Arrival at Quantico

My call came at 10:00 am CST - Leigh was just outside the gates at Quantico and wanted to say one last goodbye. Of course, I cried but she sounded pumped and ready to tackle the world. It will be at least 3 1/2 weeks before we get to hear her voice again, so I reminded her that in those times when she felt down and out to remember that although we can't encourage her, not to forget that God is holding her. It was at this point that she became quiet and said that she knew and could feel His presence. She's excited and we're excited for her, so let's all join together to pray for her!

I'll post as soon as I know her company and platoon info. She posted a note on her Facebook that gives her address but not the company and platoon info. Since this blog is public and her Facebook page is not, I will not post the entire address here. If you are not on Facebook and need the address, please send me an e-mail and I'll get it to you once available.

Erica

etr2002@bellsouth.net

Reporting on Thursday

Leigh is counting down the days until she must report for the next session of Officer Candidates School. She is excited yet nervous, but she has been training and praying and can feel God's hand on her life. She will leave Tennessee on Wednesday morning so she will have plenty of time to travel and arrive on time Thursday. Please pray for her safe travel.

She will not be able to call home for the next 3 weeks, however she will be able to send us an address where we can write her. During this journey, encouraging letters from family and friends is vital to her frame of mind and ultimately success. Once we receive the address from her, I will post on here and you can e-mail me for the address.

Last time she was at OCS before Mom's death, the Marines actually posted pictures on their website, so I'll let you know if they do it again. I remember Mom looking at them and crying, "Oh, my baby!" We are all very proud of Leigh.

Preparing to Return to OCS

Well, Leigh has decided to return to Marine OCS. She will be leaving at the end of May, so that means it's time to really get back into the swing of exercising! She has been exercising every since she was home, but now the clock is really ticking to step things up. Please pray for her as she works on pull-ups, timed runs, arm hangs, etc.

One thing about having already been at OCS for 4 weeks, she knows going into it what areas she most needs to improve....this is a huge benefit over first time candidates. Leigh is excited but she also knows that she has a lot of work to do to prepare - mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

The last several months have been spent celebrating holidays, celebrating birthdays, family outings, and just learning to live again. Death is a hard concept/reality to endure....period. Not a day goes by that we don't think about, talk about, or reminisce about Mom. With Leigh's upcoming departure, that brings another change that our family will have to deal with. For Ashton (her 4 year old nephew), Leigh is more like a sister than an aunt and he will miss her dearly. For our Daddy, that means he will be totally alone at night for the first time in over 35 years and his baby girl will be moving towards the next phase of life which very likely will never bring her back to TN to live. For me, I don't want to even think about how much I'm going to miss her...we may fuss and get on each other's nerves, but she will always be my baby sister. I can't replace Mom (and wouldn't even want to or try) but I do tend to mother her and now I tend to do it even more (much to Leigh's dismay).

Please pray for her during the months to come. Here are some pictures from the last couple of months.

Taking Things Day by Day

The holidays are here and our hearts are still breaking. Our strength rests in God alone...He is carrying us through this journey and we are trusting Him to mend our broken hearts.

Home and Grieving

Well, for those of you who have not heard, our mother, Debbie, passed away very unexpectedly last Wednesday at 11:05 p.m. CST. Click here to read more about the events of the past week because it is just too emotionally draining to describe the horrible pain that our family is undergoing right now. We miss Momma with all our heart.

As for Leigh's military endeavors, she is currently disenrolled with the option of returning at the end of May and starting the process over again. She is prayerfully seeking God's guidance in deciding whether or not she will pursue the Marine Corps. or another branch. Please continue to pray for her during this rather emotional and heartwrenching time so that God can make the decision clear because right night we are all moving through the day like robots.

Updates from the Weekend

Leigh was unable to leave base this weekend, however she was given liberty so that she could call home. Of course, it was so good to hear her voice!

She has a very specific and urgent prayer request - she must master the obstacle course challenges or she will be dropped from the program. She has 2 weeks to learn to overcome her shortness. She reported that she is doing better with the rope climbing and has mastered the wall but she is having a lot of difficulty with throwing her legs over bars and propelling herself over in one swoop. If she expects to graduate, she must be able to meet the obstacle course challenges. Please join us in praying specifically for this need!

She got sick last Sunday with a terrible stomach virus and found herself in medical. She was not allowed to go on the hike on Monday because she was so sick that they made her stay in her quarters. She said that the people in medical were very nice but that the drill instructor was not because he just saw it as a way to get out of the hike. She was allowed to join her unit on Tuesday morning and is feeling much better now.

There are only 27 females left in the program. This means that 68% of the female candidates have disenrolled from the program! Leigh stated that she met with a commanding officer and was told that they do not want to ask her leave and encouraged her to work extra hard on finding a way to overcome her height. She has a deadline, so let's all bind together and do 2 things: 1st - pray specifically for her to be able to meet the challenge and 2nd - write a very encouraging letter or note to her because she needs support.

Why the name "Bo Bo"

Leigh, as a toddler, playing with a dandelion

Many of you have sent e-mails asking why we call Leigh "Bo Bo" or in some cases "Leighbo". Well, here's how she got the nickname. When she was little, her hair was blonde curls and fuzzy. Also, it took forever for her hair in the front to thicken-up but she had tons of curls on the sides. A popular show was "Bozo the Clown", and we started calling her "Bo Bo the clown" but Leigh called herself "Be Bo the clown" for some reason. The "Bo Bo" just stuck and gave way to the name "Leighbo" as well.