Snow Day!!

It snowed this afternoon! In Nacogdoches! In December! Obviously, it didn't snow hard enough to stick and we didn't get to really touch any other than what hit us in the head. But I still wanted Marley to be out there enjoying it. She had actually just woken up from a nap. I spent a little time hanging out in bed with her and then we casually walked into the living room. But as soon as I looked out the window and saw the snow, it was a mad dash to get ourselves dressed and out the door. I had no idea how long it would last and I did not want to miss it! So, I might have accidentally knocked Marley over and she might have bumped her head on the dresser, but hey, we were in a hurry to get to the snow! I really could not get her smile at all when we first got out there. It wasn't until Joel came out and started kicking the ball around with her that she started to enjoy herself. I was trying so hard to get a picture of her smiling to send to Asa, and the only way we could get her to smile was to throw the ball at her. (I'm just realizing how rough this story sounds...) But, I got some pretty good ones.She was really curious about it once she realized it was there. She was pointing at it and trying to get Pompey's attention to show him.
Her hands were little icicles though. There was no way I could get to keep gloves on, so we took breaks and went inside to warm up. But, Emily and I also taught her how to put her hands in her pockets to warm herself up. Doesn't she look so big?!

Asa Update

I just got a letter from Asa and he sounds like he is doing much better. Here are a few excerpts from his letter.

"There is a guy here that I swear looks like John Travolta! Like a twin! Last night he started doing sit-ups in his sleep (I was on fire duty) and when I walked over he said 'Dude! I can't f***ing do it!!'"

"We just finished the team building course. It was hard but fun! There are 6 sections. Each platoon broke down into four groups and went against each other. The stations were mostly walls and poles in the ground but you're only allowed to touch things that are painted black. They give you a certain size ropes, boards, and boxes and you have to get you whole team (and a "casualty") across the arena. But you're not allowed to touch the ground on any section. We broke boards and threw people from wall to wall. It was great! You can look up videos on the internet... just look up team building course. "

"When we got back to the bay we found some MRE desserts in the trash. We ate red hots, peanut butter and jelly (no bread or crackers), cheese, jalepeno, apple cider, and orange drink. We all had a good time sharing it. Kinda like the beers on the roof in Shawshank Redemption."

"I think it's official Exodus starts on the 18th! So you need to be ready to pick me up that Friday. I will be able to call you in time for you to leave and beat me there. We have a countdown hanging in the barracks!"

So, I am ecstatic that he is doing better. I knew he would be, I just hoped it would happen sooner rather than later.

Eating with Spoons and Forks

Marley is loving eating with a spoon and fork now. I love her being able to do it, except for the fact that it gets everywhere. But you can tell from the video how happy it makes her to be able to do it herself!

This also debuts her new trick: showing me her teeth. That is my new way to get her to smile for a picture. Asa wants me to send a picture with every letter now, so I am trying to get as many smiles as I can out of her!

Seriously?

Asa got the letters I sent, but there need to be a few changes. You can only write in black ink, and the "3" on the back needs to have a circle around it. He had to do a bunch of push-ups for everything that was messed up!

The letters I got yesterday broke my heart. He sounded like he was depressed and really having a hard time being away from us. But he sounds a little more upbeat in his letter today. He got my letters and a letter from his mom and uncle, so that probably perked him up a little bit. They are also going on an overnight "ruck" that he said he was excited about. And he will also get a chance to call home sometime soon, to make sure we know when to pick him up at the airport.

The bad news is that the Drill Sargent told them that it is very likely that they will get deployed to Afghanistan right out of training because of Obama's recent announcement. It makes my stomach hurt to think about it. I really didn't expect it to happen right away, but I guess that is what we signed up for. Never knowing what could happen. It would break my heart, but we are strong enough to make it if it did happen.

I can already tell how much Asa is changing. He seems so mature in his letters and he misses Marley terribly. In his letters I got yesterday, he was trying to decide if he should change his MOS, because some of the other recruits are telling him it is extremely dangerous. He has also heard from a few people that he can change his MOS after training is over. I tried to research on the internet if that was true, but I couldn't really figure it out. But in this letter, he sounds a little more upbeat and says that if he can't change his MOS, then he will be the best combat engineer. I don't know what to think about that since everyone told us before he left that he was more of a support person, not on the front lines. So, when I wrote him back I told him that he should wait until he figures out more from the Drill Sargents. The other recruits don't know anymore than he does, so they could just all be feeding each other lies. It sounds like he has a reasonably nice Drill Sargent, and he said that they are not nearly as hard on them as he has seen other Drill Sargents being.

He also said that he wants to spend every second with us that he can when he gets home for Christmas. I cannot wait to see him, hug him, and and laugh with him.

Ok, new address people

Pvt Vermeulen, Asa J.
3rd Plt, Renegades
A Co, 35th Engr Bn
Fort Leonard Wood, MO 65473

And you need to write a big number "3" on the back of the envelope. I have no idea if the letters I have sent with the old address are going to get to him... I guess I will find out soon!

Christmas Tree Shopping

On Monday night, we picked out our Christmas tree! Joel told us that it usually takes him about an hour to pick out which one he wants, but he actually found it within 10 minutes! It was freezing cold, so I was excited! It really is a great tree... Joel has put it up now, but we have yet to decorate it. It feels so weird to be getting ready for Christmas without Asa. I hope he is excited about Christmas when he gets here. I know he doesn't have time to worry about it right now, but maybe he can get in the spirit once he gets here.