(I'm beginning to think I'm a once a month blogger instead of my intent of being a once a week blogger!)
Tomorrow is December. I can not believe that 2009 is coming to an end. This time last year, my husband began the journey of becoming a police officer. I was informed of CC's dream that I never knew he had. At this time last year, I was still in shock and trying to understand what was about to happen.
Then, began the crazy application process. I am thankful that the process is so diligent, but it can also be so heart breaking. We put our whole selves out there. We put all of the baggage we have, all of the mistakes we've made, out there. And for a while, to only be rejected.
I remember this time last year being in a state of prayer. I wanted to understand. I wanted to support. I wanted to be the wife I was called to be for my husband. And with God's help, I believe I'm there.
In a little more than a month, my husband will be in Police Academy.
That blows my mind, first of all, but it also seemed like this time would never get here. He got hired by his agency in June, with the terms that he would wait 6 months to leave for academy. It wasn't an ideal situation, but it was a job and it was obviously the place that God felt he needed to be.
Life has changed. This year has been full of adjustments. This year has been full of learning and a lot of questions. I'm a planner and a controller. This year has been hard. If anything, God has allowed me to stop planning so much and stop trying to control situations. Through my husband's new career path, I have become a better person.
I know it will be hard. I am still learning all of the ropes. I will always be learning the ropes. I have found this job is not one you can become comfortable with. But, with God's strength, I will be much better.
Hebrews 13:6 - "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?"
I'm excited to see what the next year holds for us. It will be a big one I'm sure!
Monday, November 30, 2009
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Giveaway!
I am completely in love with kevinandamanda.com! They are hosting a giveaway of some cute digital scrapbooking stuff that is totally cute and would be wonderful to have as I am working on my blog updates!! Go there and check it out! Leave a comment if you want to and reference me so we can both win!!!
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Fire Issues??
This past weekend (CC's first weekend working graveyards) a little "ruffling of the feathers" occurred between the fire department and the police department CC works for. He said there was obvious tension between the two and some words were exchanged that supported that assumption as well. I also saw on another blog (A Police Wife) Mrs. Fuzz posted a little toy that had the firemen and policemen combo. As I read through the comments, I noticed that one police officer said, "Sorry, we have a strictly "no fireman stuff" rule in our home, so the first one is out. "
Being new at all of this, I never would have guessed the 2 didn't like each other. What's the story on this?? It makes no sense to me....really....
Being new at all of this, I never would have guessed the 2 didn't like each other. What's the story on this?? It makes no sense to me....really....
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Time of Change
CC just finished his first complete week of graveyards. It has been an interesting ride for us, but I can't complain much since I still get to see him a lot. I don't think this shift is so bad, but I'm obviously not the one that is affected by this as much!
Poor CC has been so tired these last few days. Today was a mess for him. We are very active in our church and so it was never a question or not as to whether we would go like we normally do. CC got home at about 6:30 am (after working an extra hour as well since it was the end of daylight savings time) and since we needed to leave the house by 8:30 am to get to church, he decided to go ahead and take a shower and watch some TV so he wouldn't fall asleep and be impossible to wake up. We generally go to lunch with our Bible Fellowship class as well, which we did. On top of that, our favorite football team was playing a game at noon. So, by the time we got home, CC had almost been pulling a 24 hour day. I knew he wouldn't make it watching the rest of the football game on the couch. Sure enough, not 20 minutes after he sat down, he's asleep. Finally he gave into going to the bed.
However, what makes it even more difficult is that his department has scheduled some training tomorrow morning at 8 am for him. He is very excited about this training, since it's spending some time with the CID (which CC finds very interesting anyway), it just happens at the wrong time of day! He will go to this training for 2 days, and then will have some fire arm training on Wednesday, after working a full 8 hour shift on Tuesday. So, the poor baby is already trying to get used to sleeping in the day, but his department is making it even harder by not letting him!
We are a little more than 2 months out from Academy, which will be nice, because he will finally be on a regular schedule! I'm hanging in there just trying to roll with the punches.
