Assignment Night!

I'm finally blogging about Assignment Night a month later!

Assignment Night (June 13th) - the night we've been waiting for all year long.  The night we find our what plane and location will be the start of our new life in the Air Force.  It all begins with a list...

It's probably hard to see but here is our dream sheet.  The mysterious AFPC headquarters creates this list that haunts people in their dreams about the same way the BCS creates the national championship game; no one really knows.  This list is handed out and divided among the three UPT bases, Vance, Laughlin down in Texas and Columbus in Mississippi but we don't know who gets what.  We spent three days debating our top choices and finally settled on 

1. C-130 Ramstein (Germany)

2. KC-135 Fairchild (Washington)

3.  KC-135 McConnell (Kansas)

What did we truly think we would get? Number 3.  

And I was at peace.  Kinda.  Until the day of.  And then I was freaking out.  

After an agonizing slow afternoon we headed up to the club and we took this picture after waiting a whole year!

As cute as we all look I think it's safe to say we were all on pins and needles!

Chase was the cutest by far in his flight suit, everybody loved it! 

Isn't this the greatest pic of him and Luke?  

I was so proud of Brian for making it this far - no matter where we went!

Some of our great mentors and friends came up from Tinker to celebrate with us and we couldn't have been more thankful!  Mike Smith and Brian

Tracy Smith has always been able to calm me down and put things in perspective, even when I didn't think I needed it.  I am so grateful for her example and advice and whether she likes it or not I will be calling her for advice for years to come!  GiGi (Brian's mom) got to make it up for a couple days and I think she really enjoyed everything!  Sometimes its hard to follow all the AF jargon and acronyms but she hung in there!  Chase loved having her here!

Finally after some social hour (that I was totally checked out for) they got started.  The class gets called up one by one for a quick roast and then their assignment.  I remember telling someone right before I wasn't sure if I needed a drink, to pee my pants, to throw up or do all three.  I had some last minute fears that we would be sent to California or New Mexico from the bottom of our list.  All of a sudden it was our turn.  

Brian looked quite handsome up there.  

I was busy biting my nails.  They put three choices on the screen and you will get one of those three.  

1. C-130

2.  KC-135

3. E-8 (AWACS)

Quick mental math - no California or New Mexico!  Whew!  AWACS is a tease since he came from that plane...

C-130's disappear off the screen.

No Germany but that's ok, that's not where we're supposed to be right now...

E-8's disappear off the screen

Ha I knew it! Tankers! that means 6 months of training in southwest OK, agh I have spent enough time in OK and Kansas can't be that much different...but Kansas here we come.

So Tristin got a great picture of me right after they threw up a big map of Washington state that shows just HOW EXCITED IT WAS!  A new adventure!

I WAS SO HAPPY!

It was so much more enjoyable watching everyone else get there assignments after we got ours!  From Alaska to Florida almost everyone got the assignment they wanted.  It was so amazing to see how God worked in our class because that doesn't happen very often!  By the time the wing commander gave his speech at the end I was dreaming of green grass and mountains and skiing and Brian was dreaming of snow mobiles and four-wheelers.  

Chase was excited to see dad up on the big screen and see his new big airplane!

I think we both felt like a huge weight had been lifted off our shoulders.  After waiting and working so long we finally got to see where our future would be.  We did it.  We made it through pilot training. Hallelujah! 

Let the graduation planning begin!

A Year in Enid!

One of the things I love about moving around with the Air Force is the chance to start over.  A chance to reflect over your time in one location and take a long, thoughtful look at who you were when you first got there and everything that happened in between to make you the person you are when you leave.  The perfect time is driving in the car on the way to somewhere new when suddenly it all becomes real that a chapter is closing.  Of course you may be headed up the road to a new adventure but your leaving behind a shadow of yourself.  How will your friends remember you?  In ten years what will you remember about your time at town #3?  What would you take back?  How can I grow?  Most people don't get the chance to have a fresh start every couple of years so I try to take full advantage of it.
Here are some goals I set for myself upon arriving at Vance.

