Merry Christmas

Just a quick hello to all and a Merry Christmas. We have spent the time off in Oregon so far and leave for Idaho today. Once we get to Idaho, it will be the first time all 6 brothers, Stacy, and Elaine will be in the same place at the same time in 7.5 years. Myself, Melissa (Wes' wife), and Chiara (Dallen's fiance) will also be there so it'll be nice to have the family together for once. We'll be getting family pictures done and enjoying the snow.

We'll be back in Mississippi for the New Year and then back to work. We still have no word on Zed's start date for UPT and the baby is doing great. We've gotten tired of not having a name for her so I think we've finally picked one. Once we know for sure we'll pass it along.

Again, Merry Christmas. We hope everyone had a good holiday and is able to stick to those resolutions that will be made next week.

Pictures

These are not the most flattering of pictures, but they work.

9wks to Go

With 9wks to go the belly is getting mighty big. Once Zed gets home we'll take pictures and get them up. 

We have moved into our home on base and are mostly all unpacked. The cable and internet is hooked up and we're in the process of getting our washer and dryer connected. They gave us the washer and dryer, but forgot to include all the cords. 

Zed has an unofficial start date for pilot training...15 Feb 2013. That also happens to be the baby's due date.  His date may get pushed back to 15 March 2013 or it may stay the same. We should hear something next week or after the Christmas Break.

We travel to Oregon next Friday and we're both really excited to be back out west and be with family. It will also be our first chance to meet the soon to be new sister-in-law, Dallen's fiance Chiara! 

We hope everyone is doing well.

We Have A House

We got word today that there is an open house on base that we can move into. We accepted and will start moving in on Friday 7 December (a little over a week). It's a 3 bedroom 2.5 bath. Tow story duplex with a 2 car garage. A link to the floor plan is below. We already know the address so if you would like it let us know and we'll get it to you. We'll get pictures on here once we're moved in.

http://www.columbusfamilyhousing.com/files_columbus/floor_plans14.pdf

Together

We got word today that Zed will be moving up to Columbus this weekend! It's about a month earlier than we expected, but we are really excited. We put in our paperwork to get a base on house as well so we'll hopefully find out about when we would be moving by next week, possibly this week.

Zed has his physical fitness test tomorrow morning (sit ups, push ups, run) and then will work the rest of the day. He'll continue to outprocess and work on Thursday and Friday and then this weekend we'll start moving him out. On Monday he'll show up to Columbus AFB and inprocess. That includes a lot of running around base, filling out tons of paperwork, and packing up the apartment so we're ready to move once we get a house.

We'll keep you all updated on when we get a house.

6 month pics

HE PASSED!!!

On Saturday Zed had his solo flight. It took a little longer than usual due to his Instructor Pilot (IP) wanting to see a few skills first, but he passed without problem.

Yesterday he had a pre-check ride. He did really well on it and spent the remainder of the day studying for his check ride and General Knowledge test. He had both of these today. 

He's currently working on out processing so I haven't gotten much info on either I just know he passed. I'll try to get more information out of him and get pictures to put up. 

Zed will be spending Thanksgiving with the Bringhursts, family friends that we spent a lot of weekends with when at the Academy.

I am safely at my parent's house in Maryland and will be spending the rest of the week with them. 

We hope you all have an amazing Thanksgiving. 

All by Himself

Zed had his solo flight today. It was 30min of him, the airplane, and no one else. He has two more flights and then graduation. Once he gets me pictures I'll be sure to put them up.

Be looking for a post on the 21st about his final flights.

Veteran's Day Weekend

Zed and I both had the 3 day weekend off so I flew out to Colorado and we spent it together. After a crazy sequence of events on my flight out, I was lucky to only arrive an hour late. I was greeted with my lungs yearning for oxygen, freezing rain, and my amazing husband with a bouquet of lilies. After 3 weeks apart it was really nice to see each other. 

I was able to see where Zed has been eating, working, and sleeping. Imagine a warehouse, turned into a holiday inn. The first floor is broken into conference rooms (flight rooms), a gym, and a cafeteria. There is also an office (where they pick up mail) and a reception desk that guests check in to. On the upper levels are dorm sized rooms complete with 2 twin beds, a full bathroom, two desks, a refrigerator, microwave, and TV. There are also laundry rooms spaced throughout. I didn't get any pictures, but hopefully when he finishes up I'll be able to post them for you all to see. 

I was able to get into a practice cockpit of DA-20 (what Zed is flying). He was very particular about sitting on the right side (where he sits while flying) and laughed at me when I had trouble getting back out...it was the big belly. 

He is doing very well in training overall. It seems he flys a lot better when there isn't an instructor telling him what he's messed up. He catches himself if he's given a moment to breathe. He is strongest at the preflight stuff and parking. His biggest challenge is radio calls. 

At this point Zed has completed 9 flights. He had a double turn (two flights in one day) today. If there are no cancellations due to weather and if he doesn't fail a ride he will graduate on Saturday. He is hoping he'll have one day off and graduate on Monday, but he is flying on Saturday. 

His solo flight should be Thursday if everything goes to plan. He'll be up flying above Colorado for 30min by himself...pray for him. 

