ITS HERE

IT CAME! IT CAME! I was waiting again by the mail box, well almost.
I heard the mail mans truck and waited, trying to be patient.
Walked out to the mail box and slowly walked up my driveway flipping through the mail, and I saw them!! I started skipping and hopping up the drive telling Bryan as I walked in the door, "Its here!" The form letter and a real letter! woo-hoo

As you can imagine I was very excited and nervous!

As I have been reading on-line from other parents,
describing their kids first letters home. How they were so upset and

that they made a mistake, they were homesick and wanted to come home,

They hated it. That they missed them etc. ect. .
- So when I read Erica's almost first line, I started laughing and crying,

she says "The first week wasn't as bad as I thought'
I yelled 'that's my girl' and high fived Bryan!!

So here's what she had to say minus the miss-spellings, of course :)

"Dear MOM,
I have very little time, The first week wasn't as bad as I thought,
but the Drill Instructors are tough. The first day I was yelled at because
of my slowness, but luckily I caught on.
I love you and I'll see you in 69 days.
Passed with 12.15 YAY " (she has to run 1.5 miles in less than 15 min.

she says she's slow,

hence she was pleased with her time.)

" Love, ERICA ANN"

"P.S. I have to say Parris Island is much hotter.
I miss you very much and I'm thinking of you
and Bryan everyday.. ^..^ "
_
Got her form letter from the Marine Corps and a form letter from her Drill Instructors,
stating what she can not have no food or candy what so ever.

Any way get those letters to me soon , they tell me we need to write as much as possible.
Photos can be on your letter, they just can not have nothing naughty.
Please send your letters to me:

dar66@msn.com

And I will get them out asap.

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers.

written by:darlene r.

Training time

Erica and her buddy Scout


Hello again,

Fortunately I have been talking to moms that have daughters with Erica and others that their daughters have gone through, this little update is from "Tammy"

Hi Families...Here's a schedule of Training Week 1 for you all to check out.

Much easier than trying to follow the matrix.

This schedule is subject to change in case of holidays, weather and the needs of the company.

TD-1 is always on a Tuesday!
TD stands for Training Day
TD1 Tuesday
Today-
- Drill practice on the parade deck for the first time - class on MCMAP (Marine Corps Martial Arts Program)
(history of it and some basics)
- class on interior guard (basic security procedures)

- class on weapons handling (poppin' sticks)

TD2 Wednesday
Today:
- Start with a 1.5 mi formation run
- learn some MCMAP moves

- class on Marine Corps Values (Honor, Courage, Commitment)
- class on Customs & Courtesies (how to board a ship, how to report to a senior officer, how to address someone of higher rank, etc)

TD3 Thursday
Today's agenda is a little confusing (the first of many) so bear with me please:
Lead Series
- PT: circuit course (run around a track with different stations with different activities) & wind sprints
- Basic Bayonet fighting techniques

- Class on First Aid
- Class on Uniforms

Follow Series
- Basic Bayonet fighting techniques
- Second haircut since been on PI (yes again)
- Class on foot injuries
- Class on First Aid
- Class on Uniforms

TD4 Friday
Todays agenda:
Lead Series
- Class on USMC History
- Haircuts (they really do need one it has been 10 days for most of them since their last one.

- a class on Values
- a Corps Value Class

Follow Series
- PT: 1/2 mile run & combat training exercises (rope climbs, squats, etc.) then all over again for a second time
- class on USMC History
- class on values
- Corps Value Class
- practice drill
TD5 Saturday
Today:
Lead Series:
- PT: 1/2 mile run & combat training exercises (rope climbs, squats, etc.) then all over again for a second time
Follow Series:
- PT: circuit course (run around a track with different stations with different activities) & wind sprints Then for the rest of the day, they will be on the same schedule

- drill practice (pop those sticks guys)

- Classes on requesting mast (complaining about something to someone higher in the chain of command)
- A couple of classes given by the Chaplain
- some Corps Values classes

and thats just the basic run down, thank you so much Tammy for the info and support.

posted by: darlene r.

still waiting

Erica's Art

yellow feet Erica had to stand on

Still waiting for word, they tell me that I should hear something by Thursday. All I can do is wait and hope. I have started writing so can you. But please keep it upbeat and positive. Erica just needs to hear how proud we our of her and that we miss her.
Please write, the more she gets the better it is for her. Write about normal life and such but like I said positive no negative please.
Send her letters to me at dar66@msn.com

written by: darlene r.

NO NEWS

You know what they say no news is good news. I pray that is case, I received no phone call from boot camp although a mom I met at MEP's she said she got the call but it was hard to hear her daughter and that she was crying so she started crying, on second thought maybe it was best if I didn't get a call. So they say by next thursday I should receive at least a form letter with address and platoon number and such. I only know that she is papa company 4th training battalion. I started a little journal that I am writing to Erica everyday with everyday stuff but also so when I start writing letters I absolutely want to stay away from the negative. Prayer everyday, and I thank you all yours as well.

written by:darlene r.


art by miss erica 4/09

Savannah Georgia

Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport

1:30 PM our time, Miss Erica called They arrived in Savannah Georgia safely, They were now waiting on others to arrive, half her group had to take another flight. A nice girl from Texas let Erica use her calling card from a pay phone, Nice girl's name Lynsie from Texas but was originally from Compton Calif. :) They did have pizza in Chicago, she said it wasn't very good. (I told her that was airport pizza, lol)

I asked how her bunk mate was doing? she said good, Krystal replied with "I'm always good".

In flight movie 'Ironman' (seen it) it was pretty good. She also met a girl from Sacramento, Calif.

