Shorter than expected

This title applies to both the winter season here as well as our run in pilot training.  Unfortunately, Matt was eliminated from the program last week due to persistent difficulties maintaining situational awareness in flight.  It was a bit of a shock, as we always expected his impressive log of Barany chair spins would back him up and earn him a second chance, if things ever came to this.  However, safety trumped effort in this case and now we await Matt's reclassification into a new career field (we expect to find out in late April/early May).  His #1 pick is OSI (Office of Special Investigations), although we both wonder if the AF will pass on the opportunity to place a strong math major in a technical job (such as Operations Research--his original assignment, back in ROTC, prior to being picked up for a pilot slot).  Tomorrow we are going to see the rest of his class at their Track Select ceremony, where they will be routed to T-38's (fighters), T-1's (personal jets, training for cargo and RPAs), and helicopters.  That will be difficult to see, since Matt was so close, but we are happy his friends managed to complete the T-6 program, as it is very grueling, and in all, only 19 of the original 25 officers in his flight are moving on to the next phase.

I decided to share some fun and lighter pictures showcasing something else around here that was shorter than expected...winter!!  The pix that follow are from our 1 day of snow this year.  Not even enough for sledding, but we did get a snow day off from work and school--and there was plenty for snow angels and snowmen!  :O)

Rolling snowballs...

Playing with one of their besties...

Carrot nose/snack break!

Angels

Warming up after some wintery fun

Now...it is late March, and tanning/burning weather already!!

Time flies

Well, needless to say I have taken a LOOOOONG blogging hiatus.  I love keeping this site current, however huge busy-ness took over for a bit.  For starters, in early February, I was *finally* approved (applied in August) to sit for the NCLEX-PN.  Having been waiting to test for months (and feeling slightly desperate to obtain my LPN license before all my nursing school friends sit for their RN, to prevent massive jealousy, lol), I signed up for the earliest date available (about 3 weeks from my approval date).  But, also, having waited for months--totally unsure if I would ever be approved--I had somewhat burned out on studying.  So pretty much every free minute I had during the first half of February was spent cramming...and when I wasn't focusing on the NCLEX, I felt like I *should* be focusing on it, which rendered my efforts elsewhere (blogging, housecleaning, etc.) somewhat useless.  (Except my efforts in Girl Scouts...I have only grown more obsessive there, lol.  It seriously is possibly the best journey I've embarked on with my girls.)

Anyway, I am thrilled to say I am now a Licensed Practical Nurse, which also allowed for a step-up in my off-base clinic work--one that came with a pay increase large enough to now keep me from going into the negative if I ever need to employ an hourly sitter for work!!  I feel so grown-up now, lol.  After obtaining my license, the plan was to work and do an accelerated or online RN-bridge program.  However, I was hard-pressed to find a decent one.  Most of the in-person ones require a year of work experience, and all of the online ones I came across were not recognized as license-able curriculums in Oklahoma (and many other states).  Fortunately, when we first learned of our military transfer to Enid, I applied to the BSN program here as a transfer student and was accepted.  However, I was not in love with the clinical schedule (some rotations have a 90-minute commute since Enid is such an isolated location).  I met with the program dean last month, who informed me she would gladly reactivate my acceptance, and, by finishing my junior year in Edmond, I had knocked out most of my huge-commute rotations (saving a three-week stint of 1-2 days/week in mid-fall).  Having been through everything else these past few months, that no longer sounded very intimidating and I definitely feel up for it.  I have to take a couple online courses during the summer (which I don't mind at all) and then repeat 2 courses in the fall (Psych--because my old school's program was not enough credit hours, and Research--because they want all seniors to do the project tighter), but I can definitely handle that.  Plus, I LOVED Research and can certainly stand to brush up my mental health nursing skills a bit.  Particularly if I am accepted into the scholarship/commissioning program I recently applied for through the Public Health Service, which involves an externship as a nurse for the Bureau of Prisons.

My oldest also turned 6 in February, so we enjoyed a family celebration and a rock-star makeover celebration with friends.  We also just wrapped up Girl Scout cookie season--what an experience, particularly as a leader!  And we gained a new family member from the pound (a white terrier mix named Butters).  He is an absolute sweetheart and great with both other dogs and kids (including non-family-member kids!)--which is a breath of fresh air after living with Tunia for 7 years.  We adore Tunia, but it is so nice to have an animal that kids can actually pet when they come over, and a dog who enjoys the dog park.  Butters and Tunia are quite the pair as well.  The girls like to pretend Tunia is Butters' mommy...which makes for some interesting converstations, since, despite this supposed maternal bond, Tunia is still very food-possessive and barks or gently nips at Butters if he goes near her when she's eating.  This prompted my oldest to ask, "Mom, why is Petunia trying to eat her baby?!"  Love the things these girls say!!  :O)

