Catching Up

So... I actually have not fallen off the face of the Earth, though I realize it may have appeared that way. I still do not have internet at my house, and I was too busy at work this week to get to anywhere on base with wifi. I worked swing shifts (3-11pm), but was at work most mornings as well organizing things for the OSS change of command ceremony, which was yesterday afternoon. I was in charge of it with another Lt, and we were both running around like chickens with our heads cut off all week. I ran a few ceremonies while I was at Barksdale, but this one had so many more moving parts, so to speak... we had to work with so many different agencies and people to make it happen. Anyway, I am so glad it is over and I can't wait to get back to other parts of life, like unpacking and setting up my house.

Hmm, where to start my catching up? I keep saying I will tell you about the conference, so maybe I better cross that off the list. Of course, the location was the most obvious highlight, but there were so many other experiences that made it such an awesome week. Pretty much all of the big wigs in AF Weather were there, and hearing their first-hand perspectives on things that are going on within the career field and the AF was very cool. Also, they attended almost all of the evening social gatherings as well, and I had the opportunity to talk to most of them in small groups or one-on-one, which resulted in even more learning experiences. They had plenty of advice and stories to share (sometimes more than I wanted to hear, but I listened anyway). The funny part (to me) was that I didn't even try to seek out those conversations... it was like every time I turned around, there was a Col or Chief pulling me aside (sometimes handing me a drink), and wanting to talk about my career or some other issue. I mentioned this to MSgt B once, and he laughed and said "Well, you are an easy target... you know why, right?" I thought about it for a minute and said "I'm a Lt, I'm a girl, and I actually listen to them?" He laughed again and said that pretty much hit the nail on the head. So, I guess that makes sense. Out of the 80 conference attendees, I was one of 2 Lts and 8 females, so I suppose I stuck out a little bit. Anyway, I thought it was great, I have always liked to hear other people's stories and experiences, and I realize what a unique opportunity it was to talk to all of these people who have done so much in their careers.


I also got the chance to meet one-on-one with the Wx assignments officer, another unique opportunity. She just took the job this summer, so I had not interacted with her before. I was really impressed; she was extremely personable and honest in our conversation. She answered all of my questions about possibilities for my next assignment and beyond, and asked a lot of questions about what I wanted to do and why I wanted to do those things. I really enjoyed that meeting, and it makes me a lot less nervous about what will happen in a year and a half when the time rolls around to make decisions about the future.

It was also great to meet so many other people from wx flights around USAFE. The Spangdahlem flight had 3 members there: a female Capt Flt/CC, the only other Lt at the conference (a guy), and a flight chief from Australia who had an awesome accent plus he was absolutely hilarious. I got to catch up with two former 26 OWSers: our former CC who left a year ago and is now in charge of CENTCOM Wx, and a MSgt who left over a year ago for the Army support post in Heidelberg, Germany. I talked to one of the Sembach OWS Flt/CCs for a while one night, and that was really cool- it's funny how much of that job is the same no matter which hub you are at. It was fun to reminisce about the 26th and compare notes on our jobs. So... I think that pretty much sums up what I wanted to say about the conference. Garmisch and Neuschwanstein were amazing, but the whole experience was so much more.

On to Amy's wedding. It will probably not surprise you to hear that I LOVE weddings. They're so romantic. My favorite part is the look on the faces of the bride and groom as she walks down the aisle... she looks so excited to get down there, and he looks like he can't believe he is lucky enough for her to be walking towards him. (And I felt this way before "27 Dresses" used that idea, hehe.) Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself. This wedding was also sort of a family reunion, as it had been almost 4 years since the whole extended family on my dad's side had been together. This includes my dad and his two sisters, who each are married with two girls. So, the "generation" I am a part of is 6 girls, which translated to many hours of playing with Barbies, stuffed animals, and other fun girl things whenever we were together. Sooo many of my childhood memories are from spending Christmas vacations at Grandpa's house with them. Now, 3 of the 6 have graduated from college, and the other 3 are in college. Amy is the first of the 6 to get married. When she walked down the aisle looking so gorgeous and grown up, I leaned over to Lisa and whispered, "We've all come a long way from playing Barbies, haven't we?" She agreed.

I have pictures to upload, but have not quite gotten around to that yet... will post when I do. If you're on Facebook, my cousin Melanie posted hers and tagged me in a few, so you can see them on my profile. I also have pics from the night I spent with Lisa at UVA. She gave me a walking tour of the campus at night, and as much as I have made fun of UVA in the past, they do have a pretty campus. The next morning, we had breakfast with one of her roommates at a bagel shop and then I went back to the house while they went to class. It was fun to be back on a college campus... I miss the days of going to class in gym shorts and a college T-shirt!

I better wrap this up, since I need to go get changed for a going-away dinner for a member of the weather flight. It's at an Italian restaurant in Newmarket, a town I have not explored yet, so I am excited to see a new area. I'm working the mid shift (11pm-7am) next week, which should leave me a lot more time to get things done around the house (maybe get internet?). My plan is to put a temporary hold on weekend sightseeing for this weekend and next weekend to spend some serious time getting the house set up. Right now, it is literally just boxes everywhere in the same places the movers put them 3 weeks ago. Plus, I will be motivated to finish the house so I can start traveling again!