Easter Sunday

After a long drive from Houston to Ft. Benning, I got to celebrate Easter with Jer and Abby's family.

 

I guess I should back up a bit to fill in some gaps. I left last weekend to drive with the pups to Houston. I stayed to watch our niece Zoey for a week while her parents went on a motorcycle trip through Big Bend National Park. We did...Kindergarten, daycare, swim lessons, Easter crafts, practicing letters, walking the dogs, watching movies, and eating yummy food! During the days I spent time reading at Barnes and Noble, doing some light shopping, and basically just relaxing. It was like a mini vacation for me, too!

 

I'm lucky to have such travelling pups. They were awesome on my 12 hour trip from Jed to Jer's, and we only stopped 2 times! I'm also blessed to have such a great new car for all these miles.

 

I briefly got to visit with Ob who was visiting Jer's family for his spring break. And we got a great visit in with Jer and Abby and the kids. Church was outside downtown on the river. It was beautiful. The kids were very excited over their Easter basket goodies. We ate a delicious smoked brisket meal! Then, the best part was watching the kids on their egg hunt.

 

 

 

We love living close enough to family for the holidays. Such special times.

 

Today, Zack had the day off from flying and I just had to work lunch for a couple hours so we had the day to sleep in, eat cinnamon rolls, get yard stuff, and order a new dining room table! We had time to get some things done around the house and yard, too. Good way to start the week!

 

 

Road Trip

Yesterday I completed my first road trip by myself. I know, I couldn't believe it either, but I've been thinking about it and I can't ever remember a time road tripping alone. I always have companions to share fast food, old school tunes, and all the other joys of a long trip.

I left Daleville Friday night and spent the night in Pensacola with Dane and Angela. Then I headed through the rest of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and made my way to Texas to spend the week with our niece.

A lot of states, a lot of miles, and only one pit stop! The pups came along for the ride. And all of my pictures are of them being so darn cute.

This week is going to be filled with Easter crafts, library trips, movie nights and other fun girl activities with Aunt Rachel. Let the fun begin.

Meanwhile, Zachariah spent the weekend spring breaking it up with his classmates in Panama City. Mustache March is an Air Force tradition that us wives unfortunately have to endure. His class decided mustaches didn't quite go with their beach weekend attire, so they all shaved on Friday. I didn't even get a proper picture!

Solo and a Check

Last week my husband soloed in the Huey. This week he completed his contact checkride. I am so proud of his studying and all his hard work in UPT!

Sometimes he comes home with some crazy stories. And I still always worry about him when he isn't on the ground. It's unreal how fast this training goes and how much they learn. Just 3 more classes graduate, then 13-09 will get their wings! Let the countdown begin!

This weekend we had lots of fun with friends. Kayaking, picnicking, visiting, and, of course, eating. (Oh, plus a little dog sitting). Loving the springtime weather and trying to make the most of our time that is flying by in Alabama.

Southern Drawls

So, I knew that moving here would affect the way I said things. I pick up people's accents without trying and/or noticing. Apparently, I let some of the southern drawl out from time to time and Zachariah never lets it go unnoticed. I must say, it isn't the worst sounding accent I've heard. I'm actually pretty fond of it. But with the right words, when it becomes too redneck, or when certain people speak the whole-southern-accent-thing sends me into uncontrollable giggles.

Things I now say that I never thought would come out of my mouth:
"y'all need more sweet tea?"
Ma'am and sir just roll right off my tongue.

Words I had never heard before but are now just part of our vocabulary: kin-folk

I love the south. We always say this, though, "we love living here but we're so glad we ain't from around these parts"

Just thought I'd share a little about life in Alabama.

Aunt Rachel & Uncle Zack's House

If you were 7-8 years old, got a weekend away from mom, dad and all the little siblings, and were spoiled at Aunt Rachel and Uncle Zack's house...this is what it would look like.

 

dance queen

rudy has moves!

taking the pups for a walk around the pond

 

mom, these kids wear me out!



the huey

group pic

too cute



i scream for ice cream

 

we aren't sure who loved the tent more: us, the kids, or the pups

backyard campout



rudy got to start the fire

shamrock rice krispy treats

rainbow jars, too
 

We had a great weekend with the kids. A lot of Just Dance 4, Halo 3, happy meals, playing at the park, ice cream, manicures, "camping," St. Patties crafts, and wearing out the pups. You sure can fit a lot in to a couple days!

Down South

We had a true southern weekend spent in Columbus, Mississippi and Aliceville, Alabama. It was one of the most fun weekends we've had spent with good friends and great family!

It started off with crazy thunderstorms here at Fort Rucker and Zack's flight being cancelled. We spontaneously packed up and headed to Columbus AFB. There we spent the most college-like weekend we've had since...well, college. Stayed in a genuine UPTfrat-house, went out, ate out, and hung out. Had fun catching up with old friends and meeting new ones. Oh, and we are completely jealous of people who get to go to UPT at Columbus. It basically kicks Vance's butt in EVERY SINGLE WAY POSSIBLE--So, if you have ever found yourself complaining about Columbus (like I always hear people doing) you better pray you never get an IP assignment at Vance because you will cry every minute of every day.

