Week 11 (Day 53 of 130)

So they have passed the 10 week mark. B. ended week 10 with a bang. Last Friday was his first day at the range. B. had been looking forward to this since day one.  He said the Smith and Wesson is a lot heavier than anything he has ever shot. He said he had a lot of fun and caught the eye of a  master. Not too many lefties out there, so you kinda stick out. Not to mention trying to track down a left handed holster. I probably called at least 15 companies with no luck. I even called the manufacturer directly and it would still take three weeks. Luckily, there was one left at the PX this past Monday. I did find an awesome deal on the tac light. Watching "End of Watch" over and over again did have benefits. I knew exactly what a tac light was. Thank you Jake Gyllenhaal. 😊

Not only did B. get to shoot, he got to drive really really fast. It was introduction day to high speed last Friday.  They hit speeds near 120 mph. I car imagine going that fast. 

The weekend flew by. The 48 hours or so that B. is home seems to go by faster. I took the girls to my mom on Saturday, so B. could get a few hours of solid studying in. He's tried studying with #1 around, but she kept writing on Post Its and sticking them all over his makeshift office. I set up a desk/table in our lower level so he wouldn't be tempted to watch YouTube on our computer. I think it has worked on pretty well. We may need to put an actual desk down there. 

Monday was a really long day for B. We probably talked on the phone for less than five minutes. I had some friends over last night as well, so the girls went to bed way past their normal bedtime. 

I got a chance to talk to B. a lot longer tonight, but he didn't get to talk to the girls. They were both asleep by the time he called. I'm hoping #2 would just fall asleep on her own. It is still taking at least 45 minutes for her to fall asleep and I have to be laying next to her. 

He passed High Speed today on his first attempt. I've heard High Speed is another difficult section like skid pan. So relieved we will not have to worry about last and final attempt for this. It was not a good feeling to have. 

I can't believe Thanksgiving is next week. #1 is off all next week. Thankfully, my parents will be able to watch her as I am trying to save my hours for March. They will be measuring and weighing the cadets on the Training Table after the Thanksgiving Break. Crossing my fingers that B. gets off the training table. He has lost at least 20 pounds since he arrived. 

That's all for now. They're getting closer. 

1/3 of the Way There (Day 45 of 130)

B. has completed nine weeks. It seems like it has gone by in a flash, yet there are still 18 weeks to go. We are still taking it day by day. It still only gets harder from here. We got to visit B. on Wednesday for only the second time since the Academy started. The girls were so excited to see him. We went to Fuji Sushi in Downtown Davis again. What a difference a few weeks made? UC Davis had just started classes the first time we went. The restaurant was packed back then and parking was a nightmare. Fast forward to this past Wednesday, the restaurant was pretty empty and parking was a breeze this time. Hopefully, we get another Wednesday soon. We will try a different meeting spot next time.

B. had his Vehicle Code in his hand all weekend. He studied in the car, he studied at home, he studied at a restaurant. The Vehicle Code is their Bible. It's the bread and butter of the CHP. There are so many numbers to remember. So many different variations.

On Saturday night, we finally had a chance to sit down and watch a movie together. B. had been talking about watching, "End of Watch" for a while now. I really enjoyed the movie. Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena were awesome partners. It was very emotional to watch as well as it hit close to home. As they said in the movie, it takes a strong woman to marry a cop. But fingers crossed, we are still months away from B. heading out on the road, but this will be our life. You always kiss them goodbye because there is always that chance they may not be walking back through that door. I've read several blogs of CHP Wives that you need to have friends that are wives of law enforcement officers, they will understand what you are going through. Even now, we have friends that question B.'s decision to join the CHP. "Isn't this dangerous, wouldn't it be safer if you did something else?" B. isn't one to sit around and be complacent. He wants the challenge and thrives in that environment. The danger of this job definitely weighs on my mind, but I know he is getting the best training available to keep him safe.

The uniform companies have already made their first visits to the Academy. It feels a little early to be thinking about uniforms at this point, but it takes at least three measurements, so there are starting now. I was shocked at the prices, but $1260 does provide a lot of uniforms. I'm looking forward to the day to see B. in that uniform. They still have a long way to go, but they're getting there day by day.