Life is Bitter-Sweet

Well, today I got to head to church an hour early and spend 45 min pre-sacrament meeting, sacrament meeting and Sunday school with Kevin. Then say good bye again. It was wonderful and awful at the same time, when I knew we only had a short time together. But it was definitely better than not seeing him, that's for sure. As he put it today, only five more Sundays, and the last two he'll have passes, so really he thinks of it as only 3 more Sundays.

He told me about his training and it is so by the book. They have a standard operating procedures manual, and they have to follow it or they get demerits. They aren't told how to do it right first, they have to figure it out on their own, or they are demerited. After 25 demerits, they have to write an essay. He said that he likes that public profanity gets you automatically 25 so he can go around telling people to cut out the cussing and they will listen, unlike any other part of the military him and I have both been involved in. But this is ridiculous, his shirts have to be folded in a 7"x7 " square, his bed has to be 2" away from the wall and folded exactly right. His locker has to be a certain measurement from his bed and the wall and at night his door has to be open exactly 2". Everyday there is a 3x5 card that is outside his room that has to have the date in correct form and a few other things on it. the margin on the left side has to be two inches. He got his room one demerit because he put Oct 07 instead of Oct 7. I think this would drive me nuts! This is like movie stuff that you don't really ever think actually happens. They aren't even allowed to put their rank and name tapes on their uniform the night before or have their watches wake them up early to get prepared for the day, which lasts from 4:30 to lights out at 10:45. At that time he finally has a few min to read his scriptures by flashlight, which would get him a lot of demerits and say his prayers. So he's only getting about 5.5 hours a night. I'm glad it's him and not me that's for sure.