Strike Day: 9

I wonder, does anyone, anywhere out there really know what is going on with the strike situation at Vance AFB? I highly doubt it.

You turn to the local newspaper, the great American media source, to help you discern … something. One article states that the union (full 0f kind, local, church going families) has tried to renegotiate. It is the big, bad corporation (CSC) who refuses to talk and offer them a new, fair contract. They, the union, claim their basic human rights have been denied, their work conditions are appalling. They merely wait for CSC to give them what they rightfully deserve.

Yet in another article CSC are the heroes who have offered to renegotiate countless times. Why, they have even proposed extending the current work contracts so employees can return to work, paycheck and health insurance while the two sides continue to talk (although how anyone can continue to do something they aren’t doing…). Obviously, in light of the current National economy (not to mention shutting down Military operations during a time of war), the union is nothing more than an immature, irresponsible, egocentric mob who refuse to listen.

There have been countless pleas from public officials; the local senate representative, the state congressmen, even the Pentagon have all released profound statements urging both sides to be reasonable, to return to work, to think of a greater good. These highly public and auspicious attempts to end the strike have lead to an absolute dead end.

From this vast, and completely incongruent, mess of information no wonder no one really knows what is going on. A whole bunch of people talking and not listening, talking and not doing, talking and not caring, talking and well, just talking.

Does anyone care that hundreds of families are going without paychecks and insurance? (Honestly, I’m not sure I do. I’m trying, but they did choose the situation.) Does anyone care that the entire base is running with minimal operations, without any flying whatsoever? (Of course I do! It’s just our entire lives being put on an endless hold and no, thank you, we did not get a say in the matter!) Or what about the families of the 27 people who had to be flown out Monday to finish, or help students finish, their training? There are now families stuck in this desolate hole (otherwise referred to as Enid) without their spouse; plans for a graduation they worked so hard for this past year in ruins.

If I think about the strike too much, I just get irritate. People have jobs because they are supposed to do them, and not just do them, but do them well. Now all we have are people doing nothing.

I have, and will continue to pray. It’s the only thing I can do, the only thing that makes any sense. I will pray for those involved in “negotiations”, pray for a change of heart for those in the union, pray for patience and peace for the 500+ students who are just waiting…

I will pray that someone, somewhere out there figures out what the bloody blank is going on before my temper runs out and I find them!

http://www.enidnews.com/localnews/local_story_166231229.html

Strike Day: 7

Another weekend has come and gone here in Enid. I worked both Saturday and Sunday, but still had time to relax. Jared was able to go golfing with Andy Saturday morning and we both spent a few hours at a pool party with some fellow UPT students that afternoon. Sunday we went to church where our pastor again prayed for the strike situation on base.

The biggest weekend news happened in Ohio; Abbie graduated from OU and moved off campus into a house in Marietta. She will student teach this fall and then be officially done and able to job hunt. Ryan should be home from Iraq around October-November, and he will get to see their house and head back to school at OU. One of the worst parts about being in Enid is that it is so far away from "home". I really missed not being a part of everything this weekend.

Nothing much to report on the strike. It sounds like CSC has actually offered up some options to the striking workers, but they have all been refused. A C-17 is scheduled to come pick up the senior class and several IPs tomorrow and take them to Del Rio to finish training. One of the guys in that class we know from Dover.

We continue to pray about this situation and to trust it to God's much more capable hands. We ask that you will continue to partner with us in prayer for a fast resolution to this strike! We just want to finish training in a timely manner and move on.

This weekend we did not remove a link from our paper chain of pilot training. Depressing!

