CHP Academy Days 81-85/187, Week 13!

Sorry, once again I slacked off and missed a whole bunch of days.  Thursday, it was too late to write by the time that movie night was over.  We watched Paranormal Activity 2.  We spent most of the movie hiding behind our blankets.  After the movie- to help us forget what we watched- we watched an episode of Saved by the Bell...we went all old school. Then we watched some Dave Barnes videos on YouTube. Super funny!  You gotta love that guy!  Movie night was not over until 1 am!

On Thursday, Brian's company got in trouble, so bye-bye Wednesday liberty.  Again, it had nothing to do with Brian.  We thought it might be this Wednesday, which would have been a bummer! Brian's class was reminded, again, that they are the worst class ever!  That they are on their way to never obtaining senior status and things will never get easier.  So that was his Thursday.

Friday A and H had a jog-a-thon at school.  During the morning assembly A and H got called up to the stage because they followed The Rule of the Week- listen intently.  Only A went up to the stage, H didn't hear her name called. :) I guess she was not listening intently at that moment.  Later when it was time for the kindergarteners to run, she took off before they said go... so much for the rule of the week! :)  They said it she was half way round the track before they got her to stop!  A's class was number one in the school for the amount of money brought in!  Second year in a row.  A is super excited, because now they get a pizza party and an ice cream party.  Friday at the academy was graduation day.  It was very motivating for the juniors.  Brian was on quad duty so he got to witness the wives/loved ones pinning the badges on to their officers.  Very exciting!

The weekend was just a normal weekend.  Nothing really exciting happened.  Except Brian using me as a guinea pig for the sobriety test and me getting sick. I thought I was dying.  But that is not important, and I really don't want to think about it.  Or do it ever again.  EVER. AGAIN.  So the most interesting thing to happen this weekend was...we carved pumpkins Saturday night!

M wanted a silly one with a mustache and big smile.  A wanted one that looked like a scary witch.  She was very clear on what she wanted for the teeth.  I carved those two, but I was not really sure how to pull it off.  H wanted a super scary one, that was also a vampire.  I think Brian did a pretty good job! 

Today is the first day of week 13!  I spent most of the day working on baby shower stuff.  I figured since the shower is this upcoming weekend, I should probably finish everything.  :)  The only other thing we had today was soccer practice.  Overall not a bad day.

This week Brian and his classmates are the only cadets at the academy.  They were warned about this week, "Hell Week".  Surprisingly, he said it was not that bad.  He had some good news today.  He got retested today and he is no longer on the training table!  That means, not only does he no longer have to eat the diet food, but he does not have to speed twenty minutes everyday writing down everything he eats!  Also his name was not the restricted list as of today!  So he is planning on coming home Wednesday night to see the girls in their costumes.  Things are really picking up for them at the academy.  Brian said that next week is crazy full of tests!  One test (final, really) is for a class that they started today.  This weekend should be fun! We only have a soccer tournament, baby shower, multiple tests to study for, and all the normal weekend stuff.  :)  Looking on the bright side though...this Wednesday...the day after tomorrow...is the HALF WAY POINT!!!  Oh yeah! :)

Well it is late and I have to get up early tomorrow.  I have a dentist appointment tomorrow morning for a cleaning.  BOO! :(  I am not excited.

Blessings,
~Cara

CHP Academy Day 80/187 A Very Long Day!

Wednesday started off a good day...until five minutes before we left.  The girls were upstairs getting jackets and backpacks.  I had my purse in one hand a breakfast drink in the other heading toward the door.  Then I heard a loud bang and meow/howl cry from upstairs.  A few second later A came running down the stairs freaking out yelling "Willow is bleeding!"  My first thought was that her incision on her tummy had burst open, and I was about to be doing some nasty stuff.  It turned out it was only her newly de-clawed paw.  M, who looked like she was about to cry, had stepped on it and it was bleeding a lot.  I decided I should take her back to the vet to have them take a look. 

