Week 10

Well, we are more than a 1/3 of the way through with the Academy training! There are a lot of fun things going on at the Academy this week. The Senior Cadets graduate this Friday which is providing a ton of motivation for Ryan and his fellow Jr. Cadets. In two weeks, Ryan will officially be a Senior Cadet as a new class of Juniors takes their place. This is a huge milestone in the process!
Ryan received his gun yesterday!!! As you can imagine, he was really excited. They practiced pulling it out, loading and unloading it, and today they began learning how to take it a part and clean it. He's not sure when they will head to the firing range. Maybe next week once they receive their vests. They also got to meet with the different uniform companies this week to start talking about ordering their CHP uniforms!
We're entering the part of the process that is getting really exciting yet also very challenging at the same time. Please continue to pray for Ryan as he feels stressed and overwhelmed at times.

Love,

Ryan, Karissa, and Baby H!

Week 8!!!

I can't believe Ryan finishes his 8th week on Saturday! Only 19 more to go! This week has been and will continue to be really stressful for Ryan. He has three tests today and two on Saturday that he needs to study for and do well on. He also has another PMA certification test coming up that he's working on. This test is arrest techniques...obviously very important for his future as an officer. He's asked that we all be praying for him to do well on his tests, and for him to not feel too overwhelmed with all of the stuff on his plate at the moment.
It's been really tough these last two weeks for Ryan as they've had to work on Saturdays and late into the evenings each night. He's really anxious to come home and get some rest next week!

Thanks for praying!

Week 7

This week has been pretty good. Ryan is doing much better in the PT portion of his training. He's finishing more and getting much stronger. They started learning how to use their hand cuffs in PMA this week, and Ryan said it was a lot of fun. They are also learning how to write parking tickets this week.
Unfortunately, Ryan got his first Wednesday night restriction...so he won't be eating out next Wednesday night. It's amazing that he has gotten this far without a restriction, but hopefully he will continue to fly under the radar so to speak.
The cadets do not get the next two weekends off because of the 4 day weekend last weekend. I'm sure its going to be a really long three weeks for Ryan so please pray for perseverance. He comes home next on July 30th for a 3 day weekend!

Quick Prayer Request

Hello Everyone,

It seems a lot of the cadets are getting sick this week. 4 are currently quarantined because of the flu. One of those cadets is Ryan's roommate Russ. Ryan is feeling fine as of this afternoon, but please be praying for good heath and for protection from sickness this week. I'm sure you can imagine that this is not the best time to be sick.


More to come soon...

Thanks!

CHP Blog Up and Running!

Hello Friends and Family,

It was amazing to have Ryan home this weekend, but it always ends too soon! He began week 6 of his training yesterday, and the week is already off to an intense start. The cadets were tested yesterday morning in order to receive their baton certification. This is what they've been working so hard on in their PMA classes every day, and Ryan passed! I'm really proud of him...a little less than half of his class has to take the test again.

The CHP website has finally posted the blog for Ryan's cadet class! I guess they've been busy doing other things. Anyways, there isn't much detail in the writing, but there are three pictures of Ryan!!! Because he looks so different, I'm going to help you find him...4th picture, front right...9th picture, front right...13th picture, 2nd from the left. The link to the website is http://www.chp.ca.gov/cadet/index.html. Click on his class...09-II.

Thanks for all of your prayer, love and support!

So far it's been a pretty good 5th week at the academy for Ryan. He really misses some of the little freedoms that we take for granted...like variety in our food options. I guess the menu is becoming very predictable there.
PMA was a lot of fun yesterday. They were able to put their learning into practice as they fought off a fake attacker. Some of the instructors dressed up in padded suits and then attacked the cadets. The cadets' goal was to use their baton and the moves they've been learning to fight off the attack. Ryan really enjoyed the fight. He did learn however, that he is going to have to learn how to be a bit more assertive in those kinds of situations. Thankfully, being mean and aggressive doesn't come naturally to him. However, we're certain that with more practice he will learn to adapt in those situations.
Ryan has a test today and another test tomorrow that we're praying he does well on. Overall this week has been a good one. Ryan has been able to get to bed at a decent hour each night, and he hasn't seemed to be too stressed out or overwhelmed. Most weeks will not be this enjoyable so Ryan is soaking it up while it lasts.
The last two weeks have been really long, but Ryan is coming home tomorrow night! We're really excited to get another weekend to spend together. We ask that you keep praying for endurance for both of us. I think the reality of the length of our time a part has sunk in, and we're both struggling to keep the goal in mind.

