From border to border

(I'm finally getting around to posting this one.  I am terrible with keeping up, but I will try my best)

A few weeks ago, we embarked on the journey of a lifetime (at least I hope it was because I really don't want to have to be in the car for that long again).  We left Del Rio, TX on Wednesday, August 22.  Our first day we made it to Tucson, and left the next morning for Los Angeles so that we could spend Friday in Disneyland!!  I had a blast and even had a kind of celebrity sighting!  I am a closet 'Sister Wives' fan (the TLC show....don't judge) and we were in a line for food right behind Christine's daughters, Aspyn and Mykelti.....yes I know their names.  I later ran into Christine at the parade on Main Street and may or may not have stalked her a bit for a photo.  Paparazzi much?  Anyway, I was way excited!  And to top of my D-list reality show celebrity sightings, I saw Adrienne's husband and sons from the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.  I watch way too much reality TV apparently.  Our Disney day was fabulous and I'm so glad we did it!

The next morning we got up early to have breakfast with my cousin and her family.  We had literally just left their house and got a call from the trucking company that would be delivering our stuff from TX to WA.  The gist of the conversation was that one of the axles caught on fire while the truck was driving through the mountains of Idaho, and the whole trailer went up in flames.  The driver got out just fine (thank goodness), but our things did not share the same fate.  There were 4 other families belongings on this 18-wheeler, all of which were completely destroyed.  Talk about a shock to the system!  We spent the next two days at my Grandma and Grandpa Jenkins house trying to start our list of every item we lost in the fire, down to socks, underwear, candlesticks.....what year we bought them, how much we paid for them, and pictures if possible.  A seemingly impossible task, but we got it done over the course of a few days.  It was so nice to be with family!  After two days in Fresno, we went to Monterey for 2 nights.  I think it's safe to say that this is Doug's most favorite place in the world!  We had fun enjoying the beaches and restaurants and avoiding thinking about the fire.  Next up was Sacramento where we spent a few days with my Aunt, Grandpa, and Norma, then we headed up to Beale AFB to see some good friends from Del Rio, Scott and Cassy, for a night before we made the 12 hour drive up to McChord AFB.  What a crazy ride!

Cars all loaded and we're off!

Laughlin AFB in our rear view mirror.

Disney day!!  :)

One of the many gorgeous views from Monterey

Mount Rainier!  I love getting to see it on the rare cloudless days!

Quick shot of our house taken from the car before we moved in. (And before the ever-present rain turned our grass back to green!)

I will try to keep this updated a little bit better.  Lots going on around here.....Doug has started flying missions and is gone quite a bit.  He gets to go to lots of cool places though and he brings me yummy chocolate.  :)  Hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!  

Things we will miss when we move: Del Rio Edition

(Apparently forgot to post this when I wrote it, so here it is a few weeks late....)

Yes, there are in fact things we will miss about Del Rio!  I never would have thought I would say that when we moved here almost 2 years ago, but it has grown on us!

1.  The number one thing we will miss about Del Rio is the people!  We have made so many life-long friendships here.  Our time here would not have been nearly as enjoyable as it was without them.
2.  My job!  I had the most amazing job and the best co-workers a girl could ask for.  I would have worked there forever!  Teaching preschool is seriously the most fun and rewarding job I have ever had!  Working with your friends makes it that much better.
3.  Our church was absolutely amazing and made us feel so at home from the day we got here!  Some of the nicest, and most caring people we have ever met.  We will miss them so much!
4. Going out anywhere (Wal Mart, the Commissary, etc.) and ALWAYS running into someone you know.  I did not appreciate this for the longest time because I was used to my anonymity in Dallas, but I learned to love it!  Small towns are funny.
5. Lunch dates with friends.....also Brown Bag and Buffalo Girls!
6. Drop Night- There is something so exciting about finding out people's future aircraft and assignment location and seeing them (hopefully) be really happy about it!  So entertaining on so many levels.....

