Hey guys!! Long time no post- it's been a BUSY couple of weeks!! I left off talking about how amazing graduation was and how relaxing our weekend in Tahoe was. After that.. things got busy REAL quick! J, my family and I drove down to our hometown on Tuesday to get all of our things that were still down there. On Wednesday, June 21, J and I got married in a small intimate ceremony with some of our closest family members and friends. It was perfect. J and I have been together for 12 years now (since high school), and with everything coming up, we decided we couldn't wait any longer. We're still going to have our huge ceremony, but now we can officially begin our lives as Mr & Mrs Officer J 😎.
Anywhooo haha, we made the long drive back to our house on Friday and started the dreadful task of unpacking. Luckily we had my parents & sister, and J's parents in town with us. We spent that whole weekend unpacking, and on Sunday, J got EVERYTHING ready for his first day at the office. He had to be dressed and in the briefing room by 8am, so because of traffic, J wanted to leave by 5:30am ish. His area office hosted a little welcome lunch and I thought that was really nice! I got to meet the Captain, and different officers in charge of FTO and so on. My week was spent with my sister, who's staying with me for a couple weeks, unpacking and trying to organize everything. Today though, I started my new job, so it was nice to get away from unpacking. J's week was designed to be low stress and get them ready for their first day on the road. They did a lot of paperwork, re certified in PMA and the different guns, and drove around the area to start to get familiar with it. J's first day with his FTO is Sunday, so I know he's excited/ nervous!
To the new graduates- keep your heads up! FTO is going to be tough, but you didn't work this hard for the past 28 weeks to not succeed! Remember everything you learned, and have each other's back!
💚 AJ
Friday, June 30, 2017
Tuesday, June 20, 2017
Congratulations CTC IV-16
Congratultions to the new CHP Officers from CTC IV-16!!! May you all be safe while you're out there keeping us safe!!
Oh man guys! These past 5 or so days have been a BLAST and everything we thought it would be and more!!! Thursday I attended the spousal panel and got to experience lunch with J in the "chow hall". It was actually a REALLY delicious lunch and J laughed and told me this is a rarity and it is NOT how they eat on a daily basis. The spousal panel was also really interesting and very I nformative on the break-in phase of their career. We were luckily enough to have 3 CHP wives come in and talk to us about their experience. Luckily for me, I didn't feel too overwhelmed with information because J would constantly keep me in the loop or educate me on certain things. I will say though that the 1 thing that really stuck with me was the fact that all 3 women told us that it is NOT all about the officers. We as the wives/ husbands/ significant others also need to be taken care of and if our officers are being assholes (one of the wives words, not mine HAHA), they need to know. Fortunately I'm blessed to have a really awesome relationship with J, but I will definitely be keeping that in the back of my mind 😉. Looking back at the seminar and all of the speakers, I can say whole heartily that the CHP really is an awesome organization and that they really want all of their officers to succeed. When everything was done, I went with J to his room and helped him pack the last of his things and we headed home. The rest of the day was spent packing for our weekend Tahoe trip and entertaining family. All of our family members were arriving Thursday and wanted to see our house, so we just had everyone meet there.
Friday, aka GRADUATION DAY, we all woke up super early to get ready! J left the house around 4:30am to get to the academy and shine his boots & brass one last time, then get ready. We left around 5:30am, had breakfast at the Dennys near the academy, then headed in!!! The first "event" was the inspection by the commissioner and the first time we'd get to see J in his uniform. Luckily for us, J was also the B Co. guidon, so it was VERY easy to spot him. When A Co. was getting inspected, I spotted B co. in the distance and patiently waited for them to march in and wait. I walked a little closer to get a better look at J and instantly started tearing up. He looked SO HANDSOME in that uniform he worked so hard to earn. When it was their turn, I must say their marching was THE BEST 😎. We watched and snapped pictures as the Commissioner and other important dudes walked up to J, shook his hand and congratulated them and asked him questions. Once he was done and marched away, I showed our family where J would be for the pinning and his parents, brother and I made our way to the gym. The rest of our family was able to go into a classroom and watch the live stream. We patiently awaited the arrival the cadets, and once they started marching into the gym, it was waterworks all over again. They all looked so good in their uniform and their marching was great! They marched in a little differently from previous graduations and luckily for us we were on the correct side of the gym to see them! Many speeches were given, and awards handed out, but soon enough was the moment we were all excited for: the receiving of their badges!!!!!!!! When J got closer, his brother and I were able to get closer to the stage to snap some pictures. They called his name, badge number and area office and I couldn't help but smile! All of the tough days, late nights, sore muscles and studying he had to endure made that one moment so worth it. We took our seats, listened to them recite their oath, and watched them march out as the newest OFFICERS of the California Highway Patrol (OOH- RAA). We left the gym and waited for them to come out to the quad so we could pin them! When J came out and stood at attention in front of us, he gave us a quick smile- I joked with him that I would stand in front of him and dance to try and make him laugh- which I did! We were called up to approach our new officers while they held out their shiny new badge. I took it from J and gave it to my uncle (the CHP officer who helped get J where he is today) to pin onto him. My uncle gave him great words of advice, and I just tried to mumble that I loved J and was so proud of him through my sobs. We took turns taking pictures before they gathered one last time to recite their class chant! (I just missed the beginning where they say CTC IV-16)
We all yelled and yelled and I congratulated J's roommates! J changed out his uniform, and off to Tahoe we went for a celebratory weekend!! The weekend was EXACTLY what we needed after a crazy 2 weeks! We all relaxed in the cabin, went out for beautiful hikes, hit the lake and of course J and I went out for runs together. We definitely want to try and make this an annual thing and stay at different cabins all around the lake. But for now, I'm going to enjoy the stress free days I have with my Officer because I know once break-in hits; it's going to get crazy!
