Things I want to buy when I get to my first duty station…

Ipod Nano 3rd Gen

Mac Book Pro

All in One Printer

Thumb Drive

External Hard Drive

Apple Mouse

Ugh.

My cat thinks I’m crazy.  I’m pretty sure.  She keeps looking at me like I’m an absolute nut-job.

I’ve been working pretty hard on packing the last few days.  I went through all of my shit, and everything that needs to go to the garbage, is already at the land-fill.  Most of my stuff is in boxes, I just need to finish packing the rest of the stuff that needs to go away while I’m gone.  I also need to sort things into boxes like, whats going to my permanent duty station with me and whats not.   I’m craving ice cream something terrible.  I might have to go get some.  I really ought to go for a run.  I’m glad I wont have to pay my cell bill while I’m gone.  That’ll be nice.  I can’t wait to get it over with.  To get there, finish over a MONTH in reception, and finally get to training.  Then I want to get through training to Christmas.  Then I’ll have two weeks off, to spend at home with the family.  Then I’ll graduate basic sometime in January (if basic starts when my orders say it will)  and AIT starts 2/4.

It’s official. I’m a Future Soldier.

I signed my contract today.  44Charlie Financial Management Technician.  I leave for basic training September 25, 2007.  Basic Training starts November 9th, 2007.  I get two weeks off from basic training for Christmas.  AIT starts February 4th 2008.  I’m going to Ft. Jackson for both.  I’m going to volunteer for South Korea, hopefully I’ll get it.  At least that way I’ll make some bank and get to see someplace.

I’m finding I’m not as excited as I thought I was going to be.  Im finding it’s rather bittersweet.  I knew this was going to happen in relation to Levi, because I’m really not ready for this to be over but in my head I know it’s better this way.  I’m going to get hurt no matter when I leave because it IS going to end, and the longer I prolong it the worse the hurt will be.  So maybe I’m saving myself some pain.  I don’t know how he’ll react.  I just hope I get to spend as much time with him as possible.  I hope he doesn’t just decide we might as well just go ahead and end it now.

When to leave, what job to chose?

As you know from my previous post I’ve been pretty torn about when to leave.  Levi says if it was up to him he would have me leave when he gets out of the Army in June.  I can’t wait that long.  My teeth can’t wait that long.  I don’t want to break up with him, I’m not ready for this to be over, but I really can’t sit around just because of him.  In all honesty things aren’t good enough to warrant me sticking around.  I mean yea, the time we spend together is amazing, but when we’re apart it’s like I’m single.  I can’t do that anymore.  I can’t sit around doing nothing until January just because I have a boyfriend.  What I need to do is pack up my shit and sign my contract tomorrow for the largest bonus I can get.  I printed out a bunch of shit at the library today, things like military time, Army structure things of that nature.  I also printed out a bunch of jobs that I can look over.  I go to the hotel again tonight and then to MEPS in the morning to pick a job and all that and sign my contract.  I’m pretty stoked.

Torn…

I’m so torn on when to leave.  Part of me wants to get out of here right away because of money and my living situation, the other part wants to wait until like January to give me more time to get in shape and all of that.  Levi says that I don’t need to leave before the end of the month to get $20,000.  He says they’ll give it to me anyway, but I don’t know about that.  Everything says the $20,000 is a quick-ship bonus, plus you can get up to $40,000 with other bonuses for jobs and all that.  Who knows.  Guess I’ll just have to wait and see what the guidance counselor at MEPS says.

Last hurdle: JUMPED!

Yay! So, Im now officially qualified for military service! You have no idea how flipping happy that makes me.

I can’t wait to get to basic, stomp through it, and go onto AIT.  Then, I can stomp through that, get two weeks off, and then go to my first duty station.  Find a nice $10,000 in my bank account, and finally have a life.

I should sign my contract and all that on Monday.  Then I’ll have my ship date and know where I’m going to basic training.  I have to get an accurate list of what I should bring so that I can start getting things together.  Also once I get my contract I can go talk to T-Mobile about shutting my phone off until I get to AIT.

