First Day of F-22 Raptor B Course!

At the beginning of January, Dan FINALLY started B Course for the F-22 Raptor! This had been a long time coming, since he found out this is what he'd be flying last June at drop night! There are only two classes per year for the Raptor, though, and the last one started in July before he had completed IFF or Water Survival.

This is going to be a grueling nine months for him as he completes academics (now) and simulator training before finally flying the jet (probably in March) for the first time! Oh, and since it's a single seat jet, he'll be flying it completely solo for his very first (and every) flight! Ahh! I am going to be in panic mode that day, but hopefully I'll be able to go out and watch him take off!

Anyway, send good vibes for his training these next nine months and for my parenting ability for our two sweet girls since I'll be alone with them a lot of the time while he's busy training and studying!

(and in case you don't know what a Raptor looks like... here's one!)

Introducing... Baby Cookie #2!

Well, I'm only a whole MONTH late making this announcement... but our beautiful second daughter made her appearance on November 21st! We've been a little (ha!) busy since then moving across the country (more on that later), so I'll just leave you with this for now!

Welcome to the world, Josephine Jayne! We are so glad we get to be your parents and that we got an extra 20 days with you... if pre-eclampsia is good for anything, it's extra snuggles! :)

Ten Years of Service and Still Lookin' Good

It's been a big week for my handsome husband, Lieutenant Lovemuffin. Earlier this week, he finally had his very first day of Air Force pilot training (and just a couple weeks ago, he promoted to First Lieutenant!)

Yesterday, however, was a big milestone for him. It marked exactly TEN YEARS since he first joined the US military. I don't say the US Air Force because he enlisted in the Army first, way back in 2006.

Dan was in between his junior and senior years of high school when he went to his very first basic training (of three because of USAFA) at Ft. Benning in Georgia.

Since his enlistment in the Army, he has played in the Army band, performed funeral honors for many veterans, transferred to the Air Guard, trained to become a B-2 Crew Chief, received acceptance to the Air Force Academy Preparatory School, earned the Top Science Student award, receive an appointment to the Air Force Academy, worked hard to earn a Bachelor's degree in Physics while competing on the flying team, commissioned as a Second Lieutenant, attended the Air Force Institute of Technology and earned a Master's degree in Applied Physics, and started pilot training to fulfill a long-held dream.

I'd say he's accomplished a lot in his ten years of service, but he is itching to finally REALLY get out there and serve his country instead of being in classes!

Really, I just thought he deserved a huge shout-out for all of the hard work he's put in over the past ten years! I love how selfless he is to defend our country, and I am so proud of all he has accomplished and all he will achieve for the rest of his career!

Military Spouse Appreciation Day Link-Up

Today is Military Spouse Appreciation Day, and I'm linking up with Amanda at Somewhere Over the Camo and Jen at Marathons and Dogtags for a fun get-to-know-you post! 

//Tell us about yourself and your blog. Hi, I'm Janelle! I'm a wife to Lieutenant Lovemuffin, also known as Dan. We have an eight month old daughter, Annabelle, and we recently moved to Wichita Falls, TX so he can go to pilot training. I used to teach 8th grade reading and writing before getting married and being whisked across the country. I love reading, writing, running (when I'm not injured), blogging, crafting, my cats, game shows, and all things Kansas City sports related. I also run an Etsy shop, named after my little girl: AnnaKate Paperie.

//What branch of military are you affiliated with? Air Force! But Lieutenant Lovemuffin originally enlisted in the Army nearly 10 years ago in June of 2006! He then transferred to the Air Guard and was training to become a B-2 Crew Chief when he received his acceptance to the US Air Force Academy in 2009. He graduated and commissioned from there in 2014, got his Master's degree in Applied Physics at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, and is now ready to begin pilot training (ENJJPT) at Sheppard Air Force Base. 

//What is one thing you enjoy about the military lifestyle? I am not a big fan of the unknown, so a lot of aspects of military life aren't for me... but all the adventures we've been able to go on and will be able to go on in the future are pretty awesome and have definitely helped to break me out of my comfort zone. We've traveled via Space A twice now (and are planning a third trip VERY soon, so hopefully that works out!). I'd say Space A is a huge benefit. I've also made a few really great friends through this military lifestyle... not many, but hey - quality over quantity any day!

