3 weeks til I get Home!

Holy cow! I am so excited. I have 21 days and a wake up left. I passed my PT test, I'm done with academic tests. I have a 96% average on my tests. I am ready to be at home.

We have been doing a lot of simple stuff to finish up the week. Last week, we finished up CBRN Room Operations and Rad. We started decontamination and this week we have CDTF (which is a live nerve agent chamber. It is going to be a crazy week.

The week after that we will have our field training exercise and after we get back we will be out processing to graduate and come home!! I ended up getting a 215 on my PT test, which is a lot better than I thought I was going to do. After doing PT two times a day for 3 weeks, I am glad that I passed. Now I am pretty much done and we just have a couple things to finish up on..

I am so ready to be home.. Being away from home really makes me realize what I have. It makes me think a lot. I haven't ever had to worry about my parents finances, my neighborhood or walking to school. I have never had to worry about any of these things because Beatrice, Nebraska is safe. There is no shootings on the street, there are job opportunities for us and I have received a good education from our public school system. I am thankful for everything my parents have given me and all of the knowledge they have set me up with.

I am thankful that I am going into college knowing what I want to do and where I want to be in life. As soon as I get home, I want to go thru the training in order to become a teammates mentor. I want to help someone and become their friend. I would love to have a little girl to show her how to respect herself as a woman as my mother taught me. I see some of my battle buddies here that don't have pride in being a female. Or they think they need a male to make them complete. It kinda makes me sad to know that they didn't have a strong female role model as I did.

Things like these are the reasons that I am so thankful for the environment that I grew up in. I am ready to come home and start college. I am so ready to be with all of my family and friends.

I miss you Mom, Dad, Luke, and Sean. Thank you for all of the support you have given me through all of this.

Thank you to everyone else who has supported me and my family through the long months of me being away from home.

I can't wait to see all of you soon.
Until later (:


The pictures are things that keep me sane through these crazy days here. I am ready to be home. (The fortune was from my lunch today (: ) And thanks Olson, (If you read this) for helping me realize that not everything is about everyone else. Sometimes I just gotta do what I want to do. Thank you.

2 LLLONNNG WEEEKS!

Holy cow! It has been an absolutely crazy long week here yet again.. Well, actually 2 weeks.

   Last week we finished up our HAZMAT operations. I got a 92! Wooo! (No, It wasn't as high as I wanted, but it was good enough for as hard as it was. there was so much information to it.)
   Then we got to do our "missions" on Tuesday. WE dressed out in our bright blue level B suits and walked around the training site making barriers for mock trials. We wore SCBAs (Self contained breathing apparatuses), which are crazy uncomfortable. Its like a scuba tank on your back. Overall it was actually pretty cool as far as something I probably won't do again in my military career.
    Wednesday was our PT test. It was awful, for me. I wish I didn't struggle with PT. Honestly, if I didn't struggle with it, or didn't have it, I could breeze by in this stuff. Well I failed my pt test by 6 push ups and a little over a minute on my run. Our next PT test is July 27, (less than two weeks from now!) Crazy to think I only have about 35 days left here. This summer has really gone by pretty fast.
    4th of July weekend on a military base was humbling. It was an awesome reminder of why we celebrate the 4th.

