Single Gouger

Apparently, the Navy doesn’t think that James is married, despite them having three copies of our marriage certificate. This explains a lot about why I never received paperwork for an ID or anything, despite them saying it was coming. So, I emailed them, and they said that they were aware of our situation, but that they were working on. James called last night and we only got to talk for 10 seconds, as he verified my social security. It made me sad. :’( This is week four for them, and they have a huge inspection at the end of the week, which determines whether they continue or get rolled back. James was really worried about it, as his roommate has already failed two inspections, and this is going to be his third. He said that the roommate was a great resource though, as he’s already been through two! They have been doing all sorts of things to get ready for inspection, including measuring creases in folded uniforms and hair spraying them in the perfect spot. How crazy! Last week, someone left a Powerbar wrapper on the ground, so everyone had their Powerbars taken away, so they are hungry. I was so sad for them, because they aren’t getting enough food to do all of the physical things they are doing, and James doesn’t have much reserves on his body to lose! I still don’t know when the dining out is, but I have a dress! Hopefully James will be able to call before Sunday to verify, because I need to buy a plane ticket, and it is probably only going to be a few weeks out. I can’t wait to see him! :-) Keep writing him! He loves getting mail!

Cool Bug

William & Mary Tailgate Awesomeness

My dad is finally back from Iraq, so my parents came to visit me in the Burg for a football game. James’ parents were kind enough to give me their tickets so that we could enjoy a weekend at a game. We spent the morning tailgating with very dear friends whom I hadn’t seen in forever. Tailgating is a fairly new experience for us, as we were all in band for four years. So, unless we were traveling to an away game, we didn't get to tailgate. We have now discovered how AWESOME gameday is without morning practice!! We've also realized how hard it is seeing people after you graduate! Laura, Stacey, and Megan had quite a grill going by the time we got there, so we had some awesome hotdogs and hamburgers. Blacksburg pretty much sells out of hotdogs on football weekends, so we had some slim pickings at the store, but we were at least able to get some! The William & Mary game was…well…it was William & Mary. Why were we playing a division AA school again? But, the game was fun nonetheless. It is always a great experience to be in Lane Stadium, no matter what game it is. I sat with one of my co-workers, and we had a great time! We were sitting only a few rows in front of my parents, but we didn’t find them until the very end of the game. We were both looking for each other in the wrong directions! My mom, dad, and Lizzie stayed the whole weekend and slept on the air mattress while I slept on the bed. (I’m still not sure how I pulled that off!) Lizzie and AJ are really cute together, but she didn’t feel like dealing with him this weekend, so she became territorial and claimed the kitchen as her own. It was too cute.

Maroon Effect

Cell phone!

James called me on Monday on his cell phone!! I looked at my phone, and I was like…who is this?! Ha! He had to leave it in his car when he got there, and Monday was the first day he was actually allowed to go to his car. He retook the engineering exam on Monday, and said he felt really good about it, as he spent all day Sunday studying. He did complain that he didn’t get to go to church on Sunday, so he didn’t get his once a week coffee and donut. That’s so sad! And, if he were to be rolled back, he is allowed to call me immediately, and he hasn’t called, so I’m assuming he passed!! :-) Yay!! He’s spending all week getting ready for the week four inspection, which determines whether or not he will receive early liberty! :-) He sounded really good when I talked to him on Monday, so let’s hope it is getting better! I’ll keep you updated!

Gouger Tailgate Fever

It’s football season in Blacksburg… which is a special time of year! It just isn’t the same without James, nor will the blog be the same without James’ football commentary, but we are hanging in there nonetheless. (James and Angela Triva...we started dating at the Miami game in 2002) The season started with an emotional ECU game, followed by a complete blowout by LSU. I had the pleasure of watching the first 10 minutes in an airport with a bunch of LSU fans, which was very unpleasant. Check out: LSU Tailgate Fever for a great summary of all of our special plays. But then there was a home game against Ohio! :-) And…it was the Hokie Bird’s Birthday party. Luckily, we have a lil Gouger in the family now, so it’s not weird for us to go. :-) There were lots of mascots there, and the Cow harassed Brent, because he could sense that he doesn’t drink milk. I laughed, but was happy the Cow didn’t touch me. Mascots, with the exception of the Hokie Bird, freak me out. Colin was adorable, and he greatly enjoyed his football experience. From running around the tailgate, to getting really excited about bikes, to falling asleep during the game, to being absolutely adorable, it was a good day. He’s going to be a football player…I can feel it! :-) We missed Mary, James, and GM and GP, but we still had a great time. Sarah and I were at the VERY top row of the East Stands, and we quickly moved when people next to Abigail and Brent didn’t show up. The first quarter of the game was really boring, except for the fact that we were able to watch Tyrod Taylor play. I was impressed, but I also felt bad for Glennon. I mean…it sucks to be replaced by a true freshman when you’re a fourth year junior, and you’ve tried so hard. But, life happens and it goes on. VT 28 – Ohio 7. The score makes the game look like it was a lot more exciting than it really was, and makes it look like we played better than we did. I’m nervous for the rest of the season!

Officer Candidate Gouger

James called again this morning! :-) He called about 5 minutes after my parents left, and we were able to talk for about 30 minutes, which was wonderful. From this point on, he should have access to the phones on Sundays, although he hardly has any free time to actually be able to use them, and he still has no access to his cell phone, which he had to leave in his car, along with stamps, so he cannot write anyone either. He sounds stressed and tired, and he may be getting rolled back, but he won’t know until this week. This week was his engineering course, and he failed the exam, along with 36 of the 45 people in his class. The class grew, as when you fail a course, you are rolled into the next class, so a lot of people had already failed the engineering course once failed again. He said that basically if you weren’t an engineer in college, you didn’t pass, which was really frustrating and disheartening for him, because James never fails anything academically! But, he is able to retake the test on Tuesday or Wednesday, so he is spending all day today studying, in an effort to pass, so he doesn’t have to stay there longer. Being rolled back will probably extend his time there by three weeks, which would be hard on us, but he said it could be a blessing in disguise, as he would have two or three weeks to rest and work out before he had to take the course again. (Because he would just wait until the next class gets to the engineering class.)
So…pray that he passes his exam this week!! He loves getting mail, so keep writing, but please do not send any packages!! Every time he gets a package, he has to open it in front of his drill instructor, and he hates doing that, even if the package has stuff he is allowed to have. So…wait on any packages!! I’ll let you know when he is ready to get them. Also, please pray for David, as he failed his second eye exam. He gets one more shot, but if he fails it a third time, he cannot be a pilot, and more than likely, he will choose to leave.