The biggest thing going on right now, of course, is Matt's training.  His flight is scheduled to track-select (split amongst helicopters, T-38s [fighters] , and T-1s [cargo/UAV pilots]) at the end of this month, and two weeks ago he was starting his final dozen flights.  He breezed through the instrument (non-flying) section of the syllabus, but during this portion of the training, the students accrue zero flying hours.  From there, Matt went right into formation (flying aerial patterns coordinated with another student pilot).  This is arguably the most challenging part of the T-6 curriculum, as it assumes a solid grasp on prior pattern-work, aircraft safety, and difficult new skills that require great situational awareness and flexibility as you are working with and close to another plane.  Matt battled motion sickness his first day back flying, and then flight problems (combination of forgetting earlier work he believed was habit by this time and lack of situational awareness).  For as long as I have known Matt, he has been an *extremely* focused individual.  He tends to focus on one thing at a time and tune out all other stimuli.  There were many times in our 9 1/2 years together where I have thought he was intentionally ignoring me or choosing not to pay attention.  However, after seeing him struggle with these same problems during pilot training, he has definitely earned himself a little more credibility.  :O)  He has a strong tendency toward focusing on one aspect of the flight, without scanning to take everything in.  Understandably, this has resulted in some major safety violations, and unfortunately he must meet with the Ops Group Commander and the Wing Commander next week for an interview/evaluation that will determine if he can remain in training or will need to be reclassified into a different career field (the latter is not uncommon, this tends to occur at least once per class, and Matt's class has already lost 3 students--two who chose to drop and apply for reclassification, and one who failed out academically).  He has been out of the flight room for the past week, working mostly at base details, volunteering (today he is working at the special Olympics), and preparing for his review--while also staying as up-to-date as possible on his class syllabus, for an easier transition back to training if he is reinstated.

So, we've had a lot going on.  Mostly good, but this past week has been rough, particularly on Matt.  We know some guys who have been through this process and the uncertainty and disappointment take a lot of strength and prayer to overcome.  I am really impressed with how Matt has handled this situation so far and we are really trying to just give the problem up to God.  He has certainly guided us through many obstacles en route to Matt's commission in the first place and we are optimistic to see what route He has in store for our family.

XC v. Super Bowl XLVI

Matt will have some competing interests the weekend of February 4^th-5^th.  After passing his check ride last week, Matt is cleared for his first Cross Country flight…and it is scheduled for Super Bowl weekend…and the Giants are playing, to boot!  The first round of XC flights in Matt’s class took off and safely returned last weekend and now it is Matt’s turn, along with some other guys.  This is a very exciting milestone for them and the IPs usually pick somewhere fun (though hopefully not too fun…as Panama City “gentlemen’s clubs” are apparently very popular hotspots, complete with their typical $300 tab…I am *so* grateful to be married to a pilot trainee who has 1) most of his wild days out of his system and 2) was never really all that wild to begin with).  It still blows my mind that it is not shockingly uncommon to see an airman (both officer or enlisted, more typically the younger folks who have their first real taste of freedom/independence from their parents in the Air Force), who has managed to throw away his/her entire career in one weekend of poor choices.  Anyway, this is not really about that.

Matt is very excited about his XC and also hoping he has an early-sleeper and early-riser IP who will be interested in making it back in time for the Super Bowl.  The guys leave on Friday afternoon for their flight and return 2 days later.  I can’t imagine him flying with someone who isn’t interested in watching the game…even if “your team” isn’t playing, most folks still seem to want to watch it…even I sometimes do, lol.  Matt is learning instrument flying now (flying without sight, relying on controls, gauges, etc., only—essential skills for flying in poor weather) and spending a lot of time in the simulator.  It should be a nice break for him in terms of motion sickness and a real opportunity to shine and catch up with his peers in terms of flying skills. 

He has passed 2/3 solos (he only has 3 during his entire training…T-1s, which start in March, don’t have solo flights as part of the syllabus).  And all he has left on that list is a formation flight (he will fly 10”-6’ away from another student/IP).  That is probably the one that will be most nerve-wracking for me.  The pace of training here never ceases to amaze me!

Exciting times

Two great things today:

1) I found a gluten-free pasta that everyone in our family loves (we are *not* fans of the corn-based packaged products the commissary stocks): homemade gnocchi!

2) Matt passed his check ride!!  Woo hoo!!  He actually got a "good" overall, which is even better than he needs to pass!  We were really hardcore with diet, spinning, and relaxing for him last night and in the morning, and I am so happy that it paid off.  Tomorrow he may be flying his first mission across state lines...to Wichita, KS (about 2h away by car).  Cross countries flights are coming up soon too!  What a change in our feelings and confidence about training, almost day-to-day, lol.

Party city

In the past two weeks, the girls have been to 4 birthday parties--quite a few considering they've only had one other one since we moved here in August!