    On the 4th we go to go over to the field where there were food vendors and tents and a stage set up for all of us to enjoy. There were hot dogs, hamburgers, fried oreos, funnel cakes, pop, energy drinks, corn dogs, and all of the other vendor/fair food that none of us should have eaten. By the end of the night, I was feeling a little sick. But not having fair food 2 summers in a row is sad. Last summer I was at basic, so I didn't get to enjoy any of that stuff.
    There was a concert in the field area, called A soldier show. It is a bunch of soldiers that sing and dance. I am pretty sure they perform all over and some of them go over seas for the deployed. It was really cool.
     Then, there were amazing fireworks after the concert. Some of my battle buddies and I were joking around that we wouldn't need budget cuts if they wouldn't have had fireworks. But it is a different set of funding. The entire night was set up by the MWR (Morale, Welfare, and Recreation). This is the same people who set up the gyms and other fun activities on post.
     For the next 3 of my 4 day weekend, we hung out, went to the px. I got a new pair of acu's and a new digital camo laptop case for school.
    On Saturday, a bunch of us decided to cookout. We went to the commisary and got hot dogs, chips and pop. There was a little charcoal grill in the middle of the barracks area. It was so fun and I was so excited for a grilled hot dog.
   It's surprising what little things I miss about summer and being at home. Mostly, I miss shorts and a t-shirt in the heat instead of long sleeve s and long pants. (Mom, I now think I could have survived detasseling all those years ago). Sometimes being gone makes me think McD wasn't so bad. Then I really remember how bad it was.
   One of our Sergeants, that is always with us, treats us like his kids. He is pretty fond of me, but he makes me out to be much more innocent than I am. The other day we were all joking around and he made some reference to alcohol (that I didn't understand) and a bunch of us said "Hooah" (The term the army uses for yes, or I agree) Well, he came running thru the formation and asked me what I knew about the reference. I started laughing and said I have no idea. He is like EXACTLY!
     Then he was talking about how they had to put tape on the barracks windows on the first floor because people were sneaking out of the windows at night. I turned the the person next to me and said "Holy cow, I am so oblivious to life!!" Somehow, from across the room, he heard me and said, "Lyons, its because your parents taught you right from wrong and pounded it into you." I, of course, just laughed because I was still in shock that he heard me. He kinda makes fun of me because I am completely oblivious to the things people do/get away with around here.
    We finished all of our close book tests this week and all we have is open book ones left. It really is all down hill from here. We have Rad, Decon, and CDTF left. Then we will have a week for our ftx. Then we will be cleaning up and coming home!! WOO! (:
    The people who failed their pt test have been having PT two times a day. We have it with everyone else in the morning, then we have right after we finish training for the day. It has made for some really long days here, but we only have 13 days until our PT test.. NERVOUS!! /: but I think I will be fine. I just need to stay focused and not mess anything up. If I pass in two weeks, I will be able to wear civilian clothing and wear my hair down, on the weekends. I think my hair is the most exciting part about all of that.

   Well, I had a lot to catch you all up on!! Graduation Day is getting close!! Write me and let me know how all of you are. I am dying to hear from everyone! Thank you all for all of the support and I will try to write again next weekend.

This Week Flew By!

Holy cow! It seems like just yesterday I was writing a post for all of you. This week has gone by so fast!!

This week we had two of our really hard classes that make or break graduation.
The first one is Hazmat Awareness. It is about the different types of Hazardous Material and how to identify them. I got 100%, which was super cool.

The second one was Hazmat Operations. This blew my mind. Think.. AP Chem, mixed with automotive. It was all about the trucking and transportation of hazardous material as well as what someone at the Operations level is allowed to do in case of a hazmat emergency. It was 83 pages of solid information.. and my flashcards are about as thick as a 400 page book.. My mind was so shot when I left that class on Friday.







That test is tomorrow.. so be praying for me (: I think I am going to do okay on it, but I don't think I will be making any 100% again.

I am trying really hard for honor grad, but I am not sure that I will be able to get it with my PT score. But academics are where I want to score the highest.  That is my strong point, and PT is slowly getting better..

I can't believe how much I feel like I am back in high school. Or maybe like college. Workout, Shower, Eat, Class all day, Back to the barracks, Eat, Shower, Study, Bed. That pretty much sums up my life.

We has ASU inspections Saturday. They said we needed to get ours dry cleaned and polish up our badges. I found out that I get two ribbons for my ASU's
When I graduate from AIT I will have these two ribbons placed on my ASUs (: They are so pretty. I will also be receiving my unit patch to go on my arm of my ACUs.
The rainbow one, everyone receives. It is just for completing Basic and AIT. The other one is for enlisting during a time of war. Everyone who has enlisted since 9/11 has this ribbon on their uniform. It is so cool. I love the officers that have so many ribbons on theirs.
 


Well, today is my study and cleaning day because I have that major test tomorrow and I have so much to study for. I am hoping to get a 95% or higher.. but I'm not sure. In the other platoon there were 25 out of 40 people who failed it..
But I can't fail it.. if I fail I will most likely be here for the week after graduation retaking the class in order to retake the test. I cannot do that. I start classes the following monday after I get back.

