Roomies Reunited

It only took eighteen months for B. and both of his roommates to all get together.  The last time the three of them were together was at graduation.  We have gotten together with each roommate and their girlfriends separately, but not all six of us.  It's as if we picked up where we left off.  It was great being able to enjoy each other's company.  The guys of course discussed work incidents all night long and the girls and I were giggling most of the night.  This is just a preview of Vegas!

Although, there is an age difference between us, there is a common bond we all share.  The guys spent nearly everyday of their lives together for over six and a half months and the girls experienced the Academy, Break In and life with a CHP Officer.  Veteran CHP Wives were not kidding that no one will understand the CHP life like another CHP Wife/Girlfriend/Partner.  We never complained that it took a long time to get this reunion together.  We knew that days off were just not going to line up.  I'm so glad that the three officers are now working much closer together and nights like this can happen more often.  I love my CHP family. 

Two years ago...(oh and a day)

Two years ago, 143 cadets step foot onto the grounds of the CHP Academy as CTC II-13. Where did the time go? If feels as if this was just yesterday. The 27 weeks of the Academy were both the longest and fastest times of my life. The longest days of being the only parent at home and the fastest 27 weeks of seeing cadets grow to become officers. 18 months have passed since graduation day and the 95 officers who graduated are dispersed all over the state. Many families moved along with their officer to locations hundreds of miles away. A group recently transferred in hopes of getting closer to home.

I wouldn't trade our CHP life for anything.  It has opened doors of friendship and trust that no one will understand better. For those families in the process, be strong, be patient. It's a long journey. 

Thanks again for reading. 

Amynoellemaia@gmail.com

Probation, Vacation and Back to Work

So I just realized that last post I published was B.'s accident.  He's totally fine now, but it was a scary night that many other wives have experienced. 

B. passed probation in March.  Woohoo!  The first year flew by so fast.  I felt like graduation was just yesterday.  It's awesome that he loves his job.  He never understood how much I loved going to work.  But now he totally does.  B. said he knew he wanted to be in law enforcement when he was a child.  He even mentioned it when we were dating.  I told him that I would never marry a cop.  Lucky for him, I married him before he became one. 

B. was on vacation for seven weeks a little after passing probation.  Yes, you read that right, SEVEN WEEKS!  He has never taken off more than a week or two with the exception of our children being born.  We finally took that vacation to Europe, with two kids in tow.  It was amazing to have him around 24 hours a day exploring with our kids.  We will definitely need to go back, maybe without the kids.  We love them to pieces, but there were some things we could not enjoy with them there.  There's only so much of a museum our kids could take.  At the Louvre, they were more interested in the pools of water outside than the art inside. 

After Europe, we were off to Vegas with one of B.'s CHP roommates and his girlfriend.  We had planned this trips months ago and it happened to land on fight weekend.  The four of us had a blast.  We were missing the other two from our group, but hope to all get together next year.  B. and I hadn't been to Vegas in over six years and it was the first time ever I had been away from my kids for more than a day.  It was definitely weird for me to be away from them, but I enjoyed being able to do things I typically wouldn't or couldn't do with them.  We went out one night and didn't make it back to our hotel until the sun was coming up. 

I was spoiled that B. was off and at home.  It was an adjustment for all of us when he did go back to work.  Graveyard shift it was.  My days of being a "single" parent and the empty side of the bed returned.  Our normal without having B. at home was back.  The girls fell right back into their normal routine.  B. is able to take them to school in the morning and then come home to sleep.  We've been able to drop off dinner and see him in uniform since he's been back.  The excitement the girls have to see him at work is still there.  The light up each and every time. 

Another class graduates in under two weeks.  Congratulations to all the families.  Soak in this time.  It's just the beginning of this amazing ride. 

Thanks again for all the support and interest in this blog.  Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I could reach out to so many people. 

-CHP Wife
Amynoellemaia@gmail.com

Are you OK?

It's great to hear from your Officer when they're able to check in during their shift. Just to say hello or good night. Not so great when your hear, "I've been in an accident. I'm ok. Watch the news. I gotta go."  I got one of those calls. You barely have time to process the words before he has to hang up. Millions of thoughts and images run through your head. Is he really ok? Or he is just saying that so I don't worry. 

