Living on a Military Base

So here we are in Corpus Christi, TX and we are living on the base! Our initial plan was to find something nearby, on Padre Island; however, the base housing is actually only one block from the water and much larger than what was available on the island. Plus, there is that added bonus of having gates guarded by guys with M4s as well. ;) We did not know quite what to expect moving on base. My preconceptions were a mix of the idyllic portrayal of living on base from what I have seen on the Lifetime series "Army Wives," with their gigantic, amazing houses, tons of military social events, and wonderful friendships. On the other hand, their is a real life stigma of living on base with catty women, and petty drama. However, after talking to a few of my fellow Marine wives from Virginia, who had sinced moved on to their permanent duty stations months previous and chose to live on base, I heard nothing but positive things, and great experiences. So I was hoping for Lifetime version of base living!

NAS Corpus Christi is definitely not the prettiest or the largest of bases; however, our experience living on base has been nothing but positive so far! We have a cute 3 bedroom house, complete with a white picket fence. Jordan is enjoying having a 2 minute commute to work, literally door to door, and being able to come home for lunch every day. I have spent my first few weeks here setting up our house and trying my hand at gardening in our front yard. In that time, there have been some very surreal moments, where it feels as though we are living such a cliche military, all-American life. For example, hearing revellie (or the National Anthem in this case, as it is on Naval bases) at the start and end of every day. Upon hearing it over the speakers throughout base, you are supposed to stop whatever you are doing (including driving by pulling over to the side of the road) and face a flag for the duration. It can sometimes be hard to hear when you are driving in your car listening to loud music; however, you quickly realize whats going on when you see all the other cars on the road pulled over and you are the only one driving! Whoops! Perhaps we should also train Gunnar to stop and sit everytime he hears it as well! Another surreal moment hit me last week. I was gardening in the front yard when the Military Police drove through the neighborhood on their daily patrol; they smiled, waved, and kept on driving their route. It's weird that a simple moment like that would really hit me. However, at that moment I took a second to just reflect on where our life had taken us in such a short amount of time. Although it seems that our life has drastically changed in the last year from the outside, for us, it seems as if we have transitioned into this military life very gradually. It is still shocking when you have that moment, where you can see yourself and your life from the outside looking in, and really appreciate how much everything has changed in such a short amount of time, but at the same time, how normal everything feels. Each day, all these new military customs and the whole lifestyle become even more normal than the day before, so it has been so fun to document our first experiences and reactions to the military life, as one day we will have these memories to look back on.

As I said previously, we are living only one block from the ocean! The block right on the water is the historic row of officer houses from the early days of NAS Corpus Christi. Unfortunately, it looks like time and weather has taken a toll on most of them, and while some were renovated and are still occupied, others are going to be torn down over the next couple of years. It's such a neat picture of history though walking through that neighborhood, even as it still stands now. The houses are straight out of the WWII era, and I can picture the wives hanging their laundry on the clothes lines in the backyard (which are still standing), while the kids ran around the yard, and old war planes flew overhead. Nestled among these smaller '40s-'50s style one stories, is a very large, gorgeous white plantation home; it's the type of amazing home you see pictured on Army Wives for General Holden and Claudia Joy (If you haven't watched Army Wives-guess you better start!). So while these grand homes portrayed on TV do in fact exist on real Military bases, they are reserved for the highest of officers. The occupant of this house is a Rear Admiral of the U.S. Navy and the current Chief of [ALL] Naval Air Traning, or the CNATRA (prounced Sinatra, as in Frank Sinatra).  This is the guy who is in charge of the ENTIRE Naval Air Training command, and he lives just one block over from us! I was teasing Jordan that I was thinking about getting shirts made, each with a different saying that I could wear as I jogged by his house everyday. My plan was to smile and wave as I ran with Gunnar around neighborhood, with sayings on my shirts such as: "Lippincott for 1st Lieutenant," or, as he got further in his training, and closer to selecting his flight platform : "Lippincott for (JETS/HELICOPTERS)!" Well, while out running the other day, wouldn't you know it but, Gunnar decieded to use the bathroom right in front of the CNATRAs property! As Gunnar stopped to sniff, I could forsee what was about to happen-right in the beautiful planter of the SOLE person who is charge of ALL OF AVIATION for the entire Navy and Marine Corps, so I frantically started tugging his leash with all my might,! " Come ON, Gunnar! NOT YET! Come. on. just. a. little. bit. furtherrrrrrrr!!!" Well, don't let his size fool you-he is a strong pup, and  he decided to pull back equally as hard. And with the leash and collar scrunching up over his poor little head against my pull, he proceeded to squat....right there in front of Ol' Blue Eyes' beautiful plantation home. THANK GOODNESS, I was only teasing about those shirts, and wasn't actually wearing one...otherwise it would have been "LIPPINCOTT FOR REVIEW BOARDS."

The CNTRAs house

Memories of The Sunshine State

It seems every time we move, we realize just how much we truly enjoyed the last place we lived, and how we wish we would have found just a bit more time in our everyday life to relish in our time there. Why is it that its so hard to appreciate what you have right in front of you? Only to realize what you had once it's gone! I started off with intentions of writing a new post to share with you all about our new life here in Texas, but for some reason I kept finding myself going back to our time in Florida! I don't think my brain is quite ready to let go of all these great memories just yet, perhaps in fear that if they are not properly documented, they will sadly, one day, be forgotten. So before we can close this last chapter and move on to the next in Texas, let me just recount all the reasons why we fell in love with Pensacola...


