Sunday, July 31, 2011
Sunday Email
It sounds to me that Brooklyn is getting smarter all the time and she is pretty good at getting what she wants. She is more like you every day. I love that letter a day thing you sent. It's so fun to get a new picture every day and I love the scriptures and quotes too. yesterday was a pretty calm day. We had a PT test in the morning and then a blood drive that took most of the rest of the day. Basically we just watched movies while we waited. I'm trying to get over my fear of needles but I'm not there yet. I'm teaching the 3rd lesson today and the guys are still coming so I'm happy about that. I hope you're having a good Sunday. I love you ad Brooklyn so much and can't wait to see you! Hugs and Kisses. Love YOU!
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Two Letters and a Pack of Stickers
23 July
Hey sweetie,
Those pictures today were so cute! It made my day! It also made me happy to hear you say you were at peace with whatever happens. And I'm so glad your surgery went well. I was really worried about you. I thought about something today that might help our situation. I don't think the people here would really care if I "missed" the plane by OCS at Ft. Benning might. Maybe you could call someone there and see what they have to say. If they don't care I don't think it would be a big deal if I just came back through security at the airport and ride with you. It's just an idea. If it works GREAT if not we will enjoy every second we have together. The problem is I have no idea who you should call other than the Ft, Benning OCS people. (This won't work, when I called they said he would be considered AWOL if he just gets in the car with me. NOT good).
Today was a pretty fun day. We had repelling off the warrior tower and we also had our phasing ceremony from white to blue phase. Nothing really changes that much except more out of us now. Just a little more rope with which to hang ourselves. The heat here has been crazy! Sometimes it's too hot for us to even train. It makes me mad sometimes because I want to be training. I hope these last 3 weeks go by quickly because I can hardly wait to see you. I hope you have something planned because I have no idea what we can do on base, and I don't really care as long as I have you two!
24 July
Happy Pioneer Day! We haven't ever been in Utah for it but I hope you are having a good time. I love hearing how well your training is going. I'm proud of you for doing hard things because you know they are good for you. I'm so glad you aren't lazy! I wish I could be there to hear Brooklyn talk. I can't wait to hear that sweet little voice! I just hope she remembers me and will let me hold her. I know you will let me hold you, at least you better! Have you talked with my mom or dad? I haven't heard about either of them except for Grandma's email. I would love to know if everything is ok and how Jacob is doing. I also got an email from Will but I can't really write him back so if you could tell him thanks for me, I would appreciate it. How are April and all your friends doing? Just dreading the start of school? (Yes.) I was wondering the other day if we were going on a vacation this year? As far as some type of vacation I think that is a must. Even if it is just a short trip I think it would be great. I know this letter is kind of all over the place but that's kind of how I feel right now. Coming to church and having a little stress free time to think about you and Brooklyn always brings my emotions to the surface. It's a good thing though because it helps me focus and I always feel rejuvenated after church and yes I am writing this during Sacrament meeting. Go ahead and complain. I dare you! I'm actually going to pay attention now and try to set a good example for these guys. I'll finish this tonight and send it in the morning.
I'm so glad I got to talk to you! I love you so much! Don't stress about the long pass thing too much. I really want to get it and spend time with you I just don't want to go to jail because of it. :) I feel at peace with whatever has to happen. I just keep praying we get the extra time. It made my week to tell you I love you and to hear Brooklyn's sweet little voice. Thank you so much for being so strong and supportive. I couldn't live without you. I love you so much and can't wait till the 17th. Until then be careful and stay strong. I love you!
Love,
your sexy lover (hahahaha. He will probably be mad I didn't edit that)
Hey baby,
I just got a couple of pictures of you. You look great babe. And I'm so proud of you for sticking with it even though it has been hard. And Brooklyn looks as cute as ever. Thanks for keeping me updated on how Jacob is doing. I haven't really heard anything since I left. As far as some of your questions, people can be baptized while they are here. As a matter of fact there was a female baptized a few weeks ago. I hurt my ankle again today except it was the right one this time so it's a little worse than normal. I'm a little worried because we have a PT test this Saturday. I hope it feels better by then. We are also having a blood drive on Saturday, and as much as I hate needles I'm going to do it because this blood goes to soldiers only. I figure if I can help out a little I will. I can't wait to go swimming with Brooklyn when I get home. By the way did you use the army insurance at all? Oh, by the way the drill sergeant made fun of the face you made in one of the pictures you sent. He called it a pouty face. Things here with the guys have been going pretty well the last couple of days. There are still a couple of idiots that will never catch on, but for the most part things have been going well. Tomorrow we have early morning PT and then we go to the range again. It would normally be fun but it's supposed to be 105 or hotter. I'm so tired of this humidity and heat! I need to get to bed babe. I love you so much you can't even imagine. I'm counting down the days till I get to see you! Hugs and kisses!
Love you!
The third letter was just full of his address stickers. I guess that's a hint?!?! I already write him EVERY DAY!!!
Hey sweetie,
Those pictures today were so cute! It made my day! It also made me happy to hear you say you were at peace with whatever happens. And I'm so glad your surgery went well. I was really worried about you. I thought about something today that might help our situation. I don't think the people here would really care if I "missed" the plane by OCS at Ft. Benning might. Maybe you could call someone there and see what they have to say. If they don't care I don't think it would be a big deal if I just came back through security at the airport and ride with you. It's just an idea. If it works GREAT if not we will enjoy every second we have together. The problem is I have no idea who you should call other than the Ft, Benning OCS people. (This won't work, when I called they said he would be considered AWOL if he just gets in the car with me. NOT good).
Today was a pretty fun day. We had repelling off the warrior tower and we also had our phasing ceremony from white to blue phase. Nothing really changes that much except more out of us now. Just a little more rope with which to hang ourselves. The heat here has been crazy! Sometimes it's too hot for us to even train. It makes me mad sometimes because I want to be training. I hope these last 3 weeks go by quickly because I can hardly wait to see you. I hope you have something planned because I have no idea what we can do on base, and I don't really care as long as I have you two!
24 July
Happy Pioneer Day! We haven't ever been in Utah for it but I hope you are having a good time. I love hearing how well your training is going. I'm proud of you for doing hard things because you know they are good for you. I'm so glad you aren't lazy! I wish I could be there to hear Brooklyn talk. I can't wait to hear that sweet little voice! I just hope she remembers me and will let me hold her. I know you will let me hold you, at least you better! Have you talked with my mom or dad? I haven't heard about either of them except for Grandma's email. I would love to know if everything is ok and how Jacob is doing. I also got an email from Will but I can't really write him back so if you could tell him thanks for me, I would appreciate it. How are April and all your friends doing? Just dreading the start of school? (Yes.) I was wondering the other day if we were going on a vacation this year? As far as some type of vacation I think that is a must. Even if it is just a short trip I think it would be great. I know this letter is kind of all over the place but that's kind of how I feel right now. Coming to church and having a little stress free time to think about you and Brooklyn always brings my emotions to the surface. It's a good thing though because it helps me focus and I always feel rejuvenated after church and yes I am writing this during Sacrament meeting. Go ahead and complain. I dare you! I'm actually going to pay attention now and try to set a good example for these guys. I'll finish this tonight and send it in the morning.
I'm so glad I got to talk to you! I love you so much! Don't stress about the long pass thing too much. I really want to get it and spend time with you I just don't want to go to jail because of it. :) I feel at peace with whatever has to happen. I just keep praying we get the extra time. It made my week to tell you I love you and to hear Brooklyn's sweet little voice. Thank you so much for being so strong and supportive. I couldn't live without you. I love you so much and can't wait till the 17th. Until then be careful and stay strong. I love you!
