Sold our loft... :) :(

After Lauren's appointment with the doctor, we went over to Wrigleyville to our old apartment. Our friends Mark and Tara moved out to a new place, so we did a once-over to make sure everything was good to go. Just a couple days before, Mark brought over all of the lumber from our loft bed and we had it sitting in the kitchen. We still had a queen mattress in Wrigleyville that needed to be moved to our new place for now. So Mark came over to help us strap on the mattress and we brought it back to our new (and smaller) studio!
While all of this was going on, I ended up selling our loft on Craigslist to someone who wanted it for their 2 girls! So by the time we got back to our new place, we met the mom and her kids to load up the lumber in her vehicle! We are so thankful that Mark and Tara stuck around to help us load everything! It was a blessing to be able to pass along a really neat loft that my Dad built. It was still sad to see it go to someone else, but we know they will enjoy it and be blessed by it for a long time.
So - it was a good day - and a good workout as well!

Announcing...

Baby Mc!

He or She is due January 28th. We had an ultrasound today and the baby is totally healthy and growing fast! The little one displayed lots of karate moves with kicks and bouncing, but quickly settled down, put up its feet, crossed its legs and put its hands behind its head (like daddy, like mommy ;) )

Jumping Bean

Relaxing


First "profile" picture :)

Lauren went into the doctor's a month ago due to abdominal pain - turned out she had a large ovarian cyst that would have to be removed if it kept getting larger. Praise God the ultrasound tech couldn't find the cyst at all today - it totally disappeared! Thanks to everyone for their prayers!
Last weekend we had a blast at Jake and Kristen's wedding. Congrats guys! The wedding was beautiful and the wedding party did a Bollywood dance routine that was fabulous.

We shared the baby news with our parents last weekend as well. They were shocked but are all so excited to be grandparents! We got some great videos of their reactions :)

We first announced the big news to Lauren's parents and sister. We had put a one-sie on our cat which said "Gonna Be a Big Sister." Took a picture of the cat (she was a little grumpy about it, but overall cooperative) and put it in a grandparents picture frame. We gave the photo to them as a gift...it took them a moment to figure out what the gift meant, but their simultaneous reaction is priceless.

We told Micah's parents, siblings, and our good friends Jon and Katie after church at Old Chicago. Micah's mom loves precious moments, so we bought her one of a grandma holding up a baby outfit - very cute. Micah had been searching for a nice Bible to give to his dad, so Micah bought a cool army Bible and wrote on the inside - To Grandpa Scott, From Baby Mc, Deploying on January 28th.

More pictures of our weekend in MN to come!

Dr. Appt, Bagels, and Drill...

Today was busy, but good...and also weird.
Early this morning I took Lauren up for a doctor's appointment. We were in and out. Lauren had 2 ovarian cysts - one was large and border-line surgical. The other was smaller and not really a problem. The point of this surgery was to see how the cysts were coming along, and to maybe hear the baby's heartbeat as well!
Our family and friends have been praying that the cysts would have shrunk, and I want to thank you all for doing so. When the technician checked on the ultrasound, in regards to the large cyst - she COULDN'T FIND IT - because it DISAPPEARED! The smaller cyst was still getting smaller! Praise the Lord! Thanks so much for your prayers! That was definitely a blessing! To top it all off, we were able to see our little baby, just chillin'! Check out the post on the 31st of this month!
After the appointment, I dropped off Lauren at work, then went to work myself. Some "mysterious" Agent(s) had brought bagels earlier that morning, so there was one left waiting for me!
Brittney gave devotionals today as well - she's leaving soon for good since she graduated school and will be moving home to her family. We are going to miss her greatly.
Later after work, I had to go BACK to drill for an evening formation. I showed up early, but apparently I still missed the actual formation. I'm really confused on how my drill functions, but I'm praying that I'll be able to figure it out soon! It was still good I came because I was able to meet CH Spitler in person - who is basically CH Jenkin's supervisor and superior. He's a Moody graduate from the undergrad program from a while back!
I hung out at the unit, did some brainstorming and future planning, then went home to crash! Crazy day!

Drive-In Theater in the Chicago area!!

