Cross Country Journey: Day 4

Day 4: Whew! I'm exhausted. Last night we spent the night in Colorado Springs, CO. The good thing about Hampton Inn's is that they have the free breakfast so no extra $ spent there! We left the hotel around 9:15 and headed straight to walk around the Air Force Academy. It was really neat to see another service academy other than the Naval Academy, but Annapolis definitely has my heart! The scenery at the USAFA was BREATHTAKING! Nestled back into the Rockies really was just an awesome backdrop for it. The campus was also a lot more spread out than Annapolis. And the buildings were weird looking! Just the architecture wasn't my preference. It was much more modern. It was really cool to see their chapel, though. Very different, but very neat. We didn't get to spend too much time there because we had to hit the road for a loooong day of travel. We were on the road around 10:30 and headed straight to Denver, CO. After we passed through that, we hit Wyoming. Wyoming had a lot of snow and it was GORGEOUS but there was absolutely nothing there. I'm talking signs that say, "next exit 53 miles" then you get to that exit and it says, "no food, gas or lodging - next exit 55 miles". Ha! Although there wasn't anything there, it was the most beautiful landscape I've ever seen. Huge mountains but very flat ground between, tons of snow on the ground, no trees...it was beautiful. When we were climbing the mountains, our windshield was literally so frozen we couldn't see out of it. As quick as you got the windshield cleaned, it froze right back. It was weird! I really can't describe the landscape, and as many pictures as I take - it just doesn't do it justice. Seeing out here is just one of those things that everyone needs to experience! Then we headed into Utah! We couldn't see much of it since it was dark by the time we crossed over the border, but we're excited to see what it looks like in the morning! Coming in we could see the huge mountains outlined by the glow of Salt Lake City, though! We finally stopped driving for the day around 8 tonight. We ate dinner at Cracker Barrel since it will be our last time eating there until we are able to fly home! AH! I'm going to die without turnip greens.

So far I can tell you that:

• The Rocky Mountains are very rocky.
• I wish my mom had been able to come with us because I would love to experience this with her as well as my dad.
• Denver is HUGE!
• Colorado is more flat that I thought it would be. It really reminds me of what I expect Arizona to look like - just with snow.
• Wyoming can't decide if it wants to be mountainous or dessert like. Seriously, on one side of the road it has the Rockies and has a ton of mountains covered with shrubs, and the other side has big, huge red plateaus with nothing on them! So, so weird.
• Wyoming has these weird wooden fences along side the roads and we CANNOT figure out what they are! They aren't straight, kinda staggered. 
• Pack peanut butter and bread because you will for real starve out there.
• I have never seen our cars so dirty! 
• NO ONE lives in Wyoming. 
• We only have 2 days left. :-)

States we have been to:

1. Florida
2. Alabama
3. Mississippi
4. Tennessee
5. Arkansas
6. Oklahoma
7. Kansas
8. Colorado 
9. Wyoming
10. Utah

 ***Please say a special prayer for my sister-in-law. She was in a head on collision today. She has a broken left wrist and a broken right leg in 2 places. They are planning to do surgery tomorrow to put a rod in her leg. Please remember her and my brother during this scary time. I just really wish we could be there...***

Cross Country Journey: Day 3

Day 3: Today has been a great day! We spent the night last night at McConnell AFB in Witchita, KS and our room was SUPER nice. Sadly, I think the Air Force has Navy beat on that. We loaded up on a big breakfast at Ihop and hit the road! The only time we stopped all day was to get gas a couple times. The plains of Kansas are so interesting! Kansas overall is pretty boring seeing as how there isn't ANYTHING...but seeing the landscape was really awesome. The odd part is that the whole time you're driving, you think you're just driving along straight and flat, but you're actually climbing, A LOT! It's like a huge wedge. We crossed over into Colorado and were amazed at the fact that we were 6,000 ft above sea level! Also, the oil horses and wind turbines were amazing. Just to see the roots of where our resources come from really helps put a different perspective on things. We crossed over into Colorado just as the sun was setting so that made for some gorgeous pictures of the Rockies in the background. I was SO excited to finally see those!! I can't wait to wake up in the morning and see them in the daylight! This trip has been a lot of 'firsts' for me: being further west and higher in elevation that I have ever been...and I can't wait to see what other 'firsts' come out of it! Tonight, we stopped over in Colorado Springs and so far are amazed at how big this town is! We are having such a great time with my dad on this trip, and we are so excited to see what tomorrow brings!