• After three years of white walls I will paint, paint, paint!
• I would gossip less.
• All my pictures would be organized and put into albums.
• I would grow in my walk with the Lord and host a bible study
• Find a meaningful place to volunteer.
• Organize our finances and pay off debt.

Well I can hardly believe it but we have been in Enid for a year this month!  As we get closer to assignment night and graduation I have been busy reflecting and preparing for a move.  So honestly how have I done?

• Did some major painting! Fireplace, kitchen, living room but still need to paint two blah bedrooms.  
• Huge improvement! But as a woman always a struggle.  
• HA! I did one book this year, Chase's 1st birthday. Ordered pictures newborn pictures today to start a big book.  
• Sometimes the Lord leads us into the desert aka UPT.  Yet the more we learn about Him the more we realize we know so little.  In the fall I had the class spouses over once a week to read through Power of a Praying Wife but after Christmas I never started it back up again. 
• Realized my time with Chase was so precious and I am busier that I thought I would be, postponed till Chase is in school.  
• Made a budget, paid off three credit cards, bought a house, savings boosted, saving more for retirement, realized clothes weren't that important. 

But what's really the best way to evaluate ourselves?

"The best mirror is an old friend."
George Herbert

Thinking about all the friends that have changed my life I am completely humbled.  Friends that have shown me how to be a supportive wife and selfless mother. Friends that have become family.

One of the things I hate about moving around with the Air Force is the pain of saying farewell to friends.  (Never goodbye but see you later) But thank goodness for facebook!  Keeping in contact with special people is easier than ever but many of those special people hold a daily or weekly presence in your life and they are truly missed.  Those dear friends hold a great part in defining each station and its memories.

I don't know when I'll be en route to our next assignment but I know I don't have to wait until then to have a fresh start.  Sometimes I need a new start before breakfast.  Sometimes multiple times a day.  (Like yesterday when Chase said I WANT TO DO IT ALL BY MYSELF twenty three times).  We can get a fresh start anytime.

2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
Ezekiel 36:26
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you...

And you can always make some brownies to feel better.

Weekends!

The last few weekends we have journeyed outside of Enid and it has been so refreshing to have a little break.  Brian recently had a cross country flight over a weekend so Chase and I headed down to OKC.  We had originally planned to go to Dallas but I never got up enough motivation to pack so we did a day trip instead.  It worked out perfect because one of my dearest friends is leaving us for Germany and another dear friend just had a baby!  But first things first.  Trains.

Look at this face.  So excited!

Look Mom I got my ticket!

You would have thought the conductor was a movie star.  Chatterbox Chase was speechless when he came over and could not say a word to save his life!  

My own private narrator for the trip!

We got to see the engine unhook from our car and Chase was amazed at everything they did.  

We got to burn a little energy at the park before heading to an afternoon tea!

 This tea room is my favorite place in Moore and the perfect place to meet with these lovely Texas ladies, Jocelyn and Jan.  And Chase didn't beak anything!  But I will dearly miss Jan and I can't wait to come visit you!  We love you guys so much and are so thankful for all our time with you!  

I brought home a little something from OKC that feels right at home in the little yellow house.  I advised Brian that it will feel at home in any house we live in because he gets to move it where ever we go!  I fell in love with it because it matches a smaller one I inherited from my Granny.  

Would you believe we have another winter storm last week?  A freezing ice storm left the trees looking like something off a postcard.  And of course Chase was outside as much as possible that day.  I watched from the window.  

This past weekend we stayed at a cabin to get away for Brian's birthday (28!).  Chase and I had kept it a secret and when it came time to tell Brian where we were going Chase says "UM, how bout the zoo to see the cow?"  Nice try kid.

We walked a couple of hours on Saturday morning and Chase led the entire way.  

Chase was also glued to his dad and only grudgingly took this picture with me.  

 The weather was perfect!

The paths were a little challenging for Chase but he never let go of Brian's hand.  At one point I told Brian that we could have been the Von Trapps as they hiked their family to Switzerland.  His response?