Love,
your sexy lover (hahahaha. He will probably be mad I didn't edit that)
Hey baby,
I just got a couple of pictures of you. You look great babe. And I'm so proud of you for sticking with it even though it has been hard. And Brooklyn looks as cute as ever. Thanks for keeping me updated on how Jacob is doing. I haven't really heard anything since I left. As far as some of your questions, people can be baptized while they are here. As a matter of fact there was a female baptized a few weeks ago. I hurt my ankle again today except it was the right one this time so it's a little worse than normal. I'm a little worried because we have a PT test this Saturday. I hope it feels better by then. We are also having a blood drive on Saturday, and as much as I hate needles I'm going to do it because this blood goes to soldiers only. I figure if I can help out a little I will. I can't wait to go swimming with Brooklyn when I get home. By the way did you use the army insurance at all? Oh, by the way the drill sergeant made fun of the face you made in one of the pictures you sent. He called it a pouty face. Things here with the guys have been going pretty well the last couple of days. There are still a couple of idiots that will never catch on, but for the most part things have been going well. Tomorrow we have early morning PT and then we go to the range again. It would normally be fun but it's supposed to be 105 or hotter. I'm so tired of this humidity and heat! I need to get to bed babe. I love you so much you can't even imagine. I'm counting down the days till I get to see you! Hugs and kisses!
Love you!
The third letter was just full of his address stickers. I guess that's a hint?!?! I already write him EVERY DAY!!!
Monday, July 25, 2011
July 21 and 22
July 21
Pretty girl,
I just got your letter about how sad you were after my phone call. I was sad too babe but it was still good to hear your voice. I'm sorry this has been so hard I just tell myself this will all be worth it. We will all be together again sooN! The drill sergeant told me today that we will take care of our situation tomorrow. Now, having said that, I don't know if it will actually happen. But I do think the drill sergeant is on our side and will help us as best as he can. i have a good feeling about how things are going to go, but we will just have to be ok with whatever happens.
Today was a crappy day. We were supposed to have a field exercise and stay overnight in the woods, but because of the heat wave that is happening here we couldn't do anything. ALmost as soon as we got out there and started learning how to clear rooms we had to stop and sit in the shade. It was such a waste of time because after 2 hours of training for 15 minutes and resting for 30 we had to pack up and come back to the barracks. It felt like a waste of a day and I feel like the heat is messing up my training. Oh and our air conditioner was broken when we got back. When it rains it really pours I guess. I hope Brooklyn is having fun at swim classes. I wish I could be there to take her. I'm not gonna lie I'm a little worried she won't remember me when you come out here. It'll make me pretty sad if she won't come to me. I guess you better get her ready to love me. Well babe that's it for tonight. I love you tons and can't wait to see you both!
Love,
Me
PS I need some stamps and floss threaders to clean between my retainer. (He has a retainer? Yeah, we've been married for over three years!)
July 22
I just got your letter about how frustrated you are about trying to get answers and I'm equally frustrated. I wish I had good news but unfortunately I don't. My drill sergeant asked the company commander again today, who is Lt. Brown, and he said no. I wish I could have explained things to him personally but I couldn't. He said the reason is because if he let me he would have to let everyone. He didn't even care that it was going to cost us extra money. Unfortunately there isn't really anything else I can do. I'm sorry you are having such a hard time getting a hold of someone. One thing that might help is that my company is pretty much brand new. Last cycle was the first cycle so even though we are C2-417 it is also known as F-210 (Foxtrot 210). That might help you get a hold of the right people and they might be more sympathetic with you especially if you explain that you already have the tickets and it is going to cost a lot to change it. I hope you know I have tried and I want to have you here more than you want to be here! I know you don't believe that but it's the truth. I love you so much babe, I hope you know that.
As far as things I've done to get in trouble (I asked), I really haven't done anything too big. At least nothing I've gotten smoked for. Now when I was platoon guide I got smoked for things other people did like moving or talking in formation. I got smoked really hard once because two people showed up to formation late. We get smoked about a normal amount (compared to other platoons, another question I asked) from what I hear. I almost got in trouble the other day because a sergeant from a different company thought I was some other private who he yelled at for talking. He made me tell my drill sergeants that I was talking and wouldn't listen to him. I thought I was dead, but I explained what actually happened and they believed me because they know me. They were actually really cool about it. We didn't get a reward for the gas chamber. I guess they just wanted to see if we would do it again. I hope you are able to make some headway but if not we just have to stay positive and remember that we have the rest of eternity to be together. I love you so much babe and can't wait to be with you. Be strong and everything will be good. Remember that I love you so much! Hugs and kisses!
Love,
Me
Pretty girl,
I just got your letter about how sad you were after my phone call. I was sad too babe but it was still good to hear your voice. I'm sorry this has been so hard I just tell myself this will all be worth it. We will all be together again sooN! The drill sergeant told me today that we will take care of our situation tomorrow. Now, having said that, I don't know if it will actually happen. But I do think the drill sergeant is on our side and will help us as best as he can. i have a good feeling about how things are going to go, but we will just have to be ok with whatever happens.
Today was a crappy day. We were supposed to have a field exercise and stay overnight in the woods, but because of the heat wave that is happening here we couldn't do anything. ALmost as soon as we got out there and started learning how to clear rooms we had to stop and sit in the shade. It was such a waste of time because after 2 hours of training for 15 minutes and resting for 30 we had to pack up and come back to the barracks. It felt like a waste of a day and I feel like the heat is messing up my training. Oh and our air conditioner was broken when we got back. When it rains it really pours I guess. I hope Brooklyn is having fun at swim classes. I wish I could be there to take her. I'm not gonna lie I'm a little worried she won't remember me when you come out here. It'll make me pretty sad if she won't come to me. I guess you better get her ready to love me. Well babe that's it for tonight. I love you tons and can't wait to see you both!
Love,
Me
PS I need some stamps and floss threaders to clean between my retainer. (He has a retainer? Yeah, we've been married for over three years!)
July 22
I just got your letter about how frustrated you are about trying to get answers and I'm equally frustrated. I wish I had good news but unfortunately I don't. My drill sergeant asked the company commander again today, who is Lt. Brown, and he said no. I wish I could have explained things to him personally but I couldn't. He said the reason is because if he let me he would have to let everyone. He didn't even care that it was going to cost us extra money. Unfortunately there isn't really anything else I can do. I'm sorry you are having such a hard time getting a hold of someone. One thing that might help is that my company is pretty much brand new. Last cycle was the first cycle so even though we are C2-417 it is also known as F-210 (Foxtrot 210). That might help you get a hold of the right people and they might be more sympathetic with you especially if you explain that you already have the tickets and it is going to cost a lot to change it. I hope you know I have tried and I want to have you here more than you want to be here! I know you don't believe that but it's the truth. I love you so much babe, I hope you know that.
As far as things I've done to get in trouble (I asked), I really haven't done anything too big. At least nothing I've gotten smoked for. Now when I was platoon guide I got smoked for things other people did like moving or talking in formation. I got smoked really hard once because two people showed up to formation late. We get smoked about a normal amount (compared to other platoons, another question I asked) from what I hear. I almost got in trouble the other day because a sergeant from a different company thought I was some other private who he yelled at for talking. He made me tell my drill sergeants that I was talking and wouldn't listen to him. I thought I was dead, but I explained what actually happened and they believed me because they know me. They were actually really cool about it. We didn't get a reward for the gas chamber. I guess they just wanted to see if we would do it again. I hope you are able to make some headway but if not we just have to stay positive and remember that we have the rest of eternity to be together. I love you so much babe and can't wait to be with you. Be strong and everything will be good. Remember that I love you so much! Hugs and kisses!
Love,
Me
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Sunday Email
Kellie,
I don't know anything about that link you got but thanks for changing my password. (If you got an email from Callen, don't open it!) I sent you a letter about the long pass. I'm pretty much out of options. Unless you call the OCS people at Ft. Benning and see if they don't care then I can just miss my plane. Things are going well here. The time seems to be moving quickly but never quick enough. My friends that come to Church seem to be enjoying it and they always have a lot of questions. It's fun being able to teach again. We have advanced rifle marksmanship, pugil sticks, and a PT test this week so it should be plenty busy. I love you so much and can hardly wait to see you. Give Brooklyn my love and remember to stay positive. I love you both!
They have phased to Blue Phase! Last one! (This is his Platoon, the Death Dealers, but apparently he's not in the picture because he had some kind of chores he had to do).
24 more days!!!
I don't know anything about that link you got but thanks for changing my password. (If you got an email from Callen, don't open it!) I sent you a letter about the long pass. I'm pretty much out of options. Unless you call the OCS people at Ft. Benning and see if they don't care then I can just miss my plane. Things are going well here. The time seems to be moving quickly but never quick enough. My friends that come to Church seem to be enjoying it and they always have a lot of questions. It's fun being able to teach again. We have advanced rifle marksmanship, pugil sticks, and a PT test this week so it should be plenty busy. I love you so much and can hardly wait to see you. Give Brooklyn my love and remember to stay positive. I love you both!
