Family Day and Graduation!!

So last weekend on 11/12 and 11/13 I was able to go back to South Carolina for Chets graduation from Basic Training. Can I just say that it was one of the best experiences that I have had for a while I am so proud of chet and his accomplishment of Graduating from basic training. This whole thing has been really hard on both of us but it is worth it for the ways we have grown as a couple and as our own little family. We have both realized how much we love and adore eachother. Not that we didnt before but we do so so much more now. Honestly I didnt have the slightest Idea that I could have so much love for someone. I loved him so much before and now it is so much stronger and so much greater. So things chet has done at Basic besides lose about 30 lbs, he has gone through the Gas Chamber, he runs ALOT does like a million situps a day and a million pushups, He has learned many things about our country and how to fight for it. He has done many many things and has learned so much. He has learned how to eat anything they put in front of you and to eat it fast. He has done many teamwork excersises, hand to hand combat, he has had fun shooting the big guns and throwing Hand Grenades, He has made many new friends who he feels he will keep in touch with for a long time. Chet said that his favorite part of his basic training experience was getting his off post pass on Graduation day:)

(Beware lots of Pics:)
FAMILY DAY 11/12/2009

Here is LTC C. Krumwiede he is the Battalion Commander.

This first day was Nov 12th and it was family day there was alot of emotion there in one little room. The soldiers were allowed to have an on post pass that night until 2030 which is 8:30PM according to civillian time.

Here is chets company he was in the 1st Battalion 61st Infantry Regiment D Company 1st Platoon Wardawgs.

We didnt get a pic of when we first saw eachother it was kinda crazy therie because it was supposed to be outside but because of rain due to the Hurricane it was held inside so when they said we could go find our Soldiers and they had marched out Chets mom said to just go So I grabbed my friend Jacque and took off. First Reaction was I screamed and attacked with a big hug.

Sadly his mom had gotten lost so she didnt get to see him til she got out to the car. Here is their hug. Dont you love how he winks at me:) Gets a big smile on this girls face

This is Chets Barracks this is where he has slept everynight for the past two and a half months! He said that this group is the last to stay in these barracks before they remodel them.

Chet and I standing next to his bunk there were 8 beds in his room the rooms also do not have anydoors and the hallways were small Its kinda straight out of the movies. Lucky him he was on the top bunk with his Battle Buddy Jones on the bottom bunk.

Chet with his bed.

Here we are again standing in his room in front of his locker.

Chet and his mom if you can tell she was kinda grossed out by the living conditions. But if you ask me they were actally alot better than I thought they were going to be.

Chets Locker with all of his stuff he got complimented on how squared away his locker always was. They also told him that it was one of the cleanest they have seen in a long time:) Im so proud.

This is in front of D company Building where he lived. Dont you love the guy hanging out the window on his cell phone.

This sign was by chets PT Field we thought we would take a picture in front of it. He is so happy to be getting out of there. By the way back there for some odd reason there isnt any mud its a little grass seed planted on sand. Kinda strange but chet said because of all of the sand he doesnt care if he ever sees the stuff again.

This is a really cute Gazebo by the lake it was so pretty there.

Spanish moss is quite common to be hanging in the trees back there. It is such pretty stuff.

Two hearts reunited cant stop smiling.

The scenery at Fort Jackson is actually quite Pretty. Its crazy our leaves here have already fallen off of the tree and theirs are just starting to change.

Kinda a different thing while they are in Uniform they arent allowed to walk around while talking on the cell phone. There are actually a lot of rules that come with putting on the uiform. Chet was talking to his dad for the first time in a while.

I love this because these hands missed eachother so much they couldnt hardly wait to get reunited and reaquanted.

The night of Family Day we were able to go to the Chapel where Chet attended Church every
sunday and meet the couple Missionaries that took care of him while he was back there. We were also able to Meet the Branch President. This is Elder and Sister Fullmer with us. They were so great Sister Fullmer every sunday would print off emails that families have written to the guys and give them to them. It was so nice for chet to be able to get mail on sundays as well as every other day of the week and Yes I wrote him everyday.

GRADUATION DAY 11/13/2009

This is me and my friend Jacqulyn. Without her this would have been so much harder we talked everynight for like 3 hours at least. Her Fiance was in the same Company and Platoon as Chet was.

The guys carrying the flags over to where they would march out onto the field.

The Fort Jackson Army Band.

Colleen and I patiently awating the start of Graduation.

Here they come:)

Chet is on the far left side on the back row.
Go D Company

I love how they did all of the motions and things like that. The blue flag is the Company flag and the other four are the Platoon flags 1st 2nd 3rd and 4th. Chet was in 1st

Chet is in the Back Corner The two guys next tho him were his good buddies Ritchie and Matthews. The Drill Sergeant in the front was chets SSG B Hamblen. He saved chets butt from going to what he called Fat Camp because of his ratios of his neck belly stuff. Im so proud of him for this.

D Company

Good view of chet a full face view.

And again.

The whole company again.
In the whole infantry there were over 1000 Soldiers that graduated this day.Here is LTC C Krumwiede again speaking to the audience.

Here is chets Platoon He is the back row closest to the crowd.

And there he is Chet then his buddy Ritchie and Matthews they were like the 3 Amigos:)

On the off post pass Chet learned how to use his new computer! He was talking to Talon. He loves our Nephews. Look how skinny he is now.

The Columbia South Carolina Temple. It may be small but its Beautiful!

Outside the temple!

Chet and Ritchie outside of the temple Chet was wearing his field Jacket he was so cold.

I do have one of him smling. But I do love this one. The temple grounds were so pretty.

I am so in love with this guy!

Can you tell?

And you gotta love the self Portraits in the Hotel!

And we said goodbye again! But we will see eachother for Christmas for two weeks Its going to be so nice and what is even better is that instead of maybe talking to eachother everyother week for maybe 5 minutes now we can talk on the phone everyday! I am loving it.

If you ask me there is nothing better than two people in love!

Chet and his mom!