Upon first moving from Virginia, I don't think Jordan and I expected to enjoy Pensacola just as much as we did. We were initially very much consumed by missing our life from Quantico (well except for that whole TBS training part of course). We had loved all the amazing history and culture of Washington D.C. and Virginia, as well as all the amenities that came with living in the suburbs so near a big metropolitan area; we found it was hard not compare the two places. At first glance we could tell that Pensacola did in fact live up to its beautiful reputation, but we had no idea just how much fun the spirit of the city would be as well! Once we got over our homesickness for our last location, we stopped comparing the two places, and began to embrace Florida for everything it had to offer.  Florida is now filled with memories of the breathtaking white sand beaches, and the amazing atmosphere of Pensacola beach, with its great restaurants and live music and decks that overlooked the sand and the sea. We will miss the proximity to, and the support of, great military friends and of course the wonderful dinners, filled with lots of laughter, that we spent with my Aunt Ninalynn and Uncle Randy.

Clockwise: View of Pensacola Beach from the deck of Hemingway's Island Grill,  taking our Christmas card photo at Pensacola Beach,  listening to live music and dining at the Paradise Inn, view of the harbor from The Fish House Deck Bar 

We quickly found out that Pensacola had it's own unique, rich history as well. Pensacola is said to be the America's 1st Settlement; however, it changed hands numerous times over the years and for that reason it is also known as the City of Five Flags. The timeline of its history and various cultural influences is evident in the beautiful mix of architecture and historical buildings in the downtown area and historic village nearby. Nestled within the houses, shops and cafes of the historic village, is a beautiful park, where we enjoyed visiting a number of events, including BBQ cook offs and art fairs. For me, nothing better captures the essence of the area like these festivals, where present day life flourishes and celebrates in the traditions and history of the unique area. Another fun example of the festive spirit of Pensacola is the annual St. Patrick's Day 5k run downtown, which we were able to experience right before we left. Participants got dressed from head to toe in very creative and festive green outfits, and proceeded to run/walk/jog/dance a 5k race. You've never seen so many green tutus or kilts in your life! Pensacola, with its southern hospitality and fun-loving people, was such a unique town to experience. And of course, you can't mention Pensacola without mentioning the famous Pensacola Pelicans that are scattered around the city, each one painted uniquely. In downtown, they even have 1 pelican for each branch of the military, including the coast guard pelican, complete with an orange life vest!

Clockwise: Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard (with his life vest) Pelicans at Palafox St. downtown,  the Marines with their USMC Pelican downtown, another colorful pelican in the historic village, gorgeous homes near the historic village, the New Orleans-esque downtown architecture

There was so much to do and see in Florida, and we tried to pack our last weeks there as full as possible. Fort Pickens was one of our favorite places to see. It is one of a few forts in the area that was built to secure and defend Pensacola Bay; however, of all the forts, it is probably the most famous. It was constructed after the War of 1812, has housed Apache prisoners, including most famously Geronimo, and was used or occupied in a number of other wars including the Civil War, WWI, and WWII. For this reason, the fort has been continuously modified over the years, and now houses an industrial fortress, built to meet the growing needs of the modern wars, within the original pentagonal 1800s brick structure. Just across Pensacola Bay from Fort Pickens is another notable historical landmark, the Pensacola Lighthouse. We enjoyed climbing to the top Pensacola lighthouse and taking in absolutely breathtaking view from the top. While I enjoyed the panoramic views of the shoreline, Jordan of course was watching the view of hornets take off at the runways down below on base...

Pensacola Lighthouse

Fort Pickens

We are also missing the beautiful architecture and history of the Naval Air Station as well. All bases are definitely not created equal, and NAS Pensacola is by far the most beautiful military base that we have seen yet. Just like the surrounding city, the base itself has a beautiful mix of historical buildings from different eras. Adding to its unique beauty is that it sits right on scenic Pensacola Bay. However, arguably the most beautiful view of all (according to Jordan), would be the sight of the Blue Angels flying overhead almost daily, as they practiced in preparation for their national air show tour.

Clockwise: Jordan outside the API building at NAS Pensacola, the maingate entrance to NAS Pensacola,  beautiful architectural example of the buildings on base,  Jordan enjoying the beautiful view of Pensacola Bay from base, inside the National Museum of Naval Aviation

Although we were initially dissapointed to live in Milton, a 20 minute drive away from Pensacola and all these great historical and cultural sites of the main city and the base, we loved our wonderful neighborhood, friendly neighbors, and our backyard view of our small lake. We even miss a few things that came along with living in the country: the RED dirt roads, that finally gave meaning to that Brooks and Dunn country song for us, and of course Jordan's favorite neighborhood restaurant, the Red Barn BBQ! And of all the great memories we made and now have of the area, one of our favorite parts of our time living in Florida, was simply just making that 20 minute drive home, across the I-10 bridge, from Pensacola to Milton. The view crossing the bridge over Escambia Bay never got old, and each time we made that drive, we found ourselves awe-struck by the surrounding beauty of the bay, and the sight of Gulf Breeze and Pensacola Beach in the distance, and completely overwhelmed by gratitude for being able to live the life that we do right now, which allows us to see and experience all these hidden gems across our great country. 

Clockwise: Taking Gunnar for a walk along Garcon Point and the Escambia Bay, Gunnar enjoying our backyard lake, one of many beautiful sunsets from our back porch overlooking the lake, our neighborhood at Christmas, the inside of our home in Florida (including the kitchen backsplash that we did ourselves!)

