The Big Day: WINGING

Winging kicked my butt.

Late nights, early mornings, but so much fun!

Uncle Dan arrived in Pensacola on Wednesday evening. We took him down to Pensacola and ate awesome seafood. Uncle Dan converted us to raw oyster lovers. They were so good! I think whenever Blake and I had tried them, they were just bad oysters. These ones, though, were AWESOME. Great meal and great stories from Uncle Dan.

The next day we got up early and headed off for the Naval Aviation Museum. Uncle Dan is a retired aviation maintenance duty officer who now works for Pratt & Whitney. So, as you can imagine, it was mind blowing to go through the museum. Between Blake and Uncle Dan, it was like going through the museum for the first time ever and I learned so many interesting things. Plus, I love that museum. They always have new exhibits, the staff is so friendly and nice, and the Cubi Bar makes good food.

We didn't stay the whole day (though we could have) because we had to get back for the soft patch ceremony. Blake went ahead of us to base because he had some paperwork to finish up. And here's where the messy confusion starts. Blake got orders to report to Mayport on July 26th, as in a week and three days from when he got his orders. Meaning we would have to find a place to live, set up the move, get all our stuff in order in basically five days because of weekends. It was an almost impossible task. So that kind of put a downer on the day. Anyway, on to the soft patch we went.

Lots of funny stories (and frankly, some not funny ones), but it was fun and I finally got to see some of the instructors I'd heard so much about.



After the soft patch we went to Texas Roadhouse because it's awesome to eat there.

The next day was busy. SO busy, it went by in a blur. Most people got to have a leisurely breakfast and maybe the church service. Not us. We had things to do, paperwork to fill out, and things to be stressed over.

First, though, the most fun thing ever in my life. The Sim. Blake has spent many hours in the helo sims (in fact, he's in one as I'm typing this, observing for someone). I've asked many questions about the hydraulics and how realistic it is. Well, I finally got to sit in one. Let me tell you... it is REAL. I sat in the student seat and Blake sat in the instructor seat and it was just like looking out at Whiting. It was weird. The guy running the sim had turned off the hydraulics, which I must say, was not a nice thing to do because I was flying around and my body wasn't moving, but my eyes were saying I was and I got a little nauseous. I didn't feel bad, though, because Blake said he was too.

I took off, flew around Whiting. I tried to hover, which, needless to say did not go well. I didn't crash! And it was super super fun. I could have sat in that thing for hours. Best. Video. Game. Ever.

Then, it was Uncle Dan's turn. The guy running the sim put them on a carrier. Man, was I glad I had the nice solid ground for mine. All that blue water and blue sky was seriously disorienting.

I sat behind them, near the control panel and the guy running it saw my curious looks at the panels and started showing me everything he could do. It was amazing! He was like, "look I can put them in a snowstorm!" And he pressed a button and all of a sudden, there it was, a huge snowstorm and they couldn't see anything. haha. He put it back to moderate snow so they could actually see where they were landing. They did go belly-up once in the ocean and got the red screen of death. They got reset and Uncle Dan successfully landed on the carrier. Yay!

The fun part over, we headed to the moving office to see if it was possible to move our stuff on such short notice. It was. So we did all that paperwork, went home, had lunch, changed into respectable clothes for the winging!

It went by so fast. It was a huge winging class, but it was all a blur. When I pinned Blake's wings on (ever-so crooked), it was the proudest moment ever. Also, the Rear Admiral who was the guest speaker, was SO unbelievably nice.



We did the picture thing and headed to the after party. Speeches, toasts and chick-fil-a ensued. Everyone jokes about how newly winged aviators spend all their time in front of mirrors and can't stop looking at their wings. Well, I was the one who couldn't stop looking. It was unbelievable that the day was finally here. Plus, they're very shiny and I'm like a magpie.

For dinner we went to Frank and Lola Love Pensacola in the new Margaritaville Hotel. The food was really, really good, but it was so loud in the place that I would never consider going back. By the end of the meal, I was a little hoarse from trying to talk/having to ask Blake and Uncle Dan to repeat what they'd said.

It was a beautiful view, though, and a nice place.

The winging party was right next door at the Land Shark Bar. That place rocks. The bar itself is normal, but they have a huge open space behind it with Adirondack chairs and hammocks and palm trees and fire pits. They have a volleyball net and ping pong. It's just a really relaxing place. We stayed there until about 2. Then, I drove Blake, Evan and Uncle Dan home. Everyone (except me, the DD) took advantage of the open bar.

As an aside, Blake met the other two guys and their wives, who are also going to Mayport. They said their orders had gotten changed to a later report date and Blake's was too, but no one could find him during the winging to tell him because everything was so busy.

We got back, Uncle Dan went to bed, and we headed over to a friend's house where there was supposed to be another party, but instead, we sat outside of his house for 45 minutes because he'd locked his house key inside the house. Good times.

We all slept in Saturday. Uncle Dan's plane didn't leave until later so we headed downtown for lunch at McGuire's, which is always delicious. I'm seriously going to miss that place. Just like I miss McGillicuddy's in Montpelier. I'm sensing a trend in my life.

We dropped Uncle Dan off at the airport, dropped Evan at his truck down at the beach and commenced to vegging out because Blake and I were completely worn out.

The story has a happy ending. Monday morning, bright and early, Blake went to base to see if his orders had changed and indeed (after phone calls and much confusion), they were. In fact, we were already on our way to Jacksonville to look for a place to live when we got the call that his report date had been changed to a more reasonable one.

