our little angel

It was so good to see Tory and share Thanksgiving with him. I'm thankful for the time that we got to spend together. I'm so proud of him. Only 18 days until he's home for good. God is good!

Thanksgiving in the chow hall at Fort Benning

I'm also thankful for the beautiful and healthy baby GIRL that will be here come April. She's becoming more and more active, which is so much fun. She continues to grow big and strong weighing in at 11 ounces at my 20 week ultrasound.

The ultrasound technician sealed the gender of the baby in an envelope so that I could bring it to Fort Benning and open it with Tory. It was the best way to find out that our little blessing is a girl. :) We are so excited!

With love, Lynette

stand firm in faith

Can you believe November is right around the corner already? Wow! October flew by, but November is going to be packed full of blessings and I'm ready. On November 23rd I will fly down to Atlanta and drive to Fort Benning for Tory's 48 hour leave. November 23rd marks the end of basic training for him. The remainder of his time will be spent in job training specific to infantry. It's my first Thanksgiving away from my family, but I know it'll be extra special after not seeing or talking to Tory for so long! Letters, although very special, just aren't the same.

October has kept me busy. My niece, Yuri Nelly, was born September 30th and she has filled our lives with lots of love. With many health complications over the last month, she has truly shown us what it means to persevere. She is recovering at home now after a surgery that removed pressure building up in her brain. She is doing extraordinarily well. She's full of so much strength and courage. We are all in awe of her. God is so good and has led our family through faith. I am blessed to be apart of a family that stands by each other no matter what and will do whatever it takes to be there for one another. XoXo



I spent a much needed MEA break in Las Vegas with Rebecca and we had a blast! There was so much to see and do. I can't wait to go back with my man. We shopped, ate, gambled, walked everywhere, took in the sunshine, danced the nights away, saw a Circus de Soleil show, and much more.




Tory is doing great and eager to move onto Blue Phase. Tomorrow is his first day of Blue Phase, which is the final phase of the basic training portion of his time at Fort Benning. Like Red and White Phase, Blue Phase will last 3 weeks. December 15th (his return to Fort Home -hehe) will be here before we know it. Baby D and I can't wait. We miss our soldier :) Here's what he's had to say in the last week or so.


October 20, 2011
Today was a big gun day. We learned how to operate the .50 cal and MK19. Shooting the .50 cal was one of the highlights of basic so far. You should youtube these weapons so you know what I'm talking about when I use these things. The .50 cal is a huge gun that is usually mounted on top of a humvee or striker that shoots rounds that will literally tear someone in half and send them 20 feet in the air. We were on a hill shooting at old tanks that were about 2,000 meters away. The feeling through your whole body when you fire that gun is awesome. I wish we could fire more rounds. The MK19 (pronounced mark 19) is a fully automatic grenade launcher. I shot about 20-30 rounds with that one. The cool thing about the MK19 is that you can actually see the rounds as they go down range because they don't travel nearly as fast as a bullet. Saw some good explosions today. You feel like the man sitting behind a big gun that size and feeling it vibrate through your chest. Definitely a good day.

October 21, 2011
Today we went to the EST range again. This time we got an intro to shooting targets from a standing position while we are moving. We are transitioning from BRM (Basic Rifle Marksmanship) to ARM (Advances Rifle Marksmanship) which involves more combat situations rather than basic shooting of targets. The simulation today had targets that popped up and we had to raise our rifle on the move and double tap them. Any time you shoot an enemy you double tap to ensure that they are dead and don't try exploding a suicide bomb or anything. I'm excited about ARM training. We will get to run around and do a lot more high intensity training. Tomorrow was supposed to be our 8-mile ruck march, but it was moved to next Saturday. ... I have a wicked blister on my heel so I'm okay with that.

October 24, 2011
We were up at 0345 this morning to march out to eh grenade range. That's right, I got to throw hand grenades today. We did a round march to get there, but it was just in full kit (body armor, assault backpack, etc.) and not a ruck so it was a solid 3-mile workout. It's actually hot here today and we had to sprint around the range in our body armor so I worked up a good sweat today.

