From Oregon to Alabama!

With all of our belongings packed away in the moving truck, we began our trek from our home state, Oregon to our new home in Alabama! Although we knew it would be a long drive, we were both so looking forward to the time spent with eachother! We calculated that since being married in July, we had been together 110 days, and spent 157 days apart. The 157 days apart where the only communication we had was via letters about 95% of the time. Only towards the end of WOCS was Alex allowed a half hour call Wednesdays and Sundays. We were also looking forward to seeing parts of the beautiful country together!



Day 1:
Sunday, May 6th
We began our journey early in the morning on Sunday. We traveled from Colton, OR to Ogden, Utah a total of 748 miles. Approximately 12.5 hours travel time. Our moving truck was only able to go a maximum of 32 mph up the steep hills, so it probably took us a little longer than if we had been driving our Jeep across country;)

Beautiful Oregon!

Leaving Oregon, but we'll be back!

Entering Idaho (blurry, but I improved by the end of the trip as you'll see!)

We arrived in Utah late in the evening Sunday.(But didn't I do a good job at catching the sign?!)

Day 2:

Monday, May 7

From Ogden, Utah to Denver, Colorado. A total of 525 miles. Colorado is one of my favorite States and Alex had never been before, so we decided to make it a date night! This was the only meal we didn't eat fast food, we didn't pack many "going out" clothes, so we chose a more casual and fun little Mexican restaurant. Alex loved Denver (maybe almost as much as me... maybe;)  It was great to get out and about in the city! Can't wait to go back already!

Yay!

Arriving in Denver! This was the only time during our trip that we experienced rain, it was all sunny skies the next morning when we woke up!

Day 3:

Tuesday, May 8

From Denver, Colorado to Shawnee, Oklahoma. 706 miles, a little over 11 hours travel time.

Ready to start another day on the road!

You'rte probably wondering if Alex drove the whole way, and he did! Minus about 25 minutes! He is an excellent driver, and it made me too nervous to drive such a huge truck!

Kind of far away, but we're in Kansas!

O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A! Oklahoma!!!

Day 4:

Wednesday, May 9 (to early morning Thursday, May 10)

Shawnee, Oklahoma to Enterprise, Alabama!!! We made our last day the longest yet! We were anxious to finally be off the road so Alex drove through the night. I also stayed up with him,and vowed to never nap so he would always have company. On the second day I closed my eyes for about 15 minutes, woke up and said "woops" but it never happened again! We stayed outside Fort Rucker's gates because our housing appointment was the next morning at 10:00am.

Last Day on the road! Woohoo!

Arkansas- worst traffic ever! I felt like it would have been much safer to just wear helmets and bullet proof vests around this State! Yikes!

 Alex's friend friend from WOCS, Dave Reynolds who is from California, met up with us around Tennessee and we ate dinner at Pizza Hut that night.

Getting Closer!!

It was too dark outside to get a State sign pic of Alabama, it was around 2:00am when we arrived at our destination! We made it!

The next day we went to our housing appointment ans began moving into our new home at Fort Rucker and our road trip officially ended. We had intended to bring along a book on tape, however, the noisy truck prevented us from being able to listen to too much so even if we had brought along a CD of any type, the chances of us being able to actually hear were very slim. We were just so happy to get to be together again!

 I sat in the middle seat right next to Alex the whole trip! I did get grumpy once when trying to call to set up internet for our new house. I was on the phone for more than a half hour with a man from India, who was trying to sell me a million different products (I am sure you have all experienced that phone call) what made things worse was that I already couldn't hear very well in the noisy truck, and trying to write any sort of readable confirmation number down while driving down the bumpy roads was near impossible. We didn't stop to see any tourist attractions, I did want to stop at Christmas Land (what could be more wonderful than Christmas 24/7 7 days a week?! But Alex wasn't as enthusiastic about it as I was) All in all it was a great trip and time together for us!  

