Days 97 & 98! HALFWAY

WE'RE OFFICIALLY HALFWAY (technically more than halfway since that was Saturday!). We are past days 97/194 and still going! Saturday the cadets had their community service project so J didn't come home this past weekend. However, my parents and I decided to drive to Sac for the day to go to ikea (there's none here 😢) and meet up with J for dinner. We left around noon and got to Sacramento right around when J was finishing up showering. He met us at ikea and we walked around playing games like the children we are 😂. One of the games we played was covering up the names of the ikea furniture then trying to pronounce them as quickly as we could once it was uncovered. Some of them sounded HILARIOUS. After ikea, we drove in to downtown Sac and had a delicious dinner at the Boiling Crab. While we were walking to the restaurant, I noticed a homeless lady who kept doing this weird thing with her mouth, and I asked J if that meant she was on/ did drugs. He said yes and explained that they actually just learned about that in one of their classes. We had dinner, got dessert at Cold Stone, then shopped around barnes and noble until it was time to leave. J knows me so well and knows what I love, that he actually covered my eyes and walked me over to the cutest beauty and beast figurines. So of course, I bought some. We left Sacramento around 9pm, got home, texted J for a little bit, then knocked out. Sunday I worked, but J stayed to help out at the family orientation for CTC I-17! He said they finished the orientation early so they got to turn in a commendable (I think that's J's 2nd or 3rd one!) AND one of the higher ups said they did such a good job, that he was going to open chow hall and have ice cream together! J said it was nerve wracking at first, but then it was okay! Later that evening him and another cadet went out to the track and did a workout. J is helping him try and run his 1.5 mile faster, and the other cadet took J into the weight room and showed him his workout routine. I thought that was really awesome and I loved that they are helping each other out. I'm excited to hear how this week will go for them since the new class reports today! I hope these new cadets adjust well! It really feels like just yesterday that J reported! 

98 days down.. 96 days to go! 

💚 AJ

Days 95 & 96!

GUYS! WE HAVE OFFICIALLY BROKEN TRIPLE DIGITS IN OUR COUNTDOWN! Woooo. So yesterday & today seemed to be pretty good according to J. He said this past week wasn't as tough as they thought it would be. So let's recap- yesterday J had agency pistol qualifications and he PASSED! The test he took is the same test he'll have to take every year for the rest of his CHP career. I asked J if he found out the results from their room inspections and it turns out he got 4 gigs because of it 😳. J said they'll gig them for random stuff too- for example he got gigged for leaving valuables out ($0.85 to be specific.. Didn't know that was super valuable 😜). He did say one of his roommates got 8 gigs yesterday and had to write a memo because of it. Yikes. They had their first real uniform inspection too! They had to stand at the position of attention for 45 minutes and had their uniforms inspected AND got quizzed. J's uniform was good and he answered all his questions correctly. I get super excited when I hear how awesome J is doing there because I know he's worked so hard to get there. Today was an amazingly calm day as well. J said they had uniform inspections for 30 minutes and he still passed and was good to go. They had PT in the morning, then classes all day. Tomorrow they have their community service project and then Sunday he's staying at the academy to help out with CTC I-17's orientation! So tomorrow, my parents and I are going to drive to Sacramento to have dinner with J and spend the day there. We're getting closer and closer, and I know these next 3 months are going to FLY!

96 days down.. 98 to go!!

💚 AJ

Days 93 & 94

HUUMMPPP DAYY! Thank goodness it's Wednesday! So this week has actually been pretty good so far according to J. They were all really worried since it's only them at the academy right now. Yesterday J just had classes on controlled substances, report writing and a test on juveniles (he got 93%!! 🤓). Today was a little more exciting, but not by much. They had a big, but non-scheduled test in their PMA class. According to J, the cadets in the other companies had to take it and most of them failed. Unfortunately for J, he failed also 😟- his first. But it's ok because he said his PMA instructor talked to them individually and J just missed one small thing. So next Wednesday he has to stay in to remediate that one small mistake. They did get their rooms tossed- so they'll find out tomorrow if they passed room inspections or get a Wednesday Liberty taken away. Hopefully soon they'll earn Senior Privleges too! It's a short post tonight- which may be a good thing 😎

94 days down.. 100 to go!!

💚 AJ

Days 90- 92!

Well the 3 day weekend is officially over and now we get to begin this new journey with J being a SENIOR cadet! Holy crap. Now that CTC III-16 has graduated, J's class is the new senior class- but they need to earn their senior privileges and survive this next week first. Because it's just their class at the academy, they're going to have ALL the attention on them 😳. J said each room/ quad is going to see who gets gigged the most this week... I don't know whether to laugh or feel bad! 
Anyways, J, his brother & his girlfriend got in around 1am so naturally Saturday morning we all slept in a little bit. We had breakfast, did J's laundry then went out to explore! We took them out to Lake Tahoe and the drive was AMAZING! There were walls of snow that were HIGHER than at least 7 feet! We had lunch at this delicious Mexican restaurant then walked around town and walked over to the lake. It was GORGEOUS! What was crazy is we had to walk through snow, then sand to get to the water! We drove back because it started to get super windy and the clouds and storm started to roll in. We went back home, hung out & had dinner then all watched a scary movie. Sunday we woke up to MORE SNOW! The backyard and neighborhood was covered and it was still coming down. After some coffee, J, his brother and me all went out for a nice snowy run. We got back, had food, then all took turns letting J practice his arresting techniques. After that, we hit up one the casinos, walked around one of the really big & awesome sporting stores here, then went out for ALL YOU CAN EAT SUSHI 😍🍣. We got back, played some games and drank some beer, then headed off to bed. J and I woke up around 6:45am and found out the main highway was closed AGAIN. Let me tell you, the winter storms have not been kind here. One ski resort has already had 679 inches of snow this year alone, and the 48 hour total for the summit on the highway we drive was 56 inches and counting. The rest of the gang woke up, talked about the route they were going to take, then started to get ready. They were all packed and loaded and on the road right around 10am. They hit some serious traffic since that was the highway EVERYONE was taking, but I'm so thankful J wasn't alone this time. He kept me updated on their drive and got back to the academy around 6:15pm 😳. He finished unpacking and getting ready for the week, and I just hung out with my mom. We're practically halfway y'all!! Only 77 more actual academy days!

