We are SAVANNAH Bound!!!

We finally found out today that we are moving to Savannah, GA! We are so excited! Savannah, was our top choice, so you must know how thrilled we are! We have heard so many great things about Savannah and can't wait to experience all that it has to offer! Things couldn't have worked out more perfectly! My best friend Sarah is moving there as well and my best friend Gabby lives only an hour and 45 mins away in Jacksonville! So, it's awesome knowing that I'll already have friends there and close by! We will also only be 4 hours away from Fort Bragg where our good friends, The Peterson's, are going! So, now the house hunt begins! I hope that we find an awesome house! We have 3 months till we move! Yay!!!

Life at Fort Rucker

So, I haven't blogged since Jeff selected the Kiowa. I told y'all I am really bad at this! haha So, what has happened in the last 5 months or so? Let's see how good my memory is...haha! I want to say that March and April were pretty uneventful months for us!

In May, Jeff and I decided to go on a cruise to get away before he started up class. We went on the Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas (the largest ship on the waters) and it was a lot of fun! It definitely was a huge ship! The cruise left out of Fort Lauderdale, so we decided to drive down a day early and spend time w/ my cousin Vandi and her husband Justin. Our cruise went to the Bahamas, St. Maarten and was suppose to go to St. Thomas but that port got the ax when one of the dining room waiters decided to jump overboard one night and we had to spend the next 24hrs searching for him. He was never found. Despite that, our cruise was a lot of fun, I would have to say though that it wasn't the best one I have been on. I feel like the smaller ships are more intimate and fun. This one was just too big and overwhelming! I also feel like the food in the dining room wasn't up to its usual standard because they want you to pay extra money to eat at their "specialty restaurants." But overall, it was a nice and relaxing trip.

That following weekend was BamaJam, which is a huge 3-day outdoor Country Music Festival. I scored some free tickets because the company I work for does all the merchandise for BamaJam! This year the headliner was Kenny Chesney, who sucks, but we got to see Gretchen Wilson, Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert, and Zac Brown Band to name a few and they were AWESOME!

Jeff finally started class June 9th and is loving it! He had his family day a couple weeks ago and I got to go out and watch him fly! It was awesome! I love getting to see what he does every day! He is a natural when it comes to flying! I will post pictures later!

This summer has been extremely busy! We have about 6 friends getting married in the September/October time frame so our weekends have been filled with wedding showers! I am in 2 weddings in October that I am excited about. One is in Virginia and the other is in Massachusetts! We are also going to a wedding in Chicago and another one in Nashville, so we are going to be quite the travelers this fall!
We still haven't found out where we are going yet! :( Majority of our friends have already found out and some are even gone already! :( We have friends all over the state and internationally for that matter! Some are going to Fort Bragg, NC, Fort Lewis, WA, Fort Campbell, KY, Savannah, GA (where we hope to go), Fort Hood, TX, Hawaii, Alaska, Germany, and even Korea! Several of our friends have gotten Korea lately which is really exciting but kinda sad at the same time because they will be so far away! But, that just means we will have to take a trip out there to visit them! Darn! lol We will probably know where we are going in about a month...hopefully... I'm just so ready to start the planning process and find a house!

Our really great friends Laura and Dan Peterson just welcomed their first child into the world this past weekend! His name is Noah Michael and he is absolutely precious! Jeff and I went up to the hospital on Sunday and got to visit with them and Noah is just so cute! Laura did a great job! Her and Dan are going to be awesome parents! We are so excited for them! I'm just sad that we only get 6 weeks with him before they move to Bragg! :(

Lastly, Jeff and I have decided that I should quit my job! So, my last day is August 6th. I was originally planning on quitting in September to start getting things ready for our move, but work has been quite unbearable lately and has me upset all the time and we have decided that it just isn't worth it. This gives me more time to get other things done and to support Jeff more while he is in class. Also, I get to spend more time with my friends before we all move away. So, I'm really looking forward to that... I don't have any pictures right now for this post but I'll try and post some later!
Till next time......................

Wife of a Kiowa Pilot!

Wow...it's been a long time since I last wrote! I told you guys I'm really bad about this!! haha! So much has happened!! Let's begin with Thanksgiving!

This Thanksgiving we went to Chattanooga, TN to spend the holiday with my Uncle Joh, Aunt Tracie, and my cousins Calvin and Connor! This also happened to be the weekend of the Auburn/Alabama game and my aunt, uncle, and cousins are NOT Alabama fans...they are Tennessee fans so of course they were rooting for Auburn, well we got a nice little welcome surprise/sabotage in our room when we got there...

This was our bed.... all lovely decorated in AUBURN colors!