The rest of the weekend we spent with the Bringhurst's. We tried out my birthday present (S&W Shield 9mm) from Zed. We used frozen pumpkins as targets. We also ate at Crave, one of our favorite restaurants there and studied a lot for Zed's rides this week. 

I had a doctor's appointment today. The baby is growing well and kicking like crazy. Her heart beat ranges between 140 and 150. I enter the third trimester this week. We took pictures of my growing belly, but since they're on Zed's camera, you'll have to wait until we're back together and I can get them. 

We also put in for on base housing today. They're 3 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath, have a two car garage and more than enough room for people to come and visit. We will hopefully hear when we're able to start moving in within the next few weeks, keep your fingers crossed. 

I think we're all caught up now. Zed has a crazy week of flying, I have a crazy week of work and Thanksgiving is next week. I will be spending the holiday with my family in Maryland and Zed will be spending it in Colorado with the Bringhursts. 

Happy holidays everyone and remember the meaning of this upcoming holiday. 

Zed Update

I was able to talk to him last night and this morning. After today's flight he will have 7 flights under his belt which is over half way. He hasn't failed a flight yet and the only thing he's struggling with is radio calls.

He is currently up in the air above Pueblo, CO. Today's flight is all about stalling the aircraft and recovering successfully one of his least favorite maneuvers.

I fly out to Colorado early tomorrow morning and my weekend will be filled with spending time with my amazing husband and helping him get a handle on these radio calls.

If any of you are interested in sending Zed a motivational e-mail or letter, let me know and I'll get you his address. The more well wishes and support we can send him, the better he'll do.

Lots of Updates

Zed: He has a whole week of flying. He's got his phone turned off so he can focus, but in talking to friends who are there with him he is keeping up and doing well. So far so good. By this time he has 3-4 of his 12 flights done. If the weather continues to cooperate with them he should be finished with IFS a day or two before Thanksgiving. That means he'll spend the holiday with his sponsors (family friends) and then drive home.

Sam: I turned 22 this past weekend. I spent it with my first sponsor family. They had a little party for me (burgers and cheesecake...my favorite!) and my parents had sent some gifts for me to open. I also finished up my class. I got a 100% on the practical (computer based) portion and 100% on the written portion. I have two days of work this week and then on Saturday I'll be flying to Colorado for the long weekend (Veteran's Day so it's a 3 day weekend). I'm super excited to see Zed. I'll get as much information as I can out of him about IFS so I can catch you all up.

Baby Davies: She is doing well. She likes to kick her momma in the bladder, but I've gotten used to it. She's at the 26 week point so she's getting big weighing over a pound and measuring over a foot. She still has no name and we probably won't decide on one until the day she's born. We are registered at Target and Babies R Us for anyone who is interested.

The World: Yesterday was election day. Not everyone was happy with the results, but they are what they are. Zed and I are responsible for defending those things which were chosen. All part of the job.

Look for an update either this weekend or Tuesday from the weekend. I hope everyone is doing well and no one has lost total faith in this country.

Quick Update

Zed's flight for today got canceled. He was going to be at two flights while some would still have none so they gave his spot to someone else. His next flight will be 9:30 AM on Monday.

Today he focused on studying, working out, and catching up on some much needed sleep. This weekend he will be doing much of the same.

Today I drove to Niceville, FL where one of my sponsor families from the Academy now lives. I'll be spending the weekend with them and heading back to Keesler AFB in Biloxi, MS on Sunday to finish up class next week.

Have a great weekend!

He's a flier...yup, yup, yup

So today was the big day for Zed. In the morning he had a test that he had to pass to continue on with training. He passed with room to spare.

His first flight took place 1230 mountain time. With it being his first time flying a plane the instructor was impressed at how natural it came to him. Zed said there were times that it was overwhelming, but tonight he studied for 4hrs and feels ready to go back up again. The flight lasted about an hour and twenty minutes and he was able to watch his instructor do things and also accomplish things on his own. There were times when the instructor had to ask Zed to level out the plane because he (the instructor) was getting air sick. Zed thankfully had no problems with that.

His next flight is at 1200 mountain time tomorrow. It will be the same flight he took today, he'll just be doing all/the majority of the flying this time.

Though not officially a pilot yet, he is one step closer to sewing the wings on his uniform.

If Only...

If Only...Zed and I were this good at academics at the Academy, life would have been a tad easier for us.

He took another written test today. If everyone (over 100 students) passed then they no longer had to wear blues (slacks and button down shirt uniform) and were then allowed to wear flight suits. Well, everyone passed and Zed again did very well at it.

Hurricane Sandy had knocked out the server to the classified computer system I'm learning how to use. It came back on this morning and we took three tests. I thankfully understood the material and did very well on all of them. This course is worth 2 college credits for the enlisted personnel in the class (credits not offered to officers due to already having degrees) so many of them are stressing over doing well, interesting to see the dynamics between officer and enlisted in the same course.

Sandy flooded much of Allen, but no damage was done to my parent's or grandparent's home. Our beloved yacht club flooded unfortunately and will take quite a bit of repairs. My family spent the day helping clear roads in the area and helping families who had some damage to their homes.

