Wings of Gold

I know that I posted over 100 pictures on my Facebook about Justin's winging day, but I thought it would be nice to really talk about that wonderful, fun-filled, blessed day.

Justin and I had 6 family members from both sides come and enjoy this very special occasion with us. We were sure they would be shown a good time seeing what Justin did on a day-to-day basis during his time here in Corpus Christi. We had a schedule to follow and we would be busy all day. I think I was even shocked at just how genuinely happy Justin and I were.


The day started by pilots and family members gathering in a building near the squadron for breakfast and the soft winging. The soft winging is where the pilots get a new patch on their flight suits that have their wings of gold embroidered. I got teary-eyed just from the soft winging.

Justin getting his soft wings put on. Look how happy he is!

After breakfast, the soft winging, and already a lot of pictures taken, it was off to the flight line to see what this T-44C was all about! Justin's class was also selling a variety of t-shirts, which our family gladly just about bought out. We were able to get into the T-44C and Justin had a great time being our "tour guide" and "expert pilot". I love listening to him talk about the airplanes at times like these because he just sounds so dang smart! We also got the chance to take part in the flight simulator or Sim. The Sim that I got to experience here in Corpus was not as exciting as the Sim I experienced in Enid, but fun, nonetheless!

Me acting like I actually know what I'm doing. I'm so hardcore :)

Me, my naval aviator, and I joked his "second wife", the T-44C

 

After ogling over the T-44C and flying the simulator, we headed on over to the chapel for the blessing of the wings. Justin pinned a set of wings onto the tapestry. I said a prayer and of course, many pictures followed.

Blessing of the wings. I am sure they will stay there for a long time!

What a busy day we had had already! However, we were far from over. Now it was time to head over to the house, scarf down a bit of lunch, and get ready for the ceremony! The ceremony was held at the base Bay Club. There were 10 pilots getting winged that day from VT-31 and VT-35 and I was proud of every single one of them!

There was an invocation, a guest speaker, and all of that good stuff that comes with any graduation. One thing I did not expect though was the Spouse Appreciation part of the ceremony. I knew Justin had bought flowers for me, but I was unaware that there was a whole section of the ceremony dedicated to the spouses of the pilots. I shook hands with all the important higher-ups, held my beautiful bouquet, received my military spouse certificate, and did it all with a huge smile plastered on my face. After 2 years of being behind-the-scenes, it was nice to be publicly acknowledged for the hard work that I put into this too.

Me with my handful of goodies. What a great experience!

Then came what everyone had been waiting for. It was time to get these pilots winged! My husband went from a student naval aviator to a NAVAL AVIATOR! What a cool thing for him to get to say now! I had been looking forward for a long time to pin those wings on him. I was proud that this would be my job and my job alone. Pinning the wings on his held a lot of significance for me. Yes, Justin studied very hard and stayed very dedicated throughout the entire process and he did a great job! But, I feel it was also a team effort. I gladly took up doing most things around the house, I went through flash cards and radio calls with him, kept things positive when he was down. That's really what marriage is all about, anyway. Teamwork. So, looking at each other as I pinned those wings of gold on his uniform is something I will not soon forget.

What a beautiful and happy moment for us both.

My official naval aviator!

After a fun reception, mingling with friends, and dinner with family, it was time for the party! The winging party was held at Doc's which overlooked the bay. It was a beautiful view with a great group of people. I will not say much else besides fun was had by all :)

Such a fun and beautiful ending to a perfect day.

I love looking back on the pictures of this day. Justin and I look so blissfully happy. My dad even made the comment that we looked about as happy as we did on our wedding day! I completely agree. Definitely the second best day of my life. I will not put words into Justin's mouth, but I feel like this was such a validating day for the both of us. All of our hard work and sacrifice has paid off. Justin begins his career as a naval aviator and for the first time, I feel like my role as a navy wife means something. I genuinely look forward to what the years hold for us. I am READY!!

Simplicity

When Justin and I first got married, people would constantly ask, "So, how is married life so far?!" I almost did not know how to answer that. My usual response was something like, "It's great! I love being married, but I feel like we aren't having a 'usual' first year of marriage because of pilot training." Some times, I thought people kind of understood, other times, I feel they just thought I was nuts. I thought I was nuts too, but the last few days proved to me that I was right all along.

Let me explain. Although Justin is PHYSICALLY here while in pilot training, there were many deployment symptoms (for lack of a better word). During primary, I saw him for maybe 30 minutes a day. He would be on base for 12 hours, come home, eat dinner, go to the guest room to study for a few more hours, sleep. Wash. Rinse. Repeat. When we traveled south for advanced, training was less intense, but Justin was still having to throw himself into studying and making sure he did well on all of his flights. I knew the importance of studying, so for the past year, I have been doing a lot on my own.

So, not exactly a dictionary description of a deployment. I was comforted in knowing no matter how busy either of us were that day, he would still be sleeping next to me that night, however, I would try to pick up the slack around the house, make dinner dates with friends, work out, read, whatever! I had to fend for myself because most of the time Justin was either flying or upstairs studying. I am always thankful for the time that he is physically here with me, because I know that a deployment is not too far off. However, now that pilot training is over (for now)...

I FEEL LIKE WE ARE TRULY A MARRIED COUPLE!

Hallelujah! I have told some friends that the transition from living in pilot training world to non-pilot training world can be tough. I feel like our whole lifestyle switches around. But, once we get past the initial, "Oh, you can do the laundry now!" "I'm going to dinner with a friend. What do you mean you will not have anything to do?" it really is great. Justin and I enjoyed a two-and-a-half week vacation in Oklahoma and the last few days we have been just hanging out. No flights to study for. No crazy hours. He is here and we get to just hang out! I never thought I would see the day where I would feel so normal just by being able to cook dinner together, or to spend 3 full days together (with the occasional interruption for paperwork). Although we will be headed to Jacksonville soon and it will be another couple of months of studying, flight planning, etc. I am relishing in this time together to be just Mr. and Mrs. Waldrup. Not Mr. and Mrs. Waldrup and airplane. 

I hope everyone had a safe and happy 4th! Now, this pilot's wife is going to go snuggle with her TV-watching husband :)