Its been a month

I am a sixth of the way through, it is getting a lot better so far because there is a lot less yelling from the Staff Office and the classes are going well. My classes right now are Property Damage, Sex Crimes(crazy what people do, glad I wont have to deal w/ that a lot) Vehicle Code, Physical Methods of Arrest(we are learning to use our baton which is fun) The class lengths depend on the class some are a few hours and others can be the whole academy length. I am getting better at physical training and we just started 4 miles on our runs now. I have two tests next week on property damage and sex crimes on thurs and friday and then i get to come home. The hardest part still is missing my amazing wife and i cant wait to see her and you guys this next weekend. My roommates are good, Russ is a good guy and a Christian and Sean is a very liberal person and we have had some interesting conversations. But i have made friends w/ a few other guys and there is another guy who runs a prayer circle which is nice but i haven't been able to attend yet b/c of the schedule conflicts but I should be able to this next week which would be nice. Keep the prayers coming and hope this week goes by super fast. Love you all.

Hey everyone,
Well I am two weeks down and going into my third. This will be the hardest and hopefully the fastest week because at the end of this week i get to finally come HOME! I cannot wait to see my wonderful, amazing wife and the rest of you of course if I get the chance. I am at my uncle John and Nancy's house for the weekend because if I stay at the academy I have to either stay in my room and study(no tv or games) or if I want to leave my room I have to be in full uniform and you can only leave once a day so to say the least its not the most relaxing atmosphere. I have really enjoyed coming here because I get to relax and go to church but most of my time is spent studying for test and doing memos(papers due for different reasons and they have to be 5/32 in size when written and in a certain format, Don't ask) but I realize that its only 6 long months so I have to do all that I can to pass. I am trying to get everything I can so I won't have a lot of work for next weekend. This week I have one test on Tuesday for Criminal Law and I have passed my first two tests, one w/ a 96.67% and the other was a pass or fail and I pasted and I took a third on Friday and will be bummed if I don't get a 100%. In PMA(physical methods of arrest) we learn how to fight and do takedowns and stuff like that but if we get in trouble in the class we have to do knuckle push-ups. On Friday we got in trouble at drill so we had to do knuckle push-ups on the aspalt which really hurt and bruised my knuckles(look forward to more of those) But over all I am getting stronger physically, mentally and emotionally so I know that by the end this experience will really benefit me in so many ways its just hard now. The hardest part of this experience is not the push-ups, PT or the class work its just missing my wonderful family. I hope everyone one is doing good and I know that Karissa had told most of you if I haven't but don't be hurt if I don't call much becuase its just crazy here and i have to really focus and we only have about a half an hour a night if that to talk on the phone but i could really use prayers to stay strong and remember why I am doing this and how great it will be at the end of the six months and for strength for my amazing wife too b/c its just as hard for her doing everything we did together now on her own so please help her in anyway you can(yes baby i know your doing great, but it never hurts to ask :) ) Thanks for all your prayers they are working. I love you all.