Venues have included Chuck E. Cheese (~1hr 45min drive from where we live), Leonardo’s Discover Warehouse, and Skatetown).  We have long been fans of Chuck’s (and have even made the drive just for a day trip) and are members here at Leonardo’s.  

Leonardo's pics (in this toasty winter weather we've been having...):

 

The Skatetown party provided a great opportunity to check out somewhere new—and we will surely be going back.  I 100% did not think my 5 and 3 yr old daughters could hold their own at a roller rink, but, well-equipped with their Christmas skates and safety gear, they took to the floor like fearless adventurers.  My 5 yr old was already trying jumps and backward moves, and both participated in the limbo and hokey pokey.  Neither is a fan of falls…which are sort of inevitable when you are learning to skate.  However, the difference between falling on scratchy concrete v. the smooth roller rink floor is amazing.  Without a scratch or bleed to prove it, as far as they are concerned, the fall did not hurt.  :OD

 

I even got out on the floor with them (on skates) and had such as good time that I am going back with the girls on my Biggest Loser team one of these weekends for a group workout.  Hoping to get a little skating in by myself and then have Matt and the kiddos join us for the 2^nd hour.  Saturday mornings there is a beginner session (I am definitely a beginner!) from 10am-noon that features a free lesson for the young ones, and calmer skating in general.  Very excited!  :OD

The slew of parties has also gotten each girl thinking of how to plan their own.  My oldest’s is next month and she wants an all-girl rockstar makeover party with a music-themed/shaped cake, Chic-fil-A lunch spread, and stuffed guitar pillow party favors for attendees.  She is incredibly specific.  :O)

The new year has also given me a better handle on Daisy Scout happenings and I am so loving Girl Scouts.  I cannot think of a more well-rounded, community, peer, and family-oriented activity for girls to be involved with.  A snapshot of our activities these next two months: field trip to the fire station (as part of our Gerri petal "Respect for Authority"), cooking cultural food while modeling traditional clothing from and teaching about Indonesia for Thinking Day (each Troop in the Council selects a country...we are going with Indonesia since one of our girls was adopted from there), crafting with residents at a local nursing home, participating in the service at our local church for Girl Scout Sunday, and of course some tasty cookie activities to boot!

I have been blessed with a great co-leader whose daughter my two adore.  Here the girls are crafting/baking with [edible] Press Dough (homemade cookie dough they can shape using a ton of accessories they received for Christmas) while us adults plan out the next couple of meetings & outings.

Some great globs of dough colors to work with:

The finished products (post-baking).  They held their shape super-well!

The girls enjoying their treats:

Since this is in theory a pilot training blog, I guess I should update a little on Matt's training.  We've kind of been in a holding pattern due to his motion sickness, so there hasn't been much to report.  After throwing up 4xs his first flight back after break, he had a successful flight, followed by a successful solo, and two days of double turns (back-to-back flights, including solos).  Things were going great and he was one ride away for his final check ride of the unit...when he started throwing up again.  I suppose I am partly to blame for this last bout of motion sickness.  One habit Matt has taken up since pilot training started...and one which I may be partly to blame for modeling so wonderfully for him these past 9 years...is stress eating.  Basically when he is nervous, anything (besides gluten) is fair game.  After his last check ride, and after being the only one in his flight to hook a check ride (something he has been relentlessly hard on himself about, unfortunately, despite my efforts to assure him that no one in his class could mind and they all know he is giving it his best--seriously, despite his struggles with motion sickness and busy family life on top of training, he consistently takes time out to help and study with classmates struggling with academics--which is the area he is strongest in).  Anyway, since he was flying early in the day, I planned a pre-flight snack of rice (following BRAT diet guidelines) and a post-meal lunch of rice--with shrimp an veggies in a peanut butter sauce.  Well...guess who stress-ate the whole thing right before his flight?  So guess what is his lunch for tomorrow (despite a very early check ride)?  One tupperware of rice and fat free hot dogs (his go-to meal) and another containing a large salad with some steak on top.  No one I know stress eats salad, lol, even though we'd all be a lot better off if we did!  Here's to a great flight tomorrow!

& to close...a cute picture of Tunia in a holiday sweater...that it has been too warm for her to wear out on her walks lately!

