Busy, but good!

We have been so busy this summer and time is flying past so quickly!  We have experienced a lot in just the past 5 months of living here at Ft. Hood.   Here is a list of some of what we have been up to:

- CP was promoted to captain in July.  I had fun "punching" his new rank on (his company commander told me it was tradition for me to do whatever it took to make the rank stick). :-)  And we had a nice little reception afterwards for the soldiers who were around that afternoon.

- Our oldest two learned how to ride their bikes without training wheels - yay!!  Our neighbors across the street suggested we try what worked for their kids.... we took them to the field out back that has a slight decline.  Set them at the top and had them coast down the hill without pedaling.  Did a second time and then had them put their feet on the pedals on the way down the hill.  It worked!!!  They both just took off and that was it!  Everything clicked into place!  They had both mastered their bikes in less than 5 minutes.  Took them over to the street and they had no problems! They looked like they'd been riding bikes for years! Go figure!

- We attended the Freedom Fest for the 4th of July here on post.  Amazing event!  It was completely free (except for the food we bought, but the hot dogs were cheap!)  They had a bunch of tanks there for the kids to explore inside, bouncy houses, climbing walls, free rides for the kids, lots of food, a band came in... um, I forget the name, an Airforce flyover, a parachuter dropped in from a helicopter, they did a 50 gun salute with cannons, and of course a great fireworks show at the end.  Unfortunately CP got a call right before the fireworks started and he had to go in, but the kids and I met up with some other chaplain family friends and watched the show with them.

- We visited my brother and sister-in-law in Denver, CO.  We stopped by Colorado Springs on the way out and saw the Garden of the Gods (very cool) and Ft. Carson.  In Denver we headed up Vail mountain on a gondola, but unfortunately I got to experience the fun of altitude sickness and ended up getting pretty sick all over that mountain.  lol  Oh well!  By the next day I was recovered and we all went to see Toy Story 3 in 3D.  We also got to see a Colorado Rockies game... what a view!  It was crazy crowded there, but we had a great time.  Beautiful sunset too.  It was great to see my brother and sister-in-law... the kids did NOT want to leave!  Oh and we also drove by the Air Force Academy where my dad went so it was neat to see that.

- CP did his first death notification to a family who lost their son at war.  CP said it was really rough watching the family receive the news.  CP also did his first memorial service for a soldier who died in a car accident from our unit. :-(

- We are attending our 2nd Hail and Farewell event this evening.  The first one we went to they hailed CP and they gave me a yellow rose.  I thought that the yellow rose was a Texas thing, but it was actually a CAV tradition.  The Cav's colors are yellow and black and some units still give out yellow garters.  Ours gave yellow roses to the new wives.  Some soldiers had plenty to drink that night but I thoroughly enjoyed myself as they were hilarious! I also enjoyed hearing them share stories of the soldiers who were moving on... they definitely form a strong brotherhood bond... pretty cool.

- CP just did his first Strong Bonds marriage retreat this past weekend.  The kids and I got to go with him.  This one was down in Austin at a nice hotel.  I thought for his first one it went really well.  We were able to brainstorm some ideas together to make the next one go even better.  I think I would enjoy going through the training they offer to the chaplain spouses so that I could official co-teach with CP.  CP will be doing a retreat for his single soldiers soon and probably another marriage one in a few months.

- I participated in a Chaplain Spouse Basic Course group that met once a week.  It was hosted by the wife of the garrison Family Life Chaplain here at Ft. Hood.  She was wonderful!!  She really made us all feel truly welcome.  I really enjoyed this group so much and we are going to continue meeting through the fall!  I've also been attending the Chaplain Spouse get-togethers that are open to all the chaplain spouses stationed here.  They are SO great!  At the last one we made beaded bracelets.  At the one coming up later this month we're having a make-your-own pizza party.  The ladies in this group are so much fun!

- I attended my very first unit coffee a week ago.  Our battalion commander's wife hosted it at her home. I had a good time meeting some other wives from our unit.  I even volunteered to be the hostess for the September coffee!