Lauren and I went to a drive-in tonight! It was only about 45 minutes west of Chicago - the place is called Cascade Drive-In located in West Chicago! We drove out there to see "Despicable Me" and "Inception." Both were good movies! I really enjoyed the humor in Despicable Me and the story/thought process of Inception! Near the drive-in was a small hot dog/shake place, so Lauren and I stopped in there to get something to drink. We were going to get malts or shakes, and guess what - the BIGGEST shake was only $1.99 as a special that day! Hooah! We totally got TWO of them (which was still cheaper than ONE at regular price)! If we save the cups we can come back for free pop refills in the future! That was great! So we really had a great evening together!

StuCo meeting and planning at Jason's

This evening I had a StuCo (Student Council) meeting at Jason's house (our pres) to work on the upcoming Moody Theological Seminary and Graduate School Retreat. This has now been officially shortened to "The First Saturday" since the "get together" will be held the first Saturday that school starts. Doc Fuder fired up the grill for brats and we had a nice little dinner and a good meeting. We are all definitely praying for good weather that day, for a good turnout, and for God to be glorified above all else in this planning and this upcoming event!
The only bummer part about the whole thing is....my cousin's wedding is on the SAME DAY! :'( It's going to really stink to miss his wedding...but I'm blessed to have a cousin like him who's very forgiving and understanding as well. It was pretty much impossible for Lauren to miss work in order to travel up there for the wedding on her own too...so we're both pretty sad.
But the First Saturday should be a great experience for both new and current students, and I'm excited to see how God works everything out!

Car Repairs and Tune-up

We left the car today for Keith (our caretaker) to work on. One of the tie rods were bad and needed replacing. I also needed the transmission fluid changed (the pan was also leaking a little bit). New spark plugs also needed to be put in. Keith did an amazing job and we are blessed to know someone trustworthy, affordable, and excellent at car repairs! Thanks Keith!
- M&L

Tired but home!

It was nice to be home, but we were both pretty tired from the long drive/ride...and we both had to go to work today....

The McLellan Baby News!

Today was ALSO a big day! Now that the wedding was over, Lauren and I decided this would be the most appropriate time to tell the family of the big news (aka Lauren's pregnancy)! We started the morning at church in Andover with the family. Our initial plan was to write down our baby as one of the present attenders in the "blue book" that is passed down the row during the service. We thought it would be hilarious, but then realized it would probably TOTALLY disrupt service and we would be detracting from the message of Christ. So...we improvised :)
After church and college group we all went out to Old Chicago in Northtown with the family and with our friends JB and Katie. I got my family some presents from CH-BOLC, so that was a good way to start things off. My dad opened the gifts, not suspecting a thing! After THOSE gifts were given out, Lauren and I gave our parents each a gift to open at the same time. My mom's gift was a precious moment of a (young) grandma, holding a onesie that says "I <3 Grandma" while my dad was given a new Bible (The Soldier's Bible) - in the inscription it read "To: Grandpa Scott, From: Baby Mc, Deploying: January 28, 2011" :)
The facial expressions are again pretty sweet! My dad got pretty teary-eyed as well!
Before we knew it, Lauren and I had to leave to go home. It was a long drive back to Chicago, but we made it safe and sound!

Jacob's Wedding (aka the BIG DAY)!

I could blog all day about Jacob’s wedding – but I think you can get the idea from all of the pictures being posted on Facebook and everywhere else! The wedding went very well and God really blessed us with good weather and a good turn-out. It rained twice today before the wedding actually took place, but praise the Lord the rain was all over by the time the wedding began! The wedding itself was very God-focused, and I even got a little emotional during part of the ceremony because of it! I’m extremely blessed to have a brother like Jacob, who loves God and puts Him before all else, and who married someone also loves God just the same! I’m excited to see where God directs them in their ministry together as husband and wife!

Groom's Dinner Day

We're all pretty stoked for the big day tomorrow though! Enjoy the slideshow!
Today was a LONG day! Long because it was the day before the BIG day! We all went up north to the cabin to get ready for the wedding. We met most of Kristen’s extended family, got checked into the local motel, set up for the wedding, practiced a bollywood dance for the reception (totally cool choreography, but I was definitely not ready for that!), practiced for the wedding, and hosted the groom’s dinner that evening! Everything ran fairly smoothly (except my dancing skills!) and the dinner went without a hitch! Jacob and Kristen got some pretty nice presents as well! My parents wanted an Army theme, so when you look at the pictures – that’s why everyone is wearing camo! Jacob almost had to marry the ugly (and mysterious) firstborn daughter (i.e. the story of Jacob and Leah in Scripture), but fortunately there was no firstborn daughter to marry first! Kristen was the only one - and she isn't ugly! Enjoy the slideshow!