Things I won't miss as much......
1.Waiting in long lines at Wal Mart because everyone pays in cash or checks.
2.Wal Mart in general, especially on Saturdays
3. NO TARGET!!  I mean honestly, I think I deserve an award for living 3 hours away from a Target for two years.
4.Crazy drivers and getting cut off constantly.
5. Living 3 hours from civilization.......
6. Skunks.  Everywhere.  In my yard.  Ahhhhhh..  (And the countless other larger than life insects and critters that make my house their home.)

In general though, we really will miss Del Rio and all the people we met during our time here!  Washington, here we come!!  :)

Changes are coming our way!

Faithful readers, *ahem*Heather*ahem*, it appears that I am seriously behind on updating.  Lots has happened over the last 6 months....or more, whatever.....so here is a quick bullet point update.  I'm going to be living very far away soon so I figure I should keep this updated.  Or maybe I shouldn't so that everyone has to come visit me in person to find out!  ;)

February:
~Found out Doug will be flying the C-17 at McChord AFB, Washington.  (Near Tacoma/Seattle)

~Doug finally graduated from Pilot Training and got his wings.

March
~Doug went to Water Survival Training in Pensacola, FL.  Seemed more like a paid vacation to play at the beach, but I guess he's trained now.

April
~Went on a getaway to San Antonio with our friends Anna & Jonathan and got to stay at the Westin La Cantera.....thanks to a stellar deal on hotwire.com.  Spent some time at Six Flags too!  It was awesome.  more on that here: http://livingonawingandaprayer.blogspot.com/2012/04/weekend-getaway.html
~Doug went to SERE training (Survive, Evade, Resist, Escape) at Fairchild AFB, Washington.  This training was way less like a vacation than the other (and lasted almost a month!!), but at least it's over and Doug will be coming home tomorrow!!

May
~Doug leaves Wednesday the 2nd for Altus AFB, Oklahoma where he will be doing C-17 training until mid-August.
~My last day at work is Thursday the 3rd.  It will be a sad day and I'm dreading it with all my heart! I love my job.  I'll leave Saturday morning to join Doug in Altus for a bit before I leave him to play with my family all summer!

Well, that's the short version folks!  I'll try to post about all the fun stuff I do this summer.....like my sister Chelsea's wedding!  Lots to do.


Peace, Love and Blessings

Del Rio Dinosaurs and 7 Can Soup

As you know, I live in Del Rio, TX which is 3 miles from our neighbors to the south, Mexico. Home to all sorts of what would be normal insects and creatures, but we have the pleasure of enjoying them in sizes 3 times larger than the rest of the world. I might be exaggerating, but probably not. This week alone I have encountered the following in my house: large cockroach in kitchen, ridiculously enormous, thick, and fuzzy spider in my entryway, and a fatter than usual gecko on my kitchen window. There is an almost iguana sized lizard that lives in the bushes in front of our living room window.....sometimes he likes to walk me to my car which I do not appreciate. At all, whatsoever. Anyway, just a small glimpse into our lives here in the desert of almost Mexico! In other new, my parents and Heather & James came to see us last weekend and it was awesome! Everyone else should come visit too. :) Also, Chelsea is coming home in approximately 40 days! Yippeeee!

Wow, lots has happened since I posted last. Two weekends ago I went to Abilene for a reunion with my college roommates! It was so much fun to catch up and laugh about old times. ACU has changed so much since we went there. I can't believe next year is our 5 year reunion!! eeeeek!

And finally, here is Doug and I's favorite fall dinner recipe. And it's made in the crock pot which automatically makes it awesome!

7 Can Soup

1 lb. ground beef (or turkey)

3 cans Minestrone Soup (Campbell's is the way to go)

2 cans Corn

1 can Ranch Beans

1 can Rotel

Don't drain any of the cans. Brown the beef and throw all of it into the crockpot on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 5-6 hours. We eat it with corn bread, and it is seriously the best! Try it.

