Fellow Travelers
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
My new family...
11:11 AM |
Posted by
Heather Warren
The Jetplanes have been 'in' the military for a little over 4 years now. A lot has happened in those four years, we have had huge successes and monumental failures. We loved, we laughed, and we've cried for ourselves and for people in our community.
For the majority of the past 4 years, Mr. Jetplane has been going through training and we've been part of various training squadrons. Some of these squadrons are very accepting and welcoming, they make you (i.e. the wife) feel like they are one of the girls...some are not so accepting, especially if you are just a girlfriend or fiance. (FYI that has just been my personal experience)
I adored the women in our last training squadron. It was the first time we were in an actual "fighter" squadron and I felt I like belonged. That was most definitely attributed to our wonderful commander's wife. Even though my husband was just a 'lowly Lt. student' I felt like I was just like any other wife in the squadron, and trust me that's a good feeling.
When we arrived in Idaho, I was sad to leave those women, the women and the community that I had grown to really love in those short 9 months. Its amazing the friendships that you can build in 9 months isn't it. Its amazing that these women and I are so different but so alike at the same time. Its amazing that some of these women are without a doubt, going to be my friends for the rest of my life...9 months people. I made those life long friendships in 9 months.
We have only been in Idaho for a few months and I'm just starting to get my bearings with in our new squadron. Luckily a couple of people came with us from our previous squadron and we have strong friendships already. But making friends with the rest of the spouses sometimes feels like a daunting task. I don't have any children. Most, like 90%, of the spouses do. I have a full time job, most of them don't. I can't attend day time activities at the squadron, I can't do a lot of things due to my job and activities that I schedule for myself during the weeknights. But with all that being said, what I have witnessed in the past 7 days has erased any and all doubt I had in my mind about our new squadron.
I have always been told that fighter squadrons are close, probably one of the closest in the military. Sure we've been told that a million times, but never truly felt it..until now.
When the accident occurred last Monday night, our squadron moved into high gear. From the top down, the selflessness and true love for others poured out of these men and women. It makes me tear up just imagining the support my friend was given last week. The commander dropped everything and drove my friend to the hospital. He and other higher ranking officers in the squadron arranged travel and accommodations for their families. People stayed in 24 hour vigil with his wife. We have arranged meals to be delivered to the hospital for however long it takes.
Its truly an outpouring of love that warms my heart. We are proud to be part of this wonderful community. You see in this crazy military life there are only a couple of constants - you have your spouse, his job, an upcoming deployment, and your military family. The players in that family may shift here and there, but they are always part of your family. Its a wonderful realization, unfortunately it took a horrible accident like this for it to show itself to me.
The outpouring of love doesn't stop with our squadron. Our sister squadron, the maintainers, and the foreign squadron stationed here have all pitched in. The love is being sent in masses from other fighter squadrons back in North Carolina and in England. People that trained with the pilot and went to the Academy with him, its truly amazing the love that has surrounded he, his wife, and their families.
But prayers are still needed. We've hopefully turned a corner but we're not out of the woods by any means.
Thank you all for the kind thoughts and prayers for our friends I mentioned in the previous post. If you follow me on twitter you most likely know a lot more about the situation. Since I'm generally anonymous on this blog and throughout this 'space' I prefer to not disclose his name or information. If you are in the military community or have a strong and true desire to pray from him, I would be happy to share some additional information, including his caringbridge site.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Reason for Absence
12:19 PM |
Posted by
Heather Warren
As some of you may have noticed (or not) I've been MIA for a week or so. That was not intended and there have been a couple of reasons.
1. Late last Monday night, a close friend of ours and a pilot in our squadron was in a car accident leaving base. He suffered serious injury and had to be airlifted to a nearby hospital. He is stable but currently in a drug induced coma.
2. Unfortunately I had a planned work trip that left early Tuesday morning and consumed my entire week.
As you can see those 2 issues didn't allow me to be with my friend and more importantly his wife during this horrible ordeal. I felt and continue to feel horrible that I have not been able to be here for them.
So please accept my apologies for my absence. My heart hasn't been in the blogging mood. Please keep our friends and their family in your prayers, they need all the support they can get.
1. Late last Monday night, a close friend of ours and a pilot in our squadron was in a car accident leaving base. He suffered serious injury and had to be airlifted to a nearby hospital. He is stable but currently in a drug induced coma.
2. Unfortunately I had a planned work trip that left early Tuesday morning and consumed my entire week.
As you can see those 2 issues didn't allow me to be with my friend and more importantly his wife during this horrible ordeal. I felt and continue to feel horrible that I have not been able to be here for them.
So please accept my apologies for my absence. My heart hasn't been in the blogging mood. Please keep our friends and their family in your prayers, they need all the support they can get.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Pug Friday
11:39 AM |
Posted by
Heather Warren
To continue from yesterday celebration of Veterans Day...Happy Pug Friday.