This was our bathroom!!! I was laughing so hard..they were really dedicated!
This was Jeff and I's retalliation! The boys woke up to this the next morning!!! haha! As you can tell...we had lots of fun, oh and by the way in case you didn't know Alabama beat Auburn...and Florida...and Texas...and won the NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!! ROLL TIDE!!

Thanksgiving morning we went and ran the Grateful Gobbler 5k! We had a blast! Way to work off those calories that we were destined to consume later on in the day! :) Here is my wonderful family minus Connor!

Then, Christmas break finally came and we made the road trip back to Texas with Gabby in tow! Love her! It was a very long drive that we made through the night because we were trying to make it to Texas in time for my BROTHER'S WEDDING!!! Yep, that's right! My brother Philip got married! Philip and Autumn had a very nice backyard wedding at my Dad's new house and it was a blast! I'm so happy for him!!

Then, Christmas came! Yay! I love Christmas!! Jeff and I have the joy of 4 Christmases every year! Yeah, just like the movie! It's always pretty hectic for us but we are so blessed to have so much funny who love us and who we love! This was Jeff and I's first time back to Texas since we moved away in February, so we had a lot of people to see! Sorry, if we didn't get to see you! We tried our hardest to see everyone!

After Christmas break we had to return to Fort Rucker where Jeff started his BWS (Basic Warfighting Skills) training! This course is 4 weeks long and once you finish BWS you get to select your advanced aircraft! Well selection day came and my husband got OH-58 Kiowas!!! We are very excited! This is a very fun helicopter to fly! We also got to make a "dream sheet" of where we wanted to be stationed next and our choices were... 1. Hawaii, 2. Fort Campbell, KY (outside of Nashville), and 3. Fort Lewis, WA (outside of Seattle)! So, please be praying that we get one of our top 3 choices!! Hawaii would be a lot of fun and hey you'd have a free place to come stay!! :) Here is what Jeff will be flying!!

Yes those are big guns and missles!!! :)
Also, in January my mom got married!!!!!!!! Lots of weddings going on in my family! My mom and Mark eloped to Vegas and then they had a wedding reception back in Fort Worth! I am so happy for her and Mark! This wedding has been a long time coming and I'm glad they were finally able to tie the knot! Here is our new family! (Well, most of them!)January also brought us a new gift!! My niece was born!!! Philip and Autumn had a beautiful baby girl name Ashlyn Grace McCarthy! She is absolutley precious and looks just like her Daddy!!!

Ashlyn Grace McCarthy
January 24, 2010, 3:55am

6lbs. 3oz and 19 1/2 inches

Ashlyn and her daddy! Ashlyn looks JUST LIKE Philip's baby pictures!! She is so cute!

So, see a lot has definitely happened!! As for me, I'm still working and Jeff is currently on hold till his Kiowa class starts...which doesn't start till June 28th!!! That is a looonggg hold! We are expecting to be leaving Fort Rucker by November!

Well, that's all I've got for now! Sorry this was so long! Love ya! :)

RUCKER LIFE

Hello all,

I didn't realize it had been so long since my last post! Jeff has been back from SERE for quite some time now! haha...oops! He returned from SERE badly bruised and 15lbs lighter but at least he made it through! He said it was the most horrible thing he has ever gone through (worse than deployment) but the best training he will ever receive!

A week after he got back from SERE, Jeff started Primary, which is when you learn the basics of flying a helicopter! He was very excited about flying for the first time! About a month or so ago he had his "family day" where I got to come out and watch him fly all day! It was really awesome! It makes this whole flight school thing feel more real when you get to actually see your husband fly!! (Which is HOT, I might add ;) ) Family day was fun and I enjoyed getting to see him fly and do autorotations and run on landings... haha I know some lingo! ;) He had his check ride for primary about a week and a half ago and PASSED! Yay!

Now, he is in the instrument stage of flight school, which is where you learn how to fly using only your instruments without being able to see anything out the window (like if you are flying in the clouds)! He just had his first instruments test on Tuesday and made an A! Yay! He has a couple more weeks in instruments, they are only flying in the simulators right now but I think they'll be in the helicopter next week...

Then he will move on to the next stage which is basic war fighting skills! After that we will find out which aircraft he will be, which we are hoping for Blackhawk! So, please keep him in your prayers that he gets that! If he gets Blackhawk, we will have a 2-3 month holding period before he starts the Blackhawk course, and if he gets Apache it is an 8-9 month holding period! (yikes!) that would not be fun! I really don't want to be here that much longer. If things go according to plan and he gets Blackhawks then we will be out of here hopefully by September 2010!!

