Well hello again!
We have successfully made the trip from Kansas City to Stillwater, Oklahoma. It was a long drive, but we are glad that the move is over. We may not be settled, but we are moved in nonetheless.
I began work Tuesday, 8am. It was nice to work in an office...weird for me though. When I graduated high school, i said i didn't want to get a degree that would land me an office job. Well, guess what?! I didn't...well, kinda. As the old fogey pilots all tell me, fly while you can, while you crave it, and need to..then one day you will settle and not NEED to fly like you did while you were young. We all hit it some day...and you will too.
Well, I think what they are referring to is called BURN OUT. I think we all hit this at one point or another. I was just beginning to reach the early phases of this in KC with instructing-waking up early, flying in the small airplane all day, and passing out at night. I think this change of pace came at exactly the right time. I am ready for that bit of slow down, that office job to change things up a bit. This way, at least i get to do what i do best-TALK!-and help people, 2 of my favorite qualities : ) and...in the evenings, I will get to do a bit of flight instructing to keep building up my time. Hopefully, by the time Chris and I both graduate, we will have both built up some good flight time and have the chance to do more of what we love-the "fun" flying. Going places for fun, and even business-but mainly just fun. Besides...who knows where we will be by then!
Well, on another note, Chris is teaching an Aviation Safety class this semester. I'm excited for him! He found out there are around 35 students in his class! WOW! I know! I am sure they will all have a good time though. I think he'll do GREAT (although i AM a bit biased : )
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Mooooo-ving!
I wish we had a heard of cows to pack up our house...but we didn't. However, we do have a herd of people coming to help us move, and we are more than happy to have the help!
Today we got up and started packing. Last night we obtained boxes from a local store. I felt like a home-less person, looking for the best boxes to live in! Chris went down one aisle, I another-and we roped up as many boxes as we could. We each had a car full by the time we left. Today we filled nearly all of those boxes, and I think we'll go back for a few more...but I won't know for sure until Chris gets off the phone. He's talking with Delton about locations/places to live in Stillwater, OK. Delton is scoping out places for us, and keeping us out of the "bad" areas of town.
Things are happening so incredibly quickly! Last night we had dinner at our favorite diner--Vern and Bobby Ann's house! (That would be my sister's almost inlaws-aka....her inlaws-she gets married in like 1 month! eik!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
OK-so it's not a "diner", but they always are such good company and have such a wonderful meal. Chris and I are sad to be leaving the good home cooking and good company. : (
Oh, yesterday-it was such a good feeling-I QUIT!!!!!! well, officially anyway. I went in and told the guy who is in charge of the flight instructors-well, for lack of term-"chief flight instructor", anyway- (i was an independent contractor, but you get the idea!) ANYWHO- I went in and told him we had further opportunities and will be pursuing our Master's Degrees at Oklahoma State University, and we would be moving...and as of Sunday, I was quitting. SHOCK!!!!!!!!!!!
Well, they knew it was coming, but they didn't think it was ever actually going to come! So i think i caught him off guard...but guess what!? After Osh Kosh is real life, so WELCOME BACK TO REALITY! : ) I am, however, sad to be leaving my wonderful students. I will really miss them all. I have learned a LOT here in my short 4 months (wow! i have only been instructing there 4 months-it feels like way longer!) I have definitely grown as an individual, as well as an instructor. I have made some wonderful connections, as well as friends-and I will miss them all.
On another note, I got a JOB OFFER today in the KC area. It came this afternoon right as I was packing some boxes up. It was so weird! I can't remember the name of the company...but its job requirements were Commercial, Multi Engine!!! They wanted 4 (nights i think) days a week, cargo. Well, it sounded nice but since I'm already MOVING I had to turn him down. It was nice to make a 2 second decision without thinking about it really. We have had a LOT of decisions to make lately, and it was nice not to have to cloud my small head with one more thing to think about.
Well, until we meet again, have a lovely evening...I'm going box hunting again...wish me luck!
