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Comment by Okie Cowgirl on December 31, 2011 at 2:12pm

Letter from my SR.  Hip, hip, hooray.  Here is an excerpt- she hasn't lost her sense of humor.

I have never eaten so much peanut butter in my life. I pretty much have it three times a day. I do it because I need the protein and it makes the celery a million times better. I still get the eggs every morning but I'm finding one thing to be very true. I hate eggs with a PASSION. Gross, sick, nasty, rubber, lukewarm, fake, icky egg! I hate eggs so much I want to stomp them with my big black combat boots!

I will not eat these nasty eggs!

Do not make me, please I beg!

I will not eat them at RTC!

Or in a boat out at sea!

I will not eat them at boot camp.

Why I wouldn't feed them to a lamp!!

I will not eat these eggs, so bad.

And you can't make me Mom and Dad.

Aren't you glad the Navy hasn't taken my humor yet!

Comment by Connie (Ship03 Div 070) on December 31, 2011 at 1:57pm

Just noticed the countdown timer.  We are less than 48 days away.  Stll no personal letter here.  

Have a safe New Years Eve everyone.

Comment by diannep on December 31, 2011 at 11:37am

One additional comment on their pay...if they open an account with Navy Fed, they get paid a day earlier.   Also, my son arrived 3 days before Thanksgiving in 2009, and didn't get paid until the first week of January (includes all backpay, of course). 

On the scarves that Arwen suggested, yes...lots of the groups love doing that!  I agree.  One recent division had beautiful gold/navy striped scarves that they found online.  Looked very sharp.  Unfortunately they are no longer available on that site.  But maybe another site will carry something like that at a reasonable price.  Worth checking into!

Good morning, all!

Comment by Lala Ribbon Queen PIR Ribbons on December 31, 2011 at 10:14am

Thanks FTLW :-)feel free to send them my way whenever they are looking for me. I am beginning to think my ribbons are becoming a tradition too :-)

I will add something else about the scarves. Some PIR groups choose to do this and the whole PIR group goes with the same color so that they know they are all from N4M's. They do this because some Div's are only represented on this site with 2 or 3 members and they wouldn't really stand out in a crowd. Last winter a whole PIR group did white scarves and wore the ribbons on their scarves. If you want to do the scarves and do different colors maybe you could do them one color for brother DIV's that way there are a few more people wearing each color.

Texasproud- The ribbons are $6.50 each (discounted for 4 or more) and look a million times better in person. They are about the size of you hand so people can see them very well. They are a great way to show your support for your Sailor and make a great keepsake. They also have a pin on the back for pinning to your shirt, coat or scarf. Here is a pic that one mom posted of what it would look like on a scarf. I think she Photoshopped it lol and here is another pic of what the ribbon looks like. you can get them with gold or silver letters. No worries about the last name on this one it was actually a first name and it was from a different year :-) If you want more info just send me a friend request on here or you can email me at: uniquememorymaker@yahoo.com

Comment by Arwen on December 30, 2011 at 11:17pm

Division scarves -

A tradition among winter PIR groups is to buy inexpensive scarves in designated division colors, and wear them to PIR.

When a whole group of parents from a division all wear a certain color, it identifies them to each other (I spotted one of my division fiancées in the San Francisco airport long before I ever got to Chicago!) and when sitting in a group it makes for a united bunch that the recruits can spot from their places on the floor.

My son's division drew gold (we had a lottery for who got which color), but discovered it is hard to tell gold from tan or yellow, so I would advise avoiding middling colors like that. Stick to basic colors (primaries, black, white, grey, brown) that are easy to find. Some divisions who have a lot of breast cancer survivors, or who have family members who are fighting breast cancer, use pink scarves.

Scarves are easy to find in stores right now, and online there are some really nice ones on websites like Lands End or LL Bean. I found mine on Amazon.com.

Many people simply go to a fabric store and purchase 2 yards of polar fleece in the right color, and cut it into strips for easy, cheap matching scarves for the whole family. Many find it to be a great way to pass the time before PIR to knit a scarf, and some even knit matching hats.