Hope you all are enjoying the pick up in updates. Updates will be flowing from now on. Between Zed and pilot training, holiday travels, and the baby many things are happening in the Davies Family lives. Hope all is well in your neck of the woods.

Quick Update

Zed: Got a 90% on his physical fitness test!

Sam: Currently at Keesler AFB learning how to use a classified computer system.

Sam's Family: Though the lawn of my parent's home is flooded the house is safe. So far so good. They lost power for about 3hrs, but it's back on now.

Zed is Accomplishing his Dream

Since he was young, Zed wanted to be a pilot. Yesterday he in-processed at IFS in Pueblo, CO. He'll be there for about 4wks learning the basic techniques of flying. I'll post updates as I get them from him.

Today he had a PT test and a written test, he passed both! Those were followed by two academic sessions. He took some time off studying to attend the AF Football game. (AF won and is now 1 win away form being bowl eligible). This weekend he'll be studying some more in preparation for a near full week of academics coming up and preparing for the run portion of the PT test that will take place on Monday.

His first flight will be Thursday (called his Dollar Flight, not sure why), but it's sole purpose seems to be to knock them down and make sure they can handle the pressure. The first couple flights are intended to figure out if the students get air sickness or not. The next few flights they get used to flying the plane and by the 8th flight they should be improving at a rapid pace or they wash out. There are no quotas on the number of passes or failures. It is all up to the student and their willingness to seek help if they need it.

He's excited and ready to see how he does. He's in C Flight, which is the chill flight he says. B Flight was put at attention today and reciting things as if it was basic training again. Zed's roommate is a classmate of ours who was in CS-3 so neither of us knew him since he lived in the other dorm. They get along great and seem to be the perfect pair.

The briefing room, flight rooms (there are 4 flights), cafeteria (all meals are mandatory during the week), gym, and dorm rooms are in the same building. I'll try to get pictures from him so it's easier to picture.

That's about all the news I got from him. He isn't allowed to have his phone on him during the day and will be studying every night so he asks that people keep communication low and to the weekends. Keep him in your prayers and I'll have another update next weekend!

Week 23

23 weeks in! Pictures of the growing belly are below. Zed leaves for IFS tomorrow. I will be posting updates of his progress on here as I get it. He will be keeping his phone off for the majority of the time so he can focus on passing. I promise to share all updates I get as soon as I get them. This will be 4 - 5 weeks of studying, flying, and Zed doing his best to come out on top. If you want to learn more about the program the link is attached. Hope everyone is doing well.

http://www.baseops.net/militarypilot/usaf_ift.html

Great News!

So after about 4 months of traveling every weekend to see each other, Zed will be making a final journey to Columbus, MS in a couple months. His current base is getting shut down to AF pilots and they are reassigning him to my base. His IFS date will stay the same, but he will be getting a new start date for UPT.

This will not only shorten the time before he starts to fly, but means we will be together to raise out daughter. We're both very excited and realize we'll have to relearn how to live together, but it's better to be together.

More pictures of my pregnant belly will be up soon. I'm finally starting to realize I'm getting big. My clothes not fitting, was a pretty good indication.

Week 19 pictures

Sorry I'm not smiling, Zed isn't the greatest at getting me smiling :) Things are going well. Mom and baby are both healthy and Dad is excited to spoil a little girl. She'll end up being the best dressed cowgirl.

Boy or Girl??

17 weeks down

Due Date: February 15th, 2013
Gender: Find out September 17th, 2012

Meet Baby Davies

1 Month In

After one month, life has settled down some. We're both working, we both have a place, and we have figured out a weekend routine.

Hurricane Isaac...
Zed was able to evacuate up here for a few days. He left early this morning to get back for work. From what he's told me, when he returned nothing was really different. Up here in Columbus we got a day of rain, but little wind

Life is going really well. Big things are happening and we're both really excited where the future goes.

If there are specific things you want to know, please comment on the post and we'll get your questions answered.

Welcome to Real Life

Well, it's been almost 2wks since we've started real life. We have been able to spend both weekends together, visiting the other's "home town" and new ward.

Zed has settled into NAS Whiting Field. Until he starts pilot training he is referred to as stash. They "stash" the AF guys in random jobs to keep them busy. Zed works for NATOPS, no idea what it stands for, but he basically is learning how to run a copier and runs errands. He has settled into the campground and made friends with the owners it seems. He has begun stock piling in case a hurricane ever hits, but his emergency plan is to drive up to Columbus and stay with me if he has to evacuate.

I will finally begin my job tomorrow. I did orientation and random duties until they decided where to put me. I will be the base Readiness Officer. My job includes deployments, accountability, search and rescue, plans, and emergency management. The majority of my job is updating and ensuring things are ready to be seen at all times. If an exercise or emergency hits, I have to know how to handle and how to control the base. My host family is awesome. I will be moving into my apartment in 2wks and I'm excited to start controlling more than just my job.

Zed and I will be apart for the next week and a half. Zed is helping out with scouts in Florida and I'm planning on organizing the stuff I have here and getting things done at work. I will be taking 10 days off in order to move into my apartment and I want to get as much stuff done before I'm gone for 2wks.

