Laundry

CC and I have been in a debate about uniforms.  CC has 4 pairs of pants, 3 short sleeve shirts, and 2 long sleeved shirts.  He rotates each uniform daily so he doesn't wear the same one more than one day in a row.  Which makes complete sense.  But, the kicker is that he washes each uniform MAYBE once a month.  YUCK!  He patrols in these uniforms 8 hours at a time, and he doesn't wash it until it's had at least 32 hours or wearing time????  He says because he's not sweating, it's not a big deal, but I'm thinking of all the body oils that are seeping into the fabric.  Oh my gosh.  YUCK! YUCK! YUCK!

His response - this is just cops do it. 

Does anyone else see this pattern with their men????

HOLY MOLY!

I just noticed that I haven't posted anything on here since September 18th!!  OH MY GOSH!  I am so sorry!  :)

Yes, we're still alive.  CC has been on his own now for nearly 2 months.  I think he's had his good days and bad days, but that's to be expected.

Here are some interested points that have happened in the last 2 months:

• CC has been a little discouraged lately because his administration is slowly taking away the things that are most exciting at his department.  The most recent was that they can't confirm warrants from other agencies. (of course unless it's a felony!  This applies mainly to traffic warrants.)  This was the majority of their arrests on campus, and it was also a way of practicing their handcuffing skills and arrest techniques.  But, now they can't.  When CC was hired, a whole new administration was also hired.  When they arrived, they opened up a lot of the things that had been previously taken away, but now, once again, they are taking them away. 
• CC also went to Bicycle School.  Yes, a whole week to learn to ride a bike!  So now, he's on campus, in the middle of the night, riding a bike.  Running traffic from his bike.  Sneaking up on suspicious situations on a bike.  It's kind of humorous to me!  When he told me he pulled over a car on his bike, I just laughed!  I would have a hard time being someone that would pull over if a cop was trying to pull me over on a bicycle with 2 little lights on it.  But, he says the campus knows the bike uniforms and knows they are legit.  Whatever!  Of course now, getting into the winter, it's a little too chili for CC to want to be on the bike.
• CC also had his first court appearance.  He had a DWI during his FTO that he had to go to an ALR hearing for.  (If I understand this correctly, if you get a DWI, your license is suspended and taken.  Then, you have to go to an ALR hearing in order to see if you deserve to get it back or not.  Then, if you still plead not guilty, it will go on to trial.)  I guess this is just part of the job.  It seems to be something that happens pretty regularly.  I was really nervous for him, just because I remember when I had jury duty earlier this year for a felony murder case, and those lawyers were so hard on the police officers.  They tried to put words in their mouths, they tried to manipulate questions and answers, they questioned their authority and reasoning.  Granted, the trial I was involved in happened 2 years previous, so I can't imagine all the things that had happened since then and all they could rely on was their notes.  Which CC realized that he needed to take better notes!  When he looked back on his report before the hearing, he realized that he wished he had been more detail oriented in his notes, not just checking boxes.  At least he figured that out now for future occurrences. 
• CC seems to think that more crazy people need to move on to his campus. I'm not sure I agree, except for the fact that I don't want him to be bored.

• CC has bought more equipment and gadgets.  Now that he has his bicycle belt, he has to have different holders or something.  So, as I'm checking through the bank account, I have noticed several charges to different places.  It makes me laugh, but I know it's part of the job.  I know when I started teaching I constantly went to the teacher store.  That has since warn off, but I'm not sure CC's newness will.  I think it's just part of being in a job with mostly men who like gadgets and always have something new to buy!
• Turns out, one of the kids I teach, her mom is the night dispatcher for CC!  A little ironic, but kind of cool.  She found me at school one day and just had wonderful things to say about CC.  She said he's the newest, but already one of the best.  It made me feel proud!  Then, it was a little weird that the kid came back later on to say she'd met my husband at an event on campus!  Oh well! 

That's about it!  I'm still keeping up reading most of my cop wife blogs, so keep them coming!  I'll try to do better and try not to make it 2 months before I post again!  (but, I do have to say that a lot of things have been going on in our personal lives, so I'm not surprised this blog has been on the backburner - but I know, it's no excuse!)

Oh his own

He's DONE!  FTO is over!  Starting Tuesday night, CC will be on his own, doing his own thing!  I know he's so excited!  And I'm so proud of him!

I'm just curious if he'll get bored.  He's had someone to talk to every night from the beginning, now he'll be all by himself!  I'm sure he'll figure out how to cope.  He's got a good group of officers to work with on the night shift, so he'll figure something out!

The best part about this, CC can now take vacation days!   So, that means HAWAII!!  We're going on a fantastic trip for 7 fabulous days to Hawaii in less than a month - so excited!  This will also be our first big vacation since we've been married, which has almost been 4 years.  We'll be with family, but we'll also get to do our own thing, so it will definitely be worth it.  I even get to take off a whole week of school!  I think this is the best way to do this!

Ghost Phase

I just realized that it has been several weeks since I updated you guys!

My last post was Aug 22, which was the day before I went back to work, so I guess that makes a good reason as to why I haven't posted lately!  Plus, I started my blog design business over the summer, and it has
kept me very busy on my off time.  I love getting to do it, but it definitely takes time!

CC is one week away from being on his own!!  Holy cow!  I just can't even believe it!  He's back on deep nights, and has already had a good time, and his training officer (who he had for phase 2) is still impressed by his skills.  His phase 3 training officer told him not to be surprised because he has been known to be a hard grader, and he might not get as good of scores as he had with the other 2 officers.  Well, he was wrong!  CC definitely surpassed his expectations and left phase 3 passing with flying colors! 

