Lots to be thankful for...

Last Wednesday I had my very important APFT.  I'm happy to say I did surprisingly well.  I didn't get a 300 but I was very close.  I ended up doing 52 pushups (I only needed 46 to max), 82 situps (80 is maxing), and I ran a 16:35 on my two miles (I needed a 15:36 to max).  My overall score was 290 out of 300.  I'm still extremely proud of myself.  My last APFT score was 255 so I improved by 35 points!

This past weekend was our last FTX for the semester.  It was very well.  I had a great time even with it being extremely busy and exhausting.  It really makes a difference when you are working with people you enjoy being around.  We slept out in the woods so I had to build my own hooch.  I wish I would have taken a picture of it.  It came out awesome.  I came prepared with stakes, bungie cords, and 550 cord.  Below is an illustration I found that is pretty close to how my hooch came out.  We use our ponchos to make them.  Basically what I did is used the bungie cords to attach my poncho to two trees.  I used two more bungie cords to go completely across the inside of the poncho to build a makeshift type roof.  I also used 550 cord to tie the poncho hood and tied the other end to the tree so no water would come through my hooch.  Then I used the stakes to hold the sides of the poncho to the ground.  After all that, I was able to put my sleeping mat down and then my sleeping bag inside.  I actually slept very well.  It was like a tiny little room...only big enough to sleep in haha.

This week has been good too.  Today was my last day of school before Thanksgiving break.  I'll be heading down to Orlando tomorrow so see my family.  I can't wait to see them even though it's been only a month since I saw them last.  It's never a dull moment with them. 

Being that Thanksgiving is around the corner, I've been thinking about all the things I have to be thankful for.  So here is my list of the top 10 things I'm thankful for:

1. God - If it wasn't for Him, I would even be here today.
2. My Family - They are what keep me together
3. School - What keeps my mind active and my way of staying independent
4. My Friends - I'm thankful for the friends I've kept throughout the years and also the ones I've made along the way.  They all have made a difference in my life.
5. Love - Being able to feel love and give love.  It brings both joy and sadness but I'm thankful to be able to feel both all the same.
6. My dogs - They keep me active and always bring me happiness when I'm around them.
7. ROTC - Yes, believe it not I'm thankful that.  I'm thankful for the opportunity to surround myself around great people.  People that are helping to mold me into the leader I'm becoming.  It's also going to provide me with my future career.  =)
8. My house - I love being able to come into a place and call it home...MY home.
9. My car - It's reliable, economical, and get's me where I need to go.
10. My health - I'm a healthy woman who likes to keep fit and cares about my appearance.  Today I received a lot of compliments by my ROTC classmates today since I came to class without my uniform today.  It's a nice reminder that I'm a pretty lady who is valued inside and out.  =)

Well I hope everyone has an amazing Thanksgiving!  Stay safe everyone!

Lazy yet Busy!

I have been quite lazy with my posts lately.  But only because life has been sooooo busy! So lets back track to almost two weeks ago...

November 4th was one of my best friend's birthday.  We have been friends since our first year of college.  We spent a year in Air Force ROTC together before she left me and then I eventually left the program too since I didn't have my favorite wing'woman' to motivate me anymore lol.  She lives in VA and was heading to Raleigh for her birthday to watch her favorite hockey team (Washington Capitals) please the Carolina Hurricanes so she invited me since I live in NC now.  It was awesome to get to see her.  We usually try and get together at least once or twice a year since neither of us live in Orlando anymore.  It was a good game.  She got a puck that was played in the game and even better, the Caps won!   Here's a view from the top of the arena:

The following day (Saturday) I had to participate in a detail for ROTC.  I had to be an usher for a football game at NC State in Raleigh.  It wasn't too bad though since NC State was playing their all time rivals UNC Chapel Hill.  It was an awesome game to be at being that these two schools are lifelong rivals.  And the fans here are serious!

This past weekend was Veteran's Day weekend so my husband has a nice four days off.  I had to do a color guard detail that lasted most of the day on Friday but I was able to attend a Veterans dinner that UNCP hosted.  It was awesome.  The food was great and so were the speakers.  I had no idea that we had a Student Veterans Association at UNCP until that night.  It's nice to know that my university has such a huge appreciation for our men and women in uniform.  I was happy to have had the honor to attend that dinner.

This past Saturday we hosted the Marquez vs Pacqiuao fight.  Thank goodness we actually had a good fight out of this one.  It lasted the whole 12 rounds and Pacqiuao won but it was a very close fight to the end.  I love having get togethers at my house.  I'm always having new people over and it's great to make new friends. 

