Okay, here's the deal. DS Stewart said that if we pass our last inspection that he will give everyone their passes back. Hopefully we all pass with flying colors. I remember our last inspection at Basic Training. The males got a no-go on their weapons and we (1st Platoon) had to spend the rest of the day cleaning our M16s. I know we are going to be asked questions as well...Chain of Command, General Orders, etc. I have been looking over my smartbook at bedtime the last few nights because the last Superbowl and FTX is coming up. Being prepared is what is going to get us to gradution. We shined our boots and re-painted all the buttons and eyelets on our gear black. We swept, mopped, and waxed our floor. We made our beds and pulled the covers tight. All in all, we didnt' have much to do to our room because we keep it clean and squared away. So, all we had to do was sit back and wait.

Here we go again! Our 1st Sergeant was here again for inspection and our room (#315) passed again and was praised. I know some of the other females have been a bit jealous, but hey...you get what you put into it. Work hard and you shall reap the benefits of a job well done. Not hard, huh? I didn't think so. Asking classes that are ahead of you about how they keep things cleaned and squared away always helps too! I was asked a some questions about my Chain of Command and I didn't hesitate to answer. Okay, I can breathe now. It is so nice to pass an inspection without mishap.

WooHoo....we got our passes back and we are outta here for the weekend. When we were finally able to leave, we took a taxi to the Mall of Columbia and did some shopping. I bought some CK jeans and a couple of shirts. It feels so good to be able to wear civilian clothes and makeup again. LOL! Henriquez and Johnson went to Finley Park. They said it was beautiful. I didn't get a chance to go to the zoo like I wanted...mainly because no one else wanted to go and I couldn't go by myself. Bummer...I have only been to two zoos, The Fort Worth Zoo (my first job was here) and The Caldwell Zoo. A group of us ended up getting rooms at Holiday Inn. They had a really nice swimming pool. We swam and had some drinks, then later that evening, we went to Outback Steakhouse for dinner. When we got back to the room, we left again, and just went from room to room, visiting others. Gosh...we had so much fun!!! I had such a blast and everyone was able to sit and talk to each other without worrying about a DS jumping all over us.

The next morning we all got up and went to IHOP for breakfast. There was not one of us that were not feeling the after-effects of drinking the night before. Food didn't sound that good, but I had to eat, especially since I had a chance for food with flavor. I mean, the food at the DFAC is not bad, but it isn't the best either. They don't know what 'spices' are here in the Army! I always order the breakfast sampler so I can have my pancakes, eggs, bacon, and sausage. The weekend has gone by so quickly and now it's time to return to the company. I was not in the best of moods when we got back either. I lost my camera!!! All the pictures we took at the pool...at Outback...gone! Ugh! I was so upset! And that was the 2nd camera that I had lost. Ugh!!! So much for pictures to get developed. We have FTX and Superbowl left and then we are headed home, at least those of us that are Guard or Reserve.