Arrivederci, Blazer

Our LONG 10 month wait for July leave had FINALLY arrived. But before we hit the road there were many months of preparation.

For me, my card business was now up and running and Aunt Beth had asked me to make Bucket cards with cd sleeves for her. It was my first sell and after a few days of designing and creating the cards, they were done and ready for a trip home.


However, the main goal for our trip took more than just a few days of planning. When we made our trip home in 2009 we came across a steal of a deal on a 2008 Trail Blazer at George White. Falling in love with it, we almost spontaneously purchased it but practicality set in and we knew money must be saved before we jumped in.
After months of looking on the Chevrolet website and swinging by our local Chevy dealership we finally decided we wanted a Chevrolet Silverado, making one of my dreams come true as I have had my eye on them since getting my little S10. So, as our savings began to build, we contacted our family salesman at George White in Ames, IA to plan out what all we wanted in the vehicle. After giving him the list, he informed us that all the "bells and whistles" are special additions and we needed to order it straight from the factory! Our truck ended up being the last 2010 order from the factory and may be one of the only LT's with leather seating at George White!It arrived in June and all the dealership add-ons were put on. From there it waited for us to swing by and purchase it.
We pulled up to George White on July 7th with our brand new 2010 Chevrolet Silverado Crew Cab LT in the showroom! From there we said goodbye to some of our built up savings and the 98 Blazer, which is now in good hands. Shadow, our Silverado, is yet another milestone in our married, adult life and one we would not have been able to do so quickly if Matt weren't in the Air Force.


.Mandy.

Looking back on where we have been...

To catch up to our lives today in the Air Force here is a little trip down memory lane of the last few years...



Our first Air Force move sent us to Maxwell AFB, Alabama at the end of May 2007. We spent 6 weeks there for ASBC training. It was a great way to begin our life in the Air Force. Matt and I got our official military cards and took care of LOTS of paperwork. While most of Matt's days were spent being trained and playing Icarus, mine were spent writing my thank you cards from our wedding (I was done in a matter of days: that has to be a record right?!) and spending time with the other spouses, usually at the pool. Matt and I used the weekends to take in the surrounding area. We went to the Biscuits baseball game, kayaking at a near by river, the officers club on base with the couples, and Exit 9 where the movie theater and mall were located. Our last trip we took during ASBC was to Destin, Florida where we spent the days on the beach and visited near by bases. When it came time to leave we had to part from a great couple who we spent many nights hanging out with, Steve and Sonni. However, we had another friend, Jeff who followed us on the road to Vandenberg AFB, making our next adventure not so stressful since we were all in it together!



On our way to Vandenberg AFB, California we were reunited with Sallie in Arkansas. Several long days later crossing the United States we drove in to VAFB and lucked out as we were offered a house on base! As Matt waited for his Missile IQT to begin in late 2007, we added a new addition to our family, Samantha, a yorkie/bischon frise mix. With some training and time (for Sallie to adjust) we lucked out yet again by having another wonderful, obedient pet.





A short time after we got Sam, our fantastic friends, Christine and Nate, came to see us in California. While they were there we had the opportunity, thanks to Nate, to get into Disneyland for FREE! It was a great little vacation to a place Matt and I had never been. Plus, you get to act like a kid again! Who doesn't like a carefree, fun vacation?!? We spent our short time together with them driving all over California, squeezing in everything we could. As well as much needed time catching up and playing with our new puppy!










The rest of our time in California went by too quickly even though we were lucky to be there until May of 2008. We tried to take in all we could, money willing, and I think we did a good job! We were lucky enough to have beach access on the base and took Sam with us there several times, one in particular being Christmas day! Never have Matt and I had a beach Christmas and we took full advantage of it, decorating our palm tree out front of our house even! We had a wonderful start to the New Year in 2008 when my parents came to visit. Again we tried to squeeze all we could in while they were there. This time with guests we knew much more about the area and traveled all over showing them Arroyo Grande where we went to Doc Burnstein's for some AMAZING ice cream, Pismo Beach to the Cracked Crab for a feast of crab legs, down to Santa Barbara to State Street where all the best shopping is done, and over to Solvang (a wonderful little dutch community for Paula's Pancakes) and Honeywood wine tasting! Our last big trip while in Vandenberg was driving with 3 of our friends to Universal Studios for a weekend and splitting a room, all 5 of us! In May 2008 we got our orders to relocate to Minot AFB, ND and drove up with the "soon to be" Matt and Katherine McPherson. We split hotel rooms along our way as well as making a spot of 2 days in Las Vegas. Just a few short months after we "pcs"ed to Minot, our friend Jeff, who followed us to VAFB also, was assigned to Minot! Being stationed so many times back to back with a friend is unheard of but we were happy to hear he was going to be with us for our next notch in our Air Force time line.