All in all, life is going great. Zed and I are settling in and we're really confident about the future. I'll post again probably next week when we know more about the exact move in date for me. Hope all is going well with all of you.

Day 1

I know I have the last few days of leave to catch up on. Today is day one of being separated. We said goodbye and headed off.

Zed had a ten minute drive to whiting and I have a four hour drive to Columbus.

We'll be seeing each other again in a few weeks.

I'll be sure to catch up on the last few days of leave tonight.

Day 53

Took off for Orlando. We stopped at a western store to get new jeans. We saw a pirate dinner show.

A relatively low key day. We're spending the last litter bit of vacation we have together.

Day 52

Thank yous are all finished. We have a few more to address, but that's the easy part.

We also were able to work on fixing the camper up and sorted out Florida residency.

The day was concluded by seeing Ice Age 4...funny movie.

Day 51

We checked out Zed's new base and the surrounding area. He was able to decide which place is best for him.

We also saw the movie Brave and I found a place to stay while my apartment is being set up. Everything is coming together.

Day 50

We continued our journey and ended in Niceville, FL. My first sponsor family lives here. Zed and I were welcomed with open arms and a great lunch.

We unloaded my car and some of Zed's stuff in their attic. We'll be moving it out once my apartment opens up.

We had a good time catching up and enjoying once again to have an air conditioned home to sleep in. Thank you Hendricks!

Day 49

We started the morning off by touring Talladega International Speedway. We were able to see the track and winner's circle. The track is at a 33* bank, we were able to drive up it in our tour bus and feel just how steep that is.

We also toured the Speedway Hall of Fame. There were race cars of all shapes and sizes. There were planes and motorcycles as well. Zed liked looking at all of them and figuring out how they worked.

We drove to Columbus, MS and saw my new home. We stopped by my apartment complex to make sure things were squared away and caught up with some friends.

Ending in Mobile, we drove through a crazy thunderstorm that had lightening the shattered the sky. There were a few times we thought there was a lightening strike right next to the car.

Day 48

We drove a lot again. We say Atlanta and ended up stopping in Talladega. There's not much to say about this day, mostly just driving.

We have made it over 700 honks.

Day 47

Our first day of driving separate cars. We safely made it to Raleigh and in time for the concert. The departure was slightly delayed by a blown camper tire, but we were able to fix it and continue on our way.

Though hot, the concert was a of fun. Brantley Gilbert opened and Toby was a lot of fun to watch. He interacted a lot with the audience and you could tell he just loved to preform.

Pictures Galore

Country Fest

backstage during Kellie Pickler

Meet and Great with Big n Rich and Cowboy Troy

Final night Barrel O Fries

Iron Mine

Bear Ranch

Bear Cubs

Zed at Lake Michigan

Trout Capital of the Nation

Bottle Cap Museum and Cage

Seated Lumberjack

Tridge

Cheese curds in Pinconning, MI

20' tall rocking chair

largest bronze statue of bears in the world

NK Whitney Store

Longest covered bridge in the US

Niagara Falls

random gorilla

only road under the Erie Canal

Moroni Monument

Stacy and Pop Fiddler relaxing at MD reception

Day 46

My mom is up at Dover AFB working this weekend, but the rest of the family is going on a boat ride down the river. This afternoon may be filled with seeing the newest Ice Age movie or going a little farther north and hanging out on the river for a little longer.

We are leaving the good ol Eastern Shore tomorrow and ending in Raleigh, NC where we have our final concert...Toby Keith.

Day 45

Caught up once more.

Yesterday was a fairly relaxing day. We were able to get our insurances put together and we packed Zed's truck with another 1000lbs of stuff. The more weight we can get, the better. More thank yous were also written. I think we are now up to 7 or 8 books of stamps used.

Zed and Abby went and swam at the pool. Zed is still getting ready for Navy training and Abby just enjoys working on her tan.

We had a huge family cookout last night. We stayed up late talking and just enjoying it being a Friday.

Day 45

Beach Day!

We went to Ocean City and walked the boardwalk. We dropped Abby off with family and she enjoyed getting some sun. On the boardwalk you come across all sorts of characters. We ate some ice cream and looked in many of the shops, finding nothing that jumped out and said "BUY ME!"

Zed was introduced to the Shorebirds. It is the hometown minor league team that feeds into the Orioles. It was cheap fun. He also tried Dippin' Dots for the first time. I think he enjoyed them. We left at the 8th inning and the Shorebirds were ahead 3-2.

Day 44

Packing Day!!

We weighed both my car and Zed's truck in the morning. While Zed expertly packed my car, I continued to write thank yous. He was able to fit 700 extra pounds of stuff in and still give me my mirrors to see out of.

Zed was introduced to the Wicomico Yacht Club. He met everyone. They all wanted to see who he was and find out all about the ranch. I grew up working at the club for about 6 years so they are all slightly protective. It was a fun night which ended with showing Zed the yachts members owned.

Day 43

We ran a ton of errands this day. I am officially a Davies according to the government and we spent almost all of our Bed Bath and Beyond gift cards. We got some sheets, mattress topper, bowls, and flatware. We appreciate everyone who gave us those gift cards.

