a weight lifted

Literally I have had some weight lifted, but not only off my shoulders. More on that later.

First let me say that God has come through yet again!
I was very uneasy about this new phase of training. There were a lot of unknowns and stupid rumors I had heard about my AIT. You can ask Misty, Mason, and Sarah I was a little nervous about being away from family again and not knowing what to expect. Well I wasted time being nervous. This is going to be fun!!!! There will be tough times. There will be tasks I don't want to endure. However, the bottom line is this, the Army, our country's government is going to pay me for the next six months to practice my saxophone, review and perfect my musical knowledge, and place me in various ensembles ranging from marching bands to jazz bands to rock bands. WOW!!!! I am living a dream!!!

First, when I arrived at the school of music I had a great conversation for about thirty minutes with one of the music instructors. She began to set my mind at ease right away. She was very nice to Misty and I and answered all my silly questions. I felt like a kid with all my questions, but she answered them all.
Next, we drove to the barracks. I was issued a key (a key card like in a hotel) and linens for my bed. When I got to my room I discovered new furniture, that it was only for two people (not the eight bunks that I was used to from basic), each person has their own walk-in closet and the best part a bathroom for just the two of us. This place is just like a hotel, but I have to keep the room clean (no maid service or room service yet). I may be so excited because our barracks at basic were so bad, but this place really is great I'll try to post pics later. Also for this first week I have not had a room mate, so another plus!
After I got my stuff in my room I told Misty, Mason, and Sarah goodbye and went to my room to enjoy being alone for the first time in months. Not as fun as I thought it would be, especially after spending three days with my family, but I got over it.
Now, one week down and things are looking great! Yesterday was a great day because of two things.
First, I had my incoming audition. The purpose was to give my sax instructor an idea of where we should start with my instruction on the saxophone. I will not try to explain the point system, because it is confusing. However, the school of music program is designed to take a student with an average score of 2.3 on the audition to a 2.7 in six months time. A score of 2.7 is required to graduate from the school. With a 2.7 a musician is considered to be able to function in an regular Army band. My score on the incoming audition was a 2.75. The instructor said "You're already there." I am not bragging in any way. God has called me to do this and has given me a talent. It is my job to try my hardest, to use it for His glory and to improve as much as I can. Believe or not I still have some improvements to make. Thanks to that audition score the expectation level is going to be high for me. Again with God's help and a little discipline I will hopefully exceed those expectations. By the way the highest score with this system is a 4.0. The saxophone instructor made a 3.2 back in the day, so my goal is 3.0 or higher. With that score it will open many doors in the Army band world for us in the future.

Second if that was not enough great news, I had my first weigh in at AIT. Here's the part about weight be lifted off of me in the literal sense. We will do a weigh in each month to make sure we are staying in shape. For my height and age I need to weigh 153lbs. However, when you are over weight they measure your abdomen and neck and do a body fat content - I am allowed 24% body fat. Remember those numbers and prepare to be amazed, I was! By the was this was the first time I had officially weighed since I began basic training.
On June24 before shipping to BCT here were my numbers:
weight: 171 lbs
abs: 36 inches
neck: 15.25 inches
body fat: 23%

On September 11 after BCT and pigging out for about one week:
weight: 156 lbs
abs: 31.5 inches
neck: 14.5 inches
body fat: 17%

Again I am not bragging. God is in this all the way. He provided me with the motivation, the drive, the endurance, the strength, the discipline, and the drill sergeants that forced me to get in better shape. I am so thankful and feel great!!! Now as with my music it is my job to maintain and improve.

So as you can tell yesterday was a great day for me and I only expect it to get better from here.

This has been a long post and I must get to the ol' practice room. This is the part that a lot of people don't understand. I love my instrument and my music so much that I truly love to practice. I have missed practicing my sax and I am slowly getting back in the old routine.

Thanks for reading and thanks for your continue prayers.

I am an American soldier.

Well Army Basic Combat Training is finally over!!
I arrived at Ft Jackson on June 24th and graduated on September 4th (one day early). Misty and I are staying tonight in a hotel provided by our wonderful family who came to watch me graduate today. So I thought I would take advantage of the free high speed internet access. It has been a long time since I have been on the internet or even touched a computer. The short time I have with my family is important so this will be short.

First, a huge thank you to all who have been praying for me. Without God's guidance and strength I would not have made it through some of the tasks I endured. Yes, there were many lonely, frustrating, and hard times, but through it all I knew that God was in control.

The next phase of training will be the Army School of Music. At this time I do not know what to expect. A very common phrase from our drill sergeants during training was "plan for the worst and hope for the best". Well my hope is in an awesome and mighty God and once again I place it all in God's hands. If He can get me through BCT, He can get me through the next phase. In the words of a good friend "where God calls you, He will equip you and where God leads you, He will provide." He's never failed me, so here we go!