OmaHome

While back in Nebraska, I was able to catch up with lots of family and friends. It seems like there is just never enough time to get everything done though. I would like to congratulate Mandy and Chad Korte on their union. They had a beautiful wedding and a fun reception.   

Another couple in need of congratulating would be Erin and Shawn Iske. Unfortunately, I was not able to make it to the wedding, but I was lucky enough to spend some quality time with Erin while Shawn was recovering.

I want to thank everyone who was able to come out to my going away shindig, and I would like to thank my Mom and Dad for hosting (and catering) the gathering. I would also like to thank my Uncle Mike for providing the lawn game.  Lots of fun was had by all :)

Colorado

My view of the mountains when I looked West

View from work of Denver

Buckley AFB is in Aurora, CO. Aurora does not have much to offer, but it is only 20 minutes 


away from downtown Denver, 
and base was 15-20 mins away from where Joe lives! It was great to have my brother nearby and was nice to get away from the Aurora scene every once in awhile. On my first weekend in Colorado, I joined Joe and his friends and we headed up to Leadville/Buenavista in the mountains to go camping and hike a 14’er (mountain over 14,000 ft in elevation). It was great fun but dang, was that quite the change from Keesler (at sea level). Joe hangs out with a good group of people that are very fun to be around. Another time I hung out with that group, we went rock climbing in Golden. It was a blast and I would gladly go again. Joe and his friends have been going for I believe 3 yrs now and are quite skilled.


 Many nights were spent hanging out on the stoop of the Meatyard (Joe’s house) with friends and Joe’s roommates and Ella the Great Dane. Cooking late night gourmet meals and listening to the record player. Ah, good times. Roo!

For Easter, our parents came to visit! It was a lovely sunny weekend filled with fun and adventure. We travelled to Fort Collins to check out some local brews, drove around Denver to see the sights and also to see a show that Joe had some pieces in, and went up to Red Rocks Amphitheatre. I was able to get a family room at lodging on base, so we were able to cook a few meals there (and wonderful breakfasts thanks to Dad). 

 

Being at Buckley did provide me with some once in a lifetime opportunities as well. I got to meet the President! He flies through Buckley quite a bit (especially in 2012 with it being an election year – CO being a swing state – and legalization being a hot issue to cover). In April 2013, on one of his trips to make a speech in Denver, I got to meet him and shake his hand. I didn’t think I was going to, but he is tall enough to see the short people in the back and have them come up to the front. Yay!

For those of you who want to get your political pants on, may I just say… Regardless of your views or political standing, meeting the President and shaking his hand is a great experience. That’s all I got to say about that.

I also had the opportunity to take a trip or two while I was stationed at Buckley. One of those trips was to the Four Corners! I had been to Arizona and obviously Colorado, but had never been to Utah or New Mexico before. So, on Memorial Day weekend, it was time to pack up Andygator, grab a travel buddy, put on our BANDANAS, and hit the road! Christina Miller (formerly Diehl) was kind enough to be my travel buddy. Her husband, JJ, didn’t think that driving around and camping for 4 days sounded like too much fun, so he decided to stay home and relax for his long weekend. Haha. Christina and I actually went to BMT (basic training) together and she was supposed to go to a different base but found her soul mate (JJ Miller) in tech school, got hitched, and got reassigned to Buckley!

Anyway, we went to Moab, UT and camped in the La Salle National Forest, 2 different spots of it 2 different nights, then went to the 4 corners monument which was literally two hours away from anything in any of the four states… We went to go camp in New Mexico and found out that the desert really sucks… so we went back to Utah. We found a nice camping spot with access to lots of firewood, and Christina channeled her inner lumberjack to take down an entire tree! We had beans hobo-style on the fire and planned for our TV show… Red & Blonde Camping (RBC)… One of these days!! Also, somewhere there is an awesome picture of our campsite looking like a scene straight out of a horror movie. Another of me hunting deer with a machete… they were so close!

Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico

 

While in Colorado, I re-upped my Paramedic license. I was able to go to Thornton, CO for a refresher course. It was good to be around other non-military medical folk for a bit and I felt like a real Paramedic again. Once the class was over, I wanted to still utilize those skills. At Buckley, I was fortunate enough to provide medical coverage for a lot of 5k’s that the base put on. We got to drive around in the Medic Mobile (Extra-long pickup truck) and make sure no one got hurt or fell out. Rarely did anyone need assistance, and I was functioning at a BLS level. We sure did have fun though. 

So, on my off time, I would volunteer medical coverage for some bigger events where I could function as a Paramedic and see more action. Also, I was able to get more involved at a community level; which made me feel good. I helped out with the Colfax Marathon, that also has a 10 mile, 5k, half marathon, and marathon relay portion to it. Fun fact: Colfax Ave. is the longest continuous street in the US at 26.8 miles. This year, there were 9,545 runners that participated, and yes, we provided quite a bit of care. I worked with a skilled group of medical professionals throughout the day and we all agreed that it was quite a successful team that we had. (First picture).

