Our First Visitor!

We had been looking forward to having our first visitor from home for weeks! Our time with Shawn came and went by so quickly, but we had such a great time and so appreciate that he flew all the way from Oregon to Alabama, and spent his vacation time with us! We are so thankful for the great friends we have!

We picked Shawn up late Friday afternoon at the Dothan airport, about a half hour away from Fort Rucker. We also saw a soldier straight from Basic Training and gave him a ride to Fort Rucker, kind of a pay it forward since the Secretary to the General gave Alex and a few of his friends a ride when he had just got out of Basic. You can pick out the ones out from Basic because they look like a deer caught in the headlights! After we dropped the soldier off next to the nonexistent building his orders were at, we headed home and I had a lasagna, Parmesan rolls and salad ready. 
We invited quite a few people over from Alex's class so they could all meet Shawn, of course, they all really liked him and got along great and had lots of fun! The next day we had everyone over again for some breakfast: coffee, eggs, fresh strawberries, pancakes, and Rob's biscuits and gravy and watched... you'll never guess "National Lampoons Christmas Vacation" (in July!!) Alex and I made two batches of everything, and we were in the kitchen from 8:00am to 1:00pm cooking breakfast, but it was so great having everyone over! Later in the afternoon we layed out and swam at the pool the rest of the day! What a relaxing Saturday!

 Sunday we made our way with another group of friends to Destin Beach! Imagine 98 degree weather (add buckets of humidity) clear blue skies, white, cool sand and a clear blue-green ocean and that was how we spent most of our day! In paradise! Some of the guys rode their motorcycles down, and some brought the game "cornhole," although by the time a game was finished, it was more than necessary to take another swim in the ocean because it was HOT!

After the beach, we made our way to the pier, where there were shops, boats, and restaurants. It was such a cute place! We ate dinner at a restaurant on the water then had to head back home, but not without making plans to go back again! We are pretty excited that it's only a couple hours drive from our home! It was also really fun to get to introduce Shawn to a warm water ocean- he had only been to the Oregon Coast!

The next morning Alex had swim training, where you have to float in all your gear for approximately 10 minutes, he was a little nervous about this since he is not a great swimmer, and has trouble floating, but he easily passed with flying colors, although he said it just seemed really strange and backwards to have to first shower in all of your gear (boots, uniform, helmet, etc.) then go into the pool. After that we were able to go, again with a bunch of friends to see the new Batman movie- which was so great because the weekend before Alex and I had a Batman movie marathon and got all caught up and pumped for the newest one! It did not disappoint!

The next day Alex had dunker training, where you are put in different helicopter-type contraptions that go underwater, and you have to unbuckle yourself and swim out. This is repeated several times until it become really no big deal.  Alex was a little nervous, because again, he's not too partial to water, but he did great! Here's a very short video (1:33) of what it's like! Imagine doing this, 15-16 times!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdfsOq6V55g

When Alex got home, we were able to take Shawn to the awesome Aviation Museum on post! We had been there a couple of times before, but it is always so cool to see all the different planes they have!



In WW1, your odds of survival in one of these was 50/50. There were just as many deaths from malfunctions as there were deaths by attack! Glad the odds have greatly improved since then! Whew!

 This French airplane was used in a film in the 1930's, it's now worth a couple million dollars!

 The Army used to share the responsibility of flying the President's helicopter with the Marines, this was one of the planes that used to fly around the President and First Lady. Nobody knows why the President decided to solely have the Marines fly Army One (now Marine One).

Look at those FlyBoys!!

The next day Shawn had to go back home, but we had such a great time having him visit and look forward to more and more visitors and company!

Not too long ago, I made the Pioneer Woman's Homemade Mac and Cheese for some company and got rave reviews! Not too long after, I had leftover corn, red bell pepper and black beans in the fridge and had an epihany! Make Southwest Homemade Mac and Cheese!!  The results were so awesome! Way better than the original! So here it is, and I am so PROUD of this!

Sothwestern Mac and Cheese:

4 cups dried macaroni

1 whole egg

1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) butter

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 1/2 cups whole milk

 1 tsp. Cajun seasoning

 1 tsp. cayenne pepper

 1/2 tsp. chili powder

 1/2 tsp. ground mustard

1 pound sharp Cheddar, grated (not pre-grated cheese), plus more for baking.(Important: Make sure it is the brick, not pre-shredded!)

