Father's Day Sucked, Too!

You may recall that I received a Dyson for Mother's Day... and the vacuum theme continued for Father's Day! Aaron got a spiffy new shop-vac, which trust me, was a long time coming. We had tried to get one (3 actually, for Christmas gifts) when they went on super-sale for Black Friday this past Thanksgiving. They were sold out then, but we got a rain check, until they stopped carrying that brand and refunded us our money. When I saw an even better one advertised for more than half-off at Lowes, I jumped on it. We can't wait to put it to work on our cars this weekend. Just a little way to thanks to such an amazing Daddy!

Happy 6!

Saturday marked our six year wedding anniversary! Seems hard to believe that it was 13 years ago we went to the junior prom, and we've been together ever since. It's been another exciting year for our family and we look forward to so many more!
My mom and sister were on hand for the weekend to help with all of Will's big boy room preparations. So, we celebrated the day by getting his room painted, before enjoying an afternoon at the pool, followed by a fun date night with just the two of us at a fabulous Japanese steakhouse/sushi restaurant. We also put in an offer on the house! We should have lots of pics and news to report in the coming days.

Also, as an birthday/anniversary surprise, my mom made this hand-painted family sign. I love it, and I love getting to benefit from her many generous talents. Thanks, Mom!

Happy Anniversary, Aaron! I love the life God has given us to share together.

First Time at the Movies

Our local theater is doing a children's summer program, showing animated movies for a $1 on Wednesday mornings. It sounded like a nice indoor activity to give us a break from the heat, with minimal investment should our toddler become noisy or restless. But, he absolutely loved it and sat attentively through the entire movie. They were playing Barnyard, so there were plenty of cute farm animals to keep him entertained, and I'm sure the Raisinets helped, too. He spent most of the movie in my lap, as he wasn't quite heavy enough to keep the seat from folding up on him, but I didn't mind the extra cuddles. Such a fun mommy-son date, I'm sure we'll be back.

Assignments at the Ballpark

This Saturday evening, our squadron family gathered at the Kinston Indians game for the B-course to receive assignments. Admittedly, the public setting was rather nerve wracking, as in between innings the assignments would be displayed on the jumbo-tron.
The class consists of 11 pilots and 11 WSO's. Each ranked their preferences 1-3, to include Seymour-Johnson, NC, Mountain Home, Idaho and Lakenheath, England.

Mike Shea, Aaron's former student and current classmate, was the first to receive his assignment. He gets to stay at SJ, hence his red baseball cap. Those headed to Idaho would receive a knit ski cap, and those bound overseas to England got a black top hat.

Everyone vigilantly kept their eye on the scoreboard (not the baseball)...

Will was highly entertained by everything, and even enjoyed busting a move to the music.

And then, the moment of truth! (Click the pic to see it larger.) We get to stay in North Carolina!

We feel happy, relieved, and incredibly blessed, especially since only three pilots got to stay, and several guys did not get their first choice. Here's Aaron with his WSO, Josh Rosencrans, who is happily headed to Mountain Home.

It was an exciting and anxious evening, to say the least. But, it's so great to finally know where we'll be for the next few years... home, sweet, home!

Nertz!

It was great to spend Memorial Day weekend with our extended family from Ohio, including my cousin Samantha.
After the guys were rested up from their racetrack fun the evening before, we enjoyed a delicious bbq picnic...

and a rousing game of Nertz! It's a family tradition of sorts. Kinda like a giant game of solitaire with a group, that's also super fast-paced. Is that a confusing description??! Anyways, we're a highly competitive group and Tyler caught a part of the action on video.

We're all pretty wound up, but I'll let you decide who gets the award for fiestiest player. Here's a glimpse into our Nertz craziness!

iHappy birthday!

Today was pretty much an ordinary day marking my 29th birthday, but in a wonderfully ordinary way. Will and I spent the morning at the pool with friends, and this afternoon I tackled some of the massive weeds that have been trying to take over our backyard flower beds. Aaron's flying late and probably won't be home until 11pm, but he still managed to make my day... to my complete surprise, he gave me one of the coolest, most exciting gifts ever...
and iPad 2!!!! I'm having so much fun with it already, and I haven't even discovered one tenth of what it can do. Maybe now, technology won't leave me behind. And thanks to friends and family for all the happy birthday wishes!

