Goodbye 2010, Hello 2011!

             First of all, Merry late Christmas! We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! We had a very good Christmas. We were fortunate enough to be able to go back and visit family in KC. It was nice to be back and visit and be around things you are familiar with, but we were definitely ready to come back to good ole MS. We may hate the area, but this is home.. for now.

            I can't believe it is already the last day of 2010. This year has been full of changes for Brenton and I. I think back to a year ago today, and it is just crazy how different everything was. It almost seems like we are completley different people now. This year has been one of the best years in my life. While it was not easy by any means to accept so many new changes in such a short amount of time.. So just for fun and for my excuse to take a trip down memory lane.. lets review 2010. We found out in early February that we would soon be calling MS "home".   Our beloved family pet, Kermie died on Easter. Brenton graduated college and was commissioned in May. We were married in June. We went on an amazing honeymoon in late June/early July. Brenton left for ASBC in August and moving day was fast approaching. We bought our first car together in August. Moved down to MS late Sept/early Oct. Celebrated our first Thanksgiving in our new house in November. Had family come visit and also went through a bit of a rough period, but in the end all was well. Now, here we are at the end of 2010 as somewhat different people with new goals. It is amazing how life changes you and the goals you once had, just don't really seem that important anymore. It has been a great year, now bring on 2011!

RIP Kermie!!!

Military Health Care, B-1s, and the Anticipation of January!

          So I have decided that all of my volunteering last week is to blame for me getting sick as I was fine up until Saturday evening. (Oh and I still have to mention that I haven't been sick up until now for over a year or more! So this was kind of upsetting, I felt like I let my body down.) By Monday morning I knew something was very wrong so called the on base dr only to find out they had no appts! Oh the joys of military healthcare. So off I went to an urgent care place only to sit there and wait in a crowded waiting room with tons of other sick people. I am telling you, if you weren't sick before you went in there, my goodness you would definitely be when you left. So after the torture of waiting I finally got to see the dr. He asks me if I had my flu shot this year.. yep sure did and now look where I am at. After speaking with him he decided I needed a blood test and throat culture... the blood test I could deal with, but the throat culture.. yeah well I am  not even going to mention the fact that a toddler could probably behave better than I could during that horrific 30 seconds. Okay so to make a long story short, flu shot paid off.. not the flu.. instead strep, sinus, and ear infection. So antibiotics it was and I am still trying to recover, but my awesome husband has been wonderful at helping around the house and taking care of me!

         On to more exciting things now..  we have finally came to an agreement on a possible plane for Brenton to fly! Yes, I know.. I can't believe it either! We are really leaning towards the B-1.. we like the locations and it is still "sexy" enough for Brenton to fly.. at least that is what he says. Now I have learned from the past not to get my heart set on anything as usually it just doesn't work out the way we planned. But I am not going to lie, we have already taken a glance at base housing in SD and TX.. yeah its not as good as what we have here at all! Better locations.. but the housing.. well lets just say it isn't the greatest. But only time will tell if Brenton even has a chance at flying that plane..  for all we know he may be flying a fighter..  I hope not!        More exciting news! After having this semester off and being extremely bored out of my mind, I finally get to go back to school starting in January! Wahooooooo!!  While its not for what I have been going for the past four years (nursing) its very similar.. bachelors of science in health education. Hospitals need educators just like they need nurses, so I am hopeful that this will work out. i may not be graduating on time (may '11) but by Jan '12 I will have my BS in health ed!

Operation Cookie Drop

   So as I had mentioned before in a previous blog entry, I have been trying to find volunteer opportunities with the extra time I have on my hands. After receiving an email about a cookie drive and asking for cookie donations, I decided not only will I bake cookies I will volunteer to help as well! Since I was one of many wives that didn't have kids and lived on base, I took the early shift.. 6:30!! Yeah I know it may not be too early for some of you, but for this woman.. thats early! Despite it being only twenty something degrees, I really enjoyed myself and couldn't believe all of the generous people that helped contribute by baking cookies and dropping them off. I have never seen so many cookies in my life! The whole operation turned out to be a huge success, Col. Seguin as well as Col. Ross even stopped by to see how the whole ordeal was coming along. The best part was delivering the cookies to people. I was assigned to deliver to the gate guards and the fire department. Everyone was really appreciative and it really made me feel good to know that I was a contribution to a great annual tradition here at CAFB. I can't wait for next year!

       

Catch Up

This is the first post I have made on this blog and I think I need to catch people up by posting some pictures of our house and new car!! We have been very blessed in our lives and Mississippi and the Air Force have taken continued to treat us very well. As you know we moved down here on 1 October 2010 and we were unsure how we would feel about it all. Well, we have a wonderful house that has made it much easier for Darcie and I to live down here and we have made lots of friends that also help us enjoy our new endeavor. We have already done quite a few things around here that we have particularly enjoyed; including the pumpkin/cotton patch, hiking trails, parks over in the wood mill area, picnics at the Waverly ferry recreation area, the wassail festival, shopping trips to Tuscaloosa and Tupelo, and spending town around base with our friends. Anyways, here are some pictures from around our house.

Thanksgiving and the Future

     Wow! It has been quite a while since I have posted anything. Well we had a great Thanksgiving despite some minor issues, but not bad for our first Thanksgiving together as a married couple! My turkey along with all of the sides and pies turned out great! My Thanksgiving breakfast that I made, well you all can just ask Brenton about that. This woman doesn't cry over spilled milk, I cry over monkey bread. In the end, the day turned out to be great and we learned that we need to be thankful for the good times, as well as the bad. We were so fortunate to have family and friends come to visit during this time and see our new house. We very much enjoyed it and really appreciated it.

     As of right now, we still have not started our exercise program due to some minor health issues we have had. I don't think Brenton really needs to get on an exercise program anyway, he had a PT test yesterday and scored in the nineties...  yeah I don't think I could do that! Hopefully we can start the exercise program before Christmas, but if we can't, that just creates a goal for us for the new year.

     We are looking forward to Christmas and getting to spend time with family and friends. I still can't believe we have been down here for two months already, and married for almost six months! It just doesn't seem like it has been that long. Brenton's IFS date has been moved up a month, which more than likely means that he will start pilot training a month earlier.. but also means that he is going to be gone for Valentine's Day.. so it looks like I will be enjoying chocolate covered strawberries with our cats. Oh well, that is the Airforce for you! I was thinking the other night and a year from now we will already be thinking about moving again.. it just doesn't seem possible! Our time that we have had here at CAFB is going by so fast and we have made some great memories and wonderful friends, I can't wait to see what the rest of our time here brings for us!

Meeting Friends, Career Day, and the Debate Between Cargo and Fighter

     We have been so blessed to have met some great friends already. We have only been here a little over a month and already have met some wonderful people.  I remember before moving, worrying night after night how we were going to make friends and thinking of how boring and depressing this move could really be. And here we are making plans at least three to four times a week and having a great time! Now I am not going to lie and say that its never boring here, because it definitely is! But having some friends to do things with helps out immensely! I only hope we are fortunate enough to have the same experience at our next base, which leads me to Career Day.

C-5

F-22

     Career day was this past Saturday and was actually pretty interesting. Career day is for all of the guys in SUPT (specialized under grad pilot training) and their spouses to look at different planes, talk to the pilots, and get info on where those planes are located and deployment schedules. While Brenton would probably give anything to fly a fighter, I would much rather him fly a cargo plane. I have to be honest, they are pretty awesome looking and are probably "better" to fly, in the eyes of most pilots.. but their locations suck! I know, I know.. I am such a mean wife and that is probably the worse thing I could wish on my husband... to hope he never flies a fighter! Most cargo planes, the pilots are gone quite a bit.. but one that I particularly like is the C-5. It is like a dream come true to me! Eventually we do want to start a family, and with this plane you never deploy! How awesome would that be!? It would work out perfectly. Also, I really like the locations of this plane. Dover (DE)  and Travis (CA). I am okay with either one of those locations. Of course, I love the north east, so Dover would be my first option.. but CA wouldn't be too bad.  I don't know we will just have to see.. a lot can happen between now and then. But I can definitely hope! So what do you like better, C-5 or F-22?

And The Exercise Program Begins...

    Well, not really. We haven't actually started the program yet, but we met with our personal trainer today and got a fitness assessment and started to develop a good program to suit our needs. We both learned that our body fat is at an awesome percentage as well as our other measurements. So thats always a good thing. We will begin the program right before Thanksgiving. How appropriate!  However, I am not so fond of how often we will be exercising. Four times a week. Now for those of you who know me, my "exercise" consists of walking, and maybe speed walking now and then, but thats it. I kind of foresee a struggle in the weeks ahead.. Now for my husband who has had several PT tests and keeps up with running a mile and a half all the time, this should be a piece of cake.  Ohh cake thats a whole other story.

  Last week we met with the nutritionist and to be completely honest she wasn't all too helpful. She saw the numerous cake, pie, cookies, and ice-cream entries in my food diary and really wasn't all too bothered by them. She said as long as I also take in fruits, veggies, and other "good for you" foods I should be fine.  The personal trainer didn't really agree with this, but I sure do. Me not having to take away from my second love in life, sweet things.. now thats a dream come true.  We will see how long this lasts, I am supposed to be watching my sugar intake.. so maybe having two or three pieces of cake or pie isn't the best way to do that.  I am excited to start our program, but until then I do believe I will be taking advantage of my free time that does not involve exercising.

Eating Right and A Personal Trainer

      We finally did it. We have been talking for a while now how we would like to meet with a nutritionist and start eating right and get on an exercise program. Looks like my days of baking sweet things all the time need to come to a slow halt. Okay, not completely stopping the baking of sweet things, but not baking all the time anymore! We met today with a nutritionist and an exercise physiologist. <<< Oh and this was right after coming home from eating at Zaxby's. Yeah I don't think chicken tenders, french fries, and large chocolate shakes are going to fly in our new "healthy diet". Thats right, we have our very own nutritionist and a personal trainer thats going to work with us and get us on an eating/exercise program that is right for us. The best part, its all FREE thanks to the USAF! Yay! Another perk to the military. Next week we have our first appointments and a fitness assessment. This should be interesting to say the least. We will keep everyone updated as we start the program and any progress that has been made. Until then, I am going to go eat a cupcake for an afternoon snack!

A Gum Graft and the Stork Committee

        A few months back Brenton went to the dentist and was told that he had a receding gum line. The dentist told him that if it got any worse, he would need to undergo a procedure called a gum graft. Unfortunately it did get worse and the poor guy had the procedure done last Thursday. He did pretty well with it. I made sure he had his pain meds every four hours and made sure to have plenty of lime jello made. I am glad to say he is doing much better today and can't wait until he gets his stitches out in a week!

      I joined the "Stork Committee". Yay me! No.. this does not mean I am pregnant. The "Stork Committee" is a group of spouses from Brenton's squadron that make meals for families that just had a baby. I am still in the search for a job, and came across this volunteer opportunity and thought this would be a great way to spend the extra time I have on my hands right now. I am still searching like crazy for a job and even went to the Airmen and Family Readiness Center to get some help searching. I didn't have much luck. In fact, while I was there I met an RN who has been here almost six months and still searching for a job herself. That is definitely not encouraging. For the time being, I will keep looking and remember to enjoy the time I have with Brenton.  Once pilot training is over and we are assigned a base and he is assigned a plane, deployments are inevitable. So, I thank God we have this time together and the for the memories that have already been made here at CAFB.

Briefings and the search for a job

    So from 8:00 this morning until 4:00 this afternoon I got to have the lovely experience of being "briefed" with my husband. Okay, so I may be stretching the truth a little bit by using an adjective such as "lovely" to describe this experience... so I will be honest, it was painful and boring! While I was bored out of my mind I do have to say that I did gain some very useful knowledge about the base and how it operates. I even learned that there are more opportunities for spouses than I had originally thought! I also learned that there is a job fair this week. I applied and had an interview for a job last week, but unfortunately that didn't work out. So, hopefully I can find something at this job fair.   I am hoping I find a job soon, but if it takes a while thats alright too. I am really enjoying the quality time Brenton and I are getting to spend together. In the mean time, I am also going to look at becoming a volunteer and advocate for a local organization. If I can help someone, or make a difference in their lives, whether it pays or not, I want to do it!
  
