Decoration Day

A bit of Memorial Day history as we remember our fallen heroes...
Did you know this national holiday actually began in Columbus, Mississippi? In 1866, a group of Civil War widows came together and decided to decorate not only the graves of their own loved ones, but also of the Union soldiers buried in the local Friendship Cemetary. News of the sweet gesture dubbed Decoration Day spread, spurring other communities to follow suit. Columbus became known as the city "where flowers healed a nation," and eventually became known as Memorial Day. This beautiful poem written by Frances Miles Finch in 1867 commemorates the occasion.

"The Blue and the Gray"

By the flow of the inland river,

Where the fleets of iron have fled,

Where the blades of grave grass quiver,

Asleep are the ranks of the dead;

Under the sod and the dew,

Waiting the judgment day--

Under the one, the blue,

Under the other, the gray.

From the silence of sorrowful hours

The desolate mourners go,

Lovingly laden with flowers

Alike for the friend and the foe;

Under the sod and the dew,

Waiting the judgment day--

Under the roses, the blue

Under the lilies, the gray.

Sadly but not with upbraiding,

The generous deed was done;

In the storm of the years that are fading,

No braver battle was won;

Under the sod and the dew,

Waiting the judgement day--

Under the blossoms, the blue,

Under the garlands, the gray.

No more shall the war-cry sever,

Or the winding rivers be red;

They banish our anger forever

When they laurel the graves of our dead;

Under the sod and the dew,

Waiting the judgement day--

Love and tears for the blue,

Tears and love for the gray.

Little Beach Bum

After a long time on the road, we finally made it to the beach! Will was amazed by his first glimpse of the sea, and took off right for the sand and waves, hand in hand with Nana. Many more photos to come!

See you soon, Daddy!

Say a prayer for Aaron if you think of him during the next few weeks. He's roughing it out at Land Survival and Resistance Training in Washington. While he's gone, Will, Maddie, and I are going to do some traveling. First stop, the beach, then some time in Greensboro (my birthday gift to myself), before heading up to see family in Pennsylvania. Aaron will fly in to meet us there just in time for our 5-year anniversary and Father's Day! I'm sure the time will go by quickly, but this little boy (& Mommy) will definitely miss Daddy!
(The other night he stood on his tip-toes watching Aaron mow the entire lawn.)

Love you!

Settlers of Catan

Wheat. Sheep. Ore. Brick. Wood. Longest Road? Largest Army? Standard, Seafarers, or Cities and Knights? Yes, we are board game nerds, especially when it comes to Settlers of Catan. Strategy, luck, competition... it has it all, and we have thoroughly enjoyed game nights/afternoons with the Bibbs. We've played our last game with them(for now), because they move to Pheonix this week. We will miss our Settlers matches, and so much more about living nearby. Here are some snapshots of our last battle. They pretty much sum up the experience!

Graduation Cookout

Following the airshow on Saturday, we hosted a little cookout to celebrate my graduation. It was a fun, low-key way to mark the occasion and spend time with friends. Aaron grilled up some burgers and my neighbor, Melynda made yummy chocolate cupcakes. Aaron was apparently very excited to eat some ice cream!
The guys hung out on the patio, while us ladies enjoyed chit-chatting indoors. We were all so worn out from the day's events, I think most of us were in bed by 9pm that night. Great ending to a great day!

Wings Over Columbus

Last weekend, Columbus hosted an airshow. It had been three years since our base had done one, so we were pretty excited. The skies stayed clear, and even though it was hot we had a great time... especially in the shade of our beach umbrella! Here are the boys fascinated by all of the action...
Of course for us, the Strike Eagle was the highlight of the static displays. I can't believe how huge it is compared to the T-38 Aaron flies now.

Cousin Jeffrey and Uncle Ed drove up from Jackson to join us for the afternoon. The boys took a closer look at the F-15E cockpit. Aaron met the pilot, who will be one of his instructors at Seymour-Johnson. Funny thing, his call sign is "Brick," the same as Aaron's. Aaron's name is temporary though, and he'll get his career call sign when he finally gets to fly this plane.

Will was worn out from the heat and all of the activity. He fell asleep about 5 minutes before the Thunderbirds were about to perform. I knew he was tired, but was surprised he actually fell asleep while I was holding him... I can't remember the last time he did that! So, I enjoyed it in sweet but sweaty kind of way.

Then the show started. Will woke up of course, but sat contentedly in my lap to watch. It was a great show! I like how someone described the deafening roar as the 'Sound of Freedom!'

Kiddie Pool Fun!

We are counting down the days until the base pool opens, but until then, our little plastic pool will have to do! Will and Isaac had a blast playing in the water together, and it makes me so sad that their family is moving in just one week. We will really, really miss them!

Market Street Festival

One weekend in May, Columbus has the annual tradition of blocking off the downtown for Market Street Festival. Every street vendor is there, from funnel cakes to handmade crafts, with live music and an entertainment area for the kids. Aaron and Will enjoyed meeting the Sonic chili cheese dog after enjoying some tasty apple fritters. Yum!
Will enjoyed the stroller for a good while, but at this point he was ready to get out and walk!

Amanda and I with the boys meeting Mother Goose! She's a cute (little crazy) lady that does a weekly storytime at the public library. I think it's such a cute idea... every town should have one!