The latest news stories for your reading pleasure.

http://www.enidnews.com/localnews/local_story_163231707.html

http://www.enidnews.com/localnews/local_story_164201647.html?keyword=topstory

Strike: day 4

“Anxiety is so spiritually toxic that the command to not be afraid or anxious or fearful is the most frequently repeated command in the Bible. Anxiety cuts us off from the flow of the Spirit like almost nothing else. It robs us of joy and paralyzes our ability to trust God. Biblical peace- what we experience when living in the flow of the Holy Spirit- is the settled conviction at the core of our being that all things are in God’s hands; therefore, we can live free of burden, worry, and fear. Those living with uncontrolled anxiety mistakenly think they deserve the punishment or pain of a prolonged string of anxiety-producing thoughts or they live under illusion that worry enhances the control factor. Anxiety can keep us from saying yes to God’s callings on our lives. We need to learn to cast our anxiety on God and choose peace.” –John Ortberg

The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. - Deuteronomy 31: 7-8

http://www.enidnews.com/localnews/local_story_161235112.html

http://www.enidnews.com/localnews/local_story_161235017.html

Strike: Day 3

Sigh; it is only day three of this strike and it is already really old. Like ancient.

The 32nd squadron commander did talk to Jared's class today. Not really much new information, and none of it encouraging, but here goes.

Essentially the negotiators on both sides are doing absolutely zero negotiating. There is no talking, no meetings, nothing. Super awesome! Way to not do your jobs. The next class scheduled to graduate, 09-11, is already getting orders out of Vance to finish their training at one of the other two UPT bases in either Texas or Mississippi. After they ship that class out there are plans to start sending other classes away, but nothing concrete. The earliest Jared might leave to finish training somewhere else is mid-July. If the strike goes on much longer and flight operations have not resumed by June 24th we will officially be graduating late. They will start rolling us back and we will become another class number with a later graduation date. That will happen regardless of if they get sent away to finish somewhere else at that point. We decided we should start adding links back on to our paper chain of pilot training today. Utterly depressing.

That is the big stuff. A smaller item that the strike is having an effect on: air conditioning. Jared's entire squadron has no air conditioning, so after being in a sauna for the last two days they were authorized to come to work tomorrow in shorts and t-shirts. There is no one to fix the AC.

In other news, I worked today. Utterly unexciting, but it did keep me busy most of the day. We are in the process of hiring 2 new nurses to replace one that went to another office and one that will be moving in July. Tonight we are having burgers for dinner. Tomorrow I am planning on baking up a storm unless I get called in to work. The scrapbooking is going well; I almost have an entire book already done. I am awaiting supplies to start another one.

Verse of the day: 'So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.' - Isaiah 41:10

Below are the links of the day:
The full article released by OK. senator Inhofe: http://www.allamericanpatriots.com/48753432-senator-jim-inhofe-on-strike-at-vance-air-force-base
Today's Enid newspaper account complete with commentary from the locals: http://www.enidnews.com/localnews/local_story_160231715.html

Strike: Day 2

Jared worked from 8:30am until around 5:00pm today. Obviously, none of that was flying time. It is so eerily quiet here; no planes flying overhead, no engine tests from the flightline, nothing. Silence. I keep straining to hear something, anything. Occasionally I think I hear a sound, that it might be a plane. But I know full well no one is flying, that whatever noise I hear is not a plane.

Since my house is clean, very very clean, I spent most of my day out and about. I consciously avoided the picket line. I was afraid my temper might get the better of me and my car would end up going right through the line. I did go to the local Christian book store, the bank, to K-Mart, Old Navy, and Bath and Body Works. In the midst of all that I also went out to lunch with Megan and her two kiddos. Such a cute family. And I discovered a new Enid restaurant that is very good.

This afternoon I finished two loads of laundry and read my current book; The Complete Sherlock Holmes Vol. I. Dinner tonight will be ravioli, garlic bread and salads out of our garden. Tomorrow will be work for me and sitting around the flight room for Jared.

Below are several links to the local paper; they are all strike related stories. I posted the link to the strikers blog page in my previous blog post.

