Another Year, Another PCS...

Big news! We are moving again once Dan finishes his F-22 B Course... this time to...

Langley Air Force Base in Virginia! 

We are so excited! We don't know ANYTHING yet, as in he graduates on August 24th and then has to go to SERE... and we assume we'll be moving AFTER his time at SERE (which I would prefer), so it'll likely be toward the end of September or beginning of October. This will be the 5th state we've lived in since getting married four years ago... it'll be Annabelle's 4th state to live in by age three... and, get this... Josephine's third state to live in before her first birthday! 

It's a lot. But it's fun! We should be there for about three years, so it'll be our longest assignment so far. I'm excited to finally lay down some roots somewhere.

Goodbye, Ohio!

Today, we are driving away from our house in Ohio. It was our very first duty station as a married couple. Once Dan graduated from the Air Force Academy in 2014, we got married and moved to Dayton, Ohio so he could get his Master's degree from AFIT, the Air Force Institute of Technology.

Last night, he received that Master of Science in Applied Physics degree (more on that coming soon), and we completed our time at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Thank goodness. We were not so much a fan of this town, but we also know it could be worse. There's nothing AWFUL about Dayton... there's just nothing exceptional about it either. In all fairness, we probably would have felt that way about any base after coming from gorgeous Colorado Springs.

Although we are not upset to be leaving Ohio behind for more exciting things (ie: pilot training and all the fun and craziness that comes along with it in Texas), we did make some special memories in Ohio...

We lived in our first house as a married couple. Sure, we rented it, but we worked hard to put it together to look and feel like a home, and I will definitely miss the layout of that house. It's also the home we welcomed Annabelle into, and while she will have many homes growing up, this one will always remain special because of the middle of the night feedings, sweet newborn cuddles, and many first milestones that took place in this very house. I'm happy to be leaving, but I'm also overwhelmed with sadness about leaving that part of Annabelle's life behind - she'll never remember it, so I'm happy that I at least captured her nursery in photos for her to have when she's older.

We went to many baseball games, went flying, and even made our own table for our patio! We're excited to move that one with us to Texas for all of the cookouts we see in our future.

We welcomed Smudge, Dan's childhood dog, into our home, and the kitties moved to their third state! Gilligan and Stormy are such well-seasoned travelers. 

Dan started his first Air Force job as an officer, going to school at AFIT. Those butterbars look so good on him. I turned my Etsy shop into something larger than I ever expected and shipped out a TON of orders for the holiday season. We took a family picture with all of our pets for our first married Christmas, and we celebrated our first year of marriage! 

In Ohio, we found out we were expecting, found out the baby is a GIRL, went through my entire pregnancy, and welcomed sweet Annabelle Kathryn. Life wasn't so bad in Ohio, after all. ;-) 

We bought our new car (the Dadmobile), spent our first Christmas with a baby, watched Dan defend his thesis (and graduate!), and took Annabelle to the polls to teach her the American way. 

While we're hoping never to be stationed in Ohio again (and as a pilot, Dan shouldn't be assigned there - but you know the military...), we will definitely miss some small aspects of it. And our small handful of great friends there. We will definitely miss them.

Now onto the adventures of pilot training! 

Do you ever feel sentimental when leaving a base, even if you didn't particularly care for it?

Another School Year Bites the Dust

Yesterday was my last day teaching at the school my heart will forever be with.

I spent my last two years teaching retained 8th graders. They came to us SUPER low. Our job is to get them up to grade level so they are ready for high school.

That wasn't the toughest part of the job, though. Loving on these kids and trying to get them where they need to be socially was.

Most of them threw out language like a sailor and didn't know how to be socially appropriate for their age.

Those kids are who my heart is with. Those are the kids I long to work with. Those are the kids who need help the most, and those are the ones who NEED it and DESERVE it the most.

I will be hard-pressed to find another school that fits me better, but maybe one day I will.

Because I am leaving to move to Ohio with my soon-to-be hubby, I wanted to make something special for my co-workers. They are amazing, and I will miss them a lot!

