The last few days have been pretty crazy with bad weather and long hours... but this exercise is SOOO interesting! Since my move from an Operational Weather Squadron at Barksdale to a base weather flight at Lakenheath, I have loved actually being a part of the flying operations and interacting with the pilots who come in for weather briefs. But Green Flag takes it even another step further: I am physically in the middle of all the planning and debriefs, so I know exactly what is going on and how the weather is affecting every part of their operations. It has been like a firehose of learning, and I love it. Spending so much time around all the aircrews tunes me in to what they are concerned about and what information they need most from me. Plus, they are just really interesting to hang out with! They talk about flying a lot, so I have learned so much about their career field, training, operations, and plenty of war stories.
CeCe and I moved from our hotel to base lodging today in preparation for Red Flag, which is a bummer because the fighter squadron is staying at the hotel, so it will be a lot less convenient to hang out with them. However, there are some pros, like being able to run on base whenever I want and not having to drive 30 min to get to and from work. I have been enjoying dinners at restaurants I miss in England, like Panera last night, where I was reunited with the amazing Sierra Turkey sandwich and bought several specialty bagels to use for breakfasts. Still on the list to accomplish in the next 2.5 weeks: Papa John’s Pizza, Quizno’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, Macaroni Grill, Red Lobster, and several others.
Another thing I have missed in England is good music, and I have been in heaven since plugging into XM radio on the flight over and in our rental car here. As much as I love England, and as fun as it is to listen to the British DJs talk, I must say their music is fairly awful. It is all dance/club/rap/R&B and weird combinations of those. I am extremely thankful for my FM transmitter to play my MP3 player in the car on the way to work. Here, I turn on the radio and hear Daughtry, Nickelback, Shinedown, etc… and it is glorious. I heard a brand new song by Lifehouse (my favorite band) yesterday and nearly drove off the road, I was so excited.
Weather has been up and down here, but on Saturday I squeezed in a run at a beautiful 57 degrees. I got lost while trying to follow an on-base running route, but ended up running past the Thunderbird hangar and saw 9 gorgeous T-birds parked in a perfect line outside. So cool! The jury is still out on whether I would ever want to be stationed here, but it is a pretty awesome TDY location so far. We have been too busy to do any sightseeing, but I think we will have a day or two off this weekend in which I hope to rectify that. So no more pictures for you today, but hopefully soon.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Friday, January 15, 2010
In Vegas, baby!
This is going to be a long one, but I was wayyyy too tired from traveling to write the first night, and we were out last night, so just consider it a double. :) Our trip to get here was LOOOOOONG, but ended up being pretty awesome. CeCe and I hopped on a bus at 4:30am from Lakenheath to London Heathrow, and realized we had another travel buddy, squadron-mate Martin from intel. When we finally made it to our terminal and checked in for the flight (man, LHR is huge... I think we walked about 10 miles inside the airport), Martin turned on the charm with the desk agent and got a free seat upgrade to United's "Economy Plus" section. He told CeCe and me that we should try to get the same, so we decided to ask at the gate. I HATE asking for stuff like that, but gave in this time knowing that I currently had an awful seat that would have made the 11-hour flight to San Francisco fairly miserable.
SO worth it!!! We were successfully upgraded for free, and I even got a window seat! When we boarded the plane, we discovered even more perks. Economy Plus is just behind Business Class, and is advertised as having more leg room than Economy, which I am not sure is worth the $100 upgrade price tag... and apparently a lot of people agree with me, because the section was more than half empty. CeCe had a row of 5 seats in the middle to herself, and stretched out across them to sleep for most of the flight. I had my window seat plus the seat next to it on the aisle, which was amazing to have room to spread out AND I didn't have to ask anyone to move to go to the bathroom (usually the only downside of a window seat). There were spa packages on our seats with a bunch of toiletries, a thick pair of socks, earplugs, a sleeping mask (you know that thing that covers your eyes), and a nice pair of headphones instead of the hard plastic earbuds.
Despite the perks, 11 hours is still a really long time on an airplane, and I was ready to be done before we were even halfway there. Argh. But near the end of the flight, the scenery began out my window. I have heard that Iceland and Greenland are beautiful from the air, but unfortunately it has been dark or cloudy every time I have flown over them. The clouds broke up once we got over Canada, which was an interesting landscape. Flat and snowcovered, dotted with frozen lakes and streams, and not really any civilization in sight. I decided to watch a movie (because Canada is HUGE), and the next time I looked out my window, we were over northern Idaho. WOW. Gigantic snow-covered mountains as far as the eye could see, so majestic I almost forgot to breathe. My nose was glued to the window for the remaining two hours of the flight. More mountains through Idaho, Oregon, and northern California, some with snow and some without, broken up by rivers and deep gorges. As much as I love England, there is something about the mountains of the Western US that makes me fall in love all over every time I see them.
