Short, Sweet, and the Slightest Bit of Sassy

The good news is that Lloyd's phase one and phase 2 physicals went as scheduled today. He has dictation tomorrow, and that should go without a hitch as well. Theoretically, all that would be needed then is a letter from his CO. (Probably....it always seems that they realize that there's another form or something to fill out. You would think that they'd have standardized procedures and check lists for this sort of thing, but it's the Army. They are incredibly good at putting bits of metal into the bad guys. They seem rather inept at most other things.) Also on the good news front, the LES got unlocked on schedule, so he was able to print off the paperwork for the leave request packet.

It wasn't enough for Bin Laden to be an despicable bastard in his lifetime. Even though he had become basically irrelevant because he's been hiding for so long, the military is on an elevated alert status due to reprisal concerns which is making life difficult at Fort Suck Sill. We're not entirely sure of exactly how that will impact us in the long term, but Lloyd is worried that it could hinder his ability to get his leave granted. He'll still request it, and we'll pray.

God Bless!

A Bittersweet Day

As Lloyd has gone through his med board, his chain of command has come and gone, and the guys who were in his unit have as well. Few are there for an extended period of time. Burnett (aka Amish) was an exception. He and Lloyd spent a lot of time together in Bravo. For all the teasing that guys do, Lloyd appreciated having Amish there with him because of a shared disdain for a lot of the stupid that goes on with a bunch of young guys cooped up together and a strong desire to get home to their family. Yesterday, Burnett got transferred to Charlie bringing him one step closer to his goal of going home to his wife and kiddo. His presence in Bravo will be missed. We are really happy for Burnett though. He's a good guy who has gone through a lot of struggle, and this is a huge victory for him. We're praying for things to continue quickly for him, so he can get home to his family soon.

God Bless!

Waiting - a funny movie, but not so much fun in real life

It would be really nice to be have lots of news to post today. There just is not going to be a lot happening this week. While in the civilian world, there's always lots of news, the Army still gets information out and to people as if Pony Express was the fastest way to communicate.

We are working on making the arrangements for next month's road trip to Oklahoma. The unfortunate reality is that we have done this enough times that it's not too difficult. This has been added to the list of things that we never wanted to be good at doing but can now accomplish without much effort.

The only other news really is that (not surprisingly) the Blue Falcons are flying at Fort Suck Sill. Again. (Still?) Spring fever is apparently causing a few more issues than normal, and Lloyd has been doing his best to keep anyone from doing anything stupid enough to result in more collective punishment...especially since they have finally gotten back some (but not all) of their privileges after more than a year. It's been adding just a sprinkle more stress to life - and not the fun rainbow or chocolate colored kind that goes on ice cream.

Next week is when Lloyd's appointments are scheduled, so until then, we wait. (That would be another thing for the list of things that I wish I wasn't so good at doing.)

God Bless!

*insert witty title here*

Last weekend, Lloyd was able to get a 30 hour pass, so we were able to spend Easter and some much needed time together. We decided to get a change of scenery from Lawton and headed to OKC. We spent Saturday afternoon wandering in Bricktown and having fun along the canal walkway, enjoying burgers at a little jazz place, dreaming of the future at Bass Pro Shop (not that our dream is to work at Bass Pro Shop....it's fun to check out ATVs, boats, camping equipment, and firearms), and had dinner at Toby Keith's. Sunday morning we were able to go to a wonderful Easter service together and then have a really nice breakfast put together by the youth there. As is always the case though, the time was far too short, and it was hard for both of us when he had to go back to the barracks.

Last Thursday, we got news that has increased the urgency that we feel about our need to go to Arizona. The LES is still not unlocked for Lloyd to be able to request leave, but he has received word that it will be finally be open again on May 1. It takes a month for the leave approval process, so we are planning accordingly. Lloyd is very worried that they will deny his leave (they always do) and that this time he will not be able to get anyone in the chain of command to overturn that denial, and it is creating a LOT of additional stress for both of us. We will continue to pray and ask that all our prayin' peeps send them on up for us as well.