Lauren Arrives! The Secret is revealed to some...

I picked up Lauren from the Megabus station in Minneapolis around 5:30am! It was SO good to see her again! We went to Hudson, crashed for a while (since the parents were still sleeping), had breakfast with them, then told them that Lauren was pregnant (see the post dated August 9th 2010). We basically gave Lauren’s parents a frame that said “Grandparents” on top, with a picture of our cat Penny wearing a onesie with foam sticker letters that said “Gonna be a big sister!” The facial expressions on their faces when they realized what was going on was priceless!
After hanging out with the in-laws that morning, we made our way to Eddingtons in Andover to have lunch. Lauren had been craving this place for MONTHS – so we were both glad to finally visit this place again! Micah’s parents and Lydia also met us there as well! After lunch we went to Lauren’s grandparents in Andover to also break the news to them of Lauren’s pregnancy. Just as Micah predicted, they took the news without any hoopla. They just sat there, smiled and said “oh yeah – it’s about time” as they nodded and continued on the discussion as if they were expecting us to tell them at that moment! It was pretty weird but it played back exactly as Micah thought it would!
Later that evening we went over to JB and Katie’s house for dinner! It was great to finally see them again and to see their new place! We had such a wonderful time! We had tacos, went for a walk, got ice cream, looked at other houses for sale in the neighborhood, then went back to play Cranium (check out the videos)! Thanks for a great evening JB and Katie!
It was nice to hang out with some good friends and to tell some our family the good news about Lauren’s pregnancy! Just a few more days until Micah’s side will know! We have one insider on his side that has been holding the secret for quite a while now! See videos below!

Getting ready for the wedding!

Today I went up north with Dad, Jacob, and Charles to help setup for the wedding. We dropped Jacob off there so he could help with more of the planning, but we were also able to survey the area, do some planning, and also met some of Kristen’s extended family as well. I don’t remember what else I did today…because I’m blogging this after the fact (woops)! I do remember anticipating Lauren’s arrival on Thursday morning!
Also, my sisters had a shower for Kristen in Andover - I would attach a slideshow, but I don't have official permission - so...if Ariel ever starts a blog, she can put them there!

Jacob's Bachelor Party!!

Hey! This was a great day! At least I think it was! I started the morning by taking my brother, my dad, and my brother-in-law out for breakfast in St. Paul at a place called Swede Hollow Café. The breakfast was great! It was a fun local place that served some excellent breakfast burritos, baked French toast, and tasty chai. After breakfast we met all of Jacob’s friends and family at Vertical Endeavors where we spent a couple hours climbing on the indoor walls. Frankly, I have to say that my dad was the best climber of the group! If you watch the videos here, you can see him scaling to the top of a couple tricky walls. One of the walls was a free climbing wall – no ropes!
After Vertical Endeavors we made our way up towards Andover where we had lunch at Mansetti’s Pizza. Jacob knew the owners so it was fun for him to see them as well. JB met us here as well. After pizza we ventured over to Northside Sports Paintball where we met a few more people (like Pete). We played several rounds of paintball which was loads of fun! Check out the slideshow below for pics!
After paintball we went back to Andover for a homemade spaghetti dinner. Thanks Mom! Some of the guys watched Rocketman inside while I set up for the next event – and later that night we all went outside to watch We Were Soldiers on the projector in the backyard. It was a blast! By the end of the night I was wiped out (probably still recovering from basic training) and crashed pretty hard again!

First Full Day Home!

Today marks my first full day home in Andover! To be honest, I don’t remember much about the day, except for the fact that I slept in, ran some errands, took pictures (and a video) of my cat, and saw Jacob and Kristen open a wedding present from a friend (see pictures). Tomorrow is the big day though for my brother! I’m pretty stoked!

Chapel instead of church - and a long drive home!