I also found out that they have scheduled him to work as normal on Thanksgiving and Black Friday. We had planned to go see my brother and my new nephew, but it looks like I will be going alone. All in all, this is truly a reality check into what it means to be a Cop's Wife. He hasn't gotten his Christmas schedule yet, but that will be a little more flexible since I have 2 weeks off, so if we decide to go somewhere, we can just do it on the days we both have off. I'm okay with not celebrating the holidays on a day that isn't actually the holiday.
Anywho, we're making it work.
At least CC had a somewhat exciting shift with some action over the weekend. You can read about it at his blog.
I found it very ironic that Mrs. Fuzz over at Married to the Law brought up a great discussion about the night shift. It's interesting to see how different people deal with it.
I'm interested to know what the weekly schedule is for other departments. It seems difficult to have a normal life with the graveyard shift and run the schedule CC has. I don't think CC's department is ideal, but right now he's 5 days on, 2 days off with 8 hour shifts. The other officers are 12 hour shifts, 4 days on, 3 days off. I've seen lots of different schedules from reading other posts. So, what is your favorite weekly schedule?
Poor CC has been so tired these last few days. Today was a mess for him. We are very active in our church and so it was never a question or not as to whether we would go like we normally do. CC got home at about 6:30 am (after working an extra hour as well since it was the end of daylight savings time) and since we needed to leave the house by 8:30 am to get to church, he decided to go ahead and take a shower and watch some TV so he wouldn't fall asleep and be impossible to wake up. We generally go to lunch with our Bible Fellowship class as well, which we did. On top of that, our favorite football team was playing a game at noon. So, by the time we got home, CC had almost been pulling a 24 hour day. I knew he wouldn't make it watching the rest of the football game on the couch. Sure enough, not 20 minutes after he sat down, he's asleep. Finally he gave into going to the bed.
However, what makes it even more difficult is that his department has scheduled some training tomorrow morning at 8 am for him. He is very excited about this training, since it's spending some time with the CID (which CC finds very interesting anyway), it just happens at the wrong time of day! He will go to this training for 2 days, and then will have some fire arm training on Wednesday, after working a full 8 hour shift on Tuesday. So, the poor baby is already trying to get used to sleeping in the day, but his department is making it even harder by not letting him!
We are a little more than 2 months out from Academy, which will be nice, because he will finally be on a regular schedule! I'm hanging in there just trying to roll with the punches.
I also found out that they have scheduled him to work as normal on Thanksgiving and Black Friday. We had planned to go see my brother and my new nephew, but it looks like I will be going alone. All in all, this is truly a reality check into what it means to be a Cop's Wife. He hasn't gotten his Christmas schedule yet, but that will be a little more flexible since I have 2 weeks off, so if we decide to go somewhere, we can just do it on the days we both have off. I'm okay with not celebrating the holidays on a day that isn't actually the holiday.
Anywho, we're making it work.
At least CC had a somewhat exciting shift with some action over the weekend. You can read about it at his blog.
I found it very ironic that Mrs. Fuzz over at Married to the Law brought up a great discussion about the night shift. It's interesting to see how different people deal with it.
I'm interested to know what the weekly schedule is for other departments. It seems difficult to have a normal life with the graveyard shift and run the schedule CC has. I don't think CC's department is ideal, but right now he's 5 days on, 2 days off with 8 hour shifts. The other officers are 12 hour shifts, 4 days on, 3 days off. I've seen lots of different schedules from reading other posts. So, what is your favorite weekly schedule?
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Sorry for the absence....
I am still alive!! Ever since work started up again in August, it has been hard to manage my time well! CC has been around about the same time I am, so we've been spending lots of time together, and nothing has really been too exciting. We are finally seeing the ends of his Guard days and are venturing into the "prepare for Academy" days.
We are in week 7 of P90X, and it's not going as well as it did the first 4 weeks, but life has happend a little and we've stopped being so strict on the diet. But, I'm not going to let this thing run my life and free time! Luckily, CC will still continue to be home with me when we do it, so he will be my encouragement and help to continue through. I see no differences, but I know I'm stronger.
CC's department just hired a new chief this last month, and so some changes and re-organization things have been taking place which is all for the better. CC hasn't spent much time with the chief, but from all that he has heard and seen, he likes him. I know that's an important part of working in law enforcement.
