PAUSE: Christmas Break

I interupt our regularly scheduled very behind posting for something current and still somewhat relavent in my life. You're welcome. Lower your expectations. It may never happen again... and honestly, I wrote most of this last week.  HA!  so not THAT current.

The last chapter of the book we've been reading for our bible study group was on REST.  It has had me mulling over what rest looks like to me.  It's sort of funny since most of you know I pretty much never sleep well.  I'm thinking that needs to be resolved soon.

Rest looks different for everyone. Here at UPT is no exception and Christmas break at UPT is even more interesting.  The program is intense and it is stressful for both the students and their families. We chose to stay home. We chose to host not visitors and to simply cherish the moments we have away from pilot training, formal release and endless studying. For me, rest looks a lot like work. What you may not see from the outside looking in is the mental relief. I'm not working until midnight. There is no school, meetings, agendas. As an outgoing-introvert, there is even relief in the fact that there was a mass exodus from the base for the holiday. Less people. Less  noise. Less eyes. We deep cleaned, reset, refreshed and recomposed ourselves for the long haul. UPT is not a sprint, it's a marathon. ( I lied... it's a sprinting marathon.) As a spouse with young children and a business, each and every day feels like a marathon for me too!  Every day the list of people whose needs I didn't meet feels longer. There are days where I'm short and impatient with the kids and even days where I resent the pilot training processes all together but here's the kicker.....  SOOOOOO many days we laugh, love and make memories. So many days, we do something for someone to show we love them deeply, even if it's the smallest of things.   The memories we've made here are ones that we'll remember forever along with the deeply cherished framily we've created. It's worth it. Anything worth doing is never easy. The day will come when we will shed tears for how much we miss this time and place. That is a gift. We cling to that.

Part One: The PCS (From Hell)

The fact that it’s November and I haven’t written since February is testament to how crazy it has been.   I went back and read through my old posts and it reminded me how important it is. I don’t want to forget. I want to be able to look back on this time and remember how it felt to be in this moment.  I’m constantly explaining that life feels like a runaway train right now.

 Let me catch y’all up (yes, I say Y’ALL now. Don’t you know I’m Southern now? Ha! #HSFL)
PS. If you are new here reading my blog please go back and read from the beginning. It’s not long but then you’ll get the disclaimer that I AM NOT A WRITER. Please forgive me in advance.
PART ONE. Our First PCS ( aka PCS from hell)
KK went away to Officers Training School in Alabama while I stayed home with the kids and prepared for a new way of life.  It was a hard time for us.  Not only was it the first-time KK has been gone for such an extended period since we had kids but also because we knew once he left for OTS he would not be returning to California.  The transition from Air National Guard to Active duty did not go smoothly. To say it was strenuous was an understatement. KK would not be paid in full for his time on the Active duty side for months. We are so very thankful to the friends and family that came along side of us during this time to meet our physical needs.
While at OTS, Kris applied for the ENJPT program in Texas.  Honestly, we both REALLY wanted to go to Texas. We both have family and wanted the support system that brings during the rigorous pilot training process.  God had other BETTER plans.  KK received last minute orders to go to Columbus ABF in Mississippi.  Armed with my power of attorney, I set up the move with the military.  They came on a Friday to start packing our belongings up, then left us in boxes for the weekend before they returned to load the Truck.  I was so blessed by The Grahams who took both my kids for 12 hours that day while the moving company packed the truck.  It was a hard day. I was exhausted from the stress of single parenting for weeks, emotionally worn by the endless good byes and standing in front of a very long journey before I could be reconnected with my husband.  That night, I slept in my clothes on a blanket in the middle of my empty house.  The next morning, I cleaned the whole house room by room with my kids AND dogs in tow, loaded my 750lbs of personal items into the car, returned my keys to the landlord and drove 5 hours to where my parents were staying in southern California on furlough. Never did a shower at midnight feel so good!  

I picked up my SAINT of a sister in law at LAX the next day.  She flew in, one way, so she could join me on this crazy excursion across the country.  I joked that she didn’t know what she was getting herself into but I know she did and loved us enough to do it anyway. Sometimes you do the hard and inconvenient for the ones you love. I will never be able to repay her for the enormous blessing she was to our family during this crazy time.
We did… 10 states (11? I don’t know… too many). Pushed through every type of weather imaginable including snow which of course I thought was ASH falling from the sky (#californiagirl   that black sky was clearly due to a huge fire nearby right?!  Never mind my frost-bitten toes in my California girl flip flops!) 

