No More Butter Bars

I can hardly believe it's been 2 1/2 months since my last post, especially with all that has gone on!
Most noteably is Jordan was promoted from 2nd Lieutenant to 1st Lieutenant. On July 12th, Jordan celebrated his 2 year anniversary in the Marine Corps and turned in his golden (butter) bars in for a set of shiny new silver ones.

Promotion ceremonies are unique to what stage you are in your training or in the fleet, as well as your rank, location and base, so they tend to range in formality and size. Jordan's promotion was much more informal than most because of where he currently is in his flight training. Right now, Jordan is assigned to a small squadron, which is furthermore a mix of Marines and Sailors (Navy flight students). His training is conducted, for the most part, on a one-on-one basis with an assigned instructor, and not in a group setting. So therefore, his promotion was not amongst a group of people. He asked his instructor, a Marine Captain, if he would do the honor of swearing him in under oath for his promotion, as well as pinning on one of his bars while I pinned the second one on his other lapel. However, while up flying a day last month in July, his instructor suggested conducting the swearing-in process up in the air, mid-flight. Jordan while excited, was also a bit hesistant, responding, "Sir I appreciate the idea, but I can't do it without my wife present."  His instructor replied by promising him they would still have an official swearing-in ceremony while back on solid ground, but they could still do it unofficially while up flying. Jordan had barely uttered an agreement, when his instructor interrupted with, "G's coming on in 3, 2, 1..." as he proceeded to violently yank back on the stick, pulling them upwards into the air into an inverted flying position. Once upside, his instructor began reciting the oath to Jordan. And there, flying inverted 9,000 ft over the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, Jordan swore in to his new position of 1st Lt.

Inverted view of Corpus Christi, TX

That moment in and of itself, would have been enough of a memorable experience for Jordan; however, as promised we still had an offical promotion ceremony back on solid ground, which I was able to attend back in the Commanding Officers (COs) quarters of the VT-27 Boomers Squadron.

A few days later, I found myself rushing home from work to meet Jordan and his instructor for the second ceremony at the squadron headquaters on the flight deck. I hurriedly passed through the key coded turnstile gate and onto the flight deck, rushing past the "Beware of Propellers" signs emblazzoned on the side of the hangers, and stepped out into the fading sunglight, with the setting sun a backdrop against the hundreds of orange and white training T-34 aircrafts that span along the flightline, almost as far as the eye can see. This is the secret world which my husband dissapears to everyday, that only a few have access too. It seems so secure, so mysterious and intimidating to the outside, civilan eye, yet so accessible now in ours. I always find myself stopping in these moments, trying to capture these experiences and cement them to memory; to see them from this outside perspective. With time these new moments become more and more routine, and I gradually lose the outside, 3rd person perspective I initially bring to every new military experience; however, realizing I am still late, I break my reflective trance and keep on half jogging-half speed walking (so as not to look like a fool OR a terrorist) through the giant hangers, which are adorned with giant VT-27 BOOMERS, and the brother squadron, VT-28 RANGERS ensignias.

 

As a Marine, it's tradition to swear-in wearing your camis (camoflouge uniform), although Jordan's daily uniform currently is his flight suit. However, wearing the camis is a symbol of unity with the fellow Marines and comrades serving on the ground. So despite flying earlier that day in their flight suits, Jordan and his flight instructor brought their camis to change in to after their flight for the ceremony.  Apparently Jordan's instructor also found himself in a rush earlier that morning, running late when he left the house for the day. He grabbed his camis in such a hurry that he didn't realize he had grabbed two right footed boots. Not only did he grab two right-footed boots, but he grabbed one trail boot, and one flat boot without tread. Upon meeting Jordan and I in the ready-room (the student lounge in the VT-27 Boomers Hanger), he tried to disguise his lopsided foot and distract us with overly energized, rambling chatter and by walking at a quicker than normal pace as he lead us up the stairs into the Commanding Officer's office. Along the way, he stop to gather a few "accessories," as he referred to the other pilots and flight students that were hanging around the hanger and available in the squadron to witness the promotion ceremony. Once we arrived in the CO's Office, Jordan and the Captain stood in front of the American and Marine Corps Flags, across the room from me and the rest of the accessories. Upon standing at this distance in front of all of us, I noticed his foot looked a bit funny. A few things were running through my head: 1. Perhaps his boot accidently got smooshed and run over in the driveway? Or 2. Maybe he had a disability, like a club foot. However, it's not as if he is a ground Marine, and as a pilot, all he needed to do was push rudder pedals, which he'd still be capable of with a club foot, right? I thought to myself. Gosh I should hope so considering he has Jordan's life in his hands!

