So, this post is very late and yes, I am behind on blogging. Anyway, I wanted to write about the last week of January. It was awesome and I couldn't have asked for a better week. I had a lot of positives during the week and was on cloud nine. For the entirety of the week, the weather was cold and snowy. Most days when I woke up I could pull back my curtains and see snow everywhere. We got a 2-hour delay on the Friday of that week too! Here's one shot that I took on my way back from breakfast. I love all the white snow against the gorgeous blue sky. It was almost a perfect day!
Even on my way to the gym, I was in awe of God's beautiful masterpiece. Days like these are some of the ones that I will miss. I love the snow and don't mind the cold, as long as they aren't accompanied by the wind. Thankfully, there wasn't much wind during this week.
On of the great things about this week was all the firsties finally found out their bases! I was able to find out where I would be spending the next year and a half of my life. More importantly, I was anxious to find out whether or not I would be returning to Mississippi. I know, I know. It's funny to think that I would want to go back, but I really, really do. I DID NOT want to go to Del Rio, TX. First of all, no offense to Texans, but I am not really a huge fan of Texas. Secondly, Del Rio is literally as close to Mexico as you can get. It is WAY, WAY down there. And apparently, there is nothing in Del Rio and it is extremely boring. I mean, I know you don't want a lot of distractions, but still, I feel like you need some things to do. I wouldn't mind getting Vance AFB in Oklahoma It would be fun to be in a new place and I know some people who are there currently. Plus, I've heard good things about it. with all of that being said, I really, really, really wanted to go back to Mississippi. I dreamed of becoming a pilot while at Columbus AFB and had some cool experiences there growing up. And, when I was working on getting my private pilot's license, I shared the airspace and runways with some of the T-6s and T-38s that flew into Meridian. I thought it would be a really cool thing to go back home and fly what I grew up with and make a full circle.
Well, the moment came and let me tell you, it was much more nerve-racking than I thought it would be. We were all in our Squadron Activities Room watching as our squadron patch moved around a map of the United States. Finally, there were clues on the screen like the year 1492 (Columbus sailed the ocean blue), a picture of Christopher Columbus, and his ship. We all guessed Columbus AFB of course. Then I just had to wait. After what seemed like a million years, my picture popped up on the screen! I GOT COLUMBUS AFB! WOOHOO! I was so relieved and so excited. The excitement lasted for like 3 or 4 days too. Especially when I started hearing about great people there. For example, my Navigators leader called and told me about a couple that was there. That made me excited. Another thing that made me really excited was I knew a lot of successful pilots that had went to pilot training at Columbus AFB. Most of all, I was very excited, relieved, and so happy because I felt like this is what God wants me to do. This is his plan for me. This plan kicks off in September when I head back to Pueblo, CO for the three week Initial Flight Screening program. I'll start there on September 17. Then, I will officially start Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training on November 21. Yes, that's right. I get to turn 24 and start fulfilling my pilot dream on the same day! I think this is kinda cool!
MY SLIDE!!
After an amazing Thursday, I had a fabulous Friday! For about 6 months, I knew a show called Ballroom With a Twist was coming to Arnold Hall in January. I knew there would be stars from Dancing With the Stars in the show, but I wasn't sure who. Well, I started asking Mrs. Cooley, my show choir director, if I could go backstage after the show to meet the performers. Finally, after much persistence, she told me I could do something better. I got to eat with them on the staff tower at lunch! Once I found out it was Val Chmercovisky and Chelsie Hightower, I kind of started freaking out. I was so ecstatic! When Friday came, I slowly got the jitters as it got closer to lunch. Then, the time came. I made my way to the staff tower and there they were. I saw Val first and then everyone else!! I ended up sitting by Val and talking to him throughout lunch, asking questions about choreography, the show, and life. They all asked about going to school at the Academy and why we came. All the usual questions. Over the course of the lunch, I ended up being able to get an extra performance in for the cast of Ballroom With a Twist prior to their show!!! It was a successful lunch that ended with a hug and a kiss, yes a kiss on the head, from Val! I was happy to know that the show choir would be able to show our skills to the cast later that night!
LUNCH DATES
My 15 minutes of fame on Val's Instagram!
It was absolutely beautiful that day at USAFA with tons of snow!! Days like these are some of my favorite. I could watch the snow all day while drinking tea and hot chocolate, reading a book, or watching movies!!
The evening ended with a successful performance at the pre-show and backstage for the cast of Ballroom With a Twist! There were smiles all around, applause, and phones out everywhere taking video and pictures of us. I got another hug from Val along with praises about my choreography! What more could I ask for?!? Well, during the show, I got to go up on stage and dance with Val! It was perfect! And while this might sound really cheesy, it was so great that when we danced, I felt like it was just the two of us. He whispered the steps in my ear and around we whirled! Step forward, step back, spin out, spin in, dip! My own dance with a Dancing With the Stars pro! My night was made!
The week was splendid and ended with icing on the cake! 💃
