When I found out I was going to be a dad

Short video made with the clip that Janina captured with our video camera.  I'm so glad I have this moment on film.

Taking LEAVE!

I know for a fact that I am way more excited than my husband about our upcoming leave. Yes, today is Friday and I am only working half day (work has been boring with the primary system I work with being offline all week) and that means my weekend starts as soon as I am off. Saturday will be sort of busy making sure we have all of the necessities packed, house cleaned, and animals squared away. Sunday? Sunday we will be Disneyland bound and I couldn't be more ecstatic about it.

I am a Disney fanatic (I get more excited about anything Disney than our little princess). I'm more excited about being able to take leave and actually enjoy it. When I took leave earlier this year, it was not for relaxation or to unplug from the daily grind for awhile. It was to take the time to study for my promotion test (which wasn't very effective being that I was plagued with morning sickness). This is my last hoorah until the baby comes in October. After that, the down time I take will be to care for a new baby boy. :)

We'll be in Anaheim until Thursday and I will make sure that I enjoy every friggin second of it. I know, what is a pregnant woman going to do since she can't ride majority of the rides? Chase down characters, take lots of pictures, and enjoy snacking on junk food. :p

Next Friday, Dan and Genie will be off to Austin, Texas. Dan's motherland has been calling him since he joined the military. The last time he was there in 2008 we were passing through because he was moving from North Carolina to California. He misses home and like a true Texan, dreams about the day when he can finally retire (or win the lottery) and move back. Besides the fact that he doesn't have to shave whenever he's on leave, he's definitely looking forward to visiting his family in Austin. I know Dan's loving the fact that he can take Genevieve everywhere being that 1. when she visited it was cold and 2. since he's from there he know where to take her without doing and "research".

Well, my countdown begins as soon as I leave the house for work. I hope that my shift goes by quickly even though I won't have anything to do. I cannot stand being in a stagnant environment, I like to be constantly working and doing something. Oh well.

Just being a good samaritan

Last week, Dan was going to go get his haircut after work and was suppose to come home right away so we could go shoe shopping. I got a call from him saying he would be a little late because he witnessed a car crash and had to give the police a statement. It turned out that there was quite a bit more involved. It resulted in Dan having to go to the ER later on and also give a statement to his work because of his injuries. He is modest about the whole situation. He doesn't want a medal, he doesn't want recognition. It is just in his character to help people no matter the situation.

On Monday June 21^st 2010 at 1713, I was driving on N. Texas in Fairfield, CA near the intersection of N. Texas and E. Tabor headed towards Travis Blvd. I was following directly behind a maroon colored van in the number two lane going the speed limit at 35 mph. Up ahead there was a parked city bus at the bus stop waiting to load/unload passengers, also in this lane. I started to slow down in order to prepare to change lanes when I noticed the van in front of me was not applying their brakes. Immediately after realizing that the van was not slowing down to come to a stop or make any indication that they would be changing lanes I knew there was going to be an impact between the two vehicles.

I began to slow down even more to increase the space between my vehicle and the van in front of me. The van, still traveling at the speed limit of 35 mph with no signs of slowing down, struck into the back of the parked city bus. The impact was so severe that it caused the back end of the van to jump and landed into the number one lane, which left the van in an angle and partially blocking both lanes. I stopped immediately, parked my vehicle behind the van, and removed my keys. I ran to the driver’s side of the van and noticed a man, maybe in his late 60s, hunched over his middle console with his seatbelt fastened. There was smoke coming from the steering wheel due to the deployment of the air bag. The dashboard was mutilated, the lights above the rear view mirror were dangling, and there was a large amount of liquid pouring out from underneath the vehicle onto the ground.

I started to knock loudly on his window and saying “Sir, Are you okay?” but he was unresponsive. A few pedestrians on the sidewalk to the right of the vehicle started to approach the van and assisted in knocking on the windows and trying to open doors on the van, at which point I directed one of them to call 911. Finally, the gentleman looked over at me and I noticed blood from his lips, possibly from the air bag deployment. I yelled to him to unlock the door repeatedly and he continued to stare at me the first few times. The man was clearly delirious from the impact of the crash. He eventually leaned over and pushed the button that rolled down the window. Once his window was open, I reached in and opened the door.

I looked around the body of the driver for any possible injuries and condition of the interior of the vehicle. Upon investigation, I noticed he was wearing braces on his legs; a wheelchair in the back of the vehicle, the interior dash was still smoking from air bag deployment, and more electronics dangling from wires. There were still large amounts of fluids coming out from underneath the vehicle. At that moment, I made the decision that I needed to remove this gentleman from the vehicle to possibly avoid any further injuries to himself. I asked him if I could remove his seat belt, he said yes. I asked him if I could remove him from the vehicle because of the potential dangers, he said yes. I bent down, put his arm around my neck and lifted him up. I lifted him to the sidewalk which was about 15 feet around the van.