A few of the other people in the room noticed the boot situation as well, and knowing him personally. as opposed to me meeting him for the first time, they knew he did not have a club foot after all, and razzed him as soon as the ceremony ended for his wrong fitting shoes. However, as a good Marine Officer, he was intent on carrying on and not making a big deal of his situation, he did have two boots on afterall. If this Captain did not already have a call sign, he might have earned one that day of "righty," for the two right boots he wore on Jordan's promotion day. So in the end, Jordan had two unique memories of being promoted to 1st Lt, as well as the pictures which captured the second ceremony, which we will always look back on with laughter and fondness, as we recount the story of the club foot.

Jordan being sworn-in to 1st Lt, his instructor with two right boots!

Jordan and his on-wing instructor, still with two right boots

Jordan and I on promotion day, note his shiny new SILVER bars!

The T-34C that Jordan flies in Primary 

In addition to promoting to 1st Lieutenant, Jordan has completed approximatley 60 percent of Primary flight school. In the beginning he had to memorize a million and a half emergency procedures (EPs), and was wandering around our house mumbling, muttering, and reciting his EPs for weeks on end, at all hours of the day and night. Every car ride for those first few weeks, consisted of me quizzing him with a T-34 Primary App (we have upgraded from the old-fashioned flash cards that we used in Florida). He successfully mastered these by completing training and tests in the simulators and then moved on to the T-34 itself, which is where he matched up with Captain "Righty," his flight instructor (from above).

I work with an older lady, who's husband is a former Navy fighter pilot. She talks with me and another co-worker (who is a girlfriend of another Marine Student Aviator) about the military life and about flight school. She had told us to let her know if our boys got matched up with "screamers." In the moment, we were confused, but wrote it off as her just being her zany, entertaining self. Well, as soon as Jordan got matched up with his instructor, and came home the first day to tell the tale, I knew exactly what she meant. Jordan had been matched up with a "screamer."  During this next phase of training, Jordan was taking all that he had learned in the textbook, up in to the air for practical application, and he had to do so all while being cussed at, screamed at (aka "marine-d at"), all while trying to learn to fly this new plane. Jordan and his fellow Marine friend, who also has this same instructor, would often congregate at our home on base after each flight, and recount their stories of their flights with their "screamer" of an instructor. They would commiserate and laugh at how they would both attempt to mute out, or tune down the volume on the Captain in the back cockpit, but how he would always seem to know and quickly respond by hitting the volume override button, only to come on screaming and cussing even louder over the interrcom again!

Despite the verbal abuse, Jordan successfully passed through this phase and completed his first solo in the T-34. After this initial fundamental flight portion of primary, Jordan moved on to the aerobatic phase, where he learned and successfully solo'ed in loops, rolls, wing-overs, barrell rolls, immelmans, and much more. Pretty much, they went up in the air and tossed the plane up, down, all around, and upside down. This is in addition to the spins, stalls and spin and stall recoveries they did during the fundamental portion of primary. These aerobatics required pulling up to 4.5 Gs (the weight against the graviational pull), which required the aviators to adminster the hick manuever, where they squeeze their lower extrementies and abs in order to keep the blood pumping up to their heads so as not to pass out. While this was extremely taxing on the body, wouldn't you know it, Jordan loved every single moment of it. He could hardly wait for his aerobatic solos, where he was able to go back up in the air to complete these aerobatics, and pull G's, all on his own.

Jordan is now in ground school right school, where he is learning advanced instrument navigation, and completing more simulation training. He should also be having his tie-cutting ceremony in these next few weeks where, by tradition, their instructors cut the students ties with a knife to congradulate them on their accomplishments thus far. I myself don't really see the correlation; however, hopefully I will be able to report back and tell you all about the history and the tradition of this ceremony in my next blog.

