06/29

I know this sounds awkward, since I've been back home since 06/19 and this happens to be a delayed response ... But yes, I am back from Annual Training ... my LAST annual training ...

So, how did it go? I SURVIVED, thank God! Kidding ... Actually, it went pretty well. I spent a big duration of the time with cooks from different units. We were divided into shifts, I was on 3rd. Our shifts rotated day to day. One shift would have to get up early to fix breakfast, and was off for dinner. The following day, the same shift got to sleep in for breakfast, but had to prepare dinner, then the day after, that shift would get the WHOLE day off. I really enjoyed being with the group I was with. It reminded me of when I used to drill with the 281st in New Mexico. They were laid back, we got away with a lot of things (), and we got more opportunities to go on base to buy necessities at the PX, as well as shower and do laundry at the barracks. I also got more time to play my little GameBoy Advance game. I played Legend of Zelda: The Oracle of Seasons, and got pretty far (strange, but it seemed so much cooler playing the game out in the field than at my own house). And one of the Sergeants got me hooked on that animated series The Boondocks. The only part that sucked was that I missed my opportunities to attend Chapel Services (that's military language for "Mass", in case you're wondering) and go to Land Navigation, but that was the time my shift was working. And I ended up feeling sick after I returned home. And it was rough having to go to drill after coming back from AT, AND going back to my regular daytime job as a customer service rep. on top of all that. Man, it's enough to make someone feel OOOOLLLDDD! *imitates a toothless old lady and shakes her fist to the sky*

Luckily, I was able to get some rest this past weekend. They were having the annual Arts & Crafts show in Lockport, which I originally wasn't planning on attending, as it completely slipped out of mind and I was just going for a walk. But, I happened upon and ... well, yes I splurged some of hard-earned dollars. I bought myself two toe-rings, one mood ring, a ti-dye skirt, and a box of cranberry-almond white fudge. And I bought a small Hulk Hogan plaque for my father and two scrubbies with knitted design (scrub-pads for dishes) for my mother. But the event I'm REALLY looking forward to is spending a whole week with my distant boyfriend, JohnPaul. I already requested time off from July 13th to July 17th (plus four weekends ) and man, I'm already acting like an antsy five-year-old girl who can't go to sleep because she's too excited to find out "what happens next?" in Mommy's bed-time story. Does that make sense?