Officer Candidate School

A lot has happened since my last update.  Patrick graduated from Basic Combat Training (BCT) on November 10, 2011.  Patrick's mom and step dad came as well as my parents (and of course, me!).  We had a really nice time visiting with him.  He got to leave post on family day and on graduation day, so we got to spend a lot of time together. 

He left Ft. Leonard Wood on November 11th and headed for Officer Candidate School in Ft. Benning, GA.  The process for getting accepted into OCS was difficult, but as if you know Patrick, you know he didn't have any problem.  :)

He is not three weeks into the training.  He is currently in class for about six hours every day (he calls it "death by power point"), and in physical training for the remainder of it.  He only gets one hour of personal time each day, which is when they shower, brush teeth and wash clothes.  They also have access to their phones and computers during this time.  However, by the time they finish their chores, there's not much time left.

Patrick is currently squad leader, which is good because it's giving him leadership opportunities.  However, it has come at a very stressful time because he is trying to fill out some extra paperwork for Infantry branch.  The catch is he can only work on it during his hour of free time, but he has to be monitoring the computer use of others as squad leader.  So he has had very little personal time this week.  Please be praying that the Lord will orchestrate some extra down time so Patrick can get his paperwork finished.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support.  We couldn't survive this time apart without the blessing of wonderful friends and family!

White Phase

Ok, so I need to correct some of my misunderstandings.  First, Patrick is Platoon Guide, not guard.  He is in charge of around 45 men.  He is the go between for the men and the drill sergeants.  He is really enjoying the challenge of this task.  They are doing a lot of practice with their guns (M-4).  He has also gotten to shoot some huge weapons.  He has LOVED that!  They had Columbus Day off, so he was able to have someone take his picture.  He is in his ACU's in this picture.  If you look behind him, you see his barracks.  I don't know about you, but it's much better than what I had imagined!  Enjoy the pictures!

HOOAH!!!

Patrick called me tonight!!!  It was such a wonderful surprise!  He only had about five minutes before going on fireguard.  He had the first watch, so he's going to get a good amount of sleep tonight.  He told me that they are out of Red Phase and now in White Phase.  They have more liberties in this phase, hense the mid week phone call.  

Some other good news:  he was selected as platoon guard.  He is so excited about this.  He said there have been a couple of guys that have presented a problem, but for the most part, he meshes with his platoon.  He requested that we continue to pray for him as he enters this new role of leadership.

HOOAH!!!

A Letter from Patrick

I got a letter today from Patrick that gives a great picture of how he's doing and what his days look like. The following are excerpts from the letter.


"It's been a pretty good day today. Other than the rain, the weather was relatively warm and it cleared up in the afternoon. This morning we rucked about 1 1/2 miles out to do the team building exercises. It was a lot of fun...Our platoon has bonded really well, which helps us to more easily accomplish tasks. I'm in the 1st squad and would like to become squad leader or hopefully platoon guide as BCT continues.

"I got selected to march in a special ceremony next week for the changing of the command...We are finally starting to look, act, think, and feel like real soldiers. A lot of guys are counting down the days to graduation. I'm just focusing on Red Phase right now; specifically getting through the phase tests...

"I finally got your [and other people's] letters today. It was extremely encouraging...The reason that it is good to hear about daily tasks is because it reminds me of where I've come from. To tell you the truth, until yesterday I had kind of forgotten about what a normal day in civilian life looks like. We've kind of been in a weird black hole where you begin to think in your subconscious that you've always been here.  I would liken it to the people of the underworld in The Silver Chair [by C.S. Lewis].

"I was glad to hear that a lot of people have stayed in contact with you while I've been gone. Thanks for the quotes from Eisenhower and the passage from Exodus. They were really encouraging. I'm working hard to be really sociable without compromising my values. This environment can make that very tricky sometimes..."

"So here's some information about Ft. Leonard Wood. It's huge! Imagine the campus of UA times 20 or more. I still haven't seen all of the parts of the base, and I probably won't because I'll only be here for training. But some of the cool things about the base is seeing black hawks fly over and armored convoys from time to time. There's always a company marching around. The Marine Corps [Military Police] school is also here, which makes me laugh because it only more solidifies for me that the Army is better...

"We got our [Interbalistic Body Armor and Army Combat Helmet] last week. It felt really awesome when I first put both of them on. I was able to spiritually connect with the centuries of warriors that have come before me. I was immediately ready to rock and roll.

