Birthdays, Cowboys, and Baseball

These are two of the girls that I hang out with in San Antonio- Marnie and Kristi

We went to a cowboy bar for Stefan's birthday!  I made a big meal of steak and shrimp fajitas for a birthday celebration and then some apple crisp for dessert (his favorites).  After dinner, all of our friends came over to pre-party a little bit before we headed to the cowboy bar!

Stefan's mom found this Wisconsin Badger's cowboy hat- how cool!

Cowboys or Air Force Navigators?

That weekend I flew back to Wisconsin for my friend Nicky's wedding.  While I was gone, Stefan made a trip to Houston with the boys to tailgate and go to see the Brewer's play.  For his birthday, I bought him all of the things he would need for the tailgate as well as some extra Brewer's gear!  The Brewers won big that night.  We're bummed that the Brewers are recently on a downward slope, but we have faith they can pull it back together (or at least we hope they pull it together for the one home game Stefan will get to see all season on Sept. 4!)  Happy Birthday again baby AND Go Brewers!

C-130s, a new job, and house hunting!

Lots has happened since our last post, so I'm going to break it up into a couple of different posts to catch everyone up.  First, back in July, we found out that Stefan will be flying C-130s and we are going to be based in Little Rock, AR.  At first we were kind of bummed, but we are firm believers that everything happens for a reason (more on that later).  It's exciting to know where we're going and what he'll be flying!  

After we found this out, we began planning for the move- posting my resume, looking for jobs, and looking at houses online.  Amidst all of planning for the move (which at the time we had no dates, so we didn't know when we'd be moving), I was wrapping up everything with my job in Chicago.  I was in Chicago for my last week of work when one of the Business Development Directors that I had trained (his name is John) told me I should stop by his office.  I said I would but that the next day was going to be my last with the company.  He immediately offered up any connections that he may have to Little Rock if I needed it.  We got on a couple of calls to the only people he knew in Arkansas, but no hits for Little Rock.  I went back to my office and got a call from Stefan saying that he found out the date that we had to be in Little Rock, which is Sept. 2.  Because that was only a couple of weeks out at the time, I went back to John's office and told him that this was all happening much quicker than anticipated.  He then asked if I had any interest in working for Robert Half International, the company he worked for before he

 came to Echo.  I said I did and the ball just rolled from there- long story short, he asked a former co-worker to connect with the Little Rock office and supply my resume, the next day the Regional Vice President called me and asked if I could interview on that Monday (which was only 3 days away).

Getting to Little Rock on that Monday was quite the task.  I was in Milwaukee for the weekend for my sister-in-law's surprise birthday party and my cousin's bridal shower.  My original flight was scheduled for Monday morning for me to fly back to San Antonio.  To rearrange the flight in advance, American Airlines would have charged me $1,100!!!!  I decided to chance it and go to the airport on Sunday night and see if I could fly stand-by to San Antonio, Dallas, or Little Rock instead of paying the money.  I was able to get ticketed for standby to Dallas, but a space never became available.  Instead, I got a standby ticket from O'Hare to Little Rock and my dad had to speed me down to Chicago so that I could make it.  (Thanks again, dad).  Space allowed and I was able to get on the flight to Little Rock.  I called Stefan right before take off and told him that I got on the flight, but I had no idea what I was going to do once I got there.

Once I landed, I called Stefan and he had booked me a hotel, a rental car, and a bus ticket back to San Antonio.  I was so impressed!  I have to admit, I think I even said- "I've never loved you more than I do right now!"  It really showed me how well he could take care of me.  Anyways, I got to my hotel and woke up the next morning for my interview.  I showered, had breakfast, and headed to the office.  The interview went great!  I called my mom after to tell her about it and she asked if they offered the position, but I told her I probably wouldn't hear back for a week.  I was totally wrong, they called me back about an hour later and offered me the job!  I was so happy!  I accepted, of course, and then met with the realtor to look at houses.  I saw 36 houses and a day and a half and only 2 that we would have purchased.  It was a successful whirlwind trip to Little Rock.  The vegetation is gorgeously green right now, and it really made me excited to move there!

The 14 hour bus ride back to San Antonio was something I would never do again, but it all paid off and I was so glad to be back and see Stefan and get ready to celebrate his birthday!