They have phased to Blue Phase! Last one! (This is his Platoon, the Death Dealers, but apparently he's not in the picture because he had some kind of chores he had to do).
24 more days!!!
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Facebook Page and letter
So apparently there's a facebook page for his company, the Comanche Company. They have like 800 pictures. So I just spent an hour going through them, trying to find him. It's hard because there are 4 platoons. He is in the 2nd platoon, which have blue stickers/tags, so feel free to search through them and see if you can find any I missed. They also put updates and notes on the page, so feel free to follow it as well!
Comanche Company Facebook Page
Here are the pics I stole from the page...
Right side of the pic
I think that's him in the back right
On the right (see the back of his hat... Bagley)
In the very middle by the pole. Maybe him?
Top row, third from the right
In the middle
Middle
Maybe him in the middle?
20 July 2011
Sorry it's on midget paper again but something is better than nothing. This week is so crazy. We had our 12k ruck march today so my shoulders are a little sore. The worst part though was having to wake up at 2:30 am so we could be ready to go at 3:30. What a long day! Tomorrow we go into the field so it might be couple of days until I can send a letter again but I'll do my best. I still haven't heard anything about the long pass but I'll keep asking and hopefully he will let me call you when we find out. I can't believe how much I've been missing you and Brooklyn today! I had so much time to my thoughts this morning while we were marching and needless to say I thought about you the whole time. It was nice to have so much time to just think about whatever I wanted. I know this has been hard on both of us but it is comforting to know that Brooklyn has such a good mommy to take care of her. She and I both are so lucky. So, I need to know about how the surgery and everything went. I've been praying for you constantly! I'm sure you're fine but I still worry about you. Time here is so weird. Some days it feels like I've been here forever and I'll never leave, but other times it seems like it's crazy that I only have like 3 1/2 weeks left. It's a little depressing that I still have 12 weeks after this but it's good to know that it's almost halfway over. I'm sure you aren't looking forward to starting school again but I'm sure you'll have a good class this year. Have you looked at the company facebook page? Every once in a while the drill sergeants read us the stupid comments that family members put on there. I guess they have pictures of us going through the gas chamber and stuff like that. By the way I think you'll like the present I got you. At least I hope you do. We had two days of qualification with our M-16 and there are a few females who didn't qualify so they might get sent back to week two to start with a different company. I can't even imagine how bad that would suck. Ouch!!! Well babe I can barel keep my eyes open and it's a big day tomorrow. Kiss my little girl for me and know I'm thinking of you both. I love you and can't wait to see you! Be happy and safe. Love you!
Love,
Callen
Comanche Company Facebook Page
Here are the pics I stole from the page...
Right side of the pic
I think that's him in the back right
On the right (see the back of his hat... Bagley)
In the very middle by the pole. Maybe him?
Top row, third from the right
In the middle
Middle
Maybe him in the middle?
20 July 2011
Sorry it's on midget paper again but something is better than nothing. This week is so crazy. We had our 12k ruck march today so my shoulders are a little sore. The worst part though was having to wake up at 2:30 am so we could be ready to go at 3:30. What a long day! Tomorrow we go into the field so it might be couple of days until I can send a letter again but I'll do my best. I still haven't heard anything about the long pass but I'll keep asking and hopefully he will let me call you when we find out. I can't believe how much I've been missing you and Brooklyn today! I had so much time to my thoughts this morning while we were marching and needless to say I thought about you the whole time. It was nice to have so much time to just think about whatever I wanted. I know this has been hard on both of us but it is comforting to know that Brooklyn has such a good mommy to take care of her. She and I both are so lucky. So, I need to know about how the surgery and everything went. I've been praying for you constantly! I'm sure you're fine but I still worry about you. Time here is so weird. Some days it feels like I've been here forever and I'll never leave, but other times it seems like it's crazy that I only have like 3 1/2 weeks left. It's a little depressing that I still have 12 weeks after this but it's good to know that it's almost halfway over. I'm sure you aren't looking forward to starting school again but I'm sure you'll have a good class this year. Have you looked at the company facebook page? Every once in a while the drill sergeants read us the stupid comments that family members put on there. I guess they have pictures of us going through the gas chamber and stuff like that. By the way I think you'll like the present I got you. At least I hope you do. We had two days of qualification with our M-16 and there are a few females who didn't qualify so they might get sent back to week two to start with a different company. I can't even imagine how bad that would suck. Ouch!!! Well babe I can barel keep my eyes open and it's a big day tomorrow. Kiss my little girl for me and know I'm thinking of you both. I love you and can't wait to see you! Be happy and safe. Love you!
Love,
Callen
Friday, July 22, 2011
19 July 2011
Hey babe,
I know this is small paper but it's all I have right now. First off I talked to the drill sergeant and told him you already paid for the tickets. He said he would see what he could do. He is a good man and I'm sure he will do whatever he can. It was so good to talk to you and Brooklyn, even if it was just for 5 minutes. I'm sorry it was a sad conversation but don't stress. We are both tough and we can get through this. Just be as happy as you can be and focus on loving that little girl. You are going in for your surgery today and I want you to know that I will be thinking about you and praying for you all day. I'm worried because I'm not there. But I know you have good friends and the Lord to look after you. So something kind of cool happened at church on Sunday. The guy who spoke in Sacrament meeting talked about forgiveness. I guess it kind of hit me hard and made me realize that I need to do better about communicating with her. I hope you can get in touch with her.
I've loved getting your letters about how much fun you had in Portland. I'm really glad you got to go! Things here have been getting even more crazy. We are qualifying with our weapons today, which means you have to shoot at least 23 / 40 targets at ranges from 50 to 300 meters. A lot of people are nervous because if they fail to qualify they will get sent back to week two. We also have a field training exercise this week. I don't know most of the details except that we are sleeping in the woods. I'm sure it won't be like normal camping. I wonder how many ticks I will get? Well baby i have to go. Remember to stay positive. I have a good feeling that we will be able to work things out and have our time together. Remember that you have a perfect little girl and an imperfect husband that loves you to death.
Love, Me
PS I got you a present so that's why $100 is missing.
I know this is small paper but it's all I have right now. First off I talked to the drill sergeant and told him you already paid for the tickets. He said he would see what he could do. He is a good man and I'm sure he will do whatever he can. It was so good to talk to you and Brooklyn, even if it was just for 5 minutes. I'm sorry it was a sad conversation but don't stress. We are both tough and we can get through this. Just be as happy as you can be and focus on loving that little girl. You are going in for your surgery today and I want you to know that I will be thinking about you and praying for you all day. I'm worried because I'm not there. But I know you have good friends and the Lord to look after you. So something kind of cool happened at church on Sunday. The guy who spoke in Sacrament meeting talked about forgiveness. I guess it kind of hit me hard and made me realize that I need to do better about communicating with her. I hope you can get in touch with her.
I've loved getting your letters about how much fun you had in Portland. I'm really glad you got to go! Things here have been getting even more crazy. We are qualifying with our weapons today, which means you have to shoot at least 23 / 40 targets at ranges from 50 to 300 meters. A lot of people are nervous because if they fail to qualify they will get sent back to week two. We also have a field training exercise this week. I don't know most of the details except that we are sleeping in the woods. I'm sure it won't be like normal camping. I wonder how many ticks I will get? Well baby i have to go. Remember to stay positive. I have a good feeling that we will be able to work things out and have our time together. Remember that you have a perfect little girl and an imperfect husband that loves you to death.