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Airplane windows are by far the worst medium through which to take a picture... the thick double pane always turns pics blurry, plus they are usually scratched or mottled with ice crystals, making it impossible to focus on what is outside. I don't have any good mountain pictures (the poor quality just would not do them justice), but as we flew into San Francisco on the California coast, I was lucky enough to catch an incredible bird's-eye view of the Golden Gate Bridge! Again, apologies for the poor quality, but here it is:
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After a 2-hour layover in San Fran, we were back in the air bound for Las Vegas. And the jaw-dropping scenery continued. The sun began to set behind the coastal mountain ranges as we flew southeast, providing me (in my window seat on the right side of the plane) an unobstructed view of the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen. As the sun touched the horizon, it lit up the mountain peaks like a blazing fire with the most vibrant colors of yellow, orange, and red all at the same time, colors no artist could ever duplicate. I watched in awe as the sky glowed behind the jagged profile of the mountains. As the sun disappeared, the horizon began to slowly dim, like an ember in a campfire. Unbelievable. God has always been and always will be my favorite artist.
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It was dark when we approached the city of Las Vegas, and the massive expanse of city lights centered around the Strip was a pretty spectacular sight to see as well. We were picked up at the airport by one of the pilots from the fighter sqaudron, and then after we got checked into our hotel, we headed out to dinner with a group of them, including my friend Jake from OCF. To CeCe's and my delight, they agreed to our suggestion of Olive Garden for dinner, so we got to cross off our #1 on the list of restaurants we miss in England.
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The time difference started hitting me while we were eating (it was about 5am in England), and I think I was asleep approximately 30 seconds after we got back to the hotel (luckily I made it to my room and bed). Plans for the next day included several briefings, training, and orientation on base at Nellis. When I stepped out my door just prior to 8am the next morning, I stopped dead in my tracks. Two reasons: a) it was bright daylight (sun doesn't even begin to rise in England in winter until after 8am) and b) this was the view from my doorway:
Mountains! And they are everywhere! I'm glad I was a passenger instead of driving around all day, because every horizon has these huge mountains and I couldn't take my eyes off them. It definitely feels like a desert, though, it is so dry you feel the need to constantly drink water. I'll skip over the details of the briefings and training since that would bore you (though maybe my rambling about other things does too), and just say that we ended the afternoon with a trip to the BX and commissary to pick up some things for the hotel rooms (we have kitchens), then came back to get ready for a dinner out with the squadron.
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They got a couple taxis the size of small buses, and crammed most of us into those with a few groups following in vans. We went to a German restaurant called the Hofbrauhaus, and it was incredible! It is supposed to be a replicate of a restaurant in Munich, and from what I saw of Germany back in September, I think they did an incredible job. Here is a picture of the inside:
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Cavernous decorated ceilings, long wooden tables, costumed beer maids, huge mugs of beer, and a live band made for an awesome atmosphere. Plus, it was really cool to get to hang out with a bunch of new people and get to know some of them better over dinner and a drink rather than the weather counter. After dinner, we walked across the street to the Hard Rock Cafe and Casino and hung out there for a while. I didn't gamble, but it was fun to watch some of the guys play blackjack and craps (a game I still do not understand). I headed back to the hotel around midnight with a group of people, so it was not too late a night.
We have today (Saturday) off, but I am still not sure what I am going to do. CeCe and I will probably head to the gym pretty soon, and there is a BBQ at the hotel for dinner, but those are my only plans so far. One of the pilots who used to live here was telling me about Red Rock Canyon and how cool it is to hike, so I'd love to do that, but he had already promised some friends he'd play golf today, so it'll have to wait until the next day off unless I find someone else to go with. I'm also hoping to meet up with college friends Jeremy and Laura at some point, so maybe I'll get in touch with them today. For now it's off to the gym!
