Our Daring Adventure

Well, as many of you know already, Joe and I have a little side project we've got in the works, making it's debut on or about February 26th next year. We are super-excited, scared, anxious, etc. about this, and can't wait to meet our little one! We found out on Father's Day weekend. Thankfully, I had a fairly easy first trimester - no morning sickness (hallelujah!), just some serious fatigue and a little nauseousness. I had an ultrasound a couple weeks ago, and there is definitely a baby with a heartbeat (162 bpm) in there. Here is a picture of our little bambino at about 10 weeks (I'm currently 14 weeks - baby is about the size of a navel orange). In the picture, it's face-up, with it's head near the bottom right, and feet near the top left. I'm pretty sure he or she was asleep during the ultrasound - fingers crossed that Baby D is a good sleeper on the outside of the womb. Update on Joe - he is almost done with JASOC!!!! I am SO done with the "sin...

Just thought I'd give a brief update on what's going on with us. Joe is back in Alabama at Maxwell AFB for JASOC ("Jay-sock"), which stands for Judge Advocate Staff Officer Course. Unlike Officer Training School, he has a lot more freedom. Essentially, he's in classes all day learning military lawyer "stuff." ;) Also, since he is staying in a hotel room on base (and not some cramped dorm room with a roomie), I can go visit him, which we are both excited about! He started the course on July 12, and will graduate (hopefully) September 10. In order to broaden their knowledge of other types of bases in the air force, as well as other JAG offices, his JAG class took a bus down to the exotic Florida panhandle to spend time with operational units at Eglin and Hurlburt. This was nice, as he was able to stay at home with me for the few days they were here. Before he left, we had a fairly constant flow of visitors staying with us (which we don't mind). It'...

So, the oil spill has arrived on Navarre Beach in the form of tar balls. Thankfully, the beaches are still open and people are still allowed in the water. The tar balls haven't been that big so far - anywhere from the size of a pencil eraser to about the size of a golf ball. They seem to come in with the tide some mornings, but not others. To the right is a pretty ironic picture from a BP gas station that I "borrowed" from someone else. Joe and I had a very nice weekend. On Saturday we went kayaking with our friend John in the Santa Rosa Sound. We will probably be spending more time in the Sound in the coming months since it will be more difficult for the oil to get in those waters. The sound only connects with the gulf in 2 places, Pensacola and Destin, and those passes have been boomed off. On Saturday the 3 of us also decided to run the Billy Bowlegs "Midnight" 5K. The race actually started at 10:30 pm, and it was extremely humid. That was my first, and pro...

I just want to talk about why the military is a great place for lawyers. For starters, its probably the only job an attorney can get where he/she is paid to exercise. Seriously, some people hate physical training, but I love it. The only other kind of profession like it is professional sports. I show up to work pump iron and then hit the books, and its all part of my job. It's great. I guess police work, FBI, state troopers, etc. are the same, but in the realm of legal jobs this is great. Second thing, boredom does not exist. Someone explained to me that you never get stuck doing the same thing over and over. It is true. I've done a lot of different things. I've appeared in 2 summary court martials. I've done 2 direct exams and given 2 closing arguments. I've done legal aid and motion practice. It's diverse to say the least. However, I am feeling slightly out of my league as a lawyer. Everyone here is very smart and they are very good lawyers. I sometimes strugg...

We are having a wonderful time in our new home! Since my last post, we have moved into our house and have already had our first set of visitors. Our furniture was delivered on May 3rd, and thankfully everything made the trip from Louisville to Navarre. We only had 2 "casualties" - a small glass and the flat screen TV from our bedroom. We wanted a new TV for our bedroom anyway, so we weren't too sad. Although, why did the movers think it was okay to pack a small flat screen in a box full of books?!? I do have some exciting news - I got a job!! I am the new part-time bookkeeper at the thrift shop on base. The thrift shop is run by the Hurlburt Spouse's Club, and I have also taken a volunteer position as Secretary on the HSC board. So far, I've been keeping myself busy. Joe is still loving his job. He really is excited about all that he's doing in the legal office. Hopefully this continues! He is gearing up to head to more training next month in Montgomery, AL. ...