Our top base pics are: OCONUS: Germany and Hawaii, CONUS: Fort Lewis-Washington (30 mins from Seattle), Savannah-Georgia, Fort Carson-Colorado, Fort Campbell-Kentucky(it's only 45 mins from Nashville), Fort Hood-Texas (really don't want this one!!) I am very excited about where we might end up next year!! I love living in new places! Germany would be amazing because I would LOVE to travel around Europe! But, we shall see!! :)

On my end, I'm doing well, I'm working at place called Aureus International and I enjoy my job! I got lucky, there isn't much job opportunity around here! I usually only get to hang out with Jeff on the weekends because he has to study so much but I don't mind because it gives me time to hang out with my girlfriends! I'm the type who needs her girl time! haha I have some really awesome friends here!

This past Friday we had some friends over and did some pumpkin carving and played games! It was a good time! I will try and post some pictures, but I'm really bad about that! haha

Our friends, the Redleys, just had twin baby boys! They came 7 weeks early and are still in the hospital but are doing really well and breathing on their own, but please keep this family in your prayers! We are hoping they get to come home soon!

Other friends of ours, the Brooks, are expecting their first child this week! A sweet baby girl named Alta James, If Brenna doesn't have her by 5pm today, they are inducing her tomorrow!! I can't wait to meet baby Alta! So, please keep this family in your prayers as well!

Babies babies all around I tell ya!!! The first McCarthy grandchild will be here in January!! My brother Philip and his girlfriend Autumn are expecting a baby girl named Ashlyn, she is due January 31st!! I'm very excited about being an Aunt! I'm technically already an Aunt-in-law to my neice Jordan :-) (Jeff's side)! haha

Jeff and I will be celebrating our 1 year wedding anniversary next week on Nov. 8th!! Yay! I can't believe it has already been a year!! Crazy how fast time flies by!!! We are going away for the weekend, not sure where to yet, either up to Birmingham, to Atlanta, or down to Destin, FL!I'm looking forward to a weekend getaway!! :)

Last note, Jeff and I will not be home for Thanksgiving, we are going up to Chattanooga, TN to spend Thanksgiving with my Uncle John and Aunt Tracie, which we are really looking forward to! We're going to run a 5k Thanksgiving morning called the Grateful Gobbler! haha It should be a good time!! We will however, be home for CHRISTMAS!!! Yay! We'll be in town from Dec. 20- Jan 2!! So, if you want to see us...get in line!! ;) haha

Till next time!!!.................

SERE School

Hello All!

Sorry it has been so long since my last post! I'm really bad about keeping up with this! I think part of my problem is that I want to post pictures with the posts but haven't had time to put the pics on my computer yet!

So, Jeff and I have been living in Alabama for 6 months now! Wow! I can't believe we have already been here half a year! It feels like we just got here! Time is flying by!

In June, I finally got a job! Yay! It is very difficult to find a job here because we live in such a small community and there is a TON of competition... but thankfully God has blessed me with an awesome job! I work for a company called Aureus International, we make flight suits! If you fly a helicopter, you can buy one of our suits! lol I'm a business administrator and love learning more and more about the company and our products every day! The people I work with are amazing and down to earth and I fit in perfectly! I couldn't have hoped for better!

Jeff left for SERE on July 13th and comes back this Sunday! Yay! 21 days without my husband or even speaking to my husband has been very interesting! It has definitely been a test of my strength and I believe I am passing with flying colors! SERE which stands for Survive, Evade, Resist, Escape, is a 21 day field training for soldiers who have a high risk position. It teaches them the techniques and the knowledge of how to react in a hostage situation if their helicopter were to ever go down in enemy territory. It is a very difficult and hard 3 weeks for the guys where they are broken to the core mentally, emotionally, and physically! Even though it may be tough and they be beaten up a bit when they return, I am very grateful that they receive this type of training! I will feel much better when my husband deploys knowing that he is prepared if this type of situation were ever to occur! With that said, it has been very easy for me to cope with him being gone, because I know it is for the better good and I know that God is watching over him and me as well, and keeping both of us safe while we are apart!

I am so proud of my husband and what he is doing for our country! There is nothing more attractive than a man who serves his country! I am so lucky to be an Army Wife and I consider it the ultimate privilege to be able to love a soldier the way that he loves this country and me tooo!! ;) Being apart from me has also taught me a lot, it has given me more patience, and it's definitely given me more appreciation for him and for who he is and how he loves me! I CAN NOT WAIT TILL HE COMES HOME!!! I can't wait to wrap my arms around him and kiss him and I probably won't want to let go for a really long time! lol I know 21 days is only a blink of eye in comparison to a lifetime or even a deployment, but at least during deployments you get to talk to him! Not always, but a lot! Oh, and Bear is missing his daddy greatly and I'm sure he will probably pee all over himself in excitement when he sees him again! lol

Ending note, I would not have been able to get through this time if it wasn't for the amazing friends God has put into my life here at Fort Rucker! We are so blessed with soo many friends and it's awesome to have others with you who are going through the same thing! Most importantly, we've got God on our side, to keep us company to love us no matter what and I know He would never give me something that He knew I could not handle!