We made it through the awful shift we have been dreading (2 pm - 10 pm), and it looks like he won't be on that shift for quite some time.  I like to see my hubby!  He's now on deep nights and will stay there indefinitely.  His department tends to change schedules up pretty regularly, but they will probably stick with this until the new rookies get back from Academy and out of FTO, which isn't until probably March.  But I'm okay with this.  I'm just ready for a regular schedule!  Something I can get used to. 

Another perk, he'll be able to use sick days and vacation days!  So, even if he is scheduled to work and we have something going on, he can easily use up his vacation/holidays that he's accrued over the last year. 

CC's FTO commented to him last night telling him that he was very impressed with how he talked to people.  He's very calm, and respectful, but gets fierce if he needs to!  That's always something I've thought about CC.  He's a very even-tempered man.  He rarely gets up in arms about things and can handle stressful situations like a champ and doesn't let his emotions take over.  I feel confident that this will make him an excellent cop. 

Poor guy got home late this morning, then got a phone call that we were going to have a house showing (our house is on the market!) at 11:00, and we had to clean and be out with the dogs.  Poor CC is now somehow trying to sleep on the couch to try to be a normal person for a dinner party with friends.  The life of a night police officer!  (at least he's off tonight!)

Curious

I have just been wondering a little about how many women actually carry their own gun.  Maybe not carry it, but have a gun specific to you that you would use in case of emergency. 

CC has been taking both of his guns to work with him (he can't carry a back up weapon at his department) and I've been a little irked by that because I'm here by myself a lot and I wouldn't have anything to defend myself with if I had to!  I thought that's what all this gun shooting stuff was about!

Captain America

We all have interesting co-workers.  But for some reason, it seems like CC's are a little out of the ordinary.  One of the newer officers, we'll call him Captain America, has definitely fit this profile. 

CC was hired on and had to wait for Academy for 6 months while 4 officers went ahead of him.  Captain America was one of these.  Somehow, during the hiring process, the uppers at the time thought that he was a better specimen than CC.  Now, other officers ask CC why he didn't get to go with them, or ahead of them. 

Here's a good case why they ask these things.  I think Captain America is set out to not only pull people over for the most obscure reason, but to cite these people for these reasons.

Citation #1 - Littering (throwing gum out the window - i don't have a problem with stopping her for this, maybe, but writing a citation for it?)
Citation #2 - Not displaying proper plates (the lady had them with her, just hadn't put them on, and he gave her a ticket for this)
Citation #3 - Unauthorized use of horn (seriously?)
Citation #4 - Not signaling 100 ft in front of turn (once again, I don't mind stopping for this, but actually giving a citation?)
Citation #5 - Not really a citation, but he knew a guy that was on campus playing soccer had warrants out for his arrest (for Class C Misdemeanors) so he waited in the parking lot for 3 hours until the guy got in his car to leave and pulled him over and arrested him.  (Seriously, just sat there waiting.)

It seems like a little discretion needs to be taught to this guy.

Practicing?

CC had off today while I went back to school.  I left him a list of things to do, which he got done, but I guess it wasn't enough!

CC informed me at dinner that he practiced clearing the house this morning.  In his underpants. 

Apparently, we have some pretty tricky areas in our house.  But, after carefully checking, there was no one hiding.  :)

It's Official

I have been informed, that as of September, I will be a night cop's wife.  Agh!

Of the 3 shifts CC's department has, this is my 2nd choice, and obviously a lot better than the current 2nd shift that would mean we would never see each other.  At CC's department, there are quite a few bachelors that enjoy 2nd shift, so they never want to get off of it!  Which is fabulous for me! 

Here are my pros for night shift (because hey, I've got to be positive about life, right?!)

• I get to sleep better with the bed all to myself and my dog
• We still get to eat dinner together (which has always been a priority to me)
• Most everyday functions aren't effected
• He will be home to get the dogs if we have a house showing (our house is on the market)

And of course my cons:

• He complains about being tired more often (which I can't even go there)
• He's not as productive since he doesn't have a reason to get out of bed usually
• I have to sleep alone
• Makes trying to get pregnant much more difficult and out of the ordinary :)
• I have to make sure I'm quiet while he sleeps
• We will have to take 2 cars almost everywhere at night

So none of this is really bad, it's just not normal.  Any tips on how to make it normal??  I know you guys have something for me!  :)

A Little Explanation

For some reason, I feel the need to explain CC's job a little more. 

He's not a city cop.  He's not a sheriff's deputy.  He's a campus cop. 

It seems that around here, many people don't quite understand what he does, or if he's a "real" cop.  For me, being a campus cop is a great thing!  There are less scary things going on at the campus.  He is far less likely to get in a shoot out or deal with really ugly homicides.  He's much "safer" there. 

But that also means there is less action.  I think this is the downfall for CC.  He applied for so many city jobs before he got hired.  And with the job market where it was last year, he had a lot of competition.  So, to get a job, regardless where it was, was an awesome thing!  But I know he can get a little bit bored.

Now, when you imagine a college campus, you might not think there's a whole lot going on for a cop.  Maybe they just walk around the buildings and eat donuts.  Not quite. CC's campus has Guards for that (which is what he was for 6 months before he went to academy).  He gets to patrol in a real police car, and does all the same things a city police gets to do, just in a mile and a half radius!

Some people also think that a campus cop can't pull them over.  This is not true.  CC gets to write city tickets just like the city cops!  So, don't be fooled!

I got asked this evening about what CC actually does at night on campus since there aren't any students.  At CC's campus, there are hundreds of apartments that the students live in.  This is the most heavily patrolled area.  They get calls for weird sounds, not knowing if their roommate was okay, etc.  They have burglaries and thefts just like any other apartment complex.  These complexes keep them very busy.  But, one of the reasons they pull most everyone over at night is because no one really has any business driving around a campus in the middle of the night.  So they must be up to something, right?  (unless you're a newspaper deliverer)  They also get to patrol the streets surrounding campus.  The city cops don't usually go by campus because it's already being patrolled, so CC's guys try to take care of the neighborhoods around them so they can be just as safe.