- We've been having a great time hanging out with other chaplain families.  A few weeks ago we went to dinner at another chaplain's house.  A third chaplain family came too.  The host was CP's "battle buddy" during CHBOLC.  It was great to meet his wife and kids and to see the J family again as well.  We had fun chatting about all their new experiences so far in their different units here at Ft. Hood. We also went out to dinner with another chaplain family and another chaplain spouse (her husband was away at training).  And another time we all went to the pool together (except CP because he had to man the crisis phone that day).  It has been great making these new friendships!

- CP went to JRTC twice, which he already blogged about.  Soon he will be going out to the field here on post for more field training stuff.  Gunnery is one term they keep tossing around, but I have yet to figure out what it means exactly.  I assume guns are involved.  ;-)  CP will be joining them on the weekends to counsel soldiers and do field services.

- CP still does not have a chaplain's assistant.  He is the only chaplain out of the 9 new chaplains that came from Ft. Jackson that doesn't have an assistant yet, so this is a little unusual.  He should have one in October at the latest, maybe sooner.

- CP does have a hummer to drive around, but he doesn't have his license to drive it yet nor does he know how to read the unmarked maps to get to places.  So he doesn't use his hummer yet.  Apparently if you use it, you also have to maintain it and CP doesn't know anything about that either, so he is waiting for his chaplain's assistant to help him out with that.  I just find all of that rather amusing. :-)

- We haven't quite settled on a new church home.  There is one off post that we both like, but I wish it wasn't off post.  It is 15 to 20 minutes away.  We miss our old church back home.  They are our family.  In related news, it looks like our kids might get to be involved with AWANA this year.  They are starting a new AWANA program on post and I am hoping it will work out for us to be involved.

- The kids and I have spent the last month living at the pool in the mornings as 3 out of 4 of them participated in swim lessons.  Our daughter is water safe now which is great and our 6 yr. old son is much more confident (maybe too confident) in the water and even taught himself how to dive and flip off the diving board.  They both passed their Red Cross swim levels.  I am glad the lessons are over with though -- they have kept us very busy!

- It is very hot here.  I don't mind the heat too much, but whew!  It is supposed to be 105 later this week. It has been over 100 for several weeks now pretty much.  I can't imagine having to wear the army uniform and wool beret in this heat!

- We continue to enjoy the friendly community aspects of living here on post and especially on our little cul-de-sac.  Lately it has been sooo hot even in the evenings that the kids haven't been out as much.  We have dog sat for two different families and also got to keep our friend's kitten while they were on leave.  Our kids have really enjoyed this!  We also got to babysit for an adorable little 3 month old boy who lives 2 doors down while his parents went to their brigade ball!  It was SOO fun to have a wee one in the house again!  A couple weeks ago we went to another birthday party for another little boy on our block.  This time the party was held at a place called Wazoos.  It was a big building filled with huge bouncy houses.  So much fun!

- Living on post does have several advantages... one of them is that when something goes wrong with the house, I just make a call and usually someone comes out to fix it!  We've had some plumbing issues, but all were resolved within 24 hours.  Other problems that were less pressing were fixed in a few weeks.  We just got a new dishwasher installed.  Had to wait a while for that though.  But still, it is very nice just to be able to make a call!

- The kids and I are just about ready to begin school again.  Now that swim lessons are over I think we can get started.  3rd grade, 1st grade and preschool this year!  Latin, chemistry, and violin are the new subjects we're adding in for our 3rd grader.  It will definitely keep us busy, but it looks to be a very fun year!

Well, that's a pretty good sum of what we've been up to lately.  CP can add more on what he's been experiencing on a more day-to-day basis as a battalion chaplain of a Cav unit.  My sum of what he's been doing... going to PT in the mornings (he is doing GREAT at PT), going to lots of meetings and briefings (sometimes they rehearse their meetings beforehand), counseling soldiers one-on-one or with couples that come to see him, and going to a lot of chaplain-specific meetings and trainings.   Also, last week his unit dedicated their building to the soldiers who were killed during the last deployment.  CP did the prayers at the beginning and end of the service.  Our daughter and I attended the service as well.  CP did a wonderful job.

