HILLYARD HAPPINESS

Holy moly, I have been waiting for this day for what seems like an eternity. HONESTLY! It’s 10 pm on a Tuesday evening and I am so excited for tomorrow I can’t even fall asleep. It has been 8 long weeks of very limited communication with my best friend and tomorrow he will finally be reunited with his cell phone. Big deal right? Exactly! It’s a big HUGE deal to us! Not only does it mean no more waiting hours on end everyday for emails to pop up or hand written letters to arrive, no more anxiously waiting every Sunday morning for that Rhode Island phone number to light up on my screen, but it also means Landon has come an extremely long way in his training and he is getting very close to the finish line. I know I’m sure I sound extremely spoiled right now and trust me, you always think that handling the whole separation thing will be so much easier looking in on the situation. I mean I know I did. Although I knew we were capable of surviving it, and I even felt pretty confident about being by myself for a few months (I was entirely independent before being married so why not?!) but I never expected to feel so completely lost with him gone! You just never really know the feeling until you have actually experienced it yourself. Some days I sit and think about how long we have been apart (11 weeks total now) and I can’t believe we have actually made it this far. I remember during week 3 feeling like it would be ages before week 9 ever rolled around. And part of me feels like it literally has been centuries, but in another way it has seemed to fly right by, and I’m certainly not complaining about that. I totally think that our attitude has had a major influence on making this whole experience a good one.

It’s already been three years since Landon and I got married – CRAZY - and I can honestly say that in a way this time apart has been really cool. I have loved how we have taken the opportunity to evaluate our relationship and discuss certain aspects of our marriage that we could improve on together. With life as busy as it tends to always be, we haven’t faithfully set aside time to just chat about life. Between hundreds of letters and probably thousands of emails at this point, we have been able to talk back and forth about everything from short and long term goals to little struggles we have been facing in our marriage. Writing can be such a great route of communication especially for those more sensitive subjects. Written communication also tends to eliminate the emotion of a conversation which can help you to feel more open in these discussions and really organize your words instead of just spiting out whatever comes to mind next. So, yeah… I never thought I would ever say this, but overall I have been really grateful for this experience. And with that, I’m EXTREMELY excited to get on an airplane and be on my way to Newport. I don’t want to even think about how anxious I am going to be before the flight, let alone the day before graduation when I actually get to jump into his arms. Holy. It’s going to be here so quick, but I kinda sorta just wish I were leaving tomorrow. I definitely wouldn’t mind that at all.

SO TOMORROW. In case you haven’t heard yet, this week [week 9] is CANDIO WEEK, the week all of our sweet sailors move on from the Officer Candidate phase to the Candidate Officer (shortened to CANDIO) phase. I know classy right? Haha. The past 6 weeks as an officer candidate, Landon has been focusing mostly on academics. They spent a lot of time in briefings/lectures on a variety of naval subjects and then were tested each week on these different subjects. Landon did exceptionally well during this phase, and is currently sitting at the top of the 16-15 class for not only academics but physical fitness and overall performance as a candidate. Gosh he makes me so proud! But we all know he could be failing out on his exams and I would still be proud as ever… hello, I'm his wife, what more would you expect? Love that kid soooo much!!

Okay now to actually explain tomorrow. His class will be completing Capstone, which I understand is a type of field day involving all kinds of leadership and teamwork scenarios. There will be rope courses, flooding submarines, man overboard, strobe lights etc. Each scenario is modeled after an actual real life situation that other sailors have faced in the past. Everyone who has completed capstone before says that it is a very rewarding experience and is a great way to prepare for their time in the fleet. It will be a very long, busy, and tiring day, but once everything is all over and done, the candidates will then be having a big Candio Box opening par-tay! Remember that cute care package I sent last week? Well we actually sent two... He finally gets to open that puppy up and completely binge on all the goodies he has been missing out on for the past 8 weeks! Gosh I hope he doesn’t make himself sick, but he probably will. ☺ Oh well. Along with being able to open their boxes, the sailors should also be given their cell phones back! YAY! Landon told me that the first thing he plans on doing tomorrow night is calling me and going to buy a dozen donuts and celebrate by eating them all himself! I asked him if it was all right if I joined in and ate my own box of donuts! Haha!

From here on out, Landon will be fulfilling his billet as the Physical Training (PT) Body for the remainder of his time in Rhode Island. Despite having to wake up at 3:30 am every morning to set up for PT sessions, he says the job is pretty awesome and completely tolerable, especially since he is allowed to take a nice long nap following PT everyday. And that is basically it! He’s pretty much done! Halle-freakin-lujah! I’ve never felt so relieved in my life, and I’m not even the one in training! Life is so dang good for both of us! I will just be anxiously counting down the days, meanwhile staying super crazy busy with wedding photography and wrapping up things here. I have a bit of reboxing to do before the big move! See you soon sailor! I love you!

What has been the BEST day at OCS so far?

I think this one has to be the day I passed RLP. That was the best feeling to know that as long as I didn't really screw up, I would be seeing you in 9 weeks. Without a doubt the best feeling so far at OCS.

What has been the WORST day at OCS so far?

The worst day at OCS was probably the day before RLP. There was just so much stress involved and I kept doubting myself wondering if I was going to make it or if all my stuff was squared away. That and first Friday were pretty bad days.

Is the food any good there? What meal has been your favorite?

You know the food is actually pretty good. They feed us all sorts of fish and there has actually been a pretty big variety. My favorite meal would probably be the baked Catfish we had one night. It was pretty good. We also had ribs one night and it was dang good.

What do you miss the most while being at OCS?

