Salute to Stefan

A few weeks ago I got the direct contact information for a Producer for CNN Headline News! The same day, I emailed and let him know that I was interested in Saluting Stefan for the Salute the Troops segment on their Morning News Show. That afternoon, they requested pictures and called me to record my message. My message aired four times the next morning! It all happened so fast! Here's the link for the shout out!

Update from the desert

Hello everyone, just wanted to give y'all an update on a few things going on here and share a few pictures. For the first picture I put the camera right up to my night vision goggles and took a picture of one of our engines with Baghdad in the background. The second is a picture of our "pods," there are three rooms in each pod with two people sharing a room. We have a crew of six, so our entire crew is in one trailer. The last pic is the crew standing on the ramp at the back of the plane. The other day "The Legends of Aerospace" tour stopped in Balad and they came by one of our hangars for about an hour. There we got to shake hands and take pictures with Neil Armstrong, James Lovell, and Gene Cernan. I'm sure you all know Neil Armstrong, James Lovell was the mission commander on Apollo 13 and Gene Cernan was the MC on Apollo 17; and the last man to walk on the moon. When they arrived they spoke to the entire group for awhile, emphasizing how glad they were to be here and talk to us. It was really neat since there were only about thirty people, mostly aircrew, in the hangar so everyone got a chance to shake hands and take their own picture with each one of them. When it was my turn to meet Neil Armstrong, he asked me what my job was, I told him a C-130 nav, and he told me how he liked the 130s the best since they were still real airplanes; not all computers. Which is very true, since we are flying 1962 models which still have all original instruments and the same type of engines. He said they flew a 130 into Balad from Kuwait and they got to go up on the flight deck during the flight. Then I got to take a picture with him, which I will post soon, and then they left to go on a base tour. Everything else is going great around here, it's starting to cool down, the high each day is only about 95, and at night it gets down to around 65. I fly every other day, so on our off day I go to the gym, eat, do laundry, talk to Rach, read, and watch some TV. We have a TV in our room and we have about 6 channels that supposedly show the most popular shows from back home. For some reason it's always CSI: Miami, and 1990's episodes of ER, haha. Thankfully they do a great job of showing a ton of sports, I think I have seen every Badger and Packer game except one of each, and probably missed it because I was flying. Last week they brought a camera crew out to the flightline and setup in front of a 130 and we were able to shoot short "Happy Holidays" messages to be shown back home. I did one and it should be on in Eau Claire and Milwaukee! Thank you so much for all the letters and packages, I really appreciate them, it's so nice to have something that's homemade. Can't wait to see everyone when I get back!!

making the cut

I had been saying for the last two years that I would cut my hair. First it was- I'll cut it after we get married. Then, it became- I'll cut it after Stefan deploys. I finally took the leap and chopped it all off for Locks of Love. It's an amazing charity that creates wigs of donated hair for little kids with cancer. I thought I'd put up a couple pictures so that everyone could see!

two years later

It's our two year anniversary and I realize on a daily basis that I couldn't have picked a better husband. Stefan is such an amazing man and partner. I feel so blessed to have him. I miss his partnership most when I'm walking the dog by myself or running errands or cooking- the every day things! The other day I was taking out the trash and a huge waft of garbage smell hit my nose and I just smiled to myself because it really made me miss him taking it out... ok, onto the more lovey things

It's hard having an anniversary without him here- it's such a special day that he has already made very special. He's definitely still connected to me even with us being so far apart. The other day I was having an awful morning at work and for some reason- even though he had never called me at work, and had never called me in the morning- he called! I grabbed the phone, cried a little, and told him I didn't know how he knew to call, but I'm so glad he did. We're soul mates. That's the only explanation we could come up with. We're connected on a wavelength that's much bigger than us.

Anyways, I was watching a TV show called Crossroads this weekend and this clip came on and it made perfect sense for us:

Baby you're all that I want When you're lyin' here in my arms I'm findin' it hard to believe We're in heaven And love is all that I need And I found it there in your heart It isn't too hard to see We're in heaven Oh - once in your life you find someone Who will turn your world around Bring you up when you're feelin' down Yeah - nothin' could change what you mean to me Oh there's lots that I could say ...

Happy Anniversary, babe! I love you Always & Forever.

Proper Introduction

This is our favorite puppy in the whole world. She's almost 10 months old now, but here's a few pictures of her over the months:

A Year in a Post

Ok, so I haven't posted in over a year and just a few things have happened since then: I got a different job, Stefan got his wings, we moved to Little Rock, we bought our first house, Stefan got a new car, we got a puppy, built a fence & a deck, vacationed to Mexico, Stefan got promoted, and then finally, Stefan is currently deployed.

Given the gravity of every single item above, I can't honestly do any of them justice in one post, so I'll keep the details brief and then share our Photo Journal so you can see what we have actually experienced.

1. I got a different job! I am the Branch Manager of the Little Rock office for Robert Half International. I specialize in staffing and recruiting Accounting & Finance professionals. I work A LOT, but the job is so rewarding!

2. Stefan got his wings! This was such an amazing accomplishment for him and he asked me to pin them on in the ceremony!

3. We moved to Little Rock! When we first moved here we had to fit everything we owned in my little car and we had to live off of just that stuff for 6 weeks! We lived in a teeny tiny little one bedroom apartment while we waited to find our perfect, little starter home.

4. We bought our first house! We looked at over 50 homes in our search and we kept coming back to this one. It's an old home with original hardwoods and an updated feel. I fell in love with it the first time I went house hunting, but I didn't want to choose without Stefan. He ended up choosing the same one and here we are almost a year later!

5. Stefan got a new car! To expand, Stefan actually got two "new" cars but the first one we quickly sold after we realized the immense care this Land Rover needed. (We had also met a Land Rover dealer that was begging us to sell him this car given that it was a rare gem). Now he has a perfect Badger Red Jeep that he's still trying to convince me would be so much cooler if it was lifted...

6. We are proud parents of a Boxer puppy named Lily Pad Buttons Lobster Shrimp Idso. We call her Lily Bug or Booger for short. She's our little pride and joy. Stefan had been trying to convince me we needed a dog and I finally caved after the numerous puppy pictures he sent me at work. We're so glad to have her in our lives!

7. We built a fence & a deck! Ivan and Mary, Stefan's dad and stepmom, came to visit in February and helped us build a big security fence and an awesome deck in our backyard. Now we can let Lily out and play and we can also enjoy our backyard some more, too!

8. We vacationed in Mexico! Our dear friends Jeremy & Sara tied the knot on the beaches in Mexico. We were able to spend a long weekend with some of our very best friends. The vacation was gorgeous, the wedding was gorgeous, and reconnecting with friends was perfect.

9. Stefan got promoted! Stefan finally finished all of his Trainings and he was promoted to 1st Lieutenant!

10. Stefan is deployed. He's stationed at Balad Air Force Base in Iraq. He left on August the 17th and we're hoping he is able to come home at the end of January or beginning of February. Everyone says the first deployment is the hardest. He's been gone for 4 weeks now and it's been a complete adjustment. Lily and I miss him every single day and wish he was here, but on the other hand, I am so proud of him and I'm honored to be his wife. I'll be attempting to update our blog more often so that everyone knows how he's doing and how to get in touch with him. Stefan will be updating pictures on our Photo Journal of his first tour. You can visit us at stefanandrachel.shutterfly.com

I also wanted to take the time to say thank you to everyone who has been supporting us through this journey. Having amazing family and friends like all of you is such a blessing! Stefan and I are forever grateful for your love.

Peace, Love, and GO BADGERS!

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.