July 22nd 2010 ( First One)

Shani,
I hope this time apart will just bring us closer together. This might be the way you get me to talk to you. ha ha I won't fall asleep. ( Shani: sometimes when I talk to Stan at night he falls asleep mid story)
Well, because you want to know all the details. Here goes. On the airplane to Atlanta I was next to a missionary that was going to Peru. He wouldn't shut his mouth and he knew everything there is to know about everything. After I survived that 4 hour flight, I then slept on the 2 hour bus drive. We got to Benning at about 8:00 PM. Then they scared everyone into turning in all their playing cards, knives, lighters, candy, tobacco and anything else that might be considered contraband. They finally let us go to bed at 1:AM, then they started our day at 4:Am. I only got about 1 hour of sleep because a soldier next to me started throwing up right when I fell asleep. I couldn't ever get back to sleep. By the way, Basic won't start tell Tuesday because this whole week is just processing.
We all got P.T. Uniforms, Bags, Camel Bac, and some other stuff. I also got 3 shots in the shoulder, blood drawn and the famous peanut better shot in my left butt cheek. I won't lie it hurt! The really bad part is it has been one whole day and it still hurts. That's pretty much the interesting stuff. I hope all is well at home. It's nice to know this life is temporary, but I hate to miss any of the fun things the kids do. ell the kids I love them. Remember don't send me any packages. Letters ONLY.

I love you all, Stan

Sweetheart and Kids,

I love you all so much. I miss everyone so much. Shani, I'm sure you do, but I want to remind you to tell the kids why this is so important to all of us. It's not just me that's in this. It's all of us. I hope you kids know you are a part of this. It's hard for you to not have your dad around and you might not understand why, Someday I think you will. I want you kids to know how difficult it is for your mom and I to be apart. We love each other a lot. I think? ha ha
The training is pretty intense. I thought Hell week in football was tough. We get up at 0400 in the morning everyday. We do muscle exhausting drills one day and running the next. We eat at 0700 or 0800 depending on how hard they feel like working us. Then randomly all day long we do push ups or sit ups. On average I probably do 3 to 400 a day. we also have to hold the position up, down or 1/2 push up for minutes sometimes. I haven't had to lay on my chest yet. Pretty close though. Every process of the army I have been to they weed a lot of guys out. I forgot to tell you we have fire guard almost every night. Tonight I will only sleep for 30 min. last night I got 3 hours. The night before 1 hour. It's all day and all night around here. Kids I got my M-16 today. I have to carry it around everywhere I go. I might name it Mindy after an old girlfriend. lol J/K
I hove you all, Dad