We got my oil changed and also finalized an apartment for me to live in. It will be a 2 bedroom 2 bath on the second floor and it's about 10min away from base. I will have plenty of room for company or a room for Zed to study in when he comes to visit.

We finished the day with a family dinner at Granny and Pop Fiddler's house where we ate some of Granny's famous Sheppard's Pie.

Day 42

We finished taking down things from the party and the rental people collected the tables. We did more things around the house to help out my parents and started packing stuff up in preparation to leave.

The majority of the day was consumed with writing tons of thank you cards. We finished 3/4 of them and mailed them off. I think we have gone through 6 books of stamps so far.

We also went over to an Allen patrons house and visited. Ms. Colb was very excited to have some company and figure out just who Zed was.

Sorry, it was kind of a slow news days.

Day 41

Zed took his parents to the nearby beaches to show them the wild ponies and the crazy tourists. They were able to get some ice cream and fudge.

We all then met up at the Crab House and showed Stacy how to pick crabs like a true Eastern Shorer...no knives or mallets, just your hands. Stacy did resort to eating a little chicken because the crabs weren't filling enough. Once Rachael, my cousin, started giving him the claws he was able to fill up a little better.

We said goodbye to Elaine and Stacy and the rest of us headed back to Allen.

Day 40

Party Day!

We all woke up early and got to work. We had to arrange the tables, set up the chairs and decorate. We were able to finish a little early and enjoy the air conditioning of the house before the ceremony and reception began.

The temperature was 115* and in our wedding clothes we could feel it. The ceremony was short and very well written. My grandfather is known for his prayers so we asked him to officiate the ceremony. He did an amazing job writing it and keeping it short but extremely meaningful.

We quickly changed into cooler clothes and spent the evening talking to people and eventually dancing once it cooled down. My parents can throw a great party and we greatly appreciate all the family and friends that came.

Now that we're in one place for a little bit, I promise to get some much needed pictures up. Try to stay cool and look for today's post later tonight.

Day 39

We took a road trip to West Virginia where we spent the day with a friend of Zed's from the mission. Pete Duff is a super nice guy who is a rising senior at West Point.

We were able to go to the driving range and teach both Zed and I how to drive a ball. By the end we were doing pretty well.

At 4:30 we picked up Zed's parents from the airport in Baltimore and drove back to the good ol Eastern Shore. We ate some amazing homemade Mac n Cheese and spent more time with family who drove in for the big party.

Day 38

We arrived in Allen around 10 in the morning. We got the camper hooked up to power, started up the AC and took a swim in the pool. We then headed over to my house and helped set up for the reception. We had fun spending time with family and tried to avoid the heat as much as possible.

We had a big family dinner underneath the circus tent that was rented and got to bed. A pretty uneventful day, but it was nice to finally unhook the camper and relax for a few days.

Day 37

Happy Belated 4th of July!

Sorry posts haven't been coming. We've been in my home town enjoying the final reception. For fourth of July we started off by getting Zed an ice cream at 9am. He loves his soft serve.

We went through the publishing site of the first order of the Book of Mormon. It was neat to see the process of how a book in general was made back then. But to realize they ordered 5,000 copies and all the work that took was astounding. We then went to Hill Cumorah and visited the Moroni monument.

We drove to the Peter Whitmer farm and saw where the Book of Mormon was completed being translated. We also learned that conference was held there in 1980.

The rest of the day was a lot of driving. We saw a mini statue of liberty in the middle of the Susquehanna River and attempted to find gravity hill. We had some difficulty getting the camper there so we never got to roll backwards up hill.

We saw about 20 different firework shows as we continued driving throughout the night. We finally stopped in Dover, DE for the night. We attempted to make it back to Allen, but just got too tired.

Day 36

Yesterday was quite a bit of driving. We saw a pink elephant pulling a giant wine barrel in Portland, NY to start of the day. We drove and saw Niagara Falls. Once we went in for lunch a horrible rain storm came along and all those people who had waited for seats outside in order to see the falls were soon running inside with plates of drenched food.

We drove along the Erie Canal and saw the only road that goes under it. With the camper we're too tall, but we did walk under it.

We then drove to Palmyra, NY where we toured the Smith farm and walked through the sacred grove. We finished the day with a session at the Palmyra temple.

Day 35

Some quick notes from the previous day: we passed a lady riding on the back of a motorcycle and reading a nook...it started raining shortly after and she hid it. We stopped at the 2nd largest Cabela's in the nation. There was also a crazy storm that hit as soon as we parked. The hail ranged from pea sized to grape size...no damage on the truck or camper thankfully.

We spent the majority of the day going on every ride possible in the park. We got early enter since we slept at the resort and that helped out a lot. Zed was not fond of the lines or humidity, but still had fun. We finished around 130 and went to Pink's for lunch. It's a hot dog place that originated in LA.

We drove to Kirtland, OH and saw the LDS sites there. We saw the first temple the saints built and the famous Newel K Whitney store where many sections of the Doctrine and Covenants were revealed.

