Another Update

I just talked to Josh on the phone. He's doing well. His last email to me said that he was sick, but he's feeling better now. I asked him what he needs in care packages, and he said nothing right now ... which means everyone please wait a little bit to send him care packages. He also asked that we don't send calling cards or candy right now. He has so many calling cards that he's giving them away to other soldiers, and he has gotten so much candy that there's not room for it in their little room. I'll let y'all know when he needs more stuff and what he needs. Wayne and Celeste, keep your cell phones by you for the next several days because he is going to try to call both of you. The area code will be 1-30something on his calling card. Basically, answer you phone no matter what the number is; otherwise, you'll miss a call. And you can expect him to call sometime between 1a.m. and 10a.m. Sorry, that's about as far down as I can narrow it because that's when he calls me. Overall, he's doing well. He's just tired and busy as I've said in every post previous to this. I don't know when I'll talk to him again, but I'll update y'all whenever I do. Have a good one.

Waiting for him,
Ariel
p.s. It's a boy.

Update

Hey, everyone. Josh emailed me this morning. He's doing well, but he's been extremely busy lately. Apparently, they've been trying to get some business going for the people over there, which has kept them running around like crazy. He said that he hasn't been feeling well lately, so please pray that he feels better. His stomach has been funky from what he says, which is no good when you're out on missions constantly. Also, he said that he's been having problems with the vehicle he's driving, and he said he wanted to take a hammer to it (I advised him against this lol). He hasn't had phone access for the past couple weeks, and their internet connection just came back after being out for a couple weeks (which is why he hasn't called and didn't email for a long time). He has very limited internet access, and I assume he won't be able to post on here himself for a while. I'll keep y'all updated as much as I can. Again, Josh won't find out the sex of the baby until I talk to him on the phone (which the soonest will be this weekend, if he can find time but don't count on it), which means y'all won't find out for a little while still. Be patient and don't bug me about it! lol :) Have a good afternoon, y'all!

Waiting for him,
Ariel

Short Update

Hey, everyone. I got a very short email from Josh this morning. He's doing well but has been extremely busy, as usual. He won't be able to call me until this weekend at the earlier apparently, which means y'all have to wait longer to find out the sex of the baby. Please, don't pester me about it. I'll tell you after I talk to Josh. It's only fair.

Waiting for him,
Ariel

Baby Anthony Ultrasound

A Lil Update...

Hey, everybody. I just got off the phone with Josh. He's doing well. They've been on a lot of missions lately (one of which was supposed to be a five hour mission but turned into a twenty four hour mission with no sleep). He has gotten several care packages in the mail, and he really appreciates them all. If you want to send him care packages, then some good ideas are calling cards, snack foods, and things like that. He also give candy out to the little kids there (mind you, he has a ton from when I sent him care packages earlier this month, so maybe wait a little bit on sending more). He has to re-take his PT test later this month because the running part wasn't marked out correctly, so still keep that in your prayers. He's also still working on switching from Reserves to Active duty while he's over there, but he's having trouble finding the right people to talk to. Please pray that he's able to get that process going soon so it can be all taken care of by the time he gets home. He still won't tell me exactly when his r&r is scheduled, and I know that I won't be able to get the dates out of him any time soon... which means don't expect me to pass that information along (can't share what I don't know). Overall, he is doing well and is tired. He said it's still over one hundred degrees there each day, but the rainy season is coming soon (which means slightly cooler temperatures and lots of mud to play in -- his words, not mine). Keep him in your prayers, and I'll keep you updated as I can.

Waiting for him,
Ariel

Well, He Called...

Okay, so in my last post I said I'd post again when he called. Haha, go figure he called just after midnight. We talked for about twenty minutes. He said he's doing really well, but the past week has been kind of slow. He's confident he'll pass his PT test on 20 November, but let's still send our prayers for strength and endurance so he'll pass it for sure. He didn't have too much to say about what's going on over there. I guess not much has changed. He just says it's muddy, and they do a lot of missions. He did say he received a package from his Aunt Rose, and he really appreciated it. There were several things in there that he needed. He couldn't think of any other things he needed to be sent to him, so I guess it's mainly a guessing game when we send things to him now. :) He did say that they hadn't been attacked, which is good. Other than that there wasn't really much else he could update us on... just that he's doing well and things are overall going smoothly.

Please keep him in your prayers. Pray for strength and health and endurance as he's on missions almost every day, as well as the ability to pass his PT test. (If you haven't guessed, it's really important that he passes this so he can rank up sooner.) I'm not sure when he'll get to call again, but I'll let everyone know when I do hear from him again.

