Catching Up

So, the last couple weeks have been crazy busy and a lot has happened and changed!

First, I ran a sweet 5k with my friend Julia. We did the Alice Run the Runway. What a perfect run for a couple of AF wives! It was a fun morning and we really enjoyed it! I did it in 38 minutes, so that was pretty good!

So awesome to run where hubbies fly!

Then WM found out we're headed to New Mexico!!! We are really excited about this move!!!!

Sweet New Mexico style building

Then I went to sorority convention at Disney World which was awesome! I saw old friends, made new friends, and really enjoyed being immersed in the world of sisterhood again!

CO Epsilon at Convention - undergrads and alums :D

This leads to the fact that there are only 6 days until graduation!!!!!

Also, Mack got skunked. Other than that life has been busy, but awesome!

pretty much this could have been Mack. Just imagine this in the dark...

Mack is now recovered, so don't worry!

The Only Thing That Stays the Same is Everything Changes - Time Marches On

Who doesn't love 90's country? "Time Marches On" By Tracy Lawrence is one of those wonderfully unforgettable songs. Time has been marching on for us here and nothing seems to stay the same.



Some of you may remember that I had a countdown going for how many days till WM graduates from UPT. The last time I was here, that count was in the 60's. As of today there are

49

days till UPT is over and WM has his wings! I cannot believe how low that number is getting. Hopefully a couple weeks sooner than that we'll find out where we're headed next.

Another thing I'm looking forward to is going to Pi Beta Phi Convention with my sisters!!! There are 

34

days till I fly to Orlando for convention and 

35

till I see some of my old collegiate friends who are arriving on Friday. Sooo excited!

I love my sisters! Can't wait to take some new pictures with you ladies!

I also turned the delightful of age of 24 this past weekend. I was delighted to find that my hubby and parents went in on a gift and bought me my very own sewing machine. I have been sewing away all week and cannot wait to keep trying new projects on it!

Yes, my new sewing machine is pink...

Some changes I'd like to broadcast to everyone are:

My friend Allie over at Cook Read Run has relocated and can now be found at A Teaspoon of Life. Everyone should go see her new site and leave her lots of love. Don't forget to tell her congrats on graduating tomorrow!!!

If you're a Pi Phi blogger, you should check out this fantastic blog that is helping all of us Pi Phi bloggers connect. Go here to check that out. I sure love my sisters!

I almost forgot, here is May 15th's Siesta Scripture verse:
"The Lord is near the brokenhearted; He delivers those who are discouraged."
Psalm 34:18 NET Bible

Such great words to remember when we experience pain and discouragement. I am so glad to know that my God delivers and is faithful.
For Beth Moore's thoughts, go here.

I think that is about everything here. Just remember - Time Marches On!

P.S. Here's a special tidbit for all my fellow 90's country music fans:

Playing catch up - Rain boots, Running Buddies, Beach Trips, and WORK!

So much has happened since I last posted. I realized when I put up my race report tonight, I had barely posted between last week's race report and this one, so I thought I'd fill everyone in on the exciting events in between.

First, I satisfied my desire for rain boots. This sounds silly, but I have wanted rain boots since the October before last. I always put off getting them and then the rain is over. Since it's so rainy here, hubs and I decided with my discount coupon at Old Navy I could purchase my very own rain boots. Notice my color choice. They're pretty snappy! We've had several down pours I can wear them in!

My awesome running buddy, Alli, and I have been faithfully setting achievable work out goals and meeting our goals 100%! This means that now the end of the month has arrived we are sending each other presents!!! I bought my mysterious gift for Alli at the Corpus Christi Farmer's Market. When she gets it in the mail next Tuesday (that's the estimated arrival date) I will tell the world about the amazing and delicious thing I bought her! I just hope she enjoys it! I love buying presents for people. Good job Alli for keeping with your goals! You are hard core and rock!!!!

Yummy mystery gift (this is not what it really looks like)

We took Mack for a midnight beach walk earlier this week and he surprised us by exploring the water on his own. He even put his face in the water and snorkled. It was hilarious! On Friday, I had to pick up my race packet for the Surf-n-Turf race out at Padre Island. We decided to head to the beach afterwards to check out the race route. Since the day was so gorgeous, we took Mack and he explored the ocean even more!

