Where did January go??

Wow..I can't believe January is almost over. The only time I ever find myself hoping time flies by is when Blaine is gone. This month started out really slow..it felt like months had already passed, and it was only the 10th! I think time is passing faster now that I am so busy with different things. Deployments also mean restaurant tables that look like this..all manners surrounding cell phone use at dinner fly out the window when you are waiting for a phone call from the desert...

For a couple of weeks, I had nothing to do, so I found myself volunteering for everything under the sun..just to fill my calendar! I even volunteered to help make a deployment quilt with some of the other spouses in our squadron. For those of you who know me well..you know that I can sew buttons on garments..and that's about it. I signed up for this project, hoping some of the other girls would teach me how to quilt. I'm learning..but I'm not sure I'm ready to purchase a sewing machine just yet!

In addition to our regular Friday-night pizza parties at Rachel's home (Thank you, Rachel, for helping us keep our sanity!), some of the girls have been out to enjoy Charleston a few times. The Citadel had a semester kick-off party for the graduate students, so I invited some other spouses to go out with me. We had a great time..ending the night with what has become a very funny story to tell. If you would like more information on this, you can read Michelle T's blog entry titled, "That thing is moving!"...that's all I'm going to say. Michelle tells the story quite well!

I also started student-teaching last week! This is my last semester at The Citadel, and I am working with a very experienced biology teacher at Stratford High School. I could not have been more blessed with this placement..the school is five minutes from our house and I have the same type of class each class period, so I only have to make one lesson plan each day! The best part, though, is that they are all college prep classes, so the students actually WANT to be there and learn (well, most of them)! It really could not get any better than this. So far, I have only been observing and won't actually start teaching the classes myself until the second week of February. I'm really excited about this experience and having the opportunity to work with such a knowledgeable teacher!

Lastly, we had our January spouses social last night..we went ice skating!! I haven't been ice skating since visiting Alaska six years ago..and you could tell by my skills out on the ice! It was a lot of fun and we had a great turnout. I don't recall ice skating being such a workout..my legs hurt so much that I could barely get out of bed this morning! Maybe I should make this a regular thing.

Blaine is doing well, although there's not a whole lot he can talk about over the phone or email. I usually get the "I'm fine, just working, going to the gym, and sleeping" from him! He is doing things that are much more exciting, but won't be able to discuss any of them until he gets home. He did get a break from his regular routine when he was sent to Jordan for a few days. He stayed in a very nice hotel and even had a massage. I didn't feel too sorry for him that week! I will keep everyone updated on him when I can.

I would say "here's to the next three months passing by quickly", but I recently received an email..you know, one of those that talks about enjoying each day because you can never rewind. I recommend watching the presentation: http://www.theinterviewwithgod.com/. I watched this one night this week, when I was exhausted after being at school all day, and hoping that this would fly by so that we could get on with things already! But, those words really sank in, and I realized that I should start enjoying each day, rather than going to sleep early to just end the day. I've decided that Blaine will be home when he gets home..and I'm going to make the most of each day with my students and friends until then! So, here's to enjoying life for the next three months...

A Charleston Christmas

This Christmas, we had my family come to us for the first time. With Blaine's upcoming deployment, this seemed to be the easiest way to enjoy the holidays as a family, without the extra stress of traveling! Before I go there, let me first share our wonderful Christmas experience with you...

My family has always done an excellent job in making our home so cozy during the holidays..everything from the decorations, tree, and music, to the lit candles and all of the yummy food! Now that they were coming here, I had to do the same. I started decorating right after Thanksgiving. Blaine insists that we have a real tree every year, so I made him go with me to get one the night before he returned to Oklahoma for the rest of his training. I just couldn't wait another week to have my tree!! I really enjoyed decorating the tree and I even made a wreath out of the trimmings. My natural wreath led me to crave more natural decorations..and to my delight, I realized that you can buy real garland! Forty feet of real fraser fir garland later..and MANY trips to Lowe's and Michael's..I was very pleased with all of my hard work.

Once my family arrived, we attempted to tackle my never-ending list of activities. We went to Boone Hall Plantation while they were here..so beautiful at Christmas! Every room in the house is decorated with such detail..and I got some more ideas for my house next year. It was a bit cold, but we really enjoyed the tour. I can see why this particular plantation is the most photographed in the nation!

