Aug 23rd, 2018-  What a sight seeing the C-17 land at KSHD.  That plane is HUGE!  I got to talk with one of the pilots for 45 min in the cockpit.  Amazing!  Flew in from the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.  

July 31st, 2018  I have been flying for 5 years and at the beginning of July Air Wisconsin invited me to Chicago for an interview.  I needed a resume for the 1st time in 21 years!  Enjoyed my 1st flight into O'Hare.  What a HUGE airport!  We have one runway and taxiway at KSHD.  They have 7 runways (14 if you count both ends) and so many taxiways I couldn't even count them all.   What an experience!  I even had a window seat and looked out the entire time.  =)

I thoroughly enjoyed the interview process and was offered the job as a First Officer!  I accepted and look forward to attending training in Appleton, Wisconsin for 3-4 months.  I still have 120 hours earn through flight instructing and 5 twin hours.  So I plan on leaving around the end of September.  So exciting!  August is rolling around and I won't be going back to school for the 1st time in my life.  However, I will be going to school and learning how to fly jets!  Awesome!  Air Wisconsin flies CRJ-200 jets under United Express and has hubs at Chicago, Milwaukee and Dulles.  I would love to be based out of Dulles, but we will see what happens.  

Spent some time with Victoria after the interview and enjoyed my 1st visit to Chicago. We met in 2012 in Boston, MA at the SHAPE convention and have kept in touch ever since.   She is the best hostess anyone could have and I am so blessed to know such a beautiful woman with an infectious personality and zeal for life!  

​ I took my 1st train ride, we biked 20 miles down the coast/ beach (who knew that they had a beach in Chicago!), walked to the zoo and  enjoyed the stunning views from her 34th balcony.  The sunset at the end of my interview day reminded me of the Lord's goodness and His favor throughout this entire journey!   I am a country girl all the way, but did enjoy a brief visit to the big city.  

July 7th, 2018  We held another Women Can Fly event at the Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport in Weyers Cave, VA.   Thank you to Alex Kelley and Blue Ridge Aviation for taking over 150 girls and women flying across the Shenandoah Valley.  I took up 12 girls and women and we had a glorious day to fly.  What a privilege to be a pilot and I love sharing the world of general aviation with everyone! 

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​July 6th, 2018  Tony and I drove up to the 99's Convention in Philadelphia today and I enjoyed my 1st time in the city.  I was so pleased to hear the beautiful voice of Suzanne come up behind me at a morning session.  I was also able to connect with Connie and Linda (members of the Hampton Roads Chapter).  I am so blessed to be a part of such a wonderful organization and I continue to thank the 99's for their investment in my flying career.  I want to pay it forward as I pass on my love for aviation to girls and women around the world.   

June 27th, 2018-Mike Price the FAA examiner sent me a text last night and asked if I wanted the unexpected open slot he had for today and I said "YES!"  I have been training and studying since December for this oral and flight exam.  The first lesson I had in the twin engine plane resulted in a total electrical failure and we decided to land at KSHD.  My lessons were stretched out and this is the longest I have ever had to wait for a checkride.  So THANKFUL to be done!  I need 25 multi hours as a requirement for the regional airlines and I have 17 hours.  Almost there!  I also need 1500 flying hours and I have 1350.  Almost there! 

This airplane is a Piper Twin Commanche and the tail number is 7288Y.   Thanks to Alex Kelley my boss and instructor for teaching me how to fly this plane. 

I have found that checkrides are one of the most stressful events I have encountered.  This exam was my 6th checkride so I wasn't as nervous as I was before I became a flight instructor, but there is still pressure that I place on myself to do well and pass the 1st time.  As I reflected on my test tonight, I thought about looking at my fitbit and seeing how the test influenced my heartrate.  I found the results to be interesting. 

I will always have the passion of a physical educator burning inside me.  Here are the results of my heart rate during the flight portion of my test.  I got 47 min of cardio and never left my seat! 

June 25th, 2018-  Summer vacation is now in progress!  I don't know what vacation means, but I love being up in the air and flying over the Shenandoah Valley.  

Driving to the airport, I stopped on my driveway to take this picture.  Wow!  The Lord puts beauty all around us and I am so thankful to have the eyes to see it.  I don't want to miss anything He would have for me and I am thankful for the special moments like this each day.  Take some time this week to look around and see the treasures that lie before us.  We live in a dark world, but the Lord is the light of my life and His love and beauty are everywhere!  

I love beautiful sunrises and sunsets.  Here are a few that I have seen lately and some pics from all the flooding we have had from the unending rain.  

This will be my last year at TAHS (after 21 years of teaching) and I am excited to discover what the Lord has planned for my life!  I started flying 5 years ago this week and we will see if I am to go fly with the commercial airliners in the fall.  I now have more availability to fulfill the Lord's purpose and I want to use  my time, talents, resources and energy for Him each day.  I want to be light to this world and be a blessing to those around me.   

Driving to the airport this week, an eagle flew by me and and I saw it land on this barn in my side view mirror.  I turned around, pulled over into a driveway and took this pic.  How amazing is the beauty around us if we have eyes to see it!   

Here are some of my favorite pics during our flights in the valley lately.  

February 8th, 2018 - I am excited about watching the Olympics and see athletes from around the world  reach a dream that has been burning in them for a lifetime.   Sweet memories as I think back to the Olympic Torch Relay for the Salt Lake City Olympics in 2001 that was made possible by Tony, my incredible husband.  He nominated me to participate and I was selected to run with the torch in Hagerstown, MD.  An experience of a lifetime and I will never forget it!  I remember that they said when you are carrying the torch, you are the only person on earth carrying the Olympic flame for that period of time.  The relay starts in Greece and makes its way across the world and ultimately ends up in the stadium of the selected country and the cauldron is lit during the opening ceremonies.  I look forward to seeing the events unfold throughout the month of February.  

January 27th, 2018-  We all enjoyed the cruise this week and we are so thankful for the opportunity to relax on the cruise.  Tony and I got up early and watched the ship pull into port and I enjoyed watching the planes take off from Fort Lauderdale Airport at 6 am.  We pulled into port 2 miles from the end of the runway.   The blue lights outline the runway.  

We headed back to KFXE (Fort Lauderdale Executive) and looked around the HUGE pilot shop.  So many things to look and what we usually see in the flight magazine.  

The skies were not as clear going home, but we found a nice layer of clear skies on top of the clouds at 9,000'.  Even got a little bit of icing as we came into Virginia.