The Countdown Is ON!!

Assignment Night ~ 15 days.

Where we'll be finding out where we'll be heading next, which plane Chris will be flying, and basically what our lives will look like for the next 3+ years. Pretty exciting!!

Graduation ~ 29 days

A dream come true...the day that Chris will pin on his pilot wings!

End of Pilot Training/Anniversary/We NEED to Get Out Of Here/Trip to Maine ~ 31 days

No explanation needed :)

Of course I'm excited about Assignment Night. Anxious, nervous, excited, and all kinds of other emotions all rolled up into one big ball of happy is more like it :) And Graduation will be an incredible day as well. I mean, it's probably going to be one of the best days of Chris's life (right under marrying me (heehee!) and the birth of our daughter)! I'm so proud of him, of the work that he has done and the dedication he has shown. I'll be the obnoxious one with the camera in everyone's face, beaming from ear to ear!

BUT, I am so excited about going to Maine that I can hardly stand it! It's our reward for such an incredibly tough year, the brief lull before the next training storm hits, and a chance for us to finally just be able to look at each other for more than 15 minutes without having to think of all of the things that need to be done around the house or at work. Chris deserves some down time, a chance to relax a bit. And honestly, I do too! I'm so looking forward to just spending some time with him, my husband, my very best friend. I'm absolutely giddy about it!

You might wonder what the picture above has to do with anything. It's relevant, I swear :) It's a picture of us in Germany at The Eagle's Nest. That trip, after Chris's first 5 month deployment, is my all-time favorite. We spent a week just exploring Austria & Germany, and it was fab-u-lous!! I think I'm looking forward to going to Maine so much because I remember exactly how I felt on that trip...like it was nice to finally be back together again after life just seemed to make it kinda hard. You know what I mean? So, the countdown is on...there is so much to look forward to :)

Track Select

We've been waiting for this weekend for a LONG time!! It was Track Select weekend, or more simply, the weekend where we would learn which "track" Chris will be going to for the next phase of pilot training. There are 4 possible "tracks": T-44's (which go on to fly C-130's), Helicopter's, T-1's (which go on to fly cargo planes & refuelers), and T-38's (which typically go on to fly fighters). Chris, of course, wanted T-38's...but it's easier said than done. There were only 6 T-38 slots for his class (of 30), so he had to work extremely hard to get one of them. In the end, his dedication and drive paid off! Though the announcer's teased that he had received a UAV slot, the slide quickly changed to a pic of the 38 and a big "Just Kidding" sign above it. It was pretty funny!

The slide show is pretty much a big roasting, and I'm telling you...I couldn't have taken it!! I'm too sensitive to stand up in front of hundreds of people who are laughing at me! I gotta admit, his slide was hilarious though :)

It read:

Born in: 1920's

Most likely to say: "I will destroy you!"

**Yes, apparently he actually said that during class one day!**

Most likely to fail the PFT due to crippling arthritis.

**Obviously, he's old! (For the class, at least!)**

I love his face in this one!!

Can I just brag on my husband for a minute here? I'm sure you won't mind, right? Ha! Well...my hardworking guy won 3 awards that night! He won the "Top Gun" award in Contact, the "Top Gun" award in Formation, and the "Dubisher Award" which is awarded to the top student of the class. He was shocked and excited, and I just about jumped out of my seat when they called his name for the last one! I am so unbelievably proud of him!
His mom and Mike came out to see Track Select, and we had a great time on Friday just looking at all the planes and learning about a typical day for a student pilot. Above is a pic of them w/ the T-6
A family shot of us w/ the T-6

I love this one!! Elli the pilot :)

Chris in the T-38!

Daddy & Elli in the T-38

So today is the beginning of the next phase of pilot training. For the next 6 months, Chris, along with 5 other guys, will learn how to fly the T-38, and will compete for their final assignments. It's like starting over, the slate is wiped clean. We're hoping for a Fighter, but we know that it will take a lot of hard work, tons of dedication, and rain-checks on date night for the next 6 months! Ha! I'm sure it will be yet another adventure :)