When I picked her up last week, the woman said if we had any problems we could bring her back to get it checked out.  That there is "always someone in the office that can take a look" and they would know if the doctor was needed.  So I grabbed the cat box, wrestled her in, loaded everyone up in the car, listened to her howl all the way to the girls' school, and then howl all the way to the vet office.  Got to the office and there was no one there who could tell me if she was okay.  There was only the receptionist, who made me an appointment for later in the day.  So we turned around and drove home, Willow howling the whole way.  I ended up canceling the appointment because as soon as we got home Willow was fine.  She was running around the house and terrorizing the other pets.  So that was our excitement for the morning.

I did get to drive up to see Brian today.  I was excited because I was going to get there a little earlier than usual and we would not be out so late.  Just as I was about to get off the freeway Brian called and said he would be late.  I thought "no biggie I brought stuff I can do".  I waited two hours before Brian showed up.  Needless to say, I got really bored and I got home later than normal.  The reason Brian was late is kind of a long and boring story that had nothing really to do with him.  The end result was he was late, we were both starving, and now he has an extra liberty next Tuesday evening. 

He got to speed four hours out at the range today.  He shot the shotgun!  A lot!!  It is funny how excited he gets when he talks about shooting.  He is scheduled to go back out for another four hours tomorrow.  He also got his score back on his midterm today... he got a 94!  I guess I should probably plan a dessert for this weekend.

Well it is really late and I am pooped.  Tomorrow is another full Thursday!

Blessings,
~Cara 

CHP Academy Day 79/187 More Pumpkins

Today was not that interesting of a day.  This morning we were running late, but I got them to school on time.  H had her little shindig at school today.  It was super cute! They showed us what they had learned in sign language and about the life cycle of an apple tree.  They sang songs and showed us their art work, mostly apple stuff.  I brought H home after school, so she did not get to go to Kids Care, and she was bummed.  We pay for her to go because it is actually cheaper than the gas for me to make the extra trip, but she loves it! She never wants to stop coloring the picture she is working and leave with me.  It is always "can you go get A first, then come get me," or, my favorite, "Aaawww man".  :) 

After we picked A up from school, we stopped by a local fruit stand and the girls picked out their pumpkins.  We learned that it is a lot less stressful if you get them at the fruit stand.  Quick and easy!  I jokingly told the girls that they can only pick pumpkins that they could carry... they took me seriously.  I had to repeatedly tell them that the didn't have to carry the pumpkins!  A and H picked out normal size pumpkins, but M picked out a small dinky little thing.  It only cost a dollar!  I tried to talk her into one that was a little bigger.  I am not sure if carving tools will fit, but she would not budge.  :)  So I guess pumpkin carving is on the to-do list this weekend.  We have to wait for Brian because we make a competition out of it. :)

Brian's day was better than yesterday, but busy.  PT was not that bad.  In PMA they covered the last handcuffing technique.  In range they started learning about rifles, so that was exciting.   Tomorrow the senior class has their capital run.  Brian and his fellow junior cadets get to line up, get down on their knuckles, and encourage the seniors as they run up to the gate on their way to the capital.     

Brian has liberty tomorrow evening and I will be driving up to have dinner with him.  Besides driving up to see Brian, my day should be pretty boring.  One can only hope... :)

Blessings,
~Cara

CHP Academy Days 74-78, A Full Weekend and the End of Fall Break!

Hello all,

Today is day one of week 12!  Our weekend was full!  A had two soccer games on Saturday, then lunch with Brian's parents.  Saturday evening was spent at the pumpkin farm/ corn maze with our whole gang and the BFF's gang.  We did two of the mazes, went on the mystery tour, did the petting zoo (saw the Zonkey- half donkey, half zebra), and some of us did the haunted house.  By some of us, I mean the brave ones...the BFF, her oldest daughter, and myself. :) Don't get me wrong, we screamed like little girls, held on to each other for dear life, and there may have been some running...but we still did it. :)  Sunday, after church, was spent doing all the stuff we did not do on Saturday.  There was a lot of stuff to get done!

Today was the girls first day back to school after the Fall Break...and it was awesome!  They drove me CRAZY last week.  Today it was back to a normal schedule.  :)  M and I had a nice quiet day at home.  So nice...until nap time...when she decided to sneak into the bathroom and use toothpaste to make art on the counter.  Lovely. 

