Hurry Up and Wait!

I am going to start this blog off by saying how much I truly appreciate the military. Just in case by the end of this post you think otherwise, I really do. This week has been a long week of waiting for us. Now that Brian had gotten his RIP, we were waiting for him to get his official orders so we could schedule anything for our move. Our last day in Columbus was to be Friday, Feb 5 since he has to report on Monday, the 8th. Everywhere we would try to call to schedule things or do anything for our move they would say, I'm sorry we can't help you until you have your orders. Well, we may not have our official orders in our hands but we know exactly when we're moving and it's in a week! UGHH!! Talk about frustrating. I had checklists I had gotten from the Airman and Family Readiness Center on tips for having a smooth PCS (permanent change of station, basically a move) and some of the things we needed to do like schedule the moving company they suggested doing 2-3 months before your move. Well it was coming up Thursday (the 28th) and Brian still didn't have his orders. A WEEK BEFORE WE ARE SUPPOSED TO MOVE! So I was trying to stay calm, but it was getting a little ridiculous! We try getting out of lease at our apartment. We have a military clause, so no problems, right? No, they need a 30 day notice. That would've been great to have had a 30 day notice ourselves! It was just that kind of a week for us. Finally, Brian got his orders on Friday the 29th. The first thing he did was go to the TMO (moving people) office to schedule the move. The lady said ohh you're cutting it really close, I don't think we can schedule movers that soon. Like we had a choice lady! :) She said we would find out Monday when the movers could come this week. So as of right now, we are planning to be out of Columbus by Friday the 5th but things may change, at least for me, if they can't move our things before Brian has to report. Also, we have to check out of our apartment with it completely empty. I pray that they are able to figure something out and we are able to leave together! In the meantime, since we are doing a partial dity (move some of the stuff yourself) we are packing up the things we want to move and cleaning our apartment up! Sorry for my rant, it's just been a frustrating week! We've also been saying goodbye to the fellow classmates that are leaving. So it's been a bittersweet week. We're excited to leave, but sad to say goodbye to the people that have been family for the last year. I am happy to report that baby and I are doing well! He's moving and growing a lot, as am I! Brian hasn't had much to do the past week without his orders, so we've been spending lots of time together which has been great. We are anxiously looking for homes and looking at things to do in the Omaha area and are very excited to move!! Here are some pics from the past week or so, out of order:

The side picture at 27.5 weeks

27.5 weeks after a day of packing!

27.5 weeks

26.5 weeks

26.5 weeks

Rascal turns 4!!! My little boy is getting so old! :) He had a fun day of snuggling, playing ball, opening presents and getting ice cream with a candle in his bowl while he was sung Happy Birthday to! I don't get why people think he's spoiled?! :)

Lt. Ross is a pilot!

It's official: Brian is a pilot!! We had a wonderful day with family and friends this past Friday. Brian's grandfather Alan, aunt Judy, mother Alane, father Jim, father-in-law Darrell, and family friend Dean were all in attendance for the big day! And me of course! :) It was a busy day starting off with a formal breakfast and a briefing about Columbus AFB and pilot training by the Vice Commander Col. George Ross (no relation!) Then we headed over to the auditorium for the graduation ceremony where he was presented his first pair of wings. Then we had the breaking of the wings which is an Air Force tradition that the first pair of wings the pilot receives, he must break into two halves for good luck. The first half stays with him and the other half goes to a family member. He gave his other half to his grandfather Alan. It was funny because they all try and break the wings at the same time and poor Brian was the last one! After that I pinned on his first pair of wings that he's allowed to keep on, and boy those things were shiny! Then we had red carpet day at the squadron where everyone got to see his flight room and instructor pilots. Then we got to go see the planes up close and go in them! After that, was the simulators. Then it was nap time! And finally, we had a formal banquet where everyone dressed up, ate good food, and ended the day. The class had a slideshow of the past year together and Rascal is happy to report he made it into 3 slides! :) So it was a very busy, but very good day! It was emotional for me, not only because I have all those pregnancy hormones, but because I am just so proud of him. It was such a hard year. There were times when I know he wanted to just throw in the towel and say this isn't for me, but he persevered and he did it! It wasn't the easiest year to have as our first year of marriage but I know that we came out with an even stronger bond and love and respect for each other and it was all so worth it! Now on to next chapter of our lives, Nebraska and the RC-135! Here are some pictures from our busy day:

Brian walking in to the ceremony

Brian receiving his wings from Col. Ross

Trying to break his first pair of wings!

Brian and I after the ceremony

Brian and I after pinning on his wings
The whole group!
The class of 10-04 with their wings

In his flight room, Brian with his pilot rating!

The T-1: Brian's office for the last 6 months

My dad flying the simulator with Brian and Dean watching

Brian and I before the graduation banquet

Brian with his mom and dad

His whole class all dressed up with some of their instructor pilots

Saying goodbye to Mississippi a little sooner than we thought!

