Major Mom

My name is Patricia, but in the blogging world I became known as "Major Mom" thanks to a friend in the Air Force Reserves. As soon as he had said it, the David Bowie song "Space Oddity" went through my mind. I am a mother and wife first - an Air Force wife, that is. My husband proudly serves in the Air Force as a weather officer. I also continue to serve my country as a Major in the Air Force Reserves. It's a wonderful double-life I lead. It was a very difficult decision for me -- I had our second son in early 2005 just before the 10-year-point in my career. It was already tough having to turn my oldest son over to a child care center every duty day -- 50 hours per week. So in spring 2005 I took advantage of a Reserves job opening for which I was qualified in Norfolk, Virginia -- my hometown! It's truly wonderful getting to see my sons grow up, and be able to help out at their school, on their sports teams (I've coached soccer before) and as a Cub Scout den leader. I'm not sure I'd have had time for that if I had remained on active duty. We currently live in Navarre, Florida, while my wonderful husband is assigned to Hurlburt Field, Florida. We've also lived in the following locations since we graduated from Penn State University in 1995: Fort Polk, Louisiana, 1995-1998 Yongsan Army Installation, Seoul, Republic of Korea, 1998-2000 Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, 2000-2002 Patrick AFB, Florida, 2002-2005 Raleigh, North Carolina (Dave was assigned to North Carolina State University), 2005-2008 Offutt AFB, Nebraska, 2008-2010 Hurlburt Field, Florida, 2010-present I started this blog in December 2007, thanks to suggestions from friends. We're in our third home since I started the blog. I used to send out captioned photo albums -- from AOL Pictures to Shutterfly albums to Picasaweb albums. Instead of flooding everyone with photos, now I can use this blog to send out the highlights. I'll talk about anything on here -- usually I'm talking about the kids, but I'll also delve into the local scene wherever we're living, and you'll also see some great posts about the two military moves (PCS: Permanent Changes of Station) we've had. Sometimes I talk about utter nonsense, such as finding a product called "Piggies in Pancakes" in a grocery store in South Carolina. In my spare time I write for the parenting blog GeekMom.com, I serve on the board of the Hurlburt Spouses' Club, and I'm a Cub Scout den leader. I also enjoy running and playing the violin.

Operation EAT WHAT WE HAVE

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Operation EAT WHAT WE HAVE. This is what I call our family’s monumental effort to clean out partially-used foods in the pantry and fridge before a military move. We aren’t moving anytime soon but between my full time work and holiday meal planning, our pantry is full of partial packages of things that we need … Read more

Colorado Discoveries 44: Hiking the Pikes Peak Barr Trail

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The view from the top of a 14er has an entirely different meaning when you hike up!
The view from the top of a 14er has an entirely different meaning when you hike up!

Pikes Peak.

The inspiration for the poem that eventually became “America the Beautiful.” (Did you know that?)

This mountain stares at us almost daily. Why couldn't we hike up to the top?
This mountain stares at us almost daily. Why not hike up to the top?

This 14,110′ mountain towers over the city of Colorado Springs and greets us every day on our drives to work. We have a decent view of the mountain from our back deck and from the 2nd floor of our house.

A view of Pikes Peak (on the far right) from the 2nd floor of our house.
A view of Pikes Peak (on the far right) from the 2nd floor of our house.

Colorado has over 50 “14ers“, which is the affectionate nickname for the state’s 14,000’+ mountains. Pikes Peak is the 30th tallest of the Colorado Fourteeners, but has the second highest “prominence” in the state, with only Mount Elbert having a higher prominence. In other words, climbing Pikes Peak takes a bit more vertical effort than most of the others.

For Dave’s 40th birthday, he invited a group of friends to join us on a hike up the 13-mile Barr Trail from Manitou Springs to the peak. This isn’t a casual walk — while the first 9 miles or so are straightforward, once you go above about 11,000′ the trees disappear and you’re exposed to the elements — wide open.

We made it to the top at about 1:30pm on Dave’s 40th birthday. It was an unforgettable experience. Read on about our hike.

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June/July 2014 Vacation Summary

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Our June/July 2014 summer vacation to the American southwest was fun and filled with National Park goodness. We are grateful for the National Park Service’s “Military Annual Pass” program which saved us nearly $80 in entrance fees on this trip. Here’s the summary of everything we did: Drive to Durango Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge RR … Read more

Utah Discoveries 5: Canyonlands National Park

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Canyonlands National Park is incredibly underrated. Much of the park is accessible only via hiking, biking, rafting/kayaking, or 4-wheel drive.
Canyonlands National Park is incredibly underrated. Much of the park is accessible only via hiking, biking, rafting/kayaking, or 4-wheel drive.

Just a few miles up the road from Arches National Park is a turnoff that takes you about 25 miles to the northern entrance of Canyonlands National Park (the Island in the Sky District). This park offers a completely different look at Utah’s wilderness, with the Green and Colorado Rivers traversing throughout.

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Housekeeping…

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I’m trying to clean up some of the widgets (stuff on the right) on my blog. Pardon the construction dust — especially with the “archive” widget. The one I had used for years is no longer and I’m trying to find a new one. In the meantime, enjoy fresh new Facebook and Twitter widgets, as … Read more

Utah Discoveries 4: More of Arches National Park

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My awesome boys!
My awesome boys!
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There’s much more to see at Arches NP. This is near the “Devil’s Playground” part of the park. Another popular hiking spot.

After our morning hike to Delicate Arch, we elected to drive through the rest of the park because it got very warm in a hurry. It took us about two hours to drive through the park enjoying the additional arches and geology.

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Utah Discoveries 3: Hiking to Delicate Arch at Arches National Park

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My boys got annoyed in a hurry with my attempts for the perfect Delicate Arch photo. I was doing everything in my power to keep other people out of the shot, which was quite difficult.
My boys got annoyed in a hurry with my attempts for the perfect Delicate Arch photo. I was doing everything in my power to keep other people out of the shot, which was quite difficult.

The ultimate goal in our visit to Moab was a visit to Arches National Park. The geology of the region is incredibly unique, with soft sandstone being unevenly worn away due to wind erosion. The terrain doesn’t even look like it belongs on this earth! Delicate Arch, towering over six-stories high, is the most famous of these arches (even appearing on the current Utah license plate, and getting there isn’t easy.

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Utah Discoveries 2: Camping in Moab

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There’s a creek right behind the tents on the “lower level” of our tent site. Luckily, we didn’t have any heavy rains.

We elected to camp in Moab, which might not have been the best idea. We didn’t think about Moab being at a lower elevation than the previous places we visited (Durango and the Grand Canyon), it being the month of July, or the noise we’d experience in a state that allows all sorts of personal use fireworks.

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Utah Discoveries 1: Driving through Monument Valley

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This is a VERY famous view. Read on about Monument Valley.
This is a VERY famous view. Read on about Monument Valley.

After leaving the Grand Canyon on the morning of July 4th, we set forth on an approximately 8-hour drive to Moab, Utah. We chose the route that took us through Monument Valley, which is just north of the Utah/Arizona border near U.S. Highway 163. The drive is gorgeous, taking us through numerous ecosystems and significant terrain changes.

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