"Please pray for me that my leadership skills would grow and that I would grow... so that I would feel more comfortable taking initiative in my platoon...Pray that I win the hearts and minds of my [Drill Sergeants] and my platoon and that I would look for opportunities to lead."

Daily Scheudle: Red Phase

I got a letter from Patrick today that outlined their daily schedule.  I decided to put in on the blog so you could have a better idea of what Patrick's daily schedule looks like (more or less).

4:10- Wake up early to make their beds and do personal hygeine (shave, brush teeth, etc.)
4:30- Official wake up time.  The Drill Sergeant Roes comes in, turns on the lights, tells a few jokes, and instructs them on their first formation.
4:50- First formation or PT formation.  They have to be dressed in their PT uniforms with their flashlights, canteens, road guard something (I couldn't read this very well), and their gun. This is when formation officially starts, so they have to be there standing at attention no later than 4:40.
5:00- 1SG comes and receives a report  from each platoon.  They need to know how many people that are in their platoon and how many weapons they have been assigned.
5:10-6:00- PT.  Nothing strenuous so far, but this is coming from Patrick.  :)  sometimes they do interval runs.
6:00-6:15- Change clothes for breakfast formation.
6:15-6:45- March 1/2 a mile to the dining hall.  They stand in line for about 20 minutes and eat in about three.  Then they break for formation.
6:45-7:00- March to instructional area.
7:00-9:00- Block on instruction.  so far, it's been "death by power point."
9:00-9:15- Bathroom break
9:15-10:45- Block of instruction
10:45-11:00- Formation for lunch and march to lunch
11:00-11:30- Lunch
11:30-11:40- March to classroom
11:40-11:55- Bathroom break
11:55-2:00- Block of instruction
2:00-2:15 Bathroom break
2:15-4:00- Block of instruction
4:00-4:20- March to the barracks
4:20-5:00- Meet in the platoon bays for specific platoon instructions
5:00-5:15- Secure gear and clean bay
5:15-5:30- Dinner formation and march to chow
5:30-6:00- Dinner
6:00-6:20- March back to barracks and fall into platoon bays
6:20-7:30- Platoon instruction/pep talk/corrective action
7:30-8:30- Personal hygeine
8:30- Lights out

As Time Goes By

I cannot believe that Patrick has been gone for three weeks.  In one sense, it's hard to believe that it has been that long.  Teaching school has kept me quite busy, and my friends have been wonderful!  I can honestly say that I had no idea how my time would fly by during the day.

On the other hand, it feels like his return will never come.  As each hour goes by, and I am glued to my phone in case he calls, I cannot say that time moves quickly.

Through this experience, I can say that I truly understand the fervor with which we are to wait for the return of Jesus.  I know that Patrick loves me more than any other earthly thing.  He is gone from me now to prepare a financial future for our family.  Although I miss him terribly, I understand why he must go and what my job is while he is gone.  I am to keep our house in order, keep our friends up to date on his activity, and faithfully wait for his return.  But perhaps the hardest part of Patrick's absence is keeping our relationship strong through mostly indirect communication.  We talk on the phone for a few minutes each week.  All other conversation is through letters.  I have found that I must make time in my day to write Patrick.  It is not always the most gratifying thing to do with my time because there is not immediate response.  But it is absolutely necessary that we stay in close contact with each other if we are to smoothly transition back into a shared life when he returns.

Our experience as Christians is not so different from this.  Jesus, who loves us enough to lay down His life for us, has joined us in the unbreakable union of salvation. However, He has gone, for a time,  to prepare a place for us with Him.  While He is gone, we have a job of our own.  We are to keep our spiritual house in order, by removing sin from our lives and working towards a more holy life.  We are to keep everyone involved in his movements, whether that's encouraging a Christan friend with scripture, or sharing the gospel with someone who has never heard of Jesus.  We are also to eagerly await His return, counting down the days until we can be united.  However, for me, the hardest part of my spiritual life with Jesus is keeping our relationship strong through communication.  I do not always make time to spend with the Lord through reading my Bible and prayer.  Yes, I may pray several small prayers throughout the day, and that is good, but what am I doing to deepen my bond with Jesus?  One huge comfort is that Jesus is unchanging, and He does not depend on my effort to stay connected to me.  But I must make a more concerted effort to spend time with Him if I am to stay close to Him.

Yes, as time goes by, God is teaching me a lot.  Although I do not wish for time away from Patrick, I am glad that the Lord is using this to teach me how to love Him and serve Him more.