Today we got up and started packing. Last night we obtained boxes from a local store. I felt like a home-less person, looking for the best boxes to live in! Chris went down one aisle, I another-and we roped up as many boxes as we could. We each had a car full by the time we left. Today we filled nearly all of those boxes, and I think we'll go back for a few more...but I won't know for sure until Chris gets off the phone. He's talking with Delton about locations/places to live in Stillwater, OK. Delton is scoping out places for us, and keeping us out of the "bad" areas of town.
Things are happening so incredibly quickly! Last night we had dinner at our favorite diner--Vern and Bobby Ann's house! (That would be my sister's almost inlaws-aka....her inlaws-she gets married in like 1 month! eik!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
OK-so it's not a "diner", but they always are such good company and have such a wonderful meal. Chris and I are sad to be leaving the good home cooking and good company. : (
Oh, yesterday-it was such a good feeling-I QUIT!!!!!! well, officially anyway. I went in and told the guy who is in charge of the flight instructors-well, for lack of term-"chief flight instructor", anyway- (i was an independent contractor, but you get the idea!) ANYWHO- I went in and told him we had further opportunities and will be pursuing our Master's Degrees at Oklahoma State University, and we would be moving...and as of Sunday, I was quitting. SHOCK!!!!!!!!!!!
Well, they knew it was coming, but they didn't think it was ever actually going to come! So i think i caught him off guard...but guess what!? After Osh Kosh is real life, so WELCOME BACK TO REALITY! : ) I am, however, sad to be leaving my wonderful students. I will really miss them all. I have learned a LOT here in my short 4 months (wow! i have only been instructing there 4 months-it feels like way longer!) I have definitely grown as an individual, as well as an instructor. I have made some wonderful connections, as well as friends-and I will miss them all.
On another note, I got a JOB OFFER today in the KC area. It came this afternoon right as I was packing some boxes up. It was so weird! I can't remember the name of the company...but its job requirements were Commercial, Multi Engine!!! They wanted 4 (nights i think) days a week, cargo. Well, it sounded nice but since I'm already MOVING I had to turn him down. It was nice to make a 2 second decision without thinking about it really. We have had a LOT of decisions to make lately, and it was nice not to have to cloud my small head with one more thing to think about.
Well, until we meet again, have a lovely evening...I'm going box hunting again...wish me luck!
Monday, August 4, 2008
Chris and Robin are Moving!
Dear Friends,
Hello again! As many of you know, Chris lost his job at the beginning of July. Since then, we have both been working hard to look for whatever the next opportunity for us might be. This opportunity presented itself last week.
Chris and I will be moving to Oklahoma to attend Oklahoma State University for the Master’s Degree program. I will be working full time there (for Delton-for those of you who know him-i'll be working in an office : ), while attending classes-and Chris will be teaching a class on campus in the aviation program, while also attending classes. We will be getting our Master’s Degrees in Natural and Applied Science Aviation and Space. AKA-aviation/space master’s degree, which will put me one step closer to my ultimate goal of working with a space program, or even astronauts, and Chris closer to his goal of working for a university as a professor and possibly owning his own business someday.
Unfortunately, since school starts in 2 WEEKS! (eik!) I am sorry I cannot call each and every one of you, but there are a LOT of things that need to happen in the next couple of weeks, so I hope you understand why I have to email instead.
We are sad to leave KC so soon but looking forward to the opportunities which lie ahead. If you are interested, check out the degree at:
http://aviation2.okstate.edu/images/degreeplans/ms_aviation.pdf
PS-Even if we will be Okie's in a few weeks, I’ll always be a Wildcat at heart!!!!
Hello again! As many of you know, Chris lost his job at the beginning of July. Since then, we have both been working hard to look for whatever the next opportunity for us might be. This opportunity presented itself last week.
Chris and I will be moving to Oklahoma to attend Oklahoma State University for the Master’s Degree program. I will be working full time there (for Delton-for those of you who know him-i'll be working in an office : ), while attending classes-and Chris will be teaching a class on campus in the aviation program, while also attending classes. We will be getting our Master’s Degrees in Natural and Applied Science Aviation and Space. AKA-aviation/space master’s degree, which will put me one step closer to my ultimate goal of working with a space program, or even astronauts, and Chris closer to his goal of working for a university as a professor and possibly owning his own business someday.
