Getting Ready...

This will be a constant thread throughout here for the next several months as Stephanie prepares to get ready for BMT (Basic Military Training).

Stephanie told me that she had a specific goal that she wants to accomplish while she is in BMT. There are three levels in the AF that a recruit can graduate as concerning physical accomplishment while in BMT. You have your bare minimum required to graduate, then the next level is Thunderbolt which is Honor Grad level accomplishment, then there is Warhawk which is the cream of the crop as far as physical standards are while in BMT. Guess what she picked...yep Warhawk. I told her if that's what she wants, then by george, I'm going to try and help her reach that goal.

01 Oct 12 we started a workout regiment together to help her reach her goal. The requirement to just graduate BMT is a 1.5 mile run in 14:27, 27 push-ups in 1 minute, 50 sit-ups in 1 minute and 0 pull-ups. The first thing I did was test her where she is at with all the requirements, and we are using this as a baseline. Glad to say that she was only 30 seconds off the run and only 2 off the push-up requirements. We have a little work to do in the sit-ups.

Instead of just trying to motivate her from the sidelines, I am doing the exercises with her except for the sit-ups and run. Since my knees and back are bad, I use a pull-up bar and pull my knees up to do my style of sit-up. The run, I can't help with though. I just have to motivate her from the sideline.

Every Monday, she will be testing again with where she is at, and she will be able to see the improvements that way. We have 14 weeks until the beginning of the year which is when she is estimated to ship to BMT. I will keep this posted every week with her results from each test for everyone to follow in her progression.

On the other side of getting ready here back at home, we are having to get finances lined up, making sure we get items she will need in BMT to make it a little easier, and also trying to get the girls acclimated with daddy taking care of everything. From dinner, picking out clothes, laundry all that good stuff that we will have to pick up and do around the house. I spoke with Skylar and she knows that she will have to step up and be the big sister and help me with Kaylee, my youngest one.

As I learned being a son of a dad that was in the AF, everyone has to pull together and do their part while the military spouse is away on training or deployment. It's part of being a military dependent. Most folks don't realize, but when one parent is in the military, the whole family is in the military. Not only is it hard on the military member, but it is hard on the family as well.

Hard for the military member in the sense that, while they are away getting trained or deployed defending our freedoms, they are thinking of us back at home but yet they have to continue to do their duty. Hard in the family, because our loved one is away serving defending our freedoms or being trained to do so, we still have daily lives to continue. As a military family, you push through these hard times in true military fashion and you. Come out stronger in the end for it. Much like we will as a whole come out stronger, after being separated from a wife/mom for 6 months while she is away being trained to help defend this great nation of ours. It will be hard to see and realize in the beginning, but in the end we will have all survived and realize it was worth it.