First Week of Basic

Patrick called me tonight at 7:30!  He said that the first week of Basic Training has "been a blast."    (He would say that!)  They've been doing a lot of physical training because some of the privates were not in proper shape.  Patrick says that they will get to the "soldiering" soon.  They were issued their M-4s yesterday, and he really liked that!  He also likes his drill sergeant, who was a special forces candidate.

They have been given an entire extra minute to eat now. :)  They now average about three minutes of actual eating time.  Patrick said that the other day he only had about thirty seconds.  Of course, he sees this like a game, so it's lots of fun for him. The food is really good, which I was glad to hear!

He's getting about six hours of sleep per night, so that's pretty good.  Now that does not count the nights that they wake them up with a bull horn for a midnight run.

I'm getting his address in the next day or so.  I'm not going to post in on the blog, so if you want it, let me know.  He said he would love to get letters from everyone.  He would especially like some motivational quotes and encouraging verses.

A Brief Talk

Patrick called me today!  We only talked for 21 seconds.  He called to say that he was in Day 0 of basic training and that it was a lot of fun.  He sounded good, but he said to keeppraying for him.  Wake up is at 0430 (4:30AM).  Please keep praying for his strength and stamina!

The First Phone Call

Patrick called today!  Ok, so this is not exactly the first phone call, but today was the first time we got to talk.  He called me at school on Friday, but he only had time to say that he was almost finished with reception and they would soon head out to basic.  Today he had more time to tell me about what he's done so far.

They arrived in Missouri at around 2:00 AM on Tuesday.  They were briefed until 3:30 then sent to bed.  Their wake up call was at 4:30 AM, and they stayed up until 2100 (9:00PM)!  Things leveled out after that. 

Their cafeteria time is also interesting.  He said that when they are getting their food, they have to always carry their tray with two hands.  By the time they sit down, they only have about 2 1/2 minutes to eat.  Does this bother him?  Not at all!  His words were, "it's actually a lot of fun." 

They are divided into six groups, and Patrick is the "bay leader" for one of the groups.  I know they filter any questions through him, and I believe that he is responsible for their actions.

Church was good today, he said.  He has also been allowed to keep his bible, and he has been so far been able to read it daily.

Patrick sounded really good on the phone. He was thankful for everyone's prayers and asked that we keep praying for him.  I already can't wait until next week when we get to talk again!

What He's Doing

**Patrick is not in this picture.**

Here is a summary of what Patrick has been and will be doing for the next couple of weeks.

• Your Soldier will arrive at a reception station at one of the military installations.  They are assigned to a unit and will  undergo around 4 days of in-processing.  
• Your Soldier will complete administrative and logistical processing, receive a haircut, have uniforms issued, and have a personnel record file created.  Additionally, Soldiers will have medical, dental screenings, and records created.
• All Soldiers in the first few days will also begin learning the Army Values.  The Army wants to continue building on the values that are already instilled within each individual and give them common ground, beginning their transformation from civilian to Soldier.  These Army Values are loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage.
• Basic Combat Training, also known as BCT, is an unique challenge that few Americans have experienced, it is a significant time in their life.  The Basic Combat Training experience is meant to be rigorous and challenging.  During this time period, individuals are assisted to adapt to a new career and life for their families and themselves.  A typical BCT day is early mornings, long days with information overload, and late nights.  
• The BCT experience is designed to assist a Soldier through a transformation that yields experience and skills required in today’s Army.  We are confident that as a Soldier progresses through training, he or she will grow in self-confidence, individual knowledge, and physical strength.  Led by Drill Sergeants, your Soldier will have leaders that are confident, strong, and will never require your Soldier to do anything they will not do themselves.  This group of Drill Sergeants and support personnel will be with your Soldier from the time they arrive to their graduation date from Basic Combat Training.

One Man Braver

Well, it's official. Patrick has left for the Army! The army is now one man braver. He is heading to Montgomery for tonight. He will leave there in the morning, board a plane, and it's off to Fort Leonardwood. He was really excited!

This reference from C.S. Lewis's The Voyage of the Dawn Treader best explains Patrick. Reepicheep is about to cross over into Aslan's country, his life's greatest adventure. However, once he crosses over, he can't return to Narnia, so his friends are terribly sad. "Then he bade them goodbye, trying to be sad for their sakes; but he was quivering with happiness."

Thank you, everyone, for your great support! Stay tuned for more updates on The Peake family's newest adventure!

**UPDATE**

Patrick is in Missouri. He made it about thirty minutes ago. He had time to write me quickly on facebook, and it's off to the races! I should hear from him again around Sunday.