Oh and coming up this fall I get to do a Spouse's Spur Ride!  Not sure what all is involved, but I should be nice and sore by the end of it! :-)

Life so far

It is hard to think of what to write and to be able summarize the past two months. It was a drastic change in life to go from church life to CH-BOLC and it has been a bigger switch to go from CH-BOLC to battalion chaplain. It is like to being thrown into the deep end of the pool and only knowing enough to keep floating but not able to get to the side of the pool.

Life as a chaplain is harder than life as a pastor for me. Maybe I felt overwhelmed at all I needed to know and what I faced when I started in pastor world but that is not the memory I carry with me today. Being an army chaplain is much like being a solo pastor of a church of 650 but you have no ministry staff or office staff, you are it! On top of this, you are in a culture that you are not used to. It is an unreached culture with different language, customs, expectations and morals. This is my church. The potential is amazing!

A few weeks ago I returned from JRTC (Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana). While at JRTC I slept in the fields with the other troops. The conditions were not the best to say the least - it was hot and humid. It even rained a bunch and we had nothing to protect us from the elements (tents are luxuries we did not have). At one of the sites I was offered to sleep in an air-conditioned area. After two nights sleeping outside and getting soaked by the rain I wanted to take them up on the offer. The problem was my troops were sleeping outside. So I turned the offer down. This opened up more conversations with the other troops because I chose to be with them.  Later we were about to start a rucksack march and I was offered to ride in the truck. Problem was, the troops were going to ruck their 60lb. gear. So I chose to ruck with them with my gear. This got a cheer from group and in the end opened up more conversations.

As a chaplain I have a unique opportunity to build relationships with my troops.  Part of that process will involve making sacrifices (of comforts and other things) to earn my troop's respect.

Graduation, the Big Trip, and Home Sweet Home

Graduation was held on a Friday from 2:30-3:30pm (I still haven't learned military time).  It was held indoors with bleacher seating for the families.  Friends and family were welcome to attend the ceremony.  CP's parents came down as well as my parents who brought with them our youngest 2 boys since they had kept them for us during the spouse's seminar.  It was nice to have help with the kids during the ceremony!

The ceremony itself was nice... on schedule and to the point.  The Chief of Chaplains was the guest speaker.  He did a great job of encouraging the new chaplains in the work that lies ahead.  Each platoon took their turn singing their song and then turned and filed out of their chairs and up on to the stage to receive their diplomas.

Here is CP receiving his diploma from the commandant of the school and the Chief of Chaplains is standing just behind the commandant:

And here is a shot of CP having received his diploma and coming back to his seat.  I love this picture!

It was a great day and I was so proud of CP!  It was especially nice having our parents there to witness his graduation and celebrate with us!  (And especially nice for me to have several extra sets of hands and eyes to help with our kids in the bleachers!)

After the ceremony, CP's parents headed back home and mine took our car and started the drive to Texas.  They stopped to visit family along the way and arrived on Monday.  We loaded up our van and headed out of Ft. Jackson on Saturday morning and plowed our way to Mississippi, stayed in a hotel that night, and drove the rest of the way on Sunday.  We arrived at Ft. Hood around 5pm that night.  We were exhausted but happy to have the drive over with!  

