Almost 2 Weeks

It's been almost 2 weeks since I've heard from Caleb. Many of you have been asking about him but I don't have any new news to share. I promise I will create a new post as soon as I hear from him.

He did mention in the voicemail that he left 2 Sundays ago that some of the guys in his platoon haven't figured out how to follow the rules so the entire platoon was being punished. Perhaps they lost their phone privileges this past weekend. 

I did see one of Caleb's good friends, Jo, when I voted today. She said that Caleb had not contacted any of his friends this past weekend either. I hope we hear from him soon! 

If Caleb writes or calls you, please feel free to add a comment to one of the posts about Caleb if you want to share some of what he said. Thanks!

Softball Highlights

Kelsey loves to play softball and really enjoys having her daddy as her coach. Her favorite thing to do is run around the bases. She rarely gets tagged out because she is such an awesome slider. This video is only 87 seconds long.....I had to delete some of the great plays Kelsey made because I was busy watching the play instead of paying attention to where I was pointing my camera! Enjoy!

RED

Last Sunday I picked out a new car! We decided to down-size and get something more economical and after test driving a Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, and a Nissan Altima, we decided on the 2009 Nissan Altima. We were treated quite well at Courtesy Nissan in Richardson and  they did not give us the run around like the Honda and Toyota dealerships did. All three cars were about the same price but the deal Courtesy Nissan offered was far better than the other car dealers. They found the car I wanted at an Oklahoma dealership and I took delivery on Wednesday. We got a great deal and the salesman and sales manager were both very nice. If you are thinking about purchasing a new car, I would definitely recommend Courtesy Nissan. Our salesman was named Jeff and he was very down to earth, knowledgeable, helpful and of course courteous!

This is the first car I've had with a sun roof and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!! I've driven the car for three days now and I still have over 3/4 tank of gas!!!! It sure beats the 14 miles/gallon I was getting with my Chevy Tahoe! The exterior of the car is about the same color as the word "LOVE" above and the leather interior is tan with a brown dash and wood accents. It is very pretty!

I will take a picture and post it soon.

2nd Phone Call

Caleb called this morning while I was in church so he left a voicemail. I was disappointed that I didn't get a chance to talk to him but I am grateful that he called and left a message.

He told me that his directions for addressing his envelope were incorrect so if you have already written his address down somewhere, please make this correction in your address book:

Write his name Hunt, Caleb C instead of Caleb Hunt. Also make sure that the number 2 that you write on the flap of the envelope doesn't touch any other part of the back of the envelope. It must only be written on the flap. I also corrected his address in the post titled "Clarificaton from Sergeant" so you can refer to that post to find his address.

He also mentioned in his message that he is going to the gas chamber on Wednesday. I guess he'll get to experience what tear gas feels like. He said that it would be interesting but that is not the word I would use to describe going to the gas chamber!!!

He commented that punishment is not fun. Evidently there are other privates that haven't learned that it's best to follow the rules and do what you are told. It sounds like he is a bit frustrated with these privates! As many of you know, Caleb liked to "discuss", I called it "arguing", when he lived at home. It looks like he has become a rule follower rather than someone who wants to "discuss" the rules. That's a good thing!!!

Kelsey's Fall Band Concert

Kelsey performed in the Clark fall band concert this evening. She played the oboe and was asked by the band director to play a little solo for the audience. She performed well and we are very proud of her!

The song she liked best from tonight's performance was titled Tunes That Go Bump in the Night Arranged by Williams 

You can hear that song in the video clip below. The music stand covers Kelsey's face but I got a great shot of her fingers as she played her oboe. Enjoy!

Clarification from Sergeant

Ok, I just returned from the Army office in Frisco and got some clarification re: Caleb's first letter.

"Getting smoked" means to have extra physical training (PT). In order for Caleb to receive his mail, he has to do extra training but if the envelope is addressed incorrectly, he has to do a lot more PT. It sounds like that all the platoon does during the red phase of boot camp is lots and lots of PT so Caleb really doesn't want any more PT added to what he already is doing. It is Caleb's request that you address the envelope exactly as I have described below so that he can avoid extra PT.

I actually talked to an ex-drill sergeant and his advice was to write lots of "I love yous" etc. on the envelope and of course all the army guys in the office readily agreed with him. He said that in order to pass the PT test, the privates need lots of physical training so he said that I would be doing Caleb a favor by addressing the envelope in a different manner. However, I am going to address the way Caleb requested.

I asked if it was a good idea to send cookies and again I was told "SURE!!!" Once again they laughed and then the sergeant explained that if I sent cookies, that the drill sergeant would make the platoon do extra PT just to smell the cookies....they may not even get to eat them. The sergeant said that it would be best to wait until December to send cookies because there would be a better chance that the platoon would get to eat them. If you do send cookies, treats, etc. make sure you send enough for 60. That is about how many are in his platoon.

If you send Caleb a letter, make sure your return address is on the front of the envelope in the top-left corner. On the back of the envelope, you need to write the number 2 centered at the top of the envelope.

