Finished!

Well, Kyle is now T-1/UPT complete! He flew his last check ride today and did very well! I am so proud of him; he has worked so hard this past year, and on Friday, we will see what that hard work translates into.

I lied.

Ok, so the order I listed below is no longer correct. The top 3 choices are still the same, but then we listed the other C-17 options, then KC-1os and some other planes then FAIP. So, its similar, but things rarely stay the same for long in the military, even when its us doing the deciding. Anyhow, I thought y'all would like to know.

Our "List"

Once again, the Air Force surprises me...

Usually when a drop comes around, the class will get a list of their planes with locations that are available to them for that drop. Well, they decided not to do that this time. They instead gave us a list of every possible plane with every possible location to place in order of what we would like. That's 42 choices to rank. Most of those choices are irrelevant. The instructors already know what planes are coming down to us, so I don't really understand why we are doing it this way. To me, it just seems like a way for people to get their hopes up for something that they don't even have a chance to get.

So, instead of writing out the entire list, I will just give you our top choices (again, we don't even know if these locations are available, but this is what we want):

1. C-17 Dover (Delaware)
2. C-17 Charleston (S Carolina)
3. C-17 McGuire (New Jersey)
4. C-17 Travis (California)
5. KC-10 Travis
FAIP (First Assignment Instructor Pilot) is number 8 & 9. If we get one of those, we would stay here in Del Rio for 3 more years.

I will update this if anything changes (our order, if we find out what is available, etc). Our drop is next Friday, so 8 days from today. Please keep us in your prayers!

Holiday Summary

Kyle and I had a great time in Houston for the Christmas break! It was so good to escape Del Rio for a while (I didn't really want to come back, I think the only reason I did was for Kyle). A few days after Christmas, Kyle left for a "boys camping trip" with some of his college buddies in Big Bend National Park. They had a really good time (it got a little cold...) and I am so glad he had the chance to spend a weekend with some really good friends that he doesn't get to see very often. Pictures will come soon, he took so many good pictures, I just have to go through them. I came back to Del Rio to see the last drop (assignment night) before ours! We get our assignment February 1st, I am sure I have said that before, which is 3 weeks from today. They usually give out a "list"-basically our choices of planes and locations. Kyle said we might get that by next Friday, so I will keep you posted when I know. Its very exciting and nerve racking at the same time. Even though Kyle has done really well in the program, nothing is guaranteed. Like I said, I will keep you posted.

Christmas at the Tobins...

I told you I would post pictures of our decorations, so here they are!!

Our Christmas tree

2007 Ornament

House Decorations

"Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas..."

I am very excited about the upcoming holiday! We have put up a Christmas tree (a real one, of course) and decorated our house for Christmas (I will post pictures soon), and this weekend we are heading to San Antonio to do most of our Christmas shopping. I really wanted to do the shopping in the stores, mainly for the experience, but also as an excuse to get out of Del Rio for a weekend. Del Rio doesn't have much in the way of shopping unless you are going to Wal-Mart. Before moving here, I didn't like Wal-Mart, mainly for their corporate policies and the way they treat their employees, but after visiting the Del Rio Wal-Mart, it is now a place I loathe and avoid at any and all costs. But that is not the point. I could have done my shopping online, but I really enjoy going out and picking out a gift for someone that I know they will like. We have been so blessed, and Christmas is a way to share that blessing with others. I love it. Christmas has become a very commercial holiday, and yes, I am buying people gifts, but it is all about your heart. I don't give because that's what people expect or because I am trying to "top" last year. I give because I have been given so much, including the greatest gift of all, salvation through Jesus Christ, and want to share my gifts with others. I didn't intend for this post to be such a soapbox, but I think its important to keep the real Christmas spirit in your heart. Like I said, I love this holiday!

Also, next weekend, we are going to Braydon Albertson's first birthday party! I am so excited, he is such a sweet baby and Marnie and Jason (Braydon's mom and dad) are two of the nicest people you will ever meet. The only first birthday parties I have ever been to are mine and my brothers', neither of which I remember, so it should be fun!

Nav Check Complete!

Well, Kyle completed his check ride on Monday and passed with flying colors! (Haha, get the pun...) His score was a 1E, which means he had one downgrade (or "point off") and the "E" stands for excellent. Essentially, he had a really good flight! Things have calmed down quite a bit since then, and the pace is much more tolerable. Actually, I think Kyle gets pretty bored when things slow down too much. He really enjoys flying, which is good considering he will be doing it for at least 10 years after pilot training.

Please continue to pray for us as our assignment night draws closer. We will find out what plane Kyle will fly and where we will live on February 1st and on Feb. 15th, Kyle graduates and gets his wings. We have ideas of where we would like to go and what plane would suit Kyle best, but we don't even know what will be available to us, so things are very much undecided.

On a random note, my friend Rachel told me today that "stewardesses" is the longest word you can type using only your left hand. She knows a lot of random and useless (but very interesting) facts. Love her!