Once I set him on the sidewalk, more people started to gather around. I asked the man if he had identification and he handed me his wallet. I pulled out his driver’s license and asked him to tell me his name and address to see if he could remember. I also asked if he had any medical problems I should know about; I asked if he had diabetes, he said yes. Then I asked him if he had a pacemaker and he replied yes as well. I continued to ask if he was taking any medications and he told me there was a list in his wallet. I handed the driver’s license and the list of medication to the person on the phone with 911, told them to relay to the 911 dispatcher that he was diabetic, and had a pacemaker. I asked an individual who was standing around to see if everyone on the bus was OK. About 30 seconds later, he came back and told the individual on the phone with 911 that there were three people hurt on the bus; one older gentleman, one pregnant woman and one teenage girl.

By that time the first group of paramedics arrived and I briefed them on the condition and medical problems of the driver of the van. I explained that people on the bus required attention as well. I asked the paramedics if they might need my help or any other information and they told me that they wouldn’t but advised me to stay in case the police needed a statement since they had arrived shortly after the paramedics. The police did need my statement and I waited around until the police had time to take it.

After giving the statement I noticed my left wrist, which was already previously injured a month prior and diagnosed by David Grant Medical Center to have multiple problems, was starting to swell up and have pain. After getting back in my car, I noticed my back was very stiff. When I arrived at home and while trying to get out of my car, the left lower side of my back started to spasm and it felt like it pulled. I told my wife that I was going to the ER at David Grant and she told me she would take me there.

I arrived at the DGMC ER at 1915 and noticed that the teenage girl that on the bus and needed medical assistance was there. My wife notified her first sergeant who then called our shirt. The shirt stopped by I was in triage to see how I was doing. The captain that took my vitals in triage asked if my injuries were from the car crash that happened not too long ago and I told him that it was. He informed me that the driver of the van as well as the teenage girl was there for treatment. I then waited in one of the patient rooms for treatment. At 2040, a major came to talk to me about what happened and she told me that she would prescribe me some pain medication for my wrist and back. I inquired about the status of the driver and she informed me that he needed airlift to UC Davis for further treatment due to head trauma. The doctor gave me one shot of Toradol and prescribed me valium and percocet. My discharge paperwork released me to my duty section but limits me to no PT for 7 days.

Happy Anniversary to me!

Today marks 8 years in the United States Air Force for me. I can't believe that I've made it to this milestone in my career and I can still remember every thought, feeling and emotion that was going through me as I stepped foot off that bus in San Antonio. Part of me actually wishes that I didn't wait 9 months to leave for basic training, but the overwhelming majority wouldn't have it any other way.

I've traveled to countries I never thought I'd visit, became a mom (and of course have another one on the way), deployed multiple times, made great friends, met the love of my life, learned life lessons, won some, lost some, and still have a lot left ahead of me. I haven't been in long enough to really be considered an old timer, but I'm no longer a newb that can get away with not knowing better. I am proud to be serving in the military and still wear my uniform (even though at the moment it feels like a tent) with pride each and every day.

Thank you, Air Force for everything that you've shown me and every opportunity that you've given me. Only my fellow brothers and sisters at arms (past and present) can understand what it's like to serve our country and only they can relate to all of the hardships and great times that you have brought me. I am still uncertain of my future with you, but I know that I can say that while I'm still in an "active" relationship with you, I will continue to give my all and serve proudly.


:)

I suck at writing

Bullets. EPRs (Enlisted Performance Reports) are reports that are required annual to show how we are as an Airmen in the Air Force. It's pretty much a report card but instead of grades in different subjects, we're rated on a scale based on standards (does not meet, meets, above averages and clearly exceeds) in different areas of performance such as our primary duties, teamwork, and self improvement. You would think that writing about what you've done in an 356-day period would be simple. It's like a narrative, right? Nope. You have to write bullet statements. Pretty much they are chopped up sentences with no regard for the proper structure of how a sentence should be written.

I can write. I may not as brilliant as my sister Flo when it comes to stories and such, but I think I can write fairly well. We have letters and memos (most of the time used for punishments) in the Air Force that I can practically write in my sleep. Dan sometimes will call/email me while we're at work for me to send him ones that I've already done so he can use them (unfortunately I've written that many). I have no problems writing narratives and biographies that are sometimes needed for award packages.

Bullets are a totally different story. The main goal is brevity. Short and sweet, you need all of the information in one line. When we write EPRs, the bullet statement is broken down into 2 basic/main parts. The action and impact. Action verbs and adjectives are used a lot to try and give it that extra "wow" factor to a bullet. An example would be something like this:

Dan is a base PTL who leads circuit training sessions weekly. He's helped 500 members on base better their overall fitness.

