Brad's First letter home

Brad wrote on Sunday, October 12, 2008. We got it on Friday, October 17, 2008, Mom's Birthday.

He wrote: Hello Family

I'm writing to let you know that I am fine. I am not even in basic training yet. I'm still in processing. I don't know when I am going to basic, but I was supposed to tell anyone I write, not to write back to this address. I will write to you when I am in basic and you can write me as much as you want. Apparently processing is harder than basic because they are trying to get us ready. Since I have been here, I have gotten 9 shots. three on each arm, one up each nostril, and one on my butt. Not cool.

I did pretty good on the mile though. I got six minutes and 30 seconds. I think that is the best I have ever done and that was the morning after all the shots, so I was all sore. Now I am sore from running and all the shots.

The food is better than I thought it was going to be. We can't drink soda though. Just milk, juice, and water. I have to wake up at 5:00 every morning, and go to sleep at 21:00 every night. I'm starting to get used to it. The very first morning after I got here one of the first things I did was get my head shaved. A couple of days later, I got my nerd glasses. I look pretty sweet walking round in my uniform though. I'm going to bed now, good night.

Sincerely,

Bradley.

Garth's - Dad's Seven Things.

Seven Things I Plan to do before I die:

Take mom (Loretta) to Europe: Paris, Germany.
Finish my Personal History.
Visit all 50 States.
Stay below 170 pounds.
Make my wife happier.
See all children married in temple.
Be a kinder, gentler Man.

Seven Things I do now:

Do yard work - mow lawn, shovel snow.
Work long hours.
Enjoy traveling eastern Iowa
Enjoy working for the Church.
Love my Wife - Loretta.
Be proud of all my children.
Enjoy the blogs.

Seven Things I can't do:

Touch my toes with my legs straight.
Read without glasses.
Run 10 miles.
Stop eating when I am not hungry.
Speak Swahili.
Buy a Mini Cooper.
Drive as fast as I would like.

Seven Things that I love about my wife:

Beautiful
Witty
Happy
Compassionate
Excellent Mother and Grandmother
Best Friend
Tender

Seven Things That I Say Most Often:

What ever!
Hello, This is Garth.
Iowa FM Group, This is Garth.
Where are You?
No.
Where are you going?
How much?

Seven Celebrities that I like

Clint Black and Lisa Hartman Black. She even took his name.
Clint Eastwood
Faith Hill and Tim McGraw - because they have stayed married.
President Bush
Jimmy Durante
Harrison Ford
Tom Hanks

Seven Favorite Foods

Strawberries
Tomatoes
Grape Fruit - pink
Loretta's Hot Whole Wheat Bread
Salad
Peaches

Seven people who I invite to do this.

I will leave this part to my kids.

Trip to Amy's Wedding in Portland and Seattle

We had a lot of fun seeing family and the sites. The wedding took place August 8 and we went a day or two before and stayed a day or two after. It was very good to see Melanie, Logan, and Ashlynn who were unable to make it to the reunion in June. Eric, Amy, and Carlee make a great family.

July 24th

I was off on July 24 and 25th. On the 24th, I surprised Mom with a trip to the John Deere Pavillion in Moline, IL - Quad Cities. She really liked seeing the tractors she used on the farm and the new big stuff.

I want to try and get the hang of this blog thing. I really enjoy the updates of our families blogs and check regularly. The big event was our family reunion near Big Lake, Montana the last week in June. It was great. The evidence follows: