Static Displays

On Saturday November 1 they had a handful of static displays here on base...or should I say static display (singular). Lets just say for all of you who do not know Todd very well, he is not an early riser and I told him, far in advance, that I really wanted to go check these planes out. Long story short, we got there with only a half an hour left until it was over (and that was when he reassured me "I am sure they will still let us walk around for awhile". Ok, no big deal, I will still get to see inside them!) So we go to the KC-10 first (his first love!). He tells me all about it, we go inside and check it out...here are some pictures.

She is definitely a big girl!

The boom operator's view

Todd reminiscing about the good 'ol days!

Ready for take off...buckle up!

The KC-10 was actually from McGuire AFB (where Todd was stationed when he was active duty). Anyway, he found a crew chief that he knew and they were catching up on where everyone was, what they were up to, etc. Well, we were there for over a half an hour and when we looked outside the plane they had already started the FOD walk (foreign object damage walk) to make sure there was nothing dangerous on the runway so the planes could take off. The show was over, these planes were headin' out! So, I got to one static display! Oh well, maybe I will have better luck in the future! (Maybe a bucket of cold water will do the trick next time!)

All in all, we had a lot of fun! After we left the displays we went and picked up food for lunch, brought it back, and ate it in the car beside the runway so we could watch the planes take off. That was neat to see...I must say, those fighter planes were pretty amazing to watch!

I thought this picture was neat, we saw the C-130 taxiing out to take off (the plane on the right) and it went past the KC-10 (the one on the left)...two planes that Todd cares deeply for! It was neat to see them side by side!

Halloween 2008-80's Style

I must say it was a fun Halloween this year...a thank you to the Rostowfske's for having it at their house! Here are some pictures from that evening...

Group Photo

Anna, Michelle, Me, Sarah

Rory and Michelle

Todd (he fits the part of Joe Dirt a little too well!)

David (that is a nice tutu...Elizabeth did a great job!)

What a nice couple huh?

Gumby

Bella is starting to loose her puppy teeth. Todd and I were getting ready one morning and I saw something white on our comforter...it was one of her little teeth! All of her bottom front teeth fell out within 2 days.

All of the bottom ones gone

Bella's new big girl teeth

People watcher

This is one of Bella's favorite pass times. If I am studying I sometimes open the window (if the weather is nice, however it is getting too cold to do it now) and put our bean bag on top of an extra coffee table that we have down here. Then Bella can jump up on it and see out the window. She loves it...it is too funny! I always know when our next door neighbors walk by, they have 4 children and I always hear them all go "Hi Bella!". Her tail starts going crazy...she gets so excited!

Birthday Presents

Bella got her daddy a new jack set that consisted of a 3 ton jack, jack stands, and a creeper set. We also got him last years Hess truck model to complete his collection so far and a few other little things for him to open on his actual birthday. However, his big present was a weekend get-away (actually just an overnight getaway-I felt bad pawning Bella off for a night let alone a weekend) The Gaithers watched her...thank you guys! We really appreciated it!

Todd had no idea what we were doing...all he knew was after work we had to take Bella to the Gaithers and then head to Birmingham. We stayed at the Residence Inn Birmingham Hoover, which was a very nice hotel. You could tell that it was a newer hotel, here are some pictures of our room...




Friday night I reveled to him my surprise...that we were going to the Ross Bridge Golf Resort and Spa! I know that he would not have said "Hey, lets go to a spa this weekend and relax". So I decided to surprise him and book it for his birthday. Both of our schedules were crazy and he had been very stressed out with his long days. He even commented about needing a massage about two weeks before we went. Little did he know that there was a massage and a whole bunch more coming his way! I decided to tell him Friday night what I had in store for him the next day, and I showed him our itineraries....we were literally there from 8-5...it was definitely a nice change of pace! It was a gorgeous place too, here is a picture from their website...