So now you see why I wasn't able to move on to our present life here in Texas, as there were still so many great memories and experiences that had been left un-shared. Although we had hoped to spend much more time in Florida, we are so thankful to have had the opportunity to experience it for the time that we did. And while I should have learned my lesson about comparing two completely different locations and instead just embracing each new duty-station for the unique culture and history each brings, I am currently finding myself struggling with that same homesickness phase again, this time for Florida. I think I was hoping there would be some kind of instinctual learning curve for emotionally dealing with these moves, and who knows, maybe there is! And although emotions and logic don't seem to work hand-in-hand as often as we would like, I am willing myself to quickly move on to embrace our new life here in Corpus Christi, TX. Plus, I think if I tell Jordan one more time that "I missssssss Florida," as I have done every single day since we moved here, he may one of these days just tell me to move back there! Perhaps Amy and Branson would adopt me! ;)

The Sisterhood of the Marine Corps

"Two women met for coffee.
They talked about life-
Things they were working through
And things they were learning.
They showed eachother grace
And gave eachother courage.
Even though neither of them
Had all the answers,
They knew that God sure did.
So they laughed and cried
And shared their lives
And in the end
When their mugs were empty,
Their hearts were full."

Many people associate the hardships of living a military life with deployment; however, there are so many everyday struggles that no one really knows about, struggles other than those surrounding the big D (deployment). One's heart really takes a beating in this military life, and mine is still recovering from the beating it took last Tuesday when we left Florida. While I said goodbye to a number of amazing people in Virginia, saying goodbye to our amazing friends, the Reeds, was harder than I could have imagined.

We were so blessed to have spent the last year with Amy and Branson, first in Virginia and then in Florida. Throughout this year , we have grown together; we were able to share and lean on eachother as we adjusted to all the new experiences of becoming Marine wives and military families together. It's hard to explain the ups and downs of military life to people sometimes, despite how close we may be to them in our "normal" lives. Having friends who are going through the same thing and are struggling with the same situations is, and has been, an amazing comfort, support, and blessing. The Reeds had become our military family, our family away from home. The ones we would have holidays with, when we weren't able to spend it back home. While holidays away from family are always hard, Easter this Sunday is going to especially difficult without our military family as well.

It's hard to put into words how a friendship can grow so deep so fast. There is a saying that goes something like, it takes many years to grow an old friend. Well, I for one, beg to differ. I am sure Jordan and I are going to meet many more amazing people, and make even more lifelong military friends on this journey, especially as we are stationed somewhere for 3+ years, and have even longer for these friendships to grow; however, there is something special that Amy and I will always share from this first year as we grew into military life together, it's a bond we will always have. I am so thankful for the time I had with this fellow Marine wife, and although the Marine Corps has torn us apart so soon, I will be forever grateful for the Marine Corps experience which brought us together in the first place.


Memories from the time shared in Virginia & Florida...

Marine Wife Lesson # 3: Never Bother Unpacking

It's that time of year again....MOVING TIME! I am sure you all , (or should I start practicing with Y'ALL) can just feel the excitement radiating through the computer screen with the joy packed in to my every word. We can hardly believe we are already packing up AGAIN and moving to Texas, where Jordan will start Primary training, phase 3 of flight school.  For some reason these past 6 months spent in Florida, have seemed to go by infinitely faster than they seemed to go by in Virginia. This time-warp may have a lot to do with the intense study schedule that has taken over my husband's life and sucked him in to its all consuming vortex, called API. 

Since completing IFS, Jordan graduated to phase 2 of flight school API, Aviation Preflight Indoctrination. API is a 6 and half week school covering courses in aerodynamics, flight physiology, aircraft engines and systems, aviation weather, navigation, and flight rules and regulations.  And as with IFS, these courses are covered at lightening speed, with 2 tests a week and a minimum passing score of 80 percent required. Jordan has compared API  to the intensity of finals, except these finals, and the accompanying stress and long hours of cramming knowledge, have lasted weeks and weeks on end.

A typical day in the life during API, goes something like this:  After an 8-10 hour day of work, Jordan comes home and heads straight to the dining room table, which has transformed into his giant oversized desk for the time-being. Our dining table is pretty large, approximately 8'x3', with 6 chairs around the table; however, it is somehow covered from end to end, corner to corner, with study materials. Jordan has laid out his maps, notes, books, and flight calculator contraptions, on top of the table in an organized chaos only he understands. He picks a seat at the table, and puts his head down and studies with locked-on intensity until midnight every night, only briefly getting up to rotate seats at the table in order to shift down to another section of materials. The only time he allows himself to come up for air from beneath the piles of books, papers and notecards, is to scarf down some dinner, also done at lightening speed and usually lasting no longer than 10 minutes.  For those of you who know my husband, I am sure you are feigning shock at this last statement. Jordan, eating a meal in 10 minutes? How does the tapeworm inside his stomach survive on such minimal food consumption?!?! And to answer that question, the poor guy has lost exactly 9 lbs during these last 6 weeks. Wouldn't the rest of us love to be on this API diet?


Weekends do not allow any break from this strenuous work schedule. If and when he does allow himself to go anywhere, whether it be to the gym, or even when we went out to dinner for Valentine's day, there is not a minute that can be wasted on anything other than studying. The car rides consist of Jordan driving, and me quizzing him with his notecards. His birthday was no exception to the routine either. Thankfully Jordan's hard work paid off, and he successfully passed all the tests during API. And what could be a better belated birthday present than that? Unfortunately, many people do fail out during this initial classroom portion of API, and are therefore, redesignated to a different MOS, or job within the Marine Corps. This can be anything from infantry to public relations, depending on what the needs of the Marine Corps are at that time. 