I asked about her flight .. it was okay for a tin can.. (what? I said)

It was an express flight.

I think they are gearing them down for boot camp,

1st sleep number bed ... nice

2nd 747 boeings.. pretty nice

3rd Dash 8 300 series..(turbo prop) tiny plane... squish

4th 3 hour bus ride...yuck

5th yelling at for almost all of the next 12 weeks ;)

Dash 8 turbo prop

Now it is time for her 3 hour bus ride to H-E- double hockey sticks....

Prayers please for strength and no injuries.

written by:darlene r.

Chicago

O'Hare International Airport Chicago'Ill

10:00 am our time, My phone rang another number I didn't recognize.

Miss Erica ('woo-hoo' she's safe)

"Hi, Mom I'm calling from the Plane we just landed at O'Hare,

it's 12:00 pm here.. did you know that O'Hare is the United States Largest airport. I am calling from an Army guys Verizon phone. (LOL) The flight was good, take off good, in air good and the landing pretty good. We were on a boeing 747"

"Watched Inkheart on the plane it was pretty good but Krystal says she wouldn't buy it.

First Impression of Chicago Erica says "they love baseball and greennnn!"

"I counted 20 baseball fields 5 high schools and everything was green!"

"I'll see the Rockies and the Appalachians on this trip, tell grandpa that." (cool I said)

"We have 45 minutes for lunch."

Told her that was awesome, great, have a good time.. but to find the gate first before they have lunch, so they wouldn't be late, or miss it." (yikes- got to be mom too ;))

Love You! bye be safe!

written by: darlene r.

She is on her way

Last phone call was 5:30 am this morning via pay phone, Erica and her group were waiting for their flight out of LAX, her flight left at 6:22 am with a layover in Chicago for 30 minutes not much time to eat, restroom and she says she will try to call from there but we shall see.

Our day started yesterday at 2 am then at the recruiter depot by 3 am, and after signing more paperwork, we headed for LA, I followed in my truck.

We arrived around 4:30 am she and another guy from her recruiting depot headed in, but guest are not allowed until 7 am. But this time I was prepared had my pillow and blanket, laid my seat back set my alarm on my phone and took a snooze.

Just before seven I walked across the parking lot to Ralph's got some fruit for a snack later as I know they don't feed the parents, then over to Micky Ds for a ice vanilla coffee, got a sugar free one too for miss Erica. Then walked across a very dangerous street to MEP's.

This part is embarrassing as I walked up to the door I realized I didn't have my id out, so with purse lunch and drinks in hand I fumbled for my id then when I went for the door handle the drinks flipped right out of the tray and all over the entrance and splashed on the front door of MEP's oops.. So when I walked through the metal detectors I had to tell the guard that I oops! I wanted to crawl under a rock.

So I found miss Erica sitting with her new friend Krystal who shipped out with her and they also were roommates and flight buddies. (Turns out Krystal is married to a guy who worked with Erica's best friend's dad at Disneyland..what a small world. She is from Anaheim.)

So then it was waiting time, Erica waited to close out her paper work, which takes forever, then the guy that came with us was told he wasn't shipping and was told to go home, so he had the same thing happen to him that had happened to Erica last week, we felt so bad, cause he was told he was leaving for sure.

Finally around 1:30 pm she had her final swear in, and they told her at 3 pm would be her travel meeting. About 4:30 pm they had their travel meeting,

(yes 1 1/2 hours later, hurry up and wait)

and Erica said out of no where they called her name and put her in charge of her group 6 girls and 1 guy all heading to Parris Island. (I wondered why when I walked by the window she was up in front talking)

She had all the tickets all their money for eating and all their paperwork to hand in at Parris Island, I was like yikes, she said I know, I loose anything and I am dead.

7:30 pm they finally got on the bus for the hotel, Erica told me to follow them. luckily I heard they were staying at LAX Radison hotel, because the first light the bus ran the red and I lost them, oh well, I'll just head for LAX and I looked for the Hotel, It wasn't to hard but the parking was, $11.00 bucks no way, finally found a 2 hour parking around back. (for free)

Walked in and found a huge group in line at the counter, Erica's group the Marines, the coast guard who's basic training is in New Jersey, and the Army and their basic is in Jackson.

I met a mom who's daughter headed out with Erica so we exchanged numbers.

Great to meet new people, they are from Pasadena. The kids were fed well this time. But of course we are not :(

Then Erica tells me she forgot a shirt, I said what do you mean?

She had a little white jacket on and under a see through tank top, so I had to buy a shirt a the gift shop.. at least they weren't as bad as I thought it would be. So she got a little shirt that said California, with little woody cars on it. I said oh well its not like they are not gonna know that your from California. So after they had a little meeting with much running around from Erica trying to get everyone together, I headed home, I forgot her flight numbers so she texted them to me from the other moms phone. Hit the freeway at 10 pm I couldn't believe the traffic still, got home at 11:50 pm Man I barely made it home I was so tired.

5:30 am I got my call I was so glad she did, I think thats my only problem I am a mom who just wants to know they are safe, I don't need an hour conversation just a "hi mom, I here and I'm safe" call, I am so much better. Well it will be a while now before I hear anything else, tonight or tomorrow morning I should get the generic phone call that says hi I'm here, that call is a form letter and they cannot deviate at all. I will keep you all up date as I can. Thanks for your prayers.


Krystal and Erica

the last of the goofiness

the california girls, there were six girls and 1 guy

guess who was picked to be in charge.... yikes

checking into the Radison Hotel at LAX

oh yah queen size sleep number beds..Erica ran up to take a picture of their room :)

written by: darlene r.