I put for sale  signs in my car today.  I didn’t put a price tag on them, they just say “Best Offer.”  Hopefully I’ll get a decent amount out of them.  I’m trying to talk my mom into getting a babysitter for Brian before I leave so that I can go to Arizona to see a friend.

Tomorrow is my birthday.  I can’t wait.  Call me crazy, but I love my birthday.  Who wouldn’t?  Cake, Presents, Alcohol.  Lol!  Levi is taking me to Niagara Falls Saturday and Sunday.  Sunday is the Buffalo Bills season home opener against the Denver Broncos.  The Bills suck, but Levi is a big fan of the Broncos so it should be fun.

My nerves? Shot.

It’s official.  My nerves are shot.  I’m going to go crazy before I ever get to MEPS on Wednesday morning.  Tomorrow night I go to the hotel, then to MEPS bright and early Wednesday Morning.  I need to pack a tad bit lighter this time lol.  I’m going to start packing today so that I don’t do it all last minute like I did last time.  Also, I’m going to shower and do my hair before I leave tomorrow so that I don’t have to worry about bringing things like my shampoo, conditioner, body wash, blow dryer.  That alone will lighten the load a LOT.  I also need to start packing for Niagara Falls.  We’re leaving Saturday Morning, and staying till Sunday nightish.  I can’t freaking wait.  Niagara Falls with my boyfriend, Buffalo Bills Home Opener against the Denver Broncos.  Friday being my birthday, I can’t wai tto see what happens then.  Maybe I’ll get some sweet presents LOL.

A little bit of an introduction…

In February of 2005, I enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. I got a shady recruiter, and he convinced me not to disclose a prior injury. In April 2001, I dislocated my right patella. It angers me because I now know that this is a completely waiverable injury. So, I got to basic and couldn’t lie anymore, and told the doctors about it and home I went. So, May of this year I contacted a recruiter in my area. It took a while for them to get ahold of me because I had gone through the cyber recruiting on Goarmy.com. I went into Cyber Recruiting and talked to a retired recruiter (we’ll call him Mr. H) and he forwarded all of my information to the local recruiting station. Then, Cpl D we’ll call him, called me and set up a meeting. He came out (He looks about 18) and scanned in all my information, and was generally about as helpful as a rat. So a few weeks after not hearing from him whatsoever, I called the Station Commander, Sgt O we’ll call him, and he assigned me a new recruiter, one that was more experienced in waivers and things.

So, we’ll call him Sgt. H, came to my house, and let me tell you, he’s a great guy!

A little background on him. Sgt H has never met his father. He knows he spent 20 years in the Army, and was from Nashville as Sgt H is. He’d never even so much as seen a picture of him. He also knew that his first name was, (for privacy purposes we’ll say Johnathan) and that his Middle name was (for privacy purposes we’ll say Anthony) and that his last name was H. So, he got the email with my information from Mr. H from cyber recruiting, and Mr. H’s name just happened to be Johnathan Anthony H. The exact same name as his father. After doing some digging, he found out that Mr. H is also from Nashville just like his father. Mr. H spent 20 years in the Army just like his father. So, now, because of me, My recruiter found his father! How amazing is that? Anyway…

So, my recruiter has really gone to bat for me. He’s put in a LOT of work to get me into the Army. It took THREE long months JUST to get me TO MEPS. So, I got to MEPS this past Teusday, and I passed my physical. The doctor put that I have to see an Ortho Surgeon for an Ortho Consult. So thats next Wednesday, if that goes smoothly, I’ll pick a job and sign my contract the very same day!

I’ve got my fingers, my toes, and every other crossable entity on my body crossed. I’ve never wanted anything as much as I want this. I just hope I dont get disqualified for anything. I just want to get my butt to Basic Training, work my ass off, go to AIT, and get to my first duty station!

If I leave for basic training before the end of September I get an additional $20,000 quick-ship bonus. How amazing would that be? That’s not including any bonuses that come with my job or whatever. I still haven’t decided on a job. Anyway, I’ll write more later.