Address the rest of the envelope like this:

Hunt, Caleb C

Eco. 2/39th Inf. Regiment

2nd Platoon Punishers

Fort Jackson, SC 29207

I am sure Caleb would love to hear from as many people as possible.....even if he has to do some PT to get the letters. He misses everyone and I am sure some encouraging words from his family and friends would lift his spirits. Thanks!

First Letter from Caleb

I received my first letter from Caleb today. He mentioned in his phone call on Sunday that I needed to "follow directions" so that he wouldn't get in trouble. Well he should know that I am quite the rule follower but he seemed worried that I would not follow the directions to a "T". That is all he said on the phone as his time was limited.

The first thing he mentioned in his letter was warning us again to follow the directions he wrote on the back of the letter so that he wouldn't get "smoked". I am not sure what that means but I know it's not good. Caleb is quite worried that even if I follow the directions that he will get "smoked". I don't like the sound of that!!! 

His directions just showed how to address the envelope when I send him a letter. Since his handwriting is not that neat, I am a little concerned that I won't address it exactly as it is supposed to be. I am going to check with the sergeant that recruited him so that he can verify Caleb's address before I post his address for everyone else. 

Right now, Caleb is in the red phase and will be for 2 more weeks. Then he will be in the white phase for 3 weeks and then the blue phase for 3 weeks. Then he will have one week of out-processing and his graduation will be on my birthday...Dec. 12th. I don't know what those phases mean......Caleb tends to leave out a lot of details when he writes. Hopefully when he responds to my letter, I will be able to fill in some of those details.

He said that he hurt his knee but that it is starting to feel better. He wasn't surprised to find that he was the only guy who doesn't cuss but he said that it sure is a culture shock having to listen to it all the time. He hasn't had any drill sergeants "in his face" yet so he sounded hopeful that things are looking up.

The roll of stamps that he took to boot camp got stolen so the only thing he asked for were some forever stamps. He said that "Everyone steals everything here." It's a good thing that they aren't allowed to bring much to boot camp!

When I write to him, I will ask him if he wants others to send him letters right now. It may be that if he gets a lot of mail, that he will get "smoked" a lot and I don't want him to have to go through that. He may want us to wait until he is in a different phase of boot camp before he receives letters/care packages. I'll let you know.

Volleyball Highlights

Kelsey's team, The Clark Cougars, played a great game against the Stafford Spartans. The video shows a few of the great plays that Kelsey made tonight. We are proud of you Kelsey!!!!

She is the tallest one in the front row.....Number 15.

An Unexpected Phone Call

As we sat down to dinner last night, my cell phone rang and it was Caleb's ringtone! I was surprised that the Army was letting Caleb use his cell phone instead of using the pay phone at the base. It was so good to hear that ring!!

Caleb told me that he only had 5 minutes to talk so I quickly started asking questions!! He said he was doing well and that boot camp was not as hard as he thought it would be. He attended church on Sunday but said that it was a little boring....definitely not the type of service he is used to attending. He actually had the entire day off but didn't know if that was the Sunday norm or not. I guess he'll find out next Sunday.

Before I had a chance to ask more questions, Caleb quickly interjected that he wanted to make sure he had time to call his friend, Matt. I told him that Kelsey wanted to say a quick hello first and then he ended the call with "I love you's" for everyone.

He mentioned that he mailed a letter and that I should be receiving it soon. He was able to include his address in this letter so I'll include that in my next post.

Caleb leaves for boot camp

Saying good-bye to Caleb on the evening of September 29th was one of the hardest things I have had to do. Over the next couple of days, I waited anxiously for Caleb's call that he arrived in South Carolina safely but that call didn't come. I finally called one of the sergeants that recruited Caleb and told him I hadn't heard from Caleb. The next day, while deer hunting in South Texas, Richard received a phone call from Caleb. Since he was hunting, he did not have his phone turned on so Caleb left a voicemail saying saying that he made it to boot camp and that he loved us all.

That night, Richard called to tell me about the voicemail and Kelsey and I were eager to hear it for ourselves but when Richard returned on Sunday he explained that he mistakenly deleted it.

A week after Caleb's departure, I received a postcard from him. One side was titled: Watch Your Soldier in Action! Gas Chamber, Victory Tower, Marching, Weapons and More! A Once in a Lifetime Event! I personally think that they should have left off a few of those details!!! Apparently, we can purchase a basic training highlight video as well as a video of the boot camp graduation ceremony. 

On the other side, Caleb did have room to write a short message:

Hey Mom and Dad,

This is the actual grad video information. Missing y'all already. Tell Matt and them I said hi. Tell sis I love her.

See ya in a few weeks,

Caleb

I now find myself running to the mailbox each day hoping to find another note from Caleb. He didn't leave his address on this postcard but I feel like his next letter will include his mailing address as well as the day he graduates. I will post that information as soon as I get it.

Please continue praying for Caleb.