Denver at the beach here in Kalama.........I have been waiting until it got closer to blog about this, unsure that it was actually going to take place. Denver has signed up with the Marine Reserves and leaves for boot camp to Camp Pendleton in California on Feb 17th. He talked about it for quite awhile but I was unsure of how serious he was. After he met with the recruiter several times, he did a pre phys fitness test and passed, first place out of 15 other guys also being tested. He signed up and took an academic and job placement test, and scored high in the mechanical and electronic areas. He was offered a position doing maintenance and repair, driving and relocating the military vehicles, tanks, strikers, etc,... When he finishes 3 months at Pendelton, he will go to train in North Carolina for his job specific assignment, then be based in Portland to work. In case of deployment he would still be working on a foreign base doing the same kind of job, not tactical or fighting, because he will have been specifically trained for machinery. That part made me happy. I called my friend Christina, whose Marine brother just returned from 3 terms in Iraq and asked her if this made sense or the recruiter was just saying what we wanted to hear. She reported back that her brother agreed, without tactical/fighter training he would not be put in front lines, but on base, if deployed. As the mama, I am relieved. It will be weird to have him so far away, but it has made me realize that him living away from home has been a good warm up for this. He is excited but very aware of how difficult it will be. He has been physically training with them once a week for the last few weeks and is getting a taste of what's to come. He is looking forward to training in Noirth Carolina. We have also discussed that it is good for him to see outside of our area, remind him that there is a big world out there, so different from Washington. He is very social and I have no doubt he will do fine with meeting new people. He has always had the haircut! I have no doubt he will do well, but it will be a challenge. I think it will be good for him to get a sense of himself outside of his identity as "our child" and feel like he has done something completely on his own. I am hoping and praying for positive things. As I was reminded in church today, even suffering is a positive thing if it makes you more of what God intends when you're done. So keep Denver, and us, in your prayers, especially the next few months. It's funny, we were talking about it at work, and someone said wow you will be themother of a marine. I laughed and said,..I keep thinking I should be in a housecoat, on the porch of a farmhouse, crying, with chickens running around my feet, waving a hanky bye to "my boy, the soldier" or something. Doesn't seem like me at all. I don't intend to cry, not where Denver can see anyway, and send him nothing but encouragement and reminders that he is loved and tough enough to be grown up. He said I hope this does't turn me into a total A**hole. I said,.."that's why you have me, to remind you when you act like one! I will always say, take a vitamin, be kind, dump the trash, don't be a jerk, and (always) it's not the end of the world, etc,.." He laughed, and said "Yep, I'm sure you will!"
Denver aggravating Kassi in Costa Rica..........I think Kassi is going to really miss him. They are really close, she will have no one to punch on or advise about how to treat girls, and he will have no one to aggravate or threaten boys to get away from. They do spend alot of time together.
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