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Vegas-bound
...but only temporarily. :) This Thursday(ish), I will be leaving beautiful snowy England to spend 3 weeks in the infamous city of Las Vegas providing weather support to one of Lakenheath's fighter squadrons participating in Red Flag, a huge exercise at Nellis AFB involving aircraft from all over the world. I am really excited to be involved with such a large-scale operation, and am looking forward to the experience and some sightseeing in Vegas. There are two of us from the weather flight going, and CeCe and I have extensive plans to catch up on American things we miss in England (mostly stores and restaurants).
I think it is going to be easier for me to leave England this time than it was back in September for a couple reasons. First, I have had more time to convince myself that it is actually not a dream that I live here. It was just so soon last time... as dumb as it sounds, I was afraid I'd wake up to reality and wouldn't get to come back. Second, since I am going with one of our flying squadrons, it feels like another adventure on this assignment, or that I'll have part of England there with me in the form of CeCe and our F-15 aircrews. Plus, I'll have the added bonus of visiting college friends stationed in Vegas, and my parents are planning to fly in for a long weekend in the city.
I have soooo much to do before I leave! This weekend was a wonderful one spent with friends, which I will never regret especially since three of them will be gone when I get back from Red Flag, but the lack of productivity will make the next three days very busy ones. The Christmas tree really must come down today, the house needs some cleaning, I am going in to work very early tomorrow to help launch our first round of jets leaving for Nellis, and at some point I need to get both of my cars back from the garages at which they are being worked on (long story), etc etc. So it is back to busyness for now... next blog will probably be from the good old U.S. of A!
I think it is going to be easier for me to leave England this time than it was back in September for a couple reasons. First, I have had more time to convince myself that it is actually not a dream that I live here. It was just so soon last time... as dumb as it sounds, I was afraid I'd wake up to reality and wouldn't get to come back. Second, since I am going with one of our flying squadrons, it feels like another adventure on this assignment, or that I'll have part of England there with me in the form of CeCe and our F-15 aircrews. Plus, I'll have the added bonus of visiting college friends stationed in Vegas, and my parents are planning to fly in for a long weekend in the city.
I have soooo much to do before I leave! This weekend was a wonderful one spent with friends, which I will never regret especially since three of them will be gone when I get back from Red Flag, but the lack of productivity will make the next three days very busy ones. The Christmas tree really must come down today, the house needs some cleaning, I am going in to work very early tomorrow to help launch our first round of jets leaving for Nellis, and at some point I need to get both of my cars back from the garages at which they are being worked on (long story), etc etc. So it is back to busyness for now... next blog will probably be from the good old U.S. of A!
Friday, January 1, 2010
Year in Review
I was planning on this being my last entry of 2009, but there were literally not enough hours in a day these last few days to write it, so here it is as my first entry of 2010. :)
Since there are “Highlights of 2009” lists everywhere (internet, TV, radio), I decided to do my own little highlight list. In part, I am hoping this will convince me that 2009 really did consist of all 365 24-hour-long days, because it feels like it flew by at the speed of light. I hesitate a little bit to do this because I don’t want to offend anyone if I leave something out… but just take into account that I am writing this on very little sleep after working long nights all week getting one of our fighter squadrons off on a deployment! So, here goes:
January: Trip to San Antonio with all the 26 OWS officers, great times with awesome people that I will never forget. Not too long after, was officially notified of my assignment to Lakenheath! I was at an off-site training exercise, and my squadron commander drove out to find me and let me read the notification on his Blackberry. He says my reaction was worth it. :)
February: Half Marathon #4 in Dallas, great course and ran faster than expected. AFWA commander visited for our Ops Super’s retirement, which resulted in a few days’ worth of fun events (big group dinner out, party at VFW, karaoke, etc).
March: Weekends were consumed with marathon training, and weekdays enjoying my job and co-workers. Not a very eventful month overall (or maybe I am just forgetting something).
April: Parents visited for a last hurrah in Shreveport. They got to attend a hail and farewell dinner with the squadron and meet a lot of people, plus Mom and I enjoyed gourmet milkshakes on at least 3 different occasions. After they left with my cat (to keep her until she can travel to England), I left for Monterey, CA, to run my first full marathon. Big Sur Marathon was a challenging (mountainous) yet unbelievably gorgeous course… totally worth it and I WILL do it again. Also explored the beautiful city of Monterey with Matt, went whale-watching, and hiked at Pinnacles National Park.
May: Moved out of my apt in Shreveport and down to Keesler AFB in Biloxi, MS, for training before my next assignment. Enjoyed the perks of beaches, new running routes, and front row center at a Dierks Bentley concert.