We also took a picture at a 20ft tall rocking chair and the longest covered bridge in the US. We stopped for the night at a truck stop in Conneaut, OH.

I promise there will be a picture post once we get to Maryland. There was no internet at Cedar Point.

Catch Up

Sorry it's been so long. We wanted to surprise my dad parents in Michigan and knew they were constantly checking the blog. Now...time to catch you all up.

Day 28
We entered into the upper peninsula of Michigan this day. We toured an iron mine and drove around what used to be Sawyer air force base. Some of the buildings are now being used by the logging companies but the majority of the buildings are just standing empty. It was an erie sight to see, they just left and all left behind was the shell.

We went to Pictured Rocks national park. In the pictures that will be coming later today you'll see what that was like. We pulled over in Newberry, MI for the night.

Day 29
We started off our day at Oswald Bear Ranch. We were able to feed them and watch the cubs play. If you're ever in that area, it's worth a stop.

We then drove up to the border to Sault St Marie. We watched ships use the locks to go between lakes superior and huron. There is a 21 foot difference between the two.

Crossing the Mackinac Bridge was uneventful. A mile above the water, clear sky, and no wind. Zed had no issues pulling it over.

We walked around Sleeping Bear Dunes and finished the day east of Traverse City.

This day We drove through the bear and moose capitals of Michigan and the trout capital of the nation.

Day 30
Our first stop was the Fisherman's shrine. It was A fountain with a giant trout in it. We also stopped to see a giant sitting lumberjack.

We had breakfast at Dawson's cafe. It is an old fashioned diner that has coke things everywhere. It is also a bottle cap museum.

We continued east and stopped at a cheese factory in Pinconning. Zed was finally able to introduce me to cheese curds, they're not too bad.

We went and saw a tridge in midland and then set off for the Detroit temple. We dropped the camper first in Bay City at the state park. We did a session at the temple and then got to bed so we could wake up early and surprise the family.

Day 31
We got to Grannie and Pop-Pop Berthiaume's house around 1030. As we rang the door bell Aunt Cheryl walked up and didn't realize we were trying to get into her house. They were all very surprised when Zed and I showed up a day early.

We spent the day hanging out with them and getting Zed caught up on that side of the family.We finished the day by eating at a steak house and then returning to the campground.

Day 32
We went back to the grandparents house the next morning and spent more time catching up. My dad and sister came in and then we took everyone to check out the camper. We had a fun day and picked my mom up from the airport that night.

Zed and I went back to the camper and sat around the camp fire with my cousins who camped next to us. I went to bed early and Zed stayed up late with the guys hearing stories about my dad when he was younger.
Day 33
This day was reception number 2. It was a great time and I saw a lot of family I hadn't seen for about 6 years. Zed tried to keep up with names and how everyone was related and did a pretty good job at it.

While the adults relaxed we all went to the pool. One of my cousins taught Zed how to tread water and how to better do strokes to last longer. He's trying to get ready for survival training.

We spent more time at my grandparents house and headed back to the state park and sat around the fire again. We appreciate all the family who came to the reception, it was to see you all.

Day 34
Well, I'm caught up. It's today! We got the camper ready to pull out and went to spend some last hours with the grandparents, my aunt, and my uncle.

Zed and my dad were trying to fix their fence and during my grandfather lost the fight with the hose. Zed had to drive him to the hospital to get a few stitches. He's doing fine, but will get a cool scar out of the deal.

While at the hospital my dad got a call to grab me and go back to the camper. The local news was out there and wanted to hear about our travels and life as a new married couple. I picked Zed up from the hospital and we went to be interviewed.

After we hooked up and drove off. We're currently outside Ann Arbor and on our way to Sandusky, OH. We're going to Cedar Point, an amusement park, tomorrow.

When we park tonight, we should have internet and I'll post pictures from the past week.

Day 27

Our final day in Cadott, WI and probably the one we will remember the best.

We saw Craig Campbell, Lee Brice, Kellie Pickler, Big & Rich, Cowboy Troy, and Keith Urban today. We were able to go on a backstage tour and watch Kellie from the wing of the stage. We also had a meet and greet with Big & Rich and Cowboy Troy. Cowboy Troy is huge.

Fun day and tomorrow we're off to Northern Wisconsin or the Western UP of Michigan...depending how far Zed wants to drive.

Funny outfit of the day:
A ton of matching outfits, but the best was a group of moms dressed like hula dancers.

Til tomorrow

Two Days in One

Day 25
We saw Chris Cagle, Easton Corbin, Billy Currington, and Sugarland Friday night. We also started to see some interesting drunk people. A group of guys walked past us all dressed in kimonos with flip flops. About 2min later another man walked past us in a kimono, but wearing Geta sandals as well. We're enjoying watching the people.

                                              

Day 26
Yesterday was fun. Because we had made friends with the VIP booth we were able to get meet and greet passes for Joe Nichols. He's a tall guy. We saw Steve Holy, Phil Vassar, Joe Nichols, Band Perry and Brad Paisley all preform. It was another great night of country music. The most interesting outfit of the day was people dressed as Scooby Doo characters.


