Days 130- 134

Holy crap batman! I didn't realize it's been this long since I last wrote 😬. Let's see.. Thursday the senior cadets had their final. J scored a 91%! He said it felt really good to pass and is a really good checkpoint to have! After their final they had their riot/ crowd control class, discrimination class and then started gang awareness. Later that evening, J and another Cadet went for a run and ran the perimeter (4 miles I think?). All I know is some of his fellow cadets need to get on it... That Capitol run is going to sneak up on them faster than they think! Friday they had PT in the morning and J said it was super fun because the PT instructors played music for them! After that, they had their riot/ crowd control test and J got 95% 🤓. Then they spent the rest of the day learning about first aid. J got home around 7:45pm- the earliest since he started the academy! When he got home, we all went for some delicious Chinese food, then relaxed at home. Saturday J and I ran some errands, then spent the day doing laundry and talking about some specific plans for the future. Our weekends are usually no "fun", but very relaxing. Sunday we cooked a little Easter breakfast, then hung out until J had to leave. I didn't have to work, but unfortunately J left around the normal time because he was racing the weather. It was SUPPOSED to snow in the afternoon, but didn't actually start until later that evening. Oh well 😞. Today I woke up super early to watch the BOSTON MARATHON! I've been watching it and dreaming of doing it for years now, and next year I'll get to race it! Anyways 😝 I heard from J around 5:30pm. He said the day actually went by pretty fast- which is good considering they have First Aid/ CPR/ EMT training ALL WEEK. He did get 2 gigs today though.. I know.. I'm pretty upset too 😛😏. They did get picked on a little more than usual today since the junior cadets had the day off, so I guess I can't be too mad at him. We chatted for a bit about the marathon and other stuff, then J called it a night pretty early. 43 academy days left everyone!!!

134 days down.. 60 to go!!

💚 AJ

Days 128 & 129

Happy hump day y'all! You know what that means!? We are THAT much closer to the weekend! Yesterday and today were pretty easy for the cadets. Yesterday I heard from J around 6pm. He was shining his boots and brass and studying. They have their final tomorrow which gives them a good checkpoint to come back to. IF a cadet passes the final, but should fail anything from then to graduation, they have the option to come back to the academy when the next class gets to week 21. For example, the seniors now are having a good handful of cadets joins them once they reach week 21. J is confident he'll do well, but he was still studying and reviewing to properly prepare himself. They were supposed to have scenario retesting yesterday, but since they finished it all on Monday, they had a study hall for the first 4 hours of the day, then their discrimination class for the next 4 hours. Today was a pretty good/ interesting day according to J. They had a mock trial based on the report writing they were tested on a couple weeks back. J said that the instructors/ staff officers chose poorly written reports and the cadets who wrote them to show how important it is to be thorough and detailed on your report. J said during this mock trial, cadets served as jurors and they even brought in a "defense attorney" to do the questioning. I think that was actually a really good idea because it can show the cadets first hand how important their reports are. J didn't have to stay in for restriction today, so he treated himself to some in n out then went back to shower, study and get ready for tomorrow. We chatted for a little bit, then J called it a night pretty early. I'm just happy he's coming home this weekend! 46 more academy days left guys! 

129 days down... 65 days to go! 

💚 AJ

Days 124-127

Just 10 weeks to go y'all! To be honest, I don't even remember what J did at the academy Friday- but it must not have been anything crazy since I can't remember haha. This weekend J stayed at his brothers place nearby- unfortunately the pass got pounded with snow which would've made the drive for J super difficult. Saturday and Sunday were both relaxing days for the both of us. Saturday morning J and I FaceTimed and worked on our dream sheet! Luckily for me, J actually ranked the offices already and I only asked for 1 change to be made. We talked about the different areas, where they were, etc. It was a pretty easy task for us and to be honest, I'm kind of excited where this could take us! For the remainder of Saturday, J did his laundry, watched soccer, NAPPED, and just overall relaxed. I spent the day hanging out with my mom and relaxing as well. Sunday was the same also. I had work and J had to head back. When he got back he did the usual Sunday academy routine- iron his blues, shined his boots & brass, dusted and unpacked. He had to finish 1 report (I think part of the scenario testing?), then got some dinner and went to bed. Today, I woke up to my daily good morning text from J. I had to work an earlier shift today so I got ready, worked my shift, then got home and ran. My mom and I worked out in our little garage gym and let me tell you- the TRX "machine" we have is FREAKING AWESOME! I'm so happy I went ahead and bought one for our future home haha. I heard from J around 5:30pm and showed him the awesome video that the academy's Facebook page posted. He took a screen shot of himself and his 2 roommates and I was so bummed I didn't catch it earlier! In my defense, you literally cannot blink, otherwise you'll miss him! Buuuttt guess what they got today!? Their "cheese its" and J got the yellow guidon! I BELIEVE that means they've officially been given senior status, but also means it can be taken away now. J said he got gigged today too because when he went to go in to switch flags, one of the staff officers said his boots looked nasty. J wasn't going to argue with him, even though he literally shines his boots every night. They had a test today on PMA and J got 100% on it 🤓! Unfortunately though, they lost 1 cadet today during scenario retesting.. I believe they're officially at 129 cadets left out of 150 I think started.. It does suck, but it goes to show how serious the academy is. After everyone was winding down, J said himself and 6 other cadets went out to go for a run! They did 4 miles, then him and another cadet added 1 more mile on the track. I could tell J was super stoked! Whenever he usually asks other cadets if they want to run, he struggles to find 1 other person to go with him. I'm glad a bunch of them decided to go out to run, I mean 1. It's good for your fitness 2. Their Capitol run will be happening in 10 quick weeks and 3. Did I mention it's good for your fitness?! We talked for a little bit longer, then J decided to call it a night. Just 4 more days than J is home for the weekend!! 48 academy days left!!

