Day 115! Scenarios start tomorrow!

Oh man. These next 2 days are not only going to be stressful for the senior cadets, but anxiety filled for those of us at home. Tomorrow and Friday J and some of his fellow seniors will be scenario testing all day. They won't find out if they passed or not until the end of the day on Friday- so that can make this weekend interesting 😝. J has been practicing so much leading up to this so I'm confident he knows what to do- I'm sure it'll just be a big case of shaking off the nerves and trusting in himself & his training. 
Today, they had PT in the morning, then PMA. J was happy because they ran the perimeter again so they ran about 4 miles. In PMA, they got tested on some of the methods they've been learning (take downs, taking away guns, etc) and he passed! After that, J and the rest of B. Company spent the entire day at the range. He said they went over a 190+ PowerPoint slide then got ready to be TASED! He said it wasn't nearly as bad as the OC spray or tear gas. I asked J if he got the results from his other test on Monday and he said he got 92%! J didn't have restriction tonight, so we were able to talk for a good chunk of time while he was cleaning his boots and getting everything ready for the next couple of days. Around 7:30pm we hung up so that J could continue to study and get ready, then around 9:30pm he decided to call it a night. I have full faith that J will pass his scenarios, but until Friday, I'll just have to remain hopeful and stay positive! Slowly but surely, we're getting there y'all! 57 ACADEMY DAYS LEFT!! 

115 days down.. 79 days to go! 

💚 AJ

Day numero 113 & 114

Tomorrow is Wednesday- which means the week is halfway over and I'm that much closer to seeing J! These past 2 days have been really busy for J and the senior cadets. Yesterday morning they had PT and J was really excited about that- they ran just under 5 miles and a couple of those miles were faster paces like J likes. Then they had their different classes and 2 tests! J's first test was on drugs/ controlled substances and he got 96.6%! (29/30). Their second test was on crimes in progress, but he didn't have a score for that one yet. They spent a couple of hours practicing scenarios then they were dismissed. J called me shortly after and we talked about our days, this weekend, the usual. He did send me a picture of the view from his room and I must say it looked beautiful! 

Today J text me around 6pm just to say a quick hello. He had a couple of minutes to spare before he had to report to the range for night shooting. Unfortunately he didn't get back to his room until about 10:45pm and he still had to clean his gun and get his uniform ready. He text me a quick goodnight then went to bed. I'm really excited that these days are really starting to fly by. Hopefully graduation day gets here quickly. I can't wait to see J in those tans! 

114 days down.. 80 to go!!

💚 AJ

Days 110- 112

First and foremost- I am so happy that the drive to Sac (pending no weather delays) is an easy 2 hours. 

Friday was a relative easy day for the senior cadets. They had drill in the morning, then 4 hours of range and 4 hours of scenario practice. J wasn't planning on coming home this past weekend because there was supposed to be another massive storm, but it actually never came Friday evening or Saturday. Friday evening I went for a run after work and J went to go work out with some other cadets. Afterwards, I waited for my sister to get in from her drive from Oregon and J met up with some other cadets for dinner. We text a little later that night then both just passed out. Saturday I woke up and went for a run, then my mom, sister and I got ready and made the drive to Sac! The weather was awesome and the roads were clear and we arrived in just over 2 hours. We met J at the Starbucks across the the street from the academy, then spent the day galavanting around Sacramento. We went out to dinner and watched March Madness ('SCO DUCKS! FINAL FOUR!), then had dessert at the infamous Gunthers Ice Cream Parlor! The line was so long, but the ice cream was so good! The drive back home was a little tougher this time- we left a little later than usual and there were patches of serious fog. We got home and all knocked out. Today I worked and J spent the day getting ready for the upcoming week. They have a couple of tests and scenario testing at the end of the week so some of the cadets got together to practice more. We talked for a little bit and even FaceTimed later in the evening. I got to see his roommates for a quick second and we all waved to one another. It's nice to be able put faces to voices and stories now 😋. J went to bed early since their PT resumes tomorrow. We're almost there y'all! This week is super important to pass and get through, so positive thoughts are appreciated! Only 60 academy days left!

112 days down.. 82 to go!!

💚 AJ

Days 108 & 109

It's almost Friday! Yay! Yesterday, I heard from J around 9pm. He had Wednesday night restriction, even though he's not sure why he had it. He said it was fine though because they spent their restriction studying for their scenarios that are coming up. J did mention that he had to participate in a DANCE OFF in the staff office 😂. It was him versus the C Company Guidon but he didn't win 😫. Apparently J got DQ'd because he used his guidon flag in an inappropriate manner 😂🙈. I could not stop laughing when J told me this. He even said the staff officers were laughing hysterically. It was pretty good to hear that they were having some fun though- they work so hard all the time that I'm sure it feels good to let loose every once in a while. J spent the rest of his evening shining his boots & brass and studying. We both called it a night pretty early though. Today the seniors had their 6 hour report writing test. I got a text from J around 1pm but he prefaced it with "Hi! Not kicked out so chillax" 😝. He knows me so well. Anyways, once they were done with their tests, they were allowed to head back to their rooms until their next class at 3 pm. J said he felt really confident he passed and hopefully will get 100%. They practiced going over scenarios in their room then he took a quick nap!!!!! They had 1 short class left- ABC Law & Drug review, then were released for dinner. I called him when I got off work at 8pm and we chatted on my drive home. The weather looks like it'll cooperate on Saturday so we just might make that drive over the pass! Well just have to pay attention to the weather so fingers crossed! I'm also super excited because my little sister is taking her last final tomorrow then driving here for spring break! I can't wait to see that little munchkin, I do miss her! Until then.. Here's to Friday! 