By the way, recruits wear a WHITE scarf with their uniform. They have a very specific way they have wear them, one my other son adopted after seeing how efficiently warm it is.

Clothing for PIR -

Yeah, it's going to be cold, but you won't be outside much. You will start at the visitor's center (nice and warm indoors) and walk a very short block to the MCPON Hall, which is also heated. You will only need your coat while you are walking from your car/taxi to the building, and from building to building.

Think about it this way, your recruits will be wearing their dress blues - the equivalent of a nice suit and tie. Dress in a way to compliment his formal appearance, at least business casual. Blouse or nice sweater (layer a warm cami or tank under it for warmth), and slacks or a skirt with heavy tights for warmth. Be respectful - no miniskirts or revealing clothes (which are typically a much bigger problem in summer than winter).

If you're not particularly comfortable in that kind of clothing, keep in mind it's just for PIR. Once you leave with your recruit you can change into jeans and a sweatshirt (or whatever you prefer) before going on to other, less formal activities.

The sidewalks are spectacularly clear, they have a whole camp full of recruits who can be pressed into service to shovel snow, 24/7. It's not so far that you need walking shoes/sneaks, wear whatever shoes you are used to, and that work with the weather and your outfit. At my son's PIR there was everything from Uggs (very appropriate for the weather) to stilettos.

Comment by Arwen on December 30, 2011 at 10:39pm

How long it takes to get the first paycheck depends on when they arrive. As FTLW said, they're paid on the 1st and 15th. If they arrive, say, on the 8th, they won't get a paycheck right away on the 15th, they need to process their pay information first. Their first paycheck will be on the 1st.

However, sometimes they don't get that first paycheck at all, they spend it all at boot camp on incidentals, including shampoo, PT shoes, and anything else that isn't an issued uniform item. In the winter that includes cold weather gear like gloves, hats, scarves, etc.

Many recruits don't get any money in their first paycheck at all, some only get $20 or $30. Their first *real* paycheck is deposited 3-4 weeks after they arrive.

My son arrived in bootcamp on Dec. 16, 2009, and got his first paycheck (it was a full paycheck plus a tiny partial paycheck from the previous pay period) on Jan. 15.

For spouses, it sometimes takes a little longer to get your housing allowance, up to 2 months in some cases. I usually advise all recruits who have families who will be left behind to have 2 months worth of expense funds in the bank for their families to live on, but it's too late for that advice here.

Comment by FireTeamLeaderWife aka FTLW on December 30, 2011 at 10:26pm

Rewrote this:

How to change your Privacy Settings, Username, Picture and URL

Hopefully it reads better now!

Comment by FireTeamLeaderWife aka FTLW on December 30, 2011 at 9:34pm

Texasproud6272 - LaLa is not on right now... so I am going to butt in! Click on this link and it will take you to her page...Lala Ribbon Queen PIR Ribbons...scroll to the bottom where it says "About Me" and she talks about her ribbons and how to contact her! She has photos of them and her scrapbooking items.

Here is the link to her FB page too!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Unique-Memory-Makers/204119052936924

Comment by Texasproud6272 on December 30, 2011 at 9:17pm

Ok thanks Lala Ribbon Queen PIR Ribbons,that's what I thought just needed it confirmed!

Does your name mean you make ribbons for PIR ?If so how do they cost?

Comment by proudmom2011 on December 30, 2011 at 9:14pm

I can not tell you how happy I was to receive letters (2) in one envelope from my SR... I got them today the 30th! I just knew I'd gt something from him .... Phone call or letter.. I didn't care... Just something ! I opened them with anticipation. He says that he has made friends and that his bunkmate is cool and funny. Shewwwweeee... Good start... They could hate each other. He is homesick but says he is sticking it out. Looking forward to A-School and then coming home. I hope he gets to come home after A-School....

I hope everyone in Ship 12Div 074 gets their letters soon ... Please share when you get them! I am interested to know what your SR is feeling about it all.

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