After several LONG days spent on the road in 3 vehicles, (Matt, Katherine, Matthew, and I with Sallie and Sam) we made it to Minot AFB, ND. The first thing that stuck out in our minds was the the fact that the Canadian flag was flying everywhere here. Today, however, it is a normal thing to see the Canadian flag everywhere as well as all the Canadian tour buses and vehicles that come down for the weekends to shop! When we got to Minot AFB, ND we lucked out again and were offered another house on base. This one was newly built (VAFB was a 1950s ranch) located in the Captains housing area. The only downfall was there wasn't a fence installed yet!
The fall of 2008 was busy with visitors, trips home, and a wedding. Our first visitors yet again were our amazing friends, Christine and Nate. Unlike the fun-filled, busy schedule with them (and my parents) in California this one was much more relaxed. Matt had started UQT training so most of their trip up here was spent with just the 3 of us. Just weeks after Christine and Nate left my parents came up, in September. While they were here we installed a fence for Ms. Sam, went to the zoo, the Scandinavian heritage park, and just caught up on life. Next was a trip home for me on the Amtrak to go to Elise's "baby shower", pick up the blazer for our crazy winters to come, and go to NKOTB with my best bud Christine in Minneapolis! The last trip before the snowing winter came was to Chicago with my parents to be a bridesmaid for Christine and Nate's wedding.
2009 was a much slower year for trips and visits though my parents and grandparents made it out! Matt started his masters as most missileers do during there first tour, and I hopped from job to job. Minot will be known for us as a time of building savings, doing a masters, and SNOW, SNOW, SNOW! We have spent many nights up until now with our friends up here playing games, bowling, being outdoors during the nice, long, sunny summer days, and keeping us all from getting cabin fever in the cloudy winter season.



Our start to 2010 went well. The weather started to show signs of spring in early March which was not expected since the year before we drove back to Minot on ice covered roads! Matt and I were given a free Adirondack set from the Youth Center and began to rebuild and paint the chairs and table, as they needed lots of TLC. In April, my best friend, Christine came up for the weekend to celebrate my 25th birthday. It was nice for Matt and I to see her and help to get us out of the winter "funk" we caught from over 6 months from having the same daily routine. I then turned my focus to our dining room table which is a family heirloom and refurbished the chairs, waiting to do the table until we got back from leave in July.
As if that weren't enough, there were many more great times in between. This gets us caught up to July 2010 and the next important milestone in our Air Force life!
.Mandy.

Life before the Air Force.

In order to catch up to our life in the Air Force here is a quick trip down memory lane on where we have been...

Matt and I met each other during the Summer of 2001 through a mutual friend. After many months of talking on AIM, since we went to different schools, Matt finally got up the courage to ask me out on a date in November. On Dec 14, 2001 we became an "official" couple during Matt's senior year and my junior year of High School.
In the May of 2002, Matt graduated from Valley High School. With little convincing throughout his senior year, Matt went to Iowa State University to study meteorology (which quickly changed to psychology), and join the AFROTC.
On year later our "long distance" relationship ended and I graduated from North Polk High School and joined Matt up in the Cyclone Nation to study Biology for my first year and add Nutritional Science my second year to go for a double major.
We got our first pet, Sallie, in the Winter of 2004. She learned quickly that the stubborn cat-like behaviors would not work for her as her environment was always changing from apartment to apartment (and dorm though she was not allowed, shh) and she became a "cat-dog", thankfully. Little did she know that we were preparing her for a lifetime of change with the Air Force!
Dec 17, 2005, after 4 years of dating we went out to celebrate. I had no idea that night would later be known as the night we got engaged! Looking back on it and talking to Matt about what was going on in his mind, makes us laugh... Before we went out to dinner I went to the restroom, as all women do, before leaving the house. Well, I forgot to put my promise ring and my grandmothers ring on again so I spent the night hiding my hands from Matt as I knew would have something to say about me forgetting... In Matt's mind he thought "Oh no, Does she know what is going on?!?"... Then through the dinner Matt's roommate/good friend, Louis called. I thought it was because he locked his keys in his Explorer and was over at a friend's house so he needed us to swing by the apartment and pick up his spares and take them to him. Not true, it was a set up. Louis called Matt to say "I locked my keys in the car, yep, blah, blah, everything is ready, good luck buddy..." So, that was how he got me back to his apartment that night. When we pulled in it looked like the lights were on so I was confused because no one should have been home. Upon opening the back door there was a trail of roses... I was thinking: "Uh oh, Louis is home and brought someone over. Should we be here?!" When we walked into the living room I knew it was for me, Matt got down on one knee to ask me and before he could I asked if I could go to the restroom first, jokingly. I had four ice teas at dinner but I stayed and said yes first!2006 and early 2007 went by quickly for Matt and I as we finished up our schooling at Iowa State University and planned for our wedding. We graduated from ISU on May 4th and Matt commissioned, becoming a 2nd LT in the USAF on May 5th, 2007.Only 3 short weeks later on May 26th, 2007, Matt and I said "I do." Well, I said it once and Matt jumped the gun saying it too early in the ceremony so he said it twice! I have to give him credit for being so excited about it! ;) Though it rained during the morning (*rain on your wedding day I was told is a sign of a long, happy life together), by the time our ceremony began it became a perfect, sunny day.
After our wedding, Matt and I had no time for a honeymoon. Just 2 days later on May 28th, we had our first orders and began our life in the Air Force. Timing wise the wedding worked great for Matt and I to see all of our families and friends one last time. We hit the road leaving Sallie with my folks for 6 weeks of training in Maxwell AFB, Alabama.
.Mandy.