109 days down.. 85 to go!!

💚 AJ

Days 106 & 107!

Ahh I love that we're getting so close to the finish line! Monday I barely got to talk to J because they had night range after dinner and didn't get released until about 10:30pm! He said they practiced reaction shooting with targets that moved and turned, etc. Tuesday night I heard from J around 8pm. He was going to go to his junior cadets room and teach him how to shine his boots and everything. I thought that was so adorable. J called me when he was all done and back in his room shining his brass. He said his cadet is so shy but will hopefully open up soon. J said the reason he picked him was because they are both graduates from the same university (double adorable 😜). I asked him how his day went and he said it was SUPER long. They had 6 HOURS of their report writing class. They do have a test on it on Thursday so I do understand why they're having such long classes on it. And when they're out on the field, report writing is such a huge part of their job. We continued to talk and J asked me if I have been saying "very well" a lot lately. J has been using the phrases "good to go", "outstanding" and most recently "very well" SO MUCH lately (he picked it up at the academy 😒😂). I do use "good to go" and occasionally "outstanding" but told J that "very well" doesn't really fit into my daily vocabulary. He repeated that and one of his roommates responded "What?! Deal breaker" hahaha. So naturally I responded "Shut up *insert cadets last name* ". We all had a good laugh and J said he can't wait for all of us to meet- he thinks his roommate and me will just constantly make fun of each other- which we probably will 😂. I must admit I can't wait to meet his roommates- it'll be nice to put faces to names, voices and stories. Plus it'll be nice to meet the guys J spends so much time with. J won't be coming home this weekend unless snowstorm # 1 million something stops, or they get a lot of scenario practice done. If he does stay at the academy, and the snow stops, I may make the drive over to Sac. It just depends on the weather... As usual 😒. On the bright side, only 63 more academy days left! 

107 days down.. 87 to go!! 😄

💚 AJ

Days 102- 105!

I haven't written in here in a few days, and for once, I really have nothing to write about. J said they had a LOT of report writing classes for their big exam on it this upcoming week, but other than that, it's been a pretty mellow few days. J got to come home this weekend and we did our usual laundry, run & spend time together. It was a nice relaxing weekend & much needed. Next weekend though, J will be staying at the academy. They're going to have scenario practices and he wants to get in as much practice time as possible before the testing begins. I don't blame him & in fact, I'm really happy and proud that he's trying to prepare so well. If the weather permits- were supposed to be getting ANOTHER snow storm this week- we might drive over to Sacramento for the weekend. These days and weeks are really starting to fly by and hopefully before you know it- if everything goes according to plan- we'll be preparing for J's graduation. Only 65 actual academy days left y'all! 

105 days down.. 89 to go! 

💚 AJ

Days 99- 101

What an eventful week! The new junior class started, so J said they haven't seen AS MUCH of the staff officers as usual. Monday they had classes (report writing & PMA) in their classroom all day BUT had night range at 7pm. They were tested on night pistol shooting, without a flashlight, with their targets ranging from 2-10 yards away. J hit the target 30/33 times and had 3 head shots! He said it was so dark out that they could barely make out the silhouettes of the targets! I always tell him, but it's so crazy how proud of him I am. I know he's working hard and learning lots, and I know that he wants to earn that badge come June 16th! 
Tuesday was a rough day for the seniors. They had a PT session after lunch at the drill pad because they were late to class. J said it would've been impossible to be on time, but sometimes they just have to suck it up and deal with it. After the PT session, the instructors decided to do a uniform inspection and practically everyone got gigged for something. J said the officer circled him twice, looked at his shirt, brass and boots then said "misaligned name tag. Gig!"  😂 J & I laughed so hard when he told me that. Sometimes you just have to laugh at the reasons and let it go. Tuesday night they had their monthly stress resiliency class and J said it was a real emotional one. They read the letters that they wrote to themselves during week 1 of the academy, and some cadets even shared theirs. 
 Today J said was probably one of the most fun days at the academy they've had. They had PT in the morning, then range for 4 hours! He said they treated it like a stress class where they practiced shooting drills and baton drills as the instructors were yelling them out. J went first because he wanted to help load shot guns for the rest of the company and ended up being the Guinea pig. He even said some of the instructors were having fun with this drill. One instructor asked J "what's rule 41 of zombie land?!". They even made some cadets run up to the other instructors and say I love you or give them hugs. J said it was pretty entertaining and I'm glad it sounded like they all had a good time. They don't get too many of those at the academy! We talked about some other things on the phone and J told me that tomorrow they get to wear their tan uniforms to be fitted in! He FaceTimed me a couple hours later AND HE WAS WEARING IT! They got a message to go pick them up and J and his roommates all tried them on! I was overcome with emotion (but I didn't cry!). I know now that since J was able to put his tans on, he's going to work his ass off to make sure he gets that badge pinned on in June! Just 68 academy days to go y'all!! 

101 days down.. 93 to go!

💚 AJ