Ben's First Post

So, it’s five AM and the beasts in my brain are already wide-awake, hankering for today to begin its adventures. My week thus far has been completely taken up by a voluntary, 84-hour schedule over nine days, so this day off is a much-needed respite. Plus, Stephanie didn’t log out of her blog last time so I thought I’d post a little blog myself! I am always amazed at the blogging world, how my wife knows everything that happens to our friends who we haven’t seen in such a long time….

Next week, I plan on trying to convince Steph that Braeden needs to go camping for at least one more night (he’s been camping a couple of times, nothing big) in the mountains. It’s supposed to be in the 20s at night, but beautiful nonetheless with all the sunshine in the world during the day. Braeden likes camping because he can really get in touch with Mother Earth and his natural feral side (evidenced by the growling, attempted dirt-meals and fascination with crawling insects. No, really, he growls whenever we are in the country; it’s like his way of telling us he’s contented).

The only trouble with camping is that (1) Braeden inevitably ends up in Stephanie’s sleeping bag for half the night because he eats like a small troll when it’s dark outside, (2) it’s below freezing and Stephanie simply doesn’t eat enough junk food to ever create the convenient body-padding, no matter how many times I tell her to skip the healthy stuff and go straight for dessert, and (3) one-nighters are all about being able to stay up around the fire, talking and telling stories and wishing there was more food in the tin foil dinners. The problem arises when we realize that Braeden is still going to be awake the entire next day, so there’s no chance to “make up” for the lost sleep time.

At any rate, we are doing very well and are excited to visit Utah next week. This year has been very interesting, filled with a myriad of life’s little lessons regarding everything from speaking in public to what to check for when buying a used car. It’s been a pretty hard year, sometimes emotionally, sometimes financially, and usually psychologically. I’m so proud of Steph and grateful to her for the sacrifices that she’s made to be home with Braeden, finish her education, and even earn some money this year. In about four to six weeks, I will be finished with school and we should find out where we’ll be stationed in the Air Force (either Travis AFB, CA; Sheppard AFB, TX; Wright-Patterson AFB, OH; or Mountain Home AFB, ID). In the meanwhile, adieu and have a wonderful week! Christmas is getting nearer!
-Ben