Well in addition to Jordan's accomplishments in flight school these past months, we were also able to celebrate my 27th birtrhday with a trip home to see friends and family, and share in some very special events. I was so grateful for these few days that we were able to spend with our amazing loved ones. It is so easy to get caught up in our day-to-day life here in Texas, or wherever state we find ourselves, and forget just how far away we are as we go through the motions of our daily routine. However, time at home always refreshes that realization of just how far away we really are. And while we do miss out on a lot of family gatherings, and many more events throughout the year, it just is not healthy to dwell on all that we miss out on. We wish more than anything that we were closer, that we were able to share more milestones, events and everyday moments together, and hopefully in a few more moves we just may be, but we cannot change our circumstances. So for the time being we will focus on being so very grateful for what we have, and pray the lord watches over all of our friends and family so we may share many more memories together in the future. I truly treasure all the time I had to visit with my friends and family this past month, and only wish it these visits didn't have to be so few and far between. Love you all, and can't wait to share many more visits home with you all soon!

Fins and Flight

So Jordan is officially back up in the air, and I am sitting here nervously waiting for a text or phone call to let me know that he is safely back on solid ground! I've passed the time with errands, cleaning, and a mani-pedi...but still no word. So I thought I'd keep my mind distracted and my worries at bay a bit longer by spending my time on another blog post.

I have started to settle in to my new routine with work, although that first 40 hour week was a rude awakening after being a housewife for the past year! However, so far, so good. I am collaborating on two projects with another designer that we started during my training phase: a pediatric dentist office and a beautiful home on the water on Padre Island. Last week, I officially finished my training phase and was allowed to really start. My first project fell in to my hands last Saturday, when I met a couple needing help designing a reception area/meeting room for their church, of all things! It's definitely an interesting contrast from my last job at Room Service, where the style was ultra-modern and my projects included designing miniature furniture for Paris Hilton's dogs to a club at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood and an exhibit at Madame Tussauds Wax Museum at the Venitian hotel in Las Vegas, to now in Texas, dentist offices and churches! However, I am loving being back in my element, learning and growing, and feeling productive again! It is so nice to be settled somewhere for longer than 6 months, so I can finally put down roots (shallow roots, but roots none the less) and bloom!

Speaking of blooming, I recently enlisted the help of my mom and my grandma to help with my garden situation here in Texas. One (of the many) annoying things about renting is that you inherit whatever landscaping, or lack there of, that the previous tenant left for you. And in our case that is a weed infested lawn, or perhaps realistically no lawn at all, just mowed down weeds to make it look like there is some form of grass! These weeds are the ones that produce those spikey stickers that I mentioned in my last blog which make it miserable for Gunnar to play outside or go to the bathroom-which has caused some frustrating accidents lately as the poor little guy tries to hold it as long as possible to avoid going outside in the grass. We literally find these stickers EVERYWHERE, as we appear to track them in on our shoes, pants and on my long dresses. In addition to our weed lawn, we had a very pathetic looking planter upon moving in. So after much research and the expert opinions of my mom and grandma Anna-Lee, I decided on a few heat-friendly plants to fill in the planter and mulched the area to finish it off. Well wouldn't you know it, but a week later we had a torrential rain! It only rained for about 2 hours, but it flooded EVERYTHING! I don't know the exact amount of inches, but our street turned into a river, flooding up the driveways to our front doors! The only way Jordan could drive home was by driving on the sidewalks! Well, that rain washed away all my mulch and drowned half my plants! Here are a few pictures before, after, and then the rain! If a hurricane makes it's way here this season, we are going to be in a world of hurt if this is what only 2 hours of rain produces:

Before

Hibisucs Pink Lady

Blue Daze ground cover

Carnation Lantana

And the rain begins...

bye -bye mulch!

Can you tell where the road ends, and the curb and sidewalk begin????

