Carla and I broke off our engagement today. The decision was mostly mine. I love her, but I don't think we are right for each other. This break up is very hard for both of us. For as long as we've been together, I don't feel like we've ever really become friends. Or rather, what friendship there was was based on the fact that we were in a relationship. We started with a relationship, and some friendship grew from that, but I think that we would be better off with people that we appreciate as friends first. This may seem sudden, and I guess it is, but I also saw it as my last chance to make a decision before getting married. I think that being with friends who appreciate me for myself last weekend really made me see what I was missing in my relationship.
05 February, 2000:
I led a detachment of 10 SNC and UWGB cadets up to Sturgeon Bay to perform a saber arch at a Navy LT's wedding. We had a great time at the wedding and on the trip. We've really grown into a tight group, and I hope to always stay in touch with these cadets.
January, 2000:
I spent most of January ski instructing at Norway Mtn., in Norway Michigan. It was a fun and relaxing month, and I had plenty of time to be outdoors and experience the scenic Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
01 January, 2000:
I'm relieved that the world didn't end. I spent the night skiing at Wilmot Mtn. with Carla and my parents, and then we went to eat at a local restaurant called the Stagestop.
November, 1999:
I found out that my branch in the Army will be Field Artillery. FA wasn't my first choice, but it was high on my list, we'll see how I enjoy it.
24 July, 1999:
I graduated from advanced camp today. I did great at camp, and I made tons of friends in my platoon. I feel like I've gone through a whole lifetime with those guys and girls, and I hope that I won't completely lose contact with them now that camp is over. We really didn't have the same problems that I saw at the joint FTX, because everyone in my platoon was supportive, and we were a team. I did see that in some of the other platoons the problems from the joint FTX were running rampant, and they were at each other's throats, but in my platoon we were all good friends.
20 June, 1999:
I left for ROTC Advanced Camp. Advanced Camp is a five week camp at Ft. Lewis, WA which is mandatory for all ROTC cadets before their senior year. At Advanced Camp, cadets undergo most of the same training events that enlisted personnell experience at basic training, such as learning how to throw a grenade, fire an M-16, and use a gas mask. Unlike basic training however, the emphasis is not on discipline and physical training, but instead on evaluating our leadership potential. Throughout the camp different cadets are put in leadership positions, and have to plan and organize the training for a set period of time. Cadets are then evaluated and ranked based on how well they do. These evaluations go into a cadets overall accessions score which will determine which branch they receive. I'm a little apprehensive about camp because of my experience at the joint FTX, but I'm also confident that I'll do well.
29 May, 1999:
Carla and I went out to Los Angeles for my sister Kelly's wedding. It was a great time, and we had a lot of fun. The only down side was that the day before the wedding my dad had a heart attack, and had to have a quadruple bypass surgery. He's doing great now though, and he's probably going to be better off in the long run because now he'll pay more attention to his health. For more on the wedding, visit Kelly's homepage at http://people.we.mediaone.net/hrikane/homey.html.
19 May, 1999:
Carla and I saw SWE1: The Phantom Menace, and unfortunately I have to say that I'm disappointed. You can read my rants about it in my Star Wars section I wrote these rants the same night that I saw the movie, so they are pretty emotionally charged. After seeing the movie again, I was at least able to enjoy parts of it, even if the movie did fall far short of expectations.
12 May, 1999:
I camped out all night in line waiting for the advance ticket sales for Star Wars Episode 1, The Phantom Menace. I made lots of friends in line and was on the local news several times throughout the wait. It was actually a pretty fun night. Even if SWE1 isn't that great, I at least enjoyed this experience.
30 April, 1999: (pics soon to come)
Military Ball 1999. Carla and I had a great time at Military Ball. My Mom and Dad both came up to attend the Ball, and we had a great time all around.
26 April, 1999:
The Joint FTX was this past weekend. It was an FTX set up to give the MS III's (3rd year cadets) from across the region a taste of what advanced camp will be like over the summer. I was personally not very impressed. I am used to working within the Fox Valley Battalion as part of a team, we all try to help each other get the job done. At the Joint FTX, working with cadets from other programs, I was stunned by the cattiness and backstabbing. It shook me up pretty bad having to work with people who tried to play the kind of games that were going on there, cadets and cadre. I'm confident that advanced camp will be better however, since there will be time for the cadets to come together as a team and time to straighten out the spotlight rangers...
5 April, 1999:
I just got back from Easter Break. We went down to Mundelein to be with my family for Friday and Saturday, and then came back up Saturday night to Plymouth to be with Carla's family for Easter. While at my house, we asked my cousins Jaime and Stacye to be bridesmaids in our upcoming wedding. I was also able to track down a couple of high school friends who I hadn't talked to in years. The break was a much needed getaway from school, and it helps to take off the pressure of this point in the semester.