After I take this test and my pt test (which is wednesday) everything will be down hill easy from here. Everything else is open note/open book tests or hands on training. Everything else is going to be easy after I get these few requirements done.
Right now I have a 98.8% average on my tests. I am wanting to finish everything with a 97% or higher.. Woo! Its a good goal, I just gotta really study and pay attention/take good notes.

I only have 50 days left til I will be home, Thank God! I cannot wait to be back home and with my family and friends. I hate being gone in the summer when everyone is going out and hanging at the pool or doing other fun stuff.

Some of my friends and I talked about going to the pool over the 4th of July weekend because we have the 4, 5, 6, and 7th off of training. We are pretty much just hanging out. Some of us talked about having a cook out/ barbecue, but that is still unsure if that will happen. I am excited! Time is flying by so fast now ans soon I will be home and starting an entirely new chapter in my life.

Thank you for everyone who is so supportive of me even from so far away. (: it means a lot to me.

I am still waiting on some emails. Let me know what has been going on. (I don't even have the time to check the news most days. So Please fill me in on all of the crazy stuff happening.
Elylyons2013@gmail.com. Thank you!! (: Or you can just message me on facebook.

(: Until Next Weekend (:

Thank you everyone!

Just another week.

Well, I have survived another week without getting kicked out or majorly failing at something..
But holy cow has it been a crazy week.

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were spent in the classroom all day learning the foundations about Chem/Bio. Easy! (for me.)
After taking AP Chem and AP Bio, I got to sit back and relax for most of the days.

We ran car wash hill again. Since most of you have never and will never see car wash hill. Let me describe it for you. It's about a 3 mile downhill and 3 mile uphill. Sometimes we run the entire hill, sometimes we don't. But there are 2 reasons it is called "Car Wash Hill"
1. There is a little car wash on the corner at the top of the hill.
2. By the time you run down and back up, your shirt should be so wet (with sweat) that you could wash a car with it. [Mine always is]
It is an extremely good work out, but I hate that dumb hill.. We also have GREAT workout sessions almost every morning.

Nothing really too hard to complain about here. Other than the ruck sack that I carry to training everyday and the Jslist chemical gear I wear everyday during training.
<< This suit. Over my ACUS  (That uniform.)  >>


Woo! It's hot. Plus, I don't think we have had one day with a humidity under 60%.
Yep, It is so much fun...

I finally gave in and bought the wifi for my laptop so now I can do all the stuff that I need to do with this. I am hoping to post more than once a week, but time is of the essence and it also runs on a very short supply here some nights.

This coming week I will be spending my time learning about the hazmat awareness level, which is pretty cool. I have already been studying for the test. I guess this test is a super big deal and most people fail it. 37 of the 104 people in the class before us failed the test and were coming to take it with us this week..

Oh yeah, I also have a PT test on Saturday.. PRAY FOR ME!  I am really kinda nervous, but I have been working out so hard every day since I got here, I don't know how I could fail it. I am hoping to keep up this working out when I get back. (Hit me up if you are in Lincoln or going to UNL and wanna work out with me!)

I forgot to mention. I am also crazy homesick and ready to be at home already and I haven't even been gone a month. It is pretty miserable.. and I would love to get some emails or letters this week!! Please (:


Well, that's about it as far as an update for the week. Everything is going relatively well, and my battle buddy is from Cincinnati, Ohio. So when I go out there again, I will get to go see her as well as Zach and Nick.  Wooo!

Well, please send me some emails this week at Elylyons2013@gmail.com! I can't wait to hear from all of you. I haven't received any letters or emails. ):

Thank you!!
I miss you all so much and I can't wait to be home to start classes.





Need to catch up?? 
Here are the past blog posts about my AIT adventures:
Leaving
Arriving
Week 2

Week 2 of 11!!

Hey everyone!

What another great week here at Fort-Lost-In-The-Woods!!

This week we got the information for our first test in a couple weeks. We also got the rundown of what will be going on for the next few weeks here at training.

Here is my training schedule:

Week One: Briefing

Week Two: Chem and Bio Foundations

Week Three:  Decontamination and Radiation Operations

Week Four: HAZMAT (More Radiation) APFT (PT Test)

Week Five: More Hazmat, Start CBRN

Week Six: CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear), WTBDS (Not a clue what that is)

Week Seven: RAD (Radiological operations), WTBDS

Week Eight: CDTF, FTX (Field Training Exercise) prep, and APFT (PT test)

Week Nine:  FTX (Out in the field all week!)