Love, Me
PS I got you a present so that's why $100 is missing.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
15 July
Babe,
Today is just one of those days when I'm really sad and I miss you a lot. I was supposed to be able to call you to talk about traveling arrangements but we ran out of time. The drill sergeant said I could call tomorrow but I thought I would write you just in case. All the drill sergeants said I would be able to (get a long pass), but the company commander said no. I was really mad but as soon as he left the drill sergeants said if they fly me I could just not get on the plane and you could drive me. Then they said that they might bus us down so it would probably be best if you just came out for graduation then went home. At this point I was wondering if there is someone you could get a hold of at Ft. Benning to see what they think. I need as much time with you as I can get! I miss you so much! Hopefully I'll be able to talk to you about all of this tomorrow. I can't wait to hear your voice. I'm still stressed about your cancer and I feel bad I can't be there. I know you're tough but I still worry about you. I hurt my ankle the other day and apparently it's a lot worse than I thought. The dr. said he was surprised I got in the army with it, but he said as long as I'm in he would help. He gave me a resistance band and some exercises to get it stronger so we'll see. Baby I can't wait to hold you! Hopefully the time will fly by and we will be together again before we know t. I'm proud of you and so grateful I have such a great wife and Brooklyn has such a wonderful mommy. Love you tons!
Love,
Me
Hey Baby,
This is going to be quick but I wanted to get it in the mail as soon as I can. First of all it was so good to talk to you. I love you so much! Now I'm going to tell the drill sergeants tomorrow and tell them you already have the tickets and it'll be expensive to change them. Hopefully they will be sympathetic. I miss you tons and I'm glad you are doing well. Find out what you can on your end and I'll do the same here and hopefully we can get our way. I love you baby!
Love,
Me
Today is just one of those days when I'm really sad and I miss you a lot. I was supposed to be able to call you to talk about traveling arrangements but we ran out of time. The drill sergeant said I could call tomorrow but I thought I would write you just in case. All the drill sergeants said I would be able to (get a long pass), but the company commander said no. I was really mad but as soon as he left the drill sergeants said if they fly me I could just not get on the plane and you could drive me. Then they said that they might bus us down so it would probably be best if you just came out for graduation then went home. At this point I was wondering if there is someone you could get a hold of at Ft. Benning to see what they think. I need as much time with you as I can get! I miss you so much! Hopefully I'll be able to talk to you about all of this tomorrow. I can't wait to hear your voice. I'm still stressed about your cancer and I feel bad I can't be there. I know you're tough but I still worry about you. I hurt my ankle the other day and apparently it's a lot worse than I thought. The dr. said he was surprised I got in the army with it, but he said as long as I'm in he would help. He gave me a resistance band and some exercises to get it stronger so we'll see. Baby I can't wait to hold you! Hopefully the time will fly by and we will be together again before we know t. I'm proud of you and so grateful I have such a great wife and Brooklyn has such a wonderful mommy. Love you tons!
Love,
Me
Hey Baby,
This is going to be quick but I wanted to get it in the mail as soon as I can. First of all it was so good to talk to you. I love you so much! Now I'm going to tell the drill sergeants tomorrow and tell them you already have the tickets and it'll be expensive to change them. Hopefully they will be sympathetic. I miss you tons and I'm glad you are doing well. Find out what you can on your end and I'll do the same here and hopefully we can get our way. I love you baby!
Love,
Me
Monday, July 18, 2011
Sunday Email
Kellie,
I'm pretty sure I'm going to get to call you today but just in case I don't I want to tell you I love you. I sent a letter explaning the long pass I'm really bummed about the situation but I try to tay positive and focus on the positive. I got 3 more people to come to church with me today so I feel good about that. It feels good to be answering gosple questions again. The weeks are starting to go a little fastr all the time. but some of the days are so long. we had to be up at 3:00 am yesterday for a rock March and then we spent all day at the range. This week we have a field training exersice so means even less sleep but it should be fun. I love you baby and pray for you always! I can't wait to see you and brooklyn and hold you both. Love you!
Russell (That's weird)
I'm pretty sure I'm going to get to call you today but just in case I don't I want to tell you I love you. I sent a letter explaning the long pass I'm really bummed about the situation but I try to tay positive and focus on the positive. I got 3 more people to come to church with me today so I feel good about that. It feels good to be answering gosple questions again. The weeks are starting to go a little fastr all the time. but some of the days are so long. we had to be up at 3:00 am yesterday for a rock March and then we spent all day at the range. This week we have a field training exersice so means even less sleep but it should be fun. I love you baby and pray for you always! I can't wait to see you and brooklyn and hold you both. Love you!
Russell (That's weird)
One more!
Hey babe,
Today was a pretty horrible day so this might be a short letter. We had to turn in bed sheets and blankets this morning and our platoon was put in charge of it. We had to get up at 3:30 am just to get everything taken care of and the day just got worse from there. Apparently the females got into a big fight last night about something so after we finished with linen turn in we got smoked for 30 or 40 minutes. We also got our phase banner taken and told we are going to get treated like we are back in red phase. So that probably means no more phone calls. Sorry honey! After all that we went to the shooting range which wasn't too bad but the shiz hit the fan right before we left. A few guys from our platoon got caught with granola bars in their pockets which is a huge no-no. As it turns out they were told by the people who take care of the food that they could have them. Actually, they were told to take them and not tell the drill sergeants so it wasn't all their fault. It didn't stop the drill sergeants from tearing everything out of our wall lockers to check for contraband. It's a little frustrating when it feels like you can't do anything right. And it's always the same people. One of them quit today though so maybe it will get better. I hope you are having a good time in Oregon and I hope Brooklyn is being as sweet as ever. I love you so much sweetie but I need to get into bed. I miss you and can't wait to see you both. Just a little over a month to go. I love you and think of you always.
Today was a pretty horrible day so this might be a short letter. We had to turn in bed sheets and blankets this morning and our platoon was put in charge of it. We had to get up at 3:30 am just to get everything taken care of and the day just got worse from there. Apparently the females got into a big fight last night about something so after we finished with linen turn in we got smoked for 30 or 40 minutes. We also got our phase banner taken and told we are going to get treated like we are back in red phase. So that probably means no more phone calls. Sorry honey! After all that we went to the shooting range which wasn't too bad but the shiz hit the fan right before we left. A few guys from our platoon got caught with granola bars in their pockets which is a huge no-no. As it turns out they were told by the people who take care of the food that they could have them. Actually, they were told to take them and not tell the drill sergeants so it wasn't all their fault. It didn't stop the drill sergeants from tearing everything out of our wall lockers to check for contraband. It's a little frustrating when it feels like you can't do anything right. And it's always the same people. One of them quit today though so maybe it will get better. I hope you are having a good time in Oregon and I hope Brooklyn is being as sweet as ever. I love you so much sweetie but I need to get into bed. I miss you and can't wait to see you both. Just a little over a month to go. I love you and think of you always.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Last Week's Letters
Sorry, I've been out of town...
July 6
Hey babe,
I just got three letters from you and it made me so happy, but sad at the same time. I love hearing from you, but I was sad to hear about how sad you get when you don't get letters. I try to write as often as I can but sometimes there is so much to do and not enough time to do it all. Hopefully it is going to get better because I'm not the platoon guide anymore. I got fired this morning because the same stupid kids keep making the same mistakes. It's a little frustrating and upsetting but at the same time I knew it was coming because they rotate the PGs out occasionally. I'm just tired of dealing with stupid kids who don't seem to be able to learn. So it was a tough day... I'm going to have to finish this letter tomorrow. I hope you know that I love you so much and think of you always even when I can't write or call.
July 7
Today was a pretty good day. We went back to the range to shoot the M240B and the M249 (which are machine guns just so you know). It was way more fun than I deserved. I'd be happy if I could do that every day! Our company shot around 30,000 rounds or ammo today. It was overcast most of the day so the heat wasn't too bad either. We also started getting a little more personal time in the evenings to go run or do other things on our own. It feels good to have a little drill sergeant free time. Tomorrow we have another confidence course which should be fun. I just hope it doesn't rain or get too hot. The weather here can be crazy. It can go from being 90 degrees to the worst thunderstorm ever in a matter of 10 minutes. We have another PT test this Saturday. I just hope I improve from the last one. Well baby I feel like I'm babbling and I need to get some stuff ready for tomorrow. I hope you and Brooklyn had a good day and I hope you both know how much I love and appreciate you both. I'm hoping I dream of you tonight!
I love you!