127 days down... 67 to go!

💚 AJ

 

Day 123- The last of the scenarios!

He did it guys! J passed ALL of his scenarios on his first try! Ahh I am so happy for him! Today, J only had to take care of business on 2 things: the last of his scenarios and his terrorism test. He's still waiting for the results for his test, but he's confident that he did well! J and I talked on the phone for about an hour once I got off work. We talked more about the dream sheet and hilariously enough had the same cities in our top 10- I guess that's what happens when you've been together for as long as we have 😉. I still don't even know where to begin with ranking them all. We still have some research to do, but essentially I told him however he decides to rank the offices, I'll support him. We talked for a little longer, then J went off to get ready for bed. 51 academy days left! 

123 days down.. 71 days to go!!

💚 AJ

Day 122- DREAM SHEETS ARE IN!

GUYS! THE DREAM SHEETS CAME IN!! Isn't it funny how I was JUST talking about it last night, and now they're here! J FaceTimed me right around 5:30pm and then slyly interrupted me to flash me the list. He emailed me a copy of all the offices that need officers and how many spots are available. They all look pretty good except for 1, and J is genuinely concerned about that one because of how low he is on the priority list. I looked over it over dinner and I must say its actually REALLY difficult looking at all of the cities and ranking them in order of favorite to least favorite. Luckily we have until Sunday to figure it out. 
Today was a really easy day for J and his fellow cadets. They had PMA, a class on discrimination, the fountain ceremony, then released for Liberty! Unfortunately they lost 1 more cadet due to shotgun remediations. Tomorrow J has to finish up the last of his scenarios then take a test on what they've been learning in their terrorism classes. Just 52 academy days left!!

122 days down.. 72 to go!!

💚 AJ

Days 120& 121

I really hate being sick 🤒. Or at least starting to get sick. I woke up today feeling a little warmer than usual, snot filling up my nose and a scratchy and sore throat. Blah. But.. I'd rather be sick now than next weekend because unfortunately J isn't coming home this weekend. The pass is supposed to get ANOTHER nasty snow storm (it is Spring isn't it 😑😒😒) and they're expecting 8-12 inches Friday night. So to be on the safe side, J and I agreed for him to just stay in Sac for the weekend. Yesterday and today were really long, but easy days for them at the academy. They've been having terrorism classes and learning about what to do in big tragedies. J also said they won't be having PT as much as they did when they were junior cadets and he's actually a little bummed about it. I think they're going to go from 3 times a week to maybe 2 times a week. On a positive note, the cadets should be getting their dream sheets in a couple of weeks! I'm excited to see what the options are! J told me that sadly, the senior class lost 10 cadets on shotgun remediation and A Company is taking theirs tomorrow, so they may lose even more. It's sad, but J always reminds me that his fellow cadets could be someones partner- and if they can't handle a gun or the stress of being a CHP Officer, would I feel comfortable having them be his partner. I guess I just get sad for them because they've worked so hard and have gotten this far along in the academy, but J makes a VERY GOOD point. On the positive side, that does open up the availabilities of offices we could end up in. J's last 4 of his social rank him pretty low on the priority list (like 2nd to last 😫), so we'll take whatever help we can get (I know that may make me sound cold- but there are some cities we both DREAD going to). 

Buuuuuuut hopefully I'll kick this wannabe cold in the booty and get back to feeling more like myself in no time! 54 academy days left!

121 days down.. 73 to go! 

💚 AJ

Days 116- 119

GUYS! J passed ALL of his scenarios on his FIRST TRY!! Words cannot express how proud of him I am! On Thursday, he was telling me he was a little concerned about 1 of them, then on Friday when they were dismissed, he told me passed ALL OF THEM! It's actually really cute seeing and hearing J talk about all of the things they're learning at the academy. You can tell in his voice and demeanor that he's really having fun (when he's not getting yelled at or in trouble haha) and enjoying all of it. This weekend was the usual no stress- have fun- do laundry type of weekend. Saturday, J and I woke up then went out for a run together, then spent the day with my parents and sister running errands, hanging out, etc. Today was a sad day though- at the same time I was leaving for work, J was leaving to go back to the academy and my sister was leaving to go back to school in Oregon. Overall though, for J, it was a very successful week. He passed all of his scenarios, got shotgun certified, got his advanced PMA certification, passed his DUI report test, passed 3 LD tests and got ZERO gigs 😎. But anyways.. It's April y'all... We are soooooo close! 54 academy days left! 

119 days down.. 75 to go! 

💚 AJ