BCT Family Day

Well let me just say that I don't wish basic combat training on anyone. It was tough being away from Chrissy and the fam, but I did do some cool stuff. Rappelled, shot a lot of weapons, rode in a Humvee...I'm glad it's over with though. It was awesome having Chrissy and the fam come out for graduation and family day. We had many nice meals courtesy of the Colonel...and many a tasty treats courtesy of Chrissy, Mom, and apparently Winnie. It was good times.


Hangin out at the pond.


Chuckster made the trip as well.

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Location:Ft. Jackson, SC

I've got an Angel...

...she doesn't wear any wings. She means everything to me. She really is a dream come true. I am one lucky dude to have her forever mine. Today is our two year anniversary. What a wonderful blessing Chrissy is in my life. She is perfect for me and I'm so thankful to have married her in the Temple and that we'll be together forever. I'm so excited to start a lil family with her and see what an amazing Mom she's gonna be. This morning I leave for Army basic training so I won't be around to celebrate our special day...but I just wanted to publicly profess my love for my sweet Chrissy. I love you darlin.



good times.

Meeting the fellas...

A couple weeks ago I received a phone call from my lil sis Aubrie. She was so excited to tell me about lil Winnie's gymnastics class that day. It seems that one of the little dudes in her class had his dad bring him to class, and the dad happened to be the greatest power forward in the history of basketball. None other than my favorite athlete of all-time, Tim Duncan. That's right...Aubrie sat next to Timmy D! It has long been a dream of mine to meet Timmy. I've always wondered and thought about what I'd say to him. So this week, my final week in town before leaving for the Army...I went to Winnie's final gymnastics class. It was fun seeing Winnie do all her lil gymnastics stuff. Tension and excitement filled the air as the little kids stretched and began class. We all watched on and silently wondered if he'd show up. About five minutes in, I looked over and in walked in a 6'11" dude in some shades, adidas cutoff shirt and slides, and some urban camo swim trunks. My heart just about leapt out of my throat. It was Timmy!!! After class I approached him and he looked right at me and said, "hey what's goin on man?" Then some lady interuppted us...but at that point a dream had already come true. Timmy is really private and doesn't do pics, but luckily my dear lil sis came prepared with a little basketball and a sharpie...so I got his autograph and was on cloud nine all day.


...and then, the next day Chrissy and I were running some errands with Momma Freeman. We were just entering the shops at La Cantera when Momma Freeman asked me to recount the whole experience of meeting Timmy D. I was about 15 seconds into telling her what happened when I looked up and David Robinson walked out of the Apple Store! I couldn't believe it! I walked right up and said, "Big Dave!" I thanked him for the championships and good times and he was very friendly shaking all our hands and talking to us. I told him that I'd met Tim Duncan the day before and he laughed and said it must be Spurs week for me. What a sweet send off from the fellas. What are the odds, that the last week before I ship out to Army training, and on consecutive days I meet the two pillars of the San Antonio Spurs franchise! It was so cool! I will cherish the memories forever. Good times.

4 wheeling at Bear Lake

I fell in love with 4-wheelers on my Grandpa Nielsen's Suzuki Quad Runner...riding around the farm in Winder, ID. So I really wanted to make 4-wheeling a part of our recent vacation. Our initial rentals fell through and things were looking grim...then good ole Uncle Jerry made a few phone calls and lined up some rentals in Laketown, UT. It was a blast!!! I'm so buying one of these some day.

This was crazy....a dadgum cattle drive across the road.

We rode around on trails in the hills overlooking Bear Lake...I was seriously in heaven.
Chrissy's ready to roll out.
I was only stopped by one law enforcement official.



Good times.

Air Power Expo-NAS Ft. Worth JRB

I really like going to air shows...less for the crazy trick planes whippin around in the sky...and more for demonstrations of the air power that gives America air superiority in any fight she may get into. So the Air Power Expo at Naval Air Station Ft. Worth Joint Reserve Base seemed like the logical place for me to be yesterday. Especially after missing the Blue Angels last week. So Chrissy, Charlie, and I headed up to Ft. Worth...it was well worth it.

My favorite plane is the A-10 Thunderbolt II...aka the Warthog. They literally built the plane around that 30 mm gun in the front.

The famed Blue Angels. The U.S. Navy's flight demonstration team. I highly recommend that you see them if you get the chance. They'll be in San Antonio October 29-30 (I believe at Randolph AFB). Naval aviation holds a certain mystique in my heart...(thank you Top Gun)...and these guys are awesome to watch.

The paracommandos brought in the colors with a stirring rendition of the national anthem.

The VFA-204 River Rattlers finished off the national anthem with a fly over in their F/A-18s. (that middle one is actually an F-5 in case you were wondering)

I have never seen a Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier in person. It was awesome. They demonstrated its vertical take off and landing capability. It can literally just hover in the air, and spin around, then really blast its engines and take off whippin around like a fighter jet. Chrissy's favorite demonstration of the day.

A big reason we went was to see the A-10 demonstration team. I love this plane, and I love how it swoops around in the sky, and then wreaks havoc on the enemy...providing close air support for our troops on the ground. I hope these guys watch over FOB Bostick from the skies over Afghanistan.

The heritage flight of the P-51 Mustang and the A-10 Thunderbolt II.

We were treated to a fly over by a USAF B-52 Stratofortress. These bombers have been in service for almost 60 years!

Threat eliminated.

The Blue Angels demonstration begins with a USMC C-130T Hercules...aka Fat Albert.

Usually the Blue Angels have four F/A-18s flying in a diamond formation, and #5 and #6 birds provide the solo and opposing demonstrations. For some reason, they towed #4 away in the morning and flew without her.

#5 Lt Ben Walborn flies inverted crossing paths with #6 Lt C.J. Simonsen. You'll notice the landing gear is down and the tail hooks are out. Those hooks grab on to a wire on the landing surface of an aircraft carrier to land the aircraft and prevent the plane from going into the drink.

Everything the Blue Angels do is done with exact, military precision. From the way the maintenance crews prepare the aircraft for flight in unison, to the way #8 reads the narration to #7, who then delivers it to the crowd...all while standing at attention. It really is spectacular to watch.

Good times.
(a big thanks to my dear wife Chrissy...she takes awesome pics)