Ringing in 2012: Bricktown adventure

For NYE we traveled to OKC for the day to have some fun with the kids, repair Matt’s guitar, and pick up some crab for New Year’s dinner the next evening.  It was great returning to our old stomping grounds and we had a fun-filled day of lunch with friends, botanical and children’s gardens in Bricktown, and a trip to the mall.  What seems like such a busy day now was a fairly normal weekend for us back in the day.  It is sooo nice to be more laid back now and to see the kids better able to enjoy time at home and with the family as opposed to always having something scheduled or official to do.  When Matt and I first met (in northern Japan), we never really took advantage of the travel and cultural opportunities our surroundings offered us.  I don’t think we really started maximizing our surroundings until about 1/2way through our tour at Travis AFB, where our oldest daughter was born.  Now I have the tendency to want to experience everything everywhere we go (a pursuit that makes our moves so much easier and more exciting), but something has to be said for pacing ourselves.  Particularly with Matt’s schedule nowadays and with me working, we have become more homebodies, but I am still hoping to get in a weekend in Tulsa and in Wichita before our tour here is up.  Also high on  my list: Hot Springs, Arkansas.  This was supposed to be a major highlight of our road trip move from TN to OK back in 2009, but most of the fun was cut out of that trip when our car broke down 3 hours into it.

Now that that tangent is out of the way, here are some highlights of our weekend OKC trip:

Since our last trip to the Myriad Botanical Gardens, a gorgeous and exercise-friendly children’s garden was added.  Much more fun, creative, and educational than the standard playground—and we probably spent a good 90 minutes playing there.  It was also great to see that there since normally we spend a lot longer in the Botanical Gardens crystal walk around this time of year—as in the past it has been decorated to look like a storybook wonderland.  This year, the decorations were limited to lights and some attractions around the exits (a sleigh for posing for pix, etc.)--however, it was still gorgeous--and the children’s garden more than made up for it in terms of activity level for the kids!

Botanical Gardens:

Children's Garden:

Picked up these cute shoes from the Disney store.  My youngest loooves princess-style shoes that are durable and comfortable enough for regular wear.  These were on clearance, but one size too big (plus the slip-ons never stay put on her chubby little toes).  We went ahead and bought them.  When I got home, I took pink Velcro straps off of one of her old pairs of sneakers and sewed them onto these.  Now they fit and stay on like a charm…although now I think I like them even more than she does, lol.

 

New Year’s dinner surf ‘n turf spread:

 

We did a second trip to OKC this Monday (just me and the girls) for their best bud’s 5^th birthday party—at Chuck E Cheese!  What a blast!  We hadn’t been to this particular Chuck’s in about  years and they had a lot of great new attractions (like a carousel-themed rocking horse ride that both girls adored). 

 

The birthday girl in the ticket grabber fan thing…made out pretty well for herself—over 500 tix earned!

Back in the saddle

Well, the holiday break is over, Matt is back in training, and the girls are back in school.  The girls eased right back into their routine—with 1 birthday party each to look forward to this weekend--and are excited about swim lessons at the Y resuming next week.  Matt has his first flight since the >2wk long hiatus on Tuesday…and I wish I could say overcoming motionsickness has been like riding a bike (in that once you have it down, you have it down), but that has not proven to be the case.  Despite spinning religiously over break—and even turning down the opportunity to roadtrip again to New Orleans to keep up our Barany chair routine, and despite a rigorous professional spin on Monday, Matt still threw up a whopping 4 times yesterday afternoon.  To cap it off, he is battling a cold, which is affecting his sleep.  He went to see the flight doc about that and his motion sickness (every time you throw up or report motion sickness during flight, you have to be cleared by the flight doc in order to proceed with training).  He was prescribed some Mucinex and grounded from flying until Monday (there are very few meds you can fly while taking d/t side effects).  Because he needs to fly every day to keep motion sickness at bay, it will in all likelihood be a lot of spinning this weekend, but then square one again on Monday. 

In my opinion, they way the training routine operates certainly does not help matters anyway.  Matt is slightly behind in academics (but still over a month ahead of syllabus) due to the bout of rough flights he experienced prior to the break.  You are not cleared for the next block of academics until you pass your check ride for the previous block, so he has some catching up to do.  Academic classes are held in the morning, which means for the foreseeable future, all his flights are in the afternoon, which is a far worse time to be flying, simply because he has eaten more.  When he can hop right out of bed, grab oatmeal w/flaxseed and a banana, and head off to his plane, results are muuuuch better.  It makes the cycle more difficult to beat.  And another thing that makes me extremely anxious about the program is how easy (in my opinion) it is to regain solo-flight status after a long bout of rough flights.  Of his past 10 flights, Matt has encountered problems with motion sickness or disorientation on 7 of them, resulting in “hooks”.  No matter how many he hooks, as soon as he passes 2 in a row, he will be qualified for his aerial solo.  He has assured me that when this time comes, he will play it extremely safe and do the minimal required in terms of maneuvers, so as not to pull too many Gs, etc. (increase susceptibility to motion sickness), but it still makes me nervous.  This is not the first time I have felt like the program may move too quickly for the new guys (those entering training with zero hours), but I am one of those wives/moms who always worries about everything and Vance does have excellent safety and success stats to back up its judgment.

Well, here’s hoping for the best and for Matt to have some pleasant flights next week.  :OD