Salt

Seasoned salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

 1/2 c. corn

1/2 c. red bell pepper

 1/2 c. black beans

Preheat oven to 350.  Cook the macaroni until still slightly firm, a little undercooked is fine. Drain and set aside.

In a small bowl, beat the egg. In a large pot, melt the butter and sprinkle in the flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Whisk for a couple of minutes, whisking constantly. Don't let it burn. Pour in the milk,  and whisk until smooth. Cook until very thick, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low.

Take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into the beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking the eggs. *(This is an important step, DO NOT just add the egg or it will scramble!) Whisk together until smooth. Pour the egg into the sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth. Add in the cheese and stir to melt. Add spices, black beans, corn and red bell pepper.

Pour in the drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine. Serve immediately (while it's still very creamy) or pour into a buttered baking dish, top with extra cheese and bake until bubbly and golden on top, 20 to 25 minutes.

  Yum Yum! Hope you enjoy!



10 Things about Army life at Ft. Rucker

This month I had the chance to take a few Army Family Team Building classes that teach Army family members a range of things from ranks to stress management to finances, etc. and with Alex having two days (yes, 2 DAYS) left of B.O.L.C (Basic Officer Leadership Class) I have had the chance to observe a little bit more about how things are done in the Army, specifically at Fort Rucker.

1. Army has posts, compared to other branches of services that are referred to as "base." Marine bases, Air Force bases, etc. Fort Rucker is considered an Army "post," not a "base."
2. When 5:00 rolls around each day, no matter what you are doing, you stop, get out of your car and put your hand over your heart and face the nearest flag. The "retreat" music is played over loud speakers and an actual cannon is fired.  This is also done in the morning as well.
3. At Fort Rucker, it is important to be well acquainted with all the different types of helicopters the Army flies, not just their name, but their numbers as well.

This is the BLACKHAWK, or properly known as UH-60 (UH stands for Utility Helicopter) It is the most abundant and versatile, as well as the most well known type of helicopter.



There is also the CHINOOK, or the CH-47 (CH stands for Cargo Helicopter) which as you can see is huge! It is extremely powerful and can lift an enormous amount of weight. (Alex would probably know better approximately how much, and maybe I'll be able to convince him to write a post about all the incredible and unique talents they have someday...)

Then there is the KIOWA, the OH-58D, and I can't remember what the O stands for, my guess is Operational Helicopter? Probably not, again, I'll ask Alex:) The OH-58D is the smallest of all the helicopters, and is more of a scout helicopter equipped with weapons. The Chinook and Kiowa are the two helicopters that are a little more rare to be able to fly, in each class of flight students that cycle through, there may be only one or two available to fly (if any)

(see the little "biscuit" type thing at the top? That is one of the reasons this is a "scout" type helicopter)
Last but not least, there is the APACHE, the AH-64D which is, you can probably guess... Attack Helicopter! The specialized training for this Helicopter is the longest, at 21.4 weeks.

      4.  One of the most important things I have learned about the uniqueness of each helicopter is the personality of the Pilot that flies each of them. There is a stereo-type person for each of them that I have heard numerous times, from both pilots and the wives, and also, from my own observations, they are pretty accurate. The Blackhawks personalities are the hardest to pin, only because they are the most abundant. They are typically pretty laid back. UH-60 Pilots have a wider range of places they will be stationed (from Alaska, to Hawaii to Germany, Korea, etc.) A UH-60 Pilot will typically get the most flight hours, and will have the easiest transition if they want to fly outside the military. The UH-60 is also the type of helicopter used for Medevac.
The Chinook CH-47 guy is known as the "California surfer" type of Pilot who is extremely laid back. He doesn't have to worry about too much weight on his helicopter, because, really, there isn't much he can't lift.  This Pilot is usually the top of his class, because there aren't very many of them available, and usually they are a pretty coveted aircraft.  The Kiowa OH-58D is an active type guy, usually type A. His rival is the Appache AH-64D, who are both Attackers. The Kiowa Pilot is usually the first guy on the scene. The Appache AH-64D Pilot is the easiest to stereo-type. He has his certain hair cut (the one where his bangs are combed up slightly) he is mostly the type A personality who wants to see action and fly the type of helicopter with the advanced computer weapons system. That being said, each one of the Pilots loves what they fly, and will try and convince everyone around them that theirs is the best. I would say there is a healthy amount of rivalry that goes on with the pilots of each aircraft. They also say that the helicopter picks you (the Pilot).
Can you guess which one Alex wants to fly??? :)