More Tri Pics

Patrick and Alex aftter the triathlon
Patrick on the run...sorry it's sideways

Triathlon Fun

On August 13, Patrick competed in his first triathlon! It was in Guntersvill, AL, and Team Magic put on the event. Patrick had to swim 600 meters, bike 16 miles, and run 3 miles. He finished in 96 minutes, which was a little better than what his goal time was. Here are some pictures to chronicle the event.

(Above) Patrick entering the swim. (Below) Patrick and Alex

Team Patrick

Team Patrick again

School!

Depending on who you are, I have some good news and bad news: School starts in two days! As a new teacher, this is both exciting and nerve-wracking. I have been spending the last two weeks preparing the room and my lessons for the students in my classroom. I got to meet about half of my class yesterday, and let me tell you, they have me excited! What an honor to influence and shape the life of a child!

Anyway, here are some pictures of my classroom. Enjoy!

Back to School Pool Party

Well, it's official. Summer, as we know it, can end. Tonight our church had the back to school pool party. It was so much fun! We ate pizza and hung out with friends at UA's outdoor pool. Patrick played water basketball with the guys, and I stayed with the ladies--watching kiddos and going around the lazy river.

It is such a blessing to have Christian friends to hang out with! Our brothers and sisters in Christ are so much fun to talk to, and so encouraging! God has blessed us, indeed with a wonderful faith family! We love y'all!

Juicing

Ok, so the other day, Patrick and I watched this great documentary. It's called, "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead." It followed a man who was about fifty pounds overwieght and struggling from a disease that causes his skin to break out in rashes. He was on lots of medication, but he wanted to try something different. So he went on a 60 day juice fast. The results were staggering!

Needless to say, Patrick and I decided that we had to see what this would be like. We borrowed a juicer and tried our first vegetable juice. Ingredients: celery, kale, spinach, green apples, cucumber, and ginger root. Results: YUCK!

Patrick liked it, but it tastes to me like liquified grass. Then I burped celery the rest of the night.

Moral of the story? Juicing is great, but not for the faint of heart! :)

Three Years and Counting

On Tuesday, Patrick and I had our third wedding anniversary. We looked through wedding pictures and reminisced about our life so far. The small apartments, the minority of being married college students, and the great amount of time we've had to spend together so far.

In many respects, I believe the Lord was preparing us for the Army separation, but I think especially in regards to time. Because of college and job situations, Patrick and I have been able to spend so much time together--more time than I think is typical in a young new marriage. It has allowed us to learn about each other and be more connected than we would have been if we had started our marriage with two full time jobs.

Please understand, I don't mean full time jobs are a hazard to married life. :) However, I know that when Patrick leaves, I'll know what he'll want to read in his letters, the kind of encouragement that will lift him up; and he knows the same about me. Our relationship will continue to grow stronger in this separation because of the great foundation that has been laid in the past three years.

So what will the next three years of our marriage hold? Moving, separation, new experiences, reunions, and whatever else God gives us. Knowing that God has built this marriage and continues to strengthen it gives us great confidence to look at the future and say that whatever comes in the next three years, we'll be there facing it together.

We're in the Army Now!

For any of you who read the blog from the beginning, I realize it's been about a year (or two) since my last post. Quite a bit has happened. Patrick and I both graduated from the University of Alabama, I am teaching second grade at Taylorville Primary School, and Patrick has joined the Army.

He was accepted as an officer candidate, so he will be starting his work at a much better place than had he enlisted. Patrick ships out on August 30, so he'll actually leave Tuscaloosa on the 29. It's exciting to think about a new life with the Army, but it's also very overwhelming.

I've been doing a bible study called "Godstrong," and today's reading had an excellent message about relying on the Lord. Here is an excerpt from the book that I found very challenging:

"I was sitting there in the car line [at school] this particular afternoon and a kindergarten class was outside flying kites, enjoying the beautiful weather. The sun was out, warming the air just right, and the skies were blue with just a few puffy white clouds floating around. The kids were taking turns flying the kites. I noticed one little boy who had bright yellow curls and one very red face. Each time it was his turn to fly the kite, he would grab the end of the string, get the kite up in the air, and run as fast as his little legs could take him. Around the yard he went, the kite flying blissfully up in the air behind him.

But I noticed something unusual. Not once did the little boy ever look back at the kite. Not once did he ever stop to let the wind take off with it and just watch it go. So intent was he on doing all the work to keep that kit up that he was missing the joy of seeing it in the air at all.

Just as that little boy will one day learn to trust the wind to keep his kite up in the air, we too must learn to trust in God's strength in all of our circumstances."