Unfortunately, since school starts in 2 WEEKS! (eik!) I am sorry I cannot call each and every one of you, but there are a LOT of things that need to happen in the next couple of weeks, so I hope you understand why I have to email instead.
We are sad to leave KC so soon but looking forward to the opportunities which lie ahead. If you are interested, check out the degree at:
http://aviation2.okstate.edu/images/degreeplans/ms_aviation.pdf
PS-Even if we will be Okie's in a few weeks, I’ll always be a Wildcat at heart!!!!
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
The Root Canal
Sunday night we went on a flight with a student of mine and his wife. I flew first with his wife and did an intro--basic controls, and maneuvering-eventually I will teach her to land-in case something happens to her husband and she has to land the plane-as a safety back up. I think it's a great idea, especially since they will be flying a lot together.
After our short lesson, Chris hopped up front, and he and my student flew to Branson,MO for dinner. It was a fun flight down and back. The boys did all the "hard" work-watch the auto pilot, talk on the radios--while us ladies sat in the back and chit chatted about basic aviation stuff and just life in general. It was a lot of fun-and we really had a great time.
Monday my mom was in town for a class in relation to her business. She was able to have dinner with us last night, so that was nice. Chris slaved all day : ) wink wink : ) and we had a delicious roast and vegetables (crock pot meals are awesome!) It was great to have dinner with them both before Chris had to leave for softball. I really enjoyed catching up with my mom. I hadn't seen her since she got back from vacation and I'm glad we got that opportunity. Love you mom!
On Monday, i went back to the dentist, as I awoke early that morning with a pain in my mouth. I just had a filling last week, and they said to call and come in if i had any trouble with it. I was like-oh,ok-sure... GRR! So i had to go back in....and low and behold--i was issued the perscription of a root canal! BUMMER! So...I made the appt and got it all lined up to go in today.
So-I got all checked into the endodontics office for my hour long torture session. Yay. : ( However, the people were really nice, but as i have posted before-i'm not crazy about people putting their fingers in my mouth...if only i did not have such weak teeth! Anyway-I asked about why people need root canals-or how they occur-and I learned that when people are younger (like myself) if you have a cavity, and get it filled-it is possible that where the roots are in your teeth in relation to the cavity-sometimes the root can get irritated or inflamed... hence the reason my tooth was irritated. They told me that as you age, the roots recede. I HAVE NEVER WANTED TO BE OLD SO BAD IN MY LIFE!!!!!! : ) (but i suppose the next step of getting older is dentures if you lose all your teeth...so I think I'll pass on that!)
The assistant to the doctor got me all ready, took some pictures of my teeth, and prepped me for the doc. They numbed me up and my mouth felt like rubber. I hate being numb! As soon as I was completely numb where they were going to work on me-they put some stuff around my tooth and in my mouth so as not to gag me as they worked their magic on my tooth.
Soon the drilling started, the filing, and the swooshing of the water as they rinsed their work. It always makes me nervous having drilling done in my mouth-it was like a chorus of construction workers drilling on my tooth.
THEN-it always makes me kinda wonder if they know what they are doing when you hear the sound of surprise in their voice-oh-there's another one! I was thinking-another what?! monster? tooth? nerve? Pirate?! ARR matey! Then the doc said they were almost done as they spotted a 4th nerve they had to take care of .
As they finished up their last find in my tooth with that 4th nerve, I heard them call for the explorer-or some tool like that, followed by the Red, Yellow, Orange...and whatever other colors he was coloring on my tooth. It made me wonder if he was coloring my teeth before he was done. However, i was pleasantly surprised to see my tooth, still white when he was all done.
Overall, I have de-numbed and there is a slight tinge of irritation from them prodding on my tooth this morning. However, i am thrilled to not have to wake up in the middle of the night with a throbbing tooth! God bless the teeth doctors!
After our short lesson, Chris hopped up front, and he and my student flew to Branson,MO for dinner. It was a fun flight down and back. The boys did all the "hard" work-watch the auto pilot, talk on the radios--while us ladies sat in the back and chit chatted about basic aviation stuff and just life in general. It was a lot of fun-and we really had a great time.
