Monday...wait, Tuesday!

Well, I guess the best start to any week is starting it a day late! This was a three day weekend that actually felt like a good break. Still didn't want to come to work today, but we really enjoyed our time off.

Jed, Sarah, and Zoey came late Friday night. We did all sorts of things with them this weekend including: the children's museum downtown, lunch at our favorite spot, dinner at the BBQ Joint (a must for all company that comes through town!), card games, big backyard BBQ party with our friends, church, playing at the park, naps, and lots of good food.

Jed and Sarah brought us some furniture, so we did a little rearranging. The best piece is a table that Jed made and Jed, Sarah, and Zack worked on the mosaic top together a few years ago. They didn't have room for it in their new place, but wanted to keep it between our two families since it has some sentimental value. The table even includes their (very accurate :) latin names, "Zacharelius" "Jedicleaze" "Sarahminimus" and Zoey's initials, even though it was finished before she was born.

Here is Hadley celebrating Memorial Day. She had an exhausting weekend with company, especially a little girl to keep up with!

We went furniture shopping, too. Now we have couches on our way and our living room will be officially complete! (Photo tour of our house to come once we get them delivered in the next few weeks) I don't think Zack has ever been quite as excited. He has been waiting for a really nice sent of leather reclining couches for a long time. When they come...I don't think I'll ever get him out of them. We'll have to train Hadley to bring him snacks so he doesn't have to get up!

We had a wonderful Memorial Day celebration on Sunday night with all our friends who were in town. I tried to do a Red White and Blue BBQ theme and this was one of my favorite touches...a fruit kebob flag! It was great having another wife (Sarah) there to help me with everything! I'm usually the only one with all these AF guys!

Last night we got the best news of the whole weekend. Our newest nephew, Weston, has arrived. We are so excited that Josie, Chris, Maddox, and Weston are all doing well. Praise God for a healthy baby and such a beautiful addition to our ever-growing family. For us, being Aunt Rachel, Uncle Zack, and godparents has been one of the most rewarding things in our lives. We are so in love with our family and miss everyone. It was so great to spend this holiday weekend with family, and we are blessed to have family that makes an effort to visit us, help us out in our new place, and create wonderful memories with us!

UPT so far

Zack here,

I thought I'd fill you in on how I've been doing.

Shooting off some signal flares

Pilot school is going really well so far. I've completed one week of academics. So far, we've spent most of our time studying aerospace physiology. Last week we did some parachute training in the unlikely event of an ejection-- since both the T-6s and the T-38s  have ejection seats. This week we went over some physiological challenges of flying--spacial disorientation, G-LOC (G induced loss of consciousness), and oxygen demands (the T-6 cabin is only partially pressurized, so oxygen masks are required). In addition to Physio, we've also started studying systems-- so far far I've learned about how the turbine works in the T-6, as well as all the warnings and alerts that are associated with system malfunctions. Fun stuff. So far we've had two tests, and I only missed one question on either of them. Tomorrow is test number three, and I've spent nearly ten hours studying for it.

More signal devices

Overall though, the pace is pretty chill and low stress. Academics is nicknamed "slackademics" because it's relatively easy compared to the flying phases of training. Our class is a group of really cool guys (and two girls). A few of us are married, a couple of us have kids, and several are prior enlisted or have been officers in other career fields. Each Sunday we have a few guys over for breakfast followed by church at the on base chapel. It's fun to be part of a group of people so passionate about flying and motivated to do well. It's also exciting to finally be studying what I'm interested in. I'm not saying that engineering wasn't interesting at all, but jet engines are way cooler than waste water treatment plants, and my flight helmet and mask is 1000 times sexier than a hard hat.

T-6 Texan II

Looking forward, in early July I'll start flying the T-6 Texan II. It's a single engine turboprop trainer. It flies at speeds up to 316 kts and will pull 7 Gs without breaking a sweat. We'll do everything from low level flight, to aerobatics (spins, loops, rolls etc), to formation flight. We'll also do a cross-country flight (a lot of classes will fly to Las Vegas and back). The T-6 portion is called Phase 2. At the end of Phase 2, we'll all "track select" and either fly the T-38 (fighters and bombers) or the T-1 (aka the T-Fun; used to train for heavies). That portion is Phase 3. Once Phase 3 is complete, we'll all be selected for specific airframes. After that, it all depends of what I've been selected for. If I get fighters like I hope, I'll go to Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals (IFF) and survival school. It will likely be a full two years from now or more until I'm done with training.

So I have a very long ways to go. The good thing is that I'm on my way. I'm enjoying the ride, and I plan the make the most of every bit of it.

Hopefully I won't drive Rach crazy in the meantime =)

Stay tuned,

Zachariah.

Excitement

Today I am excited (even though it is a Wednesday).

It is my lovely mother-in-law's birthday, and birthdays are always exciting!

