Eye of the Storm

Well, its been a hectic last week and a half! We ended up moving into another apartment in our same complex; Thursday and Friday were filled with what must be close to a million trips back and forth between our two places, and on Saturday morning we blessedly had the help of a few friends in moving some of our bigger items.  Patricia was flying in on Saturday night, so it was a mad dash to get things looking halfway liveable (can't have her going home to tell my mom we live like hobos!). 

Patricia's visit was a whirlwind, I wish we had more time to visit a few different places.  We did make it to Oklahoma City to 'Stockyard City'- near the world's largest stockyards- why this is laudable is beyond me, but I suppose beggars can't be choosers.  There were a few western themed shops there that were fun to poke around, and we had lunch/dinner at Cattlemen's Steakhouse.  No, not the same Cattlemen's chain found in California! We all agreed our food was only mediocre, not worth the trip or the price, and the situation only deteriorated after we left the restaurant only to see a truck full of young cows being brought to the yards for slaughter.  Apparently people enjoy the notion of eating super fresh beef, but honestly I think that the whole setup was sickening and was thereby reduced to tears!

After Patricia's departure, the remainder of the week found Lance preparing for his nav-checkride, what is generally acknowledged to be the beginning of the end of pilot training, and me trying to sort out the house.  I suppose going through this mini-move is good preparation for the imminent moves these next few months are set to bring.  Lance passed his nav-check, and it seems to have served as the greenlight for us to really start processing that we're nearing the end of the program and to begin entertaining the potential possibilities for what can happen next (always accompanied by a hasty knock-on-wood- gotta love superstitious pilots...er, pilots-to-be--KNOCK ON WOOD!)

Despite the business of the last month, I've still struggled with not having a solid job.  Occasional substitute gigs and volunteering at the library have kept me decently occupied when not moving or entertaining, but I'm looking forward to a fresh start somewhere new.  On the flip side, I've also come to see that some of my attitudes towards my situation have been a little selfish.  Lance successfully finishing pilot training is the big goal in both of our lives for the time being, and I'm thankful that I get to be around enough to support him through it.