AFIT Graduation

Last month, just the night before we left Ohio, Lieutenant Lovemuffin graduated from AFIT (the Air Force Institute of Technology) with a Master of Science degree in Applied Physics. He worked SO hard for that degree. It was really special being able to watch him defend his thesis in February, but seeing him walk across the stage in what is one of the coolest venues ever (the National Museum of the US Air Force) was incredible.

Many people opted not to take their babies/kids, but I decided that no matter how difficult it was, it was important for Annabelle to be there. We found out about her and had her all during Dan's time at AFIT, so it only seemed fitting. She was on her best behavior... she ate twice, fell asleep once, and flirted with LOTS of people during the ceremony. I even received a compliment on her behavior afterward from someone sitting behind us. I'm so glad she was able to be there with us, and I know Dan was glad to have her support too.

Now, we're all settled into our home in Texas, and we're enjoying some leisurely days before Dan begins pilot training!

Do you enjoy graduations?
Have you been to the National Air Force Museum?

AFIT Thesis Defense: Complete!

After working for 18 months at AFIT (the Air Force Institute of Technology) at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Lieutenant Lovemuffin successfully defended his thesis a couple weeks ago!

I was so happy that I got to watch him defend. It was really neat seeing all of that stud's hard work pay off. And also, since I had to edit that darn thing, I felt like I deserved to go! Luckily, no one had a problem with it. One of his best friends was in town too, so she came with me.

*Also worthy of pointing out: So she wouldn't disrupt her daddy's presentation, I left Annabelle with someone who isn't my mom for the first time ever... it only took me five months! Haha! Thanks again, Megan! We will miss you when we move.

Dan's thesis is for his Master's in Physics degree... so he researched, wrote, and presented about Millimeter Wave Radar Propagation. Over your head too? Just mine?? Moving on...

I am so incredibly proud of all the hard work my handsome husband has put in over the last year and a half to make this happen! We knew all along that this assignment was just a small piece of our journey, and while Ohio hasn't been the most fun, we are SO glad he has his Master's degree (almost) finished with! He is still in a weather class for a couple more weeks, and graduation is on the 24th! 

We took a family photo once we got home so Annabelle could be in a picture as well!

Do you like physics?

Do you have a Master's degree or want one?

The Holiday Week

This week has been different from normal, and it has thrown me off completely. 

I'm going to back up JUST A LITTLE BIT, though, and go to last weekend. I started receiving several orders from my Etsy shop (Christmas gifts, I assume), so I'm feeling overwhelmed there, but it's also a great feeling. It was wonderful working on those orders in the sunlight of my home with my two fur-babies. 

Gilligan always has to be near me - even to help me make magnets!

At least Stormy stays away and lounges in the window... in awkward positions.

On Saturday, I drove over an hour away all by myself to see a movie that was out on limited release. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is one of my favorite books, so I headed to a suburb of Denver to see it, and it was INCREDIBLE. Seriously, guys. IT is definitely the best book-to-movie adaptation EVER. Read the book. Go see the movie. Just do it. 

After the movie, I headed to Denver International Airport to pick up Dan. He had been in California at Edwards AFB for one of his classes, and he had a BLAST out there! We stayed in a hotel in Denver that night and headed to Winter Park to hit the slopes with a friend all day Sunday. Skiing was amazing, and the mountains were beautiful, as always.

I had to work on Monday and Tuesday, which is unusual for Thanksgiving week, but it was fun because Dan came in and did physics experiments with my students during their science class, and I got to help out with that. They had a BLAST and paid SUCH good attention to him. It was incredible. I took a ton of pictures, but I can't show their faces, so I'll leave you with this one of three of my rowdy boys completely engaged with what Dan was telling them.

On Tuesday, as soon as school was out, we left to head to Missouri to see my family in Kansas City for the holidays. We always take the cats with us when we drive, but we normally drive all the way through at once. This time, we couldn't leave until close to 5:00PM, so we had to stop in a hotel for the night. Because of this, Gilligan and Stormy got to stay in a hotel room for the very first time. They were skeptical, but I don't think they minded it too much. 

We spent Wednesday and Thursday hanging out with and talking to my family. Thanksgiving was fun, and we are hanging out with some friends tonight. Having five days away from work is nice, but I am ready (already) to get back into my routine. I'm such a creature of habit. Winter break will definitely throw me off this year, as it is two weeks long, and we will be flying to two different places during it. 

Stormy hid from us, of course, but Happy Thanksgiving from us to you.