Today is our final day in Cadott (pronounced Kah-Dot), WI. We're hoping to get a back stage tour and more meet and greets. I'll try to get pictures from the past few days up tomorrow morning.

Day 24

We've been married for 4wks today and we haven't killed each other yet :) We're doing great and loving the time we have together now before we split at the end of July.

We started the day off with driving over into Minnesota and went to the temple outside St. Paul. It was another mini temple, our 5th temple total, and our 4th time being the witness couple. We're loving being able to attend and do sessions so often. Once at our bases we'll be about 3hrs away from the nearest temple, something we're not used to when the Denver Temple we went to frequently because it was so close.

We came back to the camper and relaxed for a few hours before we showed up to Country Fest 2012. The Line up for today was Rodney Atkins, Sara Evans and Dierks Bentley.

We're off to bed, plan on sleeping in and doing laundry before going back to Fest for another full day of country music.

Funny Sign of the Day:
Buy your Beer, Liquor, Knives, and Fireworks here....I feel like it's not safe to sell those together

Picture Time

Side Notes that I've forgotten....

- In Chicago I introduced Zed to Shirley Temples...part grenadine and part Sprite

- Zed and I had are first matching day...we both walked out in khaki shorts and Race for the Cure T-shirts without noticing what the other was putting on

- We drove through Oregon, Illinois and Altamont, MO. Oregon is where Zed is from and Altamont (Utah) is where Zed's dad grew up. 

Day 23

WAHOOO! We have internet once again. I will do a picture post as soon as I can...either tonight or tomorrow morning.

This morning we went to Noah's Ark water park. It's free for military for the month of June so it was cheap fun. We did every slide and finished in the lazy river. We played from 10am (opening of park) to 1pm.

We then hopped in the truck and started driving to Cadott, WI. We will be living here for 5 days while we attend Country Fest 2012. It is 4 days of one country singer after the next. We got reserved lawn chair tickets so we'll have a guaranteed spot every day and we get to keep the chair when it's all over.

http://countryfest.com/lineup

Tomorrow's big star is Dierks Bentley.


Funny sign of the day:
Well, it wasn't so much the sign, but Zed's reaction to it...
Sign 1: Construction in 10 miles
Zed: "BOOOO"
Sign 2: Construction for next 10 miles
Zed: "Double Boo, man this stinks"

Day 22

We went to the Chicago Temple this morning for a session and then continued our trip north.

We crossed over the Wisconsin boarder and ended in Wisconsin Dells in another state park.

Tomorrow we're going to a water park that's free for military and then driving to Cadott, WI where we'll be staying for 5 days for a country fest.

Funny sign of the day:
Signs for ski slopes in Wisconsin when there are no hills.

Day 21

So we began the morning by exploring the campground. Well, Zed explored and I ran the beach.

We're both enjoying having no school work and doing so by reading a ton.

We did our laundry and then caught a train into Chicago. It was my first train ride and I spent half of it reading and the other half sleeping. I can fall asleep just about anywhere, anytime of the day and that's always been the case.

We took a water taxi to Navy Pier and went to a USO sponsored Craig Morgan concert. Since we're in the Windy City the gusts picked up to over 50mph so it was brought inside to air conditioning.

There weren't too many people there and we were front and center. We got his pick and it was our favorite concert so far.

We're currently back on the water taxi on our way to catch our hour and a half train ride back. Another fun day and almost at the one month mark of being married.

Tomorrow we're doing a session in the Chicago Temple and ending up somewhere in Wisconsin.

Day 20

Happy Father's Day to Jeff, Stacy, Lee, Jim, David, and Wayne!

Sorry it's a day late.

This day was all about going fast.

We woke up, loaded up, and drove to Gurnee, IL. We pulled into Six Flags Great America and proceeded to ride every coaster in the park.

We got stuck on one when it broke down, but besides that it was pretty uneventful. We went from one line to the next and none had a very long wait.

We also snagged Father's Day discount tickets and got a free all you can eat meal along with reduced ticket prices. No Zed is not a father, the deal was open to anyone who found it on the internet.

We stopped at a state park for The night that's right on Lake Michigan. Awesome little park with tons of trails and my favorite thing...the beach!

Day 19

So this day was a relax and run errands day. Zed is totally switched over to Verizon now, took a little while. We also had a nice dinner out and saw a movie.

Madagascar 3 was really funny we thought.

We spent our last night at the casino.

Day 18 Part 2

So we made it to Chicago! We're parked at a casino because it's the cheapest around surprisingly.

We headed in to the city where Zed was quickly immersed in city driving. It went well but I learned why exactly we will never be living near a large city if he can control it.

We experienced something nice today...(total for both of us)
Price of parking $22
Price of Field Museum $22
Price of Shedd Aquarium $27
Price of Willis (Sears) Tower $37
Water Taxi $44

All we actually paid of that was the parking. All of the other were free for military. The neat thing was we didn't ask for the discount, they saw our Air Force clothes and gave it to us. What we expected to be our most expensive stop was one of our cheapest.

We also ran into the USO on Navy Pier and were given free tickets to a Craig Morgan concert on Monday night. Pretty successful day we think.