Our new home! 33 Urell Street

                          Fort Rucker, AL

We had taco night a couple weeks back and I wanted to make home made salsa. I got this recipe off of pinterest and it was a success! Everyone really liked it! My advice is that you wear plastic gloves when chopping the jalapenos! I rubbed my eyes shortly after I made this and it BURNSSSSS!!! I was in the shower and Alex had to pour me a glass of milk so I could rinse my eyes out, (it relieved the burn after a few minutes) Here is the link for the recipe. I halved the recipe and it still made a lot.

http://oneparticularkitchen.com/2009/05/19/salsa/

Packing and Goodbye's

Our First Home together, we loved living here!

We arrived back in Oregon the day after graduation late in the evening. We stopped by my parents house so we could say goodbye to my Mom, who was headed the next day for her weekend retreat, then spent one last night in our cute little apartment.
We woke up early the next morning so we could be done by dinner time. I had been packing for about a month, so everything was already bubble wrapped, newspaper wrapped and paper towel wrapped and put into boxes that were just waiting to be put into the moving truck. The bed and one tea cup were the only 2 things that still needed to be packed, as well as a load of laundry that was from our trip. We got right to work, and picked up the moving truck (which they were all out of the smaller size we had planned on so they gave us an even bigger truck and an extra discount) and Alex and Rob started loading the truck while I deep cleaned the apartment. All was packed, cleaned and ready to go by the end of the day.
The only mishap we had was during the day I had been sipping on peppermint tea while cleaning. I had put my cup of tea in the microwave to warm it up, and forgot about it... until Alex picked the microwave up to load into the truck. It started leaking all over Alex and he just thought I had done a really good job cleaning out the microwave and forgot to dry it out. He eventually opened the microwave door and luckily, no harm was done to the cute cup, or the microwave, Alex's shirt just smelled of peppermint the rest of the day!

 The guys in the truck all packed and ready to be weighed!

We headed to the Wales home for the night, and Nancy had made everyone dinner.

The next evening, the families got together at the Wallaert's home to say goodbye.

Mushu and J-Rod, I will so miss my sister and best friend! Can't wait for her visit this Summer!

Justin, Crystal and Nicole

Greatest Mom and Dad!

Love my siblings! So much!

Alex with his Grandparents!

Our last night we stayed at my parents house, early Sunday morning we left to start our trip!

Before I forget, like last time, this post's recipe! I have made these scrumptious, and I mean scrumptious cinnamon sugar muffins that I have made TWICE in the last 3 days! The first batch Alex and I ate all ourselves, the next we shared a little with Phil and Dave (two of Alex's friends from WOCS and flight school) So here it is, these little muffins are great with coffee in the morning, or as desert after dinner, or anytime of the day because they're soooo delicious!

Cinnamon Sugar muffins:

(This recipe makes 12 muffins, but could be easily doubled)

1 1/2 C flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

In mixing bowl, combine above ingredients and set aside.

Pre heat oven to 350, and grease muffin tins with cooking spray.

Cream together:

1/2 c shortening

1/2 c sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 c buttermilk (the secret is in the buttermilk!!!)

Add flour mixture to creamed mixture and stire until ingredients are mixed thoroughly.

Place batter in greased muffin tin and bake for 20-25 minutes.

While muffins are baking, melt 4 Tbs butter and in separate bowl combine 1/2 c sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon.

When muffins are still warm, but have cooled about 10 minutes, dip the tops in butter, and immerse in cinnamon sugar mixture. This is the end result:

You have been warned. These are so addicting!

Alex is a US Army Warrant Officer!

April 30th was the day we had been counting down for 7 weeks, and it finally came! Early morning my Dad drove Rob, Nancy and I to the airport where we met David and Aurora to fly to Panama City, Florida where we would then drive to our final destination- Fort Rucker Alabama to see Alex graduate!
We arrived late afternoon in Panama City and, since Alex wouldn't be released until the next day, we decided to enjoy the beautiful, sandy beaches that are just an hour and a half away from Fort Rucker!

 We ventured out on the pier and dug our toes into the white, sandy beach! We even dipped our toes into the warm, clear-blue ocean water! It felt great after our long, sweaty flight! For dinner, we ate at Margaritaville in the city then made our trek to the base to settle for the night.

