Start of a New Journey

Here I am, I've finally arrived at Tinker AFB. It's been a long journey so far, but it is nowhere near over, especially the training portion. I'd say training is halfway complete. Looks like I'll fall in the June class and complete academics by August. I can't wait until I actually start flying.

So the journey from Tyndall to Tinker was long, but I tried to portion it out as best as I could. First I stopped in Montgomery to be with my parents one last time before moving so far away, followed by a trip to Searcy, Arkansas and finally an arrival at Oklahoma City. When I arrived in Searcy, it was still getting hit pretty hard by tornadic weather. My friend David, his Harding friends, and I ended up watching "Twister" that night. Perfect movie, eh?

I'll move into my apartment on the 21st of this month. Seems like a while away, but it'll come soon enough. Meanwhile, I'll just have to see what fun I can get into here in OKC.

Don't Get Too Excited

I'm trying to restart this blog thing, but don't get too excited because I never know when I'll get too busy and won't be able to keep up with it. You see, I've already started my Air Force career after all that waiting to hear back from my recruiter. Although there were a few changes made to my path. First, I am an Air Battle Manager, not a Navigator. So no more flight of the navigator stuff. And really, I want to share my life, not just my Air Force life so I've simplified it to Lauren's Journey. Hope you enjoy.

January '09: Started OTS at Maxwell and hated it. Wondered if I had gotten into the right thing for me. Their ideas of good leadership are a little different from my own. Being pushy and aggressive and harsh was their idea. My style is more of a lead by example type and be a jerk only when necessary.

April '09: Graduated OTS with two beautiful shiny golden bars on my shoulders. Finally, I'm a 2nd Lieutenant! Wait a minute. Oh crap, I'm a 2nd Lieutenant! There are pros and cons to being a butterbar. Yes, I am an officer and that is a great world to be in, but I am also at the bottom of the officer food chain. Get it?

May '09: Start Air Battle Manager School. This material was tough. I often wondered if I'd get though it again, but with hard work and perseverence I graduated near the top of my class.

February '10: ABM graduation.

March '10: Survival School in Spokane, WA. Spokane was a beautiful place, but survival tarnished the loveliness of it. Sorry, can't speak too much about this.

And finally, I sit here in Seattle, WA on April 21, 2010 enjoying a well-deserved break especially after what I've been through in the past year. I have water survival training starting tomorrow in Spokane which will only last 2 days.

Seattle has been amazing. I think I'll miss this city like I miss New York City. It's so beautiful here: Puget Sound and the great waterfront piers, the rugged Pike Place market and its ruffians that hang around it, the millions of Starbucks that quite literally corner all parts of the city, and the amazing feel of a large city that makes me feel at home for some strange reason.

I honestly think I might cry when I leave here.