June: Went skydiving for a second time! (And my mother forgave me.) Gorgeous sunset jump with OWS friends in Houston. Spent two weekends with Matt and his family in FL - lots of good times cooking, fishing, and a trip to Panama City Beach. College roommate Jamie got married in PA, and I was honored to be a bridesmaid. The wedding was like a huge reunion of all the families from college days, couldn’t have been better. :)
July: Enjoyed a long 4th of July weekend at home in VA with the parents. Got to see everyone at church, ride Dad’s new riding mower (fun!), and make a final trip to Cold Stone Creamery with Mom before leaving the country. Spent a weekend at the beach with Carrie and a few other PSUers at Eglin. Graduated training at Keesler, then stayed with friends in Shreveport while I outprocessed the base. My last 10 days at Barksdale consisted of a camping trip in Arkansas with the officers, squadron luau party, and catching up with friends. Then on July 29th… I boarded a flight out of Dallas for London!
August: Felt like I was living in a dream. Spent weekends discovering the incredible history and beauty of England. Cambridge, Framlingham Castle, Bury St Edmunds, and Castle Acre Priory were all explored and marveled at. Found a beautiful house, and began getting to know all the awesome people in my new weather flight.
September: USAFE Weather conference at Edelweiss, the US military resort in the German Alps. Unbelievable experience… the people, the scenery, the culture, everything. The week was capped by a visit to Neuschwanstein Castle, which had been a dream for years. I traveled back to the States for my cousin Amy’s wedding in OH, a beautiful and joyful occasion to spend time with and catch up with extended family. I also got to spend a night with sister Lisa at the University of Virginia, and enjoyed touring the campus, meeting her friends, and reminiscing about my college days.
October: Bought a bright yellow 1979 Austin Mini, a love-at-first-sight experience that required me to learn how to drive stick shift (on the right hand side of the car and left hand side of the road). Traveled to and explored Dover Castle and the White Cliffs, an area so beautiful I was inspired to sign up for a half marathon there in February.
November: Traveled to Istres, France, to do weather support at one of the US space shuttle divert locations. Cool mission to be involved with, plus enjoyed the chance to dust off my high school French and take sightseeing excursions into nearby Marseilles and Salon-de-Provence, taking in both the Mediterranean Sea and French Alps scenery. Celebrated Thanksgiving with my weather flight “family”, for whom I have been so thankful.
December: A flurry of holiday events involving fun times, amazing people, and lasting memories. Rejoiced to see my first snowfall in England, a 6-8” blanket that made my house and everywhere around look like a scene off a Christmas card. I built a snowman, made a snow angel, and walked through town taking pictures of the wintry beauty. On Christmas, I opened gifts with my family despite the distance and time difference, thanks to Skype. Had Christmas dinner and celebrated New Year’s Eve with my adopted “family” here.
2009 was not without its struggles, mistakes, hard times, and regrets. No year ever will be. But I choose to focus not on those things, but what I have learned from them. I feel like I have done a lot of growing up emotionally, spiritually, and relationally. This did not come without growing pains, and for the times this included pain for other people, I am truly sorry. But I believe in a God who can bring good out of every situation, in time, and I hold on to that for others as well as for myself. I will remember 2009 as a year of overwhelming blessings. I deserve none of the joys I have realized or the dreams that have come true, but the beauty of God’s grace is that He has given this abundant life so freely. I pray that I never let anything steal the joy in that truth, and that 2010 is a year in which I learn more and more every day how to love the people around me with this unconditional love that we have all been given.
Since there are “Highlights of 2009” lists everywhere (internet, TV, radio), I decided to do my own little highlight list. In part, I am hoping this will convince me that 2009 really did consist of all 365 24-hour-long days, because it feels like it flew by at the speed of light. I hesitate a little bit to do this because I don’t want to offend anyone if I leave something out… but just take into account that I am writing this on very little sleep after working long nights all week getting one of our fighter squadrons off on a deployment! So, here goes:
January: Trip to San Antonio with all the 26 OWS officers, great times with awesome people that I will never forget. Not too long after, was officially notified of my assignment to Lakenheath! I was at an off-site training exercise, and my squadron commander drove out to find me and let me read the notification on his Blackberry. He says my reaction was worth it. :)
February: Half Marathon #4 in Dallas, great course and ran faster than expected. AFWA commander visited for our Ops Super’s retirement, which resulted in a few days’ worth of fun events (big group dinner out, party at VFW, karaoke, etc).