You are supposed to get there like 20 min early and we got there at 7:50 so we had to hussle. We had enough time to get ready for our first appointment...a couples massage and their highland foot therapy (that was Todd's favorite part of the day...it was kinda like reflexology). Then we had about 3 hours until our next session and we were scheduled pretty much back to back with maybe 30 minutes to spare inbetween one of our sessions. We were kind of dissapointed to find out that there was not a place where we could hang out together on our "down time". There was a men's lounge,jaccuzi,and sauna and a women's lounge, jacuzzi, and sauna...we had to stay in our seperate areas. During our little break I went in the jacuzzi and just relaxed, read a magazine (which I havent done in forever) and then went into the sauna. After about an hour and a half or so I had my attendant (yes that is how you get a message to "the other side") tell Todd's attendant, to tell Todd to meet me outside in about a half an hour. I thought we could go for a walk or grab a bite to eat (so we didnt have to order food and eat by ourselves in our seperate lounges). So we decided to drive and get some food...normally at a spa you order something healthy and nutritious....we went to Buffalo Wild Wings down the road. It was his birthday...it was totally up to him! That was the first time we were ever there and it was good! It was then that Todd told me that he fell asleep on one of the chairs in the mens lounge (which was good...we were there to relax!) and he went into the jacuzzi but I was right...he was getting board and antsy so it was good that we got out and did something.

Then we went back, and finish the rest of our "itinerary". For me it consisted of a Ross Brige facial, Southern Comfort Body Scrub, manicure, and pedicure. For him it consisted of a Gentleman's facial, Southern Comfort body scrub, scalp massage, and Heeled (tlc for your feet). He did not like the foot thing very much...I guess you never know until you try! They actually have specific items for men, which I thought was neat! (I did not make him get his fingernails painted or anything girly like that) Although he did not like the waiting around (inbetween sessions until they come in and get you) I think he really enjoyed it! The place was georgous and we highly recommend it!

Todd's 29th Birthday

On October 16th, Todd turned 29 years old! His birthday was on a Thursday and he did not know it, but I invited some friends over that night for a little party. He had no idea, I was even running around the house like an idiot cleaning up after a long day at work! I dont think he even thought about it until I mentioned something about people coming over anytime...then it kind of sunk in. We had a good time, we all just sat around and talked, Anna and Michael wanted to contribute and they bought the pizza (thanks guys, that was so sweet of you!). We sang Happy Birthday and ate some cake and ice cream. It was a good time! The cake was a homemade red velvet cake that was made by Jacqueline, one of my friends from work. Let me tell you...that girl can bake! It was really good...thanks Jacqueline! I was up late the night before making pumpkin whoopie pies for Todd to take into the flight room as a little birthday treat. I was glad that I had asked her to make the cake for me or I would never have gotten to bed!

Here is the yummy cake Jacqueline made!

Time to sing Happy Birthday!

I told everyone not to bring gifts, just to come and have cake and ice cream. Well, there were two little girls Alexia and Chasity, that put together a gift bag for Todd. (How sweet!) He got a homemade card and a bag of goodies. It would have been rude if he didnt try them all on...they were hand picked just for him! Thanks girls...he loves his presents!

Here is the birthday boy modeling his gifts...doesn't he look great?!

Happy Birthday babe! I hope you had a fun birthday!!

Bella's new bling

A couple weeks ago Bella had her last vet appointment (for awhile)...she weighed in at a whopping 6 lbs! She had her last booster shot and also had her rabies shot, so now she is a big girl! They put on her little heart tag that she is sporting in this photo...too cute!

More pictures from PA

Paw-Paw (my dad) and Bella

Gavin, Tina (my sister), Bella and Mackenzie

Jaide, Bella, and Cole

Nan (Todd's mom) and Bella

Pap (Todd's dad) and Bella

Paige and Bella

Mackenzie, me, and Gavin

Paige and I

my mom and I

It's been awhile...

I know I haven't written in awhile...these past few weeks have flown by! Todd's T-1 training is in full swing. It started with just academics, which was a pretty nice schedule...kind of laid back. However, now he has academics and he hit the flight line, so I do not see him much! He is still on formal release (which means they have to be there all day, even if they aren't flying) so they put in about a 12hr day and then go home and study some more! He will be glad when this part is done...when they are off formal release they still will have the long flights (brief, the actual flying part, and the debrief) but they will not have to stay there all day long! They will come and go as needed for flights and sims.

My four day work weeks have ended...this past weekend I decided to use my 2 "free days" to go back to PA. I took Friday and Monday as my days off so I was able to fly into PA on Thursday night and fly home on Monday. I actually took Bella with me...I knew how much our families wanted to meet her and she is only little once so I decided to try it. I was very frazzled when I left on Thursday...I got off work a little later than I had hoped and had to run home and finish packing my stuff and Bella's. The plane ride to PA and back was better than I could have imagined. She did awesome! The whole time during the plane ride I would look down to see if she was sleeping (she was my "carry on" and had to stay in her carrier under the seat in front of me). I also was worried about her the whole trip because at night she has a tendency to bark if she does not want to be in her cage. I was worried that she would do that on the plane too...but she didn't! I was also worried because I gave her a pig ear, kinda like raw hide, for her to chew on (which was my saving grace). She doesn't get it often, but she loves it and that kept her content for pretty much the whole trip!! I was so nervous about her choking on that pig ear that I could not even read the book I brought on the plane...I just checked on her the whole time!