I hope all are doing well! I will be sure to blog about his return and let you all know how he/we are doing! (It might be a couple of days, because I plan on taking him hostage, if you know what I mean!! haha ;) )

Till next time....

Life In Alabama!

Hello all! 

I have finally gotten around to updating this thing! Sorry it has been so long! I told you I might not be good at keeping up with it! Let's try this again! haha 

Jeff and I have been living in Alabama for about 3 months now! It seems like we have been here for so much longer! In the 3 months that we have been here Jeff has only had class for about 3 weeks....haha which means we have had A LOT of together time! It's kinda ridic! lol But I'm not going to complain, I know once he starts his primary flying, I'll never see him!  So, till then we are enjoying our time together! 

Jeff was suppose to leave for SERE (survive, evade, resist, and escape) today, which is a survival training all pilots most go through to train them on what to do if they ever become POW's during combat. It's basically a 21 day course in the wilderness where they starve, get beaten up, and don't get to talk to their wives for 21 days!! Ugggh!! It's gonna suck! lol BUT, anyways... his SERE school got postponed AGAIN! So,  now he won't be going till July 12th! Which means we have the whole summer together! 

We went to Panama City for the weekend last week with a bunch of friends and it was a ton of fun! We stayed at Tyndall Air Force Base in a 4 bedroom house for dirt cheap! Then we all chipped in and rented a pontoon boat and cruised in the bay and hung out at the beach! It was awesome! We love going to the beach and having it so close to home! We have become quite the beach bums! haha It's great!

Since, Jeff doesn't go to SERE till July, we decided that I won't get a job till after he gets back from SERE because I'M COMING HOME for the month of July! YAY!!!!!!! I'm so excited! I can't wait!  I am however, going to be workin the Bama Jam Music Festival here in June! I'm going to be working the beer stand! haha But, that means I get into the 3 day concert for free! The line up includes: Taylor Swift, Pat Green, Brooks and Dunn, Kid Rock, Alan Jackson, Blake Shelton, Gary Allan, Los Lonely Boys, Charlie Daniels, Jason Aldean, and many many more! It's going to be awesome! 

That's pretty much all that has been going on here!  A lot of my friends are popping up pregnant here, which is crazy! They say it is in the water here in Fort Rucker! Let's hope that it doesn't happen to us just yet! lol We would like to wait awhile! One of my friends just had an adorable little boy named Holden, and another good friend just found out she is pregnant with TWINS! Which is super crazy! We are enjoying life here and love all our new friends! I promise I'll try to keep everyone updated for often! Till next time.... Here are some pics!

Bear in the moving van on our way to Bama! 

Summer, Me, Jen,  and Krystle! 

Some of my new awesome friends!

Rachel and I at the Lessard wedding in Hville!

My new awesome neighbor! I heart her! :)

Officer's Wife!

Sorry I haven't blogged in a week or so! It has been crazy busy in the life of the Johnsons! As of February 4, 2009, Jeff is an officer in the United States Army! Yay!! I am now an officer's wife! haha! I am so proud of him! Now that he has graduated WOC school he will be starting his flight school in about 2 months hopefully! We are not sure exactly how long this bubble will be but hopefully not too long! We are still in Alabama, this past week we have been house hunting and scouting out all that good ol Enterprise and Dothan have to offer (which is not a lot!!)! LOL! Friday we drove down to Destin and walked along the beautiful white sandy beach! I am going to freakin love living so close to the beach! It is only 1.5-2 hrs away! While we were down there we shopped around in this really nice outdoor mall and then went and saw "He's Just Not Into You." It was good, I liked it a lot! :) 

Oh, on another note! We found a house! Yay! It's a red brick town home that is only about a year old! It has 2 bedrooms and 2 1/2 baths! It's 1,600 sq. ft! Comes with a washer and dryer and has all stainless steal appliances with gorgeous dark cabinets! Our master bath has a jacuzzi tub and we have a balcony off of our bedroom with french doors! I am sooo excited I can't wait to move in! Oh and another plus, our friends Jeff and Cinthya Jensen got a townhouse there too!! So, we are going to be neighbors! It should be some fun times! The Johnsons and the Jensens! lol We think it's funny!  (Ours is on the far right!) 

Jeff and I head back to Fort Worth tomorrow! Finally! I miss our dog Bear so much! I hope he doesn't think we abandoned him! haha! We are going to spend the next week packing everything up and shopping for the last few furniture items that we need (i.e. tv for the bedroom, entertainment center for the living room, rug for living room, etc.)! Then we are loading up the moving truck on Feb. 16th and we'll be on the road to our new home in Alabama on Feb. 17th! Move in day in Feb. 19th and I CAN NOT WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Anyways....that's all I've got for now! See ya! :)