Also, the baby is doing well. I've started feeling little kicks and jabs here and there, and the baby is moving frequently now. My next appointment is 25 November, and I schedule an ultrasound for after that. Yes, we are going to find out the sex of the baby, but nobody will know until I have the chance to talk to Josh. Once Josh knows I will post on here what we are having.

Waiting for him,
Ariel

Little Update....

Hey, y'all. I got a very short email from Josh today (about three lines long). He seems to be doing well as far as I can tell. He said that he didn't have to have the physical therapy on his knee like they thought he would (see my last post if you're confused on this one). His next PT test is on 20 November, and we're hoping and praying that he passes it! In his email he really didn't have much else to say. I have no idea when I'll hear from him again because he's generally very busy, and he doesn't have easy internet access. Just know he's doing well. I'll let y'all know when he contacts me again and will hopefully post a better update on things.

Waiting for him
Ariel

Hey Every One Its Me

Hey every one its me just wanting to say i'm doing good. also it has been raining here alot! The bad thing about that is that my CHU that it is leaking right above my bed. also it is very muddy around here! I have been very busy doing missions almost everyday! it definetly has been interesting! Everyday i have been seeing kids that have just about nothing except alittle bit of clothes and a roof over there head. The sit around and watch us as we roll by their little village or while we are stopped in there conducting the mission.

well i hope everything is going well for everybody back home.

Be Back Soon.....

Josh

Josh Just Called :)

There's nothing sweeter than waking up to a phone call from your husband when he's half a world away. That's exactly what I just did! Josh got to call me, and we actually got to talk for about twenty minutes (usually it's maybe five, and our last call was less than one). They're in Iraq now (I don't know exact location, and even if I did I couldn't post it on here). He's doing really well other than being tired he says. They're doing a lot of missions and keeping really busy, but that'll make the time pass much faster for him. A few days ago he hurt his knee while doing his PT (pushup, situps, running, etc.), and they put him on what's called a 14-day profile. This means he's restricted from doing any of those rigorous activities. He has a personal trainer working with him to strengthen the muscles back up in his knee, and he should be just fine. He says it's doing pretty well right now, and he'll keep me updated. Apparently it's been very rainy over. He laughed like a little kid and told me he's all muddy and dirty. :) It was kinda cute. Overall, he's having a good time and for the most part enjoying himself overseas. He misses his family and can't wait to see everybody again, but that won't be for a long time still. Please keep him in your prayers as you think about him, and as a family we'll pray him home safely. He did give me an address today, but I will not post it on here. I will be calling both Celeste and Wayne later this evening, so contact either one of them or me if you would like the address. I'll send y'all another update whenever I hear from him next, but that won't be for another week or so now.

Waiting for him,
Ariel

P.S. The baby and I are doing well, also.

Update from Ariel

Hey, y'all!

Just wanted to let y'all know that Josh is now overseas. He has been for a few days. His phone is not working, so please do not try to call him; and he does not have internet at the moment, so please do not be upset if he doesn't respond to any emails you've sent or anything.

I actually just got off the phone with him a few minutes ago (he borrowed someone else's phone to call me). We talked for five minutes, and he is doing well. He said his flight overseas was very long... about twelve hours... but that he was able to sleep for a lot of it and watch movies, too. He also says it's very hot over there, and they aren't really doing much yet. He's excited for when they actually get to start doing missions and things, of course. I do not have a mailing address for him yet, and I won't get one for a while; but I will update everyone as I get information for those kinds of things.

Other than that, things are going well here at home. I am now fifteen weeks pregnant and growing bigger by the day it seems. At my last doctor's appointment, I was able to hear the baby's heartbeat, which was incredible. I even recorded it on my camera so Josh can hear it, too. My next appointment is 28 October, and the appointment after that is when I should be able to get an ultrasound (also when we should be able to find out the sex of the baby). I will keep everyone posted as things go along.

Please keep Josh in your prayers. I am sure he will be very busy soon, and I know the heat can get to him sometimes and give him headaches if he doesn't get enough sleep or eat right. Again, I'll keep everyone posted with any news I receive from him.

Waiting for him,
Ariel

hey everybody

Hey all!! I'm just letting you all know that i am still at Dix but not for long. I will be taking about a 14hr flight overseas. It will be very long and will suck very much. Luckly i will be able to take my computer and my Ipod Yeah!!


