Solo Day!!

Today was a big, big, BIG DAY! 

Jordan did his first Solo in the T-6 today!!!

For those unfamiliar with what that means, he was cleared by his instructor pilot (IP) to take control of the plane all by himself. For some million dollar aircraft, its kinda a big deal! Its the first big milestone in his flying career with the Air Force. 

Switching of the Badges 

The solo is a two-part flight. The first part he goes up with his IP (the same one who he did his first ride with) who basically checks him off and gives him the clear that he is trustworthy in the aircraft and ready to fly on his own. They land and come back to the parking areas. The IP hops out of the back of the airplane and Jordan gets himself all ready for the second portion of the flight - all by himself! 

As a flyer in the Air Force, you have to have wings. Since Jordan is in training, his IP carries the wings and he cannot fly a plane without wings (on their name badges).  His IP  has to trust Jordan enough to lets him borrow his wings for the flight. That must be a nerve wracking time for the IP's, but I'm sure Jordan gave them plenty of reason to trust him! 

Nap time! 

I was able to be out on the flight line and take pictures of the exchange of name badges & see Jordan just before he took off for the second portion of his flight, escorted by our neighbor & Jordan's classmate. We went back to their flight room and listened to him on the radio, while he flew around for about 40 minutes by himself. Evelyn decided she was a bit tired and wanted to lay down on the flight room floor! She was a trooper, this was all happening during her morning nap! 

As he landed, we headed back out to the flight line to see him taxi back to his parking spot. 

Evie & I were able to hop up to him in the plane and take pictures
(thanks to our escort Matt & our friend Kelly!). 

He was so excited and it was so great to see that big smile on his face.

Since getting back to Oklahoma after Christmas our family has dealt with Evelyn battling influenza, me a terrible sinus infection & Jordan an ear infection. He was unable to fly for 10 days because his ears were plugged and he was at risk to rupture his ear drums if he tried to fly. It was a very frustrating time for all of us, but mostly Jordan who saw most of his buddies solo before him while he had to sit and wait to get better. 

Today was refreshing in that things are on course and things can only go up from here! The weather is warm - mid 60's in January, and for the next 4 days or so. Jordan is back on track with his flying & we are getting closer and closer to meeting our new baby girl! 

We are so proud of you Jordan!!

(This post was written on Friday, January 16th, the day of the solo!) 

Dollar Ride!

Earlier this week Jordan flew his first flight in the Air Force! 

Yes it was at training, and yes his instructor pilot (IP) did most of the work, by design - BUT - he finally got strapped in to the T-6! 

Yup, there he is, doing his checklists with his helmet above his controls, 

he was ready to go! 

SO exciting!! 

I have to thank his classmates for taking these pictures because families aren't allowed to go out and see the first ride. 

The first ride. They call it the dollar ride. It still doesn't make a whole ton of sense to me, but there is a story & tradition behind it. Just like there is behind every facet of their training here. So because the first time flying is so unknown for many of the trainees, they give the IP a dollar to 'compensate' them for the extra work they have to put into the flight. I thought that came with the job description of being a flight instructor, I mean I think I would want a dollar after every flight! 

Getting prepared!

So Jordan did his flight and he said it went pretty well. This is MUCH different flying than he does in his civilian job, and he's had to adjust quite a bit to the military style of flying & radio calls. They also do more acrobatic stuff and pull G's with their turns and rolls & anything else they do. This adds an extra challenge to flying - battling airsickness. A bunch of guys barf on their first flight. And by a bunch, I mean most of them barf. Its normal and they expect it (maybe that's where the dollar part comes in?!). Jordan didn't get sick, but he said he was definitely queasy and didn't feel all that great after the flight. He compared it to going up and down the 'power tower' at Cedar Point over and over, and over and over again. That makes me want to barf just thinking about it. 

The T-6! 

We have hit the official flight line portion of pilot training which means long, 12 hour days for Jordan every day. He has flights, simulator flights, tests & lots of paperwork to do everyday at work. He comes home and studies for another 2-3 hours each night. On the weekends he does get some time off, but his whole world revolves around studying and preparing for his next flight or his next test. 

This is the fun part, right? 

Its a good thing we have good friends to keep Evelyn and I busy as we both will start to miss Jordan as the weeks go on. The end is not near, but time is passing quickly and we have so many fun events to look forward to while we're down here. Solos, track select, drop nights & celebrating with our friends as they get their assignments, are all things that we have to look forward to. And with Thanksgiving and Christmas just around the corner, that will help break up the daily grind of training. 