Have a great weekend... someone's hubby surprised her and showed up (i.e. scared the crap out of her and the dogs) at 12:30 this morning. Mr. Jetplane is home, too bad I'm leaving for Pcola on Tuesday for the rest of the week :(
Have a great weekend... someone's hubby surprised her and showed up (i.e. scared the crap out of her and the dogs) at 12:30 this morning. Mr. Jetplane is home, too bad I'm leaving for Pcola on Tuesday for the rest of the week :(
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Home of the Brave
9:55 AM |
Posted by
Heather Warren
Thank you to all those that have served and continue to serve our country. We are forever in debt to you and your families.
My thoughts and prayers are going out today to all of those who are currently in harm's way fighting for freedom. Special thoughts to our fellow F15e squadron that is currently making us proud over there right now. Fly Safe Guys.
And to my favorite Fly Boy...
Proud doesn't even begin to explain my feelings about you and your decision to serve your country. Fly safe today and I can't wait for you to get home tomorrow. xoxo
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
When in Idaho...
3:35 PM |
Posted by
Heather Warren
Do as Idahoans...make potato soup...right?
I love potato soup, its probably one of my favorites. Well to be totally honest, I've never met a potato I didn't like, so potato is a no brainer.
I recently found this yummy recipe for potato soup and immediately knew I had to make it. It looked super easy and its from another wonderful mil wife. I added a lil flavor of my own, but its pretty close to her recipe. FYI- I added garlic and used reduced fat cream cheese. I actually add garlic to almost everything I cook.
What do you need:
4 large Idaho Potatoes peeled and diced
1 small yellow onion thinly diced
2 minced cloves of garlic
1.5 boxes of 99% fat free Chicken Broth
1 box of reduced fat cream cheese cut into small pieces
1/2 tsp of season all salt
1/4 tsp of black pepper and cayenne pepper ( i used about 1/2 tsp of black pepper it was pretty spicy)
Cheddar Cheese FYI-You can shred your own, sadly I'm lazy and always buy bagged unless we're entertaining company then I act like I always shred my own cheese. SHHHHH....1. Combine potatoes, onion, garlic, spices, and broth in a large pot. Heat on medium until potatoes are soft. It took about 30 minutes or atleast I was distracted by DVR'd episode of Sarah's House that long.
2. Once soft, begin mashing the potatoes in the pot until about 1/2 - 2/3 are mashed, this will thicken the soup. I prefer my soup to be creamy and not overly chunky so I mashed about 2/3. Stir several times to get the mashed potatoes off the bottom of the pot so you don't burn them.
3. Reduce to low and add in cream cheese. Slowly add the cream cheese and continual stir until it is all mixed. This was my favorite part, watching the brownish color liquid turn into yummy yummy white soup.
4. Then make yourself a bowl full add cheddar cheese, chives, bacon, etc.
I've eaten it every day since Sunday...obviously I enjoy it!
Thanks D.A.R. for the recipe...
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Did you ever imagine you'd be a military wife?
8:01 AM |
Posted by
Heather Warren
If I had a nickel for every time I get asked this question....
Well the simple, short answer to that question is NO. To be completely and brutally honest its not something I ever thought nor wanted to be. Mr. Jetplane and I met before he was in the Air Force. When we met he was thinking about trying to get into Officer Training School (OTS). You want a lil more honesty... when he told me he had started the process I thought to myself, "This relationship probably isn't going anywhere so I have nothing to worry about"...yeah I know.
Mr. Jetplane didn't go into the Air Force with the idea of flying jets. He has a background in finance and he had envisioned doing something in the military associated with that. But when he took his 'tests' he scored high in math and science, which isn't hard to believe since he started college as an engineering major. (FYI - he switched to finance because he liked to party and engineering classes were at 8am and at the other side of campus TRUE STORY).
Mr. Jetplane joined the USAF a lil over 4 years ago. He is now a Captain and I have officially been a military wife for about 2 1/2 years, but we've been going through this together ( i.e. living together aka living in sin) the entire time. There is ALOT of schooling and being selected through various tracks in order to get where we are now, which is our 1st operational squadron.
I'm not gonna sugar coat anything here. Its tough stuff. If I didn't move down to Florida to be with him during his first year of flight school, we wouldn't be together now. We know a lot of couples that didn't make it out of flight school before breaking up and/or divorcing.
But you can make it...heck we made it. We learned a lot about each other, we learned that we have to be a team. We have to support each other and push each other along.
As a spouse or significant other of someone in the military you have to come to terms with the fact that the needs of the military will always supersede your needs. ALWAYS PEOPLE. It doesn't mean your husband doesn't love you...he doesn't have a choice.
