Week 10, Day 2

Luke Update:
Not much to report. Completed and passed his midterm DT skills test, but we weren't worried about that one since he attends all the extra DT sessions each morning. He is an actor for the senior class during their mock scene finals. Basically he and others will be posing as the bad guys inside of dark buildings and will try to beat up, run from, or just cause trouble to the police officers. He's pretty excited to dress and act like a punk. Thursday he will be sitting down with TAC Officers and will be informed on how they think he is doing. What they say will be relayed to his department whether it's good or bad.

Saturday Luke and I enjoyed a delicious (and expensive) dinner at Anthony's while Kelsey and Annie babysat Gwen. We went all out and purchased happy hour drinks, soup, entrees and dessert. I was pretty nervous about the bill, but throughout dinner Luke kept saying "Go all out". Once he got the bill and saw the amount a big smile spread across his face and he sad:
"There. I made up for taking you to the food court last week". (Note: I asked him to take me to the food court. They make the best Indian food this side of the border)

After dinner we walked along the pier and stumbled across at least two, but maybe three weddings. Back at the car Luke insisted he give me a Field Sobriety Test before driving. I kept giggling which he claimed meant I was guilty about some other crime. He gave me the test three times before he was convinced I could drive. I never did make it through a complete one without laughing, but I did get us home safely.

Sunday morning came and since I was still getting over a cold we went for a walk at Boulevard instead of attending church. Of course the walk led us to Fairhaven, which led us to Skylarks, which led us to a delicious breakfast under the big tree along the cobblestone path. After breakfast we headed back to Boulevard and spent an hour or so barefoot walking along the grass and playing with Gwen. I also told Luke that if I were to die, he needed to remarry as soon as possible for Gwen's sake. I then gave him a list of girls he could marry that I thought would make a good mother to Gwen. He thought the whole conversation was completely ridiculous, but I felt better knowing my baby would always have a Mommy. I also asked him if he had a list for me and this was his reply:
"Yeah, no one I know".

Eventually we left and I quickly made Luke his favorite Blueberry coffeecake to take back with him to the academy. I wish every weekend could be as lovely and simple as this one. Friday can't get here fast enough!

Luke giving Gwen a crawling lesson

Week 9, Day 2 - Ramblings

Luke Update:

As of this very hour he is halfway done with police academy! From here on out it is downhill (in a good way). He and his class are doing very well and even earned "coffee in the classroom" privileges before the senior class did. He is still regularly attending all the extra DT (defensive tactics) offered by the officers. It's weird that my once chill, nothing could rile him, non-competitive husband is turning into a lethal weapon! Still can't get him to be competitive in basketball though; that will probably never change. He is still being sweet and takes the time to tell me everything he is learning. He even gives me his instruction manuals once they are done with a topic. I have now read everything and anything to do with domestic violence, guns and ammunition, traffic citations, traffic enforcement, gangs ect. It is probably some of the most interesting reading I have ever done. If he is getting behind I will read to him over the phone while he is driving either back home or to the academy. It saves him a lot of time and it makes me feel ever so useful!

Gwen went to her first church campout this past weekend and did great! Other than pooping through every outfit I put her in or puking on everyone who wanted to hold her (sorry guys), she was an angel. It was definitely different camping with a baby and I admit, not as much fun. We will most likely continue to attend each year since I don't want to get in the habit of saying no to something that is so fun for kids just because it is not as fun for me. Also a good friend told Luke it was important to be there and relax in a safe place without having to look over your shoulder constantly. 

My little sis Kelsey comes home this week for a brief visit! Since Luke is gone I should be able to see her quite a bit. My number 3 prayer right now is for all my sisters to move back to WA. I want us all to buy houses on the same block and share a HUGE backyard and a HUGE garden. Our kiddos would be safe since we would own the whole block and we would save so much money on produce. Not to mention we would have so, so much fun. There would be a cop, marine, piano teacher, engineer, dental assistant, and three nurses on the block. Ahhh, that would be absolute perfection. 

I have a stack of paperwork that I am slowly taking care of. 401k's, wills, retirement, new insurance, IRA's, ect it takes so much thought process to pick out plans that are best for our family. I wish I had paid more attention in my finance classes!