With all the hard work & studying Jordan is putting in, we are so proud of everything he is doing and we feel so lucky to be here as he lives out his dream of being an Air Force Pilot! 

More updates to come!!! 

Four Amazing Years

It has been four amazing years since Jordan and I said 'I Do' 

This year brings new changes to our family, as we have moved to Oklahoma for our newest journey with the United States Air Force. I look outside today and I don't see the beautiful fall landscape that is Michigan fall. Today's high will be around 90, and that fall crisp is missing from the air around us. Even though we are in an entirely different part of the country, and Jordan is very busy with pilot training, many things have remained the same. 

Last night we reminisced about our rehearsal dinner and the nerves we felt before our big day. We had no idea that night how amazing our journey would be. Our wedding was a great day, but we had no idea that our amazing day would just be the start of all the beautiful things that have happened in our lives so far. Today I enjoyed time with Evelyn & new friends while Jordan was at work. Jordan has a big test tomorrow, so we weren't able to spend as much time as we would have liked together, but our moments together have counted. We exchanged our gifts & we will watch football together while he decompresses for a few moments before he gets back to studying. 

We have become used to spending time apart based on the nature of Jordan's two career choices, which has presented different challenges that many couples do not have to face. To us, its our reality. When you only get two days a week with your husband, you learn to cherish the moments you get. It sounds cheesy and I promise we aren't all happiness and sunshine every time we are together, but its how we live and it works for us. I've learned that he needs alone time, even when Evelyn and I want to take up all his time. I've learned that he is happy with simple things, like home-cooked meals, playing with Evelyn & simple gestures. I have stopped trying to make every moment perfect when we get time with him and just try and enjoy him being home and present. 

This new journey of living across the country from our family is a new challenge to us and we are trying to adapt everyday. Jordan's schedule will only get more busy, and we will have to adjust our expectations again. For now, we relish in the idea that the sacrifices we make during these years of training will allow us to enjoy many, many anniversaries in big ways. 

I couldn't imagine going through life without Jordan and our craziness - I wouldn't trade it for the world. These years of adventures and adjustments with new jobs & new states just adds to our story that we will someday share with our grandchildren. We will look back and smile at the craziness that we chose. We only live once, and whats life without a little adventure? We've had our fare share of adventures in our first four years of marriage, and I can't wait to see what new adventures come our way. 

I love you more today than yesterday, but far less than tomorrow

The Pit

THE pit. You know - THAT feeling. That pit in your stomach. Butterflies. Nerves. Anxiety.

Well that feeling has been in the center of my world for the past couple weeks. I'd like it to go away, but that is easier said than done. Knowing that your husband will be leaving for 8 whole weeks leaves you with quite and un-easy feeling.

Its that feeling that makes me unable to have an appetite {thank goodness I still have 10lbs of leftover baby!}. It makes me unable to enjoy my last few days with my love. It consumes me.

As much as I try to not think about the upcoming event of Jordan leaving, it surrounds me at every turn. I focus on the baby and for a moment, a short moment, I am distracted by her happy giggles and obliviousness of the changing dynamic about to take place in her home. Our living room has become packing central. Our table has uniforms and ribbons waiting to be put in the perfect spot on new jackets and shirts. There are two new pairs of boots waiting to be laced up. Out processing paperwork on my counter reminds me that he's leaving.

I've had a few days off work to be able to stay home and enjoy our last few days together. Trying to enjoy it is the hard part, which makes me more anxious because I just want to soak up every happy minute. Instead, we are both trying to not break down and not think about it, and it makes for some quiet meals because that is the only thing on our mind. Maybe its just us. Maybe its just my out of control anxiety that is causing this gloomy scenario playing out in our house. But if I were a bettin' woman, I'd guess that most families facing what we are facing, go through very similar emotions.

The lead up is the worst. Worrying about sleep the night before he leaves and if we'll be able to rest at all. Anticipating that I'm going to lose it at the airport and he can't do anything to help me as I drive away. Knowing that I'm going home to an empty, lonely house. Knowing that we are facing eight whole weeks without daddy. The unknown of this new training; when can we talk next, how often can we talk? I could barf just thinking about it all.

Then it happens. Then we wake up and its time to go. How long do we linger downstairs before getting in the car? We know we have to leave, but it just came too fast. The coffee is brewing and we will stand in the kitchen just trying to act like its no big deal. Hug like its the last time we'll ever get to. Load the baby in the car and try to make small talk. Hold hands like its going out of style. Pull into the airport and the tears come, they are quiet - for now. Help him unload his stuff. Stare at him getting in a pile, try and pretend like its not actually happening. Hug him. Hug, hug, hug, kiss, hug. Oh I can't let him go yet, more hugs. I think I'm shaking now, maybe its because I'm cold. We'll be okay, we'll be okay.