194 days of the Academy... DONE!!!
💚 AJ
Oh man guys! These past 5 or so days have been a BLAST and everything we thought it would be and more!!! Thursday I attended the spousal panel and got to experience lunch with J in the "chow hall". It was actually a REALLY delicious lunch and J laughed and told me this is a rarity and it is NOT how they eat on a daily basis. The spousal panel was also really interesting and very I nformative on the break-in phase of their career. We were luckily enough to have 3 CHP wives come in and talk to us about their experience. Luckily for me, I didn't feel too overwhelmed with information because J would constantly keep me in the loop or educate me on certain things. I will say though that the 1 thing that really stuck with me was the fact that all 3 women told us that it is NOT all about the officers. We as the wives/ husbands/ significant others also need to be taken care of and if our officers are being assholes (one of the wives words, not mine HAHA), they need to know. Fortunately I'm blessed to have a really awesome relationship with J, but I will definitely be keeping that in the back of my mind 😉. Looking back at the seminar and all of the speakers, I can say whole heartily that the CHP really is an awesome organization and that they really want all of their officers to succeed. When everything was done, I went with J to his room and helped him pack the last of his things and we headed home. The rest of the day was spent packing for our weekend Tahoe trip and entertaining family. All of our family members were arriving Thursday and wanted to see our house, so we just had everyone meet there.
We all yelled and yelled and I congratulated J's roommates! J changed out his uniform, and off to Tahoe we went for a celebratory weekend!! The weekend was EXACTLY what we needed after a crazy 2 weeks! We all relaxed in the cabin, went out for beautiful hikes, hit the lake and of course J and I went out for runs together. We definitely want to try and make this an annual thing and stay at different cabins all around the lake. But for now, I'm going to enjoy the stress free days I have with my Officer because I know once break-in hits; it's going to get crazy!
194 days of the Academy... DONE!!!
💚 AJ
Thursday, June 15, 2017
T-minus 1 day until Coach to Cadet to Officer💚
GOOOOOOD MORNING EVERYONE! Tomorrow is the day and I cannot be more exctited! I'm just going to skip to Wednesday because well.. that was the most fun day haha. Yesterday was the Capitol Run and it was amazing! I woke up at 4am, got ready, and was on the road by 4:45am! I got to the academy right around 5:15am and was constatntly scanning for that sexy guidon.. aka J 😂. Side note- J has always told me that the mosquitos at the academy will eat you alive.. and he was right! I have a huge bite on my leg and my FOREHEAD. UGH of all the places... seriously!? Anyways, next thing you know we heard the juniors yelling and I spotted that yellow flag in the distance. J saw me right away, and we smiled like little children at each other. Once they took off- I left to go run to the Capitol myself. Yes- I was that crazy girl who ran to the Capitol and back. I just figured it'd be easier than having to deal with any traffic and looking for parking. I definitely got a few chuckles from the CHP escorts and even got yelled at by one of the PT instructors to slow down 😎. When I got to the Capitol building, I didn't have to wait too long until I heard the cadence in the distance. I seriously got goosebumps seeing them run in and seeing them surround the Fallen Officers memorial. I couldn't hear the captains speech, but J said it was really powerful. We followed them to the back of the building where we took pictures of them and then were entertained with them doing knuckle push ups! I got to give J a quick hug and kiss, then he headed to the bus to go back to the academy. They had a pretty smooth day after the run. J said they had more graduation practice then took pictures with their uniforms! He told me he actually lucked out- so they were given a random badge to pin on their uniform just for the pictures, and 2 cadets down had J's actual badge!! So of course, he asked if they could switch and he got to take his pictures with his future badge!!