I had to miss church again today (it’s been around 2 months) – but I was blessed to be part of the chapel service at drill instead. The theme of the service was focused on a judge in the book of Judges, and the oath that was made to God that resulted in the death of his daughter. The bummer was that our equipment didn’t work well with the classroom we were in. The laptop we used didn’t have the right codex for our slides so that was a bit frustrating – but it still went pretty well overall.
I enjoyed spending most of the morning hanging out with the guys in the motor pool, learning a little bit more about my unit, and participating in a class on IEDs.
Around lunch time I was allowed to depart – mainly because I had a long drive ahead of me to MN. I stopped home quickly to see my wife and to say goodbye, then headed out on the 7-8 hour trip to MN. My brother’s bachelor party was scheduled for Tuesday, so I wanted to make sure I had a day beforehand to finish plans for that and also for the wedding.
The drive was good and uneventful, but there were times I got a little bored and even lonely. I wasn’t used to being alone for so long – especially since I have been used to being around people for long periods of time. I noticed near Ft. McCoy a few helicopters flying around, carrying vehicles of some sort (see the pictures)! I finally arrived home to Andover late in the evening. I saw my kitty cat Penny, said hi to the family, then crashed hard until the following morning!

It Isn't Over Yet!

Just when you think something is over – it isn’t! The following morning (today) I had to get up especially early to go to drill in Darien, IL. I picked up LT Ezeugo on “the way” there, then drove to Darien to my unit – the 863rd! The formation met outside this time, which was a first for me since we had always met indoors in the past. The confusing part was that there were different formations happening in different places. I am part of the 863rd EN BN HHC rear detachment, but there was also the 863rd EN BN FSC meeting as well. On top of that, you might also find a formation from the same units but in the forward detachment, or in a unit totally different!
Apparently we were supposed to be in PTs this morning for formation, but many of us didn’t get the memo! So instead, I spent a good portion of the day debriefing my supervisory chaplain on CH-BOLC, going out to lunch with our UMT (minus a 56M), and getting ready for chapel services the next day. We did some inventory as well of some of the supplies for our deploying chaplain.
Later that evening I took my beautiful wife out to a nice little Italian restaurant, where we were finally able to catch up a little bit on life and enjoy each other’s company. Thanks to my friends in SC for treating us to this lovely dinner date! What a blessing!

CH-BOLC Day 41 (Phase 1) - LAST DAY!

0545: “Fun” run! Students sang cadences as we ran for about an hour.
0830: “Historical Battle Analysis” – a great class – a lot of students were anxious though to out-process and go home!
1000: “Media Training” – “stay in your lane”
- Out-processing was really sad because when we got out, our class was already dismissed and people were already going home for the day. I never had a good chance to say goodbye to everyone…it was really anti-climactic  I’m not sure how to put my feelings into words, but I was really down-heartened when I realized that I would never get to say goodbye to my whole platoon (or other classmates). It was like when you build up a good relationship with a friend and then that friend suddenly dies and you realize you never got a chance to say goodbye. It might not be quite as sad as that, but it sure felt something like that at the time. But I’ll say one thing more – CH Scott (our platoon leader) waited outside our out-processing room so he could say goodbye to each one of us. I hope to become like CH Scott as I mature and develop in school and in the Army.
Some of the role-models that I really looked up to at CH-BOLC included: CH Scott, CH Lamb, CH Hart, and CH Physioc – all for distinctly different reasons. I pray that I can take what I have learned so far from CH-BOLC and from these men of God, and apply them to my own life as I strive to be more like Christ.

After I was dismissed, I turned in one last paper, said goodbye to any remaining chaplains/candidates that were hanging around, then went to Chick-Fil-A for the FIRST TIME! Jon (Lee) and Jay (Yoon) went with - it was pretty good food! In case you might not know, Chick-Fil-A is known for being closed on Sundays because of the Christian ownership. This makes their chicken sandwiches pretty righteous (as Knobel would say)! After lunch we went back to the hotel so Jay could finish checking out. Then I said goodbye to Jon as he was asked to stay for Phase 2 and 3. I took Jay to the airport and we hung out at the USO for a few hours before it was time to leave. It was a pretty sweet way to end the trip! Playing X-BOX Batman Lego in uniform just before leaving to go home! What a great way to unwind!
Even though it was a bit sad to leave many of my friends at CH-BOLC I can’t tell you how great it felt to finally get home and see my beautiful wife!