Beginning of Week 2

Week two has gotten off to a much better start for Ryan! He's settled into his schedule and is getting used to the new lifestyle at the academy. He definitely sounds a lot less stressed when we talk at night.
Ryan had orientation for "Physical Methods of Arrest" (PMA) yesterday morning. This is the class that teaches the cadets how to fight, defend themselves, and make an arrest. Ryan is pretty excited for this class. He'll get to try it out on Thursday morning. Ryan also had his first tests at the academy yesterday. He doesn't want to jinx himself by guessing how he did, but we'll find out in a couple of days.
The yelling has gotten a lot better this week. Because a lot of the orientation and initial paperwork are over, the cadets have limited interaction with the staff office. Remember the guys with the hats and the personlity disorder. So the yelling really only takes place in the morning during PT. The rest of the day is typically spent in the classroom. The meals are also much more enjoyable this week. The cadets still can't talk, but no one is yelling at them to hurry up. They also no longer have to chug two bottles of water at each meal, leaving room for them to actually eat food.
Still a week an a half until Ryan's first visit home...I am counting the days!

The End of Week One!

Well, it's definitely been a challenging first week at the academy! Ryan had his first round of PT yesterday and it was more challenging than he expected...think Biggest Loser (at the end of the show) on stairoids. Today he has PT and then his first run at the academy. He worked really hard at home to prepare for the physical demands, but it sounds like the PT Staff push everyone as far as they can be pushed. So no matter your physical ability, you will get better.

He said the yelling hasn't been too bad yet. Fortunately, he has flown under the radar this week and so he hasn't been a target. He said that some of the Staff Office (the mean officers that yell) are also mentors. When they have their hats on, they are mean and yell at you. When they take their hats off, they are nice and will answer questions and encourage you. Talk about a split personality disorder. As crazy as it sounds though, the yelling does serve a purpose. It will enable Ryan to keep his cool as an officer on the streets. I know I can't imagine it yet, but the people he will come into contact with are not always going to be nice to him. Part of their trainging needs to be learning how to keep their cool and think clearly in stressful situations, i.e, when someone's in your face yelling at you.

Ryan also started his first class this week. We were told at the orientation that the cadets will do two years of college work in the six months they are at the academy. They began this week with a Criminal Justice class, and Ryan really likes the instructor. Thankfully they understand the need for a relaxed learning environment so the instructor is humorous at times and speaks in a normal tone of voice. I'm sure it's a nice break for the cadets.

Ryan has asked that we continue to pray for physical strength for PT and the running. Let's also pray that he continues to stay under the radar. He'll stay out of trouble this way.

One week down...26 to go!

Another Full Day

I was able to talk to Ryan for about 5 minutes last night. His day started at 5am and he didn't return to his dorm until around 9pm. I'm really looking forward to being able to have a detailed conversation with him this weekend. We both feel like that is the hardest part-the inability to really communicate with one another.
Let's continue to pray for his adjustment to the academy and for strength.

First Day

Ryan didn't get a chance to call on Monday night until 10:45pm. It was a really long day, and unfortunately we didn't get to talk for longer than a couple of minutes. He did say that there was a lot of yelling and a lot of filling out paperwork. It sounded like a pretty stressful day.
I asked how he liked his roommates, and he said his first impression of them was good. Today I'm praying specifically that God would strengthen Ryan mentally and that the transition into academy life would be a smooth as possible.

Hopefully I'll get some more details tonight!

Why blog?

Hello Family and Friends! We are really excited to share Ryan's journey at the CHP Academy with you. I (Karissa) will be the one writing and updating the blog as Ryan will have very few opportunities to do so while at the Academy. Ryan has very little time for phone calls during the week so we thought a blog would be a great way to keep our friends and family updated on his experiences, successes and struggles, and prayer requests. Ryan will be checking (maybe even posting) the blog on the weekends so please leave comments for him! This will probably be one of the best ways to communicate and encourage him during this season. He would also love to receive mail at the Academy so feel free to send him a note or card if you would like. There is also a blog on the Academy website that they update weekly with photos. They don't go into a ton of detail but the pictures will be a lot of fun! www.chp.ca.gov is the site. Click on "jobs and exams," "life at the academy," and then "09-II." They haven't posted for his class yet, but they will eventually.

Cadet Ryan Harrison
C.T.C. II-09
California Highway Patrol Academy
3500 Reed Avenue
West Sacramento, Ca 95605-1699

Hope you enjoy!
Love and Blessings,

Ryan and Karissa