He really wants to get those seagulls!

Wave dancer!

The last exciting thing is about my work! That's right, I said work! Corpus has proved to be a tough job finding environment. Funnily enough, my blog ended up helping me get noticed for a job. My sweet friend Liz (check out her blog at Down Home Diva) from back home in the Rocky Mountains reads my blog (I also read hers, it's awesome and has lots of insight and great recipes) and thought that I might be able to be an article writer for a website she works for. She forwarded my info to her boss person and I eventually got hired. I'm now writing articles of many varieties for www.my719moms.com. I am so thankful for this opportunity and for my sweet friend for thinking of me! You can check out my article on organic food here.

All in all, life has been pretty exciting!!

P.S. WM got his T-44 start date!!!! We are so excited. He is getting back into training on Feb. 4th!!! Downtime is nice, but the hubs is ready to get back in the cockpit and finish training! So here's the next 6 months!

Hubby's new plane

He'll be doing this soon!

So Easy and So Delicious! Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Kalamata Olives and Cherry Tomatoes

Well, to all those anxiously awaiting the news about WM's Track, he tracked T-44's. He was ecstatic because it was his first choice! What this means for us is that we'll be moving in the next month or so to Corpus Christi, TX where WM will continue to train at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi. T-44's are joint Air Force/Navy training. So, that's that. What it means for my blogging is that as we gradually run out of food in our house to move, you may see less recipes for a short while....Sorry...

I'm putting up one of the easiest and most delicious week night dinner recipes I know. It started out as a recipe for roasting a whole chicken (which weirded me out) and has become a delicious pork tenderloin recipe. So, without further ado...

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Kalamata Olives and Cherry Tomatoes 

Ingredients:
1 lb Pork Tenderloin (You can either buy a plain one or a lightly preseasoned - if you buy preseasoned, stick to a flavor that is herbish or garlicish - no barbecue)
Olive Oil
1 container of cherry tomatoes
5 oz pitted kalamata olives (more if you prefer)
salt
pepper
paprika

Method:
Prepare a baking sheet or dish by placing aluminum foil on top of it and spray with non stick cooking spray. Preheat oven to temperature listed on package of pork tenderloin.

Place pork tenderloin on baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and small amount of paprika.

Place olives and tomatoes around the tenderloin. Drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and a small amount of paprika.

Bake in oven for time specified on your package of pork tenderloin (this is somewhere near 20 minutes per pound).

As with any meat dish over than beef, use a meat thermometer to make sure it is cooked all the way through. My electronic meat thermometer shows the temperature for pork between 160 degrees and 170, depending on how well you like it cooked. I usually prefer my pork cooked to the 170 degrees.

Enjoy!

You can also use Turkey Tenderloin to make this dish!

Back for the Long Haul With Some Delicious Bread!

Sorry for the long absence! We've been pretty busy and honestly I've tried to sit down and blog, but haven't been able to find the right words. It could be anxiety or good old fashioned writer's block. Either way, there have been no blogs. I figure I won't get over my writing issue unless I just get it done, so here I am back with a brief update and a delicious bread recipe (see the link at the end of my blog)!

First off, Halloween came and went. We ran out of candy after an hour of trick or treaters. Apparently on base you need a lot of candy. We've been trying to keep our food budget even lower, so there have been fewer blog worthy recipes  or repeats you've already seen. The food has been good and the budget low, so no complaining there.

The new Bible Study has been fantastic! One of things that struck me in the last couple weeks was a part about priorities. It had you list all the things you plan. I plan a lot, but planning my day to day Bible Study time wasn't one of those things. So, I'm working on making sure I plan that time from now on. God should always be a priority in my life!

