And they're off!

Daniel has successfully transitioned to Phase II- Flying the T-6! He took his dollar ride yesterday and had another flight this afternoon. It's exciting to be moving on with training but now begins his mandatory 12 hour days. Both Monday and Tuesday dinners have been eaten after 8 but I don't really mind. I love sharing meals with my husband (of 1 year and 3 days- we celebrated our first anniversary on Sunday) and my little girl. Anna obviously can't eat the meal but we sit her in her Bumbo seat and she joins us at the table.

Anna and Tigger in her Bumbo seat.

They say the first fifteen days of each phase are the hardest so it's probably good that Anna and I will be gone for the next few weeks so Daniel can focus on flying.

His class is broken into 2 flights. Daniel is in C Flight (or Cobra Flight) in the 8th Flying Training Wing. His classmates are a good group of people and we enjoyed a Friday night party at one of their houses off base. Since they aren't allowed to leave the flight room while on formal release, I've decided to bake them some treats to fuel their energy as they study and prepare for flights. Tomorrow I'll deliver some chocolate chip cookies before a trip to the commissary and BX.

I can't believe it's already Wednesday! I've been mentally preparing for our trip but now I need to start packing! Thankfully, I was able to get the laundry done today and I will be packing tomorrow. I am so excited to get to the beach! Only 4 more days!!

The vicious cycle of being an AF wife... and making friends

Throughout life, you meet people, make friends- sometimes they stay for a lifetime, others come and go... after graduation, after they get jobs, after your lives move in different directions and you simply grow apart. However, for a military wife, friends are always moving away and that fact will never change. I've attended 3 track selects and 1 assignment night and the anxiety, excitement and hopefullness never changes as my friends' husbands line up and are told which way their career is headed. I'm already nervous about when I'll be in their shoes when it's Daniel's turn!

For non-military readers, here's a quick breakdown of what I'm talking about:
Track select: USAF pilots have 4 options after they finish training on the T-6: T-38s or T-1s (which train in Enid), T-44s (which train in Corpus Christi, TX) and Helicopters (which train at Ft. Rucker in Alabama).

Assignment night: This happens the week before graduation and it's when the pilots who are about to get their wings are told what they'll be flying. I've only been to one, but it was a great night for everyone (except Anna who didn't like the clapping and cheering- thankfully, she'll be a year old when Daniel has his assignment night.)

Here's what my friends' hubbies have found out so far:

Track selects:
Allison :: Jonathon :: T-1
Bonnie :: Daniel :: T-38
Tessa :: Tim :: T-1
Maggie :: Darrin :: T-44
Kristen :: Josh :: T-44
Jamie :: Michael :: T-38
Sam :: Brian :: T-44

Assignment Night:
Emily :: Matt :: C-17 (McChord AFB- Washington)
Michelle :: Dan :: F-22 (Florida) - I just found out about this via Facebook. He originally was given the F-16 at Assignment Night and he got surprised with this change of assignment at graduation today. This is huge news since this is the newest fighter the Air Force has!

As excited as I am for my friends who are moving to Corpus Christi and to their new assignments, I can't help but feel a little sad for me. These are the ladies who welcomed me into their circle and made me a part of this base community. They threw me an "All Pink" baby shower when I had Anna and always offer rides to Playgroup, Coffee and even doctor's appointments when Dan is busy. It's hard to say good-bye but thankfully, with the AF scheduling things there's always a bit of time to get used to the idea before they're packed up and moving away.

With technology the way it is, it's also easier to stay in touch with friends who are far away, so that helps out a lot. Hopefully, as time goes on, I'll adjust to it but I don't think it will get any easier as friends come and go... right now, I just have to enjoy the time we have together here in Enid, America and trust in God's plans for all of us.

Our Little Angel...