March: Weekends were consumed with marathon training, and weekdays enjoying my job and co-workers. Not a very eventful month overall (or maybe I am just forgetting something).
April: Parents visited for a last hurrah in Shreveport. They got to attend a hail and farewell dinner with the squadron and meet a lot of people, plus Mom and I enjoyed gourmet milkshakes on at least 3 different occasions. After they left with my cat (to keep her until she can travel to England), I left for Monterey, CA, to run my first full marathon. Big Sur Marathon was a challenging (mountainous) yet unbelievably gorgeous course… totally worth it and I WILL do it again. Also explored the beautiful city of Monterey with Matt, went whale-watching, and hiked at Pinnacles National Park.
May: Moved out of my apt in Shreveport and down to Keesler AFB in Biloxi, MS, for training before my next assignment. Enjoyed the perks of beaches, new running routes, and front row center at a Dierks Bentley concert.
June: Went skydiving for a second time! (And my mother forgave me.) Gorgeous sunset jump with OWS friends in Houston. Spent two weekends with Matt and his family in FL - lots of good times cooking, fishing, and a trip to Panama City Beach. College roommate Jamie got married in PA, and I was honored to be a bridesmaid. The wedding was like a huge reunion of all the families from college days, couldn’t have been better. :)
July: Enjoyed a long 4th of July weekend at home in VA with the parents. Got to see everyone at church, ride Dad’s new riding mower (fun!), and make a final trip to Cold Stone Creamery with Mom before leaving the country. Spent a weekend at the beach with Carrie and a few other PSUers at Eglin. Graduated training at Keesler, then stayed with friends in Shreveport while I outprocessed the base. My last 10 days at Barksdale consisted of a camping trip in Arkansas with the officers, squadron luau party, and catching up with friends. Then on July 29th… I boarded a flight out of Dallas for London!
August: Felt like I was living in a dream. Spent weekends discovering the incredible history and beauty of England. Cambridge, Framlingham Castle, Bury St Edmunds, and Castle Acre Priory were all explored and marveled at. Found a beautiful house, and began getting to know all the awesome people in my new weather flight.
September: USAFE Weather conference at Edelweiss, the US military resort in the German Alps. Unbelievable experience… the people, the scenery, the culture, everything. The week was capped by a visit to Neuschwanstein Castle, which had been a dream for years. I traveled back to the States for my cousin Amy’s wedding in OH, a beautiful and joyful occasion to spend time with and catch up with extended family. I also got to spend a night with sister Lisa at the University of Virginia, and enjoyed touring the campus, meeting her friends, and reminiscing about my college days.
October: Bought a bright yellow 1979 Austin Mini, a love-at-first-sight experience that required me to learn how to drive stick shift (on the right hand side of the car and left hand side of the road). Traveled to and explored Dover Castle and the White Cliffs, an area so beautiful I was inspired to sign up for a half marathon there in February.
November: Traveled to Istres, France, to do weather support at one of the US space shuttle divert locations. Cool mission to be involved with, plus enjoyed the chance to dust off my high school French and take sightseeing excursions into nearby Marseilles and Salon-de-Provence, taking in both the Mediterranean Sea and French Alps scenery. Celebrated Thanksgiving with my weather flight “family”, for whom I have been so thankful.
December: A flurry of holiday events involving fun times, amazing people, and lasting memories. Rejoiced to see my first snowfall in England, a 6-8” blanket that made my house and everywhere around look like a scene off a Christmas card. I built a snowman, made a snow angel, and walked through town taking pictures of the wintry beauty. On Christmas, I opened gifts with my family despite the distance and time difference, thanks to Skype. Had Christmas dinner and celebrated New Year’s Eve with my adopted “family” here.
2009 was not without its struggles, mistakes, hard times, and regrets. No year ever will be. But I choose to focus not on those things, but what I have learned from them. I feel like I have done a lot of growing up emotionally, spiritually, and relationally. This did not come without growing pains, and for the times this included pain for other people, I am truly sorry. But I believe in a God who can bring good out of every situation, in time, and I hold on to that for others as well as for myself. I will remember 2009 as a year of overwhelming blessings. I deserve none of the joys I have realized or the dreams that have come true, but the beauty of God’s grace is that He has given this abundant life so freely. I pray that I never let anything steal the joy in that truth, and that 2010 is a year in which I learn more and more every day how to love the people around me with this unconditional love that we have all been given.
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