92 days down.. 102 to go! 

💚 AJ

Days 88 & 89

3 DAY WEEKEND TIME 🎉🎉. I am so excited. It was a busy couple of days for J, but I know he enjoyed it. Thursday J had a test on domestic violence, and he passed with 97%! They had classes all day, then in the evening helped set up for CTC III-16's graduation! They shined all the brass.. Twice, set up chairs in the gym, and made sure the certificates and badges all lined up. He said he got to see his senior cadet's badge and thought it was awesome. We talked a little more, then J went to bed. He wanted to run early- before the festivities began! Today I woke up and had to get ready for work. During that, and my shift at work, I'd sneak a peak at the academy's Facebook page and watch the videos they posted. I won't lie, I teared up a little. When J and I watched CTC II-16's graduation, we thought it was awesome and hoped J would get to be there someday. Now when we watched it- it was different. J knew some of the newly graduated officers, has spent 13 weeks at the academy already, and is almost there! Seeing the look on all of their faces when they got pinned just makes this journey so worth it. We are so close! But for now, we'll enjoy the weekend before it gets down to serious business!

CONGRATULATIONS CHP CTC III-16! You did it! Stay safe out there and know there are many people out there looking out for you & believe in you! 

89 days down.. 105 to go!

💚 AJ

Days 86 & 87- Exciting days!

These past 2 days have been super awesome at the academy! Yesterday I heard from J around 9pm. They had classes all day, then range in the afternoon and evening! J has been doing so well at the academy, I'm so proud of him. He had his vehicle code test and got 92%! He said 16 of his classmates failed that test though, yikes. In the afternoon, they went to range and had pistol qualifications. In order to pass, you had to hit the target 43/50 times at different distances with different shooting styles and J hit the target 49/50 times!!! Later that evening, they went out to the range and did some night shooting- literally just a flashlight to light the way. We didn't talk too much last night because of their late night and all the things he had to do before bed. This morning I woke up from a test from J- they were getting ready to go light the roads for the SENIOR'S CAPITOL RUN! I instantly jumped on Facebook and saw a live stream of the festivities. I went back to sleep for a little bit, then saw a news clip about the run and its tradition. It was especially emotional today considering they run to the fallen officers memorial at the Capitol building and a fellow CHP officer just passed away. J said even he got a little emotional as the seniors ran past them and they all cheered. He also said it was really nice that the families out there were cheering for the juniors and saying things like "you got this cadets. Stay strong! That'll be you guys soon". Just thinking about that makes me so hopeful and excited. J only has a little over 2 months and then he graduates! Ah I can't wait. 
Anyways, I heard from J around 4pm when he sent me a picture of his face... HE GOT OC SPRAYED AND DIDN'T EVEN TELL ME! Poor J, his face was all red, and his eyes were super bloodshot. He said it sucked and his face was on fire. He had Wednesday Liberty, so he got food, then we talked after I got off work. We're super excited for this weekend- 3 DAY WEEKEND BABY! I want us all to have fun this weekend because afterwards- J is going to need to buckle down to stay on track to graduate and earn the title as seniors 👮🏽. We're almost there y'all. Stay positive! 

87 days down.. 107 to go!!

💚 AJ

Days 84 & 85

Let's talk about Sunday! Sunday was a "fun" day for the cadets... And I use that word rather loosely. Sunday, we woke up around 6am and my mom and I got ready and hit the road by about 6:30am. The drive, when the roads are clear and the weather cooperates, was BEAUTIFUL! We got back home right around 2 hours later, and just relaxed until I had to head into work at 1pm. J went for a run when we left, packed up all his bags and got ready, then his roommate picked him up and they reported back to the academy. They had to report at 12:30pm so they could get... Wait for it..... TEAR GASSED at 1pm! 😳. He said when A company came back from theirs that they all said it was horrible AND they took volunteers to get shot at by rubber bullets. Naturally, J said he'd volunteer. When he was done, he said it was the worst thing he's ever experienced in his life! He felt like he couldn't breathe, and that it felt like he was drowning in fire 😬. J did say that being shot at with the rubber bullets didn't hurt as bad as he thought- especially since they were hit in the back of the leg. He does have a nice welt/ bruise to prove it haha. 

J passed out really early Sunday night, which was good since I know he doesn't get a whole of sleep while he's there. Monday morning I woke up to my daily text from J, and feeling a little stuffy. I went for a run, relaxed then picked up my mom from work and we worked out in the garage. I heard from J around 7pm or so and we chatted on the phone. His day was pretty stress free- for now. The seniors are graduating on Friday, so it'll just be CTC IV-16 at the academy for 2 weeks, so they're expecting the staff officers to be ALL OVER them. I can't believe in one week J and his class will have the opportunity to earn the title of seniors! It feels like just yesterday they reported! Anyways, like I said, their day was pretty stress free. Their PT session wasn't their usual- they had a sort of testing- jumping over walls, etc. Then they had classes on victomology and domestic violence. While I was talking to J, he was shining his brass and boots. He finished everything he needed to do and decided to go to bed early again. I can't blame him- any opportunity to get more sleep, I'd take it too! I can't wait for this 3 day weekend soon! 

85 days down.. 109 to go!! 

💚 AJ