Flight Suits and Fairytales

Chris's Final Flight

A few days ago Chris had, what could be, his last flight in the Strike Eagle. It was a bittersweet moment for him as he is so looking forward to going back through training to become a pilot, but is uncertain about what the future holds for him as far as plane selection. He & his friend Jason planned a great "low-fly" sortie over Wales, and from what Chris said, it was one of his best rides yet! On their final approach; however, the jet gave them a little surprise. In an ironic twist that only those stationed at Lakenheath can truly appreciate, when they landed they had to be towed (instead of taxiing on their own) over to where everyone was waiting for them! It was pretty funny to see :)

This assignment has definitely had its ups and downs, but all in all it has been the experience of a lifetime. Watching Chris come in on his last ride was sad, but at the same time, it is so exciting to start thinking about what the future holds for us at our next base. Chris's fellow Panthers really did a great job of making his "fini-flight" something to remember. I'm so proud of what he has done while he as been here, and I'm looking forward to all of the new adventures to come!

Being towed :(

Chris saying "totally typical!!" I love his smile in this one!

Getting sprayed w/ champagne in celebration!

Us in front of the jet...thanks to everyone for making it such a special day!!

Not to be missed Giveaways!!!

I really can't believe I'm telling everyone about this...I must be in an exceptionally good mood this morning!! Could my having yummy cinnamon rolls for breakfast have inspired my niceness?? I'm thinking YES!!

So, do you love free stuff?? Do you love SUPER CUTE free stuff?? If you answered yes (and really...why would you not?), then head on over to The Nesting Place for some awesome Giveaways. Yes, I said Giveaways...as in FREE!! The "Nester" is one of my favorite blog-friends, though we haven't met in person, but does that really matter?? She is a perpetual "renter" just like me, but she always has the most fabulous ideas about how to decorate her home. After you leave your comments on her Giveaway posts, you should just browse her blog for some great tips and ideas.

So, how do you do it, you ask? Just go to her blog and pick any of the Giveaway posts to comment on...honestly, I commented on just about all of them!! Then you just leave a little message w/ your email address (if you don't have a blog yourself), and you're entered to win!! There is so much to choose from, your head will be spinning! And, all of the gifts have been donated by Etsy shop owners. Oh, you haven't heard of Etsy?? You must swing by and take a look there too!! But hurry, you only have until Wednesday night to enter the contests...I sorry, I'm not known for my timeliness!!

Good Luck! And I'll try not to be too jealous if you win and I don't!!

Farewell

Last night I was "fare-welled" by our Spouse's group...it was pretty emotional for me. Before I left the house to go, I had a few minutes to just remanence about our time here. Looking back, I can't believe we've been here in England for 2.5 years. It seems like only yesterday that I was having a nervous breakdown (not really, but it was close!) on the bed in TLF, wondering what in the world we had gotten ourselves into! It was raining and bleak, and our precious savings account seemed to be quickly depleting itself. Slowly but surely we met some great friends, got a house, started traveling, and started to make our lives here. The fears that were all too real and overwhelming just a few short weeks before had already started to fade. And the adventure just seemed to get better.

Now that we're leaving again I'm filled with the same mixed emotions. I'm so excited about our new house, exploring Mississippi, and the birth of our little girl. But I'm also sad to leave all of the wonderful women that I've met here, though I was reminded recently that it's not "good-bye", it's "see you later". I will surely cling to that sweet comfort in the months to come. The picture above is from our Annual Red Dress Coffee last year, and it is one of my favorite pictures of all the squadron ladies. I've had a such a great time with all of them, and I will remember them always.

Family Shower

While I was back in Texas for a few days after the wedding in San Diego, our sweet Aunt Dianne decided to throw me a "family shower"! Since Chris & I will only be in town for about 10 days or so in July before we move to Mississippi, this shower was the last chance I was going to have to celebrate with our families before our sweet little girl arrives in September. Aunt Dianne is quite the party planner, and the afternoon was simply lovely! She made her famous baked ziti, and baked her amazing Gooey Toffee Butter Cake just for me (it was a special request!). She, and a few helpers, decorated the house in pink, brown, and green (the nursery colors), and made the living room into a baby wonderland. It was absolutely beautiful, and I am so thankful to her for doing that for me (us, really!). AND, I got some GREAT stuff as well...which is just an added bonus! Below are some pictures of the wonderful day.

Whoa!! Well, hello there Belly!!

Gayle (Chris's mom), me and my mom

Donna (Chris's step-mom), me and my mom

AWESOME finger puppets that my sweet sis-in-law got us!!