10 July
Hey baby,
Hey, before I forget would you please check my credit card statements just in case there is some fee or something. By now you should be in Portland and by the time you get this you'll be back in good ol' Utah. I hope you had a good time. I was sad I couldn't call you today. From now on I'm just not going to hope for it and when I do get to call it will just be a nice surprise. Today was a really good day. I am really enjoying my calling. A few of the guys in the platoon have been asking me a lot of questions because they know I'm mormon. I had forgotten how much I enjoy teaching people about the Gospel. It feels good to be doing it again. Two of the guys came to church with me today and are reading the Book of Mormon. Actually they are in bed reading it right now. We took a PT test yesterday morning. I passed but didn't do as well as I had hoped. The guy who graded me was pretty strict. My chest was hitting the ground on my pushups and he said I still wasn't going down far enough so he didn't count all my pushups. My run was OK though but I have a long way until I max out my scores. Tomorrow morning we have a ruck march and our first land navigation course. I'm excited for both of them but I'm sure that will change when it gets hot tomorrow. Well baby I need to get to bed so I have enough energy for tomorrow. I hope you and Brooklyn are doing well and are happy. I love you both so much and think about you all the time. Hugs and kisses!
Love,
Callen
11 July
Sweetie,
I just got your letter about your bad dream. Baby, you don't have to worry about me leaving you. Just take how much you love me and Brooklyn, add them together, times it by at least 1,000,000 and that's how much I love you! I wish I could explain how much I miss you and love you but I don't think I can. Just know that I love you and always will. I'm pretty worried about your new cancer spot. I'm glad you caught it and are getting it taken care of, I just wish I could be there with you for your surgery. Is this one more serious than the other ones you've had? I'm glad you're so tough babe. Oh and I love hearing about how much fun Brooklyn is having with Reed and Grayden. I miss playing with her so much some days I can barely handle it. I'm so glad I have you to support me! There is one guy here who hasn't gotten any kind of communication from his wife at all. No letters or phone calls. He finally snapped and quit. But the worst part is that it takes a long time to outprocess when you quit. Chances are he will be here longer than any of us who graduate. I kind of feel bad, but this is the same guy who tried to quit the very first day. We had a busy day today. We did a ruck march this morning and the land navigation course the rest of the day. It was fun but it was also 105 degrees with the heat index. I love it when I get soaked in sweat... We had a handful of people who didn't drink enough water go down with heat injuries. By the way, Private McCaw just said hi. He gives me a ton of crap about being old but he's a pretty good kid. He's one of the ones coming to church with me and reading the Book of Mormon. I'm supposed to finally talk to the guy about OCS. I hope it works out because I need time with you. Have you talked to my Mom or Dad lately? I've been wondering how they are doing as well. But I use my free time writing you and sleeping. Those are my priorities. I need to go for tonight. I love you baby. Hang in there and stay tough. We will be together again. It may not be all that soon, but we will get there. When times are tough I look at yours and Brooklyn's pictures and play with my wedding ring to remember we are an eternal family and I will have you both forever. I LOVE YOU!
Callen
PS I need my eyebrows plucked when you come. There should be two!
I got a 7 min phone call today. His Company Commander has denied the long pass. Pray that I can find a way to get that changed! I don't do well when I don't get my way.... I'm ready for a fight.
July 6
Hey babe,
I just got three letters from you and it made me so happy, but sad at the same time. I love hearing from you, but I was sad to hear about how sad you get when you don't get letters. I try to write as often as I can but sometimes there is so much to do and not enough time to do it all. Hopefully it is going to get better because I'm not the platoon guide anymore. I got fired this morning because the same stupid kids keep making the same mistakes. It's a little frustrating and upsetting but at the same time I knew it was coming because they rotate the PGs out occasionally. I'm just tired of dealing with stupid kids who don't seem to be able to learn. So it was a tough day... I'm going to have to finish this letter tomorrow. I hope you know that I love you so much and think of you always even when I can't write or call.
July 7
Today was a pretty good day. We went back to the range to shoot the M240B and the M249 (which are machine guns just so you know). It was way more fun than I deserved. I'd be happy if I could do that every day! Our company shot around 30,000 rounds or ammo today. It was overcast most of the day so the heat wasn't too bad either. We also started getting a little more personal time in the evenings to go run or do other things on our own. It feels good to have a little drill sergeant free time. Tomorrow we have another confidence course which should be fun. I just hope it doesn't rain or get too hot. The weather here can be crazy. It can go from being 90 degrees to the worst thunderstorm ever in a matter of 10 minutes. We have another PT test this Saturday. I just hope I improve from the last one. Well baby I feel like I'm babbling and I need to get some stuff ready for tomorrow. I hope you and Brooklyn had a good day and I hope you both know how much I love and appreciate you both. I'm hoping I dream of you tonight!
I love you!
10 July
Hey baby,
Hey, before I forget would you please check my credit card statements just in case there is some fee or something. By now you should be in Portland and by the time you get this you'll be back in good ol' Utah. I hope you had a good time. I was sad I couldn't call you today. From now on I'm just not going to hope for it and when I do get to call it will just be a nice surprise. Today was a really good day. I am really enjoying my calling. A few of the guys in the platoon have been asking me a lot of questions because they know I'm mormon. I had forgotten how much I enjoy teaching people about the Gospel. It feels good to be doing it again. Two of the guys came to church with me today and are reading the Book of Mormon. Actually they are in bed reading it right now. We took a PT test yesterday morning. I passed but didn't do as well as I had hoped. The guy who graded me was pretty strict. My chest was hitting the ground on my pushups and he said I still wasn't going down far enough so he didn't count all my pushups. My run was OK though but I have a long way until I max out my scores. Tomorrow morning we have a ruck march and our first land navigation course. I'm excited for both of them but I'm sure that will change when it gets hot tomorrow. Well baby I need to get to bed so I have enough energy for tomorrow. I hope you and Brooklyn are doing well and are happy. I love you both so much and think about you all the time. Hugs and kisses!
Love,
Callen
11 July
Sweetie,
I just got your letter about your bad dream. Baby, you don't have to worry about me leaving you. Just take how much you love me and Brooklyn, add them together, times it by at least 1,000,000 and that's how much I love you! I wish I could explain how much I miss you and love you but I don't think I can. Just know that I love you and always will. I'm pretty worried about your new cancer spot. I'm glad you caught it and are getting it taken care of, I just wish I could be there with you for your surgery. Is this one more serious than the other ones you've had? I'm glad you're so tough babe. Oh and I love hearing about how much fun Brooklyn is having with Reed and Grayden. I miss playing with her so much some days I can barely handle it. I'm so glad I have you to support me! There is one guy here who hasn't gotten any kind of communication from his wife at all. No letters or phone calls. He finally snapped and quit. But the worst part is that it takes a long time to outprocess when you quit. Chances are he will be here longer than any of us who graduate. I kind of feel bad, but this is the same guy who tried to quit the very first day. We had a busy day today. We did a ruck march this morning and the land navigation course the rest of the day. It was fun but it was also 105 degrees with the heat index. I love it when I get soaked in sweat... We had a handful of people who didn't drink enough water go down with heat injuries. By the way, Private McCaw just said hi. He gives me a ton of crap about being old but he's a pretty good kid. He's one of the ones coming to church with me and reading the Book of Mormon. I'm supposed to finally talk to the guy about OCS. I hope it works out because I need time with you. Have you talked to my Mom or Dad lately? I've been wondering how they are doing as well. But I use my free time writing you and sleeping. Those are my priorities. I need to go for tonight. I love you baby. Hang in there and stay tough. We will be together again. It may not be all that soon, but we will get there. When times are tough I look at yours and Brooklyn's pictures and play with my wedding ring to remember we are an eternal family and I will have you both forever. I LOVE YOU!
Callen
PS I need my eyebrows plucked when you come. There should be two!
I got a 7 min phone call today. His Company Commander has denied the long pass. Pray that I can find a way to get that changed! I don't do well when I don't get my way.... I'm ready for a fight.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Last Sunday's Email
Kellie,
I'm so glad you are getting to go to Portland. I'm sure you will have a lot of fun and I'll be praying that you will both be safe and Brooklyn will be good. I found out that Tuesday will be the soonest I will be able to talk to the Seargent about travel plans. He has been gone. I hope it works out but, we will just have to be happy with what we get. This was a pretty good week and this coming week is going to be really busy, so hopefully it will go by fast. I had a dream about you and Brooklyn last night. It sucked waking up because it felt like I was home with you, I can't wait to see you! I hope you have fun on your trip. Please be safe and careful. I love you and Brooklyn more than you can imagine!