After an afternoon at the plantation, we indulged in the Festival of Lights at James Island County Park. We were very impressed! For all of my Texas friends..it's kind of like Zilker Park's Trail of Lights, only you drive through it instead of walk. The lights were great with many representations of what makes South Carolina so unique. I particularly loved these palm trees on the water!

We decided to open gifts on Christmas morning this year; we usually do them on Christmas Eve in Texas. Christmas morning was full of surprises and brought back memories of Christmases when we were younger. "Santa" always leaves goodies in our stockings, and this year, "Santa" surprised Mom and Dad with stockings of their own. While sipping our coffee, we took turns opening our gifts from one another. Everyone is always excited about their own "pile", but it never compares to seeing the reactions of those who open the gifts from you. That's my favorite part!

Please excuse our "bedhead"..I just thought these pictures really captured our excitement on Christmas morning! Oh, and Blaze and Holly love their new bed and treats that "Santa" left in their stocking. Not sure they really care for their new oral care products, though!

After presents, the women started working on Christmas dinner. We made a turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, noodles, rolls, deviled eggs, pumpkin pie, and pecan pie. Our sweet friends, Jamil and DeDe, along with their precious baby boy, Gabriel, joined us for Christmas dinner. They brought a delicious caramel and chocolate apple..it was gone fast! So yummy! Blaine made some great wassail, a hot spiced wine that tastes like cider. Blaine also carved the turkey..which was cooked to perfection. The meal turned out great..that's usually what you get with a kitchen full of German women!!
The days between Christmas and "deployment day" were spent shopping and getting Blaine packed and ready to go. As if this time of year weren't busy enough!! We were very thankful to spend Christmas together, along with family, although it was a little bittersweet knowing what was soon to come. Blaine and I said our "goodbyes", alongside many more families who may feel Christmas ended too soon, as well. This deployment will be similar to what we've experienced before..please keep Blaine and the rest of our squadron in your thoughts and prayers. Blessings to you all as we enter a new year..you are the amazing family and friends that make us the Bakers!

Texas..Home Sweet Home

Well, I just returned from another visit to Texas. While Blaine was training in Oklahoma, I was able to spend an entire month back home! Visits to Texas always bring great Mexican food and awesome BBQ...but more importantly, I get to spend time with my family and friends. My parents were very accommodating as I "moved in", toting Blaze and Holly with me, as well! While there, I substitute taught along side friends whom I grew up with, as well as some of my old teachers. I even taught some students whose parents I went to school with...still trying to do the math with some of those.

Blaine was able to come down for a weekend and we did some "bar-hopping" in Elgin! For those who don't know, Elgin does not have much of a bar scene, but we made the most of it. We went to Quoffer's, the British pub on Main Street, which is just one of the many TWO bars that any sane person would actually go to. We saw a few familiar faces and had a good time listening to American Idol's next contestants singing their hearts out. I love it..Blaine has absolutely no qualms about getting up in front of everyone and singing karaoke all night long! We had a great time.

I was fortunate enough to be in town long enough to attend the wedding of a dear, life-long friend of mine. Amanda's wedding was absolutely beautiful..I am so glad I was able to make it. The reception boasted a very swanky sitting area, one that we just had to get pictures of! The cake was also gorgeous, so much so that you could see the disappointment on Amanda's nephew's face when he learned they weren't cutting the cake yet! Too funny.

All in all, I had a great visit and look forward to going back next summer!

Happy Birthday, Blaine!

We recently celebrated Blaine's 31st birthday in Oklahoma City! Blaine is finishing his instructor pilot upgrade in Altus and I am visiting Texas, so the timing for an OKC visit was perfect. We went to our FAVORITE restaurant, Bourbon Street Cafe, for dinner. I highly recommend the filet mignon or the pork chops..the best I have ever had anywhere! Since I was not really in a position to bake Blaine a birthday cake, we settled for some yummy creme brulee instead. Afterwards, we walked along the riverwalk and asked a very nice couple to take our picture at the exact spot we were engaged three years earlier. I like this picture much better..we did the same thing the night we got engaged and my eyes were closed! I couldn't believe it. We ended the night at one of our favorite bars, TapWerks, which has over 100 beers on tap! I also discovered my new favorite beer..Young's Double Chocolate Stout. It's like Guinness, but with chocolate! I already researched places where I will be able to get it in Charleston. We had an awesome time..and I certainly look forward to sharing many more birthdays with my sweet husband!