Brian had fun today...that is fun in a sarcastic way.  It started off last night with some confusion about whether or not PT and/or PMA was canceled.  To make a long story short, there was a surprise wake up call and Brian got to run in the rain.  Then after lunch, they got to have another session of PT as punishment for not having good team work.  A PT sandwich!  Yay!  The funny thing is, tomorrow morning was the only time they were scheduled for PT this week.  Now, when they go in, it will be their third PT session of the week.   His day ended with a late voluntary -not really- session of PMA.  Tomorrow he has a mid-term and he has stuff scheduled until 10 pm, so it will be another long day.

Tomorrow I was supposed to go to MOPs, but H is having a culminating event in her classroom during that time.  It is a way to show off what they have been learning, so I will be attending that instead.  :)

Well that is it, now it is time for bed.

Blessings,
~Cara 

CHP Academy Days 72 & 73/187

Hello everyone,

Yesterday for us girls was quiet.  The only excitement was picking Willow up from the vet.  That trip led me to the conclusion that IF we have to move, I am investing in kitty tranquilizers.  Willow not only howled ALL THE WAY HOME, she also relieved herself in the carrier.  Kitty usually howls and throws up every single time she travels in the carrier.  Hence the tranquilizer.  Willow is doing fine, but she is having some trouble getting use to the cone.  Every time she tries to look up while sitting, she falls backwards.  I will be honest...I laugh every time.  :)   Today was just as quiet.  M got a hold of some markers and came out of her room with rainbow arms, so that was pretty exciting.  Apparently, it did not occur to her sisters to stop her...no, they just set back and watched...probably gave her some artistic advice. :)

Brian learned how to clean his gun yesterday.  Pretty exciting.  Last night the cadets had an extra night of liberty as a reward for donating coats.  Of course, they didn't find out about it until after dinner, so we did not go up to see him.  He said he thought about driving home to surprise us, but he knew if I saw his car pulling in the drive way on a Tuesday, I would assume the worst.  He was right, I would have been freaking out! :)  So instead he went to Walmart with his roommate and then to the frozen yogurt place.  It was nice to get away from the academy for a few hours, especially since he was not sure if he would get to tonight.  He did...he went out for more frozen yogurt.

Today, Brian said the day was long.  He did get to shoot! But the day involved a lot of punishment.  Nothing targeted directly at Brian, just the group as a whole.  The PT staff is still handing out the punishment for the stuff from last week.  It didn't help that they were a minute late this morning.  Today during range, an instructor came out to tell them -very loudly with passion- that about half the class failed the tests they took yesterday.  Brian is pretty sure he passed, but does not know for sure because the scores were down by the time they got back from range.  So there was punishment for that and there was more punishment for mistakes made during range.  Sounds like a fun day! No wonder Brian went out for frozen yogurt.

Tomorrow is Thursday which means growth group in the morning!  Then I have a mini shift at the PHC.  Followed by MOVIE NIGHT!!!!!  Big day tomorrow and I need sleep. :)

Blessings,
~Cara

CHP Academy Days 66-71/187, Week 10 down, Week 11 is Up.

It has almost been a week since I wrote last.  The last week for me included: sore throat, minimum days, snotty noses, soccer, coughing, baking sugar cookies, and basically more being sick.  The last week was no fun for me.  Brian's week involved: getting his gun, getting his bullet proof vest, wrestling, and getting in trouble for fist bumping after his wrestling match.  He also received a card from a couple that was in one of our previous growth groups. (Brian led that group, it was on Romans.  He did a great job, if I do say so myself.)  It was very touching that they cared enough to remember him.  Their son is a CHP officer, so they know what Brian is going through.  Brian was very grateful for the card. 

Today, after dropping Willow off at the vet, was more fun for me.  It is Fall Break for the girls, and we went with some friends to Micke Grove Park today.  The zoo is tiny, but it was enough to entertain the girls.  They had a blast with their friend, which is special because she is moving away this weekend.  Of course, I had a blast with my friend (another previous growth group) who I will miss getting to talk to everyday.  Thank goodness for Facebook! 