- Fitness professional; led fitness center weekly circuit training class--500 base members improved their fitness

Can you see the lack of sentence structure there? Brevity, brevity, brevity. Take out anything that makes the line too wordy and make sure the point comes across. When you read the bullet, you should be able to easily identify the action and the impact right away. I suck at writing bullets. Trying to think of the best way to format the bullet stumps me. Should I start it with a strong action verb, can I use a double dash there for the impact, would a "zinger" sound better at the beginning? Oye.

I've got two EPRs that I need to finish yesterday. Yea. I'm over my deadline and my bullet writing block isn't going anywhere. Why couldn't it be a mini essay I needed to write on each airmen about how they've done in the past year?

A picture from Memorial Day weekend...

One class closer.....

Finally took care of my math requirement for my CCAF degree.  I took Statistics with Brandman University and boy was it rough.  I ended up with a 94% overall and felt good about it.  I only have one more class for my CCAF degree and hopefully will get to CLEP that this semester or I might just take another class.  I hope that I get to continually take classes while working full time in the military because I really want my bachelor's degree done before I make more rank and get too busy to take care of a lot of classes. Nothing much else going on, just living life....

Online classes during pregnancy...

I am grateful that the military helps and encourages its members to continue their education. We get 100% tuition assistance and on top of that we get the Montgomery GI Bill or the Post 9/11 GI Bill that pays for more education opportunities if we go over our TA cap. The military also gives us the chance to earn college credits through taking DANTES or CLEP tests; test fees paid, which is a method used a lot to obtain credits. Take a test and get credit vs. taking a class for a whole semester?!

Although I'm in my late twenties (yikes I wish I was still 23!), I still don't quite know what I want to do when I grow up or major in. Right now I'm trying to finish my general credits and obtain my 2 yr degree for the CCAF (Community College of the Air Force). I'm almost there, and I was hoping to finish by the end of this year. With the pregnancy, it doesn't look like that's going to happen.

I signed up for two online classes to take during this spring semester. I try and take advantage of online classes when I can and love that I can choose to either take my time doing assignments or finish them ahead of schedule. I also like that I don't have to drive anywhere for class and that I can focus on my studies and not be bothered by other students being that most of them are younger than I am. No offense, but being older and taking classes I find that I really don't have a lot in common with the college crowd.

Well, even though I'm taking classes to help satisfy requirements for my CCAF, I won't be getting credit for these two classes. Yes, I am failing. I am for the first time in my life, receiving grades way below passing... and I am fine with it. I've never really been the overachiever when it came to academics. I've tried to maintain As since I started taking classes again in the military.

The first two months of the pregnancy made it really difficult to focus and even be motivated to do assignments. I missed two weeks worth of assignments in both online classes and even if I did all the extra credit offered, aced the online quizzes and finish the rest of the assignments I still wouldn't be able to get a C. A grade of C or higher is what is needed for college credit to count towards the CCAF. I found out what my grade will probably be for both classes earlier this week and was fine with it. I figured that I would have to pay back the tuition assistance the AF provided being that I wouldn't be passing the class (generally what happens in the military when you fail a class). I was ready to make my way to the education center with my debit card and pay it back.

You could imagine how relieved I felt when I found out that I don't have to. For undergrad, a grade of C or higher is needed for credit to count, but you only have to reimburse the TA if you get an F in the class. If pursuing a Masters or above you have to reimburse anything below a C. I'll take not getting credit and not having to pay back. It is sad that I'm happy about Ds, but hey. I allowed myself to slack off with the morning sickness and this is the consequence.


I definitely do not plan on taking anymore classes for the remainder of the pregnancy. I may attempt to take a few CLEP tests, but that's it. I'm taking another break. I do not want to be in this situation again EVER.

WoW!

Which is actually an acronym for Warrior of the Week. Last month, Dan was presented with the award. It's a weekly award that is presented by the Wing Commander and is printed in the base paper that Friday (more about that later in the post).

Dan had told me about filling out the WoW worksheet a few weeks earlier and that he kept trying to turn it in with "making babies" in the hobbies section. Yea, what a dork. Anyway, the Tuesday in the week before he was going to be presented with the award, he told me how the SMSgt in his shop told him that he had to clear his schedule and make himself available to give "a tour" to the Wing Commander. I thought nothing of it and completely forgot about it later on. Then the Thursday before the presentation (the 8th to be exact), he tells me that the Senior gave him an exact time frame that the Wing King* would be coming over the following Wednesday (the 14th).
"SMSgt T told me that Col V will be coming over at like 1300 next Tuesday."
"That's good babe, right after lunch."
"Just sucks because I cleared my whole day and moved around so many appointments that I could've kept. Oh, are you busy that day?"
"I don't think so, just regular work schedule. Why?"
"SMSgt T said I should invite my wife for when he comes over."

