Had my official swearing-in ceremony today! It’s official, I’m a Private! …. well, a private with an (R) beside it meaning, recruit. When BMQ is done, that’ll be removed but - still! I’m a private!

Who woulda thunk a year ago I would ever be here? Around this time I was waiting, waiting, waiting for my medical to take place on August 13th (the strangest things I remember) and then I proceeded to wait again until the 11th hour for permission to take the pre-recruit training course! Literally, it was the 11th hour and I awaited permission with bags packed to leave! I remember being a bundle of nerves at the medical, being asked to do three push-ups. Holy smokes! THREE? I couldn’t even do one at that point. But, I got down on the ol’ hands n’ knees and spewed out three push-ups.  Incredible.

Then, during the PRTC course I was sick… as… a dog. Seriously, I had never been so ill in my adult life but I was determined to finish it. And I did! (Being sick as a dog has advantages, you lose 15 pounds in 3 weeks!)

Christmas was a pretty crappy time as I had the car accident two days after Christmas Day. But, sitting in the car with smoke around me… window shattered…. uncertain of my injuries, I said to myself that “of course you’ll be fine! I haven’t got to basic training yet! I need to get that done!”

Seriously. I have without a doubt that the moment of impact and the moments afterwards, were kept reasonably sane as I realised I hadn’t met my goal yet and that it wasn’t time to check out. On the contrary, it was something that kept me fighting even harder to get better… I was determined to be ready as soon as possible and I know it’s what kept me through the physio and the recuperation period.

I can honestly sit here today and tell you that there were only two days when I really felt down about everything… my physio knew one of the days because, I wasn’t my normal perky self. He knows me well enough that he didn’t say much that day (he’s usually pretty quirky too) and that I appreciated. It was the first time in months that I had any doubt linger in my mind that I could maybe NOT do this. That probably lasted about 24 hours. Then there was another time when I had a “friend” do something that made me seriously doubt a career in the forces was something that I wanted to do. But, I realised because of the actions of one person, I couldn’t let this pass me by…

So, today was the culmination of over a years worth of work. It was finally a time of solidifying and making ‘real’ what has been only merely a thought and an absurd goal of mine for a long time. I say absurd because it IS pretty crazy at nearing 270-ish pounds to think you could EVER become a soldier. I’ve come a long way in the past year and don’t get me wrong! I still have a very, very long way to go. But, my heart is where it needs to be… my mind is where it needs to be… and my body will get to where it needs to be by using the other two elements of my self! I’ve had a lot of trials and tribulations and trust me! I know there’ll be plenty more… but I’ve come so far in my journey on my own the past year! Having been in a relationship for seven years, it isn’t easy to ‘move on’. You lose your best friend and everything you “knew”. Suddenly, you’re faced with starting life fresh. And, not only are you starting life fresh but you’re starting it with a seemingly impossible goal that is a highly important one. If you fail at the army, you don’t just fail yourself but others too. I however, don’t intend on failing anyone… not the others around me and most certainly, not myself.

I got this far — which the Cpl said today — is the hardest part. I wish he knew the half of it! But, I will keep going and finish this journey doing something I didn’t think a year ago I could. But also, I will end this journey and be able to go to my ex-husband to show to him and to prove, that yes… I could. He told me I would never make it. He told me a lot of things, which have been wrong. And, this will be one of them.

I said before, there’s only two ways I leave basic training. One of them is incredibly injured and on a stretcher (which both you and I, know won’t happen) and the second, is marching off on the parade square at my graduation.

There is no Plan B.  There is no other option.  This is it!

Thanks for sticking through this journey with me guys! It’s not even close to being over but it certainly was a big day in the overall picture of it!!!

The Captain, my mom, me and my brother who came all the way out from Edmonton (drove three days!) to come for my enrollment! You know what? A few years ago, I suggested he join the army and I encouraged him to. I remember distinctly saying, “You know, I’d do it too if I weren’t so out of shape… and in this relationship.”

And what do you know? Here I am today…