Brian's day was very eventful.  It started off at 4:45 am for PT, where they were informed what their punishment was going to be.  The punishment is for something that 99% of the cadets had nothing to do with, but since they are a team, they all get punished.  The punishment for the whole class is that everyone will have marshmallow letters for the remaining time at the academy.  All those who had earned (or kept) their CHP shirts are now back to marshmallow letters.  I think I was more upset about this then Brian. The announcement was followed by PT which involved a whole lot of legs.  Squats, then lunges, more squats, more lunges and then a nice three mile run.  :)  The day also involved a lot of clothes changing, which Brian is not a fan of since he is such a slow poke.  Then his company (as a whole) was five minutes late to PMA.  That translate to a lot of knuckle time...A LOT!  He also got his name tag today.  The majority of the time we were on the phone was spent polishing it.  Thank goodness for bluetooth, he can work and talk to me.

There was some good news today!  Brian passed his Baton Certification! Yay!! Such a relief for both of us!  He also spent four hours out at the range today.  First time shooting his gun!  He said it was fun and cool.  He also said he was pretty good!  So his day was another roller coaster...

Tomorrow the only thing I have planned is to pick up Willow -poor thing spayed and de-clawed on the same day.  Kitty has been in the best of moods since dropping Willow off at the vet, I can't imagine why... :)

Enough gibber jabber, time for bed. :)

Blessings,
~Cara

CHP Academy Day 65/187. Pumpkins, Corn Maze, and More!

Tuesday of week 10!  Today's outing with the MOPs group was super fun, but exhausting!  We were told we could either meet at the church at 9:15 to car pool or we could just meet at the farm at 10:00.  I thought: "hey I have a few extra seats, I can car pool."  So I showed up a little early to the church and waited...and waited... apparently I missed the memo that said no one car pools.  I was not the only one, there was one other mom that showed up to give others a ride. 

When we got to the farm, there was one other mom and employees...that was it.  I was expecting to have one of the leaders there to tell us where to pay for the activities, what the plan was, or something.  The other moms were no help, because this was their first MOPs outing...it was like the blind leading the blind.  It was not until I taking pictures of M sitting on some pumpkins that I saw some of the leaders and other moms in line to pay.  I thought, as did the other newbie MOPs mom, that the day would be planned out.  That we would do stuff as a group for the first little bit and then we would be allowed to run wild.  I was wrong, there was no plan, but that is fine.  We still had fun. 

We started off in the Kiddie Land on the Jumping Pillows.  I have to tell M once a day, at least, to stop jumping on her bed.  I was sure she would love jumping on the giant air pillow...and she did...for a total of 30 seconds.  Then she made me nervous on the playground.  She is a fearless little monkey.  We spent some time climbing on the giant tractor tires before heading off to the petting zoo. After dealing with some extremely pushy goats, we went on a tractor ride.  Then we had a quick lunch.  I would have gone home after lunch, but M really wanted to do the corn maze.  We got half way into to the maze, and M started to whine.  We made it out, M was super proud of herself.  :)

We also had a parent teacher conference with A's teacher.  She is also doing well in school.  No surprises there. :)

Brian was issued his gun today.  He was taught how to hold it, load it, unload it, all the basic important stuff.  He tried to sound like it was no big deal, but he was pretty excited.  :)  Other than that his day was long, but nothing else exciting. 

Tomorrow is Wednesday and Brian has liberty.  The girls also have a half day and A has soccer practice.  Sounds like it is going to be a long day, but who cares, we get to see Brian! :) Oh, sorry for any grammar/ spelling errors, it is late and I am not proof reading tonight. :) 

Blessings,
~Cara

CHP Academy Days 61-64/187, Weekend fun & Monday.

Hello Everyone!

It was awesome having Brian home this weekend.  Our weekend was packed full of fun and work.  Saturday started off with an 8:00 am soccer game.  Then we swung by Target to pick up supplies for Brian.  Then we went to the Pumpkin Street Faire.  Had lunch at the local Greek burger place for lunch, where I talked Brian out of eating the Athens Burger.  Every time he eats that burger he smells like garlic for days!  It radiates off of him! 

Our local neighborhood park was hosting the Law Enforcement Car Show.  We had planned on walking over and taking a peek, but after driving by we decided to just stay home.  It turned out we didn't miss anything, because the parade route was right in front of our house.  ALL the sirens going at once... Oh and it was nap time!  The rest of the weekend was spent working on stuff.  We did go to church on Sunday, but then it was back to work.  By the time Brian left Sunday evening, his homework/studying was completed, his laundry was done, I was arrested both in English and Spanish, and his hair was freshly cut.

Monday for me was fun!  Dropped the girls off at school on time, early even! Yay me!  Returned home, got a good work out in.  Then put on Dan Zanes concert for M and got to work on my Bible study.  Still learning so much!  I got to show off a little to Brian this weekend.  Normally, Brian is the know-it-all when it comes to Theology/Bible study, so for me to actually know something that he doesn't know is AMAZING! 

After finishing the study M and I loaded up and drove to the mall to meet our friends.  We had lunch, got to visit, did some shopping.  Overall, we both had a blast! Plus I bought soap, a Christmas present, and two neck ties for A and H.  On Fridays they can wear ties with their uniforms.  A's tie is neon pink, and H's tie is neon green.  I wanted to get them bow ties...bow ties are cool...but I could only find one. 

After the mall trip it was home to get grab all the soccer stuff then off to get the girls.  I had a parent teacher conference with H's teacher.  H is doing very well, the teacher sang her praises!  (Pat pat on the back.)Then it was straight to soccer practice. That was it, that was my day.

Brian got to drive again today.  He said it was a blast. Like racing go-carts, only with a full size car.  He started off as a passenger and said that is was an experience.  Actually he said "holy crap it was crazy".  He said once he started to drive it didn't feel as crazy...just awesome. 

He also had his first uniform fitting today.  So that was pretty exciting.  He also put on his new fancy holster on to his belt today, along with a few other things.  Still no gun, but he is scheduled for range tomorrow.  He started learning how to talk on a radio.  He said it is similar to using a radio in the helicopter.  So I guess being a helicopter pilot is paying off.  Interesting note:  Brian said that all the cadets that have a pilots license (at least from his squad) have passed their driving test on the first try.  It might be a coincidence, but still interesting.

Tomorrow M and I are going to the pumpkin patch with the other women at MOPs.  She is so excited!  Then I have a parent teacher conference with A's teacher.  I also need to remember to stop by the pet store and buy a giant bag of "your dog is super old" dog food.  The day should be fun!

Blessings,
~Cara

CHP Academy Days 59 & 60/187

Hello everyone,

I had planned on writing last night, but after I got home from dinner with Brian, I decided that first I needed to do my Bible study.  You know, the one I needed to have done for today's growth group.  So I sat down to get started on the study, and then I started falling asleep...

Seeing Brian was nice, he was doing great.  He said he got to practice handcuffing while speaking Spanish.  He also said he figured out a way not to handcuff my ear, so when he practices this weekend on me my ears will be safe.  For those who need to be told...get your mind out of the gutter...you dirty birdie. You know who you are. ;)  Brian said that tomorrow he is scheduled for Enforcement Tactics (ET) pick up day, and he doesn't know what to expect.  Usually "pick up day" means a lot of yelling and stress, but he was also warned not to fall asleep.  I guess he will figure it out tomorrow.

Today was a normal busy Thursday.  Since I didn't finish my study last night I had to do it this morning before group.  So I sat at Starbucks this morning working on it, while Auntie A entertained M.  Apparently, M is a big fat cheater at Tic-Tac-Toe. :)  Group was great!  Learning so much already.  Interesting tidbit, Martin Luther was not a big fan of James, even referred to him as "Jimmy".  Okay, maybe it is just interesting to me.  Don't judge.  :)  The PHC was pretty quiet.  So quiet that the other ladies left a little early, and then, of course the phone started ringing off the hook.  :)  That was my day.