 Another volunteer opportunity that I had was the Run For Your Lives 5k in Byers, CO. A zombie run! Everyone was having fun. The runners, the zombies, the workers, and I got to act like a real Paramedic ! The website for this is actually great and pumps you up. We must have watched it about 15 times at work.

Which brings me to work… the reason that I was in Colorado to begin with! I worked at an off-base clinic that treats active-duty members and their families. I worked in Pediatrics, but helped out with Family Practice a bit as well. (Until it came time for PAPs or paperwork, then I was lost). I worked with a great group of people (both civilian and military) and they really were a big dysfunctional family. Heck, I am still asking Miss Diane for help and I don’t go there anymore!

What made this group great is that we were not only co-workers, we were friends. Some local favorite spots were Cedar Creek Pub for fish and chips and beer (Denni’s favorite), Dry Docks, or Pho 888 (although some of us were better at using chopsticks than others).

Buckley was a good first assignment and although there may have been some bumps along the road, I think it was an overall successful year. I will miss the crap out of the friends that I have made but hey, it’s a small Air Force… I may see them again and I will most certainly stay in touch. 

Re-Born on the Bayou

Keesler  AFB- Biloxi, MS

 I arrived at Keesler on 4JUL2012. I got to watch the most amazing firework show I’ve ever seen (with the exception of the fireworks at the Dunn’s) while standing on a sandbar about 50 ft out into the Gulf of Mexico. loved Keesler and I loved the area. Base was one mile (if that) away from the beach, and we had amazing sunsets every night. I was at Keesler for my Phase II of training so I rotated throughout the hospital in different wards and sections. Such as ER, Labor and Delivery, Pediatrics, Immunizations, Impatient, Surgical, Dermatology, and so on. I can honestly say that there was NEVER a dull moment in the 6 weeks that I was assigned to Keesler. While I was there, I had the opportunity to participate in a study that took me to the University of Alabama and I had some visitors as well...
My Moms (Doty AND Connie) came down for a few days and they were kind enough to trade fabric shopping for car shopping and I bought myself a new vehicle for my new (supposed 3 yr) assignment to Colorado!

Andygator (Andy)

Connie went on to say hi to Casey in Tampa… Hi Casey!... and my Mama and I went to New Orleans for the weekend. We had a blast.  Who knew that drinking hard liquor and running through the streets at 8:00AM was socially acceptable haha. Just Kidding… Turns out it was Bastille’s Day and they had a “Running of the Bulls” which was 5,000 people dressed in red and white being chased by 500 roller derby girls dressed up like bulls… needless to say, it was a blast. We also went on a culinary bike tour that was absolutely delicious! After, we went to Oak Alley Plantation and also just drove around New Orleans more. We just had fun! Totally worth while and I will most definitely be going back to New Orleans, so glad my mom was able to come down for a long weekend to share in such a great time.

Other weekends while I was there I went to Covington, LA which is a tad more than an hour away from base. “What the heck is in Covington, LA?” You say? Well, it is just a town like any other, really… but the town next to it is Abita Springs. Abita Springs, LA is the home of my favorite brewery in the whole entire world (so far)… and after visiting there I have found that it is simply just an amazing town. For those of you that have seen the movie Big Fish, it is the town of Proctor minus the creepiness; just all the good parts. For those of you that have not: Picture in your head field of the softest, greenest, perfectly trimmed grass, the field is surrounded by different kinds of trees. There is a white gazebo on the front corner of the field and an old yellow railroad car about 100 ft away from it. The gazebo has lights at night and the people are friendly. In fact, the Abita Opry practices every Sunday in the railroad car… that is also a museum… (it is a small town, haha). Anyway, Abita is my favorite brewery and I toured the brewery. The brew house is separate but just down the road. It also serves food and that is where I had the best shrimp po-boy I have ever had to date. Just saying.

At the end of my time at Keesler, I was blessed to have more friends come for my graduation. Mandy and Jen! You know us girls, we were completely well behaved and had absolutely no mishaps whatsoever stopping by the beach, and the shrimpin’ boats, and New Orleans, and GRACELAND… yep, no stops on the way back to Nebraska… Love you ladies!!

Overall, I will miss Keesler. I will be back to the South, maybe to visit, maybe to stay, time will tell. Two things for certain are that I do miss it there and I do love Abita.

Making Up For Missed Posts…

So as you can tell, I have not kept up with the blog. But to make up for that, I am going to do a bit of recapping.

Back in Fort Sam Houston, I was talking about posting some pictures of the graduation. Here are those pictures.

We sure did have quite a bit of fun on the weekends in San Antonio. About 5:30 -6:00 PM the taxis would start rolling into a circle where the dumpsters were and start picking up people going downtown. There would be 10-15 taxis there at any given time and keep running until 2AM when everyone should be back. There was a place called The Cove that was a favorite place to go to that not too many people knew about. Mostly, we would just head down to the Riverwalk for nightlife.

For weekend daytrips, floating down a nearby river, visiting a local market, touring the Natural Bridge Caverns, or… back to the Riverwalk! Anyway, it was Texas. I met some amazing Airmen who are now dispersed all over the world. I wish them the best in their careers and I may see them later again in mine!