Family Photos in Panama City, FL - 2018

For my birthday this year, all I asked for was a family photo session. We had been having an incredibly difficult year (as Dan was so busy with B Course, and I was adjusting to running the house with TWO kids in a new place where we didn't know many people - and no one else with kids). It was just plain rough.

But our kids were growing so quickly, and I wanted to capture them at their adorable ages AND have photos as proof that we made it through our toughest season yet! We will always have these to look back on, and I am so grateful.

I'm also glad I chose to have the photo session on base. We had these taken at the bay (because Annabelle was scared of the big, nice beach on base) at Tyndall Air Force Base a month before Hurricane Michael completely destroyed the entire area.

It was almost bedtime, so the girls weren't too happy, but we did get some great shots that I am so happy with. Josephine mostly wanted to eat sand, and we were all covered in it by the end of the session. But we are SO glad we had these photos taken, and we ordered a few in large canvases to hang in our living room.

Do you take family photos every year or for certain occasions? I love the idea of yearly family photos to track how the kiddos grow!

Dan's F-22 Raptor B Course Graduation

Hey there! Remember me?! If not... I don't blame you. It has been MONTHS. What can I say? Life has been extremely busy. A lot has happened since I last blogged in May... including surviving two of Dan's TDYs, his B Course graduation, a trip to Orlando, moving across the county, a Space A trip to San Diego, both girls' birthdays, and buying a house. Phew.

Anyway, I'm here today to chat about Dan's F-22 Raptor B Course graduation way back at the end of August. If you remember, he started B Course in January of this year. It was a nine month training course with a short TDY to Atlanta for the Lockheed Martin SIMS, a two week TDY to Savannah to fly with a bunch of other jets, and SO much craziness. This was undoubtedly the toughest nine months of our life together so far.

Dan pulled a LOT of 12 hours days. A lot. There were many days each week that Dan would leave before the girls woke up in the morning and would get home after they went to bed. It was so difficult when they (especially Annabelle) just wanted to see him... but somehow, we made it through! (But not without a lot of tears from the toddler... and me.)

There were a few hooked flights. There were lots of maintenance issues and jet availability issues. There were SO many weather issues. BUT, despite it all, my stud of a husband completed the B Course and is officially an F-22 Raptor pilot in the world's greatest Air Force! (But I'll be so happy to never go through this season of life again. Ha!)


Out of the 14 pilots in Dan's class, a whopping 13 of them had a spouse or significant other! These ladies GOT ME THROUGH. I seriously don't think I would have made it to the other side in one piece without the help of them. I am SO happy that many of us are still together at Langley - six of us, to be exact! (And soon to be seven, now that another is coming up from the squadron at Tyndall!)

This is what I got Dan for his graduation. It's a hand painted Raptor on a sectional chart of Tyndall AFB. I got him the same thing with a T-6 and a T-38 on the Sheppard AFB sectional chart for his ENJJPT graduation, so I wanted this to match it for his "I Love Me" room. If you're married to a pilot, you know the room I'm talking about.

Now that I'm back, I'll be back MUCH sooner than last time with a new post! I have four more to write about immediately to catch up before the year is over. See ya soon!

B Course Half Way Update

I can't believe B Course is already about half way over. It seems like we just arrived in Florida, and now we *might* be getting ready to move again! We should find out around the end of this month (I'll believe it when I see it - ha!) if we are staying here at Tyndall AFB or moving to Langley AFB in Virginia, Hickam AFB in Hawaii, or Elmendorf AFB in Alaska.

Dan started B Course at the beginning of January, and he will graduate toward the end of August. He is really enjoying flying, but it is an exremely heavy workload. He is gone ALL DAY most days. If he flies in the afternoon, he isn't home until at least 7:00 but usually more like 8:00 or 8:30.

If he isn't flying, he's doing simulators or in class. He is ALWAYS busy. It's a good busy for him, but the girls and I wish he had a bit more time at home.

We love watching him from the front yard. If we know when he's taking off, we go outside and watch, and it is just really awesome knowing it's him up there! (See video at the end of this post for the view we have all the time!)

Dan has been able to take off with the afterburner a few times and always comes home so excited telling me about how amazing that is. He's also been able to refuel mid-air several times. To do that, they hook up with a KC-135 tanker. I'm hoping someday I'll be able to go on a spouse flight on the tanker and watch him refuel. Some squadrons do that, and I have my fingers crossed!

Time is flying by. I know how badly Dan wants to finish B Course and be a part of the "real" Air Force finally - he'll be deployable soon after, and with the way things are currently going in a certain part of the world, that makes me pretty uneasy... but it's what he's been training to do for what feels like forever!

Here's how cool his job is - and it's great being able to watch!



Do you have any questions about pilot wife life? Or B Course? In general? I'd be happy to answer - just drop me a comment or send me an email!

First Flight in the F-22 Raptor!

On Thursday, February 22nd, 2018, Dan got to take the F-22 Raptor up in the air for the very first time! If you want to skip all the chatter, be sure to watch the one minute video of him taking off... it's at the very end of this post!

All flights are solo since it's a single seat jet, and let's just say I was terrified out of my mind. A friend took me up to the tower at Tyndall AFB (another pilot in Dan's class) so I could watch him take off, so luckily he was able to explain everything to me as it was happening.

As nervous as I was (and still am every day that he flies), I know he was more than prepared for this after all the simulated flights he's "flown" from the ground.

He had a blast and did well! He has since conquered a few phases of B Course and even refueled in the air with a tanker! So cool!

This is probably the neatest photo we have together - I'm obvious... but my stud of a husband is in that jet taxiing behind me! SO COOL.

Since it's been a while since I've given an Air Force life update, I'll write a separate post about that soon. It's hard to believe he's already about half way through B Course! 

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!)

2017: A Year in Review

2017 was a year we knew would be exciting... but we didn't bet on SO MUCH excitement!

We were able to travel a few times - to San Antonio for Dan's centrifuge training, to Dallas / Ft. Worth for a long weekend, and to Kansas City, MO for a week and a half! We didn't take any huge trips, but that's okay. Sometimes, less is more.

We celebrated eight years together as a couple and Dan flying (and completing) the T-38 at pilot training. We shockingly found out we were pregnant with Baby Cookie 2.0 (a total surprise!) and celebrated our third wedding anniversary.

The biggest event of the summer was drop night - finally finding out that Dan will be flying to F-22 Raptor for the world's greatest Air Force! He graduated from pilot training later than month, and Annabelle took swim lessons and went to her first movie in a theater (to see Trolls) - fun times!

Shortly after, we found out Baby Cookie 2.0 was another girl - yay! We celebrated Annabelle's second birthday in September, Dan's start and finish of IFF (Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals), had maternity photos taken in early November, and welcomed tiny Josephine in late November!

And our last major event for the year? Moving across the country! The Air Force sent us to Tyndall AFB in Panama City, FL, where we'll be for about 10 months.

I hope everyone else had a great 2017 as well. Cheers to 2018!