I love this picture because it is just precious. She truly is a loving mom and has a wonderful heart for God. We wish we could celebrate with her today.

I am excited because I have the greatest stick of gum I've ever had before. My own stick delivered through the mail from my little sister, Dixie.

My fabulous best friend is getting married and I get to talk with her about all the crazy wedding plans during work. I am so excited for Madeline and Matt! I'm also excited (to a lesser but just as important degree) to be a part of their wedding and a vacation to look forward to! :)

Now it's your turn to be the beautiful bride!

I am also so very excited to have company this weekend. Zack's brother, Jed, our sister-in-law, Sarah, and our niece, Zoey, are coming to be our first out-of-town guests in our new house. We get to spend the holiday weekend with them, and I have been planning and organizing our weekend like crazy! We're having a great big Memorial Day BBQ and taking them to all our favorite spots. 

See? We always have fun with these guys?

(top to bottom-monster truck rally in Houston 1/2012, downtown Jacksonville 3/2009, dancing at our wedding 9/2011)

So, Wednesdays aren't so bad after all.

It has gotten pretty hot here. We woke up at 6 so Zack could go on a run and I could walk Hadley. It was already 70+ degrees and so humid. The hot wind made my work pretty interesting and made for a tough bike ride commute for Zack. I think our summer has officially begun, and you might as well kick it off with a 3-day (4-day for Zack) weekend, right?

OKC's OK By Me

Today we took our first family photos! I really wanted Oklahoma pictures, especially while our puppy is cute and little and the wheat is perfectly golden. A fellow Air Force wife, Laura Ryan, took us around base, wheat fields, and railroad tracks. The wind was going crazy-hopefully there are pictures with my hair semi-calm. But it was a perfect display of Oklahoma.

After pictures we drove down to OKC. Zack's brother, Sasha, is a long haul trucker and happened to be in OKC for the night. 

We went to Bricktown a section of downtown with a river walk through old brick factory buildings.

 We ate at Bricktown Brewery and then met up with fellow Vance friends who also ventured to the city. 

On the way home we got to watch some awesome lightning. Oklahoma isn't so bad after all...

Getting through the week

This is how I get through my Wednesdays at work.

I get to check out a pretty sweet camoflauged moth on my portfolio.

 

Plus my hands smell like Christmas in May.

It's the simple things in life, people.

Zack, on the other hand, gets much more thrilling days at work to keep him occupied, engaged, and entertained!

So far this week is going really well. It has been SO long since we have both had full and busy lives. I'm still deciding which is better--being broke but having all the time in the world with each other or making money but being gone from home for the majority of our waking hours. I suppose the responsible thing in life is to be productive members of society and actually use our God given gifts (and expensive degrees).

Hadley, however, wishes that we were broke and spending all our time with her. She decides to be naughty when we're gone.

Our social schedules have been full this week. A military appreciation community dinner, friends over for dessert, study sessions on the patio, friends over for dinner, and now off to some BBQ's this weekend. Loving it.

Maybe Vance isn't so bad.

Day 0

The final day. Tomorrow UPT begins and as Zack goes through academics awaiting the next time he gets to fly, I get to prepare for a little less husband time and a lot less "Honey-Do" chore help.

Here is Zack's light bathroom reading for Phase I of UPT. Just a little bit of studying to do!

I don't think it has really hit either of us that after almost a year of waiting since commissioning, this whole pilot gig is really going to start.

With Zack prepping for the start of school and me (finally) working, Hadley has been pretty lonesome and restless at home. Luckily we live in such a small town we have lunch together at home and let her out. However, she had a rough first day alone yesterday and I feel guilty enough I am now waking up long before the sun to do a morning walk with the pup. Now I need some help staying awake for work!

Pathetic...



Rachel

So it begins...

Well, I guess it's official. We have created a blog to keep family and friends updated while we're in Oklahoma and wherever life takes us. Also, we're planning on using this to keep record of our own family adventures. Right now that consists of Zack, myself, and our puppy, Hadley, making our way in good 'ole Enid. But we know with a life in the Air Force and eventually expanding our family, things will stay exciting and it'll be nice to have a place to write it all down and store our memories. We have settled in Enid at Vance AFB. Zack begins UPT (Undergraduate Pilot Training) onWednesday, and I have just completed my first week as a Construction Inspector for the City of Enid. So far, so good. Maybe next week our answers will be a little different as work becomes less training and more doing and Zack is buried in a pile of manuals! People always told us that we would meet the nicest people in Enid and the finest people in the Air Force. So far, that's true. We have been fortunate enough to surround ourselves with good folks and have been sure to keep our house full of guests (and food!) Hadley is our baby, and keeps us entertained. She has learned a lot of tricks that Zack is so proud to show to everyone. We took her on a road trip last weekend to Phoenix and she hiked with us in Sedona and at the Grand Canyon.

It was a beautiful trip!

-Rachel