Safe and Settled

I'm safe and settled! It was about an 8 1/2 hour drive but the weather was great and made for a pretty drive. And Drew called me at the beginning of my trip and near the end! I was so surprised! He wanted to make sure I was on my way and everything was going well. Always a husband! So cute! :) They were not supposed to have phone privileges but he told his drill sergeant his wife was moving and he wanted to check in. So he was able to call!! I love when he calls! He said he had a great time on his 7 day field training exercise. I knew he would love being out there. He said he ran the operations along with the platoon guide and had a blast. Now he is spending his time cleaning everything. He said they put in movies and stay up all night cleaning guns that have been cleaned four times already. They are having fun though. He cannot wait for graduation! He is excited to move on to the next stage in his training- airborne! He thought he would get his phone today but it doesn't look like it. Maybe tomorrow. But we see each other on Thursday!! His parents, Jeannie and Bill, and my Dad are coming down for family day and graduation. My mom really wants to come but has to save her vacation time for the big wedding in four weeks!!!! (FYI my sister's wedding in Kansas City!!) Can't wait! Here are a few pictures of the condo. It met all expectations and I love it! The area is so nice, fun and pretty! Today I spent time exploring the neighborhood, looking at Piedmont Park which is gorgeous, and checking out the local grocery store. I think I am going to go to Ft. Benning tomorrow to stock up using the military discount. :) Next stop: graduation!


Here is the grill area which is right outside of the gym. Drew cannot wait to grill. You can also see the pool in the background.



Here's the bedroom. Everything is decorated really nicely and I feel quite comfortable here.



This is the family room area. The balcony is off to the right of this room.



We also have a heated lap pool, full gym, weight room, locker rooms and saunas. I'm not a big sauna person but Drew will definitley be using that!

Atlanta Here I Come

So I have made it through my sister Sarah's bachelorette weekend, a 25 page paper on Sunday, and four-ten hour work days to make it to now. I am moving tomorrow! I honestly don't think I realize it. Maybe I am just too delirious to know what's going on! I am sooo excited but I really can't believe it. This is the first real big step I have taken as an Army wife. I am moving to join my husband in another state. I'm sorry but how romantic!?! The only thing I am not looking forward to is leaving the dogs. But they are in good hands with Grandma and Grandpa Brophy. And it's only temporary! Drew and I always talk about how excited we are to bring our family together again with each other and our dogs. We are going to see each other on a routine basis! I really can't believe it. It didn't hit me how long it has been until one of the girls I work with looked at me and said "You have only seen your husband for 36 hours in the past 3 1/2 months." That's the first time I really realized, yep- 36 hours in 3 1/2 months. Not that I don't miss him like crazy but geez! We can now see each other every weekend. And in only one week from today we will be with him for Family Day and Graduation!! Oh we have so much to look forward to! I will be sure to post pictures when I get settled. Atlanta here I come! It is supposed to be 85 and sunny this weekend so if you can't find me check the pool area. :)

The Plan

As many of you know, I am headed to Atlanta, GA on Friday, April 24th. So soon! I will continue working for the same company just out of our Atlanta office. That is the easy part. Trying to keep up with Drew's training is the hard part! It can be kind of confusing especially because the Army abbreviates everything. I now find myself rattling off these abbreviations, and I have to admit I am beginning to impress myself. :) So here is the plan for as much as we can plan. Drew has his Turning Blue ceremony on April 30th where he earns his coveted Infantry blue cord. He then graduates from Basic Training and Advanced Individual Training (AIT) on Friday May 1st. He will then officially be a United States Army Infantryman. Immediately after graduation he is going to Airborne school which is roughly 3 weeks long. We are excited for this because we will get to see each other every weekend and Drew gets to wear civilian clothes and use his cell phone! Oh the things you begin to appreciate! After graduating Airborne school he will immediately be picked up to go to the Ranger Indoctrination Program (RIP). This is essentially tryouts for Ranger. At the end of RIP, which is roughly 3 weeks, he will be attached to his Ranger batallion and we will receive our first duty station. With the duty station assignment comes our first big move. We will likely come home, pack up all of our stuff, including Mack and Jake, and head off to Drew's first location. Drew will eventually go to Ranger School which is 2 1/2 months long and is extremely grueling but that could be anywhere from 3-12 months after RIP. So we will just have to see. Hope this makes sense and helps clear things up. It's now as clear as mud right? :)

Welcome!

I can honestly say I never thought I would be blogging about Drew being in the military. I am now an Army wife! Drew and I are now a military family! So many exciting changes have happened so quickly! At first I thought I could get away with just emailing the family and keeping them updated, but many have suggested blogging. That way no one feels obligated to respond and you can find out what Drew and I are up to on your own time. This is such an exciting time for us and it has been the neatest experience watching my husband go from civilian to soldier. Two weeks ago we had our 36 hour pass where we were able to see each other after 2 1/2 months. It's funny because you imagine and fantasize for so long what it will be like when you see your husband after 2 1/2 months and it was nothing like I expected. It was completely normal! And it was so perfect and romantic that it was completely normal. When Drew and I laid eyes on each other it was as if I had just seen him that morning. I sat in my car as it was raining sideways and lightning and I saw Drew standing there and thought there's my husband! Hopefully the weather will be better at his graduation! But it was the best feeling seeing each other and being with each other and we both felt as if no time had passed at all. We both agreed it was well worth the wait and it exceeded all expectations. I can't explain it! But from here on out I will try to follow our journey as we move into military life and support Drew as he supports our country. I am so proud!




P.S. I hope you like the design of the page for now. Jeannie gave me a fun box to keep Drew's letters in and it looks exactly like this! I couldn't pass it up! :)