A Day In The Life Of A Winnie

For those of you who might not know (but I’m guessing if you’re reading this, you already know), we are finally settled in San Antonio, Texas. I’ll be here until the end of October for navigator training. I’ve been in class for about two weeks now, and its going okay. I’ve had two tests and have a big one coming up on Wednesday. We started Intro to Navigation last Monday and I really, really like it. Its hard - a lot of math and precision - but I am enjoying it.

There are 20 people in my class and we got broken down into two groups. My section has 11 people. Most of them are married, which is strange considering most of the people are between 22 and 25 years old.

Anyway, its late (yes, 9pm is now considered very late) so I have to get to bed. Just wanted to write something on here in case anyone still reads it.

I don’t know if anyone is still checking this site, but I thought I’d update it now that I’m back in Minnesota. I’m here for two weeks, then I’m gone for one week, back for 10 days, then gone for 10 months…OY!

So I flunked out of IFS. Yeah. Its okay though b/c they are letting me continue with the rest of my training. If I were a pilot, I would’ve lost my pilot slot. But since this program was geared towards pilots and I am a navigator, they are allowing me to continue. The program was incredibly exhausting physically, mentally, emotionally…I don’t know how I am going to do 10 months of this.

In two weeks I will be heading to Pensacola, FL for a water survival course. I hear it is a lot of fun, actually. And I want to learn all the skills they’ll be teaching us, like how to open a parachute, how to set up a raft, etc, etc. The only thing is it is going to be soooooo cold, so please pray that somehow I stay warm. Hey, I prayed for unseasonably cool weather when I had to go to Tennesse in August and it was! So why not? This is only a 3 day course so I’ll only be gone for 4-5 days.

When I get back I’ll have 10 days to finish packing and enjoy the holidays, then I’m off to San Antonio. The long awaited San Antonio. We decided today that I’ll be going ahead (not sure if I’m bringing the dog with me yet or not) and Eric will join me later, probably in February or March. I need time to adjust, get settled, figure out my new schedule and routine before he shows up.

What else…? This is basically all that I’ve been living and breathing these days. It sure is good to be home. I miss Minneapolis and am hoping for time to enjoy my family, friends and the city in the midst of packing. Pray for me as I don’t have a clue how to pack for 10 months - and I will be moving into an unfurnished house which complicates things just a tiny bit.

Here is a great song for everyone: http://www.imeem.com/simplelife288/music/U0yfr7eL/various_nine_million_bicycles_katie_melua/

Hi everyone!

So this program sucks. Actually, its a good program and if I make it through I’ll be a better pilot than had I just finished my license years ago when I started it. I mean, a MUCH better pilot. The training is intense, of course, and I don’t have enough time to do everything, but so far, I’m managing. I need to step it up A LOT by tomorrow though, so I’m trying to focus and work hard.

Had my first flight today, which was nice. Colorado is beautiful, so it was fun to fly and see mountains. Plus it makes it easy to know which direction you’re going (mountains = west).

First academic test on Monday. I need to pass (passing is 85%) or I lose my nav slot. Actually though I think if they feel you are trying you might get a second chance, but I’m not sure. I’m also not banking on that.

Here it seems they want you to be able to perform after being shown how to do something just once. Its a screening process so I understand that but I’ve heard that is just the military way of teaching. They show you, you do it. No learning curve. Yikes.

Well I’m tired and I have several more hours of work to do, so I better go. Just wanted to say hi and update everyone. Not that “this sucks” is much of an update.

Much love.

I made it to North Platte today. I drove about 11 hours and it wasn’t bad. It started raining in the evening and that got annoying, but overall it was a good trip. I’m happy to be settled into my hotel room early. Gonna go to sleep and get up and hit the road again. I think I have about 4 hours to go tomorrow. Then I “in-process” (check-in, basically) at Doss Aviation, where I will be spending the next 6 weeks. Ugh.