2nd Annual Razorback Rumble

The 2nd Annual Razorback Rumble was filled with good times and great friends! This year, we made an entire week of it and really enjoyed the upstate. Blaine's high school had an alumni baseball game in which his classmates played the younger guys. Blaine hit a homerun at one point, his team won, and he got MVP of the game!! Needless to say, it was a good day.

Instead of driving back to Charleston for the week in between the game and the Rumble, we decided to stay and camp at Oconee State Park. We had such a great week with perfect weather! We did some hiking, saw some beautiful rivers and waterfalls, went to a fish hatchery, and did some shopping in neighboring Highlands, NC. After a relaxing week of camping, it was back to Walhalla for the big Rumble weekend!

The Razorback Rumble is Blaine's "baby" and he looks forward to everything that it involves each year. It is a weekend event in Walhalla and Clemson, coinciding with Oktoberfest, in which everyone competes in different events with the hopes of winning one of three trophies. This year, we had a darts tournament and a cornhole tournament. The third trophy is set aside for the "random event", but after several drinks, we forgot about it this year. The darts tournament took place at the home of Blaine's best friend's parents (who were VERY gracious hosts). Congrats to Parker for winning the darts tournament and scoring this awesome trophy!

The cornhole tournament was the highlight of our Clemson tailgating adventure. The tournament lasted ALL day but was so much fun! The trophy that everyone wants went to David, again. With his cornhole skills, he may need to make a permanent place for it in his home! Congrats, David!

We ended the Rumble weekend with a celebration at Walhalla's own Oktoberfest..complete with the good ol' Chicken Dance! This is about the time we all forgot about the Random Event trophy.

During our vacation in the upstate, we managed to get some flying in. The area was so beautiful to fly over! We saw Blaine's old home and the Clemson stadium from the air. And, to top it off, we flew with the instructor who taught Blaine how to fly. It seemed like they never missed a beat and was such a great experience for everyone!

5th Annual Buddy Walk

Every other month, I coordinate a community outreach event for the 16th Airlift Squadron's spouse group. This month, I chose something dear to me because of the amazing friends in my life who are affected by Down Syndrome. Today, we participated in the 5th Annual Buddy Walk, benefiting the National Down Syndrome Society. Blaine missed out on this one because he is out of town. I highly recommend donating your time and support to this cause...you can find information about next year's Buddy Walks in your area at http://www.buddywalk.org/. We had such a great time and will certainly put this on next year's calendar!

Beijing Trip

Just got back from my Beijing trip, which was quite the experience. Believe it or not, we stopped in Alaska, China, Mongolia, Vietnam, and Washington DC; all in the span of eight days. We stayed three nights in China, one night in both Hanoi, Vietnam and Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

Notable events were a Great Wall tour, a Tiananmen Square visit, and a chance to walk through the infamous "Hanoi Hilton", a prison where U.S. pilots were held during the Vietnam war.

During the flight back, we flew one flight that took 16 hours and 42 minutes, and included an air-refueling, which culminated in a beautiful arrival into Anchorage, Alaska. Because of crossing the international dateline, we actually landed in Alaska before we took off in Vietnam...try to wrap your mind around that one!

All in all, it was an amazing experience. So amazing, in fact, that it took me 15 hours of solid sleep to catch up from!

We recently volunteered for the City of Charleston First Day Festival. This festival is full of vendors who give free school supplies to local students heading back to school. It is a celebration of beginning the new school year...and most of the children I spoke with were very excited about going back to school!

Pitiful Blaze

For anyone who was worried about Blaze (Andie...), his glaucoma test was negative! Yea! Now, we just have to treat his eye infection so that he's ready for the beach again. Poor little guy...he really knows how to milk us. His eye is just fine, until I say, "Blaze, how's your eye?", and then he starts squinting again! Spoiled rotten...

Day at the beach!

It doesn't happen very often, but Blaine actually does get some down time every now and then. We found some time recently to enjoy an afternoon at the beach with the dogs. Blaze loves the water--it is so funny to watch such a little dog run full speed into the waves! Holly, on the other hand, wants nothing to do with the water (so there are no pictures of her). I'm a little embarrassed to admit that we have only been to the beach a couple of times in the two and half years we've lived here! So funny how we take things for granted...