Well, tomorrow is the BIG day.  The day I take an APFT that will determine my future for the next two and half years.  I'm excited and super nervous at the same time.  I've been training hard for this event.  There isn't much more that I can do at this point except hydrate and stretch well tonight.  Wish me luck everyone!  I will reveal the news as soon as I hear of it.  =)

Scholarship Nominee!

So this week started off bad but it is definitely coming to a great end!  On Monday morning during our formation after PT, one of the Senior Military Instructors from Campbell Battalion came to talk to us about the downsizing that the Army is doing.  Campbell Battalion has been producing more officers than actually needed in the Army so they wanted to let us know that the contracts were going to be limited.  On Tuesday, our Captain came to brief the MSII class about the same thing except he had even more bad news.  Campbell Battalion was only going to contract 43 MSII cadets (class of 2014).  Let me explain this a little further...Campbell Battalion is made of four companies at four universities in this area: Campbell University, Fayetteville State University, Methodist University, and lastly University of North Carolina at Pembroke.  Our Battalion has to be at least 300 hundred strong and just at UNCP we have 24 MSIIs and we are one of smaller companies in our battalion.  This had me pretty nervous because liked I've said many times before, this is my dream.  I've planned the next three years of my life around this and now I was being told my chances were going to be slim to none.  About 15 of those 43 will be green-to-gold cadets (active duty enlisted transferring to become officers).  We have no say in how many we will actually get and there really isn't a limit.  Maybe another 10-14 who are on scholarship.  So for us who aren't contracted it's like having 40-50 dogs fighting for the same bone!  I was pretty depressed for most of this week.......UNTIL TODAY.

Today I came into the ROTC house to work on some homework for another class and our Msgt came up to me about the APFT coming up.  He asked if it was possible to make it to the APFT they were holding at Fort Bragg for the contracted cadets.  He told me that he knows I'm not contracted yet but since I have my packet already submitted he wanted me to take it with them anyways.  That was a pick-me-up!  About an hour later, our Captian comes into the house and asks to see me.  I was pretty nervous since he's been having people come see him about contracting and letting people know whether they might be able to contract or not.  I was pretty nervous I'm not gonna lie.  As I'm standing at parade rest he tells me "Here's the deal Gilfranzo" (Yes that's how he says my name lol) "There's only one MSII scholarship they are giving out this year and you've been nominated for it. You're competing against one girl from FSU and she's high speed like you.  So you better be at the APFT at Fort Bragg and score a frikin 300 on that PT test you hear me!"  I felt my body go numb....a scholarship!  I was freaking out about not getting contracted and now I'm up for a scholarship!!!!  I want to hug the crap out of him LOL.  I've never felt so nervous and so proud at the same time!

So for the next week and half I will be training hardcore for this PT test.  I need to be in the best shape of my life and run the fastest I've ever ran in my life if I want this scholarship.  Which I do!  I want it more than anything else!  I really do hope I get this, it would seriously make my year official. So I'm asking ALL my friends and family to keep me in your prayers while I train hard for this and the pray REALLY hard for me at 0600 on the 16th of November LOL.  Tomorrow is Friday! Yay!  Have a great weekend ya'll. =)

High speed short girl in the middle?  Yeah that's me lol

Hello November!

Well hello again!
So its the first day of November and I really can't tell you how we got to this month.  It feels like only yesterday I was starting the Fall semester.  Anywho,  my birthday was last week and it was great.  I had a mini party with my husband and one of our neighbors.  They sang for me and cut a cake (Tres leche cake to be exact! Yum!). Then I was surprised with a beautiful Coach purse by my husband and we topped the birthday off with a big party with our friends and neighbors on the weekend.  The only thing that was missing was my family but they sent me nice gifts.  I atleast was able to visit them though a few weeks ago so that counts for something.  :)

So its official, school ends in a months time and I'll be one more step closer to graduating and my dream.  Sometimes I get goosebumps thinking about it.  I can't believe I'm actually back in the game again going for what I've always wanted to do which is become an officer.  I mean there are times of course where I feel like I should be in the having-a-family mode but then again I'm only 23!  I have plenty of time for that.  By the time I commission I'll be 25 and ready to take on whatever life throws at me and that includes being a mom.  :)
Today I will be putting up my Christmas stuff.  This is my absolute favorite time of year.  Bring on the bells, tinsle, turkey, and cranberry sauce!  :D