May 1 we got up and explored the base. While driving around, the family was able to enjoy the sights at Fort Rucker. We visited the equestrian center (for Aurora) the golf course (Rob) the Lake,  bowling lanes, military housing, commissary and PX(it was everyone's first time visiting a military base, so it was all new and exciting) and, best of all, the many, many helicopters that are as plentiful as the birds in the sky flying around the base!

Around 2:00pm Alex was finally released and we were able to pick him up! We were all so, so happy to be reunited with the man of the hour and my very own wonderful husband! Such happy times!

In just a couple of hours was the W.O.C.S. reception for the graduating class 12-13, The Scorpions was their class name. Their class color was red! (In the pictures above, the pop of red represents his class)

At the reception I was able to meet some of Alex's class mates and their wives, amd watch a highlights video of their time at WOCS (Alex was featured twice, once teaching the candidates CPR and doing exercises in what appeared to be a hoola hoop!)  awards were presented along with a few short speeches. My favorite part (besides getting to see Alex dressed up in uniform!) was the cutting of the cake where the youngest and oldest candidates cut the cake with a fancy sword, then present the first piece of cake to the guest of honor!

The next day was graduation day!!! We were all so proud of Alex's big accomplishment and it was so neat to get to see Alex officially swear in to the US ARMY. David and I were chosen to pin his Officer's bars on his uniform jacket that officially display he is an Officer!

Such a cool setting for graduation!

All of us with the man of the hour!

 Alex with 2 of his good friends: Dave Reynolds and Phil Schwoob

So proud of him!

Handsome, Handsome Soldier! (Alex hates the beret lol)

So proud of Alex and so happy that we are together again! It's so great! Next up, our journey to our new home!

My Own self- inflicted "Boot Camp"

For a while now, I have been thinking about all of the things Alex has had to sacrifice in order to pursue his dream, comforts that I know I take advantage of every day without giving them a single thought, so I decided I wanted to pursue for a week my own little personal boot camp and taste just a little bit of what my husband is going through.  I made a list of things that are not only time wasters for me, but also things that I have come to maybe depend upon a little too much and decided to eliminate them.  I decided no T.V., no internet, no radio, no sugar ( I made the exception of coffee) I also wanted to wake up at 5:00 am every morning and start the day with exercise (or PT in military terms) Those of you who know me well, know that I DO NOT exercise in front of anyone and am horrible in this area. I don't even like the feeling after I work out that most people claim they get a "high" from. Gross. I know, I'm horrible.

The week I chose for this adventure, turned out to be the week everyone at work got sick, and I ended up working 47 hours at the coffee shop, so it did not go like I planned, but I have learned for the next time I embark on this project again ( which I am planning to do again before WOCS is over for Alex) I succeeded in eliminating internet and television.
 For the first 3 days I did not listen to any music, however, I gave in after working the afternoon shifts alone (besides the few customers that stopped by the coffee shop) and listened only while I worked. Instead of internet and television, I had the time to grow spiritually and prayed, read my Bible and other awesome books. Here is a list of the books I have read the last couple of weeks, and I reccommend every single one:
Wrestling Prayer by Eric and Leslie Ludy. I have read this before, and then my friend and I decided to read it together! Alex and I are planning to read it on our road trip together to Alabama.
Rees Howells, Intercessor by Norman Grubb. An incredible biography about an amazing man. I did not know or understand what intercessory prayer was until I read his life story, incredible!
Tramp for the Lord by Corrie ten Boom. I think one of the most moving stories about forgiveness I have ever read.
The Pastor's Wife by Sabina Wumbrand. A real life love story that is even better than "The Notebook." Sabina's husband was imprisoned for many, many years, (I think something like 20) and Sabina herself was imprisoned for 5 years in Communist Russia after WW2 and into the 1960's. They were tortured and brain washed, and still kept their faith in God. Truly inspiring.
Sons of Encouragement and Lineage of Grace by Francine Rivers. These stories bring the Old Testament to life. Francine Rivers is my very favorite author. I always finish her books within a couple of days!