We're driving back to the camper currently and Zed is amazed that there is still heavy traffic at 11pm.

Tomorrow I think we're doing a session at the Chicago Temple and then possibly the beach or 6 flags.

Funny sign of the day:
License plate of an emergency vet car... VAX N 8

Day 18 Part 1

So this morning, got up and went on a run through Nauvoo and saw where Joseph and his family were buried.

We're currently on the road to Joliet, Illinois where we'll be spending a few days to explore Chicago. We'll also be hitting Six Flags.

We're both doing great. Married life is going well. The morning runs are really helping us get any pent up frustration out so we don't take it out on each other. We're up to 111 honks and still have yet to experience rain to wash it off.

We hope our families and friends are doing well.

Day 17

Caught up once again.

We went on a wagon ride that drove throughout old Nauvoo and pointed out all the historic buildings.

We followed the same route by foot and went in many of the buildings to learn what life was like. Zed's favorite was the Browning home and shop. Same Browning known for guns. We stopped in the school house where Sister Knudson was and the black smith shop where Brother Knudson was.

We also went to Carthage where Joseph Smith was killed. That was the most interesting thing for me.

Another cool thing we got to do was go to the land and record office and look up ancestors of Zed's that lived in Nauvoo. We found quite a few and were able to put all their documents on a CD to read through later.

We were able to see another musical put on by one third of the missionaries serving in Nauvoo, Knudson's were part of it.

No funny sign for the Day, but something interesting...the people from the show Sister Wives were in Nauvoo this day, yesterday, wanting to do some filming, but no cameras were seen.

Day 16

We woke up early and drove to Nauvoo. We parked in a state park and then headed to the temple and did another session. We were the witness couple, so that made it really special.

We then went to the visitors center in historic Nauvoo. We saw a musical put on by young missionaries.

Later in the evening we saw a musical put on by the senior missionaries. We were able to see Zed's scout master and wife perform. After we got to spend a little bit of time talking to them before heading to see the BYU ballroom dancers perform. They're undefeated for the past 30 years world wide.

Funny sign of the day:
A funeral home had a large sign on the building stating "Now selling duck blinds!"

Day 15

Well, I guess I should catch you all up. I have 222 miles until our next stop. We've been crazy busy the past few days.

So Tuesday we started our church packed days. We won't have this much church interaction again until New York.

We did sessions at the brand new Kansas City temple. We then drove to Winter Quarters, Iowa and did a session at that temple. We also toured the sites there from when the Mormon pioneers stayed there after being driven from nauvoo.

We drove past Mount Pisgah and Garden Grove. Both are historical LDS sites.

We drove until 1am and stopped along side the road to get some sleep.

Funny sign of the Day:
A billboard advertising for their company's cremations only costing $875...first time either of us had seen that type of advertisement

Correction

Two and a half weeks until the Michigan reception not one and a half

Day 14

Wahoo! All caught up!

So today we slept in and took care of errands. We did laundry, mailed thank yous, and Zed took care of a father's day gift.

Most important thing we did was switch Zed from at&t to Verizon. He is currently playing with his first ever smart phone and he's loving it. He got the Droid razr max and is excited about the long battery life. He is surprised at how fast it is, he's mentioned probably ten times in the past five minutes.

Tomorrow we're off to Omaha to see more Mormon sites. We're going to stop by the newest LDS temple in the world first and do a session.

We have a week and a half until the Michigan reception and we're getting excited to see more family.

Sorry there are no funny signs or pictures. As soon as we have internet through our computers I'll do another picture post.

Day 13

So yesterday, Sunday, we found a nearby ward and went to church. Everyone was hoping we were new and not just visiting.

We then went to the brothers of the sun concert. Jake Owen, Grace Potter, Tim McGraw, and Kenny Chesney all performed. It was a long but fun concert.

Day 12

Sorry these are so late. We don't have internet where we're staying and haven't had time to do it over the phone.

Saturday we drove to Kansas City, MO where we're staying in a state park.

We saw more Mormon sites. We stopped by Liberty Jail (Joseph Smith was held there for 4 months), then we went to Haun's Mill where many Mormons were killed by a mob, and our final stop was Adam-ondi- ahman.

We also went out to eat at a place we found through road side America. It's name is Frick's. There are 3 in the Kansas city area. The only service you get from I person is to be seated, brought your drinks, and to pay. You order food and drinks via telephone and your food is brought to you by train. All food is under $6 and it tastes pretty good. We highly recommend.

That's it for Saturday. Keep checking back, I'll get yesterday and today's up soon. Currently in the middle of cooking dinner.

Day 11

So tonight we went to our first concert of many.

We saw my darkest days, seether, bush, and nickelback. It was a 5 hour concert and super loud. We thought ahead and brought ear plugs thankfully.

Tomorrow we're continuing east and stopping near Kansas City and awaiting our next concert.

Funny sign:
Carlos O'Kelly's - a Mexican/Italian restaurant

The Picture Post

To make up for the lack of pictures from the past few days.

Fish in a fish fossil

Barbed Wire Museum

Ellinwood, KS Underground

Salt Mine Museum

 

Exotic Animal Farm

Drive-in Movie