CC has been a little discouraged with being where he is, but we are big proponents in the idea that everything happens for a reason. God has a plan, and there is a reason for that plan. Yes, CC would rather be at Academy right now, and he is proving to be that he should have gone, but it is what it is, and he can only make the best of it. The other cadets aren't coming back with raving reports at Academy, so of course he sees that he could have been there. But, he has a whole new experience in the training he's doing that those guys aren't going to have when they return.
CC has a little over 2 months left before he leaves for Academy, and he's hoping that they bring some more people on to go with him. One, because Academy is over 4 hours away and he doesn't want to drive back and forth by himself. Two, because they need more good officers. The force is really short-handed right now, so hopefully some good applicants will come across so that they may get moved on as well.
He is also going to get to spend a few days getting to do some "classroom" type training with a nearby city CID and some firearm training. He is pretty stoked about this! It seems that it's all coming together now! I actually feel like a real cop's wife these days with all of the gun talk and police shows on TV!
Our biggest change is his shift for the next 5 weeks. CC has finally been put on the overnight shift at least until December. We are unsure of the actual hours during the holidays, but hopefully that will work out that we can travel to go see our new nephew that should be born in the next few weeks.
I think I'm not going to mind the overnight shift too much. I think we'll see each other plenty, and he'll just sleep while I'm at work. We'll see what it does to us, but we just pray that the adjustments can be made in a timely manner and can not have a huge effect on our lives together. From experience, does anyone have any advice on dealing with a night-shift spouse that I might need to know?
Ironically, we had a lesson in our Bible Fellowship class today on letting go of our fears. I don't live my life with many fears, because I know God is in control, but I think this lesson came at a perfect time for me! I'm sure it will be a little scary going to bed by myself and feeling secure at night. I know it's not a big thing, but it can get to be a big thing if I let it.
The 2 verses I will be reminding myself this week:
Psalm 56:3 - "When I am afraid, I put my trust in You."
Psalm 56:13 - "For you have delivered my soul from death, yes, my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of life."
I pray that God can keep me safe, but most importantly, I pray that God can keep my husband safe.
We are in week 7 of P90X, and it's not going as well as it did the first 4 weeks, but life has happend a little and we've stopped being so strict on the diet. But, I'm not going to let this thing run my life and free time! Luckily, CC will still continue to be home with me when we do it, so he will be my encouragement and help to continue through. I see no differences, but I know I'm stronger.
CC's department just hired a new chief this last month, and so some changes and re-organization things have been taking place which is all for the better. CC hasn't spent much time with the chief, but from all that he has heard and seen, he likes him. I know that's an important part of working in law enforcement.
CC has been a little discouraged with being where he is, but we are big proponents in the idea that everything happens for a reason. God has a plan, and there is a reason for that plan. Yes, CC would rather be at Academy right now, and he is proving to be that he should have gone, but it is what it is, and he can only make the best of it. The other cadets aren't coming back with raving reports at Academy, so of course he sees that he could have been there. But, he has a whole new experience in the training he's doing that those guys aren't going to have when they return.
CC has a little over 2 months left before he leaves for Academy, and he's hoping that they bring some more people on to go with him. One, because Academy is over 4 hours away and he doesn't want to drive back and forth by himself. Two, because they need more good officers. The force is really short-handed right now, so hopefully some good applicants will come across so that they may get moved on as well.
He is also going to get to spend a few days getting to do some "classroom" type training with a nearby city CID and some firearm training. He is pretty stoked about this! It seems that it's all coming together now! I actually feel like a real cop's wife these days with all of the gun talk and police shows on TV!
Our biggest change is his shift for the next 5 weeks. CC has finally been put on the overnight shift at least until December. We are unsure of the actual hours during the holidays, but hopefully that will work out that we can travel to go see our new nephew that should be born in the next few weeks.
I think I'm not going to mind the overnight shift too much. I think we'll see each other plenty, and he'll just sleep while I'm at work. We'll see what it does to us, but we just pray that the adjustments can be made in a timely manner and can not have a huge effect on our lives together. From experience, does anyone have any advice on dealing with a night-shift spouse that I might need to know?
Ironically, we had a lesson in our Bible Fellowship class today on letting go of our fears. I don't live my life with many fears, because I know God is in control, but I think this lesson came at a perfect time for me! I'm sure it will be a little scary going to bed by myself and feeling secure at night. I know it's not a big thing, but it can get to be a big thing if I let it.
