Days 3 and 4 of 187 (Week 1)

I figure there will be days where nothing new happens for R nor I so it's unlikely I'll blog everyday, but I'll do what I can.

Wednesday was a harder day for me, I think it finally sank in that R would be away more often than he would be present, for at least the next 6 months. To top it all off, our adorable puppy Hunter released what seemed like a liter of puppy pee in bed, so it was just icing on the unhappy cake yesterday. I had a long talk with some girlfriends that helped me realize how much I need to lean on others during this time. I have to unload some of the emotional responsibility R would usually have, on others so that I don't keep things pent up, or feel alone. That's a big adjustment for me, because I do tend to keep things to myself or only share them with R. Doable though, and ultimately necessary.

I did get to talk to R on Wednesday, but his reception is bad so it seems like we spent a lot of time playing the "can you hear me?" game. He seemed tired but there wasn't much different from his first two days. I knew he wouldn't have Wednesday liberty (meaning being able to leave the CHP campus for a few hours that night) and probably won't have it for the next few weeks. I adopted the lowered expectations of assuming Wednesday is no different than the other days, so that when he gets Wednesdays off, it'll seem like a treat.

Day 2 of 186 (Week 1)

So I realize now this will probably be a bit confusing but when I post, I'll be posting about R's day prior. Meaning the posts will be a day behind of R's real time schedule. For instance, the day you read this post will be Day 3 in the academy but I'm posting about Day 2.

I was really excited to receive texts from two of R's friends who mentioned the CHP Recruiting Facebook page and the start of a new CTC III-14 album. And R is prominently shown in one of the photos! It was very surreal seeing him in the cadet blues, with the rest of his cadet class.It's exciting though, and although I don't want to post the picture here, it's a public album on the "CHP Recruting" page if you're interested.

Our first night apart was a smidge rough. Our dog Shay was unbelievably restless all night, I could feel her pacing all over the bed. Part of it might be that we stayed at my parents house in an unfamiliar bed. But we've stayed in hotel rooms before, and it's not like my parent's house is "new" to her, we go there weekly. She kept sitting by the door, glaring at me and it just felt like she was waiting for R to come home. I'm hopeful we have more sleep filled nights to come.
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R called at 21:50 and we got a decent amount of phone time tonight! He sounded really alert and not as tired today, which was nice to hear. It sounded like they had more time tonight to take care of nighttime duties "aka free time" but there's always lots to do in the academy so we kept it short. Here's what I got:

• He confirmed that he was wearing pants so big yesterday that he was indeed wearing 2 belts.
• The good news is that he was able to switch pants so they fit today.
• He seemed to really like him roommates, direct quote:"everyone is cool."
• He said the food was good (which surprised me) but their body fat hadn't been tested yet so no one was on the "training table" diet yet. So the food will likely change for him soon.
• But he also said he was surprised by his lack of hunger. 
• They got their brass today and he's working on learning how to polish
• They're doing a lot of hiring forms right now in the classroom, so its not really bad yet.
• He said, "You don't realize how heavy your book is until you're holding it above your head."

Day 1 of 186 (Week 1)

All night, anytime my phone made a sound, my stomach would do a little flip. As I started to settle into bed, I prepared myself for not hearing from him and strangely enough, I felt at peace with that. [Maybe it's the fact I still saw him leave this morning, you can ask me again in 3 days if I feel just as "peaceful"]. But at 22:26, I saw his caller ID pop up and I didn't even let my phone get to the 2nd ring.

I knew from prior wife blogs that the first day, they're lucky if they get a 2 minute call. I got exactly 51 seconds and I couldn't be happier.

FAQ on R and the CHP Academy

For our friends and family who weren't able to attend the orientations, I just wanted to give some background on what the CHP academy is like.

( Here is an UPDATED FAQ written from Week 20. The information below was written before the academy, although a lot of it is still true, there are some differences.)

What are the logistics?
R will be living at the West Sacramento facility Monday-Friday with some availability to go home on the weekends (and possibly Wednesday evenings, although that is always tentative). He will take multiple tests (academic, driving, shooting, etc) and if all goes well, he will graduate in late February 2015. After that, we are assigned to a division office anywhere in California.

What is the CHP academy like?
He will be up as early as 4:00 am to train physically, sit through multiple classes a day (Hours-wise, they get 2 years of college education compressed into 6 months), take numerous tests weekly, spend hours practicing skills and at the end of the night, they get their uniform ready for the next day. It's a full day (usually around 12-15 hours long) from start to finish.

The CHP academy is similar to having a full time job, taking a full load of college classes, living in a dorm without freedom to come/go during the week and training for a tough mudder nearly everyday for 6 months, all at the same time.

Family Orientation

So today was the family orientation for CTC III-14 and it was very informative.

While we had gotten almost all the same info from the Valley Division orientation last week, it made it feel so real, seeing all the cadets in their suits and shaved heads.

Welcome to our newest chapter

Hi there,

First off, welcome! I'm E and a soon-to-be-cadet's wife. My cadet will be referred to as R, and I'm guessing most of the people reading this blog know who we are.

R was invited into CTC-III-14 (the name of his cadet class) at the CHP Academy starting on Monday, August 25, 2014. Getting an invitation into the academy was a long road and it wasn't easy. Months of background checks, a myriad of tests (including a rigorous physical test) and evaluations are done to ensure the highest quality of cadets. For both R and I, the journey has been about 2 years in the making so we're so excited to finally be at this point!

This road hasn't been without its doubts. When R told me he was interested in becoming a CHP officer, it took me awhile to accept the life path he wanted to lead us down. And if I'm being honest, there will always be reservations in my mind because being in law enforcement has its risks, with R's safety always being the top one. But this is what he wants to do, and I support him wholeheartedly in chasing that dream. I also have faith that his intense training at the academy will put him in the best shape of his life, mentally and physically to do the job at hand. I'm already dreaming of that pinning ceremony in February 2015... :)

For our friends and family, as well as ourselves, this will be a time of adjustment. R is the type of guy who is always there for everyone; answering computer/phone/internet questions, helping friends move, offering to DD and the list goes on. Now, it's our turn to be there for him. I'll have more info on how to do that in my next post.

So welcome along on our newest life chapter! The next 6 months will be quite difficult for R but God willing, it will result in him graduating from one of the finest law enforcement agencies in the world!

Please pray for him, keep him in your thoughts and wish him all the best! Feel free to comment on all our posts, I'll make sure to read them to him on the weekends. :)

Sincerely,
E