However, API is not all classroom work, there is also quite a bit of emphasis on physical training as well, most of which  consists of swimming and other water training.  Initially this physical training consists of practicing basic swimming in full flight gear, including their flight suits, boots and even their helmets.  They are then taught to drownproof and tread water for extended periods of time with their flight gear still on. Following this initial introductory round of water training, the students will advance to more aviation-specific work, for example parachuting into the water in the case they have to eject from an aircraft, and how to disentangle themselves from the parachute once landing in the water. From there, they move on to probably the most infamous portion of water survival training,  the shallow-water egress trainer and helicopter dunker.

The shallow-water egress trainer is a precursor to the helicopter dunker. This is a long, metal, submerged cage with chairs mounted on the top, outside of the water. The chairs swivel to fall inside the submerged  cage and put the students upside-down, underwater. The students are taught to hold their breath while finding a reference point to orient themselves. They then swim through the narrow cage until they are able to escape. After a few successful attempts, they practice this same maneuver with blackout goggles. They are now completely unable to see their surroundings and must rely on touch alone. Once mastering this, they move on to the Helicopter dunker, also known as the Dilbert dunker. The helicopter dunker simulates a helicopter fuselage. It is dropped into the water, and tossed around and rotated to disoriented the students. The exercise is very intimidating and tests the composure and confidence of the students as they try to extricate themselves without panicking. Lastly, these exercises are also again mastered with black out goggles.


Another one of the most highly anticipated training exercise that is essential to aviation physiology is, the low-pressure chamber.  The students are put in a small sealed room and the pressure is reduced to simulate an altitude of about 25,000 feet.  At this altitude the lungs cannot deliver enough oxygen to the brain to keep it functioning at full capacity. So the students are directed to perform simple exercises like playing "Pensacola pat-a-cake!". Boy would I have liked to be a fly on the wall to see all those big, bad, tough marines playing "pat-a-cake" with eachother! Through this exercise the students learned to recognize some of the signals that the body sends when it suffers from a lack of oxygen, which may occur in dangerous situations such as a loss of pressurization in an aircraft at high altitudes.  For those of you who are interested in seeing a bit more about this training done at API, as well as a glimpse of beautiful NAS Pensacola, here is a great 3 min video: API - Pensacola, FL 

API finally culminates in what is affectionately called "Flight Suit Friday," where the guys celebrate at the Officer's Club after earning their fight suits, or onesies and pajamas as we like to tease. It is a very exciting day for everyone, and for Jordan, although he still has a long way to go and even more difficult training to come, it was finally a concrete realization of the amazing career path that he is on.


Here are few photos from Jordan's Flight Suit Friday.....  

Jordan in front of the O-Club

Blue Angel at the O-Club

So proud of my handsome hubby!

Jordan and his buddy Branson

Inside the O-Club on Flight Suit Friday

Until we meet again in Texas, 

Those Texas Rumors...

By now many of you have probably heard those nasty little rumors going around, that we may be moving to Texas. Well those rumors are true, and the probability that we are moving to Texas has now recently turned in to a certainty. So I am sure everyone is wondering, what? Texas? We thought you'd be in Florida for a least a year....Ya well, us too. So here's the story:

First, let me just break down the 4 phases of flight school, so everything is easier to understand:

1. IFS -Introductory Flight Screening, which as you may remember I told you all about in my last blog. IFS is a condensed version of a civilian private pilot's course, including both classroom and flying time, and which Jordan has now completed.
Location: Milton, FL

2. API- Aviation Preflight Indoctrination, the next school Jordan will be starting on Feb. 3rd. This will be 6 weeks of intensive classroom studying and tests, where the same high standards as IFS and each student aviator must score above an 80% on every test, or risk again losing his flight contract. The course material will cover basic aviation training in aerodynamics and turbine engines. In other words, it's going to be more detailed material than was covered in IFS and more focused on military specific aircraft. 
Location: Pensacola, FL


3. Primary- Primary, no acronym here! This consists of 6 months academic, simulator, and flight training. At the end of primary, student aviators will pick their flight platform: jets, helicopters, tilt rotors or turboprops.
Locations: Milton, FL , Corpus Christi, TX & Enid, Oklahoma

4. Advanced- Training commences on the specific aircraft platform picked from Primary. This training is completed at various locations depending on the aircraft platform, including:
Jets-Kingsville, TX or Meridian, MS
Helicopters-Milton, FL

Only after all of this and Jordan's completion of advanced school, will we FINALLY get a duty station, where we will be able to stay put in one spot for a whole 3 years!

Well upon first moving to Florida we had assumed we'd stay here for Primary, which is the reason we picked the house in the location we did in Milton. Our house is halfway between the two bases Jordan would be commuting to, assuming he'd be completing Primary here.  However, by now we should have known, you can't assume anything when it comes to the military. Yesterday, Jordan came home and confirmed that'd we'd be moving to Corpus Christi for his Primary flight training.

Jordan and I both strongly believe everything in life happens for a reason, although it may be hard to see the overall picture through our immediate frustrations, we just need to trust and have faith in the path that is laid out for us. We had a teacher at Santa Margarita that used to always say, there is no such thing as coincidence, just God-incidences. So with that mindset, Corpus Christi, TX is another adventure that we are looking forward to experiencing. It is along the Gulf Coast, and we have set our sights on finding a place on Padre Island.  I am so thankful at the end of the day to have the opportunities we have had so far to experience all these amazing parts of the country. And while it has been and will continue to be frustrating to not feel settled for awhile, I am sure we will look back on these experiences with fond memories we wouldn't change for the world!

