7 Quick Takes-The New Officer

1. As promised, here is my blog post detailing the events of Will's commissioning ceremony and his graduation last weekend. I'm doing it in the 7 Quick Takes form because I'm feeling particularly lazy today. So! Last Saturday, Will was commissioned as an officer in the United States Army. This was a goal he had been working towards for the past....I don't know how many years. Officially, two. In any case, everyone is SO proud of him, and this awesome husband of mine deserves every award and recognition he received. Check it out:

How cool is this cake??

Will's first salute as an officer

Presented with the plaque by the Colonel 

My handsome Lieutenant! Thanks for the exceptionally blurry picture, Dad. 

2. So. Other than the cake showing up ridiculously late, and some people not showing up at all, the ceremony was fantastic and it went off without a hitch. Both Will and the Colonel gave wonderful speeches, and it was such an honor to celebrate Will's much-deserved success after many years of hard work. 

3. I also learned a very important lesson-even though my daughter is eight months old, she is clearly not ready to be left with a babysitter in the middle of the afternoon. As soon as we got home from the ceremony, I walked in the door and saw our babysitter (God bless this sweet girl!) holding Alessandra and desperately trying to calm her. Alessandra took one look at me and let out a piercing, blood-curdling scream. Yes, yes, I can clearly see you've been tortured the whole three hours I was out of the house! *sigh* It will be some time before I subject another unsuspecting teenage girl to the banshee that is my child. 

4. The following day was Will's graduation from LSUS. He wasn't exactly thrilled about attending the graduation (and I can't say I blame him-really, aren't all graduation ceremonies pretty much identical?). However, it was still cool to see my husband graduate, and even though the people behind us were shrieking and cheering so loudly we couldn't hear Will's name being called (really, when did it become acceptable to make a complete fool out of yourself at what is supposed to be a formal occasion?), I managed to snap a quick picture of him receiving his diploma and walking across the stage.

Will and his parents, post-graduation. Yes, he graduated with honors as well! 

5. I'm sure you're thinking, "okay, since Will graduated and he's been commissioned as an officer, surely you have your orders now, right?" HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. No. The Army is in no hurry to get Will to Fort Benning for his school, and we're still in limbo. Which is...frustrating and nerve-wracking at the same time. Allow me to elaborate.

6. Since Will is no longer in school, he no longer receives the GI Bill. He can't drill with the Reserves anymore, since he's active duty. But since he doesn't have his orders, he can't do anything. He also can't apply for a job in town, since he could (in theory) get his orders any day and we would have to be ready to pack up and leave. Not to mention, who wants to hire someone full-time with benefits, when he will only be around for a few months at most? So if we could snag some prayers that the Army comes through with his orders in a timely fashion, I would greatly appreciate it.

7. Oh yeah, Christmas. It's quickly approaching and I am woefully behind on everything. I attended a cookie swap yesterday at the home of one of my midwives, and a wonderful time was had by all. That was the most productive thing I've done thus far, holiday-wise. 

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!