Finally, we got the official word yesterday afternoon from Uncle Sam about some class/paperwork stuff that we both need to do next month. It is a week long process that can only be done at Ft. Sill. This is going to mean another road trip to Oklahoma in a couple of weeks - only without it being any fun or time together. Lloyd will not be able to get off post during the time, so we will only be able to talk for a short time at lunch each day. (No privacy either since the rules require that he have a battle buddy with him at all times. So much for a real conversation.) Basically, it will be worse than it is now....knowing how close we are geographically but not having any more chance to spend time together than we do right now and still only being able to talk on the phone for a short time in the evenings.

As we are seeing progress at reaching the end of this time of trial, it seems like it is getting more and more challenging, and it is really taking its toll. We continue to thank God for all of the support that we have from the people He has put in our life.

God Bless!

Appointments are set!

Lloyd went to the Med Board office today to see if he could get some progress from them. His phase 1, phase 2, and dictation appointments are set for the first week in May. Now we're cooking with gas!

God Bless!

Run til you puke - then sprint

Distance runners are a little, um, different. They take pride in toughing through discomfort in a race and running until they are bleeding, have broken bones, or are leaning against a tree heaving their guts out. Outsiders often ask why someone would do something so absolutely insane. The response generally leaves that person even more confused than before they asked....it's hard to put a visceral compulsion into words. A better question to ask is how someone can do something like that.

The answer to "how?" is a whole lot easier: encouragement and support. A running buddy to keep you company and keep you steady in your pace. People along the course who give a "woo hoo! way to go! keep it up" and clap as you pass. The crowd lining the course along the home stretch when the finish line is in sight...cheering, ringing bells, and making enough noise that it completely drowns out any nagging voice of self doubt that might be trying to tell you that you can't make it. All of that puts fuel into your tank and helps you to carry on even if you're really on empty.

If you're reading this, you are a part of the encouragement and support for us right now, and we appreciate it more than we have words to describe. Your praying for us and cheering us on keeps us going on those days where it feels like we're running on empty. You might not think that your comment or email is that big of a deal, but there are a lot of days where it makes all the difference for us.

God Bless!

Finally Off the Merry-Go-Round?

When you wake up every morning and say, "today's the day!" and face the day with a persistent determination to do everything in your power to make it happen.....eventually, you're right.

Lloyd was finally able to get in contact with Miss Maria today. She was able to confirm the news that we had been hoping to hear this week. All of the forms and paperwork needed for Lloyd's packet are ready, and Miss Gibbs should be calling him tomorrow to set the appointments for his dictation and physicals. It has been really exciting to be having relatively steady progress for the last six weeks or so. While there is still more to go, we are at least seeing movement in the right direction.

Every case has its own intricacies, so we are not 100% sure of all the details on what is to come for the rest of the process. The basic framework though is that Lloyd will finish his appointments, and all of the stuff will be put into this packet of information for his transfer to Charlie. Once Lloyd signs off on it all, he will be eligible for the transfer. (Having the paperwork say it is ok to transfer and actually getting transfered are two different things. Lloyd has said that some of the guys have had random delays that have no explanation beyond "because it's the Army") Lloyd is hoping that since Drill Sergeant Seville has taken notice of how long he has been there, she will get him over to Charlie ASAP. She's known for being someone to get things done which we could really use right now. Once Lloyd gets to Charlie, they will work through finalizing his official Med Board packet before submitting it to the review board down in San Antonio. At that point, about all that we'll have left is for the fat lady to do her thang. (Ok, that whole paragraph is confusing. Some people want more details though...basically, a ton of paperwork needs to be pulled together so some doctors in San Antonio can determine just how banged up Lloyd is. He's got at least one person who he considers an ally to keep the process moving, and it is looking like we've got the finish line in sight right on the edge of the horizon.)

God Bless!