I got on Twitter as fast as I could. The news stations had posts. There were pictures and even videos. The early posts had conflicting information. I tried texting B. back. I didn't hear back from him. 

I usually don't watch the nightly news, but I guess people still do. Around 10:00, I started receiving texts. That's not B., right? When I replied, Yes, the overwhelming answer was, "Oh my gosh!"

It was a very long and sleepless night. I couldn't sleep not hearing back from him and following the news on my phone. There was definitely an angel watching over him. We finally got to talk on the phone the next morning and I rushed home from work to see him before he left for work again. "Are you ok?"All I could do was hug him and hold back tears.

Reflecting back on 2014

2014 had it all, it began with the last three months of the Academy, graduation day, months of Break-In and finally B. being on his own. I can't believe all that happened in the same year. 

Just in the last month, we've survived weeks of protests, 16 hour nights and now the cold (50 degrees is cold to me).  I couldn't be prouder of B. He's gone through so much in the last twelve months. We've gotten stronger as a family and realized how much we depend on each other.  We've all adjusted to life as a CHP family. Three to four days a week I'm a single parent, but the girls know why their Dad isn't home. Some days we just go driving to catch a glimpse of him on the road. They get so excited to see what B. does. 

I'm so grateful for being a part of the CHP family especially in the last few weeks. The support we have given each other even though we have never met is incredible. To the families of Cadets and the new Officers still on Break-In, it really is worth it to become a part of the CHP. You may question if all the sacrifice is worth it, but when your Officer is truly excited about going to work and loves what he does, it really is worth the blood, sweat and tears. 

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year and a safe start to 2015!

Thanks again for following. 

Amynoellemaia@gmail.com

Protests, Holiday Party and Welcomes

The last few weeks have been hectic and trying to say the least.  CHP officers from far and near have been activated to protests across the state.  You hope to get the phone call or text saying, "I'm on my way home." Instead, the text reads,"I've been activated, I'm going to be late."  Being late usually means midnight for my swing shift officer, but late has been 3:00 AM.  It's hard to go to sleep knowing that they are in harms way.  Just last night several CHP vehicles were severely damaged by objects thrown by protesters.  These same objects are being thrown at our officers.

Our CHP Holiday party was this past Saturday and it was definitely a welcome change of pace.  It was nice to meet so many of B.'s coworkers.  Both Lieutenants and the Captain came up to introduce themselves.  You hear so much about the CHP Family right before graduation and now I know why.  It really felt like you were part of a family at an event like this.  We were debating where to sit when we arrived and B. mentioned as a new officer, you always sit near the front during briefing.  Of course, there was an empty table at the front, so the newbies all sat together.  This also meant they were an easy target.  The four of them (two from CTC II-13 and two from CTC II-14) had to sing in front of everyone.  They didn't do so well on their own with Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, so a Lt. stepped in to help them out with Jingle Bells.  It was a fun night.  I'm looking forward to the next office event.

Welcome to CTC IV-14.  Pick up day was this morning for 135 new cadets.  To the families, stay strong and be supportive of your cadet.  It may be difficult to be at home and not be anxious with all the police activity going on.  The training at the Academy is top notch to prepare them for situations they are facing now.  Don't be afraid to reach out to others for advice or support.  There have been thousands of us who have been in your exact shoes. 

As always, thank you for finding my blog. 

Amynoellemaia@gmail.com

Congratulations CTC II-14

As written by CHP Recruiting:

"October 17, 2014, California Highway Patrol welcomes 59 new officers. Congratulations to CTC II-2014. The newest CHP officers will be reporting to their new assignments around the state. The following areas are expecting our newest officers: Altadena, Arrowhead, Ventura, Santa Cruz, Rancho Cucamonga, Bridgeport/June Lake-Lee Vining Resident Post, Hayward, Monterey, Garberville/Laytonville Resident Post, Baldwin Park, West Los Angeles, Indio, San Jose, South Los Angeles, Redwood City, Ukiah/Fort Bragg Resident Post, Newhall, San Francisco, West Valley, Morongo Basin, Victorville, Santa Barbara, Crescent City, Castro Valley, Marin, Garberville."

Congratulations and welcome to the CHP Family. 

Photo from CHP Recruiting