This week Ginny and I are also starting to read "The Brave Hearted Gospel" by Eric Ludy. We get together every Friday and always have a great time!
I regret to say that I did not get up at 5:00 am every day, but did get up at 7:00 am and did not exercise but once. Saturday I broke my no sugar rule (except in coffee) to eat a delicious berry cobbler and home made ice cream made by Aurora. All in all I was really happy I tried this experiment, and next time I know what will help me better succeed! I know it is not really comparable to what real boot camp is like, and I am not nearly as disciplined as I needed to be, but it was a good experience none the less! I will do better this next time! I am also highly addicted to caffeine, working at a coffee shop with delectable FREE coffee all the days I work, I have noticed headaches that creep up on me when I don't get my fix, so I am going to try and SLOWLY cut back, and maybe by the time I start my next "boot camp" I will be able to go without it for a week, or at least not have the awful headache!

My recipe for this entry post is one I made when my brother and sister came over to my house about a month ago? They both love cake batter, and I am convinced the possibilities are never ending when it comes to recipes using the magical powder! Cake batter cupcakes, truffels, cakes, muddy buddies, brownies, ice cream, rice krispy treats, mousse, cheesecake, etc! All too delicious and scrumptious to be true! I made them cake batter muddy buddies:) They LOVED them!

Chex Funfetti Cake Batter Buddies

Adapted from: So Very Blessed

Ingredients:

5 cups Chex cereal (I used Rice Chex, but Corn Chex would work great!)

10 oz (5 squares) vanilla flavored Almond Bark

1 1/2 cups Funfetti cake mix (any kind of cake mix would work)

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp vegetable shortening

Directions:

1. Melt Almond Bark according to the package directions, adding vegetable shortening to thin (I heard that you can make it without the shortening, but it worked great for me to use it).

2. Pour the cereal into a large bowl and drizzle the melted Almond Bark over the cereal. Mix gently with a large spoon or spatula.

3. Dump the cake mix and powdered sugar onto the cereal and mix gently with large spoon until all the cereal is evenly coated.

4. Enjoy!! It's so good! :)

Note: Instead of almond bark, I used white chocolate baking squares because I could not find almond bark. Almond bark is just a cheaper, more processed version of white chocolate;-)

W.O.C.S

Well, Alex is half way through week three of W.O.C.S. which stands for Warrant Officer Candidate School and I wanted to share a few of the things that Alex has written about, hopefully, after he graduates, he will be able to make a few posts and tell you all about it himself!
In one of his letters dated Sunday, 3/25/2012 he writes:
"They do inspections of our rooms and inspect every drawer, sock and shirt. They also measure how far away all the furniture is from the walls and things like that and if it is not all right, they mess everything up and I will have to fix it again."  (side note: I think I would do well at this part of W.O.C.S since I was trained from a young age on the white glove inspections at home as well as at Grandpa's summer camps;)
"It is so much better than basic training. It is a lot of classes. Our day usually consists of waking up at 5:00am, get downstairs and do PT for about an hour to an hour and a half then we get about 10 minutes to shower, which we never do because we don't have time then we clean up the barracks for about 20 minutes. After that it is mostly class work and lectures throughout the day, kind of like college. Last week we learned all about the "Law of War." It was pretty interesting. Then we eat dinner, clean the barracks again (but a lot better this time) for about an hour, have study time for about an hour then go to bed about 11:00pm. That is basically my whole day."
"I was put on flag detail for a few days which means I had to get up at 4:30. I was in charge of 5 other guys who would go to the main flag pole on base and when the morning bugle call went off we would raise the flag. It was kind of cool besides having to get up earlier."
"Right now everyone wants their phones back. In order to get anything we have to write a memo requesting it. As of now we do not have any good "rights" because all our memos come back with formatting mistakes. Just another way to keep us busy and teach us the proper way to write Army memos. We just yesterday got approved to to have our "computer rights." Next I think they are going to ask for coffee, but they probably won't give us that yet :)"
In a letter dated Saturday 3/25/12 Alex talks a little bit about the TAC Officers:
"I am just now getting a few minutes of down time and I just had to write to you again. Things here have been absolutely CRAZY!! We have very early mornings and late nights. The TAC Officers ( the warrant officer drill sergent equivalent) give everyone about a hundred things to do but only enough time to do about ten of them. That is their whole plan. They try to stress us out and make us decide which tasks we will choose to get done first. With all that said, I am actually enjoying it for the most part. I of course miss you so much but being here is so much better than basic training. It is a lot more stressful, but we are treated like future Officers and they don't yell hardly at all. Even when we do really hard PT in the mornings, all the TAC officers do it with us. They tell us that they lead by example, like we all should. I enjoy that. They also don't drink coffee around us or talk on their cell phones since we can't have those either (yet) I have a lot of respect for all of them.  Anyway, they keep us unbelievably busy."