Rangers game

A few weeks ago we headed up to Arlington to watch a Texas Rangers baseball game.  We headed out on Saturday morning to catch the 7pm game.  It was a four hour drive and we had time to explore Ft. Worth for awhile before the game.  The Rangers ended up winning and then we checked out the nightlife and found a bar that had Schlitz!  Felt like home, and on the way back to the hotel I found my old Explorer and got a little choked up so I had to take a picture.  Overall it was a good trip and was able to cross another stadium off the list.  

lots of graduations

For memorial day weekend, Stefan got cleared for leave and we were able to fly back to Eau Claire to celebrate all of the graduations going on in his family. His brother, John, graduated high school (and will be a badger in the fall!!!), his sister, Jess, graduated UW-Stout with a fashion design degree, and his mom finished her masters!

We flew in to Minneapolis and his mom picked us up. We drove back to Eau Claire and had a yummy dinner and then headed out to his dad's house. A lot of the family was already there and crowded around the campfire. Around 11 or 12 they lit the fire pit for the pig that was going to be roasted. (For those of you that have never been part of a pig roast, you light the fire at night, bury the pig very early in the morning and then dig it out in the afternoon and it should be fully cooked.) The next morning, Stefan and I went for a quick jog, had some breakfast with his mom and then we all headed out to his dad's together.

 

It was such a fun day because all of the families came together for John and Jessi. In the afternoon, we uncovered the pig and then began to "pluck" the meat from the bones. There were only four pluckers and I got to be one of them! One thing I didn't learn until the end, though, was pluckers are "supposed to" eat a bunch to make sure it tastes right. It was delicious! After all of the guests had come and gone, the family left sat around the campfire and chatted and told stories until late in the night. Stefan and I were supposed to sleep in the tent but it was so freezing that we just dragged the air mattress into the basement and slept there instead.

The next day we woke up, had some brunch, and then went back to his mom's house. We decided to go for a long walk around the campus. It was such a beautiful walk, but Stefan and I were not prepared with our flip-flops. When we got back our feet were hurting and his mom prepared some water for us to soak our feet. Then we enjoyed a delicious meal off of the grill and then headed back to his dads for another campfire.

It was such a wonderful weekend for us because Stefan hadn't been home since Christmas. We are very fortunate to have such a great support system. It was great seeing everyone and we miss you all already!

Scarf Drop

A few weeks ago, May 14, our flight had our Scarf Drop.  At this point in the training we choose which way we want to track, advanced nav or EWO(Electronic Warfare Officer).  These are two completely different career fields so it was an important decision.  The EWO's job on the plane is all about countering threats towards the plane, consequently on most airframes they don't do very much.  I chose to go Nav  because I wanted to have a larger role on the crew and enjoy navigation.  

 For the "ceremony" we went person by person in order of rank and they chose either the blue bat and a can of Bud Light for Nav or the red bat and a can of Tecate for EWO.  Next you had to chug the beer and however many seconds it took, was how long you had to spin around the bat.  Next you had to hit a water balloon that was thrown at you, which turned out to be difficult after all the spinning!

We didn't start the fire!

A couple weekends ago I made the trip to California for a college roommate reunion. My last two years of college I lived with four amazing girls, and we decided to reunite in Santa Barbara, CA for a weekend. Aliza, one of the roommates, lives there so we were able to stay with her.

To begin my trip, I flew to San Francisco, where another roommate, Maren, currently lives and works. The night I flew in, she also picked up one of my dear friends, Michael, from the train station, as he recently moved from Milwaukee to Santa Cruz. They both picked me up from the airport and then we headed back to Maren's to drop off my stuff and get ready to go out for a couple drinks. It was lots of fun to joke and laugh with them in a little pub near her place- we even saw a Lakefront Brewery and "I closed Wolski's" stickers on the wall and Michael and I felt very at home!

The next morning we brought Michael to the train station and began our trip down to Santa Barbara. On the way down we received a few concerned phone calls from our moms because there were some big fires going on. We got concerned, too, so we called Al and her boyfriend, Luke, to figure out if we needed a plan B. They guaranteed us that the fires were far away and that everything by them was fine. (They were right, by the way!) Once we got there, our other roommates, Molly and Beth had arrived from Wisconsin and we were all ready to head out on the town.

First, we headed to a local Brewery for a beer tasting. It was fun and relaxing- and we supported the locals! After we sufficiently full of beer and pretzels, we headed to State Street- a famous strip of stores and restaurants. We did some shopping and then relaxed for an awesome Italian feast at a local restaurant. It was delicious! After dinner, we were sufficiently full and pretty tired (as Mol, B, and I are all in the CST and our bodies weren't used to the time different). PLUS, we were planning to go surfing all day the next day, so we wanted to rest up.