Since starting work I've made a point to make better use of my free-time here in Texas. Last Thursday, Jordan and I decided to rent a canoe and explore the bay and all the canals of Padre Island. We packed up a cooler and picnic supplies, loaded up the dog, and set off paddling in to the bay. We set off from the marina on base, and were planning on paddling out to a nearby island for a picnic lunch. Only about 5 minutes in to our trip, I thought I spotted a fin. I wrote it off as a piece of driftwood, thinking that I was most likely paranoid since I am the ultimate worrier. However, a few minutes later, it still very much resembled a fin. At this point, I did not want to have a full on panic-attack, as having been a worry-wart my entire life, I knew I was probably still imagining the worst, and more than likely I would probably just make a complete fool out of myself freaking out and tip the canoe over, all over a piece of drift wood. So again, I told myself to just relax, and keep on paddling. Well that fin just kept on looking more and more like a fin and less like a piece of driftwood. To top it off, the fin was moving in a steady line towards us, never bobbing up and down under the water. I finally braved the embarassment of looking like a complete dork, and asked Jordan what he thought about that fin-shaped object about 10 ft from our boat. "Jordan, do you see that fin in the distance? Do you think it could be a shark? Should we turn around and paddle back to shore?????" Well Jordan's silence, and overly forced calmness put me in to FULL. PANIC. MODE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was convinced...this WAS a shark, and he was going to bite our canoe, sink us, and eat me and my dog ( oh ya, and Jordan too)! Not that we could have paddled back to shore to escape the shark, as we were a very good distance from any sort of land at this point, but we were paddling as fast as we possibly could, thinking our efforts would in some way save us. Well right about the time where I was about to burst in to full on tears and last-chance prayers, we saw the arch of the back, below the fin, as the dolphin decided to bow up and down in the water, FINALLY revealing itself and sparing me from a full on meltdown! And before we knew it, our canoe was surrounded by 2-3 dolphins bobbing up and down in the water, as they tend to like to ride in the wake of ships and boats, not that we producing much of a wake in our little canoe! Well if I hadn't been so traumatized by panic, I would have pulled out my camera and taken a picture of this awesome experience, but I was too flustered to function at this point.We finally did make it to the island, and had a wonderful picnic lunch. We also enjoyed searching for shells, and watching Gunnar run and frolic freely, without the weedy, thorn-infested lawn pricking his paws!

NAS Corpus Christi is in the background

Enjoying the day on our own private island

Another "fun" Texas memory occured yesterday, on our 3rd anniversary. Jordan spent the whole day on Duty at the airport, where he had to log in and outbound planes at the military landing strip for 12 hours, so I had figured I'd just make dinner and we'd celebrate over the weekend, since he also had to study for his first flight the next day. However, after coming home, he told me to stop all dinner productions, and that he had plans. My sweet husband had ordered from Macaroni Grill, and planned an adorable picnic on the beach. After arriving at the beach, we began to set up our blanket and picnic; however, the wind was starting to pick up. Jordan, tapped in to his geography major weather knowledge, and attempted to analyze the wind pattern, the principles of wind and the windspeed  and whether it would increase or decrease coming over the dunes, in the hopes he could outsmart mother nature and pick out a better location for our picnic. So we relocated to a spot between two dunes, and positioned our umbrella strategically to block the wind and sand. Well as soon as we set up, the wind decided to change directions on us, so we packed up and we relocated again. The wind gradually started picking up speed, and before we knew it, we found ourselves in the midst of  a full on sandstorm. Sand was whipping in to us from every single direction, it was impossible to find any sort of shelter from the dunes or the umbrella.  I was so appreciative of Jordan's thoughtful gesture that I didn't want to laugh at the situation or suggest ending the picnic early because of the weather, he was trying so hard to make this work; however, it was becoming evident that this was just an impossible situation. After testing out a few more spots, Gunnar and I were literally curled up in balls, blocking our eyes from the intense sand storm that had developed.


So the end of our anniversary story is, we found a cute little clapboard house that had been turned in to a museum, and used it as a shelter from the wind, and set up picnic there. It was perfect! I couldn't have asked for a more special dinner together! As a third year anniversary gift, we both struggled with ideas, especially because at this point we have spent 9 years of birthdays, christmas, valentine's days and anniversarys together, that we were officially out of gift ideas. After googling the traditional wedding gift for 3 years, we discovered it was leather. So being here in Texas as we are, and sharing our 3rd year anniversary together here, we decided to buy eachother an authentic pair of REAL cowboy boots! Cavenders is our local Texas go-to shop here in Corpus Christi, and boots are no joke, they run 200-1200 dollars, and are adorned with everything from Texas A&M logos to ostrich and gator skin! These Texans are serious about their boots. And although we will defintely be on the lower spending range for our boots, we thought it would be a great way to remember and commerate our 3rd year anniversary here in Texas. I'll have to update YA'LL with pictures when we go to pick them out!