The 2 verses I will be reminding myself this week:
Psalm 56:3 - "When I am afraid, I put my trust in You."
Psalm 56:13 - "For you have delivered my soul from death, yes, my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of life."
I pray that God can keep me safe, but most importantly, I pray that God can keep my husband safe.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Nothing much
I know I haven't really blogged this week. My apologies!
CC has actually been on the exact same schedule as I am (7:30am - 3:30 pm) so we have been enjoying our time together. This week and next, he has been going through Guard training so he can do more than walk through one single building for 8 hours a day. He has been very excited through all of this. He even told me last night that his days have been flying past him! That's good news. After I visited him at his building last week, I began to feel sorry for him, because it was just boring. I was only there for 20 minutes or so and was already bored and tired of being on my feet. Plus, there were some very interesting people there. No wonder they need constant supervision in that building!!! Needless to say, we have been enjoying our time together after work. We have one more week of this, and then I'm sure it will be back to opposite shifts again!
We also began a new workout, P90X. I believe copswife started this a while back, but we are on day 6 today. I'm doing okay with it. I'm a small, weak woman, so I'm hoping this will help get some strength, and make me feel better about myself! The hardest part actually has been the diet. I'm going to do some rearranging today and see if we can come up with some better food options for this coming week!
That's all. :)
CC has actually been on the exact same schedule as I am (7:30am - 3:30 pm) so we have been enjoying our time together. This week and next, he has been going through Guard training so he can do more than walk through one single building for 8 hours a day. He has been very excited through all of this. He even told me last night that his days have been flying past him! That's good news. After I visited him at his building last week, I began to feel sorry for him, because it was just boring. I was only there for 20 minutes or so and was already bored and tired of being on my feet. Plus, there were some very interesting people there. No wonder they need constant supervision in that building!!! Needless to say, we have been enjoying our time together after work. We have one more week of this, and then I'm sure it will be back to opposite shifts again!
We also began a new workout, P90X. I believe copswife started this a while back, but we are on day 6 today. I'm doing okay with it. I'm a small, weak woman, so I'm hoping this will help get some strength, and make me feel better about myself! The hardest part actually has been the diet. I'm going to do some rearranging today and see if we can come up with some better food options for this coming week!
That's all. :)
Thursday, August 27, 2009
A Little Encouragement
I am now completing the second week of school schedule, which means that CC and I have seen each other very little! And on top of not seeing him during the week, I had a very busy Saturday with a baby shower and a bachelorette party, both things CC could not join me for. Needless to say, it's been a little lonely. It's been hard. It's taken some work and creativity to communicate to each other without getting frustrated with the lack of time for communication.
To help me out, I looked up some verses to help encourage the situation. God has put this situation before us for me to trust and turn to Him.
Psalm 28:7 - The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to Him.
Jeremiah 17:7 - Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD.
James 5:11 - Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.
James 1: 2-4 - Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
To help me out, I looked up some verses to help encourage the situation. God has put this situation before us for me to trust and turn to Him.
Psalm 28:7 - The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to Him.
Jeremiah 17:7 - Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD.
James 5:11 - Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.
James 1: 2-4 - Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Bad Night
I started school back on Monday, so CC's hours are a little bit opposite of mine. Needless to say, we haven't "spoken" to each other much this week, rather just text messaging when possible! I think we're going to have to up my text message limit soon!
Anyway, I've always been a fairly independent person who can get things done by myself pretty well. Living in a house in college allowed me to learn several things about being alone and fixing things here and there. CC and I are also big "Do-it-yourselfers" so I have become very handy with tools and such. Mostly, I am very impatient so I learn to do things on my own so that I don't have to wait for someone to do something for me! (I think that's the best explanation, actually)
I was out shopping for a baby present yesterday, and I get a weird phone call. "This is your home alarm company calling to inform you...." (First of all, if any of you have home alarm systems, you know that the only reason they call you on your cell phone is to let you know your alarm has been set off. They have our house number for all other purposes.) My heart sank...not knowing what to expect to come after that statement, "...that we are getting a low battery signal from your alarm system". Phew. No one is breaking into my house and burning it down (Since that is usually my first thought that someone would do if they broke in to my house.)