Later that evening we had the cadet party, and it was so awesome! I finally got to meet J's roommates and other cadets he's always talking about. It was nice to finally put some faces to names. I must say though, J's roommates are pretty fun and hilarious! I'm sure that helped J also. After dinner, they played a little video and that was so cool! It was interesting to see actual video of some of the stuff they did while there. Oh did I mention.. Erik Estrada was there!? Yes... Mr. CHiPS himself 🤗 Haha.
Anyways now I'm just trying to kill time until I have to head to the academy for the spousal panel. I'm really looking forward to hearing what the wives and other presenters have to say and how we can help our future officers adapt/ deal with stress/ etc.
CONGRATULATIONS CTC IV-16! You have all working so incredibly hard, and tomorrow all those late nights, stressful days, scenarios and so on will be rewarded when you get that shiny new badge and become the newest officers in the California Highway Patrol!!
193 days down... 1 to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
💚 AJ
Later that evening we had the cadet party, and it was so awesome! I finally got to meet J's roommates and other cadets he's always talking about. It was nice to finally put some faces to names. I must say though, J's roommates are pretty fun and hilarious! I'm sure that helped J also. After dinner, they played a little video and that was so cool! It was interesting to see actual video of some of the stuff they did while there. Oh did I mention.. Erik Estrada was there!? Yes... Mr. CHiPS himself 🤗 Haha.
Anyways now I'm just trying to kill time until I have to head to the academy for the spousal panel. I'm really looking forward to hearing what the wives and other presenters have to say and how we can help our future officers adapt/ deal with stress/ etc.
CONGRATULATIONS CTC IV-16! You have all working so incredibly hard, and tomorrow all those late nights, stressful days, scenarios and so on will be rewarded when you get that shiny new badge and become the newest officers in the California Highway Patrol!!
193 days down... 1 to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
💚 AJ
Monday, June 12, 2017
Days 185-190: GRADUATION WEEK
OH MY GOD GUYS!!! I haven't written in here in forever!! It's been a CRAZY BUSY last week or so! I don't even remember what the seniors did last week, it's been so hectic! Friday the senior cadets had the day off, and it was move in day into our new house, so it actually worked out perfectly! The seniors got their badge numbers, I believe on Wednesday, and did more graduation practice. Other than that- I really don't remember what else they did 😬
Our weekend, however, consisted of unpacking, building and adding our personalities to our new home. It's super exciting to have a HOUSE and not be cramped into a single bedroom apartment. I had to come back to my parents on Sunday for my last shift at my job here- it sucks because I REALLY enjoyed working at that store and with such amazing people but unfortunately/fortunately we have to move for J's job. Luckily though, my parents are here, so I'll be back and visiting frequently.
Today I woke up to my phone ringing for a FaceTime with J around 7am. He said they were a little bored because their morning class was cancelled and they had no idea what they were going to do instead. I spent the day running around buying things for our house and finishing up packing. I'm driving back to our house tomorrow to get somewhat settled before all the fun activities (Capitol Run, Cadet Party, Seminars). I finally heard from J again around 7pm. They were given liberty so some of them went out for dinner! They should have liberty again tomorrow, so J said he was going to come to the house and we can have dinner together! I'm really excited for that!
I can't believe graduation is 4 days away. These past 6 months have really flown by!! I know it'll only get tougher from here with break in, and J actually being out on the field, but I really believe that together, we can get through whatever life throws at us. Even though we were apart, I feel as if the academy strengthened our relationship and helped us build on our patience and communication skills. Those daily "good morning" texts, or even the "it's going to be a busy night so we can't talk, but I just wanted to let you know" texts really helped also. I knew going into the academy, that we wouldn't get to talk every night, so with him just checking in really quickly helped calm me, especially at the beginning.
Just a couple more days until we get to see J in those tans and he presents us with that shiny new badge! I'll try to post here after the Capitol run with pictures, but if I don't- it's because we're busy having a blast celebrating the big event!!!
190 days down... 4 to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 🤗🤗
💚 AJ
Our weekend, however, consisted of unpacking, building and adding our personalities to our new home. It's super exciting to have a HOUSE and not be cramped into a single bedroom apartment. I had to come back to my parents on Sunday for my last shift at my job here- it sucks because I REALLY enjoyed working at that store and with such amazing people but unfortunately/fortunately we have to move for J's job. Luckily though, my parents are here, so I'll be back and visiting frequently.
Today I woke up to my phone ringing for a FaceTime with J around 7am. He said they were a little bored because their morning class was cancelled and they had no idea what they were going to do instead. I spent the day running around buying things for our house and finishing up packing. I'm driving back to our house tomorrow to get somewhat settled before all the fun activities (Capitol Run, Cadet Party, Seminars). I finally heard from J again around 7pm. They were given liberty so some of them went out for dinner! They should have liberty again tomorrow, so J said he was going to come to the house and we can have dinner together! I'm really excited for that!