Sooooooo... Jordan has finally returned home ...after nearly 4 hours, and he looks like he has been hit by a bus. He is covered in sweat, his eyes are unfocused, and he looks a little nauseaus. Despite all of that, he said it was "awesome." It was only his first flight, so normally the instructors take the stick and do most of the flying so the guys can just get the feel of the new aircraft and it's speeds. Well, while up in the air, Jordan asked to do rolls, loops and other acrobatics! He pulled nearly 4.5 Gs. He didn't black out or lose his lunch ( as many people do on their first flight-even without the acrobatics and pulling Gs!). So while he may certainly be certifiably crazy, he may have also made a great first impression on his grading instructor!

My handsome hubby in the T-34

                               

Looking motivated pre-flight!

                                  

Post first flight: a little nauseous and a little bit disoriented. but always loving it and smiling!

                                 

More details on his flight to come on the next blog, for now I need to go catch up with my Marine and take notes on how it went (so I can report to all of you)!

No Longer Just a Housewife

So I have to admit, I am a bit disappointed in myself. I had told myself that I would be blogging more often to better document this experience and our ever-changing life and new experiences, with all the fun stories that came along with these adjustments. Well wouldn't you know it, it's already been a month since my last blog! But....I have good reason! I am officially now no longer just a Marine wife, I have finally joined the working world again! H oorah! Before I get to the news of my new job, let me just recap the last few weeks...

We have (somewhat) adjusted to the Texas lifestyle. We are enjoying the yummy yummy Mexican food that we have so missed since leaving California, but this heat is just beyond excessive and is going to take a bit longer to get adjusted to.  We are also not really fans of the spikey thorns that tend to grow in the grasses in this part of the state. Poor Gunnar does not enjoy going for walks for this reason, and will also try not to go to the bathroom for as long as possible, because of these thorns! It's been quite a nightmare with him, as you can imagine! However, we've enjoyed experiencing the new "wildlife" of Texas...from armadillos, to little meercats, birds with long beaks (which I have yet to learn the name of), and of course jackrabbits. These little critters are everywhere here on base. For some reason, I was SO excited to see my first jackrabbit! I was just so fascinated at how large they were, with their giant ears and beady eyes. However, there is something that is just creepy about them. I am not sure what it is, but they seem like they could be some evil, devilish creature in a scary movie.

In addition to the new wildlife, we've also enjoyed living near the ocean, and Jordan has begun to teach me how to surf! I was able to stand up quite a few times for my first time, and we are looking forward to spending more time at the beaches this summer, and getting more practice in. Although I should mention in all fairness, the waves are much smaller than they are in CA, and I am only using a long-board....so I can't take too much credit for my athletic abilities, it's really just like learning to ride a bike with training wheels at this point! Speaking of the beaches, I must explain the beaches in Texas. Unfortunately they are not beautiful white sand beaches as they are in Pensacola, or as turquoise blue as they are in both FL and CA, but more of a....well frankly, a muddy brown! From an aerial view, its hard to tell where the land ends and the water begins. But hey, it's the ocean! I will take what I can get! Anyway, in Texas, people do beach days a little different than we are used to! Texans tailgate at the beach. Yes, you read that right, they drive down the beach, park on the sand, and drop their tailgate!  It's quite hick different! We have employed our favorite phrase many times since moving to Texas, "when in Rome," but apparently substituting Texas for Rome isn't enough, we must insert SOUTH Texas in that phrase, because apparently South Texas is a state and experience all of it's own!

When in South Texas....Do as the Texans! Tailgating Texans at the Beach!