Monday my mom was in town for a class in relation to her business. She was able to have dinner with us last night, so that was nice. Chris slaved all day : ) wink wink : ) and we had a delicious roast and vegetables (crock pot meals are awesome!) It was great to have dinner with them both before Chris had to leave for softball. I really enjoyed catching up with my mom. I hadn't seen her since she got back from vacation and I'm glad we got that opportunity. Love you mom!
On Monday, i went back to the dentist, as I awoke early that morning with a pain in my mouth. I just had a filling last week, and they said to call and come in if i had any trouble with it. I was like-oh,ok-sure... GRR! So i had to go back in....and low and behold--i was issued the perscription of a root canal! BUMMER! So...I made the appt and got it all lined up to go in today.
So-I got all checked into the endodontics office for my hour long torture session. Yay. : ( However, the people were really nice, but as i have posted before-i'm not crazy about people putting their fingers in my mouth...if only i did not have such weak teeth! Anyway-I asked about why people need root canals-or how they occur-and I learned that when people are younger (like myself) if you have a cavity, and get it filled-it is possible that where the roots are in your teeth in relation to the cavity-sometimes the root can get irritated or inflamed... hence the reason my tooth was irritated. They told me that as you age, the roots recede. I HAVE NEVER WANTED TO BE OLD SO BAD IN MY LIFE!!!!!! : ) (but i suppose the next step of getting older is dentures if you lose all your teeth...so I think I'll pass on that!)
The assistant to the doctor got me all ready, took some pictures of my teeth, and prepped me for the doc. They numbed me up and my mouth felt like rubber. I hate being numb! As soon as I was completely numb where they were going to work on me-they put some stuff around my tooth and in my mouth so as not to gag me as they worked their magic on my tooth.
Soon the drilling started, the filing, and the swooshing of the water as they rinsed their work. It always makes me nervous having drilling done in my mouth-it was like a chorus of construction workers drilling on my tooth.
THEN-it always makes me kinda wonder if they know what they are doing when you hear the sound of surprise in their voice-oh-there's another one! I was thinking-another what?! monster? tooth? nerve? Pirate?! ARR matey! Then the doc said they were almost done as they spotted a 4th nerve they had to take care of .
As they finished up their last find in my tooth with that 4th nerve, I heard them call for the explorer-or some tool like that, followed by the Red, Yellow, Orange...and whatever other colors he was coloring on my tooth. It made me wonder if he was coloring my teeth before he was done. However, i was pleasantly surprised to see my tooth, still white when he was all done.
Overall, I have de-numbed and there is a slight tinge of irritation from them prodding on my tooth this morning. However, i am thrilled to not have to wake up in the middle of the night with a throbbing tooth! God bless the teeth doctors!
Monday, July 28, 2008
Monday Again
Well, so it's Monday again. I know that day comes every week, but i wish it had the same ring as FRIDAY!!!!
It has been a busy last week. Chris' church had their assembly-where they all get together and do church stuff-like a church conference for 3-4 days last week. So we saw the whole gang-it was nice to see everyone. We even got to finish the week off by a nice lunch with Chris' parents--as I was working that week and didn't get to go to all the stuff and see them all week-so it was nice to catch up over lunch before they left town.
Chris and I pitched our tent on Friday. We were going to go "real" camping, but we didn't want to drive out to a state park, adn also decided that if we camped in our backyard, we could cook dinner, have a real bathroom, and hang out until it cooled off outside. So yes, we did a bit of pansy camping this time,but it was still fun. We didn't get to make smores, or breakfast over a campfire, but it was fun to put the tent up and listen to the bugs lull us to sleep. Well, at least me to sleep-i don't think chris slept very well-he said he was hot all night. That's too bad b/c i slept like a baby! I guess i spend quite a bit more time out in the heat than he does....so maybe that's part of it.
On Saturday morning, we went to worlds of fun and rode the roller coaster : The Patriot. It was a pretty good ride. I have to tell you-i loved it in the first row...and chris love the back row....it's one of those rides where your feet dangle over the side and there is a chest harness that comes over your head so you don't fall off...so i liked being able to see what was coming up and feeling like we were on the verge of falling off, whereas chris liked the ricochet effect of sitting in the back and nearly blacking out. To each their own.