Anyway, we had a great time in PA...Bella was a hit! Everyone loved her and I am glad that they all got to see her. She is still learning what to do and what not to do but she is at such a fun age. I think in her mind she is a Great Dane because whenever she sees dogs bigger than her she tries to bark them down. When I was at home, my parents were watching my sister's cockapoo and here is some footage of Bella playing with Koda.

I also got to surprise my nieces and nephews...they didn't know Bella was coming! At the bottom are some pictures of them with Bella. I had a lot of good puppy sitters! They were so good with her...I miss having them around because now I am the one that has to take her out to go potty a lot (Todd does help when he can) but they wanted to and they were so good with her! I know Paige was especially happy! I went with my sister in law Joy and Cole (my nephew) and Jaide (my niece) to pick up Paige (my other niece). Paige lifted up the back hatch on the explorer and was so surprised to see me she screamed and ran around to my door. (she did not know I was going to come with them to drop her stuff off at her hockey practice). She also had no idea Bella was there, we kind of kept her hidden. Then she opened the door and screamed when she saw Bella, she was that surprised!

Also on my trip I was able to have lunch with the girls from the 193rd family readiness group(thanks girls, that was a lot of fun!!), went to Autumn Days at Masonic Homes, went to my niece's soccer game, hung out with my family and Todd's family, and had a get together on Sunday where I got to see a bunch of family and friends that I haven't seen in awhile! It was such a good trip!

Here is another random clip of Bella playing at my mom's house with the cat toys...they are just her size and she can't decide which one to play with!

Here are other random pictures from our trip home....

These are all of my nieces and nephews on my side

From left to right: Maddie (my friend Lauren's little girl), Mackenzie, Jaide and Bella, Me, Gavin, Paige, and Cole.

Some of my best friends from high school

(Maria, Lauren, and Briana)

My niece Amelia and Bella

Grams (my mom) and Bella

Amelia and I

Our trip went so fast but it was so good to see everyone! We can't wait until Christmas when we will have almost 2 weeks at home...see you all soon!

Bella

She is here! We got her almost a week ago. I was supposed to pick her up at GTR at 4:20 p.m. however she missed her connecting flight and was stuck in Atlanta. A lady from Delta called to tell me this as I was 10 min away from GTR! Poor Bella...luckily that lady was very nice and promised to take really good care of her...she took her out of her carrier, fed her, gave her some water, and let her go potty. She assured me she would be on the next flight to Columbus. So, I went to a birthday party for Sophia (she was too cute! I will post pictures on that another time!) and then Anna and I headed to the airport so we could pick her up at 8:10. When we got there we found out the plane was delayed and we finally got to see her at 8:45. I felt so bad for her, she was in her carrier a long time (luckily that lady gave her a break in between flights)! When we got home, Todd got to see her and we played a little with her new toys and then I gave her a quick bath because she was stinky from the carrier. The next day I took her to the vet and she seemed very pleased with Bella....her shots were up to date and she said she was very well socialized!

So far this last week has been good. We are getting used to getting up a few times during the night to let her out and the past two nights we only had to take her out once or twice during the night! So, I am sure I will post more about her but for now here are some pictures and a video of her playing (she is either really tired and napping, or she is a ball of energy!)

playing with her new toys

getting ready to eat a doggy treat that jackson gave her (he ate one with her...what a nice friend!!)

Bella and her buddy Jackson

Random Update

I have been volunteering at the Lowndes County humane society and Todd has actually too (on Saturdays). We kind of go when we can and take the dogs/puppies out for a walk...it doesn't take much time. There was one dog there by the name of Daisy that we really liked...she was a yellow lab, about a year old and one of the sweetest dogs we have ever met. When I first saw her she was so scared and would not even stand up when you put a leash on her...she was too afraid. So I would just pet her in her pen (she did not want to go anywhere!!). Gradually she got closer and closer to getting out of the pen. After a couple of weeks Todd and I got her to come out of the pen but all of the other dogs started barking and scared her and she didn't know what to do. Todd picked her up and outside we went. Ever since then she would go out on her own, now that she knew she was going outside to play. Anyway, long story short we were thinking about rescuing her. We were hesitant because she was a large dog to have at our house back in PA (as most of you know we don't have much of a yard) so we decided that if they were going to put her down we would adopt her because she was just too sweet of a dog to pass up. However we decided to wait to see if she would get adopted.