As of today, Alex has not recieved his phone, he said in his last letter that he himself was going to write up a memo requesting their phones for Easter Sunday! Keep your fingers crossed! If they do recieve phone privileges, the days he can use them would be Wednesdays and Sundays for about a half hour or less.

Alex's letters are nearly as plentiful as when he was in boot camp, but each one is special and I treaure every one of them! It means so much to me that, even in the midst of all his crazy busy schedules and duties, he makes every effort to write to me, even if it is only a few lines just to say he loves me :-) He is the best! Not very many wives recieve love letters in abundance like I have had these past months, I am so thankful for every one!

This last Saturday I got to spend time with the Wales family! All of them except Alex :-( I meant to bring my camera, but forgot it :-( I loved getting to cook for everyone, although I hated having to say goodbye, especially to Hunter, Peyton and Emmy since I don't know for sure the next time we will be able to see them! I sure do love them- they are so much fun!

(Emmy's birthday gift from Alex and I was the musical movie "Annie" and a matching Annie wig. Kendra sent this to me and I personally think Emmy is the cutest "Annie" I've ever seen!)

 I made quesadillas with my panini maker, although they taste great when you fry them as well! I think these quesadillas are fool proof, and are Nancy and my Mom's favorite! Here is the coveted recipe :-)
 Quesadillas:
Ingredients:
1 red bell pepper
1/2 medium red onion
1 c. frozen corn
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 can of refried black beans (the absolute best brand is the authentic Mexican brand La Costena)
12 taco shells
2 1/2 c. of cheddar (or pepper jack for extra spice!)
Optional toppings: salsa, sour cream, guacamole

Dice the onion and red pepper, place in pan with about 2 Tbs. of oil. and let simmer until onion is not quite translucent and pepper is not so crunchy (but do not let them get mushy) add corn and red pepper flakes. It looks so pretty and fresh!

Meanwhile, spread beans evenly over 6 tortillas, careful not to spread beans too far on the edges of tortilla. Grab the panini maker, or oil for frying and let them reach the hot temperature. Place corn mixture over beans, then add cheese and place a plain tortilla over the top. Only take out of oil or panini maker when it is nice and crispy and browned! I use a pizza cutter to slice the quesadillas into fourths. Yum Yum! So delicious and nutricious! I think these will always be a family favorite! Easy, simple, nutricious and delicious!

Visit to Alabama!

Sorry I have been lax on this blog, I will try to do better! I know my Dad is this blog's most devout reader, so Dad, if you have been checking this thing regularly, I will try and do better ;-) Alex successfully graduated basic training boot camp, yay! And for the last couple of weeks has been at Fort Rucker, just waiting to begin W.O.C.S (Warrant Officer Candidate School) It didn't work out for us to permanently move during the three weeks, so I am thankful to have a little more time with friends and family, although I am ready to be with Alex already, we both think it's for the best that I am able to stay in Oregon while he is in training for 7 weeks again with no phone, internet access for communication.

I was able this last week to visit Alex at our soon- to- be new home at Fort Rucker, Alabama. I flew into Panama City, Florida on Tuesday afternoon, which is about an hour and a half away from base, and was excited to see that we will live near an area with very nice white, sandy beaches with clear blue water!

I had never been to Alabama, nor had I really had the chance to explore what it is like on a military base before, so I was able to experience a bit of both while going to see Alex.  One thing that struck me as being different at Fort Rucker from other military bases was how many helicopters and pilots there were EVERYWHERE. It really is amazing to see hundreds of helicopters, flying and grounded all the time. Everything was also aviation themed- museums, stores, diners, bars, bowling alleys, etc. so if you're a fan of aviation, you would love it!

