Academy Week 1 - COMPLETE!

I have now completed the first of my thirteen week program in the police academy! Woohoo! While definitely an exhausting week, there were also many highlights to it. While I have a second, I will give you a little insight into what the academy has consisted of thus far:

A few rules a recruit must follow:
1. Uniforms must be pressed and creased every morning for uniform inspection.
2. At promptly 7:45 (and not one second later) all recruits must be in formation for the raising of the American flag.
3. Hats must be worn at all times outdoors, and taken off at all times while indoors.
4. No cursing.
5. The use of "yes Sir, Yes Ma'am" must be used at all times when addressing instructors and staff.
6. No hands in pockets, ever.
7. As soon as the instructor walks into the classroom in the morning, all recruits must stand to attention.

.....you get the point, right?! I could go on for days!

As you can see, much like a military setting. While it sounds harsh at first, its not all that bad. In fact, I tend to like the structure. Here is what my first week consisted of:

*Monday - Orientation. Oh how incredibly BORING. Caffeine has become a very close friend of mine.

*Tuesday- CPR, First Aid, AED certification. All morning was classroom instruction - we broke for lunch, had more classroom instruction - practical exam, then a written exam to conclude the day. Let me explain the testing criterion. One must obtain a 100% on all exams in order to successfully complete the academy (aka, graduate). You get three chances to obtain that 100%, however the first score is what is documented and used to calculate your overall academy grade at the end. For those interested...I passed my first test! :o)

*Wednesday - Search & Rescue tactics.

*Thursday - Fingerprinting in the morning, and our first physical fitness assessment in the afternoon. That consisted of timed situps/pullups/pushups, the bench press, a timed 1.5 mile run, and an agility course (timed). By the end of the day, I was absolutely exhausted.

*Friday - The begining of firearms training.

Next week will be a full week of firearms training, with four days at the actual range, shooting. Definitely a fun week.

J.J. has adjusted INCREDIBLY well thus far. In fact, far better than I had ever expected and imagined. It is definitely a huge relief to wake up and head to work every morning knowing he is content at home with someone other than his mommy. I came home for lunch one day last week, and as I was leaving I gave him a kiss and huge goodbye. Expecting to have him follow me to the door and see tears....he casually waved goodbye to mommy and continued to play - not worrying one bit about mommy leaving! I can only hope this contentness continues as it makes my days as a working mom MUCH easier.

So, thats our weekly update! I hope to get pictures up soon, but do not hold your breathe!