I had our awesome students come up with as many adjectives as they could think of to describe each staff member a few weeks ago. They knew it was a big secret for a gift for the staff members, so they kept their mouths shut for TWO FULL WEEKS. I was so impressed, and the adjectives they came up with were pretty stellar as well.

I blurred out the school name, but you get the idea.

That one is mine. My name changed ONE WEEK from today! Ahh!

• What was your favorite job ever?
• Do you hate leaving a job when you move too?

We Found Out Where We're Going -- Our First PCS!

Last night, Dan received his FIRST BASE assignment... it's where we will head after his graduation / our wedding this summer!

He has officially been chosen to complete Euro Nato Joint Jet Pilot Training at Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas!!!

I have literally NEVER even stepped foot in Texas before... not even for a layover at an airport. It's going to be an entirely new world for me, but thankfully, it's on the Northern side of Texas, so that's still considered the Midwest, right? ;) 

Wichita Falls is the bright green star! I'm so excited that we'll be close to Dallas and Oklahoma City. That will be so much fun! 

While we're there (for a little over a year), Dan will be training in the T-38, which is a fighter trainer. It does not guarantee that he will drop fighters at the end of pilot training, but it helps, and it will be an amazing experience for him. He had the opportunity to fly in one this past semester for one of his classes when they traveled to Edwards AFB in California, and he fell in love with it. 

Has anyone reading this been stationed at Sheppard before? We are SO thrilled that we got our number one choice because I know that certainly doesn't happen often in the military. 

• Where is the best place you've ever lived?
• Where is the worst place you've ever lived?
• Do you ENJOY moving, or do you hate it?

First Week of the Year

Well, the first week of the new year has been an adventurous one.

Last Wednesday, January 2nd, I set up my new classroom. No, I don't have a new job. My school had to move to a different location, and we had just one day to get everything set up. My wonderful fiancé came in for a couple of hours, and he helped me get things set up, such as my name letters and lots of posters. He also helped me with my massive bulletin board. I am so thankful for him.

Thursday, the kiddos came back! They seemed to be happy to be there, the feeling was mutual. I was SO ready to see my students again, and I hope they ALL decide to show up this coming week instead of just 75% of them.

When the week got to Friday, something happened. I was hit by a train. No, not literally. But it certainly felt like it at the time and for the following 24 hours. I came down SUDDENLY with an awful cold around 10:00 am that day, but I persevered through the school day. On my way home, I stopped at Walgreens and bought everything I could find to fight the cold. Then, I passed out for 14 hours, from 8:00 pm until 10:00 am. It was so nice, but I still felt pretty sickly on Saturday.

Dan had a genius idea to have Indian food for lunch that day, and it sure did clear out my sinuses! Then, we went out with Michael and Lizzie that night, and Lizzie is currently staying at my place for the week. We had a lot of fun! Today, Dan and I went to the Harlem Globetrotters game, and it was a BLAST! They are so much fun, and it was a great Christmas gift. :)

As far as my goals for the year, I am doing okay. I am almost finished with one book and about halfway through another one, so I am ahead of schedule on that front. I do not have any races lined up yet, so I guess I'm a bit behind there. Oops. I have written in my "thankful" journal and my "Q&A" journal daily, though, and they are such nice outlets before going to bed. I don't know what I would do without writing. Blogging twice a week is weird, but I guess I'll be able to maintain it. If I could make 366 posts in one year, surely I can make 104 this year. Right? My spiritual journey is already expanding as I finish reading the Bible. Dan and I went to church today for the first time in a while. It was AMAZING, and I miss it. A lot. And so does he. I'm so glad we found a place where I am so comfortable, and we are going to attend a new member meeting next Sunday after worship. We have been going sporadically for the past two and a half years, but it's time to make it official. And that leads me to my final goal of being fearless. Going to a member meeting at a church is NOT in my comfort zone. This will likely be my first big test of 2013, but I am ready to tackle it head on.

How is everyone's 2013 going?