Then we went to Oceans of fun for a bit of cooling off. I haven't really spent much time there, but it was fun to go to the water park. It wasn't nearly as crowded as I would have thought for a Saturday. We went on a few slides, and enjoyed soaking up some sun and chilling out. It was nice just to spend time together and hang out.
Today, my mom is in town for some business stuff, and we're having her over for dinner tonight!!! I'm excited to see her and hear about her worldly travels. I can't wait!
SO i guess this monday does have a happy ending!
It has been a busy last week. Chris' church had their assembly-where they all get together and do church stuff-like a church conference for 3-4 days last week. So we saw the whole gang-it was nice to see everyone. We even got to finish the week off by a nice lunch with Chris' parents--as I was working that week and didn't get to go to all the stuff and see them all week-so it was nice to catch up over lunch before they left town.
Chris and I pitched our tent on Friday. We were going to go "real" camping, but we didn't want to drive out to a state park, adn also decided that if we camped in our backyard, we could cook dinner, have a real bathroom, and hang out until it cooled off outside. So yes, we did a bit of pansy camping this time,but it was still fun. We didn't get to make smores, or breakfast over a campfire, but it was fun to put the tent up and listen to the bugs lull us to sleep. Well, at least me to sleep-i don't think chris slept very well-he said he was hot all night. That's too bad b/c i slept like a baby! I guess i spend quite a bit more time out in the heat than he does....so maybe that's part of it.
On Saturday morning, we went to worlds of fun and rode the roller coaster : The Patriot. It was a pretty good ride. I have to tell you-i loved it in the first row...and chris love the back row....it's one of those rides where your feet dangle over the side and there is a chest harness that comes over your head so you don't fall off...so i liked being able to see what was coming up and feeling like we were on the verge of falling off, whereas chris liked the ricochet effect of sitting in the back and nearly blacking out. To each their own.
Then we went to Oceans of fun for a bit of cooling off. I haven't really spent much time there, but it was fun to go to the water park. It wasn't nearly as crowded as I would have thought for a Saturday. We went on a few slides, and enjoyed soaking up some sun and chilling out. It was nice just to spend time together and hang out.
Today, my mom is in town for some business stuff, and we're having her over for dinner tonight!!! I'm excited to see her and hear about her worldly travels. I can't wait!
SO i guess this monday does have a happy ending!
Monday, July 21, 2008
Thinking of Mom
My sis sent me this today-just a cheerful column of saving $.
Love you Mom!
http://www.kansas.com/298/story/469342.html
Love you Mom!
http://www.kansas.com/298/story/469342.html
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Update: Both the Good and the Bad
Well, over the past two weeks, it has been an interesting ride.
On July 1st, Chris came home from work laid off. Two days later, his dad was on the way to the hospital in an ambulance with a stomach ulcer, and the following day was the 4th of July. Happy Holidays! Doesn't it always seem like the holidays bring busy times?! So, no, Chris does not have a job yet...but several prospects-so we'll keep you posted. Oh, and Yes, Terry is doing fine. He was in the hospital for a couple of days and then they released him back to work that Sunday, the 6th. Although...they told him to take it easy.
For me, I have been working hard, flying lots, and even have had Chris fill in for me on several flights just to keep up. I think being laid off was probably good for now-this has given him the flexibility to take some "fun flights" with students of mine...just to remember what it is to have fun...and not make every flight a bus trip with executives.
Also, this weekend we were supposed to go to Tarkio, MO for a fly out. BUT due to the weather, we did not go. So instead, we went over to a student of mine's hangar...and just had some soda, ate some bagels, etc and talked about life and airplanes. It was almost like having a BBQ...but we didn't cook out!
This was probably all for the best-as I was worn out from the past 2 weeks...and Chris and I haven't really had any down time, especially since I have been working late and pass out when I get home. So it has been great to have a couple of days of just chilling--just what we needed. Although-I did get a few calls today asking if I would go fly, and I guiltlessly said-nope-I am not going up today-I have plans (of chilling out and not working-but I didn't tell them that!)