The next morning, after some breakfast, we went to a surf shop to rent wetsuits and surfboards. Then we headed to the beach. It was a bit of a walk from where we parked to where we climbed down to the beach, but once we got down there, it was worth it! We surfed for hours and had a blast. By the end of it, my arms felt like they were going to fall off from all of the paddling you have to do to get out to the waves. Aliza is a pretty good surfer, but the rest of us could use a couple lessons :) At the end, I slammed my foot on a rock and my toe ballooned and became black a blue. I'm pretty sure it wasn't broken, but it was stubbed pretty badly!

After surfing, we were pretty pooped, so we went back home for some food, naps, and showers! We rested up and cleaned up and then went to the pier for some appetizers and drinks. Next we grabbed a little sushi and went back to Al's and watched a movie.

The next morning Beth and Molly flew back to Wisconsin and Maren, Al, Luke, and I all went to brunch, where we had my favorite- Eggs Benedict :) Then, Maren and I started the trip back up to San Francisco. The drive is beautiful and we made a convenient pit stop at the Outlet Mall. That night we met up with Maren's parents for a Mother's Day dinner at a little restaurant in San Mateo.

Monday morning, Maren had to work and my flight wasn't until later, so I went for a gorgeous run to Golden Gate Park, had some breakfast, and caught my flight home. Our reunion was a lot of fun- and much need relaxation for all of us!

A Surprise trip for Fashion

(Jessi Idso is the model second from the left)

Stefan's sister Jessi recently graduated with a Fashion Design Major from UW-Stout. Before graduation, she had her last fashion show where she presented her line Idso Golf. Stefan's mom, dad, and step-mom helped me figure out a way to surprise her. The plan was to work the week before in Chicago and then fly up to Minneapolis, rent a car and meet in Menomonie for the big surprise. When I arrived in Menomonie we all met before hand and then headed over to Jessi's house. She quickly saw me and ran over. She was so surprised!!! It was wonderful.

After seeing her place we went over to campus to put together her display table, which looked amazing. This is what her line looked like, John Idso is the model on the left:

After putting together the display, we grabbed some dinner and then headed to Stefan's mom's house to say hi to her and give her hugs- as I wasn't going to see her until the next day. Then we went to Stefan's dad's house for a bonfire. The bonfires are definitely a favorite element of every Eau Claire visit. We sat around and chatted for a bit, but then Jessi was eager to go out and celebrate the fact that she had finished all of the hard work for the fashion show. So we headed out with her friend Katie and our step-sister, Tess, to a bar near Jessi's place. The night was a ton of fun !

The next morning we all got up and headed back to Stefan's dad's house for Brunch, which was tasty as usual. Then, I headed to Stefan's mom, Carol's place. She and I grabbed some beautiful roses for Jessi and sped on over to campus for the show. Because Carol's sisters got there early, we got amazing seats- right at the end of the Runway. John, Stefan's brother, was one of Jessi's models and he strutted his stuff with the best of them! Jessi's line looked amazing and there was a lot of cheering for Idso Golf. Jess was also a model for one of her classmates. She looked like a natural- born to walk the catwalk!

After the second Fashion Show there was an Awards Ceremony. Jessi was nominated for 5 AWARDS!!! She won 3: Audience Choice, Most Marketable, and Best Menswear Line. She was nominated for Studio Choice and Best in Show. Idso Golf got rave reviews and now that Jessi has graduated she's looking for a career in sportswear.

After all of the shows, Carol, John, Jessi, and I all went to dinner together. We got to gloat about Jessi's amazing success and also John's possible modeling career. :) Carol and I then went back to her house where we chatted and then headed to bed. The next morning we had a yummy breakfast together and then I headed back to Minneapolis to fly home. My flight was scheduled later that afternoon, but I was able to fly standby to Dallas earlier. I was able to get home to Stefan a little earlier than planned. It was a great trip, but it felt too short! I'm so glad Stefan and I get to make the Memorial Day Weekend trip up there together, so he can see his family, too.

Guy's Houston Trip

Two guys from my class and I traveled up to Houston to watch the Astros vs. the Brewers baseball game. The game was on Saturday evening so we left San Antonio around noon so we would have time to tailgate! When we arrived we discovered that it was not in the culture to tailgate like it is in Milwaukee, we were the only ones in the huge parking lot that were tailgating. We grilled brats, represented with Miller Lite, then headed into the game. It was a close game and the Brewers ended up winning in overtime and took the series. After the game we went to a couple bars then headed back to the hotel which was right downtown. The next day we left for San Antonio in the morning to get back to study for a test like good Nav students. In a couple weeks we are planning on going to a Texas Rangers game up in Arlington, TX and add another ballpark to the repertoire.

a visit to Del Rio

A dear friend of mine, Fritz, and his wife, Stella, are both in the Air Force and stationed in Del Rio, TX. Stella was here in San Antonio for training for a bit, but now she's back in Del Rio and we hadn't seen them for a while, so we decided to take a trip to Del Rio to see their new house and have some quality time with quality friends.