So far I can tell you that:

• Kansas is VERY windy! Holy cow!
• A 21 degree day with 23 MPH winds is COLD!!!!!!!
• Wind turbines are some of the biggest things I have ever seen in my life.
• Blueberry pomegranate tea is awesome! :-)
• Colorado gets a lot of snow and even though a road isn't closed, doesn't mean that it isn't still icy!! (Don't ask!) :-)
• When you cross the Kansas plains, you will only get one radio station. Although it's R&B love making music - just embrace it. It will make for some pretty funny jokes with the husband. ;-)
• Apparently Kansas has the world's biggest prairie dog - who knew! I know because we literally saw 3,000 advertisements for it. 
• Mule deer are everywhere here! It was the first sighting for all of us.
• Don't move with a plant - it will freeze and die in the car overnight...
• Gas prices here are CHEAP! $2.99/gallon
• Colorado drivers have a speeding problem. As if 75 MPH speed limits aren't fast enough for them...on icy roads...at night...

States we have been to:

1. Florida
2. Alabama
3. Mississippi
4. Tennessee
5. Arkansas
6. Oklahoma
7. Kansas
8. Colorado

Cross Country Journey: Day 1 & Day 2

Clearly I haven't been doing a very good job at keeping up with blogging, but there literally has been NO time with as busy as we have been! I need to update on Christmas and Bradley's winging ceremony (!!!) but wanted to keep everyone up to date on our cross country move that we're doing right now!

Right before Bradley got his "Wings of Gold", we were told that we would be moving to Lemoore, CA. Our first choice was Oceana, VA since it was closest to home (South Carolina) and family. Since there weren't any available spots for Oceana, we were assigned to Lemoore. Bradley came home pretty bummed and the more he thought about it that night, the more he decided against California. Lemoore is pretty much a waste land. It's in the middle of the desert with very little 'life' to it. We're small town people so the idea of not having stuff doesn't bother us, but the crime rate is terrible there and you can't even drink the water! They were having a big Growler draft, so we prayed about it that night and really just felt led to request a change from Lemoore to Whidbey Island, WA. The plane that Bradley will fly in will be a little different, although it is still basically a tricked out F-18, and his mission will be different - but he is SO excited! We were really surprised at how accepting this change was since Bradley has only wanted to be in F-18's forever, but he keeps saying that he doesn't know why Growler's weren't always his #1 choice!

So then Bradley got those very treasured wings (a separate post coming soon!), and we began to prepare to move. When we moved from Annapolis, MD to Pensacola, we did a DITY move (do it yourself) and it was awesome! However, after living in FL for 1.5 years, stuff got accumulated. It's also hard to move yourself 3,000 miles and have to drive the U-Haul plus transport 2 vehicles. Plus, the Navy stopped reimbursing as much so it really isn't even worth the time anymore. So, we decided on a partial DITY. With a partial, the Navy hires packers to come and pack up everything you want them to. For us, this took an entire day for them to pack our home. Then, the loaders come (totally different people) to load the boxes and all furniture you have into an 18 wheeler. It definitely is a great service that the military offers but it is quite a hectic 2 days!

A problem that we ran into was that the Navy was REALLY slow in giving us our orders to Whidbey. Pretty usual with the military, but we didn't have much time to 'waste' because once Bradley decided to switch to Growlers, his winging got moved up a whole month and his report date got moved up. From the time we found out, we literally had 3 weeks to have family in town for his winging, pack up all our stuff and get on the road to have 1 week of that just in driving to WA. The Navy kept lagging on orders and we FINALLY got them this past Wednesday. The packers came on Thursday, the loaders came on Friday, got finished up around 3pm and we immediately hit the road! The ONLY hiccup that we had was that the day the loaders came, our neighbor backed into Bradley's truck. Some of ya'll know that we were rear-ended in his truck in November so it's definitely less stressful the second time around. Our neighbor felt horrible, but it was purely an accident. I felt so bad for him because he was really beating himself up about it but we just had to laugh it off. I guess we left with a bang. :-)There must be something up though because the people who rear-ended us in November's last name was Robertson and that is also the last name of our neighbor that hit us. Ha! I think we really must be on all Robertson's black lists or something! To say the least, we are EXHAUSTED!!!! We have exactly 6 days to drive cross country...and it will take all of those days. :-)

ANYWHO...