Wives of the Warriors

One of the things I've loved most about military life is meeting new people, and becoming friends with fellow Air Force wives. I joined a Bible study when Aaron was in pilot training, that I eventually ended up leading as the founding members moved on to new assignments. God has brought such wonderful ladies into my life over the past several years that have blessed me with such wonderful friendship! I wish I had taken more pictures of our group over the years... it's seen about 50 different members as people come and go!
As I realize my time in Columbus is nearing an end, I'm so glad our group just finished a wonderful study that I wish I could tell all my fellow Air Force sisters about. Wives of the Warriors: Living Confidently in Christ was written by the wife of an Air Force Chaplain, Ronda Sturgill, and was one of the most encouraging and relatable studies I've done.

Here is just an excerpt from the forward... (I hope you'll get the book to read more)

"I was totally unaware of the scope and significance my husband's ministry would play in support of our armed forces as they protect the freedoms we so much enjoy today.

Along with this freedom however, comes a price; a price that is paid for by everyone whose loved one serves in the United States Armed Forces. Although military life consists of many blessings, its hardships are unique to none other, both during times of war and peace.

During peacetime we face moving every few years, extended separations from spouses, parents, and siblings, loss of jobs, loss of friends, loss of everything familiar to us. Starting over again and again becomes a commonplace event for the military family.

During times of war we face the constant uncertainty of the safety of our loved one. More often than not, the exact location of our warrior is withheld from us and we are never told when they will be home. No one is more affected by these situations than the wives of the warrior.

I quickly learned if I am going to survive a lifetime of rapidly changing, uncertain circumstances I must have one constant in my life. The Lord Jesus Christ is that constant! Our needs for security, belonging, faith, fun and pleasure, self-worth, health and knowledge are periodically challenged as boxes and belongings get packed up and shipped off to parts unknown to us. If there is anything good to say about the externals in our life always changing, it makes us cling to what we know will remain internally steadfast."

Picnics in the Park

So, I'm a bit behind on blogging and I'm hoping to catch up this week. Spring has been full of fun things to do, especially as we tried to enjoy the fleeting cool weather. It's already become H-O-T here in humid Mississippi! We had several picnics in the park next to our church. I think Will would live outside if he could. He loves being outdoors!

Will and his buddy Isaac also love the big fountain!

Of course our picnic with the Bibbs involved a croquet match! Apparently, at the time of this picture, Aaron was teaching Will the importance of having a game face.

We also enjoyed a lovely afternoon picnic with The Wallace's. Tiffany just graduated high school and has been one of Will's favorite babysitters. We met when we both worked in the "crawlers" room watching babies at MOPS... before I had Will of course. They are such lovely ladies and we had a delightful time catching up.

Pomp & Circumstance

It's such a wonderful feeling to be done with school! I really enjoyed the program and learned so much, but it's such a relief to be through. Doubling up on my last two classes was especially rough, particularly Multimedia Production Tools or what I like to call "Graphic Designer Appreciation." It was a 6-week crash course in Photoshop, Flash, and Dreamweaver...it almost caused me to pull my hair out, but I made it through, thanks to God's grace, Aaron's support, and a wonderful friend that would show up when I needed it most to help entertain Will.

Anyways, I'm trying to get back to tackling the household projects I've been neglecting, and discovering the joy of not having to use naptimes to accomplish schoolwork. I've been in school since I was five months pregnant with Will, taking a break only for the first three months after he was born. Just what will I do with myself now???

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

No peanuts or CrackerJack, but we had a great time watching Aaron's cousin Jeffrey play while visiting with Uncle Ed and Aunt Carol. Jeffrey is finishing up his junior year at Jackson Academy, and the team traveled up to Columbus to play Heritage Academy. We've really had fun over the past few years watching him play basketball and baseball in our area.
We enjoyed cheering him on at third base and batting. It was a cool Spring evening, and Will was mezmerized by the action... at least for the first 30 minutes. Then, he wanted to wander around and play with the gravel rocks.

Aaron and Uncle Ed enjoyed the game of course, but they also enjoyed talking about the weather... not as small talk, but as fellow weathermen. Aaron majored in meteorology at the Academy and Uncle Ed is the chief meteorologist for the state of Mississippi. And with the crazy storms we've had lately, they had a lot to discuss!Fun evening... and by the time we left to get Will in bed, Jeffrey's team was well on the way to victory!

Pink Birdie Baby Shower

Today I co-hosted a baby shower for one of my lovely Bible Study ladies, Kristi. She's expecting her little girl, Sara Kate to arrive in just a few weeks. Kristi's an Interior Designer and we loved her nursery decor, so we decided it would be the perfect shower theme... hot pink, teal, and baby birds! Here is the beautiful invitation.


Table setting. The favors were little pink egg-shaped soaps sitting in their little nests.

A blessing for mom and baby. Kristi chose her baby girl's name to honor her dear Air Force friend, Sara who lost her battle with cancer just days after giving birth to her daughter. Her family's story of faith is really amazing.

The spread. Chicken salad and cucumber tea sandwiches. Fruit tray, cheese tray, broccoli salad...

And of course, cookies to match the invitations! A big thanks to Amanda for baking the cookies and helping me decorate them!

The cute mommy-to-be.

How big is that belly? Really, not very big at all... but it was a fun game to play.

Adorable game prizes made by my co-host Ashley.

And the whole group of lovely ladies. What a sweet afternoon!