Well, it looks like I might be heading back up to MEPS again…but this time to join the Air Force active duty. I know I know, how dare I switch branches! Trust me, it’s tough to change gears like that, I mean I already knew my general orders and was all about “Go Army” and stuff…now Air Force, I think I got whiplash!
I won’t give up any details now…shhhh…. but I may start posting my experiences again…guess I’ll have to change the title of my blog?
I’m sorry to say, I’m not joining the Army Reserves after all. It was a very difficult decision to make, but I feel it is the right one for me and my son. If my situation was different, I would absolutely be joining and I respect and wish any one joining the best of luck, in any military branch.
John and I broke up over misrepresentations and our lives going in different directions.
I got a part-time job and am going to go to school in the Spring.
I’m not going to delete this blog incase anyone finds anything useful here. If you have any questions about the process, please don’t hesitate to ask. I got through most of it, so I may be able to help…or atleast tell you where you may find help.
Thank you to all of you who have read my blog and joined me on my too-short journey. Please feel free to visit my other blog: lostdmw.wordpress.com
Darlene
This past weekend was tumultuous, to say the least. Without going into the details, there were a lot of highs and incredible lows. There were some major revelations and some life altering choices made, yet I am still presented with my choice: Do I continue on the path I am currently on and go into the Reserves, or not?
My mother offered to help me pay for college, instead of me joining the Reserves. That’s a pretty sweet deal, but is it what I want? Can I go into the military with my main support out of the game, for now and maybe for good? Do I want to possibly settle for less or do I want to go all out, balls to the wall, and say “I AM DOING THIS,” even though I’m terrified?
I keep going over the reasons I wanted to join the Reserves in the first place, and they’re all still valid. The reasons for not going are also valid. But, I just can’t come to terms with letting go and I also fear full commitment. (Worse than a virgin prom date, lol).
I think this past weekend is still too fresh for me to decide anything tonight, tomorrow or maybe even this month. I haven’t heard from my recruiter about my MOS yet, so I’m going to try to stall that a little bit.
Times like this I wish I had the ability to see into the future.
Joining the military is a big decision, huge even…it’s also: exciting, scary, brave, honorable, terrifying and a host of other adjectives.
I just passed my MEPS physical yesterday, so things are moving right along. I was 4 lbs over the minimum weight and passed everything with flying colors. I also found out that I might be able to get the MOS that I really want (Intelligence Analyst 35F), but they have to give me a mileage waiver because it’s further then they usually allow for a Reservist. So all’s going well so far.
BUT, I’m riddled with doubts. I see children that are the age my son is going to be when I ship out and it tears at me. It’s hard being faced with the reality of missing months and months of his little life. I got choked up both times I’ve been to MEPS when I saw little ones there to see some relative off to Basic (I didn’t cry, but it touched me).
That’s the hard part for me.
I haven’t weighed myself since before I went to MEPS last week, and I hadn’t been really worried about it. I was eating regularly and good portions, gaining weight at a nice clip, and hadn’t been doing much cardio just for the extra cushion at MEPS.
But…now I’m kinda worrying.
My diet has been TERRIBLE since MEPS. The first day there I had a snickers bar, and that’s it, the 6 hours I was there. No water (except a few sips from the fountain) and no “real” food. The second day, aside from breakfast at 5 AM, I had a snickers bar and 2 cookies. When I got home I ate a heap at Hooters, but eating like that doesn’t really balance well.
Well, I had my first experience at MEPS (Ft. Meade). It was less than exciting, not productive (my fault) and FREEZING! I did, however, come up with a few tips that would be handy for your first (or all) trips to MEPS (end of the post).
I went to my recruiter’s office Monday morning around 11 AM. Me and two guys were driving up to MEPS in a van by a driver who…well, for niceness sake I’ll just say I was less than impressed. So, we got to MEPS around 11:45 or so. I wasn’t really told what to expect, and I wish I had been. Luckily I had the forethought to take a book with me. We were checked in, had to hand over our bags (salvaged my book) and told to sit and wait. We did, and we waited for 6 hours. We just sat and waited – welcome to the military: hurry up and wait.
Tomorrow I head up to Baltimore for 2 days for MEPS processing.
I weighed myself today and I’m up to 128 lbs (yay me!) and John and his family dutifully fed me dinner with instructions to eat more before I go to bed, plus he’s taking me out to breakfast in the morning before he drops me off at the recruiter’s…hey, every little bit helps. I just really don’t want to have to go back through MEPS again because I’m underweight the first time.
So, I have all my paperwork together: SSN, Birth Cert, HS diploma, Driver’s license, etc. AND I got my FCP signed and notarized, so I can turn that in tomorrow. I also have to give them a copy of both (shut up) divorce decrees and all that jazz. Hopefully I’m all squared away with the paperwork, even though I’m sure there will be mountains more.
Interesting article from Military.com: Reserve Preps for ‘Uncertain’ Future.
I wouldn’t mind the Reserves getting closer to Active, but it sounds like it’s going to be a budget issue more then a “what do we do with them issue.” Just makes me wish I was going Active more and more.
I thought I was doing pretty good with my eating, but evidently I was wrong. I weighed myself this morning and I’ve dropped 2 lbs give or take. Which I know isn’t a lot, but I don’t have that much margin of error! I have MEPS on Tuesday (a week from today) and I have to plan on them possibly having a scale that weighs me lighter, them weighing me before I eat, and / or (pardon me) me taking a big crap before getting weighed!
I ate like crazy (well…for me) on a trip John, Avery and I took last weekend and this morning was the first I ran since last Thursday (*hangs head*). We did do a lot of walking, so maybe that countered all the calories I packed in at Sonics?
I went to CVS this morning and grabbed some Boost drinks and some pop tarts to snack on…and some ice cream, lol. I’m also planning on hitting the push ups, sit ups, squats, etc. pretty hard and easing up on the cardio this week. Hopefully I’ll pack on a little more muscle before MEPS.
Watch me have all this trouble putting weight on and then I’ll be complaining in a few years that I can’t lose any weight!
When I decided I was joining the army I was about to get my hair cut anyway, the two just happened to coincide on coincidence. That said, I’ve decided I’m definitely keeping it short at least through AIT.
I got it cut shorter today, and love it! It’s basically a long fade in the back and maybe an inch and a half on top. I can faux hawk it if I want, part it and look neat, wear it messy, or just whatever. (I put pictures below)
While the hairdresser was chopping away, I had to wonder: why would a female leave her hair long during Basic?
lostdmw
Joining the Army Reserves 