Fresh Air and A-10s

Over the last few days I have come up with some great things to blog about but then when it comes to sitting down at my computer to tell you all about, they seem to vanish, haha. I will attempt to remember the fun happenings that I wanted to share though. I did catch a mid-week movie, "Safe Haven," that I enjoyed. Most guys probably wouldn't like it but I did and it had a bonus, slightly unexpected ending. I also got mail from my Mom!! Some yummy mac nuts and buzz beans from Hawaii :-)

This week went by pretty fast. On Thursday my class took a trip out to the range and got to watch A-10s make some straffing runs, provide close air support, and drop some fake bombs, all pretty awesome. It was out in the middle of the Idaho BLM/grasslands/hills which was a nice break-away from the day-to-day classroom stuff we have to do. I do have a real appreciation for the JTACs on the ground calling in air support though. Depending on the situation I imagine it can be very stressful and they have a lot of responsibility on their shoulders. 

A-10s with a Rainbow - They're Growing on Me

Today I went and explored some more of the local area. I swung by the Boise Creperie near my hotel by the Imax theater (excellent!) and then headed out. My friend and college roommate Amy suggested I check out the Camel Back Park - it was great! There are so many trails and hills of all different types - trees, sagebrush, running water, ponds... So nice! It was great to get some fresh air and wind and sun despite it being a little chilly. I could have easily hing out all day! I drove into the downtown area and stopped in at the "Flying M" coffee shop where you could also easily spend the better part of an afternoon. They roast their own coffee beans twice a week and have a tasty spiced chai (not to sweet). They also have some books, cards, nick-knacks, etc that are worth checking out. I wrapped up my week with a nice long Skype call to the hubby and a glass of wine from a local vineyard (wine tasting comes next weekend). 

I have felt God's presence more this week, a lot due to my daily devotions. I'm working through "Jesus Calling," which is short and sweet but exactly what I need at this time in my life. I can sit down for 5 minutes in the morning before I walk out the door to hear God's word. One particular day, 17 March, stood out to me as it talked about God's all knowingness, grace, and how He heals as his light shines into those places that no one else sees. How we are to rejoice in the One who understands us completely. As God's love fills us, it overflows so that we can love others with His love. At this point I feel that I'm still working on being filled up myself, but there are those times that I know I'm full and that the love is overflowing to others. I just need to try to seal up the cracks so that I can fill up faster, haha. As our life moves forward though into this new phase, I can already see the cracks narrowing :-)

And the biggest news to share that I've been waiting for several weeks to share - my sister Cari and her husband Jason are expecting a baby! We're all very excited for this new addition to the Comerford and extended families! This little one is going to be very lucky to have such great parents and the opportunity to experience life in so many ways that many kids don't get to; it's going to be a great adventure! We pray for their health and safety and that once the baby arrives, that we can all provide a positive, Godly influence as he/she grows up!

St. Patty's Weekend

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

I hope that you had a fantastic weekend and got to enjoy wearing some green and maybe eat/drink something Irish. My day was pretty uneventful, but that's not to say that I haven't had an enjoyable few days.

At the end of last week I got to go play "Army" for a few hours and check out some of their cool toys - tanks and artillery. Brian traveled to Baton Rogue Fri evening to visit family and drop Abby off until I get back to the South. She is apparently enjoying her vacation, complete with her own swimming pool that she won't stay out of :-)

In an ABRAMS Tank - They Put 5 Guys in Here!?!

I went on a snowboarding trip to Brundage which turned into more of a roadtrip. One of the guys in my class that I went with ended up having an accident on the first run that resulted in a trip down the road to the hospital. He ended up being fine but that took up most of the day. So while he was doing that, I decided to explore McCall, ID. It's a beautiful little town (and the drive there was great as well). It has a big lake with mountains coming out of it. Lots of little restaurants and shops to check out too. So the day was not a total loss by any means.