(Sorry it's late, as mentioned, I've been in Portland...)
I'm so glad you are getting to go to Portland. I'm sure you will have a lot of fun and I'll be praying that you will both be safe and Brooklyn will be good. I found out that Tuesday will be the soonest I will be able to talk to the Seargent about travel plans. He has been gone. I hope it works out but, we will just have to be happy with what we get. This was a pretty good week and this coming week is going to be really busy, so hopefully it will go by fast. I had a dream about you and Brooklyn last night. It sucked waking up because it felt like I was home with you, I can't wait to see you! I hope you have fun on your trip. Please be safe and careful. I love you and Brooklyn more than you can imagine!
(Sorry it's late, as mentioned, I've been in Portland...)
Friday, July 8, 2011
June 30, July 1, July 2, July 5
30 June
Hey babe,
I got paid to blow sh!t up today! Oh, I mean stuff... We went to the grenade range this morning at 6 am. I was way excited! We had a safety briefing when we first got there and then broke up into different groups for different training stations. We learned how to properly throw the grenades from different positions. It started to get hot pretty early today especially because we had to wear our bullet proof vests and kevlar helmets. By the time they marched us to the live grenade range it was in the 90s with a heat index of 105. There was a small building we had to wait in until it was our turn. There were little windows that you could see the range from. The sound from a grenade was a lot louder than I expected. I was a little nervous when they put the grenade in my hands but everything went well. That is until I was done. There was a girl that went two people after me who almost blew herself up. I was watching through the window and when she pulled the pin she dropped the grenade inside the cement bunker you throw from. The sergeant with her had to throw her out of the bunker and jump on top of her. It was way scary and it didn't even happen to me. If he would have panicked at all they would both be dead. I know it was his job but it was pretty amazing to see. Other than that they day was pretty uneventful. We have a 4 mile ruck march in the morning so I need to get to bed. I love you and I'm sorry my letters aren't very consistent because we haven't been able to take our mail to get sent. I love you baby! I heard today that my OCS dat is the 22nd and I'm going to talk to someone about my leave and everything. Can't wait to see you! Love you both!
July 1
Hey baby,
I just got two letters from you with pictures. You look great when you flex! (I sent a menacing picture for him to give to the drill sergeant so he would know what would happen if they didn't let him call on a Sunday again). I also got a letter from Brett and Donna. I'm so excited for Tyler and Cori! I also got a letter that I sent to my mom back. I might send it to you and have you call her and send it to her. I can't believe how big Brooklyn has gotten in the last month! I'm so sad I'm missing out on so much, but this is just for a short time. We can do hard things. As far as the flight situation goes I'm going to talk to someone as soon as I can and try to figure it out. I know it's frustrating but I don't have much time and when I do have time all the people who can help are gone for the day. And by the way I'm not tired of your babbling. I love your letters and look forward to getting them. I'm the one who feels bad because on days like today I don't really have much to say. We just had classes on combatives and different US weapons. The hardest part of today was just staying awake. We are supposed to go to white phase soon so I'm hoping that means we will get some sort of phone privileges. I miss hearing your voices. It sounds like the two of you are having a lot of fun and I can't wait to be there with you. I feel like I never have enough time at night to do everything and tell you how much I love you. I pray for you every night. Yep, that's right, I say my prayers every night. Are you impressed? I love you and Brooklyn so much! Take care and love yourself for me.
Love,
Me
July 2
Baby girl,
Today was a weird day. Since it's a 4 day weekend here on post we don't have enough drill sergeants and training cadre (?) to train us so we spent all day cleaning our barracks. And when I say clean I mean deep clean! We had to hand scrub the floors and walls, polish the sinks and toilets and thoroughly clean our wall lockers and once we finished we had to do it all over again. It was kind of tedious but for the most part the whole platoon worked together. I forgot to tell you about something last night in my letter. The army has a strict no fraternization policy between soldiers in basic training and sure enough one of the idiots we are always having problems with was caught passing letters with one of the females. Some people just don't understand the whole obedience thing. Now there is a good chance they will be kicked out of the army or at the very least receive Article 15s. I want to feel bad for them but at the same time it's their fault for being stupid. If we are good tomorrow we get to watch the fireworks on Monday so that at least gives us something to look forward to. I hope you are taking Brooklyn to see fireworks or something. I'm sure she'll love it. I'm so jealous that you get to play with her so much. I'm excited for church tomorrow even though I have to teach a class. It's just nice to have some drill sergeant free time. It's weird how different my schedule is now. I don't have to get up till 6 tomorrow and it feels like sleeping in. Not mention bedtime is at 8 tonight and I won't have any problem falling asleep. I didn't realize until now but I'm going to get almost 9 hours of sleep tonight. I'm so excited! Sometimes it's hard to figure out what to tell you about because things seem to monotonous sometimes. I'm getting tired of all the vulgar language all the time, especially because it wear off on me sometimes. Not all the habits I'm learning are bad though. I"m getting good at cleaning and making my bed. The army has a way for doing pretty much everything. They days are kind of melting together but they still aren't going by fast enough. I was just showing your and Brooklyn's pictures off to one of the guys and he said you have beautiful eyes and I agree. I'm so glad you are good about sending pictures. They help so much. I have to go to bed but I'll more tomorrow. I love you!
July 3
I just finished writing my email to you but it just wasn't enough. I want to talk to you so bad. I don't even care what we talk about I just miss you and Brooklyn. It kind of makes me sad that she is talking so much and I'm not there to hear it. I guess it's a good thing I have that card so I can hear your voices every once in a while. I've been hearing rumors that we might be getting a phone call so we may have talked about everything I'm writing by the time you get this. I hope so anyway. We have spent most of this morning cleaning some more and picking weeds outside. Sundays are kind of relaxing because of church but kind of boring and annoying because we do so much busy work. You and Brooklyn are probably just not waking up. I wish I was there to go get her out of bed. I miss seeing her happy face in the mornings. Heck, I even miss seeing your grumpy morning face. I've definitely got a lot better at getting out of bed. I still don't really like it, but it has gotten easier. Our choir is singing "America the Beautiful" right now and it sounds horrible! It is seriously painful to listen to! And to make matters worse I was fighting off sleep during the prayer. I better start paying attention and getting ready for my lesson. Oh, so there is a family here today with a little girl who is way cute. I miss Brooklyn so much!
It was good to talk to you today. It motivated me so much to hear your voice and to hear Brooklyn. I can't believe how much she is talking. I hope you know how much I love you both. I hope you enjoyed the call as much as I did. Love you both!
Callen
July 5
Hey baby,
I hope you had a fun fourth of July. I would have loved to be there with you and Brooklyn to watch fireworks. We had a pretty relaxing day. We had a few classes on different weapons until lunch, but after lunch we got to watch Band of Brothers pretty much for the rest of the day. I forgot how much I like that series. Last night they took us down to watch fireworks, too. It was pretty cool because as we marched down singing cadence there were a bunch of civilians taking pictures and video. It made me feel kind of good. The firework show was pretty good, too. Today started off to be a pretty good day but took a turn for the crappy. This morning we went to the range to shoot grenade launchers and an anti tank rocket launcher. It was a lot of fun, but it was a hot day from the start. We also had out phasing ceremony from red to white phase which was very motivating, but it didn't last long. Someone from our platoon got caught talking during dinner so the drill sergeants took our phase banner (it's like the flag we carry out front that shows how far along we are) and they gave us the most intense smoke session we have ever had. It was a great workout but it's frustrating when it's because of someone being stupid. I guess we will all get it together eventually. I'm pretty tired tonight and we have to be up at 4:00 am for morning PT and after breakfast we are going to the range again to shoot. Sorry this is a short letter but I'm wrecked. Oh by the way, I asked the drill sergeant again about if you could take me to OCS and he said that you could and in a few days I could take care of it. I love you baby. I hope you and Brooklyn are well and happy. I love you both! Hugs and Kisses!
