Yes, We are Alive!!!

Despite our lack of blog activity, we are alive and well! We have been really busy. With Chip starting API (Aviation Preflight Indoctrination) last Friday and I starting school last Monday, we have been little study bookworms! :) When he started last Friday, a Major came in spoke to them about the upcoming 6 weeks of academics that they were about to learn. He said that "they would not have a life for the next four weeks if they wanted to pass because they would be learning 2 semesters worth of information in 6 weeks!" 2 SEMESTERS!!! Thats a years worth of school in just 6 weeks!! Needless to say, he was right! HaHa As soon as Chip comes in (after spending his days in classes from 8:00-3:00), he relaxes for about 30 minutes and then goes straight  to the dining room table to start studying and stays there until dinner (when he takes another 30 minute break) and then goes back and studies until bed time! I am so proud of him and the self discipline it takes for him to do that... Lord knows it would be tough for me! And people have asked me if its really tough but I honestly have to say that we have been completely blessed... From the time we got married until last Friday, Chip had a job where he got off around noon everyday and we were able to spend a lot of time together during that time.  Even though we don't have all the time we used to, we soak up every bit of free time that we do have now. I know this is just a season just like everything else we have gone through and will go through, so that definitely makes it easier! A lot of people have asked what are the steps of flight school so here we go:

1. API (Aviation Preflight Indoctrination)- its six weeks in a classroom of learning aerodynamics, aviation physiology, engines, navigation, and land and sea survival. (This is where Chip is now)

2. PRIMARY TRAINING- They will still have a lot of classroom hours, but they will also have flight experience flying real planes and simulators. :) At the end of Primary is when they will know what he will be flying- jets, turbo-props, or helicopters.

3. INTERMEDIATE TRAINING- This depends on what he is flying. Whatever he is flying, it will more in depth training of it.

4. ADVANCED TRAINING- Same thing, it depends on what is he flying and it will be a more in depth training than he did in Intermediate.

Okay... So as you can tell, those are just my words of how the training goes. I'm sure there is a better (more professional) way to say it, but thats why he is the pilot and I am just the supportive wife! HaHa! Also in saying all of this, we know that this is what is "lined out" to happen, however- if God has alternative plans- we don't take that lightly! One thing I absolutely admire about Chip is how he trusts God with everything (especially his career)! There has been time after time where it looked like all shut doors when it came to Chip being a Marine, but God has opened them, one after the other! So the last thing I want is to get on here and say "this is what is going to happen" because we do take it seriously in living day by day because we don't know what God has planned for tomorrow! BUT for those who wanted to know how flight school went, I wanted to let yall know! We appreciate everyone's prayers so much and we don't know what we would do without all the love and support from our friends and family! LET GOD'S WILL BE DONE!

PS- I forgot to add some pictures from our Dallas weekend and some of the ones I forgot were some of my favorite ones, but they are up now! :)

And following this post are pictures that I have taken on my phone (and probably sent them to my Mom) of all our "study time"... (For those of you who know me know that it is SOOOOO HARD for me to be quiet or to sit still to study or for somebody else to study, BUT I'm working hard at not being a distraction.)

Missy's not into the whole "pilot thing"

Me writing "Thank You" notes, Chip studying, and Missy sleeping.... Welcome to the Rose household! HAHA It really isn't as bad as my face makes it out to be!

Okay.... so the joke is that when I was little I always got bad grades on the part of my report card that would say "Easily distracted", "Talks to others", "Doesn't listen and follow directions".... So Mom used to tell me "Erin, imagine that you are in a box and you can't see or hear anybody except for the teacher!!!" So me and Chip thought it would be funny to take this... Ooopss! I am being a distraction!

Okay... so I have found the only way to not be a distraction is to watch TV with these huge headphones!  HAHA

My smart, motivated man!!!

Dallas Weekend

This past weekend we met my parents in Dallas for a weekend of fun, relaxing time before my last quarter at Tech and Chip's flight school started. It was absolutely perfect and just what we needed! Whoever knows me and my family knows that we are DIE HARD Ranger fans... Well, I must say that Chip picked up the Ranger fever pretty quick! Before I knew it, he was calling the players by name, yelling all the Ranger chants, and getting pumped when they scored! AHH.... Just when I thought he couldn't get any more perfect! :) HAHA No, but really... This weekend was a lot of fun! Seeing my parents, going to the Rangers games, Cabellas, Sam Moon and eating some good food all equaled out to an amazing (much-needed) weekend! Now... It has made us ready to see everybody else! :) Thanks Mom and Dad for everything! We love yall!!

Missy really wanted to go to the game...

Yay for free handouts!

I LOVE THESE TWO PEOPLE SO MUCH!!

The most incredible husband in the entire world!

I love this woman!

AHHH!!!!!

He's into it!!

Fireworks show after the game!

Its Been One Month!!

WE MADE IT THROUGH OUR FIRST MONTH!! HaHa I say it like its been bad, but it hasn’t been at all… It has BY FAR been then best month of my life.  Almost every night in bed before I go to sleep it really hits me that its real life and Chip really is my husband and just a feeling of gratefulness overwhelms me!  I don’t understand why God decided to bless me so much, but I don’t want to ever take it for granted that He let me marry by very best friend! 