Jordan's First Solo Flight

*For those of you who normally read the blog by email, we have included a special video in this update, so you may need to follow the link in your email to the actual blog to view it. I have also changed the font, so I hope it is now easier to read. 


Jordan has officially completed phase one of flight school, IFS. IFS stands for Introductory Flight Screening. It consists of 3 weeks of book study and tests, culminating in the FAA exam, and 13 flight hours over 2 weeks, culminating in a solo flight. Essentially over the past 2 months Jordan has completed a condensed version of the private pilot training course, which normally is completed over a 6 month period.  Having to cover the same amount of book material in only 3 weeks was extremely taxing. In addition to covering, and more importantly processing and comprehending, this large amount of material at lightening speed, the Marine Corps requires each student aviator to pass all 5 of the tests with at least an 80%. People who received a failing grade ( a 79% or below) on any of these tests, had to go in front of a review board. Typically the review board of commanding officers will allow the student aviator to retake the failed test one time; however, a second failure on any other test, results in the loss of one's flight contract and a re-designation to another MOS, or Military Occupational Speciality (essentially a job within the Marine Corps, but by now you all know the USMC and their obsession with fancy acronyms for simple words). So for those 3 weeks, studying was Jordan's full time job, literally. Jordan's only duty requirement for 3 weeks was to study from home. And while it may seem nice to be able to stay home from "work" for 3 weeks, I think I can speak for Jordan when I say, it must have been pretty overwhelming not only to learn a 6 months course in 3 weeks, but also to have to teach it to yourself!


Thankfully, Jordan passed with flying colors. His lifelong love affair with airplanes and genuine interest in aviation and aeronautical engineering helped him get through those stressful 3 weeks. After successfully passing the FAA exam, the real fun was about to begin. Jordan finally was going to get to fly! Jordan has been lucky enough to get to fly a few times in the past with my Uncle Brett, as well as one of his friends who has his private pilot's license, and most recently a retired Marine pilot who is a family friend of my Aunt Nina and Uncle Randy. Needless to say, Jordan has the flying bug, and he has been so anxious to get up in the air after many years of anticipation and all the steps he has taken in the Marine Corps to get to this point. So, after completing the "classroom" portion of IFS, Jordan spent the next few weeks clocking his required flight hours, where he learned all basic manuevers such as take-offs, landings, touch and goes, and radio communications. He also learned more advanced maneuvers such as recovering from airplane stalls and other emergency procedures, including what to do during equipment/engine failure, and locating and landing in non-conventional places in the case an emergency landing is ever required. Jordan gave one local farmer quite a scare when they practiced this emergency landing procedure when he buzzed about 15' above said farmer's house before landing in his field.


In addition to learning all these aspects of flying, the airspace over Pensacola and the gulf is said to be the busiest airspace in the country. With multiple military training airports in the area, including the F-18 Blue Angels squadron, and a number of civilian and commercial airports, plus  two international airports, there are very strict regulations on communications, frequencies, altitudes, and airspeeds just within his local training area. With this being said, flying was a bit more overwhelming at first than Jordan had previously anticipated. Especially since, on top of all the added technicalities with navigating through these numerous and overlapping airspaces, he was completing a 40 flight hour private's pilot program in just 13 flight hours. After quite a few delays in finishing his hours due to the break of the Christmas holiday and lots of bad weather, Jordan was finally set to complete his solo flight on Friday, January 13th. Yes, that's right, his first ever solo flight was scheduled on Friday the 13th. However, as I said to him that day, I think 13 may just be his lucky number, we were married on June 13th afterall!


When solo day finally arrived, we woke up bright and early and headed to the airport. The winds were starting to pick up and we were worried that flights would again be grounded at the airport due to the high wind speeds. Jordan narrowly was able to get his pre-solo/check flight in the previous day, before they grounded the rest of the planes for this very reason. I really need to try and blog more often to document this experience better, because Jordan's pre-solo/check flight is a pretty funny story in itself.  Well, seeing as you're probably now wondering what in fact this story is and why it was so funny, I'll try to give it to you quickly in a nutshell. Off on a tangent we go...

Every student aviator must complete a "check ride" with a different instructor to be tested and then cleared for a solo flight. As Jordan  sat on the runway that day, and went through all of his pre-flight procedures for his check ride, his testing instructor got on the radio to check the weather conditions. It was a clear day, but the winds were starting to pick up again. At this point, Jordan began to foresee his flight being cancelled AGAIN because of bad weather, for the 5th day in a row. Milton airport does not allow planes, even when flown by experienced pilots, to take off or land when a crosswind exceeds 15-17 knots, because as Jordan's dad would say, these planes are like kites, they just toss around haphazardly in any sort of windy conditions. Frustrated with all the weather delays he'd already experienced up to this point, he just couldn't stand the thought of not flying again today, especially since he was so close. Having finished his pre-flight checklist, he was now sitting on the runway READY to take off! So in typical Jordan fashion, he made the decision that he WAS going to fly. Before his instructor could get word back on the weather (because the radio connection had died!), Jordan hit the throttle and took the plane up! Because afterall, as Jordan rationalizes, his instructor didn't say to stop take-off procedures. Once they were up in the  air, Jordan went through all of his check ride requirements and maneuvers, and although completed, they were a bit less refined than he is normally capable of, as he battled against the winds and the less than ideal conditions that he had willingly gotten himself into. After finishing all the check ride test maneuvers, all he had to do was land, easy right? Normally, yes; however, at this point the winds were now at 20 knots with 30 knot gusts. And while many times, instructors will fly to another nearby airport to land and wait out the conditions, I think this instructor, a retired, salty (experienced) Navy pilot, was just as hard-headed as Jordan, and together, they were determined to put this plane down! Well thankfully, I can write and say they did land safe and sound, but apparently it was quite a sight, as all the other "grounded" pilots and personnel at the airport came out to watch these two knuckleheads try to land!