Both of us heading separate ways knowing that the sooner he leaves, the sooner he's home.

He'll be home before we know it and these eight weeks will be a short blip in time. But for right now, this blip is anxiety ridden and difficult. It will get easier, so they say. I don't think it ever gets easier, you just get used to the empty house and after the baby goes to bed and you're all alone is when its the hardest, thats when the tears come. Even if the tears never leave your eyes, they are there. And for now thats okay. The ache of missing my love will not be diminished with time, I will just cope any way I know how and get along with these eight weeks. This short blip in time that seems like eternity now, will be over soon.

Looming Deadlines

Sometimes I forget how different Jordan and I's life really is. We are just so used to our situation that I just assume everybody else lives the way we do. Being home for up to 5 days a week is just so normal to me, and honestly, sometimes its nice to have a day at home alone! But I have a feeling that those home alone days are going to be a lot more busy and probably more stressful once our new little person arrives in a about a month! In the midst of us being so used to our daily routines being apart, the stressfulness that comes with our lifestyle is sometimes overshadowed, and other days it rears its ugly head. Thats how it has been this week.

Jordan is in a very stressful situation with work. The FAA has a new law going into effect August 1st that says every pilot operating in the airlines has to have their ATP license, which basically means they need 1,500 flying hours and have passed a test and a check-ride. Doesn't sound so challenging does it? Well, for us its a bit more complicated. Jordan started in the airlines with low hours, which is totally legal, and he was very qualified to be trained in the plane he is currently flying. His training was 2 months long, so I would think at the end of that, he is qualified. About 6 months in, he had to head off and do military training for a new position he took in the Air National Guard. What was suppose to be an awesome job turned out to be on the chopping blocks for the Air Force and his 9 months of training didn't benefit him at all. Actually, it hurt him, a lot. It means that he missed out on 9 months of hours flying in the airlines. Now that is biting us right in our bootys.

The unions in the airlines protect their pilots by restricting their hours to no more than 100 a month. It is a very necessary rule, and I don't want my husband flying more than that a month, but when you have low hours and a looming deadline to get x amount of hours, you feel very helpless. Long story short, we still need about 300 hours before August 1st. We know that is not going to happen. So we pray, and pray hard that the FAA decides that for pilots who have been flying with airline companies and have over 1,000 hours can be allowed an extension to get their hours. At this point though, they are saying nothing. We are in total limbo.

At this point, as of August 1st, Jordan's company so graciously, won't fire him, but will place him on un-paid leave. Now isn't that nice of them? Do they forget how expensive it is to get flying hours without being paid to fly? I'm sure they still think they are doing us a big favor. I guess it could be worse though. August 1st Jordan is automatically de-qualified to fly the plane he has flown for more than 1,000 hours. The vast majority of his flying experience is in the airlines flying a jet with passengers on it. August 1st comes along, he is now not good enough because he is a couple hundred hours short of 1,500. This means that some other muck who has been flying around single engine prop planes around an airport and has no airline experience, no experience with passengers, no experience with multiple jet engines is more qualified to fly the plan Jordan knows like the back of his hand. Tell me how much that makes sense!

There are so many other factors playing into this situation right now that most days I just don't think about it negatively. In my head I just figure that the FAA will of course grant extensions to certain pilots who are so close to meeting the 1,500 hour rule. How could they not? It would be stupid for them to not do that. But the FAA is the government, and we all know that the government doesn't always do things that make sense. So now we just pray that things work out in our favor because Jordan has sacrificed so much for our family and has put so much hard work into this career that he truly loves. Oh yeah, and did I mention that we have a baby coming just before this deadline making things even that much more stressful? I'm just going to stay blissfully unaware of all the negative things that could (and probably will) happen, and pray for the small chance that things will work in our favor. Because, you can't dwell on the negative things, it will drive you crazy. Worrying is like a rocking chair, it'll keep you busy, but it won't get you anywhere.

2 happy years

My wonderful husband and I are just celebrated our 2 year anniversary. I can’t believe how fast its gone. It sounds so long ago, but the time has gone so fast. Looking back on the last 2 years, I can’t imagine a better way to have spent them. Jordan is my rock and the love of my life and I am so, so lucky to have him. So much has changed since the day we said “I do.”