After learning how to properly arm and throw a grenade we threw 3 dummy grenades that just flashed and banged when they hit the ground. You can't throw it like a baseball because they weigh a pound and a half and you have to get it over the barrier in front of you. ... You stand in a pit with concrete barriers around you and a Pit NCO in there who gives you instructions. You gotta make sure you so it the right way or they will straight up body slam you on the ground. Some people have actually dropped the grenade or thrown it straight at the wall in front of them or even backwards and the Pit NCO's don't hesitate to mess you up.

Basically it's simple. You flip the safety lever, pull the pin and throw. As soon as you throw it releases the final safety, called the spoon. You better believe I was holding that tight until I threw the grenade. We all had to stand behind this big wall and could hear the tower give instructions to throw the first grenade and I was expecting it to sound like a shot from a big gun but it was WAY louder. The whole ground shook, it was fricken sweet. I threw my 2 live grenades with no problem, except that it was over too fast. You have to duck behind the barrier after you throw so you don't see the explosion but after you throw you get to stand behind a big plexi-glass window and watch the next group throw. The explosion is bigger than I thought it would be for a little hand grenade. It was another thing I never thought I'd do.

Keep you posted :) -Lynette
Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.
1 Corinthians 16:13

accept the challenges

Today marks 40 days since Tory left for basic training (only 60 days to go)! Our marriage continues to grow through heartfelt letters. The letters I've received over the past month and a half will forever hold a special place in my heart. I'm so proud of Tory. Together we press on and through God's mighty works alone we rise above the challenges set before us. I am so blessed to have married a man of great faith and conviction.

The time since Tory left has been bittersweet in many ways. I miss him verrryy much and think about him often, but I am filled with a sense of peace and strength that I didn't know I had. God is so good. I continue to rely on Him and He has yet to let me down. This time apart has taught me that marriage has not replaced my independence. It has also taught me that taking out the trash, replacing batteries in the fire alarm, and killing spiders don't have to be "blue jobs" (although I will be happy to hand the reigns back over to Tory when he returns). :)

I addition, I have realized that my friends are angels and they will stand beside me always.


It has also given me the opportunity to rely on the unconditional support and love of my family.


I'm especially grateful to Tory's family for checking in on me and making it a point to spend time with me while Tory is away. It has really meant a lot to me.


Here's a glimpse at Tory's life a Fort Benning this month! I will pull bits and pieces from the letters I've received the past couple weeks. Sorry I haven't been more consistent in updating. Work, school, dinner dates, and Baby D have been keeping me busy.

October 5, 2011
So today was our first day out on the BRM range. 25 people from each platoon who shot well on the simulator got to go and zero their weapons today. Basically that means making adjustments until your sights are accurate. It was awesome to actually shot some live rounds. I got to fire 40 rounds today and will get plenty more in the coming weeks. I have never fired anything other than the .22 and my grandparents farm so I was a little nervous about firing an assault rifle, but I did fine. The recoil isn't too bad, but it's loud. It's hard not to flinch with guys directly to both sides of you shooting. We shot in the prone supported position, meaning laying down using a sandbag. We shoot 5 rounds, go out to our targets, make whatever adjustments the DS (drill sergeant) tells us to, then fire another 5 rounds and so on until we're zeroed in. It was actually a lot of fun. Like the DS say, "This is what we get paid to do, so have fun with it." We could see airborne troops over the tree line jumping from planes. It was so cool. You could see the plane flying low and then a whole line of green parachutes. A lot of guys in BCT are trying hard for Airborne contracts so it was cool to see them in action. Between that and shooting my M4 I felt like I was in the Army today.