So there's the story, now back to solo flight day.... The winds, although taunting him with the threat of their fickle nature, stayed safely at bay, and so Jordan and his instructor proceeded to prepare for his solo flight. I cozied myself up in a rocking chair on the porch of the small airport building, bundled up to my nose in a thick scarf, warm coffee in hand. I was committed to sticking it out in the 30 degree, slightly windy weather so I could watch this experience first hand! I didn't get out of bed at 5am to sit inside a building while he flew afterall! As I sat there, I began to grow frustrated as the boys tinkered around in the airplane, "Let's just get this show on the road," I thought to myself, "I'm FREEZING!" Well come to find out the engine on Jordan's plane wouldn't start. Maybe Friday the 13th was not going to be a lucky day for Jordan afterall. Being that it was still only 7 am by this point, and the sun had only just risen, they thought perhaps the engine was still frozen from the overnight cold weather. So after blowing hot air on the engine for 20 minutes to try and warm it up, they got back in the plane to attempt this solo flight again. Well, after more tinkering, Jordan and his instructor got  back out of the plane, and with their shoulders shrugged and heads bowed slightly lower than before, proceeded to walk back towards the building again. (Later, we would find out that the plane had not started the second time because it had a dead battery as well!)

Jordan's instructor, now equally frustrated, was determined to get Jordan his solo flight that morning. After talking with the airport personnel about using one of the other airplanes of the same model (a Piper Warrior for all you airplane people), they allowed Jordan to fly the other plane, although it was currently in-shop for routine maintenance. Just our luck, right? We sat around again (this time thankfully inside the comfort of the warm building) and waited for the plane to be prepped, and put back together, for flight. Two hours after first arriving at the airport, it finally looked as if Jordan was actually going to get to fly today, and fly he did! Check out the video of Jordan's very first SOLO FLIGHT:


*Click play on the video below. For full screen, hit the center of the video a second time and it will direct you to youtube, where you can view it larger.

**After watching the movie again myself, I felt like I needed to add an additional note to clarify Jordan's "note" ha ha. " Get Some" is an unofficial Marine Corps saying. It's used when someone is pushing past their physical limits and personal records in physical fitness, or as in this case, is just overly motivated ;)

2 Moves, 3 States, 1 Year

As this year comes to an end, I cannot help but look back and reflect on what a year it has been. In the year 2011, Jordan and I have moved twice, lived in 3 different states, and have met some amazing people. We have officially lived in Florida for 2 months now, and while everything here still feels very new and strange, Virginia somehow seems like a lifetime ago. Our military friends are now spread all across the world, from Kailua, Hawaii to Okinawa, Japan, and despite only being in each other's lives for such a short time, there is definitely a void where that support group and those friendships were. I am so thankful for technology, which allows us all to regularly stay in-touch, follow each other's journeys, and continue to support each other and share information as we all continue to learn the ropes of this, still very new, military life. Despite looking ahead to flight school and moving to Florida for so long, I had no idea how sad I would be to leave our Virginia chapter behind.

Moving to Florida has brought on a whole new set of "firsts" as we have begun to adjust to this new region. While Virginia is technically considered the South, we were in such close proximity to D.C.,  we didn't really have a clue what the SOUTH was until Florida. Despite the culture shock we initially experienced in Virginia (having to take the "highway" in order to get to the nearest grocery store, driving 25 miles to the nearest Trader Joes, missing all of our favorite stores and restaurant chains, especially good Mexican food), complaining about the limited dining and shopping options is now laughable in hindsight! While Pensacola is a neat little city, the little suburb of Milton we live in is, well, COUNTRY! This area of the south isn't just a region, it's a way of life! You quickly find that out when you go into a bar on a Friday night and every single person is decked out in red-from head to toe, yelling "ROLL-TIDE-ROLL" along to the Alabama fight song, which is blaring from the speakers in every corner of the restaurant while the Alabama college game plays on every single tv screen. We are so SOUTHERN now that I even tried FRIED OKRA! I guess I ate my words from my August blog, where I adamantly stated " I will not be trying fried okra anytime soon!!!" (I called my Texas girlfriend up and just had to tell her-she was so excited)

Southern BBQ has now become a regular part of our Jordan's diet. Red Barn BBQ, which is about 5 miles away, is the closest restaurant to us, and Jordan is officially obsessed with it. The reason? All you can eat spare-ribs for $11.99. A few weeks ago, Jordan wanted to head to the Barn AGAIN for lunch, and I just refused to go anymore. Well 2.5 hours later, my very happy and very full husband returned from lunch.  He ate 3 racks of spare ribs himself! I am just waiting for the day when they choose to enforce the "We Reserve the Right to Refuse Service to Anyone" sign!

Here are a few of our other favorite memories of adjusting to our new life in Florida:

* The Blue Angels are EVERYWHERE! From freeway overpasses to water towers, Pensacola, Florida is the home base for the Blue Angels. Most days Jordan drives on base with his sunroof open so he can watch the Blue Angels flying overhead. As him and his friends finish class for the day, they often find themselves sitting on the back of someone's truck bed, watching the planes practice over the beach.

