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!