Down here, the humane society has all sorts of dogs-no pit bulls-and this one has what is called a homeward bound program. They put the dog's pictures on a website for all humane societies (or anyone) to see and a lot of them get adopted that way. (Animals have been adopted from all over the United States.) About two weeks ago we went in and she was adopted through that program...we were happy for her that she had a home, but we are going to miss her!

We still volunteer there but we decided to look around and see what kind of dog was for us. We have talked about the idea of getting a dog for years and now is probably the best time to get one....I have a friend that will let her out during the day, Todd's schedule varies so he will be here randomly, I can let her out at lunch if I need to, we are renting here (not that we will not treat this house like our own, but you know what I mean), etc. Due to not wanting to have to vacuum every day we wanted to get a dog that had some poodle in it and we wanted a medium size dog...so we started looking at cockapoos.

About two weeks ago we picked out a little puppy and we will be getting her this Thursday. She will be 8 weeks old and I think we are going to name her Bella (our little southern belle). She will grow to be around 20lbs. So, that is the latest news! We just wanted to let you guys know...we are pretty excited and will let you know when she gets here! Here are a few pictures of her.....

Track Select

I know, I am a little late with this posting! About two weeks ago Todd's squadron had what is called their track select. This is basically when the active duty guys find out what plane they will be training on next (and that in turn effects the plane they get assigned to at the end of pilot training). For example...some of Todd's classmates wanted to go on to be a fighter pilot so they were trying to get a T-38. The 4 options are T-38, T-1 (that is what Todd got), T-44, and Helo. All of the guard guys already knew what they were getting because they know what they will be flying at the end of pilot training. In Todd's case he will be flying a C-130. That night they revealed what track each person would be going on to and they kind of "roast" each person as they are up front. It was pretty funny!

Here are a few pictures from that day...

This is us beside the T-1 (the "new" plane he is training on)

Here is Todd checking it out! (He is like a kid in a candy store!)

Me in the simulator...I did a successful touch and go!!

Group shot!

Me and my hubby (This picture is kind of funny...we both have odd expressions on our face but it was the only one of just him and I from that night so it will have to do!)

So as of now Todd is learning about the T-1 and his sims will be starting real soon! He has had two test and got 100% on both (Good job babe!) We are about halfway done in this whole process...in one of their meeting they were told that 99% of people that make it this far, achieve their wings. Those are some good odds! Alright, talk to you soon! Byes!

Things NOT to say to a military spouse.

I stole this one from Elizabeth, I thought that it was cute!! (Thanks Elizabeth!) Some of my family and friends back home will enjoy this one...

Things NOT to say to a military spouse!!

1. 'Aren't you afraid that he'll be killed?'
(This one ranks in at number one on the 'duh' list. Of course we're afraid. We're terrified. The thought always lingers at the backs of our minds ---but thanks brilliant, you just brought it back to the front. Maybe next you can go ask someone with cancer if they're scared of dying.)

2. 'I don't know how you manage. I don't think I could do it.'
(This is intended to be a compliment. Though, its just a little annoying. Here's why: it's not like all of us military wives have been dreaming since childhood of the day we'd get to be anxious single moms who carry cell phones with us to the bathroom and in the shower. We're not made of some mysterious matter that makes us more capable, we just got asked to take on a challenging job. So we rose to the challenge and found the strength to make sacrifices.)

3. 'At least he's not in Iraq.'
(This is the number one most annoying comment for those whose husbands are in Afghanistan. What do they think is happening in Afghanistan? An international game of golf? Guys are fighting and dying over there.)

4. 'Do you think he'll get to come home for Christmas/anniversary/birthday/birth of a child/wedding/family reunion, etc?'
(Don't you watch the news? No! They don't get to come home for any of these things. Please don't ask again.)

5. 'What are you going to do to keep yourself busy while he's gone?'
(Short answer: Try to keep my sanity. Maybe there's a military wife out there who gets bored when her husband leaves, but I have yet to meet her. For the rest of us, those with and without children, we find ourselves having to be two people. That keeps us plenty busy. We do get lonely, but we don't get bored, and drinking massive amounts of wine always helps keep me busy.)