Our sweet little Anna is almost 3 months old and keeping us busy... but not keeping us up! She has been sleeping through the night consistently for almost 2 months! This has been great since Daniel needs a good night's sleep to do his best in the classroom and he'll be flying soon, so being well rested is a must.
Right now, she loves playing Patty Cake with Mommy, listening to Carrie Underwood's "American Girl" and chewing on anything she can get her mouth on... usually her fist, her Tigger or her bib.
Here are some pictures!

A bit of the west coast in the southwest...

My friends introduced me to one of the hidden gems of our area about a month ago. It's just south of Enid in a little town called Waukomis, and it's called "A Taste of Seattle." From the outside, it doesn't look like much- a small brick building with a gravel parking lot for about 15 cars or so, but once you get inside and sample their fare, you know you've found something special. They sell gelato and sorbetto which they make fresh everyday. For those who haven't had gelato, think of ice cream and make it smoother than any ice cream you've ever eaten. Sorbetto is like a very smooth italian ice but better. I haven't found a flavor that I don't like yet and there are still many left to sample!

I took Daniel a few weeks ago and we've made weekly gelato trips since! We took a list of their flavors since the menu changes depending on the day of the week and Daniel starred the ones he'd like to try if I ever go with the girls and bring him back a cup. By far, my favorites are the mixed berry and strawberry sorbettos, but the kiwi and raspberry sorbettos are good, too. As far as gelato goes, I really like the combination of the peanut butter and chocolate.

The store owners come from a long, proud line of military service people and kindly offer a 10% military discount. I only had to show my ID card once- the second time I pulled it out and said "We're military" the woman behind the counter smiled and said "I know." It's wonderful having a place where you're considered a regular after only a couple of visits. They encourage you to try everything and give out free samples while you're contemplating what you'll put in your cup- there's no limit to how many flavors you want to squeeze in there, you just pay by the size you want.

Here's a picture of my friend Allison's 2 year old, Riley, after she enjoyed her chocolate gelato!

Fourth of July Recap!

I hope all of you wonderful people reading this had a great Fourth of July! We certainly enjoyed ourselves on our four day weekend in Wichita Falls, TX! The military gives several 'family days' throughout the year where you get the day off but it doesn't count against your leave time and Friday was one of them. So Daniel requested a pass to visit his parents who live just 3 1/2 hours south of us in Texas. With his pass approved, we left 1323 Books St. and hit the road on Thursday evening. Our little girl did so well in the car and after we pulled over to feed her about halfway through the trip, she slept the rest of the way.

It was a very relaxing weekend. Dan's brother, Ben, is in China with the Baylor I5 program, so there was less 'gaming' than usual but Daniel introduced me to a game he has which I've now become rather addicted to- Spore. You create an alien life form from a single cell and 'evolve' it until you rule the galaxy... I'm only at the 'civilization' part which is the fourth level but Daniel's way ahead so he helps me along.

Anna's grandparents were thrilled to see her and rarely put her down- which she loved! She told Grandpa all kinds of stories (she's talking so much now!) and gave Grandma lots of smiles for some really cute pictures. With more than willing babysitters, Daniel and I were able to do a quick shopping run on Saturday and saw a matinee movie on Sunday. We saw Toy Story 3 and loved it! It was definitely made with the original viewers of the first two movies in mind, but I'm sure younger kids enjoy it too. ;-)

Fortunately for us, the Freedom Fest fireworks were on Saturday, the third, instead of the actual 4th of July since it rained for most of Sunday. Daniel and I drove to see the show while Anna stayed at home- we didn't want her little ears exposed to those louds BOOMS! It was a beautiful show and a great Fourth of July with my favorite serviceman.

Before we left on Monday, Pat and I went to Toys R Us and Storkland to get some things for Anna. We picked up a Bumbo seat (which gives Anna enough support that she can sit up by herself), new binkies, and a mirror for the car (which lets us see her face in her rear-facing carseat) at Toys R Us. And at Storkland we got a bunch of fun headbands as well as bows and flowers to go with them- they're so cute!!! Pat bought Anna a beautiful outfit that she wore today to Playgroup with one of her new headbands. I'll post pictures soon.

