A Long Night.....

Recently, my husband and I experienced a pretty stressful process.....a little thing called being an alternate.

When a deployment list comes out for a squadron, there are always "alternates" on that list. The purpose of an this is to have extra people ready to leave in case something comes up. This is completely understandable but is not easy on the family of the person in that position. Until that deployment actually leaves, we have no idea whether or not our spouse is going!

This scenario is what my husband and I went through with the last deployment that left. Fortunately, he ended up not leaving but it was a very long night waiting to find out whether he was leaving or coming back home. I have to say, that was a very long night but in some ways, I think it was harder on my husband than me. Although he wanted to stay here with me, there was a part of him that wanted to be with his fellow airmen, a part that wanted to complete the mission.

It was a stressful situation for both of us and I don't wish being an alternate on anyone. As difficult as it was to watch the rest of his squadron leave without him, we are very lucky that he gets to stay home at least for a little while longer.

My C-130 Experience!

As the spouse of a C-130 pilot, I have often wondered what it is like to fly around in that huge aircraft. Well, I had the chance to experience it!!

Once a year, Dyess holds a Spouse's Day, where we can go to the squadron and take part in activities that our husbands do every day. We had the opportunity to tour the control tower, "train" in the simulator and even take a real flight in a C-130!

The entire concept of a Spouse's Day is great because it is sometimes hard to understand why our guys come home at the end of the day feeling exhausted and "beaten" from flying.

Let me tell you....now, I understand! It is rough flying in a C-130! The day we went, we had clear skies, calm winds and we still had incredible turbulence. I will say, I was not feeling so well by the time we landed.

So, kudos to all of the C-130 crews for being able to handle those flights day in and day out! We thank you all for what you do. :)

Fun at the Fair!

The great thing about moving around with the military is that we have the chance to experience tons of different activities and events based on our location. One example of this is the West Texas Fair and Rodeo!

My husband and I have gone to the fair for the past two years and we love it. The food, the rides, the animals.....my personal favorite is the petting zoo. :) Every year, we make sure to make a donation and get one of those little cups of food to feed the animals. It's so much fun!

Another thing we got to do this year was try one of those crazy fried concoctions. We ate fried Oreos and fried Snickers (we shared them so we wouldn't feel as guilty)....we were in agreement that the Oreos were the best!

We have such a good time experiencing all that Abilene has to offer and we look forward to more adventures in West Texas. :)

A New Adventure!

For those of you who have not yet heard, I am the new KTAB Morning Meteorologist! I have been in this position for a little less than two months and I am really enjoying it.

I must admit that the schedule has been a little tough to get used to but overall, this has been a positive move and I believe it will be great for future employment.

I love the people of the morning crew that I have gotten to know better over the last few weeks. We have a blast chatting, making funny faces and dancing (yes, I said dancing) around during commercial breaks. We have every local ad memorized and can sing all of the jingles....and all of this, at 5:30 AM! :)

I am also happy to be Ron's new partner in the morning and we have fun on the news desk. So, here's to a new journey and to all of the wonderful people who make it enjoyable to get up that early in the morning!

The Wonderful People of the Big Country

My husband and I have been in the Big Country for about a year and a half. Now, although this was far from where we wanted to end up, Abilene has proved to be a wonderful place to live. Its true, there are no theme parks or giant malls...and it takes about 10-15 minutes to get anywhere in town but the people here are fantastic.


The Big Country in general is very military friendly and that is evident from restaurants and other businesses who provide military discounts, to people who say thank you when my husband is in uniform.


For example...not too long ago, my husband was checking out at Target and upon paying he realized he forgot to buy a bottle of water. He was simply going to get one and get back in line. Instead, the woman behind him said she would buy his bottle of water for him because "it was the least she could do". You can't help but be touched by how appreciative people can be.

So thank you all for your support of Dyess Air Force Base and its personnel. I happen to know that they appreciate you too.

Welcome Home!!

As some of you may know, my husband has been deployed with the 317th Airlift Group for the past four months. This was our first deployment and a learning experience for both of us. The day he left was pretty awful and I must admit, I haven't cried like that since I moved away from my family.


Although deployments are challenging, they are a chance to grow and become more independent. Let me tell you, we faced our share of inconveniences over the past several months. As you probably remember from past blogs, I had to deal with everything from the car not starting to moving our belongings to a new residence.

It wasn't long ago that I didn't know whether or not I could handle being alone and holding down the fort here in Abilene. It was tough at times but now, I can honestly say I am a stronger and more independent person than I was before.

I am very proud of our men and women here at Dyess and of what they accomplished over the last four months. Also, I am proud of the families who stayed behind and took care of things on the home front.

I would like to thank all of the wonderful people who supported me during this process. My family back home, my KRBC/KTAB family and my fellow military spouses all made this experience easier and I love you all very much!

Thank You Air Force Family!

I want to dedicate this blog to all of the wonderful people who took time out of their weekend to help me move to a new residence.

You may be asking, why the home? Well, my husband and I rented a home here in Abilene and had lived there for almost a year. A couple of months ago, we were notified that the owners of the property were moving back to Abilene and they wanted their house back! Needless to say, I was upset and it was quite interesting trying to find a new place to live.

You may recall from my last blog that inconvenient things seem to happen when my husband leaves town....well, here's one more thing to add to the list. It just so happened that the weekend we had reserved to move into the new house, my husband was gone! Perfect, right?? Well, just when it seemed that the move was going to be impossible, my husband's co-workers came to my rescue.

I couldn't believe the number of people who showed up to help while my husband was gone. The amazing thing about the individuals who came to my aid, was that some of them don't even know my husband or me...they came just because we are members of the Air Force faimly.

I must admit, back when my husband and I became engaged, I was a little skeptical of the whole "military family" thing. Now, I can honestly say that it is true...the military is a family and they are there for each other no matter what.

So, here is a special thanks to all who helped me this past weekend. Thank you to those who organized and found people, thank you to everyone who gave their time and efforts to help.

You are all wonderful!!