October 6, 2011
I had PT (physical training) this morning and now we are doing bay and weapon maintenance. I don't think I ever told you about morning PT. We go out to this big sand pit and do warm-up exercises and then whatever our main workout is. It isn't usually that hard, it just sucks doing it in the sand. It gets everywhere and we aren't allowed to wipe it off. We do it every morning about 5am, eat chow around 7:30, then do whatever training is planned for the day.

October 8, 2011
Good news! Today is officially our first day of White Phase! We had a company run this morning for a couple miles to make the transition as a motivational type of thing. It's a big run in formation where we sing cadences the whole time. I love doing cadence, so I thought it was fun. It's a pretty slow pace since it's the entire company which is 220 soldiers. ...
I'm not exactly sure what will change in White Phase except the DS backing off a little bit. I hope we get some other privileges but these will only depend on people not screwing up. I think we'll be able to walk to church with our battle buddies instead of getting marched by the DS. Stuff like that seems dumb, but it means a lot when your used to having everything you do controlled.

October 10, 2011
The week is BRM week which means shooting all week. Unfortunately, only 2 platoons from our company can go to the range at once so 1st and 2nd went today and us and 4th wont go until tomorrow. ...
I didn't do much today except clean my weapon and clean it some more. I spent a little time practicing my shooting techniques, but you can only do that for so long. I think we have to qualify either this week or next. There are 3 levels you can qualify at; marksman, sharpshooter, and expert. I'm more concerned with qualifying at this point than hitting a certain level, but hopefully I'm decent enough where I can start thinking about sharpshooter or expert.

Until next time, Lynette

ultimate blessing

It's true! Tory and I are expecting and we couldn't be happier! We cannot wait to welcome our little peanut into the world. He or she is due April 10th (exactly a month before daddy's birthday--hurry home daddy!!).

Check out the reactions of grandma 1, 2, and 3 when they found out there's a bun in the oven :)

My sisters are proud aunties! Baby D doesn't know it yet, but he/she has the best aunties in the whole wide world.

I'm 14 weeks along now and feeling great! We are anxiously waiting to find out if it's a boy or a girl. We are praying for health for our little angel.

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. Psalm 139: 13-16

With Love, Lynette & Tory

strength & courage

I received two letters on Friday and both were amazing to read. One in particular reminded me that our soldiers are strong and courageous. Take a look:

*Tory is not pictured here

"Today was the infamous gas chamber day. We did PT, ate chow (they told us to drink milk because they wanted to see us puke, but I didn't fall for that one) and took a bus out to the chambers. To be honest, I was pretty scared. The whole not being able to breathe thing really freaks me out. We were the last platoon to go in so I had plenty of time to psych myself out about it. By the time the last group goes in there is the highest concentration of CS gas in the room too."

"Our whole platoon filled in half on each wall and you can still breathe with the mask on, but you can feel all your skin start to burn. They came up to each one of us and had us break the seal on our mask and say our last name and social security number, then reseal the mask, then clear the mask to get the gas out. I was scared it wouldn't work and I would have a mask sealed against my face with gas in it but I was able to clear it properly. Then they had us take off our masks completely and breathe in the gas which is when everyone starts freaking out. The tricky part is that you have to keep your rifle between your legs with your helmet balanced on top. You then have to put your helmet on and endure the burning lungs and eyes until they let you out. The whole time I was just telling myself to keep my composure and not panic but I was close to freaking out by the time that exit door opened. If you screw anything up, like drop your helmet or mask, or don't put your chinstrap on straight, or don't exit with your mask in your left hand and the rifle extended in your right, you have to go in again."

"Thankfully I did it correctly and just did it once. Some people had to do it 3 times which would be awful. It wasn't SO bad but I wouldn't want to do it again. It does clear your sinuses though."

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9

Keep you posted!

Love always, Lynette

army strong

Dropping Tory off

Tory has begun his basic training adventure and I have received 4 letters describing his time there. He left September 7th at 8am. I dropped him off at the Rosemount Armory and they took him to the airport. His flight left at 1pm. Once he got to Atlanta he waited in the airport until a bus arrived to take him the 2 hours to Fort Benning. Once he got to Fort Benning he began his time in reception. Reception is a holding place for the soldiers while they process their paperwork, give them the necessary medical examinations, and sort them into platoons for basic training.