I want to update ya'll on our TRIP! Driving cross country has been awesome so far! I can't express enough how cool of an experience it is! PUT IT ON YOUR BUCKET LIST! For realz.

So far...

Day 1: Got a late start out of Pensacola due to the loaders. Left at 3pm and made it all the way to Southaven, MS (10 minutes south of Memphis, TN). We got there around 12:30 last night.

Day 2: Woke up and got out of the hotel around 10:30. We were a little slow moving due to getting in so late the night before. Drove until 2:30, stopped for lunch, got back on the road and drove to Wichita, KS where we currently are staying for the night!

WHEW!!

So far I can tell you that:

• Having the Navy move you is the greatest invention ever. I never could have packed my things as well as they did.
• Watch as least as possible while the packers pack your stuff. One guy literally sweated (literally DROPS) on everything he touched. The guy who packed the kitchen licked his fingers before he wrapped each dish. Everything will be bleached....twice...before it is used.
• It is very, very cold here. Maybe it's just because we got too used to Florida but it is freakin FREEZING outside!
• Kansas is very, very, very flat and straight. I seriously think you can just press the gas and not even turn the wheel for 50 miles. Also, do not get hungry or drive through Kansas at dinner time. You will starve. Hence why we didn't eat dinner until 9pm tonight. There isn't ANYTHING! No billboards, no lights along the interstate, nothing. Just miles and miles of being able to see miles and miles.
• Oklahoma has some of the prettiest sunsets I have seen in a while!
• It's cold. Oh wait, did I already say that?!
• It just doesn't get much better than driving cross country with your best friend and soul mate. 
• Having my dad come along to drive my car has been a BLESSING! An extra set of eyes has been awesome! It has also allowed me to spend my time in the car with Bradley! 
• Renting a small U-Haul trailer so you can take your washer and dryer with your is GREAT! I won't have to use a laundry mat when we get there AND it's weight!!! YAY!! :-)
• Driving cross country with your husband is the best thing in the world. Did I already say that, too?!

States we have been to:

1. Florida
2. Alabama
3. Mississippi
4. Tennessee
5. Arkansas
6. Oklahoma
7. Kansas

Can't wait to update tomorrow after day 3! We are hoping to make it to Denver, CO! 

Thanksgiving - Florida Style

This year, we celebrated Thanksgiving at home in Florida again. It's crazy how little time they give off for Thanksgiving! It just doesn't provide enough time to drive all the way home just for a meal to turn around and drive back. Last year, my parents, brother and sister-in-law made the drive down here to have Thanksgiving with us, but this year we decided to just keep it low key. Our neighbors did not go home either, so we decided to cut the work load in half and just do a big Thanksgiving meal together. I did miss my family, but it was easier on everyone by no one having to travel, etc. Sadly, I didn't really take a single picture that had anything to do with the actual meal...only Millie! Millie is our neighbors little girl who we are absolutely head-over-heels for. We've been here since the day she was born, so it's nice to be able to be some family to her that she wouldn't have since they are military as well and don't get the opportunity to see family that often. Ironically we are all from the same area in South Carolina so they have felt like family to us since the day we met them. They are just precious, and we are so blessed that we have gotten to become such good friends with them.

Frying out creole butter infused turkey...holy cow it was good!!

Mommy, Millie and baby #2

"Uncle" Bradley makes her laugh every.single.time

"Bra"...as she calls him ;-)

Little diva!

Just hanging out...learning the ins and outs!

I'm (obviously) just a little late but I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season! B and I had SO much to be thankful for this past year!