I do have to say, being a campus cop in the summer has to suck.  There just isn't much going on.  There are people, and summer classes, but it's just not the same.  So, here's to hoping for a much more eventful school year for CC!

Phase 2 almost done

CC is 3 nights away from being done with Phase 2 of FTO!  YEAH!  He has really enjoyed the night shift and has met some interesting people in the wee hours of the night!  He also finally got his first DWI arrest last night, and he was pretty excited.  But I also think this will bring on his first court appearance. (he felt that the guy would try to fight it)

I have come to understand nights a little more, and have changed my feelings a little bit from before.  I have a better understanding of their purpose and how they plan to keep people safe.  I may be a little inconvenienced (if I were to ever be stopped) but it's one of the ways they are getting the bad people off the streets!  So, I'm a little better with it.

Other news, CC officially has an off-duty weapon!  He has his duty weapon, but you see, CC is a skinny man!  He was having a hard time concealing it comfortably, so he's been on the lookout for a new gun.  I think he likes what he ended up with.  And he's already bought a new holster and more ammo for this gun (since it's a 9MM and his duty weapon is a .40 caliber)  My dad was generous enough to trade in an old antique gun and buy CC a new gun.  I think he's excited about it!  I'm sure we'll be going back to the range soon so he can get used to it more! 

Speaking of the range, I think you guys would be so proud!  If you remember, I've had issues with guns.  I don't like them, I never have, you know.  I went to the range about a month ago to learn how to use these things since we would have them in the house.  It wasn't as bad as I thought, but I didn't love it!  This past weekend I had an opportunity to go to the range with my dad's friend up in Arkansas who collects guns.  He was going to bring a lot of guns to show CC and to test them out.  I figured I would go since CC didn't know this guy very well, and it might be interesting (fun)!  Turns out, my dad's friend had lots of smaller guns (.380 and 9MM) which were much easier to shoot than CC's Glock!  I think I tried out 5 different guns!  I even got to the point where I shot one more than once because I liked it the best!  Now, don't get me wrong, I don't think I'll be buying myself a gun anytime soon!  But I do have to say that I am definitely more comfortable with them, and now I need to work on my shot! (Aren't you proud?!)

CC goes on 2nd shift next week.  Which is our dreaded shift during the school year.  (2 pm-10 pm)  We had really hoped that we would get this shift out of the way during the summer, which would have been nice.  But, once I get back to school (in a week and a half...) we will only get to see each other in bed.  Luckily his days off are during the week so we'll get to see each other then, but it's just not the ideal shift for us.  I'll do my best to adjust!  It's only going to be 4 weeks!  (Hopefully!)

Dont go driving at night

I have learned that driving late at night is not a good thing if you want to not get pulled over!  As CC told me, if you're driving around at 3 in the morning, chances are, they will find a reason to pull me over, even if it's petty. 

Which brings me to this: I don't like that.  I don't like that if I'm driving and I possibly forget to signal my turn, and no one is around to need to know I'm turning, then I'm going to get pulled over.  Just because they need to "investigate".  Seriously?  Or maybe I didn't know my license plate light is out.  I get pulled over.  However, if I were to do the same thing in the daytime, I probably won't be bothered (unless I'm doing some other crazy thing!) 

Now I understand that CC is in FTO right now, and he's needing to learn different things, BUT, this is supposedly the way to do it on night shift.  I don't know how I feel about that.  (Not that there's anything I can do about it!)

Oh well.  8 more nights on night shift.

In the Middle of Nights

My schedule is so off!  CC started night shift (10 pm - 6 am) this week.  This is only his 4th night, but my goodness it already seems crazy!  Back in the fall, CC worked the night shift for a while, but I guess I already forgot what it's like! 

I have been trying to alter my schedule a little bit to help allow me to be in bed with CC for longer after he gets home.  Since it's summertime and I'm not working (and I am a night owl anyway) I'm staying up until 2 or 3 each night so that I sleep longer and stay quiet while he's sleeping!  I'm sure many of you have dealt with this, but our "together" time has been somewhat odd.  Granted, this isn't such a good thing since we are going through the beginning stages of fertility treatments and trying to start a family, but I guess we find time???????!!!!   It's just making me think things will definitely have to be a little more unconventional!  (Sorry, I know it's a little too much for you to know, but hey, it's the life of a LEO wife, right?)

A new addition to our house - black out curtains!  CC complained that it was too bright in the room, so I took the hint and went and got some fabric (Hancock fabrics was having a sale and I got 7 yards of thick, dark designer fabric for $25!!) and sewed some very basic curtains to go over the windows in our bedroom.  They turned out fine.  I wish they were longer, but oh well.  A novice mistake!  :) 

It's a good thing I started this blog design thing because I have been able to stay up easily working on different things.  (If you haven't checked it out yet, please do!  I'm still offering a 20% discount!  And if you don't want a new design, tell your friends!)  CC thought I should have a "police" related blog background, so, I just did this new one this evening.  I like it!  I thought it was a nice change, and I guess it does need to be somewhat "police" related! 

Also, CC took me to the gun range.  I guess I'll have to blog about that some other time.  Conclusion: I might go back to the gun range, but I'm not going to be asking to go!  (This is progress, considering the gun thing was the worst of my fears in this whole change of career!)

Blog Design Website

I am excited to let you know that I have started my own blog design website!  After much convincing from CC and my friends, I decided to put my skills to work for others!  Come check me out!

http://cutesieblogdesigns.blogspot.com/

I'm offering a 20% discount for the grand opening! 