When I get home, everything seems normal. Until....beep........beep......beep......beep......you get the idea. Every 10 seconds or so, a beep. I press a few buttons, nothing happens. No lights are flashing, so sign that anything is wrong....just beeping. So, I go look at the alarm box in the closet. hmm....lots of wires, and big fat battery. Not just your typical AA, or AAA, or even C, or D, or 9 volt. A big, fat, miniature car battery looking thing.
Now I usually let the boys deal with the electrical stuff. That is one thing I have never had any desire to deal with. It has always been too dangerous for me to even think about doing. I tend to gain a lot of patience when it deals with something that could fry my hair forever. Unless....it beeps every 10 seconds. Since there is power coming from the wall somewhere, to truly power the alarm (the battery is only for backup - which why it was dying, I have no idea) I couldn't just let the battery run out and it would stop beeping. I got the idea that it was just going to beep until I replaced it (similar to smoke alarms that beep at the strangest times - usually while sleeping).
I got online and started researching where I could find one of these wonderful batteries that could save my sanity for the evening. Called the local home store, and of course you have to order them online, they aren't kept in stock. I needed to go to a "battery" place. Hmm...which just so happens to be closing in 40 minutes, and I live at least 30 minutes away. Alright. I'm going to do this. I grabbed the camera to take a picture of the battery to make sure I got exactly what I needed. Little did I know that it was still connected to the computer. And boom. It jerked out of my hand and fell flat on to the tile, shattering all of the little crystals inside of the display so you can't see anything but broken black stuff. Great. I guess I'll try my phone. Apparently, cell phone cameras that I can afford, don't have the great pixelization I needed to get all of the words where they were legible. About 7 minutes pass, and I'm out the door with a piece of paper and some numbers that I have no idea what they mean.
I drive. Almost like a maniac. I'm sure if a police officer had seen me, I would've been pulled over. I think what made this worse, was the time. All of this had to happen at 5:30 in the evening. Now, I live in a suburb of a fairly large area, where people drive. And if anyone has any brains, you know you don't go out on the road at 5:30 in the evening unless you ABSOLUTELY have to, because it's kind of like chaos in rush hour traffic. On top of that, you usually have to add on at least 10 minutes to the normal time to get somewhere even if you're going "against" traffic (which I was). Apparently I forgot all of this as I'm driving "against" traffic (if you can call it that) and going on some of the most travelled roads in the area. I get all the way to where I need to be, and sure enough, it's 6:02. They are closed. I don't have my battery. What do I do? Call a handy friend.
Praise God that He put this friend into our lives, because he has been so handy and wonderful to help us through all of our house projects, our life projects, and our entertainment in life. So, he tells me I can go somewhere else, gets online and tells me how to get there, and luckily, they don't close for another hour. Only catch is, it'll cost a little more.
Finally, I arrive, I tell the guys what I need. Luckily I had written the numbers down, because I definitely would have bought the wrong battery since it's not your "Standard" alarm battery! Of course. Unfortunately, it's double the price of the batteries I had found online. But, after quickly contemplating my frugal dilemma, I decide to choose my sanity over waiting for one to be shipped to me a few days later.
I get home, peacefully, since it took me so long and most of the rush hour traffic had cleared. And I go into the closet....now what? The guy at the store told me I couldn't mess it up unless I'm color blind, which I am not. I stare. I stare and tug. I run to the garage to try to flip off the power. There is no breaker marked "alarm". Hmm. I go back in. I stare. I tug. I walk away. I stare. Finally, I just tugged really hard knowing I had good reflexes in case I started shaking from electric shock. *My life flashes in front of me* It's off. Now, I have to figure out if it's safe to pull the black one off too. Because, I always remember my dad telling me when I have to jump my car, be careful to make sure they get taken off in the right order. You know, the black one before the red one. Or is it the red one before the black one? I don't know. But what i do know is that you have to do one before the other. What if it's too late? What if I was supposed to do the other one first. Oh dear. So, I just tug. And TA DA! Everything is done! So simple. After all of that worrying, I just face my fears and pick up the new battery and just plug it in. And there you have it. No more beeping. A new battery for a few years.
