200 guys). [Fort Benning does not process women in their basic training, so it really is all guys. Not being sexist.] You go through basic as a company. I am in delta company. There are other companies, but they are on a different schedule. Alpha graduated last week, bravo is on the same schedule as us. Charlie is on week 5 of training right now, etc. All of the different companies make up a battalion. We are in the 3rd battalion of the 47th infantry. The structure continues to get bigger, but nothing higher is relevant to me at this time.

Each platoon has two to three drill sergeants. Then there is a 1st Sergeant in charge of the company and he is an officer, but you don't want him to know who you are because it means you messed up if you end up in his office.

Question: Describe your average day. 

On an average day, we wake up at 04:00 hours. The first thing I do is hit the bathroom, shave, and brush my teeth to get personal hygiene done. Then I get dressed in the uniform of the day (usually PT's first) and then make my bed. Then, if I had laundry done the night before, I put my clothes away in my locker. I have to make my locker and boots look nice for inspection. Then, we clean the bay. Then, we have formation in our bay at 04:45 and the drill sergeant will inspect the lockers, bays, and bathrooms.

Next, we head downstairs and form up for the first formation with all the platoons and the 1st sergeant. Then we head out to PT, which is usually 45 minutes to an hour. We either have running days or core body exercise days, pretty much. Some days are easy and some are hard. When we run, we will run 2.5 to 3.3 miles in about 20 to 24 minutes. After PT we will go take a quick cold shower to cool off (called heat dump). Then we will get dressed and go to breakfast.

After breakfast, we get ready for the main training of the day, which may last from a few hours to the whole day. The days also usually have an hour or two of down time where we sit around and wait (but sometimes we have to look busy). We eat lunch around noon and dinner is at 5pm. We are usually done with everything by 6:30 or 7:00. We do minor training in the bay or clean until 7:20. And then at 7:30, we take showers and then personal time starts at 8:00. Lights out is a 9pm.

You get 7 hours of sleep a night, unless you have a fireguard [one hours shifts of watch duty throughout the night] or a laundry shift. You will usually have a fireguard shift every night with a night off once very 5-8 days. So you get used to 6 hours of sleep. I usually go to bed 10 to 15 minutes early and it helps out.

Question: Describe some of the PT activities besides running.

Road marches are hard and long. Obstacle course was tiring. We did battle team tactics, which was running form barrier to barrier and firing live ammo while wearing body armor. 

Question: Describe the food and eating process:

 Food is called chow in the army. It is treated more like a chore that just has to be done three times a day and gets in the way of training. Chow happens one of three ways.

1. The majority of the time we eat in the dining facility (DFAC). The food is usually decent--sometimes really good and sometimes not to good. We go through the chow line and must stand at attention/parade rest and side step through the line. We have to sit a certain way and can only use one hand to eat, and you have to eat fast. We usually get about six to ten minutes to eat, but we average 4 or 5. We have gotten 50 guys through in 12 minutes before. 
2. Hot chow is where DFAC food is brought out to the field and we get paper plates and silverware. The food is okay some of the time, but it is hard to get good portions because it is served by other people.
3. MREs [meal, ready to eat] are actually pretty decent, some are kind of sucky. They come with heaters to heat up the main and side entrees, but we aren't allowed to use them so we eat them cold. 

After a few weeks, you aren't really picky about food [he has actually admitted to eating, and liking, vegetables- even broccoli!!]. It is just fuel to recharge until next chow. MREs will stop you up for a day or two, or for some guys- they will destroy the bathrooms within a few hours. [uhm.. thanks for sharing!?!] 

Question: What have been some of your favorite foods?

We had steaks a few times, which are pretty good. I usually get cottage cheese every day. Vegetables and rice are staples every day. Cereal is good at breakfast. Spaghetti is usually pretty good.

Question: What has been the hardest part of basic so far? 

The hardest part of basic training is the mental aspect of it. The physical part is hard sometimes and easy at other times, but your body adapts. Mentally you have to transition to being away from your family, living with 50 guys, and getting in trouble on a daily basis due to the group- even though you didn't do anything wrong. The drill sergeants are always right even when they are wrong. You have to do a lot of tasks that don't make logical sense and there is a lot of arguing in the platoon. There are quite a few guys I can't wait to never see again! So a lot depends on your mental attitude and moral. Sometimes a letter can really just make your day. But definitely, toughening up yourself mentally is the hardest part.

