Great Big Update

A lot has happened since the last time we updated this blog. Since we're just getting started with keeping our blog and with getting our lives together since the last deployment, it's been difficult to find time to update. But enough with the excuses! Let's get down to business with what's been going on with us.

Drew Gets Out of the Army: On March 24th, I had my last day at Fort Lewis. Now I'm living comfortably with Jeanie in Vancouver, looking for jobs and trying to get into school. We'll get more into that a little bit later. I've also finally been able to start painting models again. After so long of being away from the hobby, it feels really nice to be able to start doing the things I love again. I'd like to personally thank everyone who stood by me and helped me through six and a half years of pain and suffering as I made it through my enlistment. It really was a wild ride!

Drew Gets His CDL and Looks to the Future: Just today, I finished the steps to get my Commercial Driver's License. Normally, getting a CDL requires that a person attend a $5,000 training course and pay several hundreds of dollars in licensing and testing fees. I plan on using my GI Bill to go to school and didn't want to use it on this. Instead, I went back to Fort Lewis and got my old commander to sign a waiver stating that the Army trained me and gave me a skills test. Because of this, I didn't need to pay huge amounts of money for schooling and testing fees. I still had to take a few requirements left to complete, however. I had to take two twenty-question tests, a fifty-question test, and complete a medical exam. After that, I was issued my Class A Commercial Driver's License, which lets me drive anything from box trucks to big rigs. With all the schooling and testing fees waived, I got out of there for just about $100. Not bad!

Getting my CDL has given me a great new idea for a future career. My new plan is that I'm going to get a job driving big rigs (local trips only so that I'm home every night) while I'm going to school. I'm planning on going to WSU Vancouver and using my GI Bill to pay for it. I'm going to study either Business Administration or Management & Operations. When I graduate, I'll have 6 1/2 years of transportation experience through the US Army, four years of transportation experience with my CDL, and a four-year degree in business. With all of this, I'm planning on getting some sort of logistical or corporate job with a trucking or transportation company. It would be really nice to get a career that continues upon the skills and experiences I had with the Army. For the first time, this idea feels like I'm continuing my experiences, not starting over. So wish me luck!

Breakfast at Carol's Corner: Yesterday, Jeanie and I went out for breakfast at Carol's Corner. Not knowing what we were getting ourselves into, we ordered omelets. This omelet was so big, it fed me that breakfast, lunch that day, dinner that night, and breakfast the next morning. For how little we paid for them, I jokingly said that it was cheaper than going grocery shopping. We really got a ton of food! Next time we go, we'll probably just get a half-omelet and split it. Check out the pictures below to see the enormous piles of food they gave us!

Taking the leftovers to the car hurt my arms

Look at all that food!