I think you'll like what you see!  :)

FTO Phase 1 - Complete!

Can you believe that CC has been back from Academy for 4 weeks?! It blows my mind how fast the time has been flying by!

I have enjoyed having him home and on a somewhat normal schedule. For phase 2, he goes to deep nights. It will be a little weird, but with my schedule being NOTHING, then hopefully I can adjust with him as much as possible. I don't have a problem sleeping when it's daylight outside, but I might have a problem staying up all night while he's gone! I'm planning on going to help out a friend that had a baby recently and is going back to work, so I may stay over there at night to do feedings for them a couple of times. We'll see.

Where CC works, a lot hasn't been going on during the day shift. I think in 4 weeks, he's written a total of 3 reports! He has not been observed in physical force. He has been somewhat bored. Earlier this week he had a much more interesting day, but he came back a little upset.

He gunned a guy speeding down the street. CC pulled out behind him and saw him throw a metal object out of the window (turns out to be a beer can - granted it's 9 am). After he pulls him over, he gets to the vehicle and it smells like alcohol. The guy admits to drinking and driving. CC takes him out to do some SFSTs and he passes one (the most reliable), but completely bombs 2 of the others. Falling over, can't function bombs the others. So, CC starts to let him know that he's under arrest. His FTO steps in at this point and says hang on, let's talk about this. After they discussed it, his FTO convinced CC that he should just give him a ticket. So CC did. Well, several tickets. He was a little upset, because he honestly believed that this guy was drunk. His FTO watched the videos with him, and just simply explained that he wouldn't have been wrong to arrest him, but he passed the most reliable test.

Later that night, there was a fatality car accident near his department. His first comment was, "I hope it wasn't that guy I should have arrested." Of course it wasn't, but I know CC still agrees that the man should have gone to jail. Oh well. But, I guess this just shows that he's in training. He's not going to make the decisions on his own yet, and he'll learn what needs to happen in the future.

How Our Lives Have Changed...so far

CC just started week 3 of FTO. He's loving his FTO, and we are enjoying our days together. There really hasn't been much going on that's very different. CC is doing very well. They are already grading him at an average police level. (Yay for him!) So, just a few things that I've noticed:

• We watch a lot of cop shows (COPS, The First 48, Police Women of _____, Rookie Blue, etc) and CC seems to pick them apart on how either the case will get thrown out or that wasn't proper procedure.
• I'm still going to church alone, and everyone asks me where my husband is.
• I realize after hearing stories from CC's day that there seem to be a lot of really stupid people out there.
• It's hard to plan anything with CC - and even if we do plan something, whatever day it is, CC will have to stay late that day, and only that day.
• I no longer plan things with CC
• Even though he's on day shift, our sleeping schedules are still so different with me being on summer break and staying up late. (And this effects other areas in our lives, as you can imagine)
• Guns aren't so bad. :)
• I really don't enjoy cooking.

I believe we have this week and next with the day shift. We're still not sure what is next schedule will be, but I'm just trying to be flexible! Overall, there are lots of great things going on these days! Many learning experiences! I just know that this is another way that God is trying to teach me that I can't let my Type A personality run and plan my life! :)

Man in Uniform...or not?

Now I may be silly, but that's still up in the air, but I was kind of excited about getting to see my man all dressed up in his blue uniform with duty belt on and everything. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be that way. CC came home from his first official day on duty, and came in wearing his undershirt and uniform pants. What's up with that?!

I asked him where all of his stuff is, and he left it in his locker at the department. Come on?!

Not that the uniform gets me all excited and ready to pounce on him (like some of our wonderful friends assume) but more of a this is cool and it makes it official. Otherwise, how is there proof in my head that he's actually doing this Police thing?! If I don't see it, it makes it much harder to believe it. I don't know, like I said, I may be silly or something, but I really like seeing my man in his uniform.

His response to me last night was this: "You get these little fantasies in your head, and when they don't come true, you get all upset about it." Now, since he knows what I would like, maybe he'll come home all dressed up for me??!??!??!

PS: He is on first shift for his first round of FTO, which is their 6 am - 2 pm shift. This is good, except for the idea of staying up late and sleeping in. But we do have most of the day together. He also has to work Sun - Thurs, which just means I'll be doing church by myself. That's okay too. CC was teaching and we were the "directors" of the class, but in preparation for CC's schedule, we handed off some of our duties to others until we knew what his permanent schedule would be. Although, yesterday I began to wonder if it would have been easier to ease us back in to spending so much time together!! :) (I love my husband!)

My OFFICER!

We are finished!!

CC's Academy graduation was this past week! What an exciting time.


It was so great to meet all of the people that CC had been talking about for so long. All of his Cadet-mates (I think I just made that up, yes, I did) had lots of great praises about him. His teachers and higher-up officers had lots of good things to say about him. It was also wonderful to know have them thank me and all of my sacrifice to have him go through this training. I know this is a career move for him, but I have found (and many of you have told me) this is a career for both of us! He came away with the Top Academic award as well as Top Cadet! He did well and everyone here was very proud of him. God allowed us to persevere through these times, and it was hard, but I know it's going to be worth it!

This also brings the much awaited gun carrying. CC has been very good with it, and of course all of our loved ones, family and friends, have been very interested in seeing his gun and talking about it. CC is just so skinny that he has to be extra cautious in his concealing because the grip on the gun easily sticks out. We are in the process of looking into a gun with a shorter grip, he just doesn't have it yet. CC has been consistently checking his shirt, and sitting a little funny, just to try to make sure it's not so obvious! CC told me this morning on our way in to church that his inspectors told them a clue to a rookie cop is that they wear the "cool" sunglasses and are constantly checking their shirt to make sure their weapon is covered. It's so true!! It's new though, I won't start making fun of him too much until it's been a few weeks! And surprisingly, I have not been too weirded out by this gun thing. I'll get used to it I know.