Sorry it's been awhile since I last posted. :) Things have been just a little hectic over the past month, but I have a lot to report. Joe graduated from Commissioned Officer Training on April 9th!! I am so proud of him. Here is a picture of him in his dress blues - doesn't he look so handsome? I'm one lucky girl! :) He ended up doing really well both physically and academically. On his final PT test, he scored a 97.5 (out of 100). He was 3 seconds away from getting a perfect score on the run (and scoring 100% on the test). He got full marks on waist circumference, push-ups, and sit-ups. I think he did amazing, but of course, being the perfectionist that he is, he was disappointed that he missed out on a perfect score. Here is a picture of us at the Dining Out the night before graduation. Dining Out is essentially a military formal, and was a lot of fun. Joe is wearing his "mess dress" in the picture. Wikipedia (as usual) does a good job explaining the military D...

I did get a chance to talk with Joe a bit more this weekend. He sounds tired and a little overwhelmed with the amount of work, but says that he is learning tons. Above is a picture of the OTS sign at Maxwell AFB. He described to me their typical day, which lasts around 18 hours. They rise at about 4:30 AM, march off to Physical Training (PT), return to the dorms for a shower, march to the cafeteria for breakfast, spend 4 hours in class or training, lunch, 5 more hours of class or training, dinner, and so on until about 9:00 pm. Then there is homework, laundry, tending to their uniforms, etc. He told me that almost all the meals are "tight" meals. This means they must eat at the modified position of attention, and be completely silent. Apparently, he has developed the reputation for being the quickest eater in the class (I'm so proud!) They only get 5 minutes or so to eat, and the only items that must be finished are 3 full glasses of water. I'm not sure I could finish...

Check Joe out! Doesn't he look nice in his ABU? I hope to post a picture of him in his dress blues soon. He said things are going well, just staying extremely busy. He did get an "excellent" rating on his initial PT test yesterday!! I knew he wouldn't have any problem with the physical aspect of training. :) I'm hoping to get more of an update from him this weekend.

I was able to talk to Joe last night briefly, and he seems to be doing well. He said he was "corrected" a few times already, once for calling a female training instructor "sir" instead of "ma'am" (oops!!). It's hard to imagine someone else yelling at him (just kidding!) Today will be his first official day at training and this morning they are supposed to do the Crossing of the Blue Line, which you can check out on a video here . The video also gives other info on Commissioned Officer Training. Keep Joe in your prayers as he is going to be worn out with a lot of things to learn in the next week especially. I hope to be able to talk to him more this weekend about his experiences and post a picture of him in his uniform.

Well, Joe is off to Maxwell AFB for the next 4 & 1/2 weeks at COT. I'm going to miss him terribly, but I know the weeks will fly by until we are together again. I have so much to finish up here in Louisville before heading down to Florida - 2 more weeks at work, taking the GMAT, packing, and coordinating the move to name a few. (Whew!) I'm so thankful I have my family here to help me out as well. Please keep Joe in your prayers, as this whole experience is brand new to him. He appreciates all your kind words and thoughts more then you can know. I plan on posting updates on his "adventure" fairly regularly. Maybe he'll get a chance to post something (probably not, but maybe). Before he left, he did ask me to give him a military haircut. I hope this is acceptable and in "regs", but it's a good thing I've been cutting his hair now for the past 10+ years so I wasn't too nervous. He asked me to cut it a little shorter then required...

I wish I knew how to post pictures because I might be able to show you what nervousness feels like. I'll have to learn that later. Anyways, its been a bit of a journey even up to now. I've failed to get my uniforms ahead of time, as recommended by everybody who has ever done this. It isn't my fault though, I drove all the way up to Wright-Patt and gave the gate guards my orders and picture ID. The guards protective instincts kicked into overdrive and they decided NOPE we will not let this guy on because we don't want to be responsible for what this 26 year old 152 pound lawyer from Kentucky in a Black Honda Civic (that is ever so slightly dirty) is gonna do when he gets on base and trys to buy clothes. Oh well, all this means is that I'm gonna get yelled at when I go to buy clothes at COT. As far as preparedness for training, I have good news and bad news. The good news is I am in good enough shape to take care of business. The bad news is I don't know enough ab...

Joe starts COT (Commissioned Officer Training) @ Maxwell AFB 2 weeks from today. (yikes!) I'm so nervous and excited for him all at the same time. I'm really going to miss him for the 5 weeks we will be apart as well. :( I'm going to need some support during that time, but I've got lots to keep me busy as I wind down at work, look for houses, pack our stuff, and hang out with friends & family. We are so excited for this new direction our lives are headed in, and thank God everyday for His many blessings.

Hello all!! Welcome to our blog. God has truly blessed us and we are so excited to start this blog so we can keep all of you updated on our life changes! Please keep in touch by emailing us or posting comments on this blog.