     As for right now, we are just enjoying life and taking it one day at a time. I have learned that our plan, at some point is going to clash with what God has in mind. We are very blessed to be given this opportunity and we need to learn to embrace it! One day we will look back at this and remember the days back at CAFB when we were newlyweds, Brenton was a 2nd Lt, and I was in the middle of trying to decide if my career field was right for me. Life goes by fast. We can't get back yesterdays, but we can definitely create a bright future for tomorrow.

Making the house a home

So we are slowly starting to buy things for our house. We have our "college kid" furniture still and it looks so out of place in such a nice, new house. After going to quite a few furniture stores over the past several months we finally went into one today and actually bought something! Actually its the first piece of nice furniture we have ever bought as a married couple. Happy four month anniversary?? Yes, thats a good excuse!
We are also slowly getting into the world of decorating.. or should i say Brenton. Bless his heart, he has spent the past week hanging pictures and different decorations on the walls. Now I am the LAST person to ask for advice when it comes to decorating. Is it bad that my husband is better at it than I am, and is pretty much doing all the decorating himself? Hmm, yeah I think I will just stick to my baking and cooking skills. I did decorate the kitchen though! Kitchen is off-limits I always say, thats my area. Speaking of the kitchen, I have dinner in the oven that needs some attention. Until next time, take care and be blessed!

Finally arrived to our new home and really enjoying it!

   Well first let me tell you, when ever I found out Brenton's pilot training would be in MS I was less than thrilled, in fact I actually cried. I wanted Enid OK, great nursing program at OU and we wouldn't be too far from family, well God had other plans. After lots of tears being shed and reminding myself that MS wouldn't be too far away, I accepted the fact that whether I liked it or not we would soon be calling MS "home."
  Fast forward six months later, and moving day was quickly approaching. Brenton was at ASBC at Maxwell and I was still in MO spending last minute time with family and friends and dealing with the dreaded move that all of us military wives despise. Going through that alone, trying to get the house completely clean, and squeezing 800 lbs of our possessions into our Toyota Camry was no easy task! Fortunately I had some great friends who were also our neighbors (whom we miss greatly!) that helped out immensely! The night before moving day I got three hours of sleep. Not good when you have a 10.5 hr drive ahead of you. I will never forget whenever I pulled out of our driveway that early morning at 321 NW Millstone Circle. I cried, and cried, and cried some more. After I finally calmed myself down enough to go into the weigh station to obtain my weigh ticket for the car, I was on my way! The journey wasn't so pleasant. I had my two "babies" sitting beside me in their kennel meowing like crazy and I was fighting to stay awake. Finally I arrived to Memphis, yay! Almost there! Yeah not so much. I somehow got lost and ended up in the projects in downtown Memphis. After I manuevered myself out of the endless streets of beat up houses and homeless people I arrived to an interstate. Yes! An interstate! Not exactly the one I was looking for, but it was still an interstate! I soon found out that somewhere in my journey in the projects I had crossed into MS. I stopped at a local fast food chain to get directions and I was finally back on the road. After almost thirteen hours later I arrived to CAFB and saw our house for the first time. As tired as I was, I still managed to be really excited!
   So here we are a week later and we are still unpacking, but almost finished! We are just enjoying getting to spend some much needed time together and taking life one day at a time. Yep, this is home.. for now. Until Brenton is done with pilot training, and then who knows where we will be. But for right now, Columbus AFB MS is home and after months of mentally preparing ourselves for this new phase in life, here we are. We are finally living it.

Welcome!

We decided to create a blog so our family and friends could keep up with us and experience this exciting time in our lives. We will be sure to update often to let everyone know what is happening. Please feel free to comment on any posts.