Here's just a quick update. Brian got his RIP which is like his pre-orders. He will get his official orders in a few days. They are as follows:
8 Feb:Report to Offutt AFB
8 March:Start RC-135 training
26 July: RC-135 graduation
2 August-2 Sept : SERE (survival training), Advanced Survival, and Water Survival

After that, we will see! So we are set to move from Columbus on Feb 5 which is only 2 weeks away! We are trying to get everything figured out and will live in temporary housing on base in Offutt until we find a house. Today we have family coming for Brian's graduation and it's 77 degrees and sunny which is unreal for January! Brian graduates tomorrow and I will have pictures up soon! Take care!

Still Waiting....

We are still waiting for our orders. Brian has the day off today due to Martin Luther King Day, so hopefully tomorrow we will find out when everything will be happening! In the meantime we are getting ready for family to be here this week for Brian's graduation. I am so proud of him and so happy that this day is almost here! I will update as soon as we get our orders. Have a good Monday!

RC-135s to Offutt AFB!!

Assignment night is done and we finally know where we are going!! Brian got his second choice, RC-135s to Offutt AFB in Bellevue, Nebraska. It is right outside of Omaha and I am happy to report they have several Targets, Dairy Queens, malls and restaurants to choose from!! We couldn't be more thrilled to be moving closer to home and having Brian fly this exciting aircraft. It does a lot of spy missions and not much that I am allowed to know about! We know absolutely nothing about when we are going, exactly what model he'll be flying, his dates of training, or what life will hold for us in the next few months! We should find out our orders(when we're moving, his training dates, etc) in the next week or two and hopefully we will be moving soon! I would like to be the least pregnant I can be when moving. We know that Brian has to go to survival training and an advanced form of survival training due to the nature of missions this plane flies. We pray that it won't be during the time that the baby is due, but with the Air Force you never know! We will keep everyone posted on what will be going on. In the meantime we have heard rumors that since this is the only base for the RC-135, we may be there awhile. Well, at least awhile in the Air Force world, possibly 4-8 years. We are looking to possibly buy or rent a house, we will see! We had a great time with our class last night and are so excited for everyone! No one in our class is coming with us, but we know that the Air Force is a small world and we will see them again! :) Here are some pictures from our night:


The RC-135 (same size as a 707)


Brian's class patch. He is class 10-04 (4th class of fiscal year 2010)

Brian's slide. They roasted him about loving his phone the Droid so much!


Brian standing up receiving his roast and his assignment, Droid in hand!


Class 10-04 spouses/girlfriends/fiances


Brian and I at the end of assignment night

Everyone in his class and their assignments (ANG means Air Nat'l Guard and AFRC is Air Force Reserve, they both know their assignments prior to pilot training)

Had to sneak in a little belly pic! 24.5 weeks!

Hello 2010!

We are back! We had a great Christmas and New Years and hope that everyone else did too! It was great to be home in Minnesota and see friends, but I have to admit the snow, ice, and cold got pretty old! You would think I had grown up in the south based on how I can't handle the cold anymore. We had pretty bad weather while we were there though. We left Mississippi on the 22nd and drove straight through to avoid the blizzard. When we got to Minnesota it snowed all day on the 23rd, 24th, and 25th. Then it turned to freezing rain, and then it just got super cold! It was -26 air temp when we left on the 3rd.

We spent Christmas Eve with my family and Christmas Day with Brian's family and it was great! We spent a lot of time with friends and family and eating the foods we can't get here in Mississippi. On New Year's Eve we celebrated with some friends from high school. I celebrated with a few glasses of sparkling grape juice! :) New Year's Day we had a lovely co-ed baby shower thrown by my parents and some friends. We got a ton of great stuff. We are so lucky to have such great friends and family! Our trip went by so fast but we had a blast and can't believe it's already 2010! This Friday we are eagerly awaiting to hear where we will be going and what plane Brian will be flying next! Our top choice is the KC-10 to Travis AFB (CA) but honestly anything in our top 10 would be great! I will keep everyone posted on what we get!

I've been feeling good. The 16 car ride took me some time to recover from and the constant activity while we were home made me tired but I had a blast. I am now 24 weeks along and my bump is definitely growing. The baby moves constantly and while we were home Brian felt him kick! He's felt him kick a few more times now and I think now he actually believes there's a baby in there! :) I think we may have a little athlete! I just pray that the rest of the pregnancy goes well and I think before we know it, he'll be here! I will post some more pregnancy pics soon. Thanks everyone for their support and love! Here are a few pics from our trip:

Brian, Rascal, and I at our Christmas


Rascal opening one of his many presents!

Brian and I on New Years

Friends Lynsey, Lauren, and I on New Years

Some of the guys doing bottle chugging races at the shower

Brian and I at the shower!