"We finally got into Fort Benning last night at about 11:30 and after a bunch of paperwork and briefings we didn't get to bed until 3am. I got maybe 15 minutes of sleep before we had to wake up at 4am. I basically haven't slept for two days, which has made today tough. Reception is mostly a lot of paperwork, standing in formation, and being called f-ing idiots by the Drill Sergeants all day. Just a preview of the real Drill Sergeants when we ship down range, I'm sure. We had to get a bunch of shots today and we bought a bunch of stuff at the PX (the store)."

"The food is mediocre. We get 5 minutes to eat, which is plenty of time because we haven't been physically training so I haven't been that hungry. They don't really care if you eat, only that you finish 2 glasses of liquid so we basically chug those. Chugging a glass of milk at 5 in the morning feels pretty gross."

"I had my first fireguard shirt last night which consists of waking up for an hour and patrolling the barracks and taking a head count and making sure not to fall asleep or the Drill Sergeant will make everyone get up. My shift was from 2200-2300 (10-11) so it wasn't bad because I could sleep for awhile afterward. I'm not looking forward to having fireguard duty at 0200 or 0300. Someone always has to be up so you just wake up they next people 10 minutes before your shift is over."

This week I finally received some mail from his time out of reception and in basic training. He arrived there on Friday, September 16th. His letters are short, since they don't have any personal time yet. It was so good to hear about what's keeping him so busy. Check it out:

"I finally have time to write. We just completed day 5 of BCT and it's getting better already. I am assigned to 2-19 Infantry Delta Company. Our company has about 250 soldiers total. I'm in the 3rd platoon, which is 57 soldiers. We're called the Commandos. It has been rough trying to get a whole platoon of guys from all over the place on the same page, but if I've learned anything so far it's teamwork. We all work together or we get lit up by the DS (Drill Sergeants). Our Drill Sergeants are awesome. I honestly think we got the best ones in the company. They have a wealth of knowledge and combat experience and I'm excited for how much we'll learn from them. They are extremely hard on us and they demand things be done right."

A short recap:
Day 1) "Got off the bus with DS screaming everywhere just like you'd think. We have our big duffel bags over our back and another bag that we had to hold over our heads while we ran up a hill. We didn't get there fast enough (which was impossible) so we have to go back down and run back up. We did this 4 times before they let us stay at the top of the hill. We were supposed to keep the bag over our head, but nobody could do it by the end. Then we went up to our bay and proceeded to get smoked (aka corrective punishment) for the next hour or so. The rest of the day was mostly briefings and getting smoked."

Day 2) "We were issued our weapons. I'm a proud owner of a M4 Carbine rifle. It goes everywhere with me except the bathroom and chow (cafeteria)."

"Our schedule for the last few days has been PT (physical training) in the morning, chow, some sort of class, other instructional training, more chow and that's kind of how it goes. In between we get smoked a lot. I've already sweat through just about every piece of clothing I have, but since we haven't had any personal time nobody has done laundry so we smell pretty bad."

"Tomorrow we go into the gas chamber which I'm nervous for. We were issued our gas masks today and I feel like I'm in WWI wearing it. It will be painful I'm sure, but over with quickly. We wear our mask in there to get comfortable with our equipment and then we have to break the seal and stay in there for awhile and breathe it in. Should be fun..."

I will continue trying to pull the good stuff from his letters and sharing them with you. I'm so proud of him & I can't wait to have him home. His graduation is December 15th at Fort Benning and he will be coming home that day. :) He'll be home for Christmas... God is good!

Love always, Lynette

one blessing after another

We're back from Chicago and it was wonderful! We started our trip with lots of site seeing by foot. The weather was beautiful and there's so much to see. Live music on the street corners, statues, water fountains, gardens, great people watching and lots of good food!

