When Peter first told me that he was going to join the Air Force it kind of freaked me out. I had this underlining fear that BMT would change him. That he wouldn't be the man I fell in love with. I learned through several resources very quickly that after BMT they're the same guys. It's still them, just a more disciplined version.
I knew early on that that was something that I didn't need to fear. But it was still something that was in the very back of my mind leading up to him leaving and then going to see him at the end of BMT. I thought, as intense as the training in the last 8 1/2 weeks were what effect did that have on him. You don't come out of an experience like that not changed.
When I finally did see him and get to spend some time with him, it was easy to see that he was Peter. It was totally him (with the addition of him now eating hamburgers). He told me, that the way they explained it to them was that, they took who they were and refined all the best parts. And as I get spend more time with him (on the phone) I am seeing how true that it. I get to see all the improvements to who he is. He is still totally 100% Peter...but he's a better Peter.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Friday, January 21, 2011
BMT Graduation/The Proposal
Going to his AF BMT Graduation was an amazing experience. It was exhausting and an extremely emotion weekend. But completely worth it. We were at the Airman's Run at 8 am on the Thursday. It was the first time we saw the graduating airmen. Unfortunately we could not spot Peter. They all looked alike with their buzz hair cuts. But he saw us, with our signs.
The Coin Ceremony was at 11am. They all marched in and lined up. We knew which group was Peter's, but we still couldn't spot him. There was a ceremony, people talked, the coins were handed out. I was on the ground (with my camera) waiting for them to let everyone find their Airmen. After recognition was made of the Airmen people would applaud and applaud and applaud. I could barely stand still and kept thinking "people quite clapping. The sooner you stop the sooner we can get to our men/women." They FINALLY let everybody go and I made a beeline to where his flight was lined up. They had to stand at attention until their families found them. I looked at the row of men lined up, trying to pick Peter out of it. I was focusing on the two front rows and couldn't find him. And then I saw him, on the back row. I knew it was him the instant I saw him. And darted towards him. I went between the 2-3 rows in front of him. I might have shoved someone...but I didn't notice. I got to him and we locked each other into a big hug. I didn't really want to ever have to let him go. Remember when I said that pretty much all of BMT sucked? Well it did, the first moment that it stopped sucking was in his arms at the coin ceremony.
The next morning was the actual graduation ceremony. It was awesome. I had never been to a military ceremony before and found it to be fascinating. They finally let us go find our Airman. We knew where they were, and as we weaved through the people I saw him. But people were between me and him and I had to duck under and around people to get to him. By that point I was standing in a sea of Airmen (all of which were a foot taller then me) and I had lost track of him. I was looking around when I saw him mom standing by him pointing at him, basically right in front of me. I hung my head in shame as I walked up to him to give him a hug. At which point he could actual break military stance and move...since we had both failed to actually touch him when we found him.
After the rest of his family found us I started to pull him toward the edge of the crowd. He stopped me, told me to wait a minutes, and pulled me back to where we had been standing. He turned to me and said something along the lines of, "I have learned a lot in the last 8 1/2 weeks. I have learned how to roll socks, make beds, and do push-ups. I have also learned that I do not want to live without you..." and then he dropped to his knee (in his blues) and held out a beautiful ring and said, "Will you marry me?" :D:D:D:D I was completely surprised about his timing...and I think I nodded. I don't think I stopped smiling for several hours. I totally was not expecting him to ask me at his graduation. A few months previous I had made fun of someone who had gotten engaged the weekend of BMT graduation. And even though later I changed my mind and thought that it would actually be pretty cool...I never told him that.
It was a wonderful weekend. But I think we were all glad when it was over. It was sad having to say goodbye again. But saying goodbye meant that he would be leaving Lackland the next day to go to Tech School. It also meant he got his phone back :)The end of the weekend meant the end of BMT and the end of the communication ban.
The Coin Ceremony was at 11am. They all marched in and lined up. We knew which group was Peter's, but we still couldn't spot him. There was a ceremony, people talked, the coins were handed out. I was on the ground (with my camera) waiting for them to let everyone find their Airmen. After recognition was made of the Airmen people would applaud and applaud and applaud. I could barely stand still and kept thinking "people quite clapping. The sooner you stop the sooner we can get to our men/women." They FINALLY let everybody go and I made a beeline to where his flight was lined up. They had to stand at attention until their families found them. I looked at the row of men lined up, trying to pick Peter out of it. I was focusing on the two front rows and couldn't find him. And then I saw him, on the back row. I knew it was him the instant I saw him. And darted towards him. I went between the 2-3 rows in front of him. I might have shoved someone...but I didn't notice. I got to him and we locked each other into a big hug. I didn't really want to ever have to let him go. Remember when I said that pretty much all of BMT sucked? Well it did, the first moment that it stopped sucking was in his arms at the coin ceremony.
The next morning was the actual graduation ceremony. It was awesome. I had never been to a military ceremony before and found it to be fascinating. They finally let us go find our Airman. We knew where they were, and as we weaved through the people I saw him. But people were between me and him and I had to duck under and around people to get to him. By that point I was standing in a sea of Airmen (all of which were a foot taller then me) and I had lost track of him. I was looking around when I saw him mom standing by him pointing at him, basically right in front of me. I hung my head in shame as I walked up to him to give him a hug. At which point he could actual break military stance and move...since we had both failed to actually touch him when we found him.
