A Trip Down Memory Lane

So here is a little background on the two of us!

Dan grew up in an Air Force family, which means that he lived all over the country. He was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, and other places he lived included England, Las Vegas, Nashville, San Antonio, Washington D. C., and the thriving metropolis of Sumter, SC.

I grew up in Lilburn, GA. Lived there from birth through high school. Guess I'm catching up with all of the moving now!

Dan and I both attended Clemson University, where we met during my freshman and his sophomore year. We dated during the remainder of college.

Dan graduated in spring of 2005 and commissioned with the Air Force. He moved to Valdosta, GA where he was going to start pilot training. I graduated from Clemson in Dec. of '05, and Dan and I were married on April 8, 2006. We had a beautiful wedding in Lilburn with all of our friends and family.

After the wedding, I moved to Valdosta to join Dan. We were in Valdosta for about 9 months while Dan completed phases 1 and 2 of pilot training. While we were there I worked as a preschool teacher. We also had an addition to our family....Barkley the goldendoodle! Here are some pictures of our time there:

Barkley as a puppyAt our apartment watching Clemson footballDan's track select at the end of phase 2 After phase two, Dan found out that he would be moving on to fighter training and we would be moving on to Columbus, Mississippi. Dan started fighter training on the T-38. I worked as a substitute and decided to go back to school and start my teacher certification. We loved living on base and all of our friends at Columbus AFB! At the end of pilot training, Dan found out that he would either fly the F-15 or the F-22, and it was off to our next assignment.

Here is our cute base houseMe with the third grade class I taught for 3 monthsDan's assignment night, where he found out he might get the F-22Pinning on Dan's wings at graduation - officially a pilot!At the graduation banquet

Next, Dan and I spent a couple of months in San Antonio, where he continued flying the T-38 during IFF. During this training we lived in the hotel on base and had lots of fun sightseeing in San Antonio. It was definitely an adventure! When Dan finished IFF, he was assigned to the F-22 at Tyndall AFB.

Here we are at an air show on Randolph AFB in San Antonio

And in front of the Alamo

With my parents in a mexican restaurant in San Antonio After IFF, I moved to Tyndall AFB in Panama City, FL. Dan had to go to Luke AFB in Phoenix for a couple of months of training in the F-16, and I had to be in Panama City to start my student teaching. We had to spend a couple of months apart, but I was glad to be able to complete my teacher certification. When he finished at Luke AFB, Dan drove back to Panama City to join us in our house here.

Dan and I after his first flight in the F-22 Raptor

Me with my first grade class during student teaching

Life in Mexico Beach!

And that pretty much catches you up with our lives together! I didn't think it would be this lengthy, but apparently a lot has happened in the past 2+ years :)