I am finally taking Gwen to the doctor. Her first visit since she was born! I've been putting it off because I didn't want to deal with the whole vaccine issue. I still don't want to deal with it, but I also don't want to be irresponsible. She is happy, healthy, and growing and I'm so scared to mess that up for her. I have exclusively been breastfeeding her in the hopes that will keep away sickness until I make a firm decision. She now grabs and sucks on her little toes and she likes to roll over to her stomach while in her crib. She does this because she knows I will come in and switch her back to her back! Yesterday she got her leg stuck in the crib slats and I couldn't get it out! I almost called the fire department because I could see it was cutting the circulation. Thankfully I was able to pull apart the slats. Poor thing  had a red and a little swollen leg for the rest of the day. She barely cried though; that's my tough little girl scout!

Luke and I are discussing our next vacation and we decided on Mexico again. We also decided to always take vacations together instead of separate which is a growing trend among couples. Gwen won't be joining us since she is to young to remember anything at the moment. We are planning a huge Disney World vacation when she is six.

I'm slowly starting to put Luke's graduation party together. I have no idea what to include in a police academy graduation except dancing and cake. It's all a little intimidating to me, but hopefully I'll be able to pull it off!

And that is the end of my rambling; if you stayed with it for this long, wow! Thank-you. :)

Week 7, Day 2 - Should Have Kissed Him

Luke Update:
Got a call Sunday night at around midnight. It was Luke asking me if I new where his ballistics vest was. As I stumbled over our condo looking for it and wondering how on earth does one lose a bullet-proof vest I couldn't help but laugh. I'm up at midnight looking for a bullet-proof vest. Awesome. He eventually found it in a classroom and I still don't know how someone misplaces something that big. We are over a quarter of the way through! I can definitely see the weariness starting to creep into his eyes and he keeps losing weight: 27 pounds so far. He loves the classes that cover anything drug related and he takes full advantage of any additional defensive tactics training. He shot a 475 at the range today. The highest is 500 and passing is 350. I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little jealous of him. I always wanted to be a cop growing up. I guess I kinda have the best of both worlds. I can live my dream through him and be part of my other dream which is being a stay-at-home Mom.


December 31, 2007, Lynden, WA 11:57 pm
We are standing in the middle of a quiet street. There is a mist floating toward us from the golf course. The street lamps are on and almost make it feel cozy despite the cold. We are next to a white gazebo. Luke turns on his car so he can play the oldies soundtrack. Slowly we dance in the middle of the street, next to the white gazebo, to Frank Sinatra. I was fast falling in love with this man that I had just "met" two week prior. It's midnight. He gives a little smile and says:

"It's tradition to kiss the girl at midnight."

He slowly brings his head down for a kiss and instinctively I look down to avoid it. He pauses a little confused and simply kisses the top of my head instead. He drops me off at 12:30. I lie wide awake in my bed. I should have kissed him.

To this day I wish I kissed him. Especially since we haven't been able to spend New Year's Eve together
since our first one due to shift work. I wonder if I will ever be able to kiss him on New Year's right at midnight, or did I miss my one and only chance.

Week Six, Day Four

My favorite song at the moment- makes me think of Luke and myself:

"(Kissed You) Good Night" - GLORIANA

I dropped you off
Just a little after midnight
Sat in my car
Till you turned off your porch light
I should have kissed you
I should have pushed you up against the wall
I should have kissed you
Just like I wasn’t scared at all

I turned off the car
Ran through the yard
Back to your front door
Before I could knock
You turned the lock
And met me on the front porch

And I kissed you
Goodnight
And now that I’ve kissed you
It’s a good night good night baby goodnight

You couldn’t see me
Watching through the window
Wondering what went wrong
Praying that you wouldn’t go
You should have kissed me
You should have pushed me up against the wall
You should have kissed me
I was right on the edge and ready to fall

So I turned off the car
Ran through the yard
Back to your front door
Before I could knock
You turned the lock
And met me on the front porch

And I kissed you
Goodnight
And now that I’ve kissed you
It’s a good night good night baby goodnight

I turned off the car
ran through the yard
back to your front door
Half scared to death can’t catch my breath
Aren’t these the moments we live for

And I kissed you
Goodnight
And now that I’ve kissed you
It’s a good night good night baby goodnight
It’s a good night good night baby goodnight
It’s a good night good night baby goodnight
It’s a good night good night baby goodnight

Week 5, Day 4 - Just A Picture

I stole this from his phone. He'll probably make me take it down when he finds out. Even though you can't see his face and it's kinda blurry, I think he makes one good-lookin cop! I can't wait to see him in his full uniform with all his gear. Quarter of the way through!