If any of you know Chip and me, you know that we love outside and just being outside! Well, the tropical storm this past weekend has brought incredible weather this week!!! So we wanted to take full advantage of it! Chip starts API on Friday (prayers are greatly appreciated), so he is about to get extremely busy for the next few weeks… But since he is close to starting, he has been getting off early everyday.  Yesterday, for our one-month anniversary, we decided to go for a little stroll and enjoy the weather.  We went to eat at Bagelheads, a place close by where we live and of course- we had to sit on the patio.  We then rode around (with the windows down) Pensacola and spent some Bed, Bath, and Beyond gift cards! :) One thing we love about where we live is that we are walking distance from a Target, Publix, Starbucks and now... a TCBY!!!! So when we got home, we took Missy on her first walk to TCBY! It was interesting!! HaHa For dinner, Chip cooked some steaks on the grill while I made all the sides and we ended the night watching the Season Premier of Sons of Anarchy! Yes… Chip has gotten me hooked! LOL

To sum this all up though- I am so blessed to be married to my BEST friend!! Yay for the first of many, many more months!

Definitely a "windows down" kinda day!

She really wanted to go in Target, but they don't let dogs in! HAHA

My fine husband!!

Happy One Month!!

Steaks, homemade loaded mash potatoes, greens beans, and homemade rolls.... Hmmm!!!

Watcing SoA!!! HAHA The flash was really bright on my camera... Can you tell!?

Labor Day Weekend

For Labor Day weekend, a bunch of Chip's friends from Louisiana Tech came down to Pensacola.  The weather was horrible due the tropical storm that was with us ALL weekend... But we didn't let it get us down! Playing volleyball, ultimate frisbee, and football in the pouring down rain on Saturday was amazing!! That night, we had everybody over for the LSU vs Oregon game and ordered pizza! On Sunday, the boys all went to the beach, but I figured it was going to be miserable so I stayed behind and I was right... They lasted about an hour or two and came back because they said they couldn't even see because sand kept hitting their faces! :)

The best part of the weekend for me was I had a bunch of "guinea pigs".... I love hosting and I love cooking so I tried all new recipes that I had never cooked before. With this group of guys, I knew they would eat anything so it would be hard to go wrong! Two of the recipes I tried were from this new crock pot website I found that it is awesome!! Its called Crockpotgirls.com and I cooked the Western Omelet Casserole for breakfast one morning and I cooked the Cheesy Chicken one night for supper! I also made the famous Haystacks (Chip's favorite) for the first time along with my Meemaws Honeybun Cake! Ohhh... and I cant forget my sister's recipe of Buffalo Chicken Dip for the LSU vs Oregon game!! Just  call me Betty Crocker! :) Well, okay okay... it didn't ALL go perfectly! I decided to make my Mom's awesome breakfast casserole on Monday morning before everyone went back home... I didn't read the recipe until that morning at 8:00 (*MISTAKE*) and I was supposed to prepare it the night before and refrigerate overnight before I cooked it the next morning... The eggs in the casserole were a little runny, but thankfully we had some hungry boys that it didn't stop from eating it! HAHA Lesson learned for me though!!

So despite the weather, we made Labor Day 2011 very memorable.

It doesn't look like it, but it had been pouring and it poured even more after the picture when we played football and ultimate frisbee.

We also dog-sitted for our friends that went on a cruise! Their babies are so sweet!

The boys before we went out to eat! 

Sweet couple!! Kristy and Steven!

Taking a break from playing pool! :)

You, Me, & Dupree picture!

ANNNDDDD..... After everybody left, me and Chip made a big pallet on the floor and watched movies and took a LONG nap!! HAHA

Our Wedding Album by Meshali Mitchell

Finally.... I got most of all of the pictures from the wedding uploaded... I was kind of mad because I spent a long time putting them in order of how the wedding day went (from getting ready to leaving the reception) and for some reason- once they all uploaded, they went in random order. BUT they are here and I am thankful!!! Thank you to ALL who helped make our special day perfect!!! We are so blessed to have the family and friends that we do!!! "Thank You" notes are getting finished this week... Getting settled has taken longer than expected so I am so sorry for the delay!!

Our Wedding Album
by Meshali Mitchell

Things We Do: Shooting Range with Friends

I am so glad that I was raised in the family I was raised in... There are so many girls that have never been to a shooting range or who don't know how to shoot a gun! I love it! I am not all into guns or shooting, but I am glad that I was raised to not be scared of them (Thanks Dad and Matt)! So when Chip came home and asked me if I wanted to go to the range with him and some friends- I think he was expecting me to say no, but I didn't and I am so glad! We actually invited more people so I wasn't the only girl! It wasn't the nicest range, but definitely had a days worth of fun!

Louren and Shaun

It's what friends are for!

Yes, I shoot a pistol right handed and a rifle left handed... Weird, I know!