(1)California(2)Arizona(3)New Mexico(4) Texas….  This is where we broke a wheel on the freeway about an hour from our final destination. USAA couldn’t figure out where we were to send someone. Thankfully my father in law came to our rescue.  It’s the crazy story so I’ll spare you the details.   We did eventually make it to my uncle’s house in Dallas.  Again, BLESSED BEYOND MESSURE.  He allowed us to stay there using 3 of his bedrooms AND watch my dogs while we did the side trip to OTS graduation.  I cannot express enough how thankful for this. We could not have afforded a hotel or put them up in boarding since we still had yet to be paid. 

It was during our time in Texas (only about 48 hours) that my 4yr old BROKE HIS ARM.  Nothing says PCS from hell like a trip to the ER!  I’m so thankful we went to get x-rays. I was SURE he was fine but in-fact we left with a cast before heading out the next day on a plane to Georgia (5). I flew with an obscene quantity of stuff, a nursing baby and a 4yr old with a broken arm. Soo so soooo many people took pity on us and helped in various ways through the airport. I mean how fun is taking your casted kid to the airplane potty while wearing your baby!  Did you even know 3 humans could fit in such a tiny place!?!?  Now ya do.  ----SIDE NOTE: Next time you see a mom looking like she is in distress on a plane or in an airport, buy her a coffee or soda ( WINE? Ha! I wish… if you see me on a plane or in an airport -ever- PLEASE SEND WINE). And offer a warm smile! Please please please don’t shoot her a dirty look because your flight was a little noisy. I guarantee her day was worse than yours.--- We DID survive the flight to find the rental car I had booked was from the vender in TOWN and NOT AT THE AIRPORT.  Thank you to the very kind woman that discounted my new rental car to match my original rate. I know she said she’d be flagged for it, I pray she didn’t get into too much trouble.
We then drove from Atlanta to Maxwell AFB in Alabama (6). WE FINALLY GOT TO SEE MY INCREDIBLY HANSOME HUSBAND. Man, I love him in blues. We were so proud of his accomplishment. He worked so hard to get to that point. It was a whirlwind of ceremonies and dress clothes.

 After a few short days with our family altogether, KK had to go do a TDY enroute( side trip to OHIO) for another medical screening before he could report in at Columbus AFB. A very good friend drove to pick the kids and I up for a couple days in Florida (7) while we waited to reconnect with KK in Texas.  I was able to have a MUCH-needed day off at the spa. If anyone was deserving of a massage, facial and mani/pedi it was THIS GIRL.  I had survived the brunt of this crazy trip. Soon I would be with my husband to finish the journey but not before a quick jaunt over to Elglin AFB for new x-rays for my son’s arm.  We boarded, what I hoped would be the last flight I did for a while alone with kids, to meet my husband in the DFW airport. It was so nice to be picked up by my cousin home visiting from Germany.  Did I mention that while we were away at OTS graduation, the mailman HIT MY CAR and a freak HAIL storm came through?!  We did Easter with the Texas Family and off to Arkansas (8) to spend the night with my husband’s grandparents.  We treasure any chance we get to have my children love on their great grandparents.   From there we drove through Tennessee (only for about 20 minutes!--- STILL this was state 9)  and FINALLY to MISSISSIPPI (10).      

WE MADE IT.  I felt like it was The Promise Land. We had wandered in the dessert and made it through to the other side.  If only we didn’t need to spend several weeks in Temporary Housing (TLF). We nearly lost our minds in TLF.  The final night I threatened to sleep in my CAR because the TLF furniture was so uncomfortable I just couldn’t.do.one.more.night. We eventually got into a house on a base that we love, on the perfect cul-de-sac across from neighbors that have FOUR BOYS whose dad just so happened to be assigned to the same pilot training class.  