Work starts tomorrow morning for him. Even though I might not get to see him a bunch because of his schedule, at least he's at home! We're actually going to get to go to a little social event on a Sunday evening, TOGETHER! It's been practically 5 months since that's happened! Yippee!! I'm also going to have to remind myself how to cook meals! (It's been so easy to have cereal and small things while he's been gone)

I'm so proud of my officer! I'm so glad he's through with this stage. I've been waiting for this for over a year. Now on to FTO! :)

(I had to post this picture just because he looks so good! A man in uniform is an attractive one! Probably the only time I'll get away with putting his face on here.)

He's Rubbing Off

4 more days! That's it! I can't wait! I still haven't seen CC in his uniform yet, but I know he is going to be a stud! I'm excited! He just took his final today. He'll have some NCIC/TCIC (criminal database stuff I think) talk for the next couple of days, then his licensing exam, then graduation! He keeps telling me graduation isn't going to be a big deal, but I think it is! :)

Anyway, I as driving home this weekend from visiting my parents and realized that CC is rubbing off on me! I began to question different situations to see what an officer would do if they pulled over this vehicle. Or, I tried to figure out what violations different vehicles had. Seriously?! I get on to CC so much for doing that while we're driving, now I'm doing it?! Come on!

For example, there was a truck with a camper on the back end. As I drove up closer to it, I realized there is a human being in the back end smushed up to the window! I wondered for a while if he was real, but then he finally moved his head to look at me, so he was alive! After thinking about it, I called CC to see what he would do if he pulled over the vehicle for some reason (there were several violations on the vehicle, so it was possible). I wanted to know the officer safety procedures, could a person be in the back end of the truck, etc. I'm glad to know, though, that if CC does pull over a vehicle in this situation, I feel that he would be safe! I guess he has learned a little in this Academy! :)

Good times!

Holster #1

In 10 days, CC will officially be a licensed police officer in the state of Texas.

For real?!

CC and I were remembering the whirlwind of our lives this time last year. It was was this time last year that CC was finally hired with intentions of going to Academy in January. He started his new career in law enforcement. It was about this time he was going through Oral Boards and turning in appropriate documentation. It's hard to imagine how crazy life was then. And now, it's all coming true. It's all coming together. He will be official.

And now that brings us to the point where my man will have a gun on his hip regularly. So what does that mean? We have to go buy a holster!

Even though he can't carry his weapon off-duty until next weekend, he wanted to buy his off-duty holster so he could carry his "fake" weapon this week to get used to it. (My hubby is so cute!) He already had looked into what kind of holster he wanted to try. He decided to go with the inside the pant holster since he rarely wears shirts long enough to cover a weapon outside of his pants. I'm sure the next holster will definitely be a back holster, but we'll see.

I think I'm going to just keep a track going of holsters and how many we'll actually go through before he decides what he likes best. So, Uncle Mike's inside the pant holster gets the big #1. After the handcuff issue (which by the way, he's already gotten handcuff set #2 and he's not even started for real yet!) I have realized that it might not make sense to me, it's just a guy/cop thing. He's going to buy gadgets. He's going to find the newest and best new thing to buy. And I have to remind myself that when I began teaching, I was at the teaching store constantly buying all the new bulletin board sets and manipulatives. Now, I tend to make everything myself, but it took me a little while to get out of the store. So, he was patient with me during those years, now I will be patient and let him "play" with his new gadgets. (His are just a tad more expensive than mine ever were!)

I was also sitting next to him in church on Sunday and just realized that I like to sit on his right side (I don't know, doesn't everyone have a favorite side to sit on?) which will be his gun side, and I'm not too sure I'm going to enjoy that. I'm debating on whether or not I'm going to change my favorite side. CC has said he wants me on his right side for gun safety. But, my friends, I don't like guns. I am somehow going to have to get over this.

Que Pasa?

CC has 2 1/2 weeks left!! YIPPEE! The days are going by! If you had asked me about 2 months ago if this thing ever seemed like it would end, I would've given all kinds of sarcastic answers and you would have been overwhelmed by my fake enthusiasm. But now, 16 days away from the time that the love of my life graduates from Police Academy, the thoughts are completely different. Don't get me wrong, I've always been proud of him, but it seemed like such a hassle that we had to be apart for so long and just all of the added stress to our relationship because of this. We knew we'd make it through it. We knew it would go by quickly. What we didn't know were the types of arguments that would occur. We didn't know the type of struggles we would face that we don't normally face when he's around. What we didn't know was that we could be brought closer together because of all of this.

I have a new-found respect for my husband. I can see how hard-working he is. I also have seen him strive to be the very best. I can see him being successful and fulfilled, and that is enough for me. It is one thing to have a husband that has a job, but it's another to have a husband that loves his job.

Enough about that -

CC started Spanish this week! It's been pretty hilarious. What gets me even more is that they started teaching words and phrases on Monday of this week, and he already had a test and practical on it!! After a day and a half! What can you really learn in that short amount of time? It's very interesting to me.

We live in TX, where of course we're getting a large influx of Spanish speakers. CC said that his instructors said that most people who speak Spanish will listen to you and cooperate with you even if you don't get the conjugation. Or if you just use a simple word instead of constructing a whole sentence. This doesn't seem like it would be the case to me, but I guess it is. I teach in a bilingual school, and so I encounter somewhat uncooperative Spanish speakers pretty regularly, and one word sentences don't work for me very well. But, then again, they are children. I don't know. I think all of this just makes me hope that this will get CC on a nice little train to get his Spanish up to par so he can communicate appropriately with Spanish speakers.