CH-BOLC Day 40 (Phase 1)

0545 – Had a prayer breakfast! Our prayer breakfast team has been meeting and planning for this event since almost the beginning of CH-BOLC! We invited our drill SGT to attend as well (Thornborough). I didn’t see anyone welcoming him at the door so I went up to him and talked to him for a while. He’s a pretty neat guy – I highly respect his dedication to the Army and to his job as a Drill SGT. Everything at the breakfast went really well! The food was good, the choir was great, and the fellowship was good!
After the breakfast we had an official AAR (After Action Review) with some of the superiors. I think the AAR was pretty lame – I felt that the criticisms that we gave to the prayer breakfast committee was shallow - something about the food choices not being enough?! Seriously!
After this we gave official briefings – I had mine with CH Lamb – I was really pleased with my feedback.
I then conducted my field service outside. Although I had it video-taped, I think the camera was flipped upside-down, so I need to figure out how to flip the video on my computer!

1200 - Lunch – took back unused uniform and stuff to clothing store. Got some money back!
1300 – “The Just War Tradition” – CH Hart – (wrote his dissertation on the war between political Islamic groups and their culture)
*Books to read: “War and Christian Ethics” – original source of material – good book; “Just and Unjust War” (another Christian book); “Arguing About War” – fast read! “Just War Against Terror”

Just war is not Army doctrine, but the basis of UCMJ
What is a just cause for war?
- recovery of property, defense against violence, denial of transit, response to rebellion
What is the difference between pre-emptive strike and preventative?
- preemptive is a strike where was has been declared; preventative war not declared yet
Is war a necessary evil? Thomas Aquinas
- We had a moment of silence for a 56M who recently died
Jus ad Bellum and Jus in Bello:
- Abu Ghraib story

CH-BOLC Day 39 (Phase 1)

0645 – Formation – wore a uniform that could get dirty for Fit2Win obstacle course
0715 – buses arrived at Dossier
0800 – Fit2Win obstacle course; I was still on profile still so I took pictures of the event. 2nd Platoon came in 2nd, but we only lost because of an injury – otherwise we would have crushed the winning platoon! There should be some pictures online but I haven’t seen them posted on facebook yet.
1030 – DFGL (Distinctive Faith Group Leader) – CH (LTC) Downing (PPT)
1130 - SACRED Comm: Higdon – Gen 17
1300 – Resolving Ethical Problem (CH Hart) (PPT)

- movie clip of ethical situation
Definition of values (social principles, goals, or standards held by an individual or group), morals (7 Army values), ethics (study of morals), ethical relativism, egoism, social contract theory (giving up some rights or bound by values for the greater good).
Consequences: utilitarianism – the lesser of 2 evils or greater good (the greater good for whom?). Story of SEALS who were killed because they didn’t kill sheep herders – all SEALS were killed except the Christian who voted against killing the sheep herders
Deontological (deon = duty)
Morality must focus on the act itself, not on what derives from it, therefore a person can’t be held accountable for the effects caused by the action.
Virtues Ethics: who we are is more important that what we do; more about character than rules
FM 6-22 – 3 ethical perspectives: virtues, principles (cuties, rules, policies), consequences (situation, utilitarian) – Case study on ethics for paper
*stand on your convictions*
So as you can see – it was a pretty good day today – very informative! I enjoy CH Hart’s lectures as well.
The evening at CH Physioc’s house was cancelled due to a scheduling conflict. Fortunately he still wanted to meet with us – so we met at the Mellow Mushroom near my hotel for dinner. The pizza and discussions were great! I really enjoyed being a part of that evening and learning a little bit from our installation chaplain!

CH-BOLC Day 38 (Phase 1)

No PT; new CMDR took over and he wanted 100% inventory on TA-50. This meant that we all had to meet in the parking lot at Darby Field to get checked off, which took quite a bit of time! See the pictures! You can see the night start turning to day!
Had breakfast on post with some of my friends (Knobel and Lee) – good stuff!
“History of Chaplaincy” class (interesting stuff):
Key Events:
Phase 1 – Providing Religious Support 1775-began
Phase 2 – Recognition – 1801 Uniforms were issued
Phase 3 – Defining appropriate rules and duties
1920 – CH Corps becomes branch with Chief of CH
1974 – All volunteer Army brings new ideas (e.g. Army Families)
11.4% of CH died during American Revolution (25/218) – highest rate in war!
1920 – National Defense Act created the office of the Chief of CH

1100 – CH (LTC) Harki came to speak - USAR/ARNG CC Programs director
1200 – had a lunch session with CH Harki. Most of the questions asked could have been answered online though – so I was pretty disappointed at the session overall. Instead of learning new things I just heard a repeat of all of the same questions I read on the CC Army milbook. Hopefully this will encourage others to use this resource to answers many of their questions.
Found out today that Beard found this blog while searching for CIMT stuff! Pretty cool!