15 March, 1999:(pics soon to come)
Last week was spring break at St. Norbert College, and I took full advantage of it. I went out west skiing with my family (as we do every year). We drove to Victor Idaho first, and skied with my brother Russ and his girlfriend Loreen who ski instruct out at Jakson Hole. This was fun for me because I hadn't skied with Russ since I was 12 years old. I think it would have been more fun for me though if we had gone to visit them later in the week. As it was, my midwestern lungs weren't acclimated yet to the mountain elevations, and I was smoked pretty early. We skied Grand Targhee on the first day there, and then Jackson Hole the second day. It was fun skiing new resorts and skiing with my Brother again. Unfortunately, my Dad threw out his back on the second run of the first day and couldn't ski with us for the rest of the time we stayed with Russ and Loreen. That wasn't enough to keep my Dad off the slopes for long though. Old Jim SR was back in force once we hit the slopes in Utah. We skied the rest of the week in Utah, hitting one of the best powder days of the season at Alta on Wednesday, and looking for the remnants of it the rest of the week. I had a chance to ski with my sister Kelly the last few days we were out, and had a great time overall.
While I was in Utah, Carla went to Anaheim to spend spring break partying on the beach with some friends from school. She had a lot of fun going to Disneyland and laying out on the beach, but unfortunately her plans to win it big on 'The Price Is Right' were foiled when her group was put on stand by instead of being let into the studio to watch the show.
Spring break was a lot of fun, but it was good to finally get home.
26 February, 1999:
I have been very busy in this month. 2nd semester classes are well underway, and I have had activities every weekend this month. My classes this semester are: Military Science, Medieval Philosophy, Christian Ethics, The Arab-Israeli Conflict (I really got interested in the middle east during my class last semester), and I'm auditing German 102. This year I'm finding that I'm making many new friends, and strangely enough I'm making tons of new friends among the foreign students.
January, 1999:
I am ski instructing at Norway Mtn. ski resort in Norway, MI. I am instructing during the days, and staying at the house of a very nice old lady in town who only charges me $5 per night, it is a great set-up. I also received my grades from last semester, and found that I had made the Dean's list again! I had a 3.62 this past semester, which brings my cumulative up to about a 3.2 or 3.3, if I hadn't had some slow semesters in my first and second years, I know that it could be higher.
October, 1998:
We take second place in the Brigade Ranger Challenge Competition. Our hard work paid off, and we crushed several larger schools such as UW Stevens Point, Marquette, and UIC. UW Madison was the only team that put up more points than us this time. We are only losing one team member to graduation this year however, so next year those badgers had better watch out!
16 December, 1998:
Finals have ended, and I asked Carla to marry me, it is probably the happiest day of my life (she said yes of course). Planning is progressing for the wedding, and the date is set for 28 May 2000. September, 1998:
Classes begin, and I am really busy. I have a tough schedule this semester, I'm taking Modern Philosophy, Astronomy, Modern Middle East, Military Science, and I am auditing German 101. ROTC is taking up more of my time as I am given more responsibilities. I am the Ranger Challenge Platoon Seargeant, so that means that basically I am in charge of the training of our Ranger Challenge Team.
4 July, 1998:
Dubose family reunion. Every year my mother's side of the family has a reunion down at the old homestead in SW Arkansas. It's a lot of fun to go down there each year. I get to see all my relatives, ride motorcycles around all the family land, and get to eat a lot of great cooking.
26 June, 1998:
I returned from Airborne school today. After three weeks of tough training, I've earned my wings and am now a paratrooper. This training was a lot of fun, and was my first taste of the real Army. Hopefully next summer I'll be able to attend Air Assault school, then who knows whats next after that? (Ranger school?)
2 June, 1998:
I flew out to Ft. Benning, GA to begin Airborne training.
30 April, 1998:
I was a saber bearer in 2LT Andy Lochner's wedding. 2LT Lochner graduated and was commisioned last year from snc. The wedding was a blast, everyone was wearing their dress uniforms (all the other officers and saber bearers that came), and the wedding was at the beautiful Steven's Point Country Club.
24 April, 1998:
Went to my cousin Dana's graduation party, and my cousin Carrie's wedding. It was a great chance to see my family, and we always have a lot of fun when we get together.
15 April, 1998:
Classes and finals are finally over for the semester. This semester I had some of the most challenging classes of my life. Unfortunately my grades didn't make the Dean's list this time (3.5 minimum), but my 3.4 for the semester is still very respectable.
19 April, 1998:
Confirmation and First Communion. I was confirmed on the Sunday after Easter into the Catholic Church. I had been entered into the RCIA program this whole year, and am now a fully confirmed Catholic. My parents came up for the occasion, and so did Carla's parents. We had dinner, and it was a fun time.
24 April, 1998:
1998 Fox Valley Battalion Military Ball was held at the Ramada Inn in Oshkosh. Carla and I had a great time together, and I can't wait untill next year's military ball.
9 April, 1998:
Volunteered to go with CPT Fisher to teach a local boy scout troop how to rappell. It was also my first time rappelling. I had a great time. I loved learning how to rappell, and I had a great time playing with the kids.