(After typing all of that, I realize I give way too many details in my stories, but, you had to live it out with me. )
The whole gist of what I was trying to get across, is that through all of this stress, this is one time I really wish CC could be here. He may not have known any more than I did, but he's a guy. He does this kind of stuff. But, now, being the lonely woman I am, I am left to deal with this on my own. Even if he had been with me in all of this stress of driving and beeping and breaking, it's always nice to have him here to make me laugh, or make me realize it's all going to be okay. I think every woman needs someone that can do that for her. For me, it's my husband. I need him. (And sometimes I think he needs me too, but that's not the point!) I know it will get easier. But, it's finally been put into my eyes that I am not as strong as I would like to be. Every day will give me strength to be the mom (one day) and a wife to a husband that is serving our community and serving people to make a difference in this world.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Flexibility...
1 1/2 months into this, I've learned one thing......I have to be flexible.
Not just flexible to the point that a few hours here or there are compromised, but literally being flexible with my whole day's plans being tossed upside down! I think our dogs are going crazy because they have no idea when Daddy is supposed to be home! Just this week, CC has worked 3 different shifts...and it's only Thursday! :)
I'm extremely thankful that God provided me with a job that is predictable and stable! Otherwise, who knows how we'd be managing!
Not just flexible to the point that a few hours here or there are compromised, but literally being flexible with my whole day's plans being tossed upside down! I think our dogs are going crazy because they have no idea when Daddy is supposed to be home! Just this week, CC has worked 3 different shifts...and it's only Thursday! :)
I'm extremely thankful that God provided me with a job that is predictable and stable! Otherwise, who knows how we'd be managing!
Monday, August 10, 2009
Free Time Solution
So in my last post, I expressed how I was having trouble filling my free time without focusing on CC being gone. Ironically, my mom came in town last week (which was wonderful!) and she actually brought her old sewing machine that she was waiting a long time to give me! So, I am in the process of learning to sew and make different things. I'm just a beginner, so it takes quite a bit of time (and usually many times) to get it correct, and perfect (as I seem to be one that likes everything to be perfect..). So, I think this will help out with some of my time issues! Oh how fun! Does anyone else sew??? Any easy patterns??
CC hasn't really had any change at work, just the same ol' stuff going on. Nothing really exciting has been going on either. I think most of all, he's really learning how to use the radio, which supposedly some people have trouble with! He just ordered the TX Penal code, which he has been studying already. There is hope of a shift change in the future, with other guards being hired, but nothing this week (at least right now!) This is my last week of summer, so maybe, miraculously, his shift will change when I go back! We have figured out a little plan though in order to manipulate some time together. I have almost an hour and a half for my planning and lunch period before noon, so a couple days a week, CC might come up during that time to enjoy lunch together, and then he can go work out at the gym in the mean time before his shift starts! Hopefully that will be a little bit of time that we can enjoy together!
I do love the post from copswife at Married to the Law on fear and reality. I can relate a lot, but I also think I covered this in my very first post. I know God has a plan for CC's career change, I just need some help dealing sometimes!!
CC hasn't really had any change at work, just the same ol' stuff going on. Nothing really exciting has been going on either. I think most of all, he's really learning how to use the radio, which supposedly some people have trouble with! He just ordered the TX Penal code, which he has been studying already. There is hope of a shift change in the future, with other guards being hired, but nothing this week (at least right now!) This is my last week of summer, so maybe, miraculously, his shift will change when I go back! We have figured out a little plan though in order to manipulate some time together. I have almost an hour and a half for my planning and lunch period before noon, so a couple days a week, CC might come up during that time to enjoy lunch together, and then he can go work out at the gym in the mean time before his shift starts! Hopefully that will be a little bit of time that we can enjoy together!
I do love the post from copswife at Married to the Law on fear and reality. I can relate a lot, but I also think I covered this in my very first post. I know God has a plan for CC's career change, I just need some help dealing sometimes!!