My excuse is that the school wants them to be forced to learn English, and what better way than to refuse to speak Spanish! :)

Phones Suck

(This is just me venting, BEWARE!)

For 120 days now, CC and I have been communicating by phone during the week. CC is not really a good phone talker. How on Earth did we have a long distance relationship for 2 1/2 years before we got married? And we only saw each other once a month?! And I still married him?! I don't know.

I'm beginning to wonder, how in the World are we going to be able to get through this career when it is quite possible that we won't see each other a lot due to differences in schedule?? I guess I just have to have faith that we can get through it. This is just really frustrating.

29 days!

Happy Mothers Day!

I am not a mother (yet), but I am a daughter. I am pretty sure my mom knows how much I appreciate her, but it's always nice to have a day that we can take the time out to do something special for our mothers.

I also know that one day this special day will be much different when I do have kids and I am a mother. But, the timing isn't right now. If my life had been as I had planned it, I probably would have a child right now, but luckily, God had a different plan. For one reason or the other, we have put off trying to start a family. But, I think it was all for a good reason, and now I see why. CC is starting a new career. A tough career to add to that. He's gone, we're adjusting, and it's difficult. I can't even imagine how hard this transition would be with kids.

• We went from a very consistent schedule to a now unpredictable schedule. This is difficult for me to adjust to, I know it would be difficult to adjust with a family on top of that.
• CC and I are working out how to get our needs taken care of with the different shifts and time away, and once again, I can't imagine how it will be once kids are in the picture and we have to balance both at the same time.
• CC needs time to himself and to just relax when he gets in for the weekend which would be very difficult to manage if there were children.

I will be a mother, and when the timing is in God's time, it will happen. But, even though I want a child, I am thankful that I'm not a mother yet. This time in our life is hard enough on our marriage, I can only think how different it would be with a family. I don't know how all of you cop wives do it with kids. I'll learn, and I guarantee I will be asking all kinds of questions when it's that time! (So you better answer them!)

Mean Guy?

CC is working on DWIs this week and learning how to deal with them. I find it very interesting the steps to take during these situations. However, what is more interesting is the type of approach CC has been taking on his stance of arresting.

Now, believe me, I think rules should be followed and enforced. But, isn't there a time for a little leniency?? I'm beginning to think that CC may be a mean cop, even though I know he's a nice guy. He was the only one, out of the 9 in his class, that thought all 5 of their "testers" should be arrested, even though not all of them were over the legal limit. He is very much by the book, as am I most of the time, but as a teacher, I also know that there are cases that sometimes change the book occasionally. When CC would bring up different situations they were discussing, he would normally come out more on the harsh end of a charge as opposed to a lower charge. But now, I think I'm noticing it more just because it's become a recurring situation.

Did anyone else have this happen to their cop during Academy? Does it stay this way?

I know CC is a nice guy, in fact his mom has always said he's the nicest guy she knows. I just hope that he finds a happy medium when it comes to being a cop in the real world!

There is Light!

The end of the tunnel is getting closer! We are now down to counting days instead of weeks! We will only have to be apart during the week for 6 more weeks! That's it! 6! I can do this!

My husband is amazing. He's been awesome this last week with his talking, encouragement, and just being there knowing how this situation sucks right now. God gave me a great man! Probably the best! (I'm a little biased though!)

The conversations these days have been very interesting. It really feels like he's a police officer. He knows how to handle different situations. He not only has facts, but he has practical knowledge. He does still point out little problems with people occasionally, but I can forgive that for now! He's awesome!

I may not have "signed up" up for this lifestyle (being a cop's wife) when we got married, but I am grateful that God has taken us through this. I truly think this is what CC was meant to be. I think he found his calling. And I'm proud to be a part of it. It's hard. Already. And I know it's going to get harder, especially when kids come into the picture, but it's so worth it.

PS: This weekend CC finally realized the shuffle driving was getting on my nerves, so he didn't do so much of it! It also helped that I didn't let him drive my new car because I didn't like how he was driving, so maybe he kind of realized that his "tactical" driving is a little obnoxious! :)

PSS: I have to make a correction about his "top driver" status: He qualified for top driver by 4 hundredths of a second, but in the final round actually won by over .5 a second!! Sorry babe!

Shuffling

2 weeks ago CC went through his week of tactical driving. He did well. He earned top driver by 4 hundredths of a second!! I'm glad to know I have a great driver out there, and I know I will hear this over and over again for years, seeing as I'm probably the world's worst backseat driver.

The downfall of this driving course? Shuffle steering....it's driving me crazy. Why can't he just continue to drive the way he learned for over 11 years when he's in a normal (I say civilian) car? This shuffling, sliding around the steering wheel, is getting really annoying. I'm hoping it wears off soon! :)

Anyone understand what I'm going through?!

9 weeks left..

It is official - time is going slower and slower.

CC has 9 weeks left. The first 10 or so weeks went by really quickly. It was almost as if Sunday evening went and Friday afternoon came all within the same day! Now, the days are going by much slower. This whole life of being apart is going day by day, instead of days at a time. It seems that most days we talk for about 10 minutes and we're done. Things aren't as exciting. Things are getting old. I figured this would happen in April. :(

It also seems like he's a real cop now too. He's starts tactical driving this week, and he's super excited.

Last weekend, he got fitted for his body armor. I went with him to the Law Enforcement Supply store, and it was all too real. Lots of gadgets. I know realize that we are going to spend lots of money on gadgets (see this post)! They asked him if he wanted a soft plate or a hard plate, and of course I jumped at the answer, "HARD!" Then they asked if he wanted some extra material around the side so that there wasn't a gap that a bullet to go through, and "OF COURSE!".