When we first got married, Jordan was finishing up his flight instructing certificates and was focusing on getting a job as a flight instructor to get hours to eventually apply for the airlines. We lived in a small 2 bedroom apartment on the east side of town. Everyday was a learning process. Some days we needed our alone time, some days we spent all day together and enjoyed eachothers company. There were times when we hurt eachother and there were lots of moments of joy.

And then Jordan got a tip that an airline would be hiring low-time pilots and that was his chance! He was able to get into the airlines when we weren’t expecting it. It was so awesome. Except the part that to train on the aircraft he has to be gone for about 2 months. Straight. Without breaks to come home. I thought this was totally crazy, I mean how do the airlines get away with that? Well, they do and that’s just the way it is unfortunately. I only got to see him once for those 2 months and man that was crazy. We weren’t even married for 6 months and he was gone for 2 of those months. Little did we know that was just the beginning of his adventures away from home.

Its such a learning process, this thing called marriage, and I’m  not sure we will ever perfect it, or even come close for that matter. There is such a balance that marriage requires and it constantly changes. At different times, we both need different things, and unless you are a mind reader, it is almost impossible to always get it right. We’ve learned to forgive, and to love uncondiontionally and to always look behind us and be grateful for how far we’ve come and to look ahead and see how far we will go together. We have learned the true meaning of unconditional. It doesn’t mean you can pick and choose, it doesn’t mean that you can give up. It doesn’t mean that you can give less because you are tired, or annoyed, or having a bad day. Through every moment of everyday, love and forgivness have to be unconditional. 

A Bonus Night

I am so excited. For the first time ever, Jordan is having an overnight in Kalamazoo!!!!!! This basically means he gets a bonus night at home this week. He gets to overnight all over the country and it never is here. But tonight it is! He doesn't get into Kalamazoo until about 9pm or so, and has to leave early in the morning, but hey, an extra night with my love always makes me happy!

To top it all off, I was suppose to work today, but got called off because of over-time this week. So now I get to enjoy this beautiful Saturday off and get ready to see Jordan tonight! This might just be the best Saturday ever!

Hard to see, but Jordan flew this plane! Thats him on the left side of the cockpit!

Some pilots probably spend a lot of nights at home, especially if they live in the town that is their base, or hub. We are lucky that Jordan's base is Detroit and he isn't too far from home. He can drive in each time he has a trip. Even more pilots have to commute by plane to their hub. That brings a lot of challenges in itself. Even though we get to fly free and Jordan and other pilots can "jump-seat" or fly in the extra seats where the flight attendants sit during take-off, it can be difficult to find empty seats. The main hubs that Delta has Atlanta, Detroit, Minneapolis, JFK are all busy places for commuters. There may be 60 seats on the plane open and there might be 80 "non-revers" trying to commute to their job. This leads to crash pads and lots of extra nights away from home for those pilots.

We are so lucky that we are within reasonable driving distance to Jordan's hub. There are some nights when he has an early flight out and he will head over the night before and stay the night in a hotel that gives discounts to flight crew. So it isn't that bad really, right? I mean it seems silly that I am excited about one extra night with my husband, but when you get so few each week, its the simple, everyday things that matter.

Spontaneity

So as you know, my husband is an airline pilot. One of the benefits to him being gone 4 days a week is that we fly free - well sort of. We fly free if we go standby, which can be quite an adventure in itself. We are able to check out passenger loads and that sort of thing before we book our flight, but it never really seems all that accurate and its kind of a crap shoot when we get to the airport. For those in the business, we are called "non-revs" which is short for non-revenue, because the company does not make anything off us flying. I happen to be quite lucky with my non-rev flying. I have gotten on flights that seemed impossible when the boarding process started, but I tend to stick it out by the gate agents and when other non-revers or standby-ers give up, I'm right there to hop on and fill the flight up!

So, onto why I called this post spontaneity. Jordan had a long layover in NYC this weekend. When he usually has long layovers I'm usually working, or his in some random city that would be pointless for me to come visit. Saturday morning I wasn't even sure I was going to NYC, the flights were all scary and almost full! But all cards were falling into place, and I decided to go for it!t My parents just needed to be available to watch my dog and cats and then I could go! I was so excited. And then a big storm front. My flight to Laguardia was cancelled. So sad. We were all re-booked on another later flight, but since I don't buy a ticket I'm not guaranteed getting a seat on the next flight. I have to say, flying standby and getting on a flight for free is lucky enough -every time I am so grateful, and then when the flight is cancelled its like the stars have unaligned and backfired on you. This was the first time that has happened, so I am very lucky for that. After a 4 hour delay and a tornado in Queens (NYC), our flight was on its way.