We made the three hour trip over on a Friday after work. The night we got there there was an Air Force party going on in their neighborhood that we walked over to. It was a bunch of fun to hang out with them and meet their friends. The next morning we grabbed breakfast and then took their dog, Wilson, to the lake to play. Later we got some barbeque and went to the local winery to buy some wine and port. We grabbed a bottle of port and went out on the boat. It was a fun, relaxing time to just hang out and talk about memories from the past and also our futures. After the boat ride, we relaxed, made some dinner, and talked for a while.

The next day was Easter and we woke up and made some breakfast and sat in their backyard for a bit. Then we headed over to their (colorful) neighbor's house. Their neighbor's are very unique and have unique design choices, but were wonderful hosts! We had an amazing Easter Lunch and then headed home soon after.

It was a great weekend with great friends. I feel really lucky to have them here to ease us into their Air Force lifestyle. We truly enjoy the time we get to spend with them!

Houston, we have a problem!

Sorry we haven't posted in a while, but I'll do my best to catch you up in the next few posts. First, Stefan recently had a week without any classes- not to be mistaken for a week off- and we decided to take a trip to Houston. We booked a downtown hotel and set out on our trip. As we're about to arrive in Houston Stefan gets a call from a number he doesn't know. He figured it was someone on the Air Force Base and that it might be important. His flight commander informed him that he needed to drink some fluids and come to base for his random drug test. Stefan informed him that we were in Houston and wouldn't be back until the next day. He told Stefan he should report in at 8am the next day. This lead to many other issues.

Because Stefan didn't technically have the day off (just no scheduled classes) he was supposed to sign out in a book saying where he was going to be, if he was leaving. He forgot to do this and so we couldn't really make a stink about them making us drive back. Instead of turning around then, we decided to at least enjoy a little bit of Houston before driving home that night. First, we went to the Houston Space Center and took a tour of the facilities. The tour was three hours! We learned a lot and saw a lot, but by the end we were getting pretty hungry. So, we headed to a yummy seafood restaurant for a late lunch. After lunch, we headed to the hotel to cancel our reservation as we weren't going to stay the night any more. Then, we parked and wandered around downtown Houston until the baseball game!

Stefan was so excited to go to a baseball game. It was the second game of the season and the Astros were playing the Cubs. I couldn't tell if he was more excited about being at the game or cheering against the Cubs :) It was a great game and I decided to drive us home so that Stefan could get some sleep before having to be up and at work early in the morning. The drive was uneventful- we made good time without any tickets.

The next day, Stefan went in for his meeting at 8am and then waited on base for two hours to get called for his drug test. He never even got called!!!! I was hoping he would so that it wouldn't have made us coming home so irrelevant. All in all, Houston was nice but we'll probably need to go back to see more of the city the next time around!

tanya and adina visit

Last weekend we had two of our very dear friends, Tanya and Adina, visit. I was working in Chicago Mon-Wed and was able to catch the same flight as Adina back down to San Antonio on Wednesday night. Stefan picked us up from the airport and we headed home and settled in. On Thursday, D and I explored parts of downtown while Stefan was at work. We headed to the Riverwalk grabbed, a coffee and then lunch (Mexican food is D's fave so she was loving it!). Then we stopped at some boutiques to do a little shopping and then back home to lay by the pool for a bit. That same day, Stefan had one of his last Check Rides and scored an EXCELLENT! (I'm so proud of him.) To celebrate, we all went to get some Texas BBQ and then went to see Monsters vs. Aliens 3D. It was really good, but not many 3D features. After the movie, D and I were pooped so we went home and relaxed while Stefan went out with friends.

The next morning, D and I went to yoga while Stefan slept in. After brunch, we headed to the base to show D around a bit and then out to one of our favorite vineyards. While we were there, some people mentioned this great German bakery, which was on our way home. We stopped there and got some delicious sweet treats for ourselves (and for Tanya to enjoy upon her arrival.) Then we went to pick up Tanya from the airport and went straight to La Fogata, a well known Mexican restaurant that everyone raves about. We ended up waiting a while because we wanted to sit outside on the patio. We enjoyed margaritas and good company until we were seated. The food was delicious and the servers even sang Happy Birthday to Tanya at the end of the meal.