We checked into an on-post hotel that we'd made reservations for.  It was very nice!  2 bedroom suite... it was HUGE.  Big dining room, laundry room, big living room, 2 bedrooms, kitchen, fancy furniture and plush carpeting.  We were prepared to settled in for a 2 to 3 month wait in this place.  But on Monday morning we went over to the housing office.  The lady we met with "thought" there was a 4 bedroom home available, but she needed to confirm that with the neighborhood's community office.  They didn't answer the phone so she left a message.  We waited all day Monday to hear back, but didn't get a call.  So Tuesday we went back over to housing first thing in the morning and met with another person.  He also called the community office and got ahold of someone.  They confirmed that the house was indeed available and arranged to have us come over that afternoon to take a look at it!!  So that afternoon we got the grand tour of the home... the housing people were wonderful to work with... patiently answering our questions and very professional.  Loved them!  The house looked great to us so we accepted it and signed all the papers!  Then we headed over to the transportation office to arrange for our household goods to be delivered.  They set the date for that Friday - just 3 days away!  Yay!  So we went from expecting to live in a hotel for a few months to suddenly having a home and all our stuff back in a matter of days!!

So the movers came that Friday morning and were done in about 4.5 hours.  Everything was accounted for and nothing was damaged except for 2 plastic rubbermaid storage tubs.  No big deal!  Yay!!  This move was really a breeze on both ends.  We had great packers and great movers!  

This past weekend we unpacked boxes like crazy!  Now it is Wednesday and we're just about done!  Still have to tackle a few boxes left in the garage and we still have some more boxes to break down before they will come and pick them up.  Then we need to get stuff up on the walls.  We bought a lawn mower last night.  The house has all tile flooring downstairs so we need to get some area rugs and/or a carpet remnant.  My feet are killing me by the day's end from standing on the hard tile floor all day!  The carpeting upstairs in the house is nice though!

Today is our 9th anniversary... crazy to think that a year ago today CP was in surgery for his hernia!  That seems like a long time ago!  Happy anniversary darling!  I love you!  

Spouse's Seminar and Banquet

Last week... which at the moment feels like a lifetime ago... was a wonderful experience at the Spouse's Seminar and the class banquet.

The seminar lasted for 3 days... Tuesday-Thursday.  Tuesday was all day, Wednesday and Thursday were half-days.  It was a well thought out seminar... lots of attention to details and planning had gone into the event to make it a successful experience for the attendees.  They had a continental breakfast each morning of fresh fruit, breakfast bars, bagels, pastries, juice, coffee and water.  We had probably about 50 or so spouse's that attended?  I'm just guessing at that number.  The seminar consisted mostly of presentations on various topics including TRICARE, moving, military customs, deployment issues, and so forth.  Lunch was provided each day as well and was delicious!  Lunch was also a nice time to meet other spouse's and ask questions.  The last day there was a panel of army spouses who graciously answered questions from the group.

On Wednesday evening we attended our first military banquet!  Wives could wear semi or formal wear and I went with a little black dress.  Many women opted for long, formal gowns though.  The chaplains and candidates were in their formal dress uniforms.  The evening began with a mingling time and an opportunity to get a professional photo taken.  Then we all went through the receiving line.  While we were mingling, CP realized he'd forgotten his Chaplain Regimental Crest that he needed to pin on later in the evening.  It was back at the apartment.  So I had to run (well, sort of run in heels) to the car and go get the pin and hurry back.  We made it time to still go through the receiving line but we had to go through with the 3rd platoon instead of CP's 2nd platoon.  That was fine though.  After the receiving line we had to find a place to sit.  Since 2nd platoon was already seated we had to sit in whatever empty seats were left, which were with 1st platoon.  Again, no big deal.  (By the way, there is a right way to go through a receiving line and thankfully we did a mock receiving line at the spouse's seminar so we could practice!)

The banquet began with the color guard (I think that is what they are called) bringing the flags in in a very formal way, followed by the national anthem, followed by introductions, welcome, etc.. and then tables began to go through the buffet lines.  While we waited each platoon was called up to sing their class song.  That was entertaining!  When they call, they come running!  Literally running!  It made me laugh to see so many people just jump up and run to the center of the room!  They are also passed out some class "awards" that were fun in nature.  They also showed a video of CP doing his rap at mail call from a few weeks back!  LOL  Then later on they called CP up himself to the center of the room!  CP had received one last pink envelope from me.  Heehee.  This one had instructions for CP to open the letter and to ask one of the head cadre to read it aloud.  The cadre humored me with this, but he also called ME up to the front of the room too... which I wasn't prepared for!  So I made my way up and then he read the letter aloud to CP.  It was great fun!  I'd written a poem that was a combo of mushy gushy lovey dovey stuff and some good natured teasing.  We all had a good laugh with that.  CP has been a great sport! :-)