"What is wrong with you? No we couldn't!"  

They had to take a break, Chase found a stick.  

A man.  Looking at a map. 

Another picture with mom, he actually enjoyed this one.

Counting the stairs to the car where he passed out!

Snow!

A more apt title might be "The girl who once blogged but then her husband took her to pilot training and she fell off the face of the earth."  I should warn you I'm kinda grumpy today.  

March 25th.  Just over 13 weeks until the end of pilot training and I'm sitting here wondering where all the time went.  I can equate it best to being pregnant.  The days are really long and the weeks are really fast and we are fast approaching the point where we both want to be done with pilot training but are realistically cautious about what comes next.  More about that process as it gets closer but more about where we are now.  

The T-1.  The last phase of training for us and it hasn't been kind.  The juggling of family, studying, sleeping, and eating has caught up to us.  I keep saying us, because while I can't fly that plane I could run a mean "Before Starting Engines Checklist."  Brian carries the burden of doing his best in academics, quizzes, simulators, flights, check-rides, checklists, maneuvers, landings, patterns, etc. so we can fly a cool plane in a cool location - preferably not in Oklahoma.  And don't ask me what plane or location we want.  It's complicated.  

Chase and I have the burden of not killing each other every day.  OK it's not that bad at all, we get along great but I warned you I was grumpy.  We both have lots of great friends in our group and get to see them often and find more support than we ever could have asked for in their friendships.  I thank God for them almost every day.  Chase thanks God for trains and snow, and boy did we get snow!  Five snows and a blizzard and this kid is ready for Alaska, more than once I had to bring him inside because he didn't have a coat on when it was still snowing.  Sorry the computer can't figure out how to rotate this picture right, it's still awesome.

Ranger and Chase love to eat the snow together.

 The following are pictures of building a snowman with our friends.  Chase and Luke have been mistaken for brothers before and couldn't be better buddies.  

So of course Brian and Mike couldn't just build any snowman, it had to be the biggest in town!  If you are not familiar with building snowman, which I am not, you don't realize how heavy snow is all packed up.  This picture captures perfectly the essence of the afternoon.  Mike and Brian convincing Deborah and I that their plan to roll the 200 lb snowball over Mike and onto the first snow mound will work!  Chase and Luke thought they were as crazy as we did.  They had to build a ramp.  

  

But the snowman was pretty amazing, it would have taken 6 yards to make a snowman this big in West Texas.  

Brian got a few days and afternoons off  with the weather and it felt like a vacation!

 Chase has been plenty busy growing and loves to pretend.  One of our favorites is Fireman Chase because not only does he get to ride around on the fire truck, he gets a little water squirter to put out the fires.  

Another favorite is Cowboy Chase.  This typically comes with hat, stick horse, boots, a rope, and a gun (toy drill), but you can imagine it's hard to carry all that gear.  He likes to act out scenes from his cowboy book where the cowboy takes care of the cows and shoots snakes and black wolf.  Ranger always volunteers to be black wolf.  

We took Chase to ride go-carts in the city and he was screaming for joy before they left the garage!  Can you believe it - Chase is tall enough to reach that red line where all kinds of fun things can happen!  

Brian and I got a night off and went dancing and it was so wonderful.  We were able to remember the good ol days when we were dancing at 2 in the morning and not 9:30 at night.  Poor Brian did have a great time but he was so tired.  UPT is a great way to speed up the aging process.  If you look closely you can see the red pants :)

We were at the mall a few weeks ago and Chase was so excited about all the little rides!  Brian and I were almost got away with not putting any quarters in but when another little boy came over and his boat started to move and make sounds it took Chase no time at all the figure out something wasn't right.  

 Chase also hit a milestone into boyhood - busted head.  Of course it happened out in public but he was a big boy about it and we've seen almost all colors in the rainbow in it.  Now it's a dark shade of orange and he hasn't picked the scab in quite a few days.  He does continue to pick his nose.

These moments are my favorite.  Giggles and smiles and love.  

Hope all of our dear friends are well and hope to blog before June!