Love,
Me
Hey babe,
I got paid to blow sh!t up today! Oh, I mean stuff... We went to the grenade range this morning at 6 am. I was way excited! We had a safety briefing when we first got there and then broke up into different groups for different training stations. We learned how to properly throw the grenades from different positions. It started to get hot pretty early today especially because we had to wear our bullet proof vests and kevlar helmets. By the time they marched us to the live grenade range it was in the 90s with a heat index of 105. There was a small building we had to wait in until it was our turn. There were little windows that you could see the range from. The sound from a grenade was a lot louder than I expected. I was a little nervous when they put the grenade in my hands but everything went well. That is until I was done. There was a girl that went two people after me who almost blew herself up. I was watching through the window and when she pulled the pin she dropped the grenade inside the cement bunker you throw from. The sergeant with her had to throw her out of the bunker and jump on top of her. It was way scary and it didn't even happen to me. If he would have panicked at all they would both be dead. I know it was his job but it was pretty amazing to see. Other than that they day was pretty uneventful. We have a 4 mile ruck march in the morning so I need to get to bed. I love you and I'm sorry my letters aren't very consistent because we haven't been able to take our mail to get sent. I love you baby! I heard today that my OCS dat is the 22nd and I'm going to talk to someone about my leave and everything. Can't wait to see you! Love you both!
July 1
Hey baby,
I just got two letters from you with pictures. You look great when you flex! (I sent a menacing picture for him to give to the drill sergeant so he would know what would happen if they didn't let him call on a Sunday again). I also got a letter from Brett and Donna. I'm so excited for Tyler and Cori! I also got a letter that I sent to my mom back. I might send it to you and have you call her and send it to her. I can't believe how big Brooklyn has gotten in the last month! I'm so sad I'm missing out on so much, but this is just for a short time. We can do hard things. As far as the flight situation goes I'm going to talk to someone as soon as I can and try to figure it out. I know it's frustrating but I don't have much time and when I do have time all the people who can help are gone for the day. And by the way I'm not tired of your babbling. I love your letters and look forward to getting them. I'm the one who feels bad because on days like today I don't really have much to say. We just had classes on combatives and different US weapons. The hardest part of today was just staying awake. We are supposed to go to white phase soon so I'm hoping that means we will get some sort of phone privileges. I miss hearing your voices. It sounds like the two of you are having a lot of fun and I can't wait to be there with you. I feel like I never have enough time at night to do everything and tell you how much I love you. I pray for you every night. Yep, that's right, I say my prayers every night. Are you impressed? I love you and Brooklyn so much! Take care and love yourself for me.
Love,
Me
July 2
Baby girl,
Today was a weird day. Since it's a 4 day weekend here on post we don't have enough drill sergeants and training cadre (?) to train us so we spent all day cleaning our barracks. And when I say clean I mean deep clean! We had to hand scrub the floors and walls, polish the sinks and toilets and thoroughly clean our wall lockers and once we finished we had to do it all over again. It was kind of tedious but for the most part the whole platoon worked together. I forgot to tell you about something last night in my letter. The army has a strict no fraternization policy between soldiers in basic training and sure enough one of the idiots we are always having problems with was caught passing letters with one of the females. Some people just don't understand the whole obedience thing. Now there is a good chance they will be kicked out of the army or at the very least receive Article 15s. I want to feel bad for them but at the same time it's their fault for being stupid. If we are good tomorrow we get to watch the fireworks on Monday so that at least gives us something to look forward to. I hope you are taking Brooklyn to see fireworks or something. I'm sure she'll love it. I'm so jealous that you get to play with her so much. I'm excited for church tomorrow even though I have to teach a class. It's just nice to have some drill sergeant free time. It's weird how different my schedule is now. I don't have to get up till 6 tomorrow and it feels like sleeping in. Not mention bedtime is at 8 tonight and I won't have any problem falling asleep. I didn't realize until now but I'm going to get almost 9 hours of sleep tonight. I'm so excited! Sometimes it's hard to figure out what to tell you about because things seem to monotonous sometimes. I'm getting tired of all the vulgar language all the time, especially because it wear off on me sometimes. Not all the habits I'm learning are bad though. I"m getting good at cleaning and making my bed. The army has a way for doing pretty much everything. They days are kind of melting together but they still aren't going by fast enough. I was just showing your and Brooklyn's pictures off to one of the guys and he said you have beautiful eyes and I agree. I'm so glad you are good about sending pictures. They help so much. I have to go to bed but I'll more tomorrow. I love you!
July 3
I just finished writing my email to you but it just wasn't enough. I want to talk to you so bad. I don't even care what we talk about I just miss you and Brooklyn. It kind of makes me sad that she is talking so much and I'm not there to hear it. I guess it's a good thing I have that card so I can hear your voices every once in a while. I've been hearing rumors that we might be getting a phone call so we may have talked about everything I'm writing by the time you get this. I hope so anyway. We have spent most of this morning cleaning some more and picking weeds outside. Sundays are kind of relaxing because of church but kind of boring and annoying because we do so much busy work. You and Brooklyn are probably just not waking up. I wish I was there to go get her out of bed. I miss seeing her happy face in the mornings. Heck, I even miss seeing your grumpy morning face. I've definitely got a lot better at getting out of bed. I still don't really like it, but it has gotten easier. Our choir is singing "America the Beautiful" right now and it sounds horrible! It is seriously painful to listen to! And to make matters worse I was fighting off sleep during the prayer. I better start paying attention and getting ready for my lesson. Oh, so there is a family here today with a little girl who is way cute. I miss Brooklyn so much!
It was good to talk to you today. It motivated me so much to hear your voice and to hear Brooklyn. I can't believe how much she is talking. I hope you know how much I love you both. I hope you enjoyed the call as much as I did. Love you both!
Callen
July 5
Hey baby,
I hope you had a fun fourth of July. I would have loved to be there with you and Brooklyn to watch fireworks. We had a pretty relaxing day. We had a few classes on different weapons until lunch, but after lunch we got to watch Band of Brothers pretty much for the rest of the day. I forgot how much I like that series. Last night they took us down to watch fireworks, too. It was pretty cool because as we marched down singing cadence there were a bunch of civilians taking pictures and video. It made me feel kind of good. The firework show was pretty good, too. Today started off to be a pretty good day but took a turn for the crappy. This morning we went to the range to shoot grenade launchers and an anti tank rocket launcher. It was a lot of fun, but it was a hot day from the start. We also had out phasing ceremony from red to white phase which was very motivating, but it didn't last long. Someone from our platoon got caught talking during dinner so the drill sergeants took our phase banner (it's like the flag we carry out front that shows how far along we are) and they gave us the most intense smoke session we have ever had. It was a great workout but it's frustrating when it's because of someone being stupid. I guess we will all get it together eventually. I'm pretty tired tonight and we have to be up at 4:00 am for morning PT and after breakfast we are going to the range again to shoot. Sorry this is a short letter but I'm wrecked. Oh by the way, I asked the drill sergeant again about if you could take me to OCS and he said that you could and in a few days I could take care of it. I love you baby. I hope you and Brooklyn are well and happy. I love you both! Hugs and Kisses!
Love,
Me
Monday, July 4, 2011
11 Second Video
He sent this right after we talked yesterday. Kinda hard to see anything cuz he's moving so much... but you get the idea.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Sunday Email and Phone Call
I finally got a phone call! Callen explained a few things:
1. His calling in church: he is a branch missionary. Basically that means he is part of about 3 or 4 people who teach one of the missionary dicussions each week to visiting soldiers.
2. As platoon guide, he is essentially in charge of everyone. The drill sergeants give orders, like "right face" and then he says "right face" before everyone does it. He will not hold this position the whole time, but right now it is just him, with an assistant platoon guide below him.
3. He will most likely get a "long pass" since we graduates on THursday and doesn't need to report until the next Monday. So I should be able to drive him to Atlanta and have a couple extra days with him. Whoo-hoo!
4. They don't do as many push-ups as everyone seems to think. When they get "smoked", they might do push up, or something else. They change it up quite a bit. And they only run about twice a week.
5. Now that they are in the white phase (not blue phase like he said before), they should have more privileges. This is mostly little things, like they can walk to church instead of being bussed by the drill sergeants. They also should have some "free time" in the afternoon where they can go run on the track if they want.
