Deployment Video

A little known fact about me is that I think my husband has the coolest job in the world. There is something about being a Naval Aviator that is just so cool to me. I am like his little groupie. It's a rarity these days to be truly getting to live out your passion, so seeing Parker do that is just the greatest feeling as his wife. 

He put together this video to show "a day in the life" while he has been away. He did a great job on it, so I wanted to share! Enjoy!

Living The Dream

For the past couple of years, I've had this idea for a photo shoot that I really, really wanted to do. I have always imagined taking professional pictures out on the flight line and knew it was time to make it happen. Thankfully the husband was on board, so my little dream was about to become a reality!

I have a wonderful (and talented!) friend who happens to be a photographer, and she graciously offered to take these pictures for us. I can never thank her enough. Parker and I both absolutely love them and are so excited to have this little chapter in our lives documented through these pictures.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: military life is never what I envisioned growing up. That said, it's no secret that I've completely fallen in love with it (even the hard parts), and looking at these pictures is a reminder of why. This life is the dream come true that I never knew I had, and we just both feel blessed to be living it. 

I thought I would take this fine Friday to share a few of our favorites from the photoshoot on the old blog! 

Pilot Groupie

I am the first to admit that Navy life can be difficult and stressful, but I've tried to convey on this little blog how much I genuinely love this lifestyle. Good and bad, it's such a fun ride, and I can't imagine our story without the military in it. 

Being in the military was Parker's dream long before I was in the picture, and I've never in my life met someone so passionate about what they do. That man loves to fly those planes! Seeing that love and passion he has for what he does has really influenced the way I view military life. He loves it, I love him, so I love it. 

I am Parker's wife, but I also at times feel so much like his little groupie. I think he has the coolest job in the world! I got the opportunity to watch him fly last Friday and loved every minute of it. We took a few obligatory photos "together", and I enjoyed hanging out in the LSO shack watching him fly, hearing him call the ball while other guys flew, and seeing him in his element. 

Military life is what you make it. That husband of mine makes the adventure so worth it and so sweet. I couldn't be more thankful!

An Unexpectedly Wonderful Airshow Day

This past weekend was the NAS Oceana Airshow in Virginia Beach! The Blue Angels made their annual appearance along with a variety of other planes. It's really neat and always so fun to watch! The thing is, we had absolutely no plans of attending this year. We've done a string of airshows in the past and were planning on having a chill Sunday. Parker had flown all day Saturday, so we were just ready for a day full of nothing together. 

Long story short, the Navy had a different plan and pulled us in the loop at about 10 PM Saturday evening that Parker would be working the airshow. I was initially a little bummed since that husband of mine has been gone more than he's been home lately, but there's really no use throwing a hissy fit about it. He left early Sunday morning to man the C-2 and be there to answer questions, show people inside the plane, etc. Really, that's not a bad day at all for a pilot. Every so often, he would pop out and say hello!

I drove up a couple of hours later and ended up staying all afternoon. Parker was too busy to really hang out, so I volunteered to work the merchandise table and tried to convince kids that they NEEDED a C-2 patch. The squadron CO and his wife were there, and I loved the company!

We really ended up having the best day. Being at an airshow and seeing so many people excited about the planes is just fun! The only downside of the day was the lack of sunscreen. It's Monday, and boy am I paying for my oversight. But hey, if forgetting sunscreen is the worst thing that happened, then our Sunday wasn't too shabby. Seeing this kid in his element never gets old. 

Finally, it was time for the Blue Angels! We stopped selling and giving tours and got to watch the show. It's no understatement when I say we had the best seats in the house. The CO, Parker, and I climbed on top of the C-2 and watched from there. Yall, I can't even describe how cool that was!

The Blue Angels put on a great show per usual, and nobody crashed, which I am always slightly nervous about. These guys are so good at what they do, but eeesh it makes me nervous. Of all the times we have seen the Blue Angels, this was definitely my favorite. It's not every day they let the wife climb on top of the C-2, so I'll take it when it comes!

Sunday was completely unexpected but also just the best day. We had a blast, and I'm actually kind of glad Parker got that dreaded text at 10 PM Saturday night. Life's what you make it, and the Navy sure is teaching us that lesson lately.

Just Another Day At The Office

This past Monday was pretty darn cool, so naturally, I'm going to blog about it. Parker had an evening flight and invited me to tag along and watch. Even though he flies all the time, it's quite the rarity that I actually get to see him fly. I think I can count on one hand how many times I have seen him fly in the last three years.

I forgot the nice camera but was excited to take some videos and pictures with the trusty iPhone. The guys in the LSO shack were super cool and all in the same squadron as Parker, so it was fun to pal around with them and get to watch all of the behind the scenes action. When one of them asked if I wanted to talk on the radio while Parker was in the air, my natural response in my head was "Heck yes, mike me!", but thankfully that manifested into a "yes please" by the time it came out of my mouth. It's always a good day when you get to say "Roger Ball" on the radio! Parker laughed and responded to the other guy who was talking before me "Your voice got prettier in the last 5 seconds". Fun times.

Parker got in a few landings, and then one of the pilots that was in the shack offered to take a picture of Parker and I together while he was in the air. I was confused at first but will never say no to a picture, so I went outside and then I figured it out. I stood next to the runway, threw up a Gig 'em (once an Aggie, always an Aggie), and he snapped the picture right as Parker flew by.

Coolest. Shot. Ever.

Seriously, this may be one of my all time favorite pictures (don't mind my excessive slouching). I'm just so proud of that man in the plane.

I snapped a few other pictures of him flying from inside the shack that I was excited to show him when he landed. You can never have too many pictures of airplanes around here!

Getting to watch him fly was an unexpected, fun little gift. For him it was just another day at the office, but for me it was easily the highlight of my week!