WM is now T-6 complete!!! This is probably the most exciting happening of the last couple weeks. For those of you not immersed in the Pilot Training Culture (which is probably most of you) that means that Will has finished the first half of his Pilot Training. For the first half everyone learns to fly the T-6. After they finish that, they have an event called Track where they find out what follow on trainer they will finish their pilot training in. Each trainer has a distinctive purpose. There are T-38's which are the trainers to fly fighters and bombers (and a few other things), T-1's which are to fly cargos and refuelers, UH-1's to fly helicopters, and T-44's to fly C-130's. WM has put in for T-44's first and T-38's 2nd. This means that if WM gets his first choice, we will move to Corpus Christi, TX to continue his training. I sure wouldn't mind moving to the beach! They keep changing the date for Track, but if all goes as it's currently planned, it will be tomorrow evening sometime. Crazy how time flies!!!

We also took a quick day trip to Garner State Park in the Texas Hill Country. It as gorgeous and the weather was perfect (mid 60's). It was Mack's first hiking trip and he did great! Getting out of our border town and heading to hills was fantastic!

Mack testing out the river water

Gorgeous views at Garner State Park

Last week I tried a new bread recipe and it was fantastic! Click here check out the recipe for Mexican Chocolate Bread.

How to deal with anxiety relating to Pilot Training - The Spouse's Guide

Any current or past UPT spouse will tell you that though this year is exciting and wonderful it can also be ridiculously stressful. Since my hubby started, we have had our shares of ups and downs. Lately, I've actually been feeling pretty confident about UPT. That apparently should have been a red flag that something had to change...

My hubby has informed me a month out from our Track Select date that he has completely changed his mind on what kind of plane he would like to fly. The current track choices are between T-44's, the C-130 trainer and UH-1's (I think), the helo trainer. This is a far cry from his original thoughts. Since these thoughts my were revealed to me, I had a little bit of a freak out/melt down moment, but have since moved on. This is not the only stressful moment UPT has thrown at us and I'm sure it won't be the last, so I thought I would offer up my thoughts on how I deal with the anxiety that comes with UPT.

#1 I rationally discuss the stress with my husband at a good time!
It's never good to let yourself stew just because you don't want to stress your husband during UPT. You're a couple and couples have to communicate, so as my mom always tells me when I call her freaking out, talk to your husband about it first!

#2 Have someone who doesn't live here that you can call and talk to.
For me, this is my Mom. She always understands, always listens, and when she offers advice, it is great advice. Plus, it's nice to know that what I tell her will never get back to anyone on base (First because she's totally trustworthy and second because she lives 14 hours away and doesn't know anyone else on our base).

#3 Have someone TRUSTWORTHY on base you can talk to.
I have a couple go to ladies on base who I can always confide in. They are wonderful and are going through the same stuff as me.

#4 I am continually reminded of this and have been trying to think of it first more often - PRAY about it!
I'm a Christian and I really believe in the power of prayer and God's ability to guide us. So, right now as I go through a stressful situation, I keep trying to remember Ephesians 3:20-21, "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Paul wrote this verse to remind us that even in our really tough moments that God can do more than we ask or imagine. We just need to believe and ask and know that sometimes what we think we need and what we actually need are two different things. Plus, God works in his time, not ours. In my Bible Study,  one of the speakers we watched, Priscilla Shirer talked about this verse and about how God can go beyond our beyond. I just keep trying to remember that.

My last advice is a little superficial, but still beneficial:

#5 Drink a glass or two of this after a long day

Don't be afraid to ask a friend over to have a glass with you!

#6 Bake the awesome cookie/crisp recipe I'm going to put up in my next blog!

Just remember to enjoy all the great things this year has to offer!

Departure from Sweets, Crazy Homework, and Way to go, I have officially lost 8 lbs since starting my diet!

So, I never got around to posting the rosemary cookie recipe. Sorry about that. It was in the April Better Homes and Garden if you really want to see it. Currently, my fly guy finally started UPT! We are very excited. The last couple days were tons of briefings, but now it's all the fun stuff. My biggest decision so far is what to make over the weekend for him to share with his fly guys in his class. I'm thinking Banana Split Muffins (They are delicious!)

While Will starts his school I am winding down my semester. Actually, I think because of all the homework I have to still accomplish, I might be going out with a bang. Haha.

I just finished dinner and set the table. It would just be awesome if my fly boy arrived home soon.

Well, back to the waiting for me!