Week 4, Day 4 - A New Life

Luke Update:
Luke and his class will be spending the next few weeks at the firing range with their guns. Last Friday they practiced drawing and firing drills. Halfway through the day their training officer threw in "cardio firing drills". Its one thing to draw and fire when you're concentrating and breathing is slow and steady, it's a whole different game when firing while out of breath with the blood pumping through you head which slows your thinking. The officer would have them sprint a mile or do 20 burbees (sp?) and then draw and fire. They also did the same type of drills when practicing handcuffing. He has a huge exam tomorrow. I looked over his notes and wow, some of the definitions of the law are confusing! He got in "trouble" for leaving his wedding ring in the gym. The TAC Officer said he had to do a "self-report" to his wife on why it was left there.


This morning found me on the floor playing with my daughter. The sun was streaming through the windows, I had coffee in my mug next to me, and a tank top and skirt on me. It may sound like a dull morning to you, but I found myself wondering:

"Does it get any better than this?"

Between sips of coffee and little baby giggles I came to this conclusion: Nope, it doesn't get better. 


My days of waking up at 4:30 and heading to the office at 5:30 are over. Company parties, department lunches, co-workers birthdays, non-stop calls, and answering hundreds of e-mails daily are no longer part of my life. I've traded it in for baby squeals and screams, spit-up covered shirts and dirty diapers, cooking, shopping, and cleaning. I cannot tell you just how big a change this is for me. I started working at age 14 and never stopped. Even while in college I took on three jobs to pay the bills. I never could imagine what it would be like to no longer have a "real job". I loved working and being part of the office dynamics and drama. It was exhilarating, entertaining, and kept me learning consistently. Not to mention, I loved the paychecks!


Now I wake up at around 7:00. I feed my daughter, get a cup of coffee, throw in a load of laundry, and play with her. What a change from before! Sometimes the stir-crazy creeps up on me and sometimes I long for the learning and adult interaction I would receive from my job. I worry that I may be losing brain cells since my only companion is a 4-month old baby. I wish I knew what was going on in my department and I hope someone is taking good care of my dear customers (especially the retired war veteran who would call me daily from Niagara Falls, NY). Even though my life is new and nothing is the same I can honestly say:


"It doesn't get any better than this"


"A baby in the house is a well-spring of pleasure, 
a messenger of peace and love, a resting place for 
innocence on earth, a link between angels and men."


 ~  Martin Fraquhar Tupper

Week 2, Day 1

Luke Update: 


Aced his first test (which some of the seniors says is the hardest one), is a contender for class president (I have mixed feelings about that), and is drowning in assignments! Saturday we were up well past midnight working on papers, memos, and case studies. He lost 4 pounds the first week and weighs less than he did on our wedding day (has lost a total of 27 pounds since March). Personally I like a man who is not skinny so I am looking forward to putting some meat back on him once this is over. My favorite part of the weekend was learning the defensive tactics he was taught. If I'm ever in danger of being arrested, I have a pretty good idea of how to get away since I know what moves they're gonna use....not that I'm planning on getting arrested anytime soon. He is struggling with time management and prioritizing his projects so he will have to get a handle on that, but overall week one was a great success! It's still a long, long road in front of him though and he still has doubts that he will pass everything in order to graduate. 


Did you Know:
Bullet proof vests have an expiration date on them and,
22% of rookie cops will wear sunglasses while it is dark outside. Cool dudes ya know..


Week two is starting out much harder than week one for me. My motivation and energy is way down. It took all my will power just to throw in a load of laundry this morning. I miss him much more this week and can't wait for Friday. Gwen is my little sidekick though and we have lots to do together, but right now that little sidekick needs to take a nap!

Saying Goodbye