You have to be strong and independent. You have to be willing to let some things slide and be able to go to bed not knowing exactly when your spouse is going to get home from work.
Now we're headed into unknown territory for us...the D WORD....DEPLOYMENT.
He was suppose to deploy before the end of the year but it got pushed back, which I was more than a lil thankful for. But now each day that goes by makes it one day closer till when my hubby leaves. I'm trying to prepare myself for it, that's a work in progress.
But to stay on the honesty train we've been riding, being a military wife its not necessarily all that different from being the wife of a lawyer, doctor, fireman, police officer, or even a business owner. Sure there are some big differences...one of which is my hubby goes to work in what he likes to call "glorified pj's" and his office is a fighter jet. But there are plenty of jobs that require long hours, tons of training, and a huge amount of patience from family and friends.
I still and probably always feel awkward when someone thanks me for the work that my husband does. It always makes me feel strange but it makes me feel proud at the same moment. Did I ever envision this being my life...well I think I already answered that....no. Am I honored to be married to my gorgeous fly boy...of course.
Sometimes people ask me for some sage advice about becoming a military wife, which I find humorous. What do I say to people...well... I think you need to develop 2 things a thicker skin and a good sense of humor...both will come in handy...oh and I find a stocked liquor cabinet handy...but hey that's just me.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Pug Friday
9:30 AM |
Posted by
Heather Warren
Happy Pug Friday everyone...has this week kicked anyone else's butt, but mine. I swear this week has been exhausting. With Mr. gone all this week the dogs seem to think its an all out free for all. I swear they know he's gone so its like...Mom we're going to be a bad as we wanna be.
Anyone else have that problem? I think today's Pug Friday perfectly displays my emotions today :)
Happy Pug Friday. Have a great weekend!
Monday, November 1, 2010
What I learned from Halloween 2010
9:14 AM |
Posted by
Heather Warren
Well yesterday was Halloween for those of you that live under a rock and weren't aware of this. Yesterday I learned a couple of things that I thought I would share with you.
1. Halloween isn't as much fun without Mr. Jetplane. He's in Vegas for work. Yes I know.
2. Lil boys still love being superheros. I'm worried the masks they are selling with the costumes make it hard for them to see. I had 3 lil boys trip on my porch.
3. Some kids are straight up RUDE. If they didn't say "Trick or Treat" I would kindly say, "Do I get a Trick or Treat?" I also gave a friendly shout, "You're Welcome!!" to a few when they walked away.
4. Just because your lil sweetie pie daughter wants to dress up like a tramp, doesn't mean you should let her.....ummm k.
5. I love when parents dress up with their kids, except when those parents decide to wear scary clown masks like they are from the movie "It". Seriously people...I still have nightmares from watching that movie when I was a kid.
6. If the lights are off that means don't come knock on my door. Its 9pm people, you and your 7 kids (most of which looked under 6 yrs old) do not need to be out running the streets at 9pm.
7. You don't need to ring my doorbell 3 times, I'm not deaf and hear it on the 1st ring.
8. If you can drive yourself, you're too old to be trick or treating.
Wow...did I just become a old bittie....
I hope everyone had a great Halloween.
Update: Its come to my attention that I may have offended hearing impaired people by my "I'm not deaf" comment. If so, I hope you would understand that was not my intention. I also understand lil ones like to ring the doorbell, its the "slightly bigger" kids that seemed to be the problem.
1. Halloween isn't as much fun without Mr. Jetplane. He's in Vegas for work. Yes I know.
2. Lil boys still love being superheros. I'm worried the masks they are selling with the costumes make it hard for them to see. I had 3 lil boys trip on my porch.
3. Some kids are straight up RUDE. If they didn't say "Trick or Treat" I would kindly say, "Do I get a Trick or Treat?" I also gave a friendly shout, "You're Welcome!!" to a few when they walked away.
4. Just because your lil sweetie pie daughter wants to dress up like a tramp, doesn't mean you should let her.....ummm k.
5. I love when parents dress up with their kids, except when those parents decide to wear scary clown masks like they are from the movie "It". Seriously people...I still have nightmares from watching that movie when I was a kid.
6. If the lights are off that means don't come knock on my door. Its 9pm people, you and your 7 kids (most of which looked under 6 yrs old) do not need to be out running the streets at 9pm.
7. You don't need to ring my doorbell 3 times, I'm not deaf and hear it on the 1st ring.
8. If you can drive yourself, you're too old to be trick or treating.
Wow...did I just become a old bittie....
I hope everyone had a great Halloween.
Update: Its come to my attention that I may have offended hearing impaired people by my "I'm not deaf" comment. If so, I hope you would understand that was not my intention. I also understand lil ones like to ring the doorbell, its the "slightly bigger" kids that seemed to be the problem.
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