I miss my wife more than anything. She is my best friend and my whole world. Second to my wife would probably be freedom. I wish I could set my own schedule and not have to be on point all the time.

Is OCS anything like you imagined it to be? Harder? Easier? 

Honestly it's much easier physically than I had imagined and a little harder mentally. I thought the physical evolutions they would put us through would be much harder than they are. It really isnt that bad. They RPT us a couple times during the day, and thats it. On the mental side of things, its much more fatigue. You are required to be mentally focused and driven 24/7. There is no resting, there is no chilling, you are required to work from 0500 to 2200 every single day. Yeah your body gets tired, but more than anything your mind gets fatigued.

What is a typical day like at OCS? Do you follow a basic schedule?

For the first three weeks, they keep you completely in the dark. You have no watch or schedule to go off of. They constantly lead you into thinking you are done for the day only to march you somewhere new to be commanded to do something else. In officer Candidate phase they offer you a little more guidance. You have the schedule for the next day and now have a watch. There are landmarks you can look forward too and they don't try and shroud whats going to happen next in mystery.

What are you most excited for when OCS is over?

SEX WITH MY WIFE!!! and just being with her. This honestly wouldn't be half as bad if my wife was my hatchmate. I also am looking forward to watching a movie with her.

Do you like your classmates? Have you had an oppurtunity to make some friends?

Mostly yes and yes. There are definitely some people in my class that are slow, disfuntional and weak. They have been a trial to my patience. Others I have developed a pretty tight bond with because we have suffered through something together. Curtis Jorgensen is a good guy and I could see us hanging out in Charleston after OCS.

What is the weather like in Newport?

Its actaully pretty nice. Yes it is very humid and that makes all your clothes constantly wet from sweating, but honestly it has only rained a handful of times and often times there is a nice breeze to cool us off. Our room also has a pretty good view so I can't complain too much about that.

Do you miss doing dishes? 

Ha ha this one is probably no. Although I would take dishes over chow hall procedures any day. I am really looking forward to being able to sit back in my chair while I enjoy a meal. My posture has improved quite a bit because they force us to sit up straight while eating. 

What is your all time favorite memory of us? 

Hmm thats a hard one. We have had some pretty good ones. As of recently, probably the one where you and I were just sitting up in the captains chair of our sail boat just listening to the waves and the wind. It got even better after that as well. Or maybe the time we were curled up in the back of the black ford that freezing night by tony grove by tony grove. Or maybe the plethera of motorcyle rides we have been on together. we really should have gotten those mic things earlier. There are just so many, I think its the collection of all of them that make one giant great memory. 

What is your absolute favorite food? 

You know this changes all the time, and I'm not a big food person. As you know I'm more of an experience person. So my absolute all time favorite food is betos on Antelope island the night before you left. That was awesome to just sit and talk and hangout and stuff our faces with huge burritos. That's my all time favorite food. 

If you won a million dollars what would you do with it? 

Hmm. Probably just save it. I know boring right. I really do like the lifestyle we live. I would probably go buy a new motorcycle or a new truck, but thats about it. I think I would charter some sort of amazing trip for the both of us and our families, but nothing fancy, just something awesome. Like a week on our own little island in Fiji with those cool little huts out on the water and a small boat to go fishing on. I might rent a little plane and learn how to fly as well. Wait, I would get a paragliding setup for the both of us and take some classes. Yep I would do that. 

What is 9 x 12? (inside joke)

9 times 12 is 108. ha ha funny babe. 

What do you want for Christmas? 

Hmm. I'm really not sure. Like I said, I think I have everything I could possibly ever want. Maybe a chartered fishing trip off the coast of Florida. Or a trip down to the keys for a long weekend. Something like that would be cool. And of course my favorite girl wrapped up in something nice. ;)


Ok now its your turn. I want you to answer all the questions you asked me on the survey, or at least the ones you can apply to you. Go :) 

[SEE HERE]

My (JEN) favorite part:

Did I mention I love you like crazy babe? 

Landon made it through the first week of OCS in Newport and is pushing on through week two. This week included the 3rd class swim test, LOADS of drill, and the first Friday Cruise. Everyday he wakes up half and hour early (4:30 am) to shave and be completely ready when the reveille goes off at 5, that way he is all set to be at attention on deck when the DI (marine drill instructor) and candios (OCS candidates in the final weeks of training) come marching down the hallway.

The indoctrination candidates are lead through a series of stretches and exercises on a daily basis in order to maintain physical wellness. Landon was selected by his class team (the DI) to be the PT Body. In the photo above he is the lonely one leading the circle of candidates through their pushups. Landon mentioned that he somewhat regrets taking this position as trying to shine, stand out, and take on leadership positions is exactly opposite of what you should do at OCS unless you really enjoy pushups and running since it's the leaders that are punished if the class does not perform well. Landon's role requires that supervise the wellbeing and physical performance of his classmates and will be held responsible if any of his fellow candidates do not meet the requirements. Perhaps the opportunity for leadership development will be seen in a better light later in the training.

The 3rd class swim test is pretty straight forward and probably somewhat of a joke to Lando, since he is a big time swimmer. The test consisted of these 4 exercises:

• Abandon Ship Jump: Jump from a 10 foot tower to simulate abandoning ship.
• 5 minute Prone Float: Remain afloat face down, utilizing survival floating skills, for five minutes.
• Shirt and Trouser inflation: Fill a shirt and pair of trousers with air to remain afloat. 
• 50 yd Swim: Using any single following stroke or combination of the crawl, breaststroke, sidestroke, and elementary backstroke