For dinner, I decided to try a new recipe I saw in this month's All You magazine for fish tacos. They were so, so delicious and even Will ate an entire taco. It's the perfect summer recipe, so I thought I'd share...

Grilled Tilipia Soft Tacos

1/4 cup olive oil

2 Tbsp lime juice

2 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp cumin

1 clove garlic, minced

2 lb tilapia fillets (about 6)

salt and pepper

8-10 soft flour tortillas

1. In a small bow, combine olive oil, lime juice, soy sauce, chili powder, cumin and garlic. Season fish on all sides with salt and pepper and place in a dish large enough to hold in single layer. Pour marinade over fish, cover and refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, prepare a large platter lined with paper towels. Pour enough vegetable oil to measure 1-inch deep in a large skillet. Place skillet over medium heat. Using tongs, place a tortilla in oil for 15 seconds, flip tortilla and fold in half, using tongs. Cook until crisp, about 15 seconds longer. Drain on platter and sprinkle with salt.

3. Preheat gas grill to medium, or preheat broiler to high and set rack 6 inches from source of heat. Remove fish from marinade and grill or broil until flaky, 2-3 minutes per side. Remove to a plate and let rest for 5 minutes, then cut into chunks. Season with salt, pepper, and additional lime juice, if desired.

4. Serve tilapia with tortillas, pico de gallo, and sliced avocado. Enjoy!

Coca-Cola 600

Awww, yeah! Nothing says Southern redneck like NASCAR! On Memorial Day weekend, Aaron, his Dad, my Dad, and my Uncle Archie headed to Charlotte for the Coca-Cola 600 to enjoy the race, and also to attempt to meet up with Tyler, my cousin's husband and Nascar photographer who was working the race.
The event included some classy tailgating. At least they were wearing shirts, unlike the good ol' boys in the background.

The race turned out to be pretty exciting! Everyone was cheering for their hometown boy, #88 (that's Dale Earnhardt Jr.) and it looked like he had it in the bag after they finally got a white flag, but the racetrack had some twists and turns in store! Here's a video of what happened... trust me, even if you don't like Nascar, the commentary alone is entertaining!

The race included a special tribute to the military and Aaron and his Dad were even able to score free tickets. It was an evening to remind everyone that you are "American by birth. Southern, by the grace of God."

N.C. Zoo

Aaron had the Friday before Memorial Day off of work, so we decided to take a trip to Asheboro, NC to see the zoo. It was Will's first ever trip to the zoo, and he loved it!
Here he is ready to enjoy Dora & Diego's 4-D adventure. We couldn't believe that he kept his glasses on for the entire movie.

We started off in the Africa section of the park, while it was still sunny. First stop, was the aviary and the baboons. Aaron and Will enjoyed cooling off under the mister.

We also checked out the albino alligator on special exhibit. Spooky looking!

Then we made our way over to the giraffes... hard to see in our self-taken family portrait, but there goes one, just behind my head.

The elephants, tigers, ostriches, and zebras were pretty awesome, too.

Will wanted to wear his zoo button for all of 10 seconds.... not quite long enough for me to get a picture.

We stopped for lunch just in time, as it started pouring down rain. Then we found some "sheltered" activities, like the carousel and movie.

Then we traipsed over to North America, getting just a little bit more wet along the way. Check out that big gorilla sleeping right up next to the glass.

Some continental highlights were the honeybees, chimpanzees, and the bears. Our final stop was the seals, who obviously weren't bothered by the wet weather.

It was a long day, but we had a great time seeing the animals and being together as a (happy, wet) family.

Over Halfway There...

So, I can't believe it, but today marks 23 weeks! This picture was taken at 20 weeks, but the time seems to be flying by. I'm feeling really good, especially compared to the first time around. I am, however, a big fan of a good afternoon nap. Everything seems to be going smoothly with baby girl. The only big question that remains is... where will she be born? North Carolina, Idaho, England??!! We'll find out soon. Assignment night is only a week away, so stay tuned!