All in all, we had a wonderful weekend and it's always great to see Daniel's parents. Now it's back to home (which needs cleaned... badly) and work (Daniel is still in academics and just had a test today- he got 100%!). Our little angel is fast asleep and I'm off to bed myself. Have a good night, all!

Anna Grace's Big Trip!

A little background: So I finally became Facebook friends with my brother, Bobby, and was looking through pictures of him this evening. There were plenty of pictures of him running, hanging out with friends and going to homecoming and prom... plus a ton of pictures with our amazing cousins. Many of them were from the past several beach vacations we took as a family to Sunset Beach.

Cousin pyramid 2009!

Bottom: Me, Daniel, Bobby, Zach Middle: Megan, Hannah, Katie Top: Patrick and Maura

We have gone to Sunset Beach, NC for about the last 14 years. It was originally just my immediate family but after a few years, my Uncle Terry and Aunt GiGi with their girls (Megan, Hannah and Maura) as well as my Aunt Annie and Uncle Tommy with their boys (Zach, Patrick and Ryan) joined us. Also within the last couple of years, our grandparents have also become a part of the "Beach Crew." Daniel was welcomed into the crew last year when we joined the family after our honeymoon.

Knowing that Daniel would be in pilot training this summer, I figured that last year would be my last time at the beach for awhile since I didn't want to go without Daniel but our little surprise of a beautiful baby girl changed that. Since Anna hasn't met most of the family, I've planned a 3 week trip to introduce her to the family and the first stop is Sunset Beach!

Anna and I will head out from Oklahoma City and make our way to the beach by way of Dallas on Sunday and spend our first week soaking up the sun, the ocean and the salty sea breezes. At the end of the week, we'll drive back to Pittsburgh with my family where we'll get to see the rest of my extended family and some family friends.

Pittsburgh at night

Following our Pittsburgh visit, we'll head to the windy city: Chicago! In Chicago, we'll be visiting a few of my college friends including my freshman year roomy, Emily who is expecting her baby in early August. We'll also be staying with Anna's godmother, Sharon, and her husband. Hopefully, we'll also get to see Annaliese and a few other friends that live in the city. After our visit there is finished, we'll "follow the star to where the world begins" and head home to Enid!

I'm really looking forward to all of our visiting especially with our family. Anna is the first baby born far away from Pittsburgh and I'm eager for her to meet all of her great-grandparents, cousins, uncles and aunts. There's nothing quite like family.

Tough day as a mommy...

My sweet little angel girl had to get her 2 month immunizations today. Thank goodness that Dan was able to be there or else I would have been even more of a mess! She had to get 4 vaccinations- 3 shots and an oral one. I held her and gave her the oral dose which she wasn't too sure about. She made the same face that she gives us when we give her the Vitamin D solution- I guess when you drink nothing but breastmilk, anything else tastes a little funny.
The shots were quick and the nurse did a great job but that didn't stop me from crying as I held Anna and kept her little legs still as she got poked- twice in the right leg and once in the left. I had never heard her cry like she did today. Usually she only cries when she wants something, but this cry was one of pain and shock. It broke my heart to see her like that!

"Three shots and a drink, sounds like we're in a bar!" - Nurse that gave Anna her vaccinations trying her best to relax a very nervous mom...

Thankfully, she settled down by the time I had finished talking to the Referral Management people about getting her a well baby check up with a pediatrician off base since the one we had (and loved) recently separated from the Air Force (meaning he fulfilled his obligation and is now a civilian doctor). She fell asleep in her carseat before we even left the clinic. I figured it would be a good idea to get some infant Tylenol in case she had a reaction to all the vaccines and got a fever. Of course, there was a recall on this recently so it took 3 stores and a phone call between 2 Walgreens stores to find a generic equivalent but we got it.
Anna did really well the rest of the day. She took a really long nap (so did Mommy) and was pleasant this evening when Daniel came home. She was all smiles for her Daddy and is now fast asleep in her room.