(Alex with what he is hoping to get to fly- Blackhawks, although he would be happy with anything:)

 During my visit, we were able to spend a good amount of time together. Alex's schedule right now and for the next week or so looks somewhat like this until he begins W.O.C training (warrant officer candidate):

Start out at 5:00 am PT, breakfast, then cleaning around base, scrubbing toilets, raking leaves, etc. then around 9:30 am he is released until about 1:30pm and reports back to more cleaning that ranges from about an hour to 3 hours.  During my time there, I recieved my military I.D.,we visited the Aviation museum (pictured above) explored around base and we were able to tour a couple of the houses that will be available to us to live on base in. They are 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom model homes and very cute inside :) I already can't wait to start decorating and have lots of ideas for each of the rooms!

While driving and exploring around base, Alex and I came up with an impressive list of all the positive aspects of living on base and military life (I will not think on the negatives lol):

• Gated community with 24/7 guards
• Private lake for swimming, fishing, boating, etc.
• Access to helicopters and helicopter pads (Alex)
• Golfing
• Equestrian arena/area
• Private lake cabins
• No taxes on groceries, clothing, etc. at PX
• Lawn Care provided
• New home rent free with electric and utilities paid for
• Private pool access
• Fitness room/gym access
• Libraries (general and special aviation libraries)
• Movie theatres
• Bowling alleys

The list could go on and on, and I will try and focus on the good, rather than the bad, I'm sure I'll look to this list and add to it as I get better acquainted with the military lifestyle, and also when faced with frustrating circumstances it will serve as a reminder of how good we really do have it!

Here is a video one of the other candidates sent to Alex about one of the helicopters Alex may have the opportunity to fly, we went to go see the field area where the Apaches were, but it was restricted, so we were only able to see the tops of them, but they are VERY impressive!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26eqFN1BB70&feature=youtube_gdata_player

One thing we both are extra anxious for (besides getting to live together again!!!) is eating home-cooked meals together, it's one of our very favorites. Since the motel I was staying at had no kitchen, we had to eat out every day, but boy oh boy do I have a lot of meal planned for us when we can be together again! A new recipe I cooked up was inspired by a recipe I found at Taste of Home. It was low fat, I fattened the recipe up a little (to make it more tasty of course) and added lots more seasoning and tastiness to it. I am proud of it :-) Plus, it's vegetarian.

Rice and Black Bean Enchiladas

Season 2 cups of water with chili powder and cayenne pepper. Add a little oil. Bring to a boil. Add 1 cup brown rice to seasoned, boiling water water. Stir rice, turn heat to low then place lid over pot for 20 minutes.

Chop one medium onion and 1 tbs oil in pan. Add one small can of diced green chiles (mild) one can of black beans (rinsed and drained) and 2 cans of enchilada sauce. Add cilantro. Stir and simmer for about 20 minutes.preheat oven to 375. If needed, add sugar if mixture is too acidic.(I added 1 tsp of brown and 1 tsp of white sugar to cut down acidity) Add cooked, seasoned rice to mixture. Heat flour tortillas in microwave for about 30-40 seconds. Scoop enchilada/rice an bean mixture into tortilla, add generous amount of Mexican blend cheese. Roll and place in 9x13 pan. Repeat. When pan is filled, sprinkle more cheese over enchiladas and top with more cilantro. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or cheese is bubbly and golden brown. Top with salsa, guacamole and/ or sour cream. (As an after thought, jalapenos would also be stupendous on this as well for extra, extra heat! Next time ;-)

P.S. Alabama is beautiful! I think we are going to love living there! The weather was warm, a little humid, and one day it was cloudy and rainy (and warm) but the best part was that we were together again! The 7 week count down has officially began again! May 2nd is Alex's graduation from Warrant Officer Candidate school. I will be flying down with Rob and Nancy to see the graduation this time, and Alex will be flying back May 3rd with us all, we will pack up our apartment, then we will be making our road trip back to Alabama to be permanently stationed for his 14-18 months of flight school!!!