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!!

Mustaches..

I think I did an EXCELLENT job of copying Blaine's mustache!! HA! Just look at the side-by-side comparison...

Deployments bring with them many changes and adjustments to our lives. They also seem to make our husbands think that they look great with mustaches! Most of them grow mustaches, as it has become some sort of deployment tradition. These mustaches have been a topic of conversation among many of the wives at several events. We've even brought out the phones and cameras to pass around pictures of our husbands' newest looks. If only they knew we're not commenting on how handsome they look..instead, we're laughing hysterically! Maybe they do it for laughs, maybe it's because they actually think they look good..I'm not really sure of the real reason. What I DO know is that THEY know they should get it out of their systems while over there, since we're going to make them shave before getting off of that plane back home!

Last night, several of us got together at a friend's house and decided that our husbands needed a good laugh, too! So, what better than to dress in flightsuits and to draw, color, and cut out mustaches! Thanks to Katie's sweet daughter, Sophia, we had plenty of arts and crafts materials to go around and our mustaches turned out great! We had such a hard time keeping straight faces for these photos..which made it even funnier when our mustaches were falling off throughout the photo session!!

So, here's to our husbands' handsome mustaches..from your beautiful wives (who also have handsome mustaches)! We love you guys!!

This Little Piggy Went to Market...

This little piggy went to market, this little piggy stayed home. This little piggy had roast beef, this little piggy had none. This little piggy cried wee, wee, wee, wee all the way home!

Why am I beginning this entry with something so silly? Well, this is what my students found on our weekly agenda board when they walked into class this week! Notice that there are five lines to this rhyme..just as there are five days of the week to fill with activities. Convenient, huh? Yes, it is pig dissection week. While somewhat insensitive of me to describe our weekly activities this way, most of my students got a good laugh out of it. I wasn't sure how excited I would be about this, but it has turned out to be okay. I remember dissecting animals in high school..I think I had to do a worm, a frog, a pig, and a cat! Apparently, my high school teachers liked cutting things up. I didn't particularly enjoy doing this back then..in fact, I remember having to go out and get fresh air throughout the process.

So, back to my class today! I have been teaching the human biology unit this semester, including the nervous system, circulatory system, respiratory system, excretory system, digestive system, and endocrine system. My cooperating teacher was nice enough to teach the reproductive system before I took over! Pig dissection serves to bring all of these concepts together so that the students can see where everything is in relation to one another and how they function as a whole in the organism. It has been amazing to see them make connections and understand things that I have taught them...they REALLY get it, which makes me feel as though I have done my job..successfully! I can almost see the light bulbs coming on above their heads!! It's great. Now I know what it feels like...that feeling of "wow, I'm a teacher and these kids are learning from ME"! This feeling makes everything else so worth it..and it's what I would explain to anyone who tells me that I've lost my mind when I tell them what I do.

Cheers to half-way there!

Time flies when you're having fun! We're already half-way through this deployment, and I don't know where the months have gone or how we got here so fast. The first week of March has been quite eventful, with several celebrations to mention. From dinner and nights out with the girls to celebrating Blaze and Holly's ninth birthday..I have been all over the place in just the first week of March! Last night, several girls and I had dinner in downtown Charleston at an Italian restaurant, Mercato. The occasion? Celebrating that half-way mark of the deployment! We also paid visits to a couple of "pub and grills"..minus the grills.

I also met a few friends out for dinner last weekend. The occasion was also in celebration of the half-way mark, but I should confess that we probably would have had Japanese food that night regardless of the occasion! Fried rice off of the hibachi grill always sounds great and we really don't need anything to celebrate to meet up there! Two of the six girls happen to be pregnant..I love having pregnant friends! Not only are they so cute, I feel I can justify eating out when they want to eat out..how on earth could I deny my pregnant friends a great meal?? I love the rice so much at this place that I asked for extra. It was a ridiculous amount of rice..we all had a good laugh over it!