1300 – MAJ Sutherland - Long class on FM 5-0 - Army Planning and Order Production
3 processes guide Army planning
1. Army problem solving; 2. Military Decision Making Process; 3. Troop Leading Procedures (TLP)
3 types of orders:
1. WARNO; 2. FRAGO; 3. OPORD
5 paragraphs: situation, mission, execution, service support, command and signal
*the rest is on PPT – make sure to review*

- After school, had to turn in TA-50 (took a LONG time)
- More homework; I’m now starting to look forward to going home to my wife!

CH-BOLC Day 37 (Phase 1)

This morning was PT – except I have a PT profile for the next few days. This means that I am not allowed to participate in any physical activity because if I lose the blot close in my mouth then I will develop a dry socket. According to my mother-in-law (and the dentist), a dry socket is absolutely no fun to have and no fun to fix. Needless to say, my friend Kim and I (Kim also had wisdom teeth removed) still participated in PT, but ended up walking laps instead of going for the morning run.
0830 – had a class on the BN Training Cycle of MAJ Sutherland. We learned that a Chaplain is also a member of the personal staff of the commander and has responsibilities as such! This adds another dimension to the Chaplain model. One thing that we were asked to know was our unit mission and priorities. I have no real idea what my unit mission or priorities are! I’m sure they have to do with engineering somehow but I guess I’ll try to find out when I get back!
We also learned about FM 7-0, the “Principles of Army Training” and we took a quiz as well! We leaned FM 101-5 and the role of a staff officer.
A staff officer:
1. Knows the organization and mission
2. Recognizes role in the action-lead/support
3. Puts the response in correct and appropriate format
4. Answers mail on time
5. Uses most current and accurate information
6. Coordinates within division; organization and other agencies
7. Writes in active voice and short sentences
8. Shares goals and objectives while giving the response
As a chaplain we need to be in tune with commander – know his ideas – stay in tune!
- make recommendations; prepare plans and orders; conduct training, etc.; conduct staff writing; identify problems; monitor execution of decisions; risk management
ROE: Protect the boss’ time! All actions are special; allow sufficient time for approval process; schedule pre-briefs; provide read a heads

1045 – CH Kircher spoke on the OER Support Form!
*Don’t let anybody rate you too far above your current state!* The board will see it and disregard the OER!
11:30 – I gave my SACRED comm (preaching) on Genesis 15:1-21. It was ok…for a first sermon.
1300: FM 3-0 – Army operations – MAJ Sutherland
METTTC – Mission, Enemy, Terrain, Troops Available; Time; Civil Considerations
It was a long day today….it’s hard to hear in the back as well – but nothing I could do about that since I was assigned to the back corner with my platoon!

CH-BOLC Day 36 (Phase 1)

My platoon squad was assigned to a specific chapel on base for the duration of CH-BOLC. The intent of this assignment is to give us the opportunity to experience into the inner-workings of a chapel service and the responsibilities of the chaplain. Our assignment was at the Main Post Chapel under the supervision of the Installation Chaplain – Chaplain (COL) Physioc. I was pretty excited to be assigned under CH Physioc’s leadership. Remember in one of my previous posts – CH Physioc was the chaplain who moved to S.C. and bought some property in order to open up a hospitality home for other soldiers to visit. I was excited because this is something that I could see myself wanting to do in the future. I wanted to learn more about this “hospitality home” idea so I was one of the first to sign up to visit CH Physioc at his home this coming Wednesday!
So the chapel service went pretty well – it was fun to plan beforehand, assign responsibilities to individual members of my squad, then to execute our plan. I met a lot of great people at the service and was also surprised to see Cole – a buddy of mine from Moody! Cole is in the Navy chaplaincy, and was here at Fort Jackson doing some of his own training! So that was pretty exciting! After chapel I spent a good deal of the afternoon doing homework…
No pictures from today – sorry!