"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of pwer, of love, and of self-discipline."

2 Timothy 1:7

Cousin Reunion and The Centrifuge

Last weekend Doug's cousins had a reunion in Boerne, TX. It's about 30 minutes outside of San Antonio, which worked out really great because Doug had to be in SA for work on Monday. We had a good time with his sisters/cousins looking at old family photos and eating lots of yummy food! We only took a few pictures, but here they are:

Luallin/McCurley Cousins

On Sunday afternoon, we headed into SA and did a little shopping and got to eat at a real restaurant.....it was fantastic! We went to Saltgrass Steakhouse. Doug had to be up early on Monday to do the Centrifuge, so I dropped him off and shopped until he was done later that afternoon. They had to pull 6G's for 30 seconds, 7.5G's for 15 seconds, and a couple others as well. 7.5G's was the most they did. It sounds pretty intense.....I'm glad that's not a requirement for my job. No one in Doug's flight passed out, so that was awesome! Here is a quick video of Doug doing 6 G's:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0B1XAn2_rdc

In other news, Chels is coming home on November 19!!! I cannot wait! She will be in Swaziland again this month. Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

California here we come

Can I just say that CA is amazing and I have the best family ever?!? We (and by we I mean my sisters minus Chels, Deven, and my parents......sorry Doug) just got back from a week long trip to CA to visit my sweet grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. We had a really great time. We spent a few days in Fresno and then headed back up to Sacramento for the rest of the week. Here are a few pictures:

Me and Heather on the plane.

Deven was not a fan of Aunt Gail's pool....he much preferred to run around it. =)

Grandpa and Deven

All the Jenkins cousins minus Ben! Flat Chelsea even made it in the pic!

Grandma and Grandpa with their 8 great grandchildren!

Sisters and I with Grandma & Grandpa

Back in Sacramento, we got to Skype with Chels from Johannesburg, South Africa! (It was early in the morning....don't judge) If you look really close you can seen Chels on Skype on my phone! :)

The family with Grandpa and Norma

It was so nice to escape from the 100 degree weather for a few days! The Friday before I left was the day that Doug found out the plane he we fly for the remainder of pilot training. He got the T-38 which means he will be able to fly fighters/bombers when he graduates! Please keep him in your prayers if you think of it! There's still six more months to go. I'm pretty proud of him. :)

I have another couple of days off until school preparations start. I have loved summer, but I'm

excited to go back to work! Happy Weekend!!

Fourth of July

Wow, I am a terrible blogger. To catch you up a bit, I am still teaching preschool (although we are off for the summer, hooray!) and Doug has just finished his second phase of Pilot Training! Only one phase left.....although this phase will last until February, but progress is progress. He will find out on July 22 which track he will be on for the rest of training. You can either track "heavies" (cargo/transports/etc.) and fly the T-1, or "jets" (fighters/bombers) and fly the T-38 for the remainder of training. I will try my best to keep you updated!

This is us next to the T-6, which is the plane he flew in the 2nd phase of training. This was taken right after his initial solo.

We just got back from a quick visit to my parents in Bossier City, LA. My sister Heather and her husband James, and Doug's sister Aimee all came as well and we had a good time exploring their new city.....and a few casinos!! =) I only lost $1. I forgot which one we were in, but this one had a million dollars glued to the wall in $100 bills.

America and I basically share a birthday (although mine is the 2nd), so we also headed to dinner at my very favorite place, The Olive Garden, and were able to squeeze in plenty of shopping for this mall/Target/Starbucks-deprived Del Rio-an. It was good times! I always love spending time with my family! They are the greatest. (We missed you Cami and Chelsea!!)

We got back to Del Rio in time to watch the city fireworks, and I have to say I was very impressed! Hope you and yours had a blessed Fourth of July weekend!

"Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." Psalm 119:103