Hope everyone is doing well. Feel free to email me (winnietanmusser@gmail.com). I won’t have a whole lot of free time, but at least I will have access to email in this training program. Keep in touch and I’ll try to do the same.

Right now, I’m home. “Now” being 11:45pm on Friday, October 10th. Earlier today I was still in San Antonio attending my friend Christine’s graduation from Navigator School. Tomorrow, I will be on the road heading to Colorado again (did I say back in April that I’d never done a long distance road trip before? Yeah, this will be my third one this year…and not my last).

I’ll be in Pueblo, CO for six weeks for a program called Initial Flight Screening. They basically stress you out and teach you to fly all at the same time trying to weed you out. No joke, no exaggeration. This is what the program is for. So, wish me luck & pray for me. I’m afraid of heights, I’m claustrophobic, and I don’t like flying little planes. Oy!

Eric and Wahssie will be coming to CO the 2nd or 3rd week I’m there though, so that will be nice. They aren’t allowed to stay with me, but I’ll at least get to see them on the weekends.

And so, here I go on phase 2 of my long adventure. Just when I readjusted back to normal life (as much as I can, anyway), I’m headed back into the abnormal freakshow of a lifestyle that is the military.

I’ll be back the beginning of December. Love & miss you all!!

So I’ve been flying a little since I’ve been back - only spent two days flying, but a total of probably 10 hours (that includes time on the ground and lunch, etc, etc)…and I gotta say. I feel like puking. Its really not my favorite thing to do - tiny airplane, several thousand feet in the air - but I have to. I figure I can freak out at home, or I can freak out when I’m in CO training. I’d rather do it here.

Today we flew up to 7500 feet. We were above the clouds and it was absolutely beautiful. Woulda been more enjoyable if I wasn’t concentrating so hard on not falling out of the sky, but still gorgeous.

I still have to find a place to live in CO, if anyone has any leads on furnished 3 bedroom homes for under $2000/month (yeah right).

What else? I haven’t had much time to email/call friends back and I feel awful…I was asked by the Star Tribune (Pet Central) to dress a fashion show they are hosting at Doggie Palooza. I attended this event last year as a vendor and it rained most of the day. Sold a lot of raincoats, but I woulda done a lot better had the weather been cooperative. This year, with being gone for six weeks I missed pretty much all the dog events. I opted out of Doggie Palooza even though I’m home simply b/c I don’t know where I stand with inventory and my manufacturer. I sure was flattered and surprised when they called to ask me to showcase my line in the show. It’s this Saturday (Oct 4) if anyone wants to come watch. I have no other details except that it is in St. Louis Park behind the new Trader Joe’s complex.

There is one vendor who is going to be dressing coats in the show (it was originally going to be 100% Wahssie clothes), but she’s only being given 25% of the show, and she’s a paying vendor, so that’s okay.

I also have two clients who want kimonos, and of course, that is the one thing my manufacturer isn’t doing anymore.

So that’s gonna keep me busy this week - when I’m on the ground anyway.

I do love you all…if you’re reading this, I love you (its not a public blog).

Well I did graduate from AMS after all. I know everyone says they never doubted I would, but let me tell you, in the first week or so, they do an excellent job of convincing you that you will fail. There was plenty of doubt in my mind and I can’t even describe the stress and panic it put me through. Talk about a learning experience.

Anyway, I’m home for a week or so. This week I’m busy with preparing for Initial Flight Screening (IFS), which will be held in Pueblo Colorado. I’ll be leaving for that around October 5th or 6th. That is 6 weeks long as well. Many of the friends I made at AMS will also be at IFS, so that will be fun. Two other couples and us will be renting a place so we’ll have somewhere to go on the weekends and on evenings we aren’t scheduled to fly. There will hopefully be some normalcy during this next phase of training.

Next week Eric’s dad will be visiting and we’re heading up north to see Eric’s sister and family over the weekend. Should be a fun time.