CH-BOLC Day 35 (Phase 1)

SATURDAY! Took the day off to relax (which was unavoidable with the pain meds)! Lee and I went down to visit my friends James and Jane - whom I know from my Israel trip last fall. It was such a pleasant day with Jane and James. They were so hospitable, loving, and giving, it felt like we just stepped onto another planet!
We started our afternoon with lunch at the local lighthouse. James met us there. After lunch and a tour of the area, we met James at a new house they had purchased to look it over. Later that day, Lee and I went kayaking in the ocean from their beach. We swam in the pool as well until a huge storm hit (which lasted all of 10 minutes)! Jane shared some her pictures from Israel, we relaxed, drank sweet tea, then met James for dinner at the yacht club! Some of the best food I have ever had! It was such a great day and definitely unforgettable! See the pictures! Click on the pictures for the album!
On the way home Jon and I ran into another thunderstorm, but we made it home safely! I definitely have to bring Lauren back here to visit James and Jane! Thank you guys for a wonderful day!

CH-BOLC Day 34 (Phase 1)

From CH-BOLC CIMT/Phase 1

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_7iFt5htnetE/TFxdqnqtdyI/AAAAAAAAP9s/AIZLMWLc4O0/s400/IMG_3429.JPG
Had my wisdom teeth removed today...so I was out all day...but I slept well. The dentist was really great and did a good job! Praise God! I was quartered to my room, but I still went back to school for the morning sessions so that I could see Knobel give his SACRED Comm. As soon as I got back to my quarters I crashed pretty hard. I woke up later that evening and drove myself back on post to see my platoon at the social gathering that evening. I couldn't miss that despite the pain! It was a fun time though! Plum even brought his fiance over for the event.
Blessings,
- Mc

From CH-BOLC CIMT/Phase 1

From CH-BOLC CIMT/Phase 1

From CH-BOLC CIMT/Phase 1

CH-BOLC Day 33 (Phase 1)

0545 – PT – muscle failure (Circuit training!)

0830 – SGL time: “When the kingdom of God is at hand, we are going to TAKE OVER and occupy” (CH Lamb). “The government is a resource but GOD is the ultimate SOURCE.”
-slideshow of pics in Iraq. He was brigade CH

0915 – CH Barnett (MAJ) – Conduct Military Briefings (PPT)
4 types of briefings – see PPT (Info, Decision, Mission, Staff)
- Know audience!
- Brevity is GOOD!
(*WARNING - there is some language in the following video*)

General Patton's Opening Speech from

DStrat | MySpace Video

1300 – Army CH Strategic Plan (CH Bush)

Got dismissed early today to allow us time to recover and study - I went to PT though and didn't get back until "normal" time - so no "extra" time for me...oh well!

CH-BOLC Day 32 (Phase 1)

0530 – Confidence Course – 5 obstacles
Weaver (tough!), 5 walls, sky-scraper, the wall, shimmy-fall
-hardly time to shower this time!

1100- SM Wayne Henderson – AGR for 20 years, CA; counterpart to CH Lynde
ARFRGN – Army Force Generation-Mobilization (no PPT)
- No more stop-laws for guard/reserves – notified 24 months b4 deployment
Cross-leveling: when more MOS in slots than are available – happens a lot w/reserve, but not so much for NG. There are “enough” Chaplains.

1130-1250 – lunch (went to car and the A/C!)

1300 – Command Master Religious Plan (SFC Randolph) (instructs resource mgmt); PPT
APIE = Assessment, Planning, Implementation, Evaluation
3 types of missions: statutory, mission essential, mission enhancers
Sources of funding – prioritize and ask for the right amt of money
UFR – Unfinanced Requirements
Have a plan and a money amount attached to that plan

1400 – CH Yvonne Hudson (LTC) – 22 years CH; 17 years to retirement (day 1 on AD – soldier killed another soldier)
-has done lots of counseling
-get connected with AD CH – this will give you good experience (and points)
“Resource mgmt is ministry” “Make friends with the S4” “You are going to have to convince people that what you are doing is important”
-when planning, prepare for large families = lots of kids
-ask commander to match funds for STRONG Bonds. Know your unit’s budget! Try to get 10% of unit’s budget if possible!
-when asking for money, have CMRP together, have plan and a good idea!
“Market yourself” “personally invite people” “you need to decide NOW what kind of CH you will be” “Be in prayer over EVERYTHING” “If you pray, God will bring people to you” “ God will bring resources to you”

1500 – SGT Dennis Volz – AKO/RSOS = Religious Support Operation Systems
- Very streamlined – work through it and use it!