Although, it's a good thing I didn't fly today because there was a blood drive at church this morning until 2pm. So, since Chris and I rarely get the opportunity that we are BOTH not flying, we decided to make it a date to go visit the vampires! We got there and did the usual check in procedures. Although, I did not pass the pre-test! : ( Usually, if I don't pass, it's due to low Iron count...however-I passed that by like 1.5 points! Go ME! BUT---get this---I had low blood pressure....I'm no pro...but I had about 86 or 88/60...whatever that means....and I had to have a 90/60 to be able to give blood today : ( Oh well...maybe another day...it's not the first time they have told me to come back...I am just sad because I know they need blood, yet they keep turning my good blood away : (
On the other hand, Chris was able to donate-but it had been a couple of years since the last time he gave...so he took it easy and rested up this afternoon.
To top the day off, we went out to a nice dinner at Piropo's here in KC. It is a fancy restaurant, but we received a gift certificate to there for a wedding gift, so we thought we'd give it a try. The food was excellent (in my humble opinion-although Chris said his usual-it was ok) But-Chris did say that the "plating" was very nice! We have been watching the "Next Food Network Star" on TV lately-and food presentation has been part of the running joke between us when we make dinner.
Overall, even though it has been awhile since I have updated the world...we have been doing good. We are glad to have hurtles come across our path to strengthen us and give us the opportunity to grow. And, as I always say-everything happens for a reason.
Until Next Time, Cheerio.
~R
On July 1st, Chris came home from work laid off. Two days later, his dad was on the way to the hospital in an ambulance with a stomach ulcer, and the following day was the 4th of July. Happy Holidays! Doesn't it always seem like the holidays bring busy times?! So, no, Chris does not have a job yet...but several prospects-so we'll keep you posted. Oh, and Yes, Terry is doing fine. He was in the hospital for a couple of days and then they released him back to work that Sunday, the 6th. Although...they told him to take it easy.
For me, I have been working hard, flying lots, and even have had Chris fill in for me on several flights just to keep up. I think being laid off was probably good for now-this has given him the flexibility to take some "fun flights" with students of mine...just to remember what it is to have fun...and not make every flight a bus trip with executives.
Also, this weekend we were supposed to go to Tarkio, MO for a fly out. BUT due to the weather, we did not go. So instead, we went over to a student of mine's hangar...and just had some soda, ate some bagels, etc and talked about life and airplanes. It was almost like having a BBQ...but we didn't cook out!
This was probably all for the best-as I was worn out from the past 2 weeks...and Chris and I haven't really had any down time, especially since I have been working late and pass out when I get home. So it has been great to have a couple of days of just chilling--just what we needed. Although-I did get a few calls today asking if I would go fly, and I guiltlessly said-nope-I am not going up today-I have plans (of chilling out and not working-but I didn't tell them that!)
Although, it's a good thing I didn't fly today because there was a blood drive at church this morning until 2pm. So, since Chris and I rarely get the opportunity that we are BOTH not flying, we decided to make it a date to go visit the vampires! We got there and did the usual check in procedures. Although, I did not pass the pre-test! : ( Usually, if I don't pass, it's due to low Iron count...however-I passed that by like 1.5 points! Go ME! BUT---get this---I had low blood pressure....I'm no pro...but I had about 86 or 88/60...whatever that means....and I had to have a 90/60 to be able to give blood today : ( Oh well...maybe another day...it's not the first time they have told me to come back...I am just sad because I know they need blood, yet they keep turning my good blood away : (
On the other hand, Chris was able to donate-but it had been a couple of years since the last time he gave...so he took it easy and rested up this afternoon.
To top the day off, we went out to a nice dinner at Piropo's here in KC. It is a fancy restaurant, but we received a gift certificate to there for a wedding gift, so we thought we'd give it a try. The food was excellent (in my humble opinion-although Chris said his usual-it was ok) But-Chris did say that the "plating" was very nice! We have been watching the "Next Food Network Star" on TV lately-and food presentation has been part of the running joke between us when we make dinner.
Overall, even though it has been awhile since I have updated the world...we have been doing good. We are glad to have hurtles come across our path to strengthen us and give us the opportunity to grow. And, as I always say-everything happens for a reason.
Until Next Time, Cheerio.
~R
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)