//What advice would you give other spouses who are new? Learn how to be alone comfortably. It took me a while to get the hang of being my own company, but I'm an expert at it now and sometimes crave it. It's a great skill that I'm happy to have acquired. Sometimes (okay, often times), you'll be alone as a military spouse, and it's no fun at all dwelling on the fact that you're missing your man. Also, go with the flow. It's easier said than done, I know. But it really will make you less crazy... and you know what they say: flexibility is the key to air power. ;-)

It's been fun linking up today, and I look forward to meeting some fellow military spouse bloggers who I haven't connected with before! 

Hello, Texas!

Well, we made it to Texas! We are moved in to our new home, and we love it!

We've been taking our time unpacking boxes, figuring out where we want things to go (isn't that always the worst when you have a new layout in your home and certain things just don't seem to fit anywhere?!), and getting settled in.

We've checked out some local stores and the base, and it seems like we're really going to enjoy our time here.

Lieutenant Lovemuffin doesn't start pilot training until June, so we have a couple months to relax before the full-blow CRAZY begins... and I'm okay with that.

I'll be going back through everyone's blog posts from the past week and a half and going on a commenting spree to play catch up... so I apologize in advance about that! ;-)

Do you enjoy moving in to a new home?

A PCS is Upon Us

When Lieutenant Lovemuffin graduated from the Air Force Academy in 2014, he was all set to head to pilot training. He's been flying for YEARS and can't wait to train in Air Force planes.

... but then he was offered a slot at AFIT, the Air Force Institute of Technology. A free master's degree? Heck yeah! Dan will be graduating in March as a Master of Physics, and his ladies (Annabelle and I) are pretty proud of his hard work while writing his incredibly long thesis.

He is chomping at the bit to be in the air again, though. His old flying team teammates are finishing pilot training in waves, and he is just stuck in Ohio going to school... still. But it'll all be worth it!

In fact, it'll SOON be here... because we are moving to TEXAS! Sheppard Air Force Base, here we come!

We've actually known since before heading to AFIT. These were his original orders... but we didn't know if the Air Force would mess anything up. Dan received his official orders about a month ago, and he'll be flying down soon to look at houses. We'll leave Ohio at the end of March, and Dan is SO excited to start flying again!

He'll be at ENJJPT (Euro-Nato Joint Jet Pilot Training), where he will start out flying the T-6 and move on to the T-38 before finding out what aircraft he'll be flying for his career. We are so ready to be there!


    

AFIT Holiday Ball

The weekend before finals at AFIT (the Air Force Institute of Technology where Dan is getting his Master's degree in physics) was the holiday ball. We had looked forward to it for a couple months, and I was excited when the evening finally rolled around!

This was our first REAL Air Force ball (outside of the Air Force Academy, where Dan did his undergrad) and our first one as a married couple (though Ring Dance at the Academy will ALWAYS take the cake as the most awesome ball ever for us).

I re-wore my dress from Ring Dance because I loved it so much AND didn't want to spend money on a new one (and hey, it still fits a year and a half later, so why not, right?), and we enjoyed some great company and food. We didn't dance because Dan's back had been hurting him pretty badly, but we are glad we went anyway!

We met some new couples that we hadn't talked to before, and that's always nice. The food and decorations were splendid, and it was definitely a great night!

Overall, we had a great night and enjoyed meeting some new people!

• Do you like going to balls?
• What was your favorite military ball?

The Nutcracker Ballet

A couple weeks ago, my sweet husband scored some free tickets to see the Nutcracker ballet at the Schuster Center in downtown Dayton. He knows that my favorite ballet is the Nutcrackers, so he took full advantage of the free military tickets. I was thrilled when he told me we were going, and we had so much fun!

Little did we know that our free seats would be on the lower level RIGHT in the center! It was amazing seeing it all play out, and some of our friends were sitting close by, and we had no idea they'd be there too.

It was a fun, romantic night out, as we enjoyed a new-to-us restaurant, the Spaghetti Warehouse, before the performance.