6. 'How much longer does he have until he can get out?'
(This one is annoying to many of us whether our husbands are deployed or not. Many of our husbands aren't counting down the days until they 'can' get out. Many of them keep signing back up again and again because they actually love what they do or they VOLUNTEER AGAIN and AGAIN to go back to Iraq b/c there is work that needs to be done.)

7. 'This deployment shouldn't be so bad, now that you're used to it.'
(Sure, we do learn coping skills and its true the more deployments you've gone through, the easier dealing with it becomes. And we figure out ways to make life go smoother while the guys are gone. But it never gets 'easy' and the bullets and bombs don't skip over our guys just because they've been there before. The worry never goes away.)

8. 'My husband had to go to Europe for business once for three weeks. I totally know what you're going through.'
(This one is similar to number two. Do not equate your husband's three week trip to London/Omaha/Tokyo/etc. with a 6-15 month or more deployment to a war zone. Aside from the obvious time difference, nobody shot at your husband or tried to blow him up with an I.E.D., your husband could call home pretty much any time he wanted to, he flew comfortably on a commercial plane, slept between crisp white sheets and ate well, paying for everything with an expense account. There is no comparison. We do not feel bonded to you in the slightest because of this comment and, if anything, we probably resent you a bit for it. Comparing a 12 month combat deployment to a few weeks business trip is like comparing a shitty ford taurus with mercedes convertible.)

9. 'Wow you must miss him?'
(This one also gets another big 'duh'. Of course we miss our men. There are some wives who do not and they're now divorced.)

10. 'Where is he exactly? Where is that?'
(I don't expect non-military folks to be able to find Anbar Province on a map, but they should know by now that it's in Iraq. Likewise, know that Kabul and Kandahar are in Afghanistan. Know that Muqtada al Sadr is the insurgent leader of the Mahdi Army in Iraq and that Sadr City is his home area. Know that Iran is a major threat to our country and that it is located between Afghanistan and Iraq. Our country has been at war in Afghanistan for seven years and at war in Iraq for five years. These basic facts are not secrets, they're on the news every night and in the papers every day ---and on maps everywhere.)

11. 'Well, he signed up for it, so it's his own fault whatever happens over there.'
(Yes, ignorant, he did sign up. Each and every day he protects your right to make stupid comments like that. He didn't sign up and ask to be hit by anything, he signed up to protect his country. Oh, and by the way, he asked me to tell you that 'You're welcome.' He's still fighting for your freedom.)

12. 'Don't you miss sex! I couldn't do it!'
(hmmm, no i don't miss sex. i'm a robot. seriously...military spouses learn quickly t hat our relationships must be founded on something greater than sex. We learn to appreciate the important things, like simply hearing their voices, seeing their faces, being able to have dinner together every night. And the hard truth is, most relationships probably couldn't withstand 12 months of sex deprivation.)

13. 'Well in my opinion.....'
(Stop right there. Yo, I didn't ask for you your personal political opinions. Hey, I love a heated political debate, but not in the grocery store, not in Jamba Juice, not at Nordstrom, not in a bar when I'm out with my girls trying to forget the war, and CERTAINLY NOT AT WORK. We tell co-workers about deployments so when we have to spend lunch hours running our asses off doing errands and taking care of the house, dog, and kids, they have an understanding. We do not tell co-workers and colleagues because we are giving an invitation to ramble about politics or because we so eagerly want to hear how much they hate the President, esp. while we're trying to heat up our lean cuisines in the crappy office microwaves.)

last but not least....

14. 'OH, that's horrible...I'm so sorry!'
(He's doing his job and he's a badass. Don't be sorry. Be appreciative and please take a moment out of your comfortable American lives to realize that our soldiers/marines/airmen/coasties/sailors fight the wars abroad so those wars stay abroad.)

If you want to say anything, say thank you. After all, we are sexually deprived for your freedom....

The New House

Here is the outside (it is connected to another house)...ours is a one story theirs is a two story.

The kitchen

Dinning Room

Living Room (It was part of the deal that they would paint for us this time...so I did not have to do it again!)

Screened in porch

Well, there it is...a good portion of the house anyway. Todd and I hung up all of the pictures this past Sunday so we could make it nice and pretty for the photos! (I must say I missed having carpet throughout the house...that is definitely a perk!) All in all the move was not fun but we like it in this house...the part we miss the most is being walking distance away from all of our friends in Capitol Village! (we can still walk there but its a little farther of a distance to travel!)