I looked at him funny after he said that.

"Why in the heck should I be there if you're just- AWW, he RUINED it! I know what he's coming for now! I'm gonna talk to your senior tomorrow!"
"Why? What?"
"No, I shouldn't tell you."
"Just tell me or else I'll find out from Shavonne."
"Fine, you got Warrior of the Week, duh? Makes no sense for me to be there if you're giving a tour, you dork!"

Wednesday came along and I was there along with a few of our friends from my squadron and any maintainers that weren't on the line to watch the presentation. Apparently he put on his form that he wants a big family, which when the Wing King asked him about how I felt about it, told him that 'she has no choice'. The Wing King commended him on his achievements, wished him luck on his goal of someday being in the PDG* and presented the award.

After the Wing King presented the award and his coin, the command chief talked about Dan's drive and dedication and also coined him. I don't quite remember how it came up (I think Col V was talking about how Dan rucked* home one day), but a few minutes after that he asked Dan to lead everyone in doing a set of 30 push ups.

It was funny seeing some people struggle. :) Well, like all Warrior of the Week winners, they are presented in the base paper that Friday after being presented. Tell me why it didn't happen that Friday?! I couldn't believe it! That day when I discovered my husband was not in the paper like he was supposed to, I called public affairs. One of the girls there told me that they wait for the WoW packages to be sent to them and since they didn't receive any, they didn't put one. The following week, I called again and the same girl told me that they hadn't received anything and that the layout for that Friday's paper was already finished! She asked if there was a particular person I was looking for and I gave her Dan's name. I couldn't believe that they said that they waited for the WoW packages to be sent instead of asking for them.

The following week I emailed the Tailwind staff this time instead of calling to make sure that he would make the paper on the 30th. He was. :p


click to enlarge


I am proud of him for what he's been doing with his career and at his new job!



*Wing King- a nickname used for Wing Commander
PDG- Professional Development Guide
rucked- ruck march

They got me for another 4!

Ah yes, reenlistment time. Yesterday, I took the oath to defend my country for another four years in the Air Force. I have mixed feelings about the whole thing. The first time that I reenlisted in 2004, I was excited and looking forward to serving another four years in the military. This time around the excitement is definitely missing.

Don't get me wrong, I'm more than thankful for everything that the military has taught me, given me, and allowed me to be a part of. I am in a different and probably better place in my life because of the military and wouldn't want it any other way. I cannot imagine what my life would be like if I didn't take that oath back in 2001 (I was in the delayed enlistment program for 10 months before going to basic training). I'm sure there are people out there that can tell you exactly how they would be if they didn't make the decision to join the military, whether they'd be better or worse off. I know for me, the Air Force has done a lot for me and I wouldn't be where I am in my life without it.

When I first came in and first reenlisted, I was so proud to wear the uniform everyday and pictured myself wearing for 20+ years. The pride I felt whenever I talked to someone about bring in the military was overwhelming and I felt so good knowing I was serving my country. Alas, the times have changed. I'm coming up on my eight year mark (this June) and I no longer see going past 20. I blame Dan. Lol. Seriously, my priorities have changed. It was difficult deploying twice while Genevieve was young; the first time I left she was 11 months ( I came back to a running, talking, sassy 16 month old) and the second time she was 2.5 years old. After seeing how she tried to cope with Dan gone his last deployment last year I am glad I went when she didn't know what was going on but it's always harder on the parent knowing what you're missing. Dan and I want a big family and I want to be able to raise our kids without the fear that I might have to leave for short periods here and there because the Air Force needs me in the desert.

Maybe if we weren't living in California, I'd be enjoying terminal leave and figuring out what I want to major in while staying at home and taking care of the house while Dan brings home the bacon. That was one of the top reasons why I swore in for another time- California is too damn expensive (with or without the economy being complete crap) and even if we are technically pulling in 6 figures combined, we never see it because of bills and living expenses thanks to California livin'. The main reason I chose to stay is because as much as I do eventually want out; I'm not quite ready to let go of my security blanket. The military is all I know and I don't even know what I want to do when I grow up let alone what I want to major in.

I am still proud of serving my country. I am part of the less than 1% of the US population currently serving in the military. I am part of the 9% of the US population that has EVER served their country. There are more people working at Wal-Mart than there are people currently serving their country. I still and will always "bleed blue*" for the rest of my life. It's just that I feel I am needed more at home to help with our growing family than belonging to the military at this time in my life. No matter how I'm feeling about staying in or trying to make plans to get out, I will serve my next four years with a sense of pride and continue to give my all until I feel I can't (which will be my exit cue).

Maj Gibson giving me my oath of enlistment, in my huge maternity blues and all.

*an expression used to describe Airmen that are Air Force through and through, blue is the Air Force's color