Week Ten: CIF (Turning all of our crap in) Out processing, Graduation!!!

Our first week we spent a lot of the week in the class room playing the death by powerpoint game!! The objective of the game is to stay awake the entire time your Sergeant is talking about the things they are required to tell you, even though you have heard them about 6 times in your military career and you will hear them once a year for the rest of it! (YAY!)  I won by the way. I didn’t come close to falling asleep once in class.. Pretty proud (:

By the time I get outta here I will be HAZMAT certified up to the Operations Level, which is pretty cool I guess. When I get back, I can take one class (which I’m gonna try to take next summer ) It is the HAZMAT tech level, so I can be 100% certified as a HAZMAT emergency responder. That would be pretty cool to add to my resume. (I’m pretty sure I can just take a 40 hour class for that, so why not!)  

I’m pretty sure it is going to end up being one of those things that I never use outside of my military career, but it’s pretty interesting and the science involved is totally my thing.

Anyway, other than that, we had a drivers class (for the HMMWV!) and in case you didn’t see my facebook, I passed the test for my military license. I got to drive the HMMWV around the base for like 10 minutes and I will get to drive it again later on. (The sergeant told me I drive like a grandma, because apparently I drive too slow..)  

We also had a finance class all day today and I learned a lot of cool new savings things. I found out that most people should slowly start developing and saving in a separate account for an emergency fund (I knew this, but I didn’t realize how simple it would be.

She talked about taking 25 dollars from every pay check and put it into a separate account.  

She said your initial goal is to get enough for 2 months- worth of living expenses, which would be about $3,000 for us (approx.)

Since I get three paychecks every month and Sean gets two, we would put about 125 in the account every month, but how many people couldn't cut 25 dollars from each payday? I know we could.

So at $125 per month, we could have our initial goal of $3000 in two years.. Not too shabby. But then she said that after that your goal should be 6-8 months of living.. 6-8 months is the average time that someone is laid off without a job (maybe on the high end, but still a good number) This is in case one of you gets laid off, hurt, or extremely ill. This is money to fall back on when everything else seems to be going wrong. We could have this in 6-8 years, which yes, is a really long time.. but if you plan to put away your extra money that you can for the first couple years of saving for this and add interest every year, it will add up quickly.

Yeah, that's a lot to process, I know. But on paper it works out really well(:

I also decided that I would like to open up an account for just my military money. All of the money that I earn from the military every year will go towards vacations and holidays (ie Christmas). Accounts like this are a great way to not ruin your November and December budget EVERY year when you have to get all of the gifts and festive items. My military money would be such a great way to set it all aside in an account that I don’t touch all year! I plan to do this after I get back from AIT, when I am just getting drill pay.

Well, that pretty much summed up the 8 hours of classes I sat thru today in two paragraphs. We talked about a few other things, like buying a car from a dealer (biggest rip off ever!)  and military insurance (Great coverage!) but other than that… There was my day for you. (:

Woah, this has been another crazy week here.

I got my schedule for the first semester, I will be staying in Able Hall, which is the pretty nice one I guess. I am taking 5 classes for a total of credit hours.  Two psychology (with one lab) One English, one ethics, and woman and gender studies (with lab). I am probably the most excited about the woman’s studies class. I have quite the opinion when it comes to women’s role in society (the military just enhanced it even more) I can thank my mom for everything that she has taught me about being a strong woman and not letting anyone tell me I can’t do something because I am a woman!

[Thank you mom!!]

So there you go, there is my week for you.

Here we go, off for a crazy summer filled with working out, learning, and leaving with a ton of other females. Woo! Oh yeah, and going to bed at 8:30 on Friday nights!!  (last night, I was asleep by 8:15 I think..) It was great!!

Well, that really sums up the week!

Please, feel free to e-mail me instead of writing me letters.

If you have time to send me a quick email to chat and catch up, my email is Elylyons2013@gmail.com

It goes straight to my phone! I love getting the emails. 

Please, catch me up on what's going on back home! I miss hearing from a lot of you!!

There is my bunk, right after I got out of it. (It really needs to be made...) Below is my ruck sack that I will be carrying on my back as I walk. It is bigger than the one at basic, but it is so much more distributed on my back compared to the one I had at basic.