*Although we have heard about the infamous white sand beaches for a long time, we were really shocked at how white the sand really was. When the water washes over the sand, it almost has a snow-like quality!

* Houses are built on stilts here! We thought it was the weirdest thing when we came across these houses online house-hunting, but after coming here and seeing how close to sea level most of the land is, houses on stilts don't even phase us anymore and have become another normal sight!

*Guthrie's sells GOLDEN FRIED chicken, not GLUTEN FREE food! We were driving around, exploring our new town and looking for a place to eat (especially one that would work for Jordan's Paleo diet) when I excitedly yelled at Jordan to make a U-turn! I was so shocked and so excited when I saw Guthrie's Gluten Free restaurant in our little country town of Milton, FL...we were quite perplexed when we got inside and started reading the menu. Whoops-guess I read that sign wrong!

* Not only were we excited at the novelty of chopping down our own tree this year, we couldn't believe that we were able to purchase a 9.5' tree for $18! How much did you pay again mom?????

*We have found that Florida has the absolute NICEST people! We absolutely LOVE our neighborhood. Every single person waves as they pass you, whether they are driving by or be it a kid riding his bicycle around the block! We even had a neighbor, drop his family off, and circle back around to offer his help as we were moving in!

Transitioning from a Marine Corps base to now being stationed at a Navy Base, has also been interesting. The base in general is a lot more laid back, and well, NICER! The gyms (there are at least 4 on NAS Pensacola alone) are state of the art. They even have new treadmills with digital screens and ipod docs, and all group exercise classes are free!  Instead of having one small exchange (military version of a small department store), the Navy has a whole "mall." We are also enjoying the added perk that the Navy issues all of Jordan's flight gear, which means we don't have to pay for all his uniforms and gear as we have had to in the past (military uniforms and equipment are quite pricey). However, after Jordan finishes flight school, we will be stationed back at a Marine Corps Air Station, so we are enjoying all these added perks of the Navy's big budget while we can!

This move has felt a bit like starting all over again from square one! We are in a new place, with another unique culture, on a new type of base, and starting over making new friends! However, the Marine Corps is a relatively small community, and 12 families we knew from Virginia also moved down to Florida. Some were here only temporarily for AMS (Aviation Maintenance School), but the majority are here for flight school. And although we are spread out over a 50 mile distance between Naval Air Station Pensacola and Naval Air Station Whiting Field, we all reunited for the Marine Corps Ball last month, and are able to support each other and our husbands as they take on their next adventure in flight school.

Jordan and I have learned and grown a lot this past year. Our journey so far has really shown us what a small world it is: that family and friends are only a plane ride away (and now just a short drive in Florida), which makes living on the other side of the country not as overwhelming as we had initially thought, and that wherever we are stationed, we will have a part of our Marine Corps family with us!

So here's to 2011-and all the amazing memories and friends we made along the way, and looking forward to 2012 and all the wonderful blessings and adventures it will bring!

Our First Birthday Ball

This past weekend Jordan and I attended our very first USMC Marine Corps Birthday Ball. The Birthday Ball celebrates the birth of the Marine Corps on November 10, 1776. The Officer's Ball for the Pensacola area was held at the National Naval Aviation Museum. It was so neat getting all dressed up for a ball in a museum with hundreds of planes surrounding us. Our ball was extra special because the Commandant of the Marine Corps, General Amos (the first naval aviator to serve as Commandant in the history of the Marine Corps), was at our ball!!!!! Pensacola holds a special place in his heart because he met his wife here during his time at flight school. It was so great to be able to share the night with our good friends from Virginia, Amy and Branson. Here are some pictures from the ball....

 

Branson and Jordan, being silly as they get ready for the ball

Ready for the ball in my new dress!

The boys looking handsome in their dress blues at dinner

Dinner at the Fish House, overlooking beautiful Pensacola Bay and Seville Harbor

 

Jordan and I at dinner

At the National Naval Aviation Museum for the USMC Officer's Ball

Reuniting with other wives from Virginia

The boys "trying on" the Blue Angel

Looks good on him, don't ya think?!?!

An interesting tradition from the ball is the cake cutting ceremony. The cake is cut with the Mameluke Sword, and the first piece is given to the guest of honor. The next piece of cake is then given to the oldest Marine present, and then to the youngest Marine present. The oldest Marine at our ball was 95 years old. He served in WWII. The youngest Marine present was a 22 year-old 2nd Lt, who just completed The Basic School with Jordan in Virginia. The passing of the cake from the oldest to the youngest Marine symbolizes the experience and youthful spirit that are hallmarks of the Marine Corps, as well as the passing of history and traditions to the next generation.

It was an awesome night, filled with with some amazing people and great tradition.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARINES!

A Pilot's Life for Me

It was 11 o'clock on a beautiful afternoon, Jordan's "workday" had been over for nearly two hours, and we were relaxing at the pool, basking in the warm Florida sun.  As we sat there enjoying the luxury of  this new Pilot's life, we couldn't help but laugh as we thought about what a dramatic contrast life in Florida has been so far, from Jordan's long, excruciating days in Virginia. My, how life has changed in one month's time....

It wasn't an easy journey to Florida, but we made it. We have officially completed two military moves now, and the second was no less...interesting...than the first. Jordan and I are convinced we must have somehow angered the moving gods, because we have had more than our share of bad luck on these moves. Although we didn't get stuck in the mud or have to get bailed out by firemen, this second move was just as eventful, if not more so than the first...