Question: What are things that you miss, but didn't really expect to?

Chairs. I miss sitting on chairs. We sit on the floor and ground all of the time indian style and it's not comfortable at all. I also miss civilian clothes. I miss being able to go to the store whenever I want. I miss the freedom from a very detailed routine. I miss the movies. We all really miss music. I miss homemade food. It's a lot of little things that you end up missing.

Question: What's the coolest thing you've done?

Hand grenades, machine guns, and shooting M16s with night vision lasers.

Question. What are have your PT requirements and what have your been your scores so far?

The PT requirements are based on your age [here's a link to a chart]. To pass basic, you have to get 50% on all three events [push-ups, sit-ups, 2 mile run] to pass. Each percent is worth 1 point, so the best score you can get is 300 and the lowest is 150. I scored a 198 the first PT test and a 203 the second. My running and sit-ups are in the 70-80%, but my push-ups are about 58%. I have passed every PT test so far, but I am still working to improve my score though. [He actually participated in his third and final PT test today, but I haven't heard the results. Honestly, it doesn't matter, only to improve his scores. The requirements are only that you pass one PT test during basic and he has already done that. Though I am sure the he did improve all of his scores.]

Question: What are you most looking forward to after basic?

I am looking forward to seeing you and Jackson. I look forward to having my cell phone back. I'm looking forward to junk food, sleeping in, watching tv, football season, sitting on a couch, sleeping in my bed, and having the freedom to do what I want.

Question: What are you most looking forward to never doing again?

Wearing body armor. Road marches. PT at 5am every day. Rolling in the sand. I hate the sand and never wish to go to the beach again... at least for a few years.

Question: What are most frequent conversation topics (keep it appropriate)?

Mostly food, sex, music, movies, life on the outside and rumors of the day.

Question: What is a team leader and how did you earn that role?

Team leader means that I am "in charge" of 6 guys in the squad. Basically, I ust repeat the orders form the squad leader and check my guys to make sure they're ready for the day. I got the job ecause I am squared away. I am always on time, have my gear, and don't get into trouble. My drill sergeant just learned my name in week six, so I am doing good.

Question: How many push-ups do you do on any given day (aside from the ones you do to receive mail)?

Not that many. In red phase [first three weeks] we did a lot. We do about 20-50 push-ups during PT each day. Sometimes 100-200 on running days.

___________________________

Here are some pictures from his company's facebook page (which is a totally awesome thing that a few drill sergeants keep updated-- just for us people back home.) There are lots of pictures on the site, and even though Derek isn't in but only a few, it still gives you an idea of what he's been up to!

I should know what kind of gun he is working with, but I forgot. Maybe the AT-4?

Prepping for PT test, number two. He's yellow (first platoon) #33.

So this was definitely a long read, but I think it's totally worth it. A big thanks to the cooperative hubby who spent a good portion of his personal time writing this! And a big thanks to you for actually reading the whole thing! :)

Have a question? Please ask! I will pass it along and find an answer! It would be super fun to send another survey with questions from you guys!

Jackson's Daddy Book

Okay, so I've gotten the book all put together. I need to go ahead and order it asap so it can get here soon. Derek leaves in only 10 days!! Check it out and please let me know if you see some typo's or if something just reads funny. It's hard to edit your own work!

I've ordered books and prints from Shutterfly before and they are wonderful! I ordered one for Jackson's 1st birthday and was able to use it as a guest book at his party. So not only is the book a great keepsake, now it has personalized messages from Grandmas, Aunts, Uncles, and lots of friends and family! I get so many compliments on the books and the shipping is super quick (which is important because I am not very patient for waiting around for things like this). Did I mention how easy it is to use their templates?!? You pick your photos, drag and drop, and poof-- it's done! It's super easy to share (like I am doing here!) for others to check out the book, too!

And I do have to say that I originally started using Kodak when I started this project- but it didn't save my work correctly, there weren't nearly the selection of templates and colors, and the site was not as user-friendly.

Click here to view this photo book larger

And just because this is to cute not to share, look at how cute my little boy is-- he loves to be like his daddy.