Aaron Update

Aaron left for Boise MEPS on Monday. MEPS wasn't until Tuesday morning starting at 5:30. We originally thought he would also fly out to GA on Tuesday, but his travel plans told other wise. He flew out of Boise to Atlanta, GA on Wednesday, with a short lay-over in Denver. He arrived in Atlanta at 3:30 his time, and the bus for Ft. Benning left two hours later. He caught a quick dinner and waited, and then boarded the bus that would take him to his final destination.

He had his cell phone the entire time he was in transit so I was able to talk to him a ton during his travel time. His last phone call to me was when he was about 8 min away from Ft. Benning and his bus driver made an announcement to make their final cell phone calls, because when they got to their final destination he would basically belong to his Drill Sergent (I will use DS in the rest of my posts when talking about his Drill Sergent's). These last 8 min. were almost as hard as saying good-bye in the Pocatello Airport--it just felt too final.

So, this is Aaron. I am doing OK, some moments are better than others, but I will survive and we will both be stronger in the end. The hardest part was saying good bye in Pocatello, and having the mind frame of finality, and then talking to him for the next three days while he waited for MEPS and travel. My heart for some reason had decided that this wasn't too bad if this is how the next 10 weeks went, but my mind knew otherwise, that at some point there would be no more daily phone calls, unfortunately they didn't talk to each other about this, and I went through the finality all over again during that last phone call.

The girls are doing great. McKenzie really has no idea what is going on, and Alexis doesn't completely understand the concept of time to realize just how long Daddy is going to be gone. But I know that she understands that he is gone and a long ways a way, and everyday she says that we are really going to miss our daddy. I wish I knew how to help her better or what was really going through her mind, especially as the weeks wear on and it isn't just a few days, it's a few weeks, and I need to still help her understand.

We did make a count down calender that has the weeks that he will be gone in a month-by-month format, so hopefully this helps and doesn't hinder her thoughts and understanding.

We sure do miss our daddy.

I will post his progress again the next time I hear from him, and be expecting an address. Letters really help a soldier in training, so write and write often if you can, even if he doesn't write back, he will love the letters and communication from the outside world, I have read others' experiences from basic training, and often this is what helps them pull through the tough times, and lets be honest, it is basic training, every day is a tough time.

We love you all, thank you for your support and prayers.