I can't believe graduation is 4 days away. These past 6 months have really flown by!! I know it'll only get tougher from here with break in, and J actually being out on the field, but I really believe that together, we can get through whatever life throws at us. Even though we were apart, I feel as if the academy strengthened our relationship and helped us build on our patience and communication skills. Those daily "good morning" texts, or even the "it's going to be a busy night so we can't talk, but I just wanted to let you know" texts really helped also. I knew going into the academy, that we wouldn't get to talk every night, so with him just checking in really quickly helped calm me, especially at the beginning.
Just a couple more days until we get to see J in those tans and he presents us with that shiny new badge! I'll try to post here after the Capitol run with pictures, but if I don't- it's because we're busy having a blast celebrating the big event!!!
190 days down... 4 to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 🤗🤗
💚 AJ
Wednesday, June 7, 2017
Days 182- 184
Happy happy Tuesday y'all!!! This week is already half way over (the senior cadets get Friday off!!)! And NEXT WEEK IS GRADUATION WEEK!!! Ahhhhh! I don't know who's more excited- J or me haha. Let's see.. Sunday J was still at his brothers, and I had to work, so we didn't talk too much during the day. Sunday evening, J was making a new PT shirt. Towards the end of the academy, the seniors will "decorate" their PT shirts with iron ons of the freeways, and notable places of their area office. He sent me a picture once he was done, and it looked pretty awesome! Monday was a pretty laid back day for the seniors. They started their morning off instructing the juniors for PT. After that, they had HazMat ALL day, then actually went ahead and took their test. J passed with a 93% and found out he got a 98% on his Accident Investigation test! The one that took 8 hours! I'm so proud of him- and now he only has 1 test left to pass! Monday evening we got to talk for a little bit- but most of our conversation consisted of upcoming events and going over some plans. Tuesday was a SUPER fun day according to J! They spent the whole day outside practicing "active shooter" drills and scenarios. J said it was his favorite day at the academy so far because of all the scenarios and role playing they did! We talked about upcoming events again- ah it's just so exciting with everything coming up! After graduation, our families are spending the weekend in a cabin at Lake Tahoe to celebrate, have fun and unwind; then after that we're driving down to our hometown to get all of our things out of storage AND have a small wedding! J and I are super excited about getting married- it'll be a small ceremony with our family and close friends and then we'll start saving up for our HUGE one 🤗. We just both figured it's time. We'll be starting a new life together, with new careers, and we've already been together for 12 years, and have been through a lot, so it just makes sense to start this new journey as a married couple versus an engaged couple 😍. Anywhooooo, we're on that final home stretch guys!!! 6 more academy days left! SIX!!!!!!!! I cannot wait!!
184 days down.. 10 to go!!
💚 AJ
184 days down.. 10 to go!!
💚 AJ
Saturday, June 3, 2017
Days 179- 181
Hi everyone!! I hope everyone had a good Saturday. My Saturday was supppppper long. Friday night I just couldn't get to sleep, and then on top of that I picked up a shift since J wasn't home this weekend, and that just made the day seem even longer 😫. Anyways, Thursday was a somewhat boring day for J. They had a vehicle code scenario test that took them 4 hours, then during their Spanish class, most cadets were out at high speed, so J just studied the area map of his new office. Friday morning they had PT, graduation practice then their Spanish test. J didn't get the results for that test yet, but he's really confident he got 100%. After lunch, they had a short run through with their range instructors on traveling with a gun, having a gun at home, and so on. Before being dismissed for the weekend,, the seniors hit the parking lot and wrote the junior cadets tickets! J said it was pretty fun and good practice. J called me on his drive to his brothers and told me they lost a couple of cadets to high speed. I feel really bad for them to fail out THIS close to graduation, but at the same time am so relieved that J already passed his high speed test. Friday night my mom and I went to a couple stores and bought some small essentials for our house. I did pick up a nice bottle of chocolate infused wine and PLASTIC wine glasses 😎. I can't wait to try it- but I think I'll open it on move in day. J passed out early Friday night because he had to be up at 4am and be at his area office by 5:30am for his ride along! He was out until 2pm today and text me when he got done. I don't think I can talk about what he got to see, but it sounded pretty exciting to me, however he called it a "slow day". I'm glad he had fun, especially since this is where we will be for a couple of years hopefully.
I'm really looking forward to this week! It's a short week for the seniors- they have Friday off AND we're moving in to our new house on Friday! 8 more academy days left guys!! I can already feel the tears streaming down my face come graduation day! Haha
181 days down.. 13 days to go!!!
💚 AJ
I'm really looking forward to this week! It's a short week for the seniors- they have Friday off AND we're moving in to our new house on Friday! 8 more academy days left guys!! I can already feel the tears streaming down my face come graduation day! Haha
181 days down.. 13 days to go!!!
💚 AJ
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