Everything Happens for a Reason

Yesterday was a hard day because Drew was not selected to be a Ranger. He had his last PT test yesterday morning but they cut him. Long story short: He did great on his two mile run, push-ups, and sit-ups. When he went to do his pull-ups, the guy was there and made eye contact so Drew started. Well, half way through, the guy told Drew he never said to start and Drew failed. Drew was devastated because he had so much invested in this Ranger experience. But Drew quickly came around and is realizing he has nothing to be ashamed of. He never quit, he pushed himself farther than he has ever gone, but it just wasn't meant to be. I am a firm believer in that everything happens for a reason even though at the time it can be difficult to see. I am still more proud than I have ever been of my husband. He is a true leader and an exceptional soldier, and I know he will serve his country proudly no matter what unit he is in. Right now Drew is in hold over until we get our new orders. We are hoping to go to an airborne unit but we have no idea right now. Drew thinks we should have our orders with our new duty station within a couple of weeks. For now, we were shocked but are getting over it. We plan to enjoy our first 4th of July as a military family. Drew will be coming up here this weekend for some much needed down time. Happy 4th of July! And thank you for your love and support.

RIP Week 3

I have to start by saying that I have never been more proud of my husband. As we get closer and closer to completing RIP, I am getting more and more emotional. This past week Drew admits that it was the hardest thing he has ever been through. The physical demand he placed on his body was like nothing he has ever done. But he made it through the week!! About 20-25 guys quit. I can't imagine pushing myself to that place of such extreme demands but Drew did it every day last week. I am not trying to sound dramatic but it kind of is. Drew sometimes will try to play it off and say it's not that big of a deal and laugh about it but sometimes he admits how grueling it really is. But he is moving right along! We cannot believe that next week.... as in a week and a half.... we will know where we will be living. We have been looking forward to knowing where we will live for six months now. We can't believe we are in our final days of training. Knowing where we will live will be the best! That is what I mean when I say I am getting more emotional. Drew and I are so eager to be together again and be a family. We have been through so much in the past 6 months and we are finally about to finish one chapter. It will still be challenging and exciting and full of unknowns, but we will be a family again with our dogs in a place we can call home. Our home. But Drew is doing great. This week will be more running, rucking, tests, and shooting but Drew is looking forward to it. He now wants this more than ever and is beginning to see that light at the end of the tunnel. And he is loving it! I have never seen him so driven and motivated. He is truly an inspiration!! I think it has been just as hot in St. Louis but he has been doing all of this in 100 degree heat!! I am just so proud I can't help it!!!Next weekend I am headed back down to Columbus for our final weekend before he graduates. We are so close!!!

RIP Week 2

We made it to the second week of RIP! The group initially started with roughly 200 soldiers and there are now about 110 going into the second week. Drew seems to think this will be the make it or break it week. Drew and I were not allowed to talk last week but I did get a few text messages. :) Drew said he had some of the hardest days of his life last week. Talk about pushing yourself physically and mentally to the limit! Oh and Happy Birthday to the Army! Today is the Army's birthday as well as Flag Day. It was nice to have an Army holiday thrown in during RIP because Drew and I were able to spend all day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday together. He normally would not have had Friday off. Drew had to report back each night but we enjoyed every minute we had of each day. Drew ate a ton, drank as many fluids as he could, and took naps. I told him I have never been more happy to see him sleep before! He knows what he is gearing up for this week so he was preparing as much as possible. Drew will be out in the field for most of the week. We again will not be able to talk but the week should go by quickly as I am headed to Richmond for work this week. The plan is for me to hopefully go back to Columbus again this weekend. We are both looking forward to that.

