Boot Camp

So CW went home on Thursday, leaving me alone with the house. It was nice actually having the house to myself, I finally got everything clean, all his shirts are ironed and hanging in the right spot, and there is even room in the closet for me now! We will see how long that lasts. I still miss him though but I'll be joining him tomorrow, I'm sure I'll have some good stories when I come home. One of CW's brothers is also with the RCMP and so is his lovely wife. CW's brother is a leader with the ERT in his area (Emergency Response Team-kind of like the Canadian version of SWAT) and he has a training day while we are up there. I will be playing the part of one of the 'hostages' the team has to try and not shoot. Wish me luck ;) After the training CW was delighted to hear that his brother will let us try some of the different guns the team works with. CW is on the Tactical Team with the RCMP (also known as riot police) so he doesn't get to play with the guns as often. I'm pretty excited too as I've never actually fired a gun. CW and I have been having a lot of discussions lately about how different things are in Canada compared to the U.S.A simply because of guns and the lack there of up here. But that's a different post all together.
I started my training with the Honor Guard today and I enjoyed every minute of it. I was worried my migraines would take over again today as I went straight to the bootcamp from a night shift with no sleep in the office, but my head was clear all day. The training started with introductions and the structure of the Guard, which was nice to see laid out as I'm really not that familiar with the ranking system with the Canadian Forces, somewhere my Grandfather is rolling in his grave at that comment. Sorry. 
We quickly moved from classroom to the drill session. I have never had formal training in drill and let me tell you, it was a better workout than I have had in a long time. My arms are sore in places I never thought possible (apparently it is from keeping the elbows locked for so long while marching), my lower back is on fire, and the blisters on my feet should have their own flags, they are the biggest, meanest looking blisters I have ever seen. Despite all the pain and the complete exhaustion I can't stop grinning. It feels good to be a part of something with rank, importance and well, honor. I think I will enjoy the ceremonies, parades, weddings and even the memorials as I feel I have a place now and a better way to pay my respects.
Well, that's all I have for tonight, I've got another day of bootcamp tomorrow and then I get my lanyard and white gloves in a very nice ceremony that I am quite excited about.