5.  I mentioned this earlier, but different Helicopters are going to be stationed different places. This is a list we were given, but it doesn't mean the Army can't station us wherever they want, because they will and can station you anywhere, anytime. Blackhawk: KY, KS, NC, NY, TX, WA, CA, AL, GA, LA, Honduras, Germany, AK, HI, Korea, Sinai, Japan.  Chinook: GA, KY, KS, NC, NY, TX, AL, Germany, AK, HI, Korea, Honduras. Kiowa: GA, KY, NC, WA, KS, NY, AK, HI. APACHE: GA, KY, KS, NC, TX, CO, NY, TX, Germany, Korea.  We have what's called a "Dream sheet" where we can put down our preferences of where we would like to be stationed next, but it is often a joke around here that they pick from the bottom of your list and send you there. Really, this list is not exclusive, we have heard of many other places people are being sent that aren't on this list, it's just an overview.

6.  I am amazed at the cost of helicopters. I learned that one propeller blade for a Blackhawk costs 250,000.00 Just ONE blade! Sheesh!

7. At Fort Rucker, none of the wives ask "what does your husband do?" Instead it's, "what does your husband FLY?" I think Fort Rucker is very unique in that pretty much everyone you meet is here to fly (the exception is the Air Traffic Controllers who are sent here to train as well. I have not met one single enlisted person on the Fort.

8.  Every day there are moving trucks on the block, if not your block, then the block over. Our neighbors on both sides have already moved since we have been here.

9.  This last week we had a class BBQ for the families and guys in Alex's BOLC class. During our time there, when an AH-64D passed over the area (remember what Helicopter that one is??) every singe one of the guys stopped what they were doing, whether they were outside or in, looked out and stood in awe of the helicopter. I guess they had to pay their "respects." It doesn't matter how many helicopters you will see, because we see many, day and night, Aviators (especially ones in training) are going to stop what they're doing and "pay their respect." Many had to wipe the drool off their mouths after it flew over, and we see as many helicopters as we do birds in the sky!

10.  My last "observation point" is close to my heart. There is a lot of confusion about the differences between a Warrant Officer Aviator and a Commissioned Officer Aviator. Most people can go their whole military career and never meet a Warrant Officer, with the exception of Aviators, they are a rare rank.  One wife asked in our class if WO (Warrant Officers) even have their degrees. Our Instructors answer is probably the best I have heard, so I will share it with you. WO's will most always have their degrees (there is only 1 in Alex's entire class who does not have a BA) Warrant Officers are very specialized. They join specifically to fly, and they are only responsible for their crew. Officers may fly one or two tours, and then they will be put into a "management" position that is training and paperwork related. Officers join to climb the ranks, Warrant Officers join to fly and not have to deal with the paperwork or bureaucracy.  Our instructor said that every Aviation Officer at one time or another will want to become Warrant, and some do, and some Warrant Officers will have their fill of flying and deployments and become Officers. Either way, both are considered Officers of the U.S. Army.

I hope you know a little bit more about how life at Fort Rucker is unique and learned a little bit about all the helicopters and Pilots and maybe Army life in general! Alex has today and tomorrow left of BOLC, then he'll be in SERE Training for 3 weeks then it is actually going to be his turn to learn to fly helicopters! Woohoo!!!

This entry's recipe is actually just going to be a sauce, but it's taken me a few tries to achieve just the right consistency. Peanut sauce is something Alex and I both favor. Greatly. We love rice noodles (and unfortunately cannot find them at the commisary here on the FORT :) but this sauce recipe tastes just fine over fetuccini noodles too.  You can make up your own mish-mash of stir fry veggies to go along with the noodles, or buy a frozen bagged stir fry and add it to the noodles and sauce.  Just make sure to top with crunched peanuts and coarsly chopped green onions!