That same day, I baked a birthday cake for Blaze and Holly. We know that Blaze's birthday is March 1st, but we don't know when Holly's birthday is since I found her and have no information on her. So, I simply gave her the same birthday to make things easy! I found this great recipe for a "dog birthday cake" online..it's kind of like a peanut butter brownie cake. With carrots. Kind of a strange combination, but I followed the recipe! I will say that I tasted it (a piece without carrots) and it was pretty good. Don't worry, I didn't have an entire slice! Blaze and Holly loved it..not to mention it smelled so good while baking!

Remember that I mentioned a while ago that I was helping to make a quilt for our squadron?? Well, I finished my square! I'm very proud of it, although there are several places that don't line up very well. I think it still looks nice, though! After working on it for so long, I don't know that I have been inspired to make my own quilt. I do like the idea of picking out fabrics and letting someone else make one for me, though!

Stayed tuned for more updates throughout March..

Oh, The Joys of Random Meltdowns

Well, I have decided I can no longer shop at World Market. About a month ago, I bought a coffee and end table set there, but decided I don't like them and should return them. Well, since then, I have had to cancel my debit card (long story involving a phishing website) and am waiting for the new one to arrive. I thought today would be a good day to try and re-load these heavy tables into my car and take them back to the store. Thankfully, I thought to call the store first, to make sure they could do the return by just looking up my card information in the computer. Well...apparently, it's not that easy. They have to have the card to do the return..or my other option is to get a gift card for the amount. Now, I like to shop, but what am I going to do with a $200 gift card to World Market? I'm sure I could spend it over time, but that's not the point. The store should, in my opinion, be able to override this and just give me my money back! I tried to calmly explain this to the guy on the phone, but he wasn't in a patient mood, which just escalated the situation. He finally told me that I could bring everything in and he would "see what he could do", but he couldn't make any guarantees. Long story, short..I had a meltdown on the phone, started crying, and explained to him that it isn't so easy for me to just load these things up without a husband at home to help me..since he's deployed! Yes, I played the "deployment" card, which I try not to do..unless I'm caught in an emotional situation (like yesterday when I got pulled over by Security Forces on base)! Another story for another day...agghh! World Market guy's response to my meltdown.."I don't know what's going on in your life, but I apologize and feel for your situation." Great, just great. The point is..deployments seem to cause random meltdowns, which aren't very much fun. This is only the second one I've had, the first involved a rude man at the post office who hassled me when I was trying to send Blaine his first care package. Again, another story for another day. Fellow AF spouses, please tell me this is normal!! So, I share with you my story of not-so-much-fun meltdowns..and the fact that "Todd" at World Market thinks I'm crazy.

UPDATE: I was able to return the tables to World Market after USAA informed me that my card would still be activated for a short period of time until I get my new card, so the refund posed no problems! I have also decided that I will continue to shop at World Market (they have some really neat stuff) since I enjoy going there and because Todd has no idea who I am or what I look like. By the way, there was no sign of my new friend, Todd, but I did tell the clerk what happened. Get this...Todd is the STORE MANAGER!! You have got to be kidding me...

Happy Valentine's Day!

I was not really looking forward to Valentine's Day this year, only because I knew Blaine would not be here to celebrate with me. He did send me these very pretty roses and a spa gift certificate, though! Instead of sitting at home alone, I decided to spend the evening with a bunch of other husband-less wives!

We began our "date" with dinner at a Japanese steakhouse. Most of the girls had sushi, but I stuck to my good ol' vegetables and fried rice. I think I may have been the only person at the table who did not have to explain what they were eating. Although sushi looks very tasty and is, essentially, an art form, I just can't bring myself to enjoy fish. I know...what a waste that is living here in Charleston!

