Life on Lawhon St.

Our house is starting to look like a home! It still needs some work, but it's starting to feel more cozy.

Check out updated pictures here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2629515&id=2231383&l=ac2499a8d1 

So many updates!

It's been a BUSY week! My job hunt continues as Eric's training gets exciting. He came home one day last week, flight suit covered in dirt, after learning how to unclip from his parachute once he's landed on the ground. They did this by having 4-5 other classmates grab hold of the parachute straps and run as fast as they can, dragging him across the ground. On Thursday, some of the other wives and I watched the guys (and girls) experience the altitude chamber where they learn what it's like to experience hypoxia. They took them up to 25,000 ft. and told them to take their oxygen masks off. After a few minutes, the guys got preeeetty goofy--the physiologists explain the symptoms as resembling the feeling of drunkenness, but much more intense. I also got to put on ALL of the gear, strap into a cockpit (it's a lot of work!) and practice "emergency egressing" (in English: getting out of the plane as fast as you can). Let's just say I'm glad he's the one doing this and not me--I'm pretty bad at it. So far the class has had 2 tests and Eric has done really well. He has his first big test on aircraft systems on Wednesday, so he's getting well-acquainted with his office chair for the next few days :)

While picking up and turning in applications (I know, really hard work compared to what the guys are doing), other wives and I explore the old downtown Del Rio area, affectionately referred to as "the mexican side". We've found a little cafe with amazing smoothies, a 50s-style soda fountain place, and a cute little boutique with a deli attached. At first glance, Del Rio is underwhelming, but with a little more digging we've found plenty of hidden gems and it's starting to feel like home. For those that watch The Bachelor, Byron (from 2003, I think?) owns the nicest place in downtown, called The Herald. It reminds me of a martini bar you might find in Chicago. He also owns a nice Italian restaurant on Lake Amistad, the cafe with yummy smoothies, and a giant houseboat on the lake that he lets pilot training classes rent out for cheap. Speaking of Lake Amistad, it is perhaps the most popular part of Del Rio. EVERYONE in Del Rio asks, "how long have you been here? have you been to the lake yet?" It is a very large in-land lake that Del Rio natives are quite proud of and visitors are amazed by--as long as they've not grown up on Lake Michigan ;) It really is a fun place to go on the weekends and the base has a marina there that we can rent boats.

Eric and I experienced our first feelings of Del Rio pride this weekend as we traveled to Eagle Pass, TX, about one hour south of Del Rio. We had hoped to find different places to discover than what Del Rio had to offer, but driving through the somewhat eerie town we thought maybe the border had been moved and someone forgot to tell the U.S. government! The people were not very friendly, spoke hardly any English, and looked at us like we were translucent aliens. Most parts of town were incredibly run down (except for the immediate area surrounding the omnipresent Walmart, of course). On our way home we were happy to see the familiar sights of Del Rio and surprised by our feeling that Del Rio is in fact NOT the most desolate, boring place on earth. While there may not be a booming metropolis here, the people are so incredibly friendly and welcoming that their pride in their town is enough to make you want to find out why they have so much of it.

Friday night we went to a "drop night" where the graduating training class finds out what planes they will be flying. They buy beer for the many other pilot candidates, family, and friends that come watch, and everyone really has a great time hanging out and celebrating after a long training week. They all work so hard for that very moment and it's so fun and exciting for all the new pilot candidates and their families to share it with them and to look forward to when they'll be in that spot. Now that Eric has started, I LOVE going to these events. It is so exciting to think that in less than a year I will be the proud wife sitting in the audience watching my husband's dreams come true. I talked to a Colonel at the drop night, and he really stressed how important his wife was to his success in pilot training, and it makes me so happy that I am able to be a part of this experience. It's even more encouraging when everyone-even colonels and commanders!- around us tells us that our support and involvement here is welcomed, appreciated, and crucial to our husband's performance. So even though I don't have a job yet, having the time and ability to really get involved with Eric's training and do everything I possibly can to help him be successful is providing me plenty of purpose until I do find something. I am going to a substitute teaching orientation this week, so hopefully something will materialize there--I hear it's a pretty sure thing at least a couple days per week. We'll see!

Pictures: Eric's classmate and I standing outside the chamber watching the guys get looopy!
               Eric in the chamber, mask still on.
               Me in the practice cockpit, all strapped in.
               Eric teaching me how to strap in and get all hooked up.

Pictures!

Various pictures, as promised :)

Right: Eric's new home--study study study!

Below, middle: No, it's not Halloween yet. Just a regular day at the office.

Below, bottom: Eric and his prize--a smelly, very dead armadillo. Too bad the camera didn't catch the disgusted facial expressions Grandma and I were wearing in the window behind Eric.