This crazy trip involved 10 states, 3 insurance claims and one long evening at the ER… BUT we survived. We made it. All together and in one piece (or relatively so).  Thank you to those who bent over backwards to meet our needs. You are what made this wild PCS possible. Thank you for choosing to love us in a real tangible way.  I pray that I never forget how important that is. To never diminish the value of meeting people’s needs even when it’s not convenient.  THAT IS WHEN THE MAGIC HAPPENS. THAT IS WHEN LIVES ARE CHANGED.

Better Late than Never

Well, I have been meaning to write and update for a while now. At first I didn't because I had no news then it was just a whirlwind ( and maybe a tinge of avoidance--- sharing your heart is not easy people!)


I'd love to share with you my thoughts and experience on the process of how one disengages with community  (whether intentional or not) prior to a  military move.  Honestly, it's kind of not an easy topic so I'm going to choose to avoid it and update you instead. I promise to come back to it after I've prayed a bit more about it.

KK's medical was approved after the last trip out to TRAVIS afb. It was a HUGE answer to prayer.  In what felt like a blink of an eye, his work was wrapped up here at the Air National Guard base. We had a chance to do an amazing good bye thing with his tight knit group from work.  I'm thankful for their love and support of KK through his crazy couple of years. It is always fun to hear that people believe in your husband just as much as you do. We love you all. Thank you.

Off he went with just a weeks notice to officer school across the country.  The kids have adjusted relatively well and much better than expected. I am always a wreck without my better half.  There have been a couple administrative obstacles to overcome and are still over coming. Hopefully soon they will have him completely inprocessed and everything worked out. 

While KK has been working hard training, the kids and I have been soooo mightily blessed by our community. This is something that God is working out in my heart. I'm not always the best at allowing others to do for me. Our needs have been met in so many ways by so  many people.  Whether it be just a simple check in on us, a meal or even help paying the bills, we have felt the love in a real tangible way. I want to thank everyone who has been and continues to pray for us, this too was felt!

Heres the big update... KK received orders to do his training this week!  As of right this moment we have plans to move to MISSISSIPPI!   The packers will be here is just about a week.  There is still one curve ball out there as KK did apply to get into a special program that would lead us to TEXAS instead. We hope to have a yay or nay on that soon. If/when that changes we will need to start the movers application process over.THIS IS A HUGE PRAYER REQUEST.  We really want to be in texas. We really are excited about this special program but also it puts us near family for this next phase of life vs in a state where we know no one.   Please take a moment and to petition on our behalf for this. The pilot program is intense and I know it would be good for all of us to have a family near by.  Along with that is the second half of this prayer request:  Please pray that whoever is assigned to our move to Mississippi can also facilitate a move to texas. The logistics of a last min move are complicated enough with out a last min locale change too.  If the movers already assigned to us can do both locations it would be very advantageous  for us as we would already be in their schedule and it would not push back our plans.



KK will be graduating very soon. I will be taking the kids and dogs in the car for a road trip across 4 states with the help of my sister in law ( GOD BLESS HER!). After the road trip we will have a couple days off before a flight with just the kids and I along with a 2 hour drive before we ever get where we are going!  Once we arrive at graduation it is a busy schedule. Please pray. --for travel mercies--for well behaved children and a patient mother -- for good weather and for AMAZING memories to be made.  After Graduation is a quick trip for me/kids in opposite directions from KK who has a stop along the way. Depending on if we really end up in mississippi or texas there may be one more road trip in store for us.  In all it will be almost a complete month of madness but we are ready and willing to start this adventure.

Thank you for reading my endless rant and my desperate begging for prayers! Can't wait to send out our "hey we moved" cards since Christmas cards never made it out!

The last day at work in the ANG.

Our last family picture before dropping KK off in San Jose for MEPS.

I pulled this from the public FB page for his training base. Here is KK at Officers School.

Planes, Rain and Automobiles

 

It's  been a crazy couple of weeks (and/or years?)  After a trip to SF for fleet week, we did a week in Dallas,Texas in severe rain.  kk LOVED his first plane ride but Blueberry was not quite as pleased about not having the freedom to crawl/play.  We survived the flights none the less.   Our time in Dallas was spent with family from both sides ending with a stunning wedding for my cousin and her new husband. I could not be more thankful for the opportunity to make memories with our Texan Family as we transition to this new chapter of life.  