McCall, Idaho

I was able to wrap up my weekend with going to a nice little church this morning. It was good to go to a more traditional church and they had good music too. Got in a workout, boy it took some motivation to do that! I really just wanted to be lazy, haha. But I was glad I did, working out always gives me a more positive outlook and picks up my spirits. Brian made it safely to his home for the next 8 weeks - Alabama... and we all said "ugh!" God is good!

Direction

One of my friends mentioned in her blog the other day that God had been around in a still small voice that week as opposed to an obvious presence at other times. I've been thinking a lot about that and feel like God is almost always a still small voice around me and that I'm not very good at listening, haha. Maybe if I get better at listening I will be able to tell the difference? I do know that God has given me much to be thankful for in my life, I sometimes just feel that I'm lacking direction. However, about 2 or 3 days ago I think I finally came to a realization as to what I want to do when I get out of the Air Force in less than two years. For now, that dream I'm chasing is beginning to take form in my mind and when the time is right I'm sure I'll share it here. I am pretty excited to have an idea of my direction though and I think that's God's voice :-)

How did I get Here?

I joined Air Force ROTC in college, kind of on a whim that I would be a fighter pilot and figured that now was the only time I could do that, that my horse opportunities would still be there when I was done. All was going according to plan until I met Brian. To make a long story short, I decided that if I was a pilot and his plans went the way he wanted, that we would spend the first 5ish years of our marriage apart. So I changed career paths and decided not to fly, still potentially one of the most difficult decisions I've ever made. 

That decision has since led to 3 assignments and a deployment for me, while Brian has had 4 assignments and 3 deployments; all that in 5 1/2 years. Yeah, crazy, I know!! Most of that was different places and times, thus the days apart I mentioned in my last post. 

We are now happily, and thankfully, living together in South Georgia. The South is very different for us Colorado types but we're looking forward to exploring some of that part of the country while we're there. Maybe take in some plantations and beach time. And a bonus point, we are FINALLY within driving distance of my sister-in-law, Michelle, and her husband Steve and baby Dylan!! We've seen each other more in the last 2 months than we did in the last year and a half, haha. The other big highlight for me is that I was able to take my two horses, Candela and Gypsy, with us to Georgia. It has been quite the adjustment for them, leaving Colorado in the dead of winter and arriving in the warm South, but they are settling in. In fact, Brian has even been looking out for them while I'm up here in Boise :-) They are now both sound and almost done shedding so when I get back we will be hitting training hard and going to some barrel races; I can't wait!

Speaking of training... I've started a new training program myself - "The New Rules of Lifting for Women." I'm a little over a week into it and so far so good. The biggest challenge for me with any fitness program is eating healthy (mostly that darn yummy chocolate). This is a hurdle I'm attempting to conquer while here in Boise so I'm sure there will be more to come on that as well.

Until next time, ciao!

The barn where I keep my horses just before I left.

Not Really the Beginning...

For those of you who know me, even just a little, know that this is not really the beginning. However, this does seem like a new beginning for Brian and me. After 4 1/2 years of marriage and 1,128 days apart (yes, you read correctly), we have finally moved in together!! As in under one roof, paying one rent, seeing each other every morning! In some aspects it's like being newly weds, in others it's nothing new. I'm sure that you will hear more about that as time passes. Bottom line, we have been blessed in many ways and are so excited to start this new chapter of our lives together (mostly)!

For starters, we are both in the Air Force which is what has caused us so much separation. My true passion in life is horses and we have a black lab named Abby who is a ball of friendly/loving/Labrador energy! We just returned from a fantastic vacation to St Lucia that enabled us the reconnection time that we disparately needed. Then I hopped onto a plane to Boise, ID where I will spend the next 4 weeks training. Meanwhile, Brian is holding the fort down for another week before he heads off to Montgomery, AL for 2 months. Then our time together will resume, at least for a while :-)

Brian's return from deployment that started our new chapter in life!