The Road to Wings...and a bit of catch-up

I wanted to start this blog so that anyone and everyone who is interested in staying up-to-date in our crazy-busy lives can do so, without destroying the phone bill budget :). I will say that, while I'm sure you'd all love to hear from Eric, too, I'll most likely be the one doing most of the story-telling. I'll ask him to write on a fairly regular (though probably infrequent) basis, but don't be offended if I can't come through on that promise--he's got bigger fish to fry these days.

We've (well, as married people) been in beautiful, exciting, happenin' (ha!) Del Rio for a little over a month now and it's been HOT. The last few days have been the first evidence of temperatures under the triple digits, and we are thankful for the relief. We even got storms this weekend--almost as intense as the Michigan storms we're used to, and that's impressive for these parts! Everyone here picks on how there is NOTHING to do in Del Rio--and it's true-- but for newly-married (and therefore, "financially challenged") young people , it's perfect. Instead of going out on the town on the weekends everyone tends to gather at each others' houses to grill out or invite each other over for dinner, spending a lot of time really getting to know each other and make friends. I've only been here one month and am already impressed with the way friends take care of each other here; it really is a family. For example, when a wife goes out of town, the other wives bring food to her husband almost every day till she gets back. (Yea, these boys are spoiled!) Babysitting is easy to come by around here I've noticed, too--we got to be parents to a Golden Retriever puppy for a weekend while our neighbors are out of town. It's all we can do not to go out and find one of our own--though I am still vacuuming up dog hair three weeks later!

We've also found a church in Del Rio called Del Rio Bible Church, and we like it so far. Most of our friends from base also attend, so it's another great way to get involved with both our church community and the Air Force community.

We live on base in a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom duplex and we are really happy with it. We've spent a lot of time decorating and trying to make it feel like home, and it's coming along and we are excited to be able to say it's "our" house :).

Last weekend we went to Brenham to visit Grandma and Grandpa Miller and had such a great time. And, shock, Grandma and Grandpa were sooo generous--we left with a Weber grill and the beautiful wine art you see on the red wall in the pictures. We met their church friends, enjoyed their porch and their green grass--we don't really have that here-- and of course, awesome food. Eric also had the pleasure of shooting an armadillo in their yard one night. It was pretty gross. We can't wait to celebrate Thanksgiving with them, and I'm especially so thankful to have them fairly nearby for the first time in my whole life; I plan on taking full advantage of all the possible quality time :).

Welll, the long-awaited journey has begun! Today is the start of week 2 for UPT (Undergraduate Pilot Training), and Eric is encouraged and doing great so far. He's learned about emergency procedures, survival training, and is starting this week off in "aerospace physiology", where they teach the student pilots in hands-on ways all about what kinds of things happen to your body in different situations while in flight. For example, at some point this week they'll get to experience the altitude chamber, where they feel the changes in their body due to different altitudes. Last week Eric came home wanting me to experience self-induced hyperventilation as he had that day--I said no thanks. :) As you can imagine, every time they issue Eric new equipment --like his mask, G suit, and other alien-looking paraphernalia, he puts it on and models it around the house for a little while. Needless to say, I'm rarely at a loss for entertainment. (Pictures available in the next post). Many of Eric's friends have already begun actually flying the planes, and he can barely contain his excitement to get to that phase as well. Now that his days are long and busy, our bedtime, and dreaded alarm clock time, have changed. A typical day has us getting up around 5:30am. Eric gets ready while I make breakfast and put a lunch together for him to take to class. I see him off (or occasionally take him to class, if I need the car), and then head straight back to bed for a little while :) --hey, 5:30 is early for the unemployed! While he spends his day studying hard and acing first tests, I spend mine submitting several job applications and having the occasional lunch date with other wives. Hopefully I will hear back from an exciting, well-paying opportunity soon (prayers welcome!) This past week I had the opportunity to go to a spouses orientation to UPT. We learned every detail about the training process, met other wives, and were briefed by our husbands' commanders on what to expect-- and not to expect-- from our husbands during this very intense training. They told us that we have on of the most important roles in this process, and their wives gave great input on how to really get involved and make it a great experience for both of us. I'm looking forward to taking that advice and making myself an integral and supportive part of Eric's success over the next 52 weeks and beyond.

I'll try to write again soon and keep you all updated--and I promise not every post will go on for days as this one :) We're loving this new life in the Air Force and our new life together, and I think I can speak for both of us when I say that we feel so, so blessed to be embarking on this unique and incredible journey together (especially Eric--he doesn't have to do his own laundry anymore!) Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers--we miss our friends and family and think of you every day! As always, we love to hear from you, too!