It's my birthday and I'll cry if I want to :)

So yesterday was my 23rd birthday and I had a really great day. Here I thought that it was just going to be a normal day like any other, since Richard was out in the wilderness playing survivor boy, then the UPS truck pulls up. HE GOT ME RED ROSES! I was so surprised. As soon as I saw the box I started to tear up. Then I began to open them and I started reading the note that he had written. That was the point of no return. I got about half way through it and I had to stop because I was crying so hard that I couldn't see anything. Then I tried to finished getting them out of the box like a blind bat! How could something so simple mean so much? They are so beautiful and I think that since they were so unexpected (and I had been secretly hoping he'd do something, anything- a card maybe?) they mean even more to me. One of the best things, is that they came while Steven was napping, so when he got up they were on the table and he actually noticed them! He loves flowers (and anything outdoors) and he always wants to smell them. Steven was the first person I got to brag to, lol. I told him that they were from his daddy and remarked how pretty they were. Then he pointed to them and said "pretty." I was so amazed; he seems to never stop doing that. Well, yesterday was just really an all around great day.
(P.S. I'll post pictures of my flowers when my camera battery charges, lol.)

He made it to the state of Washington

This is a picture of Richard doing some of his training in Washington. It's so cool to see what he gets to do. It sure is beautiful in Washington. WOW!

Richard survived water survival

So for the past few days Richard has been in Florida doing his water survival course. Basically he's been getting paid to go para-sailing and play around in life rafts, lol. He has had a lot of fun but is glad to be moving on to the next chunk of his training. He leaves in the morning to go to Spokane, Washington for his S.E.R.E training. He does not begin his training until the 11th though. He will be there until around the 28th. This is probably going to be the most challenging part of his training so far so he could use all the prayers he can get. With the Lord's help he can definitely get through it. Here at home Steven and I are preparing to make the move to Oklahoma. We are leaving for the four day car journey on March 30th. Pam will be going along with us on that trip. Steven is getting bigger each day and seems to be smarter each day too. He is such a little man! I hope ya'll enjoy these photos. He really enjoyed Country Night at our church this past Sunday. He loves music; he was dancing in the pew and having a great time. He loves wearing his "big boy" undies around the house, lol.

Loadin'

So I just wanted to share these pictures with ya'll. One of Richard's fellow students in his basic loadmaster course (BML) e-mailed them to me. It is so neat to get to see the boys in action. Richard is loving his job and is getting set to fly to Florida on Monday (3/3) to begin his water survival training. After that he'll fly to Washington for his combat survival training and then it's off to Oklahoma (yes, where the wind comes sweeping through the "planes"- haha). Steven and I get to join him there in OK. He graduated from his BLM course on Friday and is very proud of his "wings". His wings are a metal pin that he wears on his uniform, signifying that he is part of a flight crew (which only 2% of the people in the Air Force actually are).

These pictures were taken by a student on the last day of class (Wednesday 2/27) and then at the graduation ceremony on Friday 2/29. Hope ya'll enjoy them as much as I did. In the first picture, Richard is the one squatting down in the middle of the front row. His friend Hoffman is to the right (Richard's left). In the second picture, Richard is the second one from the left in the lighter uniform with tan boots (these are the new ABU's, by the way, the darker ones are the old BDU's) In the third picture, Richard is the one standing right next to the plane on the right of the picture.

In the fourth picture Richard is the first one (left side) in the front row. Again, Hoffman is to the right (his left) and the guy behind Richard, sort of in between them, is Richard's room-mate Burton. The last picture is of them doing what they spend a lot of their time doing lately, waiting. Richard is the first one you see in the picture.

Doesn't he look sharp in that uniform? We are so proud of him! GO RICHARD!!!!