Hope every body is doing great. and i hope i will be able to talk to all of you later.

Be back soon.....

Quick Update

Hey, everyone! Just wanted to let y'all know that Josh is still doing well. He's having a good time at training, but he's ready to start the actual deployment. He still has some training left to do, but I cannot give exact dates or anything.

I am doing well. School is pretty difficult, but I'm pushing through. I have my first doctor appointment on 30 September. Right now I'm about 9 weeks along, and I'm already showing. Pretty crazy.

I'm sure that Josh would love some emails from everyone, so feel free to drop him a line at bigmanjosh2005@yahoo.com. He may not be able to respond, but he'll at least know people are thinking about him. I'm sure that would be very encouraging to him.

Waiting for him,

Ariel

Update from Ariel

Hey, everyone!

Just wanted to let y'all know that Josh left for training for a while before he deploys. He has been gone for about a week, and he will not be home before the deployment. Please remember that I cannot post specific dates, times, or places on here due to OPSEC (Operational Security). Sorry.

I talked to him twice for about ten minutes each time since he's been gone. He says he's doing well, but he's very tired. He's only able to get about five hours of sleep each night because of the training they're doing. Keep him in your prayers-- that he'll stay alert and focused and that he'll be able to do well throughout training. From what he has told me, I think he is enjoying the training for the most part. Yes, it is very tiring and sometimes painful (if they're doing hand-to-hand combatives), but I think it will be very rewarding for him to go through. He's very excited to deploy. I cannot say where he is going until after he is already there. Sorry.

The day before Josh left we found out some big news. We are expecting our very first Army Brat! Yes, it will be difficult because Josh will be gone for the entire pregnancy and most likely the birth, too; but we're still extremely excited. We know that God has His timing for everything, and we're looking forward to welcoming a baby Anthony into the world. I am still going to school full-time, so I would appreciate prayers for concentration, strength, and rest. Currently I am not experiencing any morning sickness, but we shall see as time moves forward. I have not gone to the doctor yet (I was out of town for the past week), but I will keep everyone updated as the pregnancy progresses. If I have calculated correctly, then I am about six or seven weeks along, and I will be due early April.

Waiting for him,
Ariel

Post From Ariel

Hey, everybody! Just wanted to let y'all know that things are going well for us! Sorry we haven't posted on here for a while. Things have been pretty hectic. Josh's orders have changed a couple times since he's been gone, but he is coming home before he deploys. Sorry, I cannot give any dates or places or anything. Josh's training has gone well. He's really enjoying himself and learning a lot. He said that the instructors of the class he's in have said that his class has been the best one they've had in a long time. Josh got special recognition in a couple areas, and he graduates the class Friday. He will be home for a short time before he leaves again, but I (again) cannot give any details as to when he'll arrive home, when he'll leave, or where he is going. Sorry.
While Josh is home we most likely won't be posting on here, just to let y'all know.

Waiting for his return,
Ariel

half way thru training

hey everybody. just wanted to say hello to all and i thank you all for your support. I have been taking classes ever since i showed up here on the 1st of this month. I have passed all of my tests that i have taken and i also have been learning more and more things each and every day. I have found out more information about what is going on but am not able to post it on this blog. Sorry to those certain ppl who would like to know more. I will call some ppl and tell them what i can but like everybody who knows the Army will tell you that things can and probably change!


Have fun everybody and don't cause to much trouble.


BE HOME SOON!!!!!

SPC ANTHONY

A Post from Ariel

Hey, everyone! This is Ariel, not Josh. :) Just thought I'd let y'all know that he made it safe and sound to New Jersey late Sunday evening. There was a lot of paperwork to do, which left him getting little to no sleep because he had to get up extremely early in the morning. He said they've been doing a lot of classes that last a few hours each and are apparently rather boring. Yesterday he had to take a test that covered a book that was 190 pages long, even though they had just covered the material the day before. But he passed! Yay! Go, Josh! :) He's been able to call me for about ten minutes the past couple days but has been extremely tired, so the conversations haven't been too exciting. :)
All in all, he's doing well. He may or may not be able to connect to the internet in the next couple days. I guess you'll know if you see a post on here from him!
Have a great day, everyone!

Ariel

Almost Time to Go

Hey, everyone! Looks like it's about time for me to get out of here. I am leaving for training on Sunday. Don't worry, I'll be safe. Keep an eye on each other for me. I'll keep you updated as often as I can. Love you all.

Be back soon,
Josh