As for Brian, let us start of with the good news.  He had a good day. :)  He got to do a mini scenario!  He got to go out for a domestic violence call. Man, I would love to be a fly on the wall.  Well, maybe not a fly, flies are nasty and they get swatted. A ladybug or butterfly would be okay.  They are cute and no one swats them.  Anyways, I would love to see some of the stuff Brian talks about.  He said he did a good job!  There is also some excitement happening next week, but I don't want to spoil it. :)  Now, for the bad news... they lost two cadets today to the skidpan.  They are the first two to fail out.  Brian said it was pretty emotional.  Both, however, plan on returning to the academy next year.  Prayers for Brian's room mate, he is doing his final try on the skid pan tomorrow.  While you are at it, go ahead and pray that Brian doesn't fail out on anything. :) Seriously...

Wow! This is a really long post!  I think it is time for me to stop rambling. :)

Blessings,
~Cara  

CHP Academy Day 58/187 Cooking Show!

Besides the cooking show tonight, my Tuesday was just like any other day.  Walk in the morning, cleaning in the afternoon.  Boring stuff.

I did have a great time at the cooking show with my friend.  It was our third year attending, and our third year not winning any of the awesome prizes.  Not even a potted plant!  Oh well, still had fun!  Now I feel like baking, must be the side effect. :)

Brian's day was quiet.  He is scheduled to go out to the range next week.  He is pretty excited to start shooting!  I would be a nervous wreck.  :)  Tomorrow he has a test, but that is all the excitement planned. Brian said another two cadets called it quits today.  That makes it four so far this week.   

I forgot to mention that Brian's class blog is up.  CHP blog, cadet class 12-111.  They are usually a week or so behind, but it is still an interesting read. 

Tomorrow is Wednesday, and Brian has liberty!  I get to drive up and see him!  That also means I will be up late tomorrow night, so I should probably get to bed.  :)

Blessings,
~Cara

CHP Academy Day 57/187

First day of October and week nine!  Today I put up the Halloween decorations!  It was a little strange because it was super HOT today.  It is not supposed to be hot in October.  It is supposed to be time for hot tea, a blanket, and a good book.  I would like my fall, please.

Today also involved a trip to Costco (never fun with all three girls) and soccer practice.  The soccer team is showing improvement and that includes A.  Which is a very good thing.

After practice we came home, A and H were super excited about the Halloween decorations! The girl's room was a disaster zone, but I was too tired to actually make them clean it up.  Instead I gave them a laundry basket and a time limit. Told them to fill the basket with all the toys that were left on the floor.  Thinking it would make it more like a game, which would keep the fighting down.  I was wrong.

I finally got the girls in their beds, although it took forever for them to actually fall asleep.  Each of the girls came down stairs at least three times for one reason or another.  The last one down the stairs was H.  All I did was give her "the look", and she turned around and went back upstairs.  I don't know what she told her sisters, but I didn't hear another peep.  :)

Brian's day was pretty quiet. If you call getting yelled at and being called names as being pretty quiet.  He had two written test in EVOC today that he is pretty sure he passed.  They also had some vendors come to talk about their uniforms.  Talk about the uniforms and the fact that the senior class is graduating on October 26th has most of the cadets encouraged.  Especially with a new class of cadets starting on November 5th, they will no longer be the newbies.  That being said, two more cadets dropped today, one for a medical reason. That has to be hard; to have the heart for the job, but the doctor says you cannot continue the program.

Brian is still going strong.  He is doing well in all his classes, which is no surprise.  He is feeling confident about re-testing for his baton certification. Yeah, that has not happened yet.  He needs a little more practice hand-cuffing.  I say that because he practiced on me this weekend, and he got my ear- it hurt!  Overall, Brian is doing well!  He even got a complement on his bed making and his locker last week.  Not from a staff officer, of course, but from an instructor.  He was giving a tour and randomly pick a room to show. It just happened to be Brian's.  :)  I told him, since he was so good at making a bed he could put the clean sheets on our bed.  Then he made some comment about how lucky I was to have a fitted sheet.  :)

Well tomorrow is Tuesday and I have a date with my lovely friend to go to a cooking show.  This will be our third time going and I always have so much fun!  I am excited!  Maybe I will win something this year... :)

Blessings,
~Cara