We had a GREAT time at the Nutcracker, and I hope we're able to see more shows at the Schuster Center before we leave - it was awesome! 

• Do you enjoy the Nutcracker?
• Do you like going to the ballet?
• What is YOUR perfect date night?

Our First Space A Experience

Over the summer, my husband had 60 days of leave. We got married, went on an epic honeymoon, moved across the country, and even took another little spur-of-the-moment trip.

We decided to try to get a Space A flight to Washington DC. It worked! We flew out from Wright Patterson Air Force Base on a C-21. The pilots had just dropped off a general, and they were heading back... and we were the ONLY passengers! It was so cool but also a bit strange. To get back, we did book a Southwest flight. There was one leaving that we COULD have grabbed, but the cost of hotels for two more nights was the same as the flight we booked... and we decided we wanted more time to set up our new home before Dan headed back to work.

*Disclaimer: My husband let his facial hair grow out all summer just because he could. I am aware that it looks ridiculous. He did it on principle, so please excuse it... 

And now, I will let the photos show you everything we did during my FIRST TIME in Washington DC!

Overall, we had a BLAST in Washington DC. We were there for my 27th birthday, and it was a BLAST! I had the Obama Burger and a toasted marshmallow shake at Good Stuff Eatery for my birthday dinner, and just as my husband promised, I LOVED them both!

• Have you ever flown on Space A?
• What is your favorite thing to do in Washington DC?

Military Moments: Basic Training Graduation

Today, I'm skipping the Blogtember Challenge. I'm very happy with how consistent I've been, and today there is a different link-up I want to participate in. It's called Military Moments, and today is the very first one! 

You can check out the schedule for the link-up in this post by All Things Life and Air Force Wife.

Today's Topic: Basic training graduation stories. 

Since Dan didn't have an actual graduation from basic training at the Air Force Academy, I am going to instead share all about his basic training itself at the Academy. It was his THIRD and FINAL basic training, THANK GOODNESS. 

See, he was enlisted in the Army before. He went to basic training at Ft. Benning, but that was before we met. Then, he switched over the the Air National Guard (no basic training then). And then he went to the USAFA Prep School (which has its own basic training). And finally he went to the Air Force Academy, which again has its own basic training. I added it up, and my poor husband has spent 18 weeks in basic training all together... over three separate occasions. 

• • • FYI: Yes, I was living in Colorado Springs while Dan was going through this basic training, and yes, he was only about 10 miles from me. That said, I couldn't talk to him. Yes, there are close-up pictures of him, but those are taken by a photographer who is allowed in to capture the process. He then posts the photos every night on his website, and I spent hours going through them looking for Dan. Yes, I was able to go watch the noon meal formation most days, but it was from afar, and no, I never got to talk to Dan. • • •

These are all of my letters from Dan, and the box next to it is a scrapbooking box that I bought at Hobby Lobby and decorated with little little jewels and a wooden koala bear (we call each other "koala"). I store all of Dan's letters to me in that box! 

As soon as Dan left for BCT, I decided I needed to make a sign to hold up for him. I knew I would be going to the Cadet Chapel wall to watch the noon lunch formation each day (to sneak small glimpses of my handsome Basic Cadet), and I wanted him to know I was there so he would feel the love and support. He definitely noticed me, and I tried to make the sign discreet so he wouldn't get in trouble. I wrote: "I love you, Lovemuffin" in code, and while it worked for a little while, his squadron was calling him Cadet Lovemuffin by the end of the year -- oops! 

It was a long six weeks, but it was also a nice time to learn how strong I am as a person. I was so happy for BCT to officially be over that year, but the experience was far better than his Prep School BMT (for me, anyway!), and it was a great learning experience. Although we had been together for a year and a half at the time, it was my first time experiencing it up close and personal. 

Thank you, WebGuy, for the following pictures:

WebGuy captured me standing at the Chapel Wall with my sign! :)

Cheering Dan on from afar!

While I am so glad that part of Dan's career is over with, it wasn't the end of the world. I'm not looking forward to Dan's future training away from home or his deployments, but at least I know I will be able to handle them.