We stopped at "The Bean"... along with dozens of other tourists.

We went to Westside Story at Cadillac Palace. It was a great show and a lot of fun!

Navy Pier

We also went on a horse and carriage ride around the city at night. This was so romantic since Navy Pier has fireworks at night and we got to ride right past them.

I feel blessed to have spent the weekend getting some QT with the hubby. With his adventure to Fort Benning only a month away, the time we spent in Chicago feels EXTRA blessed.

From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. John 1:16

Sincerely,
Lynette

to have and to hold

Happy anniversary, Tory! Thank you for being my best friend in good times and in bad. Thank you for always being there for me and for working so hard to build our life together. You are my everything. XoXo

My favorite reason for being married is to grow and learn with my best friend. Through all of life's ups and downs, we stick together no matter what. And by the grace of God, we are not quickly broken.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and as no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

We will be celebrating 2 years in Chi-town tomorrow through the weekend! See you when we get back! :)
-Lynette :)

victorious living

It's been awhile since we've updated our blog. The last couple of months have been busy. Tory started his drills- it's true what they say about men in uniform :) Although the time commitment has made planning for the summer a challenge, God continues to bless us. It has become more apparent to me than ever before that God has placed the most amazing girl friends and mentors in my life to keep me company and walk with me as I embrace change.

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35

On May 10th Tory turned 25 and we went on our sky diving adventure. If you haven't done it... DO IT! It was so much fun. It took about 15 minutes to reach the jumping altitude of 15,000 feet, but you drop at a rate of about 1,000 feet every six seconds. Unfortunately, I can't put our videos on the web because I don't have a dvd burner. When I get one, I'll be sure to share the videos with you.

Tory was the first to jump!

Free falling!

My turn :)

So awesome!

Thank you to those of you who have been praying for me as I interview for positions for next year. I have been offered a position at Cedar Park once again, which has eliminated a lot of stress and anxiety. I hope to sign my tenure contract early next week. I will continue teaching 3rd grade, which I have really loved the past two years. I am so blessed to have a job that I love. My passion for teaching children becomes stronger each year and I can't wait for what's to come. God is good.

Waving good-bye on the last day of school

Love, Lynette

But he said to them "It is I, do not be afraid." John 6: 20

take love & multiply it by infinity

"Take love, multiply it by infinity and take it to the depths of forever...
and you still have only a glimpse of how I feel for you."

This vacation was just what we needed. We have arrived home tired, sunburned, refreshed, and happy. The only thing better than sipping pina coladas with colorful umbrellas under the sun... is doing so with your best friend.


Before we left on our cruise (Carnival Inspiration), we spent two days with my aunt and uncle in Tampa. It was so good to spend time with family. Thank you Titi Melba and Tio Julio for hosting us for a couple days and for making our trip even more special.

(Since we were in Tampa, we HAD to hit up Busch Gardens.)

Our cruise left from Tampa and stopped in Grand Cayman and Cozumel. In Grand Cayman we took a bus tour and stopped in Hell, a rum factory, and the beach. We walked around town with coconuts in hand.

(That's my devil face. Scary, huh?!)

The highlight of our trip was definitely swimming with the dolphins in Cozumel. We were in the water with the dolphins and the trainers would instruct them to swim to us so that we could touch them. We also learned some dolphins commands and instructed them to talk, jump, and twirl in circles. They are incredibly smart and beautiful. It was surreal being in the water with them. The best part was when we got to swim out in the cove a ways and ride on the back of the dolphin. Of course we also got to kiss them.



We are blessed to be able to travel together. As we unpacked and continue getting ready for the work week, we both agree that the hardest part of our travels is always coming home. However, now we're refreshed and we can embrace the work ahead of us with more peace of mind and heart.

I'm leaving you with a gift: peace of mind and heart! And the peace I give isn't fragile like the peace the world gives. So, don't be troubled or afraid. (John 14:27)

Yours truly, Lynette :)