After the rest of his family found us I started to pull him toward the edge of the crowd. He stopped me, told me to wait a minutes, and pulled me back to where we had been standing. He turned to me and said something along the lines of, "I have learned a lot in the last 8 1/2 weeks. I have learned how to roll socks, make beds, and do push-ups. I have also learned that I do not want to live without you..." and then he dropped to his knee (in his blues) and held out a beautiful ring and said, "Will you marry me?" :D:D:D:D I was completely surprised about his timing...and I think I nodded. I don't think I stopped smiling for several hours. I totally was not expecting him to ask me at his graduation. A few months previous I had made fun of someone who had gotten engaged the weekend of BMT graduation. And even though later I changed my mind and thought that it would actually be pretty cool...I never told him that.
It was a wonderful weekend. But I think we were all glad when it was over. It was sad having to say goodbye again. But saying goodbye meant that he would be leaving Lackland the next day to go to Tech School. It also meant he got his phone back :)The end of the weekend meant the end of BMT and the end of the communication ban.
My Airman :)
Thursday, January 20, 2011
BMT
When you talk to other girls who have significant others in Basic you really want to be able to tell them that the first two weeks suck, but that it gets better. That it sucks less after the first two weeks. But that's not true. The whole 8 1/2 weeks suck. After the first two weeks you kind of get used to it, and get into a routine. But it never stops sucking. For me the hardest part was losing the person I shared my daily life with at the end of the day. Before he left we talked on the phone hours a day. Especially in the evenings, we would talk several hours every night.
While he was gone we spoke on the phone four times. The Sunday after he got to Lackland we spoke on the phone for 12 minutes, at Thanksgiving we spoke for 45 minutes, at Christmas for 15 minutes, and New Years for about 15 minutes. We did not speak on the phone between Thanksgiving and Christmas (4 weeks).
I wrote him a letter every single day he was gone. I believe I wrote him 58 letters. Every few days I would send him a handful of letters. Each individually enveloped, with pictures, and scented with my bodyspray.
I got two precious letters from him. The first one I received was on a day that I really missed him. God knew that I needed that letter on that day. I didn't open it for almost an hour after getting it. I was happy to see "I love you sweetheart" written on the envelope. That was all I needed. To see his handwriting to me. The rest of the letter was awesome too :) The second letter I got just said "I love you." :)
As miserable as those 8 1/2 weeks were, good things came out of them too. I was able to get to know my future mother-in-law. The one person who understood missing Peter. I was also forced to do a lot on my own. I didn't have Peter to call to get feedback on random stuff. It was a big growing experience. I feel that I have gained a great deal of confidence from those weeks. There were times when I missed him so much...all I could do was cry to God for strength to make it through the following weeks, sanity intact. God is good.
Summary: Basic Training SUCKS. The whole thing sucks. Even if you're not the person actually participating in BMT it still sucks.
While he was gone we spoke on the phone four times. The Sunday after he got to Lackland we spoke on the phone for 12 minutes, at Thanksgiving we spoke for 45 minutes, at Christmas for 15 minutes, and New Years for about 15 minutes. We did not speak on the phone between Thanksgiving and Christmas (4 weeks).
I wrote him a letter every single day he was gone. I believe I wrote him 58 letters. Every few days I would send him a handful of letters. Each individually enveloped, with pictures, and scented with my bodyspray.
I got two precious letters from him. The first one I received was on a day that I really missed him. God knew that I needed that letter on that day. I didn't open it for almost an hour after getting it. I was happy to see "I love you sweetheart" written on the envelope. That was all I needed. To see his handwriting to me. The rest of the letter was awesome too :) The second letter I got just said "I love you." :)
As miserable as those 8 1/2 weeks were, good things came out of them too. I was able to get to know my future mother-in-law. The one person who understood missing Peter. I was also forced to do a lot on my own. I didn't have Peter to call to get feedback on random stuff. It was a big growing experience. I feel that I have gained a great deal of confidence from those weeks. There were times when I missed him so much...all I could do was cry to God for strength to make it through the following weeks, sanity intact. God is good.
Summary: Basic Training SUCKS. The whole thing sucks. Even if you're not the person actually participating in BMT it still sucks.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
How it all Started
It was one year ago when Peter first told me that he was joining the Air Force. I have to be honest when I say that when he first told me I cried. I knew that him joining the Air Force opened up a whole new world of challenges and that scared me. In February he took the ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) and officially enlisted. From there is was a waiting game until the job he wanted became available. We found out in July that his job became available and his leave date for BMT (Basic Military Training) was November 9th. And yes, I cried that day. The next few months he spent preparing to leave and wrapping up his current life. In October he spent a couple weeks with me and then went home and moved in with his parents for the last few weeks before leaving.
November came quickly and I took a week off from school to spend the last few days with him before he left. Those were some really hard days. LOTS of tears. Watching him leave with his dad, when his dad took him to MEPS, was incredibly heartbreaking. We knew that him joining the Air Force was 100% the right thing to do. We both knew that it was what God was calling him to do. But having to let him go, handing him over to the military was miserable. That day, as scary as it was I had to trust God that He would protect Peter in the next 8 1/2 weeks.
November came quickly and I took a week off from school to spend the last few days with him before he left. Those were some really hard days. LOTS of tears. Watching him leave with his dad, when his dad took him to MEPS, was incredibly heartbreaking. We knew that him joining the Air Force was 100% the right thing to do. We both knew that it was what God was calling him to do. But having to let him go, handing him over to the military was miserable. That day, as scary as it was I had to trust God that He would protect Peter in the next 8 1/2 weeks.
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