I’ve been here in Enid for about 3 months now and the one thing that, for me, takes the most getting used to is constantly tripping over boots and flight suits  sprawled out on the middle of the floor. 

My first month here I spent quite a bit of time on base and even on the flight line a few times. It’s been great getting to see the place where Conor spends 12 hours of every single one of his days. On most Air Force bases you can find everything from houses, parks, pools, a gym, grocery stores, and even gas stations and post offices. It really is like it’s own little town. We enjoy living off base in an apartment, but being on base has it’s own nice community feel to it.

You’d think that after living here for three months I’d be used to the sight and sounds of planes flying overhead all of the time, but I still find myself stopping and staring every once and a while. The first apartment that we lived in here was right next to a bike path. I’d always go and run on the path every morning and would constantly see fighter trainer planes fly over my head every 2 minutes; there’s nothing more motivational or inspirational to see while on a run than that. Especially the one time my ipod was on shuffle while running and “Danger Zone” by Kenny Loggins came on, I couldn’t help but laugh.

I had the privilege of taking Conor’s class pictures out on the flight line before their track select day. Conor’s class has about 20 people in it; so I took a couple of group pictures and then each person had a couple of solo pictures taken (“hero shots” as they call them). I learned that day that these guys can be super picky particular when it comes to those hero shots. Apparently 95 degree heat on the flight line, not a cloud in site, and full flight suits doesn’t bother them. But, fair enough, as I know I’ve had many times through college where I made people take about 20 of the same picture until I got one I liked. Been there, done that.     

One of Conor’s friends even took over my camera for a few minutes so that we could get a couple of pictures together as well. Thanks Michelle!

And a selfie of course

One of my favorite memories being here so far was Conor’s Track Select day. This was the day where he fond out whether he would be training next for the fighter/bomber route or the heavy cargo route. They tried to make it a fun filled day fore everyone- the class members all had a breakfast put on for them in the morning and then they were able to spend the rest of the afternoon giving their visiting family and friends a tour of the facilities, including the flight simulators that they used each week. Because I had already gotten the tour of base multiple times we just went to the simulator instead. I was able to go into the sim and actually fly the plane myself. It was pretty scary, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing, and it definitely didn’t pair well with the motion sickness I tend to get. My trip in the simulator was cut short, lets just say I won’t be flying a plane anytime soon.

Later that day Conor found out that he tracked the heavy cargo route, meaning the next plane he’d be flying would be the T-1. He’s worked so hard to get to the point that he’s at, I couldn’t be prouder. 

He’s now about 1-2 months into flying the T-1 and he’s really enjoying it so far.

Coming to Oklahoma and immersing myself into the Air Force life has been quite a bit of a culture shock, especially at first. But at this point I find myself really embracing the lifestyle and enjoying it. I’ve met so may new people though Conor and his friends and have even made some new Air Force friends of my own. This lifestyle is definitely anything but dull, yet I’m looking forward to seeing what it throws our way in the next few months.