Amy's Peanue Sauce:

1/4 c. rice vinegar (found in Asian food section)

1/4 c. soy sauce

2 tsp. sugar

2 tsp. brown sugar

4 heaping tsp creamy peanut butter

2 TBS water

1-2 tsp red pepper flakes (depending on how mild or spicy you like it!)

Microwave for about a minute, stir, microwave for another 40 seconds or until peanut butter is melted, and let sit for about 10 minutes.  Pour over stir fry and noodles.

Pictured above has shrimp, red bell pepper, carrot, broccoli, snap peas, fetuccini noodles, peanuts and green onions.

Enjoy!

Independence Day!

This is our first 4th of July as a married couple, and it was especially fun being on a military base that goes all out to celebrate! We both thought about home often, since we have such fun memories of the 4th of July in our hometown- the parade, carnival, Buckeroo, bbq- this is our first year missing all the festivities, however, we were able to experience all sorts of fun times this year and were really happy to get to be together!

Last weekend they were having a wine tasting on base, Alex and I had never been wine tasting before, and some of our friends were going, so we tagged along! The place was packed full, and we were given voting cards to fill out because the winner was going to be chosen as the Aviation Units celebratory wine next year (when Alex graduates) to celebrate 30 years of Aviation at Fort Rucker that will be given and served at the Ball next year!

The highlight of our evening was getting to visit with General Crutchfield  (2 Star General in charge of Fort Rucker) and his wife, Kim. We chatted for about 15 minutes, about Freedom Fest, he asked me about housing and we swapped stories about cocroaches, and by the end of our conversation, he invited us to Freedom Fest and told us to make sure to find him at the concert so he could let us in the VIP tent! We were surprised at how gracious and down to earth both he and his wife were (we got hugs at the end of the conversation:)

On the 3rd of July is when Freedom Fest began. We parked at one of our friend's homes, who lived just a couple of blocks away from the fields so we wouldn't get stuck in traffic. There was lots of food, and Alex and I tried Aligator for the first time! (tastes like chicken) There was lots of lightning and thunder, and it did rain, so the Lt.Dan band concert was delayed a couple of hours, but we were in good company! The concert and festival was open to the public, so there was about 30-40,000 people there for the concert and firework show. In case you were wondering what his band sounds like, it is a good mix of country, Kelly Clarkson, Journey, etc. The 2 songs that got people out of their chairs and onto their feet were "Proud to be an American" and (you probably guessed it) "Sweet Home Alabama" (which was the first time I heard that song since we've moved here 2 months ago (2 months already!??!)

The band was good, but I think the nicest thing is that the Gary Sinise and Lt.Dan band volunteers to play, he travels the whole world playing for our troops, and at his own expense. The firework show was very beautiful and lasted for quite a while, so that by the end of the show, we were too tired to head to the VIP tent, but some of the group we were with did end up going, and General Crutchfield remembered, and let them in!
On the actual 4th of July, we slept in and just had a relaxing day at home. We had BBQ at our house and had some friends over, it ended up pouring down rain around 5:00pm so we ate inside and retired for the night by watching a movie together. We hope you all had a great Independence Day this year! We miss you and love you!
P.S. We bought a bed for the guest room, so now we're all ready and excited for our guests!

Lemon Crinkle Cookies

I have made these cookies twice now, because 1. they are so much better than I thought they would be and 2. I had lots of lemons leftover from making home made strawberry lemonade and needed a recipe to use the lemons up! I found this on pinterest (surprise!) and read that it was an award winner and tested it out, and they were scrumptious!

Lemon crinkle cookies: via pinterest
Ingredients:
½ cups butter, softened (or melted)
1 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 whole egg
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoons baking powder
⅛ teaspoons baking soda
1-½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cups powdered sugar
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease light colored baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Whip in vanilla, egg, lemon zest, and juice. Scrape sides and mix again. Stir in all dry ingredients slowly until just combined, excluding the powdered sugar. Scrape sides of bowl and mix again briefly. Pour powdered sugar onto a large plate. Roll a heaping teaspoon of dough into a ball and roll in powdered sugar. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.
Bake for 9-11 minutes or until bottoms begin to barely brown and cookies look matte {not melty or shiny}. Remove from oven and cool cookies about 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.
*If using a non-stick darker baking tray, reduce baking time by about 2 minutes.