Our future is looking big.
And gassy.
Say hello to Cary's new plane: The KC-135! The KC-135 does aerial refueling. So my husband will be flying the gas station of the skies. He's pretty excited about the plane (it was his 3rd choice), and we're very excited about our new base- Fairchild AFB, in Spokane, Washington! I've never actually been to Washington State, but I'm already so excited! And of course, my camera decided to be a total brat and died during Drop Night. I hate that thing.
As far as we can tell at this point, we'll leave sometime in the next month or two for 5 months of training at Altus, AFB in Oklahoma. And then we'll hopefully roll in to Spokane sometime next fall? This is what would happen if the Air Force operated with any semblance of order and logic, but after just our brief time in the Air Force, I am not holding my breath. But regardless, sometime in the year 2012, we will be parking our gear in Spokane and calling it home! It's a little bit bittersweet leaving Del Rio, our home for the last year and a half... but mostly it's sweet.
It seems only natural that I take this opportunity to make a list.
Things I will miss about Del Rio:
1. My homies. I've made so many great friends here, and I get very sad thinking of all of us spreading out all over the world. Boohoo. (Hey friends! We need to take a big picture before we all leave. Because I am terrible at taking pictures and have hardly any from Del Rio! And if we don't have any pictures together, I will probably forget we were ever friends.)
2. It is cheap. There's nothing to do and nowhere to shop, so we save money like nobody's business.
It's only $2.50 to see a movie. The theater smells like cat pee, so what? It's $2.50.
3. My job (Haha! That was a good joke.) But I will miss the extra lettuce that working full time brings in.
4. Having my husband home every night. For some reason, once you are a real life pilot, they insist on you actually flying your plane to different places. Which requires leaving home. Darn.
5. I have a feeling that there won't be as many tricked out cars in Spokane, and I will miss the spectacle of trucks raised 4 feet off of the ground, spinner wheels on minivans, and the many different varieties of flames. People watching is brought to a whole new level in Del Rio. It can be very educational, especially for a sheltered white girl from Denver.
Things I will not miss about Del Rio:
1. People leaving their shopping carts all over the place in parking lots. Don't tell me that it happens everywhere. Perhaps it does, but you don't even know the extent of the problem here. Everytime I get a ding on my car from a shopping cart, it causes me to feel very ill will towards my fellow Del Rioans. It's time for me to leave.
2. The many, many skunks. And feral cats. And fire ants.
3. Running the exact same 5 mile loop around the base. I think I could run it with my eyes closed. And I'm also tired of passing the same angry looking woman every time I run.
4. Wal-Mart. I can't even... Just, Wal-Mart. Everything about it. I get grumpy just thinking about it.
5. Living 3 hours away from a real city and an airport. It's a real drag sometimes.
6. 90 degrees in February. It is just wrong. And for that matter, 115 degrees in August. Say no to back sweat.
7. Dressing rooms with no doors on them. I went to a store once and picked up some pants to try on, only to discover that the dressing room doors had all been removed. No thank you. And I wouldn't mind at all if there were less barred windows in my future.
8. The most useless BX (Department-type store on base) in the Air Force. They appear to have lots of stuff... And yet they never have anything I actually need. It is most curious.
9. Working full time at the gym. No more polos and khakis! The thought of wearing regular clothes, waking up later than 6:30, and grocery shopping during the day nearly brings me to tears of joy.
10. Having a husband in Pilot Training. I hear rumors that once pilot training is over, your husband will no longer be treated like a 5 year old. This would be delightful.
And lastly,
Things that are going to be awesome about Spokane!
1. Costco! Target! Nordstrom! Frozen Yogurt! Restaurants besides Chili's! Be still, my heart. It's really too bad that I might not be working full time in Spokane, because I can feel a physical need to spend money at all of these stores and restaurants that I've missed so dearly.
2. Trees! And grass! And mountains! I can hardly wait! Washington looks absolutely beautiful.
3. Outdoor activities galore! Tons of running events and triathlons, trails, sports stores and more! Cary loves hiking and backpacking (and I love him), so we will be busting out our camping gear for the first time in a while! And there's rafting, lakes, hiking, and much closer to any type of skiing than Del Rio!
4. We're (fingers crossed) hoping to buy a house while we're in Spokane! That would be so awesome! Paying rent always feels like just tossing money out the window.
5. We have a couple of friends heading out to Fairchild to fly KC-135s too, and some of them are from Washington, so they can show us around. And it'll be so nice to have a few familiar faces in the area!
6. 40 minutes away from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. It is sooo beautiful there, and I see many trips there in our future!
7. There are actual schools in Spokane! I am pondering going back for more school, possibly going to Dental Hygiene school or maybe getting a Masters of some sort, and I will have the opportunity to do so!
8. 4 hours to Seattle! I've never been there, but I hear it's great and I'm sure we'll make some trips over to the west side of the state to check it out.
9. Seasons! We will get to experience all 4 seasons! I've missed snow. And boots and jeans. And sweaters. I hear that Spokane isn't nearly as rainy as Seattle, which is nice.
10. We'll only be about 15 minutes away from a major airport! 80 dollars each way from Spokane to Denver! This is tremendous. And we'll live in a place that people might actually want to visit, to boot! Boy, am I using a lot of exclamation points. I can't help it! I'm excited!