Our bad luck started before we even hit the road this time around. We decided to have the military move the majority of our belongings; however, because the military can take 2-3 weeks to deliver your furniture to the new location, we decided to take a few small things to get us by until the truck arrived in FL (a small loveseat, mattress, a few essential kitchen supplies, and a few boxes of clothes).  We showed up bright and early on moving day to pick up our small Budget moving truck to transport these few remaining items, only to find out that they were somehow missing our small truck. If we wanted to leave that day, we would have to take the largest size truck instead, the 24' truck (plus trailer). This is the same size truck we used for our move from CA to VA, when we had our entire household to move. Driving this much larger truck would mean not only going  much slower, but dealing with all the challenges that we faced on our first move ... finding parking, changing lanes, making u-turns, backing up etc etc.  However, despite all the challenges of the larger truck, I think Jordan secretly enjoys driving The Beast (the name we gave the 24 footer after our first trip) and we headed back home with our old friend, The Beast, to finish packing.

 

The Beast

When returning The Beast in Florida, we parked alongside the smaller truck that we were supposed to be driving for the move! The size difference is hysterical!

After filling approximately 1/8 of the truck with our remaining belongings, we were finally ready to hit the road, only to discover our house keys were nowhere to be found. Having just been robbed blind by our landlord's mother, during our not-so fun, and very infuriating walk-through inspection (too stressful and long of a story to recount here), and having just sliced open the top of my foot on a broken vase the movers had left behind, our patience were definitely being tested at this point and this new situation with the keys did not help!We didn't discover until unpacking again in Florida, that the movers had actually packed up our keys in one of their boxes! Jordan and I blew off steam by laughing through all of our frustrations and recounting all the setbacks of the day, because hey, at least we were getting all of our bad luck out of the way now, paving the way for a smooth rest of the journey. Well, turns out, we laughed too soon...

It was nearly 8pm by the time we got the keys re-made and dropped off to the landlord. All we had left to do was drive Jordan's car up onto the the trailer, and we would finally be off! Only, we could not get Jordan's car onto the trailer. No matter how high Jordan jacked up the trailer, or which angle we tried to attempt the ramp at, it was just too steep to drive up without scratching the front of Jordan's car. So we headed to Walmart to pick up a few rhino ramps, the ramps people use to drive up on to get under their car to change their oil.  Staying with our positive mindset, Jordan justified that he had actually been wanting a set of these ramps for his own personal use for awhile now. So off to Walmart we went....or the truck went I should say.....the trailer decided not to follow. After hearing a very loud, strange noise coming from outside, Jordan looked in the side mirror of the truck to see the trailer spinning and ping ponging across the road behind him. Thank God, no one was driving that section of road when this occurred! After swinging the huge truck around (not an easy task), Jordan attempted to hook the trailer back on again as it sat in the middle of highway 1, at which point it started raining!

After finally making it to Walmart  (both truck AND trailer) to get the ramps, we attempted driving the car up on the trailer again, but the ramp was still too steep! So Jordan bought some wood planks and created his own smaller ramp, underneath the rhino ramps, which were underneath the trailer ramp, in attempt to make the drive up the ramps gradual enough to drive onto the trailer without scratching the front of the car. (Did I mention that it was still raining this whole time?!?!)  With all of Jordan's "Macgyvering" of the ramps, we almost were able to clear the front of the car up the ramp and onto the trailer. But as the saying goes, almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades, and the car was still a half of an inch too low to make it up the ramp without scratching. It was now nearly 10pm, Jordan was soaking wet from working on the ramps out in the rain, and we still hadn't left town.We finally decided that this car was not going to get on this trailer. Perhaps it's a sign, because what if we did eventually get the car on the trailer, only to have the trailer fly off the back of the truck again?!?! This time with a car on it!!!! So we decided to call Budget's roadside assistance, to see if they could bring us a new trailer all together.

Roadside assistance quoted us 90 minutes before they could get someone out to us. So there we sat in the cab of our 24' truck, in the pouring rain, of the Walmart parking lot in Stafford, Virginia. The Budget repairman replaced a broken part on the trailer (which was what caused the trailer to detach), and informed Jordan what the first Budget employees did not...there was a second jack on the trailer to lower the ramps further, allowing the car to easily drive right on up! Despite finally getting the car up on the trailer, it was now 1130 pm, so we decided to call it a day. We spent the first night of our trip in a hotel.....exactly 5 miles from our old house.

We set off to hit the road in the morning, saying GOOD RIDDANCE to Virginia! From there it was smooth sailing, except of course for a flat tire in Alabama, because no moving road-trip of ours is complete without one! We made it to beautiful Pensacola, FL in just 2 days, and arrived just in time to be welcomed by a beautiful sunset on the water.

After dealing with all the stress of another crazy move, and 6 months of long days and hard training,  I would say Jordan's definitely earned a few of these relaxing days at the pool! Not sure how long these short days of work, and long days at the pool/beach will last, but for now he's singing Yo ho, Yo ho, It's a Pilot's life for Me, and is very happy to be done with The Basic School and out of the state of Virginia, FINALLY!

As promised, here are a few pictures from Jordan's TBS graduation and Family Warrior Day...

Jordan, Me, and Alex  getting to shoot live rounds of the M16 and SAW machine gun!

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Jordan and the some of the guys from his Platoon (Jordan is in the middle)

So proud of him!

Jordan and Branson (also going to Pensacola) went to OCS together for the first time in the Summer of 2006

Marine Wives: One is going to Pensacola, FL with us, and the other is heading to North Carolina!