We made it home just a few days before Halloween.  I'm not a huge fan of this holiday but it's always fun to have an excuse to gather together with those we love.  We dressed up TWICE this year. Friday:  bb was a ladybug and kk was a race car driver // Saturday:  both kids were pilots. It was ridiculously cute. 

After Halloween, we packed up our candy and what felt like our whole house and headed a few hours out to an Air Force base where KK had an  appointment for his initial flight physical. 

( I wrote that a while back but the story kept unraveling. I finally sat down in our long road trip today to write this ...)   

I've been meaning to update since thanksgiving. I'd like to blame the busy holidays but I think if I'm being honest  I'm avoiding it. The entire process is so hard on my heart. First there is the Air Force side that is just so process driven as we push hard to cross every "T" and dot every "I", sprinting to the finish line fight against time for KK's age waiver but also the social aspect of it all. Preparing my heart to be a single parent for a while and acquainting myself with how people ( myself included) guard their hearts from disengagement. 

Part of the contingent job offer to be a pilot in the Air Force is a flight physical. They want to know he is in optimum health before they invest millions in training him to fly. We were well prepare for that.  Kris has definitely done more than his fair share of physicals, all with out a hitch. We were not concerned.  We booked a room and hauled the family out on the 3.5hr road trip to do several days of appointments.   Maybe a first clue that things were going quite as expected should have been the massive storm that seems to follow us everywhere we go or even the fact that they scheduled his first appointments on a "wingman day" where most of the base was shut down for training/ team building.  They did dilate KK's eyes which rendered him useless for DAYS! ( you should have heard the whining about how he is "blind" ha! Know your audience! I had little sympathy and may have laughed a little too hard)  The other big thing that happened was he did not pass his hearing test.  It was a huge blow. It felt as if our sand castle had washed away in one swift wave.  That first day they tested him twice BOTH not passing.  He has had his hearing checked many times and never had any issue. When he finally made it back to work ( due to his dilated eyes! ) he met with our units flight medicine group to retest thinking maybe is was a faulty machine or human error... Anything.  Huge relief as he passed and qualified in the highest tier of hearing standards.  It was noted that there was very slight hearing loss in one ear. This passing report was sent to the original flight dr and passed up the chain to get approval.  It felt too easy but we were just happy to be back on track as days tick away towards KK's impending doom...I mean 29th birthday! 

We had hoped to get an approval right away. I'm personally eager to be in the land of stability and out of limbo but it seems we continue to make out home in the "in between."   Just before thanksgiving, we received a call that his medical clearance was flagged and kicked back for more testing.  This time KK went alone as the soonest they could get him back was the same day we had planned our 5 hour road trip for the holiday. My poor husband ended up driving 11 1/2 hours that day.  AGAIN, he passed,just as before, with just slight hearing loss in one side but still in the highest tier of standards.  They had decided to mark it for a waiver -not that it would hurt his ability to fly- but that they wanted it checked yearly to assure nothing was changing and there were no underlying conditions causing the hearing loss. At this point we expected it to take a month to get approved and to get orders cut for officers school. We were also advised to move forward and to plan to be in the mid Jan class.  

It's very hard to continue to prepare for separation , moving, finances of leaving and what not with no sure thing. No guarantee that of where we'll be or when.  YESTERDAY, we received a call that AGAIN the medical was kicked back. This time they wanted to test to be SURE there were no tumors causing this ever so slight hearing loss.  Again, we dropped everything to drive out and test.  You will be happy to hear that there is absolutely no evidence of any tumors. AGAIN, his passing tests will be submitted for approval with just a few short weeks left until this class. He does have a slot on hold for him but the recruiter admitted today that she's in the process of figuring out what it means if his misses the deadline. 

Here's the thing, we serve at the mercy of the King.Our creator. The one who holds the world in his hands and the inventor of time itself. His plans are perfect and his timing supreme even when it doesn't feel like it to us.  We will continue put our trust and hope in Him alone.  I can  not count the vast quantity of times in our life that Gods plan was better/greater than anything we could come up with on our own. His timing is perfect.  

Please pray along side of us as we petition for swift movement in the AF approval process but also if that is not His will for peace in our hearts as we wait.