 

Congratulations to Dan for getting MC-12's to Beale. Good luck finishing UPT--graduation is just around the corner! Thanks for letting us come to your assignment night and hosting us!

 

 

Then we headed to Aliceville to spend time with Zack's great uncle and great aunt. It was an absolutely amazing visit. They are a hoot and the most truly southern folk I've ever met. They have become special family to us already and we can't wait for many more visits in the near future!

 

After every single weekend, I send out requests to people to start praying for our next assignment. We would love to have Zack FAIP and stay here for another few years. We just can't squeeze in all the family time that we want to in the next several months.

 

On the calendar for next weekend, more time with family, old friends, and the chance to host some new friends! It just keeps getting better around here.

First Days

Well, I had my first day of work yesterday. Kind of weird to have a job after such a long time off. I was just getting used to my routine here at home, but I'm glad to have something to go to each day. My shifts are short and sweet. I stay busy, so it goes by very quickly. All things so far have been added to the "pro" side of the list.

 

Starting this job was easy, of course, but telling people about this job was difficult for me. I feel like there is a stigma against people with a degree working entry level jobs. I got told I was "wasting my talents" and I was "above the job." I've always been blessed with good jobs. They had "impressive titles" that would wow people when I got asked what I did for a living. As Zachariah would say--no one expects a little Asian girl to be a project engineer or construction inspector. Now that my repsonse is "waitress" I get this weird vibe from people.

 

This wasn't my first choice of a job, but I live in a tiny town in the second poorest state in the country. Needless to say, construction projects are not booming around here. We could only be here for about 7-ish more months, too. So, then I tried to get any job, which still proved to be difficult. After I accepted this job, of course, other job offers came in. That is just my luck! But I am actually thankful that I'm doing this. I always thought working in a restaurant would be fun...and it is! I like having the opportunity to try different things. I don't know what I want to be when I grow up, but I like having the flexibility to explore different things, meet different people, and get out of my comfort zone.

 

I am happy with my decision. Man, that sentence has taken me a long time to be able to say. But, it's true. I'm happy with where we live, what we do, and our lives we're building here in Alabama. We've been blessed with it all and we're making the most of our time while we're stationed here.

February

I am back from the longest break in blogging I've had so far. Not really sure when February came and where it has gone. We have been enjoying life down South, and I promise to keep updating y'all about it!

 

February Recap

 

1.) Evan, Rachel and Macy moved to Alabama! We had roomates for a week and a half and now we have great neighbors just down the road. It has been awesome having couple friends nearby.

 

The pups sure got used to having their new best friend around the house.

 

 

2.) We got to spend some time with Sasha at Jer and Abby's. We had a blast that weekend. Hockey. Card Games. Food. Laughter. Family.

 

3.) We spent some more time in Pensacola. It is quickly becoming our favorite place and having some of our favorite people there to spend time with makes it that much more fun. This last weekend included shopping, games, and some good 'ole southern eatin'.

 

 

4.) On Valentine's Day, I perfected Zachariah's favorite dish. We had a sushi feast with yummy shrimp pad thai. It is now requested weekly. In fact, we're eating it tonight.

 

5.) Running has become our new activity to do together. This used to consist of Zachariah running and me doing...well anything but running. Then one day...I just ran, and I liked it. Now we run. One of us is much faster than the other, but at least now I can keep up with the distance and actually have a good time doing so.

 

6.) Finally, I've been coming up with a life plan. Or, rather a plan for our time at Fort Rucker. It has been difficult finding work here in Alabama. Living in a small town in the second poorest state in the country, has not proved prosperous for my project management goals. But that's okay. Sometimes plans change. Life has thrown this challenge at me and...I accept. We could only be here for 6 more months. Crazy, I know. There are 4 more classes to graduate and then Zachariah gets to walk across that stage and get his much anticipated wings. AH! Living under such temporary conditions has been frustrating and I've been learning how to adjust. I feel like it's useless finding work, but then I look at the bills and feel guilty for not contributing. If I can't find my "dream job" or even work in my field, then I want to enjoy life and just so something fun. So, that's what I'm up to. I'm going to spend my Mondays through Fridays working at a restaurant on base. When I'm home I'm going to use my free tuition money toward studying something that interests me the most. *Note-I may have second guesses this week before I sign up for online classes, so I'll reveal what I'll be studying soon! :)

I have had some serious ups and downs with trying to decide what I want to be when I grow up. Military life has been changing what I want for myself and where I see my career going. It has also limited my options while simultaneously opening doors for me. It's a confusing lifestyle and I've struggled in the confusion. Breaking down into tears is not uncommon, but thankfully I have faith that we are where God wants us and all will work out!

Thanks to everyone who has had to listen to me fret over all of this!