We watch lots of Police shows these days. I'm actually starting to enjoy them. CC is really into Southland, but I am having a hard time jumping into it in the middle/end of the season. Maybe next season. I do enjoy Police Women on TLC though and the SWAT show on the Crime Investigation Channel.

I really think this is sinking in. He's 9 weeks away from being a police officer. (besides his field training) Tests are getting a little harder. Instructors are getting harder. Workouts are getting more intense.

I think he's going to be great! He even got an email this week from one of the new lieutenants in his department that told him he was doing great and representing them well. That kind of makes him (and me) feel really good about this life change!

62 days til graduation....(and back to a somewhat more normal life!)

Half-Way

CC is halfway through Academy. Well, almost. 12 weeks left (halfway would be the end of 11, but the 11th week starts this week, so it feels better to say it's already over.)

I have been doing fine so far. Like I always say, it's not ideal, but we're dealing.

For some reason, him being gone is starting to get to me. I miss having him here. I miss just laying on the couch during the week watching our shows together. I miss having dinner at the table with him. I miss getting to snuggle with him in bed. And when he does get home, most of the time he wants to just chill. I have to do so much on my own during the week, that when he's here, I don't want to do anything by myself, and that's not always what he has in mind.

But, I also have to realize that when he gets back, that doesn't necessarily mean that I'll have all of those things again. This is kind of something I can wish for, but who knows what shift he'll have. I just have to pray that God takes care of us and continues to help me not be "needy."

On top of that, CC's agency gave him a credit card to put his expenses on. They originally told him to just make sure that he got receipts and that they were travel related. He gets to his agency this weekend to turn in some receipts, and he finds a note in his box. This note lets him know that they will only pay for gas for one trip there, and one trip back. They also are expecting him to repay the account for the previous gas purchases. So, if we add this up, this is approximately $40 per one way trip. 2 times a week = $80. 10 weeks= $800 that is going to have to be repaid, as well as the other 12 weeks that are going to have to be taken in order for him to come back each weekend. So, needless to say, this sucks. The deal is that he is given a certain living amount to be there. He's been living very cheaply on food so that the majority of the money could be sent on his trips there and back. Now, if they won't let him spend it on gas, he's decided he will probably be going out to eat for every meal. It just doesn't make sense. He originally said he was going to ask the chief about it, but then again he didn't want to make a bad impression. He's going to spend the money he's given, just now it will be on expensive food instead of getting to come home. Either way, this is no fun. This also means that he might not be home every weekend. Agh.

Anybody want to contribute to the gas fund?! (just kidding....sort of :)


"When I pray, you answer me; you encourage me by giving me the strength I need." Psalm 138:3

Police Gear

CC is very lucky at his agency because he has almost everything he will need provided to him. Since we live in a big area, this is one of the perks for this particular agency. He is provided his gun (I believe a Glock 22), his hand cuffs, his OC spray, his flash light, his uniform, and all of the necessary duty belt items. When we began looking into this profession, there were several places that he wanted to work that looked like it might cost a great deal of money to get into because of all of the equipment he would have to supply himself. But, after he got hired on in his current agency, I was relieved. Since we are young, we don't necessarily always have a lot of extra money just laying around to fund a new career choice! So this was a blessing to us financially and a weight lifted off of my shoulders. CC was also excited about this as well.

Until Academy.

First came the flashlight. He didn't like something about the one they provided, so he started researching new ones. He got one for Christmas, but it wasn't something that he thought it was, so he sent it back and figured he'd wait to get a different one when he'd seen more. (And I loved the post by HF on A Police Wife, so I will definitely share this review with him and maybe we can save a little bit of money!)

Then came the hand cuffs. His agency provides one set, but it's "crucial" that you always have 2 pairs on you. So, he "needed" to go to the Law enforcement supply store to get another pair that also weren't as stiff.

Now it's the gun. CC is a skinny guy. And here in TX you must conceal your gun off duty. So, the Glock 22 is just too wide to conceal easily without have a huge, awkward bulge on his side. So now we're looking into purchasing an off-duty gun.

I am not a gun person. I've never been around guns, I've never liked guns, I don't ever intend to have to use a gun. This whole career change, of course, is going to bring me around guns much more frequently (as CC will probably be carrying his gun at all times, now which one is still the question). So, the thought of one gun was hard to imagine. Now, knowing we will probably have 2 guns in the house while he's home is even harder to imagine. I know I'll come around. And after my incident after serving on a murder trial jury (the jury was threatened by the defendant's friend) I have agreed that I will at least learn how to use the gun for safety. But still, that doesn't mean I'm going to go buy one on my own! I know time will help me get used to them, but I just don't like them.

We went from not having to buy anything except boots to practically buying a new duty belt! (I know, that's an exaggeration!) I'm hoping that this is not a habit that will continue, but I'm sure it only gets worse as he is introduced to more and more products out there that are the new "cool" thing to have!

Do you have husbands like mine?! Should I go ahead and prepare myself for buying new gadgets regularly?

A Lot going on

Once again, I've gone about a month without any updates! I'm telling you, I think I'm just a once a month blogger!!

But I do have somewhat of an excuse these days.

February has been a very busy month at our house. CC is still away during the week, so it's up to me to take care of everything at the house. He's doing really well still and seems to be learning a lot. He is continuing to practice his new knowledge when he comes home. Last week, he came home wanting to show me how to get out a choke from behind. Little did I know, that being gentle meant that I was going to be thrown over his shoulder onto the floor. Boy that was a mistake....but I've learned my lesson and now I will not be the volunteer for his practice techniques. He's in the middle of traffic law right now so he's talking a lot about how people are driving, and now using the minimum requirement while driving (like using the blinker only once to change lanes, turning into whatever lane he wants, being the first in the intersection, etc.) I have a future blog coming soon about all of the laws I find weird or interesting to know. I'm not quite ready for it yet, but it will be coming soon!