Jordan and I do love embracing each place we live for the culture it offers, even if it means embracing the hick-ness of the area (however, somebody slap me if I come home dressed and talking like a hick, and try to drive on the beach) and so we decided to spend one Saturday at a rodeo. Well, living near San Juan Capistrano, we have experienced a rodeo or two in our lives, but we had never been to one where little kids (ages 3-6) compete in riding sheep! Apparently this is called Mutton Bustin'. These kids, fitted in helmets, held on for dear life as the sheep took off sprinting and bucking throughout the arena. We weren't sure whether to laugh, cheer, cringe, or call Child Protective Services! Oh, but "When in Texas...." 

It looked a little something like this:

Okay so calling CPS wouldn't be totally out of line, right?!?!

We have also embraced the local culture by spending another weekend at a Chili Cook-off in nearby town of Port Aransas. It was like an episode straight of GCB! For those of you who don't know, GCB is an ABC series featuring Texas cliches, and most recently had shot an episode of a Chili Cook-off. Well I can personally attest, Chili Cook-offs do exist in Texas! We paid a $5 entrance fee, and taste-tested a variety of Chili and voted for our favorite one. I personally checked out after booth 5, but you all know Jordan and the tapeworm that resides in his belly, and he hit every. single. stand. TWICE! It was definitely another "When in Texas..." moment!

From top right, clockwise: Entrance to the Chili Cook-Off, Jordan posing with the "hunting" deer that was guarding a stack of beer, Jordan playing some game where you try and hit the nail into the stump using the back of the hammer

This last weekend, I spent a fabulous girls' weekend with my old college roommate Emily in Philadelphia, where we attended a wedding. We had so much fun exploring the BEAUTIFUL city of Philadelphia, with all of its history (Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, the Betsy Ross House, Benjamin Franklin's grave, and the Rocky Steps). We also enjoyed visiting the nearby town of Hershey (yes, named after Milton Hershey and the chocolate brand), and eating lots and lots of chocolate and getting chocolate spa treatments! I also got a huge kick out of all the Amish people. Emily made so many illegal u-turns and stops because I would shout out every time I saw a group of Amish people! We didn't see the heart of Amish Country because we were only driving through the north end of Lancaster county of PA, but we can officially say we experienced all the great noteworthy aspects of PA, from the Amish People to Philly Cheese Steaks, to of course Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, and our favorite, the Rocky steps!          

Enjoying beautiful downtown Philadelphia and some girl time, we took a tour on a double decker bus!

The Reading Terminal Market, where we enjoyed authentic Philly Cheese Steaks!

  

Posing with Rocky Balboa near the Rocky Steps

Well after a fabulous weekend in Philadelphia, I returned home to start my new job. I am officially an Interior Design Consultant for Ethan Allen. I am so excited and blessed for the opportunity to work for such a regionally and internationally known design firm! I hope working for such a large and well known company will help me continue this career path wherever we may move. There is so much to learn, and I am excited for the opportunity to grow and gain great experience during my time here! Although, on a quick side-note, I do have to tell another "you know you are in Texas when" story...You know you are in Texas when, people suggest using a pop up media armoir (picture a dresser with a trap door, where a tv rises out of an otherwise normal piece of furniture with a push of a button) for their guns instead of a tv! Yup, that happened! It's definitely a different style and clientele than California, but I am so thankful to finally be stationed in one place longer than 6 months, so that I can finally start building the foundation for my career again, and to not just be a stay at home housewife ;) .  I think many people assume that the most challenging aspects of being a military wife involve deployments, but on behalf of all of my Marine wife friends, I can attest that as of now, most of our discussions revolve around the complications surrounding building our own careers while also supporting our husbands' dreams, and the commitments and moves that come along with that.

So I must admit, I feel a little guilty that I have consumed most of this blog with updates about myself, when so many exciting things are happening for Jordan as well. Jordan has finally picked up with a squadron here at Corpus Christi (there was quite a long back up when we first arrived-two months). He is now officially a Boomer, and has begun his Primary flight training as of last week! He is currently memorizing a million emergency and start up procedures, and practicing 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in simulators; however, he should start flying in the next couple of weeks. He has been itching to get back up in the air for months now, and there will be plenty of new exciting stories to come as he advances through the Primary flight program!

VT-27 Boomers Squadron

T-34 Aircraft that Jordan will be training on

Hope this post finds everyone well! Until next time...

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...