Flight School Graduation {Part 3}

Picture by Brandy Cary Photography

The day of graduation seemed like it would never arrive, especially for B who spent two long years attending one of the most challenging flights schools out there!  It did finally arrive and I was full of emotions--happy, excited, sad, proud, nervous, anxious, and the list goes on....

I am so proud of B for fighting for his dream of flying helicopters. It took him 10 years to get to this day and he deserves everything he has achieved so far. There were lots of obstacles along the way but that did not stop him! 

Picture by Brandy Cary Photography

B graduated with honors, which means he was in the top 10% of his class.  He missed being the distinguished graduate by less then a half point!  

B sitting with the other honor grads. 

Picture by Brandy Cary Photography

B receiving his diploma. Picture by Brandy Cary Photography

After B walked across the stage to receive his diploma I went up to pin his wings on him.  I have pinned him with a couple different promotions throughout his military career and have always been nervous, but this was by far the most nervous I have been!  

Picture by Brandy Cary Photography

Picture by Brandy Cary Photography

I think we were both relieved once he was pinned, because it meant this wonderful and stressful journey had come to an end and a new chapter was about to begin! This was us right after I pinned his wings.

 Picture by Brandy Cary Photography

  This is what my wings look like, which were presented to me at the graduation ball.  

The rest of these pictures I just have to share because I love them!  B was definitely tired of taking pictures, but he was a good sport about it.

Picture by Brandy Cary Photography

 B with my uncle + aunt. 

Picture by Brandy Cary Photography 

Quote inside museum where graduation was held

B, I am so proud of you and your accomplishments!  I'm excited for yet another graduation coming next year for your bachelors degree and another dream of yours being completed.  

Gettin' All Fancy {Graduation Part 2}

If you missed my Family & Helicopters {Graduation Part 1} post make sure to check it out so you don't miss out on Part 1!  

After Family Day we had to hurry back to the cabin and get ready in less then 1 hour to make it to the graduation ball on time.  My family did not join us at the ball, so at least only 2 of us had to get all dressed up! 

My friend was at the cabin ready to do my hair as soon as we got there, so I sat down and she got to work curling my hair for my up-do.  Once my hair was done, I had about 5-10 minutes to put on my dress, jewelry, and shoes!  I wanted to take a few pictures out front before we left, so we hurried outside to have my family snap a few pictures before we jumped in the truck and sped off to the ball.  In my opinion, only a man would plan family day so close to the ball!  There was just not enough time to allow for a nice + relaxing time of getting all dolled up! 

Anyway, we luckily made it on time and enjoyed socializing with friends before the official things began.  {disclaimer: these pictures are not great because of the lighting inside. I'm lucky these turned out so well on my iPhone!}

At the ball before dinner began

We had a great time at our table since we sat with friends (the seating was assigned, but we requested to sit with friends).  I made some great friends in Alabama and I was blessed to sit at the table with two of them for the graduation ball.  I miss you girls, I'm so blessed to have met you at Rucker! 

During the ball it is tradition for the soldiers to present the spouses with an award and their wings (usually a necklace) as a way of saying thanks and helping them through flight school. You can see my wings necklace in the above picture. I was disappointed not to get any good pictures of the presentation of the award and B putting my necklace on, but it was just too dark in the ball room. 

We had to get a picture with the Blackhawk drawing in the lobby! 

After the "official" things were over we socialized a little bit more and then headed home to get ready for graduation the next morning!  

Stay tuned later today for graduation pictures.....  

Family & Helicopters {Graduation Week Part 1}

I have been wanting to sit down and share some of the events leading up to B's flight school graduation for weeks now and just have not had the time.  Being in transition has made it tough finding a set time to sit down and work on posts, so it just has not happened.  We are getting closer to getting settled, as the job hunt is going great and we found a great little house to rent this past week. 

