Day 5 & Our First Weekend

Friday, Day 5, Week 1!
We made it to the end of week 1! Kev was off around 5ish on Friday. He said he was one of the first to sign out, so he beat the line. When he got to my house he knocked on the door and had a dozen red roses for me! I love him so much:) After the week I had, I can't even begin tell you how nice it was to be in his arms. We went to sushi for dinner and had a really mellow night with a few stories, but mostly just cuddling and unwinding.  This week was pretty easy for him, so there aren't too many exciting stories... yet!

We did a lot of laundry and shopping this weekend. Kev realized that even though they can have a room inspection at any time, they can have more personal items than we thought. Here are some of the items we bought this weekend. Some he was advised to buy and others he realized he needed after week 1.



- Closet organization bin with 4 drawers
- Mints (These are okay, just no gum)
- Jewelry wipes (To keep in his pocket to wipe his brass if it gets smudged - suggested by a retread)
- Fabric pens (They recommended a few)
- Zebra pens (Apparently they are fine tipped and easy to write with)
- Monthly pocket calendar
- Small 'memo' notebooks
- Clipboard
- Binder clips
- 3" binder & two 1" binders
- Notebooks
- Flash cards
- Shower caddy
- Toothbrush case
- Air freshening spray & Lysol
- Tidepen
- Case of water (They can only have water in their rooms, no other food or drinks)

Overall, we had a great weekend together. We are really expecting things to pick up this week now that the stress management classes are over. Kev has a pretty positive attitude coming into week 2 and is excited to really get started. We did some studying over the weekend and he is doing so well memorizing the codes. There are a lot, but it's kind of fun:) On Sunday, we buzzed his hair down to a one again and he shaved his face. Since he doesn't have his blues yet, he had to wear his business attire to the academy when he left around  8 PM.  For some reason, it wasn't as hard letting him go this time. I guess the weekend restored my faith that we will only get closer as we go through this and each week he completes is another step closer to his dream of becoming an officer and starting a life together.

I read a few blogs before Kev started the academy and remember being concerned that I wouldn't have the chance to talk to Kev everyday. That was my biggest worry. As the pace picks up at the academy, I'm sure we won't be able to connect with him as much as we have but I think it all depends on the relationship. I talked to Kev about letting me know if he is busy or can't talk, because I don't ever want him to not want to call or text me when he is off for the day in an effort to avoid a long call. We have both accepted that this is something we have to get through together. Your cadet needs you to be positive for them just as much as you need them to be positive for you. Accept the circumstances, respect their downtime, and try to make your phone calls something you can both look forward to!

On to week 2 of 28!

- Mimi