181 Days Down, 99 To Go!!

I'm already in the double digits!! Where has the time gone? I feel like it was only yesterday that I found out I was pregnant...oh, how time flies! So much has happened recently, I feel like I have lots to share. First of all, thank you so much to everyone who responded to my "questions" post. I received lots of wonderful feedback, and I honestly feel like I have a better handle on everything now that I've heard from some other mothers (and soon-to-be mothers!). The info that I've received has already helped me to make some important decisions, and I appreciate the fact that you all care enough about me to share your opinions.

For Chris's first Father's Day, I thought I'd surprise him by getting some 3D & 4D pictures/videos taken of our sweet little girl. Though the surprise didn't quite pan out (thanks to the very prompt staff who called to confirm the appt. 3 times!), it was still really cool, and Chris is loving the fact that he can now see her face much more clearly now! The pics aren't very clear, but that's because I'm a terrible scanner, and the "pro" isn't home at the moment!

Look at that sweet smile! She's just the cutest!!

Our tech said she was a "snuggler"! Doesn't she just look so cuddly in there!

I received some wonderfully sweet cards for Mother's Day, though I'm still not "technically" a mother yet. My dad got me flowers and a cute balloon, and Chris got me the awesome diaper bag that I've had my eye on for the past month. My mom got me a diaper bag too because, let's face it...a girl can NEVER have too many bags!!

This is the one from Chris...I love the colors!!

This is the one from my mom....gotta love Vera Bradley!!

Our mover's come on Monday, so I'm just the tiniest bit stressed out at the moment! I get a little anxious when I start to think about living in a house filled w/ loaner funiture, no TV, and minimal clothing choices for an entire month! (Not that I have that many clothes to choose from now anyway since my closet consists of stretchy jeans & over-sized tops!) But, I'm trying to focus on the fact that we are now the proud RENTERS of a fabulous house in Columbus, MS, and that we're moving back to the States in exactly 32 days! It's going to be a whirlwind of a month, especially for this 6.5 month pregnant girl, but I think it's totally do-able!

San Diego Wedding Weekend

I recently made a trip back to the States so that I could attend my cousin, Amber's, wedding in San Diego. My mom & I made the wedding weekend into our annual "Girls Trip", and we had lots of fun exploring Southern California! We went shopping (of course!), to the San Diego Zoo, and relaxed poolside at the amazing Rancho Bernardo Inn, where we were fortunate enough to stay. We spent a day at the spa, where I was treated to a fabulous "Mother To Be" massage...oh my gosh, it was heavenly!! And we spent 2 days hanging out w/ Amber and the family getting ready for her big day. She looked gorgeous, the groom was handsome, and the weekend was just fantastic! Here are some pics of our adventures....

The little giraffe is only about a month old!

I thought this parrot was GORGEOUS!!

We caught this Panda eating her morning snack!

The Rancho Bernardo Inn (this was the spa pool)

My mom & I before the wedding.

Amber & Evan, cutting the cake.

Ahhh, they didn't even cram it into each other's faces!!

Good-bye, sweet Kelly!!

It's that time again...time to say good-bye to dear friends. Honestly, I think it's the worst part of the military lifestyle, the saying good-bye. No matter how many times we do it, it never gets easier.

I met Kelly while we were stationed in North Carolina. Actually, we met while playing one of my favorite games ever...BINGO!! (I've never denied being a huge dork!). Kelly had already started the moving process, as she and her husband would be moving to England about three weeks later. I remember how much I already liked her, even after that brief encounter...from her cute piggy-tails to her infectious smile, I had made a fast friend. When Chris & I found out that we would be moving to England a little while later, I was excited to already have someone I could call on for some support.

And support, she did. Kelly & her husband let us borrow their car during our first few weeks in-country. Though it was right-hand drive, and oh-so-terrifying, we were thankful to have it! She introduced me to most of the squadron ladies, and invited me to go with her to a Bible Study group as well. That group has been such a blessing to me during our time here...the ladies I've met through it will remain in my heart forever. Kelly basically took me under her wing, and helped me adjust to the many differences that we faced in England. We've traveled to multiple countries together (the Italian police fiasco has Kelly's name written all over it!!), helped each other through our husband's first deployments, eaten countless meals together, and have become better friends than I could have ever imagined. I'm so grateful to have her in my life.

As Kelly & her husband leave England for bigger & better things, she will definitely leave a much-missed hole in our sweet little group of friends. Good luck Downings, in all that you do. May God bless the road ahead of you, and may we meet again in the future!!