This weekend Drew and I were out running errands and we had one of those- can you believe this??- moments. We were over in Alabama and were laughing about how crazy life is. We have been together for five years and cannot believe how our lives have changed. But the neat part is that even as our lives change, they are changing together. If someone had told us a year ago we would be in Alabama and Georgia looking at houses and Drew would be finishing his Ranger training we would have laughed. Now we are laughing because we are here. We wouldn't change it for the world. With the love and support we have for each other we feel we can accomplish anything. We think our first choice for duty stations will be Savannah, GA. Everyone talks about how pretty it is and we have seen it repeatedly on our favorite fishing shows. That really sold us! If we don't get Savannah we would be happy with Columbus or Washington so we will have to see. Only about 2 1/2 more weeks until Drew graduates as a Ranger. This week will be a tough one but we have a tough husband, son, brother, friend, grandson, nephew, cousin... etc. He's our soldier. :)

This is from our hotel this weekend. I made him eat as much as possible because I didn't want him to get too skinny. I am sure he loves having a dietitian as a wife because I brief him on what foods to eat, avoid, eat more of... but I think at this point Drew eats any food they put in front of him!

RIP: Week 1

This week marks the first week of RIP for Drew. This is a new experience for me because I am used to Drew going through these different phases seeing no other option but completing the training. However, this is a little different. Just because Drew is in RIP doesn't mean that he has a guaranteed spot at the graduation ceremony. He has to make it through the various tests and be selected. This weekend Drew and I decided to take it one week at a time and, even more so, one day at a time. (But you know me- I am a firm believer he will be at the graduation in 4 weeks!) We are not sure yet if we will be able to talk this week or not. But once again, I am getting more and more flexible. I didn't find out I would be seeing Drew this past weekend until Friday at 6pm. I'm learning to just go with the flow. I think this coming weekend I will be heading down to Ft. Benning. He will likely have morning and evening check-ins but at least we can see each other during the day. At this point, Drew and I appreciate every moment we spend together.
This weekend was relaxing. We did not do much because we knew how much Drew has ahead of him. I have never seen Drew more focused and driven. The way he talks about it, I see him thinking about it, he's reading about it... it is his main goal right now. I am sooo proud of him. I think I told him that a dozen times this weekend. It's neat because when I tell him how proud I am of him, he tells me how proud he is of me. We are definitely in this together. The more Drew learns about Rangers the more they talk about their wives and family. Rangers understand how important it is for these men to have the complete love and support of their wives and family at home. Drew always tells me how lucky he is to have such strong love and support at home. He says it lets him focus solely on the task at hand. That's what I like to hear! Thank you to each and every one of you for your love and support. We couldn't do it without you.

RIP Time

We've made it to the last phase of Drew's training but it will also be the most grueling. The Ranger Indoctrination Program (RIP) weeds out those that are not mentally or physically tough enough to be an Airborne Ranger in the United States Army. It finally hit Drew when he realized he could be a Ranger by the 4th of July. It gives a whole new meaning to Independence Day. This weekend Drew was anxious to get going but today when I talked to him he was nothing but excited. He realized what a big deal it was to volunteer for this elite group and he really wants to be selected. I am a little bias but I think Drew is the model Ranger. From his outlook on the military to his strength and mental toughness they would be silly not to select him. We are just praying for him to stay healthy and strong. But he will. :)
So this is it! If (Drew is superstitious so I'm not allowed to say WHEN he makes it I have to say if) Drew makes it through we will be learning of our duty station within the coming weeks. We are either staying at Benning, headed to Tacoma, WA or Savannah, GA. All locations are great and have plenty of fun things to do for the outdoor enthusiast. (Yep- that's us!) Drew got a little anxious when the rest of his close friends headed home for their 10 day leave and were moving to their duty station. But we will be there soon enough! And now that Drew is at RIP he wouldn't have it any other way. He is in hold over this week and officially begins on Friday. It is a little different than airborne hold over because they are already getting smoked and guys are already dropping out. I've read over 100 will drop out or be kicked out before this is over. I have no doubt in my mind about Drew's success. This is what we signed up for!! Drew has his first PT test tomorrow so it's starting... I'll keep you posted.