CH-BOLC Day 31 (Phase 1)

0600 – PT – not too bad today

0830 – SGL time (CH Lamb): what to expect in active duty
-it is good to have a sponsor when going in
-key people to know in unit: CSM, BC, XO, S3, S1, S2, S4, FRG, 1SG, CMDRs, Sup CH, 56M, UVA, Chapel NCOIC, Family Life CH, JAG; -co-counsel with FLCH if you want to increase your skills!

0900-Army memos (CH/Rabbi Soussan): PPT
**AR25-50 ** - KNOW THIS!
-clear, concise, effective!
BLUF; 2 spaces between sentences
Subject: 10 words or less and only ONE subject!

1300 – CSM McCrimmon: How to do counseling for 56M and how to write NCOER (PPT)
26 years as 56M
-make sure counseling statement is DETAILED!
-don’t let your supervisor be your pastor
-supposed to be counseled every 30 days and ALWAYS after AT

1400 – Art of writing NCOER (PPT)
AR 623-3; DA Form 2166-8; 2166-8-1; duty description
-always start bulleted points with a verb! Past tense!
-sometimes you need to be the “bad guy” by doing the right thing and properly filling out NCOER

1500-SM Steven Stott: Proponency; the life-cycle of the CA (56M) (PPT)
8 life-cycle functions: structure, acquisition, compensation, distribution, deployment (ensure your CAs get promoted), sustainment, development, transition
-*read 1611-21* so you know the job description of 56A

From CH-BOLC CIMT/Phase 1

CH-BOLC Day 30 (Phase 1)

Phase 1 Day 30: (Mon) July 5
It was a good but sad day today. The good news was, Lauren didn't have to leave right away in the morning. We were able to book her on a 1710 flight (5:10pm) instead of 0700! We enjoyed our day together even though it flew by pretty quickly: We slept in, ate a really good breakfast at the hotel, watched some TV, then we went to Zesto's for lunch and KRISPY KREME for dessert!

From CH-BOLC CIMT/Phase 1

If you don't know - most (if not all) Krispy Kreme's went out of business in MN, and there are none in the Chicago area either! So it was fun reminiscing of our Krispy Kreme days in high school. I remember when JB and I got a dozen hot doughnuts and totally wiped that box clean in 5 minutes!
After lunch (and dessert) we had a few more hours, so we drove to the airport and checked out the brand new USO that opened up in early June of this year (just last month)! It was a really nice place - very welcoming environment. We played checkers,

From CH-BOLC CIMT/Phase 1

had some snacks, Lauren got a "Dang-It-Doll" made from UofMN fabric!

From CH-BOLC CIMT/Phase 1

From CH-BOLC CIMT/Phase 1

Then we spent over an hour playing Batman Lego on Xbox! Lauren played Batman while I was her sidekick (Robin). I mean - that's how it works in real life anyway right?! :P She cooks and I clean up the mess! :)
Before we knew it - it was time to say goodbye...it was sad to see her go, but I was so very blessed to be in her presence for even a few short days.

From CH-BOLC CIMT/Phase 1

From CH-BOLC CIMT/Phase 1

Thanks so much to our family and friends for your prayers as Lauren traveled here and back. It was a rocky start getting here, but it was smooth sailing back home with no delays.
Love,
M

CH-BOLC Day 29 (CIMT)

From CH-BOLC CIMT/Phase 1

LAST day (technically) of CIMT - even though it's the weekend!
We slept in, ate ANOTHER amazing breakfast at the hotel, then we all (Lauren, Jon, me) headed out to Charleston area to see the history, the cannons, Rainbow Road, the water, the ocean, etc.! We ate at a really good BBQ place (with excellent sweet tea), then found a good place to jump in the water for a bit! What more can I say?! This was a great day!

From CH-BOLC CIMT/Phase 1

From CH-BOLC CIMT/Phase 1

From CH-BOLC CIMT/Phase 1

From CH-BOLC CIMT/Phase 1

From CH-BOLC CIMT/Phase 1

From CH-BOLC CIMT/Phase 1

Click HERE for more pics!