After the meal portion was over, the evening's guest speaker spoke.  The speaker was a chaplain who'd recently returned from deployment where he oversaw all chaplains in that area and was also the personal chaplain to the main general overseeing the operations there.  He was a great speaker... very humble and very encouraging.  He was followed by the commandant speaking who was also wonderful... this was his last chaplain banquet as he is retiring next month.  Then the color guard came back to get their flags and march them out and then the night was over!

FYI, childcare is provided throughout the seminar and the banquet.  The days are long though... especially the day of the banquet.  Our youngest 2 boys stayed with my parents instead of going to the childcare because it would have been pretty rough on them to be in childcare so long when they aren't used to that.  Our oldest 2 did attend the childcare and they really enjoyed it.  They went bowling one day and I think one group went to a local farmer's market.  The staff there were very friendly and professional.  The facility is very well organized, clean and bright.  It looked like a lot of fun for a kid.  On Tuesday they were in childcare from about 7:30am till 5pm.  On Wednesday they were in from 7:30am till 9:30pm -- yes, LONG day!  On Thursday they were there from 7:30am till about 2pm.

I definitely recommend attending the spouse's seminar if at all possible!  If you have really little ones, I'd also recommend trying to find relatives or friends at home that could keep them that week for you so that they can take naps and go to bed on time! :-)

The FOB, Pain, Expectations

Last week our class spent 4 days and 3 nights out at a Ft. Jackson FOB (Forward Operating Base). My wife called it a camping trip. Well, imagine the TV classic M.A.S.H.. We lived in tents, went in Port-a-Johns, ate MRE's and spent hour upon hour training. The training consisted of preaching off-the-cuff, simulated counseling, briefing the Commander, Memorial Service, RAMP ceremonies etc.. It was a good experience before the real thing happens. I believe the hardest thing that soldiers can face at an FOB is boredom. If they cannot go outside the FOB, missions are few and far between and then they find trouble. One of my jobs will be to occupy their minds and their time. Overall it was a good experience.

We rucksack marched on the way to the FOB and on the way back from the FOB. It was a 5.5 mile hike with your Kevlar, IBA (30-35lbs) and your rucksack (30-35lbs). On the way out we kept up a fast pace that at times was a struggle to keep up with. On the way it was still dark out and several soldiers tripped in ditches and sprained and broke stuff on their body, others experienced blisters on their feet. Over 27% of the class was not able to rucksack it back due to these injuries. Several of us who made the hike back felt that some took the easy way out by riding the bus back. Some had legit reasons, but some maybe not so much. It made my mind up about this point... If you are in this together then you suffer together. I thought about quitting myself because I had developed a large, open blister on my back from the RuckSack march to the FOB and I tweaked my middle back one day into our exercise. I learned you just don't quit because the reality is - quitting isn't an option. I doped myself up on Motrin and just did it.

I was recently asked if the Army is what I expected it to be. My answer -- I had no idea what to expect. Sure I could read about it on paper but until you live and breathe it then you truly have no idea. But I am pretty sure if I was given a video of what life would be like day in and day out then I would have never attempted this because I would have thought it was too hard. Romans 5:3-5a really rings true more than ever before in my life:

"Let us rejoice in our sufferings because suffering produces perseverance, perseverance produces character and character hope and hope does not disappoint us."

Groundhog's Day, 6, and the Pink Poem

It would seem like everyday is much like its predecessor. I get up before the sun even thinks about coming up, do PT, and then experience power point in two 3-hour blocks. I believe the information we are getting is good, but I don't do well without application. Sure we can sit around, talk about it, and role play, but for me I need real-world application. Out of all the degrees that I have earned, the MBA was my most enjoyable. Why? Because I pastored and studied at the same time. When I would learn a concept in the book I could immediately apply it to ministry. After the application I could see the results and then wanted to learn more. All this to say... I look forward to getting to my unit at Ft. Hood.