I was seriously like a kid in a candy store flying into the city. I had my face plastered on the window looking out to see what I could see. It was dark, so its not like I could pick out every building or anything, but I mean with all the lights, it was almost like mid-afternoon. I didn't get back to Jordan's hotel until about 9 and then we headed out to Times square! Eeekk! I was so excited. What a crazy place to be in. Its just like what you see on TV, but so surreal at the same time. I can't believe I was actually there! We did some other looking around and I am confident that I could go back to NYC and conquer the subway again, it wasn't as scary as I thought it would be, but definitely way different than I thought too. What a great little 36 hour trip to NYC I had!

Before I even headed out I hesitated on going, seems crazy right, why pass up on an almost free trip to NYC? Being this spontaneous can only happen for a short time in my life, and I imagine once kids come along, this will rarely (if ever!) happen this spontaneously. I guess this is a great benefit to Jordan's career choice. Its just too bad it comes at the expense of him being gone at least 3 days a week on average. It is wonderful to be able to have days of spontaneity.

While we were walking through NYC taking in the sights and sounds I made Jordan promise me we'll never stop being spontaneous. Whether that be taking trips halfway across the country on a moments notice, or trying new things in our hometown, I hope we always stay this spontaneous and carefree about how we spend our time together.

Some Fresh Thinking

I am sitting here alone on a Sunday night. Its a night that my husband should have been home. Could I be mad, sure. But what will that change? The fact is, my husband is an airline pilot with a regional airline company. His life, well our life, is mainly dictated by his schedule and when he is home. He is a junior FO at his company and sometimes he has a dictated schedule and other months he's on reserve (on-call). This month happens to be a reserve month. And per contract, he can be "junior manned" and made to work a day he is suppose to be off. Hence the situation we are in. It doesn't help that I work full time as a Neonatal ICU nurse and it seems like most of the time our schedules are completely opposite. Sure we might sleep together at night or have a few hours together, but to spend quality time is often challenging. Our lives tend to be so apart at times, and  yet we are very dedicated to each other. 

Most nights sleeping alone isn't troubling to me. We live in a safe neighborhood with great neighbors who are there for me if I need them. My family is minutes away and Jordan's family is less than an hour away. We have great friends. I know I am never really lonely, but I am alone a lot of the time. I keep myself busy with my side photography business, seeing my friends and family and working out. At times I feel like I have a double life. The Lisa who is "single" and the Lisa who is with Jordan. Of course I am married and would never, ever waiver in our amazing marriage, but I used to constantly schedule things around Jordan's schedule so we could make the most of our time together. This would bug Jordan. Me being home all the time when he is home makes him feel like I am suffocating him by always wanting to be together. I mean that's normal right? After not seeing your husband in 5 days, you would want to see him and spend every minute you can together. It took some time for me to realize that trying to make every minute he was home available for some kind of "Jordan & Lisa" time didn't work. It drove me crazy to figure out my work schedule and the days he was away were so full it was too much. It drove him crazy because he never got alone time. I had to realize that I was able to have all this alone time when he is away, but he was working the whole time and didn't get the down time that I have. I don't know why, but that is a hard concept to grasp. Even now I tend to find myself trying to switch my work schedule so we have more days off together, and there are some times when I do need to switch so we have a few days a month where its just us. 

But even not having matching schedules and trying to make my life as normal as possible I still feel like I have 2 separate lives. And I'm not real sure how to change that feeling. I'm not sure if it will ever go away. Its like I put certain things on hold when he is home so I can do more with him, but I tend to get more stressed out when I do things that way. What a struggle though. Its hard to find that balance. I wonder if I will feel more balanced when we have kids because I HAVE  to keep some consistency for their sake. Gosh I can't even imagine at this point what wrenches kids will throw into our crazy life....

There are so many intricacies and craziness to our life that I hope to spell out a bit here. I am honest about what we go through and the stages we will come across in life. I hope I can be somewhat entertaining and therapeutic for myself at the same time. I could continue this entry forever and ever, but there is plenty of time for that. I'm just excited to start this new chapter so to speak and get things out. 

I'll end this first post by saying I love my husband so deeply that I can't imagine having life any other way. We just don't have typical time together as other couples do. Some say I'm strong for being able to "do things on my own" or I hear "how can you sleep alone?" I don't feel like I do anything on my own, Jordan never leaves my thoughts and he is a very strong constant in my life. And who doesn't like to splay out on the bed by themselves every now and then?