Just wanted to say hi to anyone reading this. I’ll try to post some pics from AMS soon. Here’s one of me and my roommate.

Yes, I believe we’ve all established that I am not a normal, typical, usual person. And that should explain my next two years of Guard training.

Because there have been so many changes, so many ups and downs, and because I’ve gone back and forth on all of this Guard stuff, I thought I would start this thread by sharing what my coming months will look like - subject to change, of course.

August 7th: Leave MN for TN
August 9th: Lose all phone, email, text, music, tv privileges
August 11th: Officer training at the Academy of Military Science begins - 6 weeks
September 19th: GRADUATION (I’m just going to assume that I’m going to graduate )

Then home for two weeks.

October 9th: Temporarily to Pueblo, CO with Eric and Wahssie
October 14th: Initial Flight Screening begins (whatever that means - 6 more weeks of waking up at 4am and getting yelled at … that’s all I know so far)
November 25th: Graduation and Eric’s birthday!

After the holidays (I think): Leave for San Antonio, TX for 10 months of navigator training.

And there you have it. The first few phases of training. There are several more after Texas, but I think this is enough for us to deal with for now.

At the end of Officer Training I’ll become a 2nd Lieutenant for the U.S. Air Force. Woohoo! Thanks for all your support, and more so, for all your prayers.

Friday was Justin’s day off. We went to an art supply store so he could pick up some tools. He is illustrating a children’s book for Eaglebrook Community Church. I love art supply stores. I love looking at all the paintbrushes - amazing how many shapes and sizes there are - and I love looking at all the papers. I had a good time playing in the pastels aisle. I had never seen pastels before and it was like a mix between crayons and chalk. I LOVED it. It made me want to take an art class, but of course, that would cost money - for the course and for supplies.

We had lunch at Chipotle, where Wahssie did great sitting on the ground. I’m always proud of her for doing that b/c as you all know, she is usually in my arms.

Justin worked and I started on a pile of movies Autumn had picked out for me. The Holiday was at the top of the pile. I didn’t get very far into it though, b/c I was also online chatting with Autumn.

We watched a show called Creature Comforts, which is absolutely hilarious. It is a show where they interview various people, then put their voices to animals. I think it was claymation, but I have no idea the different kinds of “cartoon”. You should check it out - its on Animal Planet.

That night we went to dinner in Old Town Pasadena and um, turns out, the area I thought was Old Town, was only part of it. This area we were in was absolutely fantastic! There were lots of stores and cobbled streets, lots to look at. I have no idea where I was when I went there to walk around our first day in Pasadena. Maybe I do need navigator school after all??

On Thursday I took Wahssie back to Santa Monica beach. There are many, many beaches to explore, but given that my Long Beach experience wasn’t the greatest, I didn’t want to chance not being able to find a place for her to run freely (without fines) and to get shade (under a tree).

We stopped at a Harry Potter store on the way there because it was in the area. Talk about crazy! It was fascinating. There was a little room full of robes and “uniforms” - floor to ceiling. There was another little room that had wands encased in a glass counter. It looked so real, I had to stop and remind myself that this was all fiction. There were books, movies, key chains, bags, toys, posters, calendars, you name it. It was really fun to look around.

We played in the sand and I tried to video tape Wahssie running around but my camera battery died.
We chased birds and ran away from the ocean water, then flopped down on the blanket. She chewed on a chew toy and enjoyed the ocean breeze in her fur, while I just looked around, and enjoyed God’s creation.

I ran out of quarters because I was ill prepared (argh!), so our beach time was cut shorter than I would have liked. I wanted to continue enjoying the sun and my dog’s company, so we ended up on Third Street Promenade, a shopping area that was blocked off from cars. We got a cheeseburger and iced latte from McDonald’s (yes, I actually like those - a lot!) and walked up and down the street. Then I decided to head home in rush hour. That was a lot of fun. 1 hour, 45 minutes to go 40 miles.