On top of just the separation of us, I was recently diagnosed with PCOS, which isn't a life threatening thing, just messing with my hormones. This could make our ideas of having a family soon a little bit harder, but I'm staying positive and hoping that God and my treatment plan will relieve some of the stress this diagnosis comes with.

And just last week, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. My parents live about 5 hours away, so I don't get to see them as much as I'd like sometime, so weve been on the phone quite a bit just trying to catch up on the most recent doctor visit and what happens next. We are in prayer for her. This is her second round with cancer. She fought it like a champ 18 years ago, so I know she can get through this. God is in control. My dad is a trooper too. He lost his sister a few years back to cancer, so this has been hard on him, not to mention his second round to go through with my mom.

I'm having Spring Break soon (since I'm a teacher and all....it is one of the best things about my job!) I was planning on going and spending some days with CC down at Academy instead of him coming home for the weekend, but that has now passed and it looks like I'm going to spend that time with my mom. We're not sure how she'll be feeling, but it will be fun for me to visit and be as much of a support as I can.

I, personally, have had a very stressful month so all of this just kind of piled on us at once. I'm getting through it thanks to my friends and family. And I am continuing to remind myself that God is in control!

I'll keep you updated. :)

YAY!

After 3 full weeks of Academy, CC has been ranked #1!!!!! I'm so proud of him!

On a sadder note, his partner from the same agency did not pass his exams, so they sent him home. Luckily, CC gets his own room now and doesn't have to listen to him snore anymore! I know CC was really routing for his pal. I also think that CC was a good witness with his spiritual life. It's sad that the relationship has been shortened and the opportunities have been shortened, but I hope what little time they had together CC was somewhat of an influence on him. Their agency has offered him a "guard" job, so at least he'll have a job, just a pay cut. (And not quite as exciting!)

I married a special man. This type of stuff makes this whole separation worth it! I love him! :)

Apologies

I apologize for not updating since CC left for Academy! I have been keeping myself very busy to help the time pass! I tend to be a workaholic when I need to be!

CC has been out of town in Academy for 2 1/2 weeks now! It is actually happening!

He entered in a class of 13 (this was much lower than he expected, but still a good class). He drove down with his partner (another guy from the same agency going together) the Sunday before and got the lay of the land! Luckily, CC's agency provides a hotel and money for food and travel. 9 of the other cadets are also staying in the hotel, so there is a good crowd of people there for support and studying. He has come home each weekend, so it hasn't been too bad!

CC and I did long distance for 2 1/2 years before we got married, so this relationship on a phone thing is not new to us! The first week of calls was always exciting! He would go on and on about the different things people said and were doing. He talked about his performance and how he could do better at different things. He talked about how things were different than he expected.

By the third week, the conversations have changed! Now, we're talking about interesting facts about the penal code, as well as how much studying he has to do and how he should go. I can sense in his voice the stress of studying and how hard he wants to do well. He has very high expectations of himself. (That's a good quality I know, but some nights I wish he would be a slacker!) He is definitely still enjoying it and really searching to learn more. He's done very well on his quizzes, and got the highest grade on his first exam! As of right now, he's ranked #4, but feels he is probably higher since not all of the quizzes have been added into that ranking (only his lowest scoring quiz) He's a smart guy! When I hear things like that, I feel privileged to be married to a man like him!

Now me, I'm hanging in there. The first two weeks, I packed my schedule full of things to do. I think I was home maybe an hour each day by myself and then I went to bed. I've been able to have dinner with friends I haven't seen in forever. This week has been different! I don't have anything on the schedule until Thursday and Friday. It's been nice to get to sit on the couch and be a bum! I don't think I could do this every week, but it is nice not to be so busy! I've been staying late at school these last few days doing work. Each morning I wake up and realize it's another day closer to CC coming home! I also have a count down on my refrigerator that I cross off each day to remind me that we're getting closer to the end!

The hardest part has been dealing with some medical issues that I can't have him there with me to support me. It's all very minor, but when I wish he was at the appointment with me to hear the reality of the situation, and not the dreamed-up-oh-my-gosh-is-this-happening situation.

I'm a strong person. I can do this.

Honestly, I'm glad he's away at Academy. He will do so much better because he doesn't have distractions. He's with the people he studies with all of the time. He's with people he can ask questions to all of the time. He doesn't have to worry about getting the dishes done. He doesn't have to worry about what I have planned for him to do. He gets to concentrate on being his best. And that's all I want for him!

133 more days!

In the mean time, I'm going to go make more throw pillows for my bed! :)

Academy

CC leaves for Police Academy in 9 days.

I never thought it would get here. He is so excited! When he got hired in June, his agency sent 4 cadets to Academy right away, and CC was in the batch that had to wait until January. The 4 are back and now he is working with them. I think it's made him want to go even more now that they are back.

Either way, Academy is going to be about 4 hours away from where we live. This means we will be doing the long distance thing during the week. He is going to try to come home on the weekends, and I'm sure I may try to go to him a few times as well. This will happen for 5 months. My entire Spring school semester. It's hard to imagine how long that really is. I can't believe he is going to be gone the entire time I'm in school! I'm sure I will be plenty busy though.

But that brings me to my question. What types of things should I expect while CC is at Academy? What are some things that I can do to help him? It's going to be hard enough just adjusting to us being apart most of the time, on top of that, I have to adjust to him learning and studying. I want to be as supportive as possible.

Also, I loved Mrs. Fuzz's post on how being a cop has changed her husband. There have been lots of great comments posted there. It's very interesting to see what types of things happen to our men!