A couple weeks before graduation our household goods were packed and loaded up.  It was sad to see our house empty, knowing that we would soon be leaving Alabama and great friends!  I will always hold the two years we spent in AL close + dear to my heart. We made some great friends that we hope to see again someday since we are all military and never stay in one place too long.  B and I had some great times and some really tough times, but we made it through 2 years of B attending the most difficult flight school with smiles on our faces (most of the time)!

Moving Day. Bye, bye stuff, we will see you in several months!

Our last picture in front of our home at Fort Rucker

The week before graduation we moved out of our empty house and to a great little cabin by the lake on post.

The days leading up to graduation were a whirlwind and I was disappointed I did not get to enjoy the last few days in Alabama by relaxing at the cabin.  It had a great view of the lake and we only enjoyed the view from the screened-in porch a few times that week!

The great view from the back porch of the cabin

Before family arrived for graduation festivities, B took me to the simulator so I could try flying a Blackhawk.  It was fun and I learned there is NO WAY I could ever figure out how to fly one of these things!  B had me try to do a couple auto-rotations (landing the helicopter with no engines operating) and I killed us every time.  B made it look so easy but it is not!

My view from my side of the simulator cockpit

View of the simulator cockpit

B doing what he loves, flying the Blackhawk 

Attempting an auto-rotation

We were blessed to have my dad, uncle & aunt visit for a couple days to enjoy the graduation festivities.  The day before graduation included family day and the graduation ball.  It made for a crazy busy day!

Leaving for Family Day

Family Day is an event that allows the families to see the airfield and a display of a Blackhawk helicopter.  B enjoyed teaching my family all about the helicopter.  He is an excellent teacher and could talk all day about his helicopter! We also were able to climb into the helicopter and check it out. If only we could have gone on a ride!

During family day B was presented with an award qualifying him to fly Sikorsky Blackhawks. 

After the awards we went back outside to learn more about the helicopter and crawl inside to check it out.  

Chillin' in the back of a helicopter

View of a part of the airfield where all the Blackhawks are located. I will forever miss the noise of helicopters in the air day + night!  

B with his two loves--helicopter and me! 

My dad, me, B. I sure love these guys!

Tomorrow I will be sharing about the graduation ball and graduation, so check back for more pictures! 

Weekend Wanderings {3.16.12}

The weather has been wonderful the last few days and I'm loving the warmer days so I can open my windows.  How is the weather where you live?  

The Mother-of-All Spring Cleaning Lists:: Now that the weather is warmer and we have a move coming up it is time for me to finish cleaning out the clutter and get the house clean.  Not everything on this list applies to everyone, but it is a good list to jump start your spring cleaning. 

The Mood Cure:: A great book review of The Mood Cure by Julia Ross.  It is a book about improving depression and mood with nutrient rich food.   At the end of the article there is a good video interview.  It is actually part 1 of a 7 part interview series that you can view on You Tube.  

Love Packs (for the homeless):: Love this idea! 

Letter From a Military Wife:: So true. 

Amanda's Beat Up Baking Sheet::  I love my well used baking sheets and pans! 

5 Tips to Keep Your Reusable Bags Germ-Free::  Great tips for all you reusable bags users. 

How to make a smoothie-awesome!:: Great ideas for creating smoothies. 

Lifestyles of the Rich and Camouflaged + A Meaningful Discussion::  If you have not heard all the talk about the Huffington Post article David Wood wrote regarding the defense budget cuts, these two posts are great followups from the perspective of a military wife on the inaccuracies David made in the Huffington Post article.  She has a link to the original article in her post, I encourage you to read it before reading her response. 

Shocking!  This 'Tequila' Sweetener Is Far Worse Than High Fructose Corn Syrup:: This is a long article, but worth the read. If you use Agave sweetener please read this!  The end of the article includes a great chart for the glucose amounts in fruits as well as other options for better sweeteners to use. 

Well I think this is enough for this week! I'm finally getting through my big back-log of things I want to share.  

Hope you are having a fantastic weekend. What do you have planned?  

Til' Next Time,