----

The number six may haunt me for at least 6 more months. We did our APFT (Army Physical Fitness Test) this week. My goal was to score at least a 90 out of 100 on each event. I achieved my goal on sit-ups and the 2 mile run but not the push-ups. I came up 6 short. I am thinking I need to start getting into the gym again if my push-ups are to increase.  (The APFT is administered twice a year so I'll have a chance to make my goal in about 6 months or so.) On the positive side, the Army life has caused me to gain 8lbs in the past two months.

----

The infamous "pink envelope" arrived earlier this week. On the back was this little poem:

Roses are red,

Violets are blue.

How many push-ups

Can you really do?

Ummm, it seems my wife did not know that the APFT was going to happen later that same week and I was shown grace by the head cadre by only having to do 25. Oh, he also asked me if my wife was going to attend the spouse's seminar the last week of class...I think he might have something special for her.

Battle Rhythm, The Pink Envelope Rap, Experience

I never thought I would have a career that would require me to get up at 0430 but it is a way of life in the Army. You may think to yourself, "I could never be in the Army because I could never wake up that early." I used to be in the mindset as well, but I have noticed if you do something long enough it starts to become normal. My normal might be different than your normal, but it doesn't mean that my normal could not become your normal as well. Why do I say this? Looking back on my civilian life, my "normal" was in response to how I wanted to spend my day. In my military life, my "normal" is in response to how I am told to spend my day. As I have said before, I traditionally sacrificed to the level that kept me within my comfort zone. Sacrifice outside of what is comfortable can become the "norm" if it is accepted as a way of life. Now it does not mean it is easy and it does not mean that I don't complain at times, but it does mean it has become a way of life. This is good!

------

Our head cadre got up in front of the room and said, "We have a special mail call."  We had never had a "special mail" call before so this was new territory in our class. My name was called because another pink envelope had appeared. On the back of the envelope was the following:

"Darling, I know you have to do push-ups for my pink letters, but at least you don't have to sing for them!! :) (You could show them how you can rap though!)

So the head cadre wanted me to rap in front of my classmates. Sitting down in that classroom the first day I arrived, I never thought I would be in this position! My classmates were starting to get loud, partly because they were rolling on the floor laughing so hard and because they also were encouraging me to bust out my rhyme. Now I only know one rap, thanks to my time in college and thanks to a group called P.I.D. (Preachers in Disguise). I asked the cadre if they wanted me to do push-ups ahead of time but was told "just do the rap." So I did the rap -- not sure if it was done well or not -- but I did it! My classmates just kind of sat their stunned because 1) who would ever think they would allow rap in the Army, 2) who would ever think they would allow rap at a Chaplain school in the Army, and 3) who would ever think a pasty white boy chaplain would ever be allowed to rap in the Chaplain school in the Army. My classmates were very gracious in clapping for me and my new name is now "Slim Shady" (see pic).  And yes, I was dropped for push-ups afterwards.

------

I am very excited about an upcoming experience. I actually get to perform a role as a Chaplain outside of the classroom. I will be preaching to 300-400 soldiers.  For many of them this will be their first chapel experience. I don't mind preaching, but I've never wanted to do it every week.  If given the choice, I'd much rather just hang out with them instead of preach to them.  But at the same time, this is an incredible opportunity. As many people know the 18-22 population is a dying demographic in American churches. Jesus is more popular, but the church is not. I believe that over 75% of the soldiers in this age range have never been to church. And I get to speak to them! If you read this, pray for them and pray for me. I don't want to blow this opportunity. If they have a good experience, then they will be more open to chapel and to their chaplain once they get to base. If you ever wondered why I chose to the leave a great job in the church to become an Army Chaplain, you now have your answer.