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Free Time
CC has had some time doing the worst shift (for us at least, not necessarily on the job) these last few weeks. I was in Grad school for the first few weeks of this shift change, which was nice because we could still be on the same sleeping schedule. Right now, as a teacher, I'm still on summer break for 2 more weeks. But, with CC being gone most of the day (especially when he works a 16 hour shift in one day), I've been searching for ways to make the day go by faster and to not concentrate on the fact that I'm all by myself! We have a wonderful group of friends from our church that have been very supportive of our family, and especially me! Just this weekend, I got asked to go to dinner by our dear friends, even though my husband wasn't with me! It was so great to have that feeling. I'm so thankful that I'm still included in get togethers even though CC isn't there. We do so much as a couple (even though the girls and boys usually split up into different rooms and we do separate things) that I was afraid no one would invite me for get togethers. Luckily, so far so good. I feel very included, and a lot of people continue to check on me and how things are going.
But, I don't like a lot of monotonous things. So, I'm just curious as to what everyone does to keep them occupied while their husbands are working those wonderful opposite shifts. I of course know about the chores and try to get as much stuff done as possible that needs to be done before he's home, but what about the free time? Have you taken on any hobbies? I also know several of you have kids, so that changes things a little bit, but what did you do before you had a family?
I'm looking for some new ideas so that I'm not sitting on my rear end on the internet all night! :) (Not that I don't love reading all of your blogs!)
But, I don't like a lot of monotonous things. So, I'm just curious as to what everyone does to keep them occupied while their husbands are working those wonderful opposite shifts. I of course know about the chores and try to get as much stuff done as possible that needs to be done before he's home, but what about the free time? Have you taken on any hobbies? I also know several of you have kids, so that changes things a little bit, but what did you do before you had a family?
I'm looking for some new ideas so that I'm not sitting on my rear end on the internet all night! :) (Not that I don't love reading all of your blogs!)
Friday, July 24, 2009
It's all relative!
First of all, I love this post from Natalie at Walking a Thin Blue Line. CC has had many conversations with experienced officers about carrying a gun off duty, and it's very interesting to hear what others have had to say on it. I have a little while before I will have to adjust, but it has definitely been a topic of disucssion between us.
CC has been scheduled for 40 hour weeks, however, due to a small force and lack of personnel, he has been given many opportunities to work over time. In one week, he has already put in 20 extra hours! And it will be no different next week! :) I'm just glad this is still all very new and exciting to him, so he doesn't get burnt out quickly!
So CC started a few weeks back, and since he started at the new department, he has had many changes in his job "description." Since he won't be attending Academy until January, he has been put on guard duty. There was an attempted sexual assault where he works, so he had to jump start his move into this guard duty spot. Basically, he's patrolling one 4 story building for 8-16 hours at a time! I'm not sure how exciting that would be to me, but CC always comes home with a new story for the day!
Since the attempted assault, CC and his partner have been trying to investigate (on their own, mind you) to try to figure out what happened and who it could have been (the "groper" as we like to refer to him has not been caught). So, basically, any time there is a lead or development in the case, he comes home with a new story! I have especially enjoyed learning procedures of traffic stops, and knowing what actually happens behind the scenes (with dispatch and reasons for different actions). CC is learning a lot about how the radio is run and how different procedures are completed.
Usually at some point during his shift, I will text him to see how things are going. Sometimes his response is very bland, and others it is "there's been some excitement today!" (or something along those lines). I am of course thinking they've solved a case, there was some criminal activity, or something big. So, when he gets home, I'm waiting to see what this "excitement" is, and of course it's the first thing I ask him about. However....I have quickly learned that this "excitement" is all relative!
The first case of this: "There were some kids that were practicing break dancing moves on the bridge with their music. I had to go tell them to find a new place."
That's it.
All 8 hours.
Excitement, huh?!
I'm learning! :)
(PS: I'm thinking that I probably need to enjoy this type of "excitement" while it lasts before he becomes a patrolling officer and is faced with much harsher situations.)
CC has been scheduled for 40 hour weeks, however, due to a small force and lack of personnel, he has been given many opportunities to work over time. In one week, he has already put in 20 extra hours! And it will be no different next week! :) I'm just glad this is still all very new and exciting to him, so he doesn't get burnt out quickly!
So CC started a few weeks back, and since he started at the new department, he has had many changes in his job "description." Since he won't be attending Academy until January, he has been put on guard duty. There was an attempted sexual assault where he works, so he had to jump start his move into this guard duty spot. Basically, he's patrolling one 4 story building for 8-16 hours at a time! I'm not sure how exciting that would be to me, but CC always comes home with a new story for the day!