6. On Sundays he gets to sleep in (lights on a 6, meaning they have to be fully ready to go, dressed, bed made, etc by that). I believe they normally have lights on at 4:30 (so dressed and ready by then).
7. They went and practiced with live grenades this week. One of the girl soldiers slipped up, dropped the grenade, and the drill sergeant had to grab it, throw it as far as he could, then he jumped on and covered the girl. They were both okay, but Callen said it was terrifying to watch.
8. He loves getting mail, so keep sending it!
We just got this email, which he writes up, then a member of the branch types and sends.... Most of this is just answering my questions, which I got all answered on the phone anyway...
Kellie,
I'm sorry you haven't gotten a letter for a while but, there were a few days we couldn't send mail because we were out training. As far as that paperwork, I think it's for an ID card but I'm not sure. Sgt. Woolsey should be back by Tuesday so you can ask him. Things have been pretty good this week. You'll be getting letters that will explain more but overall things have been good. I'm glad you got a bike trailor. Now you need to go buy a helmet and it better be a good expensive one. I know how cheap you are! Be careful and I hope you enjoy being at your parents. I love you both so much! Give Brooklyn a big kiss from me and have her give you one from me too.
1. His calling in church: he is a branch missionary. Basically that means he is part of about 3 or 4 people who teach one of the missionary dicussions each week to visiting soldiers.
2. As platoon guide, he is essentially in charge of everyone. The drill sergeants give orders, like "right face" and then he says "right face" before everyone does it. He will not hold this position the whole time, but right now it is just him, with an assistant platoon guide below him.
3. He will most likely get a "long pass" since we graduates on THursday and doesn't need to report until the next Monday. So I should be able to drive him to Atlanta and have a couple extra days with him. Whoo-hoo!
4. They don't do as many push-ups as everyone seems to think. When they get "smoked", they might do push up, or something else. They change it up quite a bit. And they only run about twice a week.
5. Now that they are in the white phase (not blue phase like he said before), they should have more privileges. This is mostly little things, like they can walk to church instead of being bussed by the drill sergeants. They also should have some "free time" in the afternoon where they can go run on the track if they want.
6. On Sundays he gets to sleep in (lights on a 6, meaning they have to be fully ready to go, dressed, bed made, etc by that). I believe they normally have lights on at 4:30 (so dressed and ready by then).
7. They went and practiced with live grenades this week. One of the girl soldiers slipped up, dropped the grenade, and the drill sergeant had to grab it, throw it as far as he could, then he jumped on and covered the girl. They were both okay, but Callen said it was terrifying to watch.
8. He loves getting mail, so keep sending it!
We just got this email, which he writes up, then a member of the branch types and sends.... Most of this is just answering my questions, which I got all answered on the phone anyway...
Kellie,
I'm sorry you haven't gotten a letter for a while but, there were a few days we couldn't send mail because we were out training. As far as that paperwork, I think it's for an ID card but I'm not sure. Sgt. Woolsey should be back by Tuesday so you can ask him. Things have been pretty good this week. You'll be getting letters that will explain more but overall things have been good. I'm glad you got a bike trailor. Now you need to go buy a helmet and it better be a good expensive one. I know how cheap you are! Be careful and I hope you enjoy being at your parents. I love you both so much! Give Brooklyn a big kiss from me and have her give you one from me too.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
June 26 and 28
June 26
I know I wrote you an email earlier but I have a few minutes and have been thinking about you. Right after I wrote that email and said how busy I have even the branch president came up and gave me a calling to be a branch missionary. I wanted to say no but I figured we could use the blessings. Today was really busy even though it was Sunday. We spent all day cleaning and organizing things here at the barracks. The crappy part was the drill sergeant gave me a list of stuff to get done and instead of being able to help do it I had to assign people to do it and make sure it all got done right. It was kind of stressful getting 54 people assigned to difficult tasks but it all got done and worked out ok. One of our drill sergeants who has been gone the whole time we have been here is coming back tomrrow so it will be like starting all over at day one again. I'm sure it'll be a ton of fun.
We are going to the shooting range tomorrow so that should at least be a good time. Although I'm a little nervous about shooting with some of these people because they aren't particularly safe. At least we have that life insurance...
I've got to go to bed. I love you and I love Brooklyn. I hope to hear your voice soon.
Love,
Callen
June 28
Hey baby,
Just to start off I'm going to try to answer some of your questions. The $350 was the money they forwarded me to buy stuff I need. As far as the insurance goes I can take you off and myself off but I have to talk to the drill sergeants and them probably go somewhere else to do it so it may take awhile. I'll also ask about the long pass and everything I just haven't had a chance since I got your letter yesterday. As far as you working it's hard to say without knowing when I'm going to OBC. It'd be nice to have the money but I need you. If you feel good about it I'm sure it's the best thing. I have a copy of my orders that I'm sending. I hope it helps. I really hope it works out. I want as much time with you as I can get.
Now that all that is out of the way I love you! By the time you get this you'll probably be mad because we haven't got to send mail for the last two days. We have been so busy lately. We went to the shooting rage yesterday which was fun, but while we were there it rained like I've never seen before. For a minute it looked like a tornado was going to start up. Today we had a ropes course type thing. It was really fun but I'm pretty sore tonight. We had to climb rope, crawl through culverts filled with water and mud, cross rope bridges etc. It was a lot of fun but it was a hot humid day. A couple of people even passed out. As far as the platoon goes about half the guys are good responsible guys and the other half are young and stupid. They have no sense of obedience and consideration. As far as the women go they cause a lot of drama that spills over. It gets frusterating when people don't listen or don't shut up, but things are getting better and I'm figuring stuff out. We are supposed to move from red to blue phase this Friday so hopefully it comes with more privileges like use thing phone. I miss your voice. I have to get some laundry done before bed so I better go. I love you!
Love,
Me
I know I wrote you an email earlier but I have a few minutes and have been thinking about you. Right after I wrote that email and said how busy I have even the branch president came up and gave me a calling to be a branch missionary. I wanted to say no but I figured we could use the blessings. Today was really busy even though it was Sunday. We spent all day cleaning and organizing things here at the barracks. The crappy part was the drill sergeant gave me a list of stuff to get done and instead of being able to help do it I had to assign people to do it and make sure it all got done right. It was kind of stressful getting 54 people assigned to difficult tasks but it all got done and worked out ok. One of our drill sergeants who has been gone the whole time we have been here is coming back tomrrow so it will be like starting all over at day one again. I'm sure it'll be a ton of fun.
We are going to the shooting range tomorrow so that should at least be a good time. Although I'm a little nervous about shooting with some of these people because they aren't particularly safe. At least we have that life insurance...
I've got to go to bed. I love you and I love Brooklyn. I hope to hear your voice soon.
Love,
Callen
June 28
Hey baby,
Just to start off I'm going to try to answer some of your questions. The $350 was the money they forwarded me to buy stuff I need. As far as the insurance goes I can take you off and myself off but I have to talk to the drill sergeants and them probably go somewhere else to do it so it may take awhile. I'll also ask about the long pass and everything I just haven't had a chance since I got your letter yesterday. As far as you working it's hard to say without knowing when I'm going to OBC. It'd be nice to have the money but I need you. If you feel good about it I'm sure it's the best thing. I have a copy of my orders that I'm sending. I hope it helps. I really hope it works out. I want as much time with you as I can get.
Now that all that is out of the way I love you! By the time you get this you'll probably be mad because we haven't got to send mail for the last two days. We have been so busy lately. We went to the shooting rage yesterday which was fun, but while we were there it rained like I've never seen before. For a minute it looked like a tornado was going to start up. Today we had a ropes course type thing. It was really fun but I'm pretty sore tonight. We had to climb rope, crawl through culverts filled with water and mud, cross rope bridges etc. It was a lot of fun but it was a hot humid day. A couple of people even passed out. As far as the platoon goes about half the guys are good responsible guys and the other half are young and stupid. They have no sense of obedience and consideration. As far as the women go they cause a lot of drama that spills over. It gets frusterating when people don't listen or don't shut up, but things are getting better and I'm figuring stuff out. We are supposed to move from red to blue phase this Friday so hopefully it comes with more privileges like use thing phone. I miss your voice. I have to get some laundry done before bed so I better go. I love you!
Love,
Me
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