We went anyway, though, and have found a very nice 3br house with a medium-sized commute. But that is another story...

Winging Banner!

I asked Blake what he wanted for a winging present. He said, "I got a motorcycle." I really couldn't argue with that, after all, it's very pretty and very shiny and very expensive. He already knew I was going to make him a winging banner so we called it a present.

Thanks to Whiting Field's SOSA instructions, I knew what materials, what quantities, and directions. For a novice like me, though, there was still anxiety.



The Cutting: this was the easiest, if most labor intensive part. I spent an entire Sunday cutting out Congratulations LTJG Blake Shaffer. I couldn't cut out the helo or duty station because we didn't know those. So, it was just me, a pair of brand new Fiskars scissors, yellow cloth and Bridezillas. Those women are batshit crazy, but hilarious. At the end of the day, my letters looked awesome, but I had to ice my hand to quell the swelling in my middle finger and the pain in my wrist. Yes, I should have done the letters in increments, but it was fun and Bridezillas was funny and I just couldn't stop.

The Borders: I had to cut my borders twice because the first ones, while cut to instructions, were a bit sparse looking on the large expanse of banner. So, I recut them a little bigger and with room to fold them over the back for a crisp edge.

I also cut the blue background of the banner a few inches longer on each side to make a flap for the 1" wooden dowel I used to hang it. The dowel in the bottom was more for stability than anything.



Then I used double stick tape to tape the letters onto the banner and see what they looked like. It was exciting. :)

Then.....



The Wings: The scariest part by far. When I went to Hobby Lobby, I was directed to two types of gold lame. The nicer looking one had an obvious tendency to fray. The other was more stable. I decided to be daring. It paid off. The key was in the SOSA instructions. Before cutting the wings, peel back the wonder under a bit first. But first, the drawing.

I'm going to let you in on a little secret. I am the world's worst drawer. You know those pictures you make in elementary school of slanty-sided box houses with lopsided windows and a huge, squiggly tree in the yard? I still draw like that.

Yes, this is tracing, but I only wanted to do it once. So, I taped up the wings pictures (which is a pixelized mess, but definitely works for the basic outline). Then, I added an extra step to the directons. Instead of using a Sharpie and immediately tracing the wings, I turned them around, and used a pencil to trace the wings onto the paper wonderunder backing. I filled in details too. It was definitely worth it because I needed the practice. Then, I turned it around and Sharpied away. For a non-artist, I think they came out pretty good.

The real anxiety came when it was time to iron on the letters. One wrong move and the whole thing was ruined. I ironed two or three letters at a time. I freaked out during the whole word "Congratulations."

Then, a week and a half later, Blake got orders. Final destination, Japan. Once again, the ironing freaked me out, but here it is, the final product:



The whole time I made this, I said to myself, "it doesn't have to be perfect." It was stressful, but fun and hopefully, he'll have it for a very long time to come.

NAS Whiting Field (or... Primary and marriage)

I got my first look at NAS Whiting Field today. It's beautiful.

Pensacola is kind of like the "big city" of bases. It's pretty huge, lots of fancy amenities, lots of buildings. It's a hub. Whiting Field is more picturesque.

Being new to the Navy life, I've only experienced a handful of bases, but of course, I know Pensacola is an exception. Still, I didn't expect so much... green at Whiting. Lots of trees and forest, beautiful wooden fences, landscapers mulching the ground with fresh, red cedar.

I saw the trainer planes and helicopters all lined up in neat orange and white rows, the command building with its white gables. It kind of looked like a resort, which would make anyone in training there laugh until they passed out from lack of oxygen.

Another first. My husband finally let me help him study his EPs (Emergency Procedures). He has to know them by rote, which is difficult considering the sheer number of things that can go wrong with a plane. He knew it would be easier if I helped him, but he didn't ask because he didn't want to "inconvenience" me. I was slack-jawed. Seriously? I LOVE helping him. I LOVE being part of the process. He knows this about me.

You know why he was scared to ask? The Navy. He's heard so many times, from so many officers of all ranks that Primary is a marriage-killer. That your wife will feel ignored. She will whine and complain and think you don't love her. She will resent all you. Then, they turn around and say that you should ask your wife to help you study. Hmmm... Blake's heard so many horror stories of guys' crazy wives that he's on eggshells trying to keep my psyche from falling apart. My psyche is fine, thank you very much.

I felt pretty bad for him. Luckily, it's all sorted out. He was visibly relieved.

It made me think, though...

Wives feeling ignored is unavoidable in the military. I mean, seriously, they're called deployments, but having your husband one room away, nose in a book until 9:00 at night, wanting to be left alone, that sounds harsh.

A lot of guys in flight school are newlyweds, or new to living with their significant other. That alone is enough change to make your head spin. Throw in the fact that your husband is the invisible man, and it probably makes some women go crazy. Honestly? I have little to no sympathy. You must have heard, he must have told you, that it's tough. There are hours and hours of studying and hard work to be put in. After-class time on simulators, night flights, random hours, flight plans. Sorry. That's just the way it is. No amount of complaining will make a difference. It will only hinder his training, which is dangerous.

Go ahead, tell him you miss him and of course, you wish you could spend more time together, but don't guilt him into things he doesn't have time for.

Whew. Okay, off the soap box and back to work.