After dinner, we headed downtown to Social Wine Bar (this may be my new favorite place). I ordered a "flight" (three different tastes) of Spanish red wines. They were AWESOME..maybe the best red wine I've ever had! The other girls also ordered flights of wine..which equated to 18 glasses of wine!! Now, while I say they were "tastes", this place really draws a fine line between "tastes" and "full glasses of wine". Three tastes are all you can have if you plan on driving home. We also ordered desserts...because what would a great Valentine's Day be without dessert? I like to call these photos "Who needs a husband on Valentine's Day when you have these?" and "Yes, definitely the aftermath of six husband-less wives on Valentine's Day"..respectively.



I neglected to mention that seating at this place was "by reservation only" that night, so we had to settle for the private seating area upstairs..with leather couches..and skylights..and no one else around!! Could it get any better? And how on earth could we take silly photos (with our poor, unsuspecting waiter) in any other condition??

After Social, we headed down to another "establishment" for dancing. But, on the way, we found a very nice police officer who took our picture in front of the customs building.

We ended the night with some dancing...and drinking lots of water. Some of us danced more than others..not sure why I insist on wearing heels when I know I won't be able to walk within a few hours of putting them on. We got some strange looks from some police officers on our way to the car...I can assure you we were walking the way we were because of our shoes, not the wine! Well, maybe a little bit of both...

The only thing that could have made the night better is our husbands being at home, of course. But we made the most of it and had an awesome time! Here's to a memorable Valentine's Day with great friends!! Cheers!

Go Commercials!! (and some other February happenings)

Only half way through February and I already have some pictures to share! My weekends have been very busy, which is always better than spending my time at home alone. We started out the month with a Super Bowl party at Rachel's house. It was more of a "commercial watching party" since none of us girls were really watching the game. We just really needed a reason to make some goodies and have a get-together! Everyone brought super-yummy appetizers and desserts (I had leftovers for two days afterwards) and I made a cookie cake. If you really want to know the truth, Rachel and I get "cravings" from time to time and the most recent craving just happened to be cookie cake! The Super Bowl party was the perfect reason to make one..although we would have made one sooner or later, even if it were only us eating it! I tried my best to depict the football field, and thought I did a pretty good job..until I watched a cake decorating contest on the Food Network that same day! Okay, so I won't be entering any professional contests any time soon. It still tasted good!

We had a really good time..watching commercials, but mostly just socializing. The National Anthem always seems to stand out and feel a little more special when Blaine and the guys are gone, and I think the other wives would agree. The room was very quiet when Jennifer Hudson started to sing..and what a beautiful job she did! Rachel and Aaron were watching her sing, so intently, that I just had to capture this sweet moment. DeDe was also there with Gabriel..who seemed to be all partied out. We all watched as he began nodding off in her lap until his little head finally rested on her arm. It was very hard to stay quiet when we were all laughing so hard!

In what seemed to be just a blink of the eye..another week has come and gone. Student teaching really makes time fly. And I haven't even started teaching..I'm still observing! I will start teaching this week, though. I can't imagine how time will fly then! We had another spouse social this weekend. Kelli hosted us for a themed "Let's Have Some Cheese with our Whine" party! There were so many different wines and great foods to choose from. It was a really good turnout and we had a lot of fun! Afterwards, we made our way over to Chili's for a late dinner. Here's Kelli, attempting to listen to Andrea's soon-to-be daughter, Baby Ada's heartbeat with a stethoscope while on the way to Chili's. Did I mention there was wine involved?? :)
Today was such a beautiful day..sunny and 75 degrees! It was a perfect day for our realtor to have an open house. Not only did we have a lot of people at the open house, we also had three separate showings this weekend! I'm hoping this is a sign of the market and economy picking back up again. Anytime we have an open house, we have to leave our house. This can be quite inconvenient at times, especially when I have to take Blaze and Holly with me. The weather was so nice that I decided to take them to the beach. We prefer Sullivan's Island..it's such a nice beach and the parking is free. The atmosphere there is so laid back and the people always seem so nice. Blaze loved it, until he got sand in his eye, and Holly stayed as far away from the water as possible. She's not a beach dog but she still enjoyed the walk! We had a good time..and I get a lot of joy out of seeing my puppies happy!