Saturday was a busy day. Tanya, D, and I ran the Race for the Cure. It was a 5K through the streets of downtown San Antonio, where the girls got their first glimpse at the Alamo. We felt great after the race, and headed home for breakfast. We made some delicious food, showered and relaxed to watch WALL-E. Then we headed to the base for a cookout, where we missed all of the grilled foods because we were so late. After hanging out for a bit, we went to Austin. My best friend Caitie was there for a bachelorette party so we got to meet up and hang out for a little bit. After meeting up with her, we went to the Moonshine for dinner. Moonshine served us some of the best food we have had since we moved here. While we were eating, the basketball game was on and Tanya is a big sports fan, so she kept sneaking to the inside bar to catch some of the game. Again the restaurant provided her with a lovely dessert for her b-day, but she wasn't there when the waitress came with it because she was "straight chilling at the bar." After she came out and enjoyed her dessert, and Michigan State won, we went to the bridge to see the bats come out for their sunset feeding. Next we headed to a bar where D's best friend's brother was playing a show. He was very funny and entertaining! You can check out more info here.

On Sunday we went to Brunch, the missions, the Alamo, and the Riverwalk. After lots of sightseeing, we headed home to relax by the pool and grill out some dinner. After dinner, we enjoyed some birthday ice cream, and then watched the Country Music Awards. (Stefan headed to a friends house to watch baseball with his friends). The girls left the next morning. We had such an amazing visit with them! I miss them already! Stay tuned for pictures, soon!

Spring Break Pictures

we posted the pictures from our "Spring Break" with Jessi, Eric, Sara, and Jeremy on our shared site.  check them out for your enjoyment.  In the pictures you'll see: St. Patty's Day, Corpus Christi outing, a night out, Jessi sewing for her fashion show, and our trip to Austin (which included lots of seafood fun!)  ENJOY!

click here.

Birthdays!

Happy Birthday Tanya and Emily!
They're both dear friends that I met in Germany and we've been celebrating their birthdays around the world ever since. Tanya was able to celebrate here with us this weekend, but Emily recently got a great job and attended a conference this week and couldn't join. Hope Em enjoys the snow that's falling on her birthday. Happy Birthday to both of you ladies- we love you dearly!

Spring Break!

We recently had four very special visitors stay with us for 10 days! Jeremy, Sara, and Eric are three of Stefan's closest friends from college. They all came down on the same flight and Jessi, Stefan's sister, came down at the same time on a separate flight. While they were here we spent a lot of time laying by the pool. We didn't spend any time in the pool as it is unheated and really chilly!

We had so much fun playing games, laying out, celebrating St. Patty's Day, and cheering on our Badgers! Stefan had one full day off while they were here, so we headed to Corpus Christy for one night and spent the entire next day on the beach. Some of us neglected to re-apply sun lotion and got pretty burned. I supplied them later with lots of aloe and lotion, so I hope they didn't peel too badly! Stefan and I were wanting to visit Corpus Christy and so it worked out perfectly for us, too.

We were also wanting to go to Austin and took a day trip with them while they were here, too! Jessi opted to stay back from the Austin trip so that she could make some sewing progress for her fashion show pieces. We had a great time and enjoyed a fabulous seafood dinner. We went to a place called Boiling Pot where they boil a bunch of different types of seafood along with corn and potatoes and then they dump it all out on the table. Later we went to see the bats fly from under the bridge for their sunset feeding, and then headed to a beergarden. We were able to grab a table and enjoy three or four different bands that were playing as part of the South by Southwest music festival going on.

Everyone left the next day and we were bummed to see our Badgers lose to Xavier in the tournament, and also to see everyone go. It was a wonderful visit that flew by! We have tons of pictures that we still need to post, so look for those soon!

Pictures of Ivan and Mary visit

We uploaded the pictures from Ivan and Mary's visit. Check them out on our shutterfly picture share site:

stefanandrachel.shutterfly.com

wallet update & GO BADGERS!

Just wanted to let everyone know that I did not ever receive my old wallet in the mail as I had hoped I would. I did however get a new Military ID, Driver's License, all new credit/debit cards AND...my beautiful mom sent me a cute new wallet in the mail! So, other than the missing cash, I'd say I came out ahead!

Thanks everyone for your concern and good wishes.

ALSO, GO BADGERS!!!!! We'll be watching the game with our college friends that are visiting. I'll update soon about their visit and the trips we took while they were here.

Here are some old tailgating pictures to get everyone in the mood!!!