We are Air force Proud!!!

I am linking up to Kelly's Korner; she's highlighting military families on her blog, and well, we are just that!!

A little bit about us:

My husband has been in the Air Force for over 20 years!!! I have been with him on this adventure for 12 1/2! We met at Moody AFB in Valdosta, GA-my hometown. When we married, I was (and still am) head over heels for Greg! Good thing I love him so, I think that's what has made this AF thing so much fun! We try to look at being in the AF as an adventure, we try to make the best of every move we make, and we do our best to make our house a home...no matter where we are!

We have lived in:

Spokane, Washington (Fairchild AFB)

Tallahassee, Florida (ROTC Instructor @ Florida State)

Cabot, Arkansas (Little Rock AFB)

Osan, South Korea (Osan Air Base)

O'Fallon, Illinois (Scott AFB)

We have loved each of our assignments, for very different reasons. The friends we've made have been incredible and I love that we still keep up with them years later. It's also fun to be stationed with someone a second time, that's when you start to realize it's a "small military world!" Being in the military has also given us opportunities to travel and see many different places. We usually have a "bucket list" for the area we live in, so that we can see and do all there is to offer in that particular state :)

We love you Greg and we are so proud to be supporting you as you serve our country!!!

Chicago!!

We did it...we went to Chicago!! We had fun, ate some good food and saw the sights! Oh, and did I mention we dragged the kids down the crowded streets of people and crazy drivers? I had forgotten what being in a big city was like! We stayed on the 11th floor, in a hotel that was in the heart of the Magnificent Mile. They get so excited about being in a hotel, I'm sure the people that have rooms near us get excited, too!

Our first afternoon there, we set out to see what we could find and to eat some of the best pizza, from Giordano's. Everyone said we had to have it while there, and they were right :)

Mama, this picture is for you. It was a clothing store on Michigan Avenue, and this was their storefront...cool, huh?!?!

Looking out from Navy Pier, which looks out onto Lake Michigan.

We saw a very, cool acrobatic show, called Cirque Shanghai while down at Navy Pier. The kids DID NOT MOVE during the show, they were all totally mesmerized.

Sitting along the pier, my other child would not get in the picture!

A little shopping and chocolate from the Hershey store...always a good thing!

Isn't this so pretty? We did take a carriage ride one night, after having a little dessert at the Hershey store :)

We went up into the Sears Tower, to the 103 floor. It is the tallest building in the US, and fifth in the world. On a clear day, you can see 4 different states from the top: Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and Michigan. We even went out onto the Sky Deck; it's a glassed in balcony that allows you to look straight down to the street...pretty cool and freaky!

How did we get around the big city? One of two ways, we walked or we took the red double decker bus...tourists all the way!!

Cloud Gate, one of the city's beloved architectural pieces, located in Millenium Park.

One tired, little boy!

Sailboats docked on the edge of Michigan Lake

This is Buckingham Fountain, located in Grant Park. It's one of the largest fountains in the world and very pretty!

My boys were thrilled to visit this store :)

Lego Woody and happy boys!

Jannah and I were thrilled to visit the American Girl store. I reverted back to a little girl while in the store, wanting it all, just like Jannah!

This was one of my favorite buildings, so old and full of character

Taking our last walk down Michigan Avenue, on a day windy enough to nearly blow us down!

I loved Chicago, it was beautiful and clean. I want to go back, maybe with my hubby or girls for a shopping trip :)

Snow, Snow and more SNOW!!

It seems as though we are having a LOT of snow! It's fun and pretty and the kids love when they don't have school because of it (they don't realize we might not ever get out for summer break if we keep taking snow days). Anyways, we have played in it and I have shoveled it off of the driveway (it only took me about 1 hour and 45 minutes), we have tracked it all in the car and house, and we have enjoyed watching it pile up in the yard. But, until Sunday, we had not been sledding. I must say that's our favorite thing to do in the snow! We all had fun; the pictures really don't do it any justice. If you are looking for a good time, grab an inner tube, find some snow and a hill...let your worries fade away as you race down and squeal like a 5 year old!

These are from our sledding adventure. Greg pushed the kids in the beginning, but they soon figured out how to run and fall onto the inner tube :)

Navy Ball

I was Cinderella for the night! It was so much FUN, I'm ready to do it again :) Greg is an executive officer to a Navy Captain; he invited us to attend the Navy ball, and well, it was kinda hard to say no! We decided we would go and I quickly got excited about getting all fancied up. Jannah went with me to find a dress, she and I enjoyed our little girl's outing. Jannah and Jordan thought we looked so nice last night and couldn't believe how fancy I looked; they were so cute about it! They all wanted to touch my hair...I couldn't believe my hair either. It's been 13 years since I've had an updo! We went to the Ballpark Hilton in St. Louis for the occasion, it really was nice and the food was delicious! Al Hrabosky was the guest speaker, anyone know who he is? I do now! He pitched for the Cardinals, Braves and Dodgers; he was nicknamed the "Mad Hungarian". It was a great night and I think that I may have to talk the Lt. Col into taking me to another one...one of these days :)

Lt. Col Promotion Ceremony!!!!

Well, I'm not sure if either one of us can believe it, but it's true...Greg's officially a Lt. Col!!!! I believe in him and I believe he has what it takes and I'm oh, so proud of him! I think I just can't believe he's this far in his military career and that he's old enough to be a LT . COl! There...I said it! Are we really old enough for this? When we married almost 11 years ago, I remember thinking the Lt. Col's were old and mature and their wives were too! So, what does that make us? Don't answer that question! On a serious note. I am very proud of Greg. Through the years, he has faithfully served his country and given of his time and efforts in so many ways. He is humble and wouldn't say this, but I can brag...he's good at what he does!

This journey has been a lot of things. It's been happy, sad, tiring, exhilarating, fun, not so fun. We have been stationed in Washington, Florida, Arkansas, Korea, and now Illinois. We've always tried to have the motto of "home is where-ever the military sends us." It's been fun of explorations for this south Georgia girl that never planned on leaving her hometown. We've made some incredible and lasting friendships over the years as we've moved around. We have seen the hand of God in our lives and know that even when we don't understand his plan, we can trust in Him.

I am honored to be the wife of Lt. Col Bailey and to stand by his side as he serves God and our country, the good ole' USA!!