NAS Pensacola Homecoming Air Show

Every year, NAS Pensacola gets the privileged of welcoming our Blues home and hosting the last air show of the year. The Blue Angels are based out of here, so it's a big deal (and a huge show!) when they finally come back 'home'! Plus, this year we celebrated 100 years of Naval Aviation!!! Go Navy! We have been lucky to experience this twice in our time here. Air shows give me chills head to toe.... every.single.time. Maybe it has something to do with being married to an aviator ;-) or maybe it's just that I love my country. I can't really describe how magical an air show is (as corny as that may sound). For some reason, every time I hear those F-18's fly over at about 630 knots (about 730 MPH) it makes me want to kick some terrorist booty! (Is that normal?! Haha!)

F-18F Super Hornet painted with the 100 years of Naval Aviation paint scheme

Blue Angel

P-51D Mustang - Bradley's all-time favorite plane (WWII plane)

A-10 Warthog

A-10 Warthog & P-51D Legacy flight

F-18, F-4U/a1 Corsair & Avenger Torpedo Bomber - Legacy flight

Curtis Pusher - Replica of first aircraft to ever take off of a US Navy ship

Faaaaaaaat Aaaaaaalbert!

The Blues

We had a great day!

A Christmas Quiz

1. Egg nog or hot chocolate? Hot chocolate… i've never had plain egg nog before but it sure does sound gross. Unless it tastes like the sugar cookie egg nog you can buy at the grocery store. That stuff is soooo good!

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Ours were always sat under the tree.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? All about white.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? NO! And I'm so angry. I wanted some so bad but no one had it this year..fake or real! Oh well :-)

5. When do you put your decorations up? This year they were up the day after Thanksgiving. I would never put them up earlier than that...I like Thanksgiving too much!

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? Anything. If it's food, I like it!

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child? Christmas Eve's at my grandparents house. It was so magical!

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? Pretty sure my best friend told me (don't remember the age) and then I asked my (older) brother and he just busted out laughing at me. Guess I got my answer! Ha! Although, my mom always said, "If you don't believe, you don't receive" so I've always still 'believed' :-)

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Family gifts only (from grandparents, etc.)

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? White Christmas lights and ornaments that Bradley and I have collected over the years. Since we met, we have bought each other an ornament every year but now our tree is full! So from here on out we're just going to decide on one new ornament a year together! We love ours for this year!

11. Snow! Love it or dread it? It's pretty but I hate cold weather. Thank you, Eczema.

12. Can you ice skate? I’ve been a couple times but I usually just stay on my hiney the whole time.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? My Grandma bought me a really nice bible one year and had my name embossed on the front. I really love that Bible.

14. What’s the most important thing about the holidays for you? Jesus. Remembering the true meaning and not getting caught up in the STRESS.

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert? EVERYTHING.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Growing up it was Christmas Eve dinner.  Bradley and I haven't really made any 'traditions' yet, but I see Leroy our 'Elf of the Shelf' becoming pretty fun!

17. What tops your tree? A wicker star.

18. Which do you prefer: giving or receiving? Giving! I always get so excited about what I bought. Plus, I hate opening presents. It's just so awkward.

19. Candy canes: yuck or yummy? Yummy!

20. Favorite Christmas show? Not sure

21. Saddest Christmas song? “I'll Be Home for Christmas"...rips my heart our every time. Makes me think of how's it's going to be when B deploys.

22. What is your favorite Christmas song? "Noel"!

Right Now

right now i am…
watching:  the computer screen, duh! I wish I were laying on the couch wrapped in Bradley's arms watching tv, but... sigh....
eating:  nothing. But I did have a rather disgusting lean pocket for lunch!
drinking:  not enough water.  too much sweet tea.
wearing: black pants, pink sweater.
avoiding:  my to-do list of things to get done before we leave to head home..I don't even want to think about it.
feeling:  exhausted. 3:00am came waaaay too early this morning.
missing:  my husband. my family. sleep. 
thankful:  for such an amazing husband and our amazing life. Like someone said this morning, "we live near thousands but where millions want to be." Living at the beach is a dream come true!
weather:  70's.
praying:  for our loved ones, our uncertain future.
needing:  a break!!!
thinking: a lot about where the heck we're going next. Nervous and excited at the same time.
loving:  life!!

and you?  what are you up to?