2009 Spouse Flight

One of the many perks of being married to Blaine, in addition to him just being awesome, is that I get to participate in spouse flights! I even got to dress up like Blaine, in a flightsuit with a name patch and all. I ordered two patches...one says "Mrs. Baker" and the other says "J-Bake". The base coordinates this flight and invites all of the spouses in the Ops Group to fly on a C-17, so that we can experience what our husbands do at work each day.

After being "briefed on our mission", we boarded the plane and took off over the Charleston coastline. But before that, we got to experience what it's like when our husbands' planes break and the mission doesn't go exactly as planned...we changed planes twice because of mechanical issues! We then flew over Georgia and North Carolina, where we were invited into the cockpit to experience air refueling at its best. Air refueling is just what it sounds like...another plane gets REALLY close to the C-17 and gives it fuel! I can't believe my husband actually knows how to do this..it looks so tricky! Way to go, sweetie! After what I believe was an amazing feat, we landed at the practice air field near Columbia, SC for lunch and a C-17 demonstration.

After enjoying lunch and the company of good friends...and finding a deeper appreciation for our husbands after wearing those flightsuits in the heat...we returned to the planes and headed back home to Charleston. What a fun day it was!!

Sweet Baby Rabbits

Mother Nature knows what she's doing! Many animals grow very quickly after they are born because it is essential to their survival, but just look at how big my baby rabbits are getting! It hasn't even been a week since I took the last picture!

I was worried after I found them (and after Blaze had stuck his nose in their nest) that the mother would not care for them anymore. Blaine assured me that she would come back...and he had to convince me numerous times to not check on them every five minutes. Well, she did come back, and being the good mommy she is, she reconstructed their nest and covered them with a "blanket" of her fur! Isn't that the sweetest? The fur has kept them warm and dry from all the rain we've had the past few days. They have been safe and sound...yet, I still check on them every day...sometimes twice a day.

Happy Easter!

The Easter bunny came to our house a few days early this year...and left these sweet little babies! Blaze was acting funny when I let him outside and wouldn't leave one of the trees in our yard. I finally decided to walk over to see what he was interested in and found these! I also snapped a picture of the mother rabbit this morning. Are they not the sweetest things ever?? I'm having a hard time sitting inside and not going to look at them..for the 2oth time.

Run, J-Bake, Run!!

Goal achieved! I can check off another box on my "things to do in Charleston before the Air Force moves us again" list! On April 4th, I participated in the 32nd Annual Cooper River Bridge Run. This 10K race begins in Mt. Pleasant and continues across the gorgeous Ravenel Bridge, and through downtown Charleston, coming to a finish in Marion Square Park.

After waking up at 4:00 a.m., I met some fellow runners and friends at Michelle H's house, and we were on our way to the race by 5:30 a.m.! We had quite a group of squadron members and spouses running in the race, although most of them were closer to the start because they were "runners". I, along with Michelle T and Rachel K, were further back because we were "jog/walkers". The race started at 8:00 a.m. and we were off! We did a great job keeping a good pace and only walked to take small "breaks". Of course, we stopped for pictures, too! We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day..about 70 degrees with clear, blue skies!! The run was great, but the views were even better. I am truly blessed to live in such a beautiful place, and I couldn't help but think of that while I was running. How grateful I am to be here...not just living in Charleston, but just where I am in my life in general. While I was running down King Street, I had an overwhelming and emotional feeling of being so thankful for all that I have been blessed with. Not only do we live in a vacation spot; I enjoy teaching my students, we have made such great friends here, and I have an amazing husband!

As we neared the finish line, there were so many people cheering us on and telling us how proud they were of us...which was awesome! That, too, made me emotional and proud of myself for getting out and doing the race. We finished the race at 1:33:35...not as great as the Ethiopian who won it in 28 minutes, but pretty good! We met up with our group in Marion Square and walked down to Mad River Bar and Grill, where we enjoyed a much-needed lunch and mimosas! What a great day...and oh, how I enjoyed my four-hour nap that afternoon!!