Since the attempted assault, CC and his partner have been trying to investigate (on their own, mind you) to try to figure out what happened and who it could have been (the "groper" as we like to refer to him has not been caught). So, basically, any time there is a lead or development in the case, he comes home with a new story! I have especially enjoyed learning procedures of traffic stops, and knowing what actually happens behind the scenes (with dispatch and reasons for different actions). CC is learning a lot about how the radio is run and how different procedures are completed.
Usually at some point during his shift, I will text him to see how things are going. Sometimes his response is very bland, and others it is "there's been some excitement today!" (or something along those lines). I am of course thinking they've solved a case, there was some criminal activity, or something big. So, when he gets home, I'm waiting to see what this "excitement" is, and of course it's the first thing I ask him about. However....I have quickly learned that this "excitement" is all relative!
The first case of this: "There were some kids that were practicing break dancing moves on the bridge with their music. I had to go tell them to find a new place."
That's it.
All 8 hours.
Excitement, huh?!
I'm learning! :)
(PS: I'm thinking that I probably need to enjoy this type of "excitement" while it lasts before he becomes a patrolling officer and is faced with much harsher situations.)
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
A Cop's Wife - My Viewpoint on the whole Thing
(I have taken this post from my personal blog and amended it for this site!)
So, the day has come! CC (Christian Cop) accepted a job as a Police Cadet. We are unsure what the first 6 months hold, just because not a lot of details have been given. The size of the force is very small (about 15 officers) and they are looking to make the force much bigger (which is why they hired CC) but they don't have the manpower to do it all at once. So, they are sending a group (4 people) to Academy in July, and then the next group will go in January. CC will be a part of this group in January. So from now until January, he'll be doing who knows what. We are both so excited for this door to open and get started in a new career stage! CC seems truly passionate about this type of work, so I think he will thrive.
But that brings me to the reason for my post. Almost everyone that I have talked to about CC being a police officer, they ask me how I feel about that. First of all, yes, I was terrified and couldn't imagine him to be a cop and how scary that might be, but I'm over that. I said a little prayer to that wonderful Man upstairs and He definitely put my anxieties to the side so that CC could pursue what he truly felt was his calling. I am to help him, not hinder. So for me to be a little scared and a little anxious about it all isn't helping my husband's new career. It could possibly get in the way. So, I feel that I have put on a very strong support for him and am so excited about what he is about to do. I know God has a plan. If this is God's plan, then I will be okay. I will be calm, I will be supportive, and I will not be the reason why my husband is not successful. CC will be successful, and our marriage will be successful because we have God in the center of our lives. I believe that this job will increase my prayer life and my quiet time because I will need the assurance from God's word that everything will be okay! God has a plan. Period.
So, the day has come! CC (Christian Cop) accepted a job as a Police Cadet. We are unsure what the first 6 months hold, just because not a lot of details have been given. The size of the force is very small (about 15 officers) and they are looking to make the force much bigger (which is why they hired CC) but they don't have the manpower to do it all at once. So, they are sending a group (4 people) to Academy in July, and then the next group will go in January. CC will be a part of this group in January. So from now until January, he'll be doing who knows what. We are both so excited for this door to open and get started in a new career stage! CC seems truly passionate about this type of work, so I think he will thrive.
But that brings me to the reason for my post. Almost everyone that I have talked to about CC being a police officer, they ask me how I feel about that. First of all, yes, I was terrified and couldn't imagine him to be a cop and how scary that might be, but I'm over that. I said a little prayer to that wonderful Man upstairs and He definitely put my anxieties to the side so that CC could pursue what he truly felt was his calling. I am to help him, not hinder. So for me to be a little scared and a little anxious about it all isn't helping my husband's new career. It could possibly get in the way. So, I feel that I have put on a very strong support for him and am so excited about what he is about to do. I know God has a plan. If this is God's plan, then I will be okay. I will be calm, I will be supportive, and I will not be the reason why my husband is not successful. CC will be successful, and our marriage will be successful because we have God in the center of our lives. I believe that this job will increase my prayer life and my quiet time because I will need the assurance from God's word that everything will be okay! God has a plan. Period.
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