Oklahoma Senator talks about the Vance strike: http://www.enidnews.com/localnews/local_story_159232029.html
Contract worker attempts to commit suicide over Vance strike: http://www.enidnews.com/localnews/local_story_159232054.html
Strike workers worried about losing health insurance: http://www.enidnews.com/localnews/local_story_159232137.html
Summary of Vance strike thus far: http://www.enidnews.com/localnews/local_story_159232640.html

Strike: Day 1

"At 12:01 a.m. today, vehicles filled with International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers began arriving at the west gate of Vance Air Force Base to begin a promised strike..." -The Enid News and Eagle

It is official. The strike has begun here at Vance. It is a night flying week (not that it matters anymore) so Jared is still asleep since he isn't supposed to be at work until around 11 o'clock. I am assuming that by the end of today we will know more facts about what the strike is going to mean for us.

Things I heard yesterday; the base had already flown in firemen from another base since ours are part of the strike. There is also already talk about sending class 09-11, the next class scheduled to graduate, out to another base to finish their training.

Things I read this morning; the union is prepared to strike as long as it takes. I pray those are just big words on their part! The local paper also said that our senator is in town trying to help the opposing sides come to some type of agreement. I hope we have a good senator.

The bottom line is that there will be no flight operations in the foreseeable future. Training has stopped. And for every day training is stopped it sets every pilot training class here that much further behind.

Yesterday at church we had a time of prayer for those involved in the strike. Not only for the hundreds of students and instructors who won't be able to do their jobs; but also for those who opposed the strike and will now have to figure out how to survive without their paychecks. We sang It Is Well With My Soul.

Last night I tried my best to follow through on our pastors words to not worrying and trust God with this situation. But oh, what a excellent worrier I am! I found myself humming I Cast All My Cares as I watered the garden. Funny how you regress back to feeling like a kid when things get hard. This is just so discouraging, the past year has been one hard after another! At least it feels that way this morning.

I will close this with two verses that have been prayed I don't know how many times since Jared started to fly. And by asking for your prayers as we face this situation!

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4: 6-7

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. - Philippians 4:13

LINKS:
The morning news story in our local paper: http://www.enidnews.com/localnews/local_story_159023231.html?keyword=topstory
The Union Strike Blog: http://www.vancestrike.blogspot.com/

Return of the scrapbook

I haven't scrapbooked in years. Honestly, I don't even remember how or why I started scrapbooking. One summer in high school found me buying scrapbook materials and spending every spare moment in an attempt to creatively preserve my high school memories. The end result of my initial scrapbooking frenzy were two large black binders stuffed, unimaginatively at times, with everything from articles out of the school newspaper to dance pictures and choir concert programs. But I still have those books.

My next phase of scrapbooking turned outwards as I concentrated my efforts on gifts. I am not sure what the real motivation there was; that I was a poor college student trying to pull off a more grown up version of 'instead of spending money, look what I made you!' or, that I was attending a commuter branch of my college, living at home and working at a nursing home. I had nothing personal worth scrapbooking at the time. But out of those efforts I made, if I do say so myself (and I do), some admirable books.

From there I moved on to digital scrapbooking. I had heard talk of this new phenomenon from various sources and when I located a free website, I jumped in. It was an easier and faster way to scrapbook. I used it to make several mini albums of our wedding for parents. At a time when I actually had things to scrapbook about again, it was a way to do it and fit it into my increasingly chaotic schedule.

From there scrapbooking has taken an extended leave of absence from my life. Or maybe I took a leave of absence from it. Either way, it just seems that over the past two years I have been exceedingly busy. My husband commissioned and graduated from college, we got married, he left for training, I finished my degree and graduated from college, we moved to another state, I took state nursing boards, my sister got married, we moved again, my husband started pilot training ... it makes me tired just typing all that out! Obviously I've got lots of worthy scrapbook material; I am simply lacking the time!

Then the other night as I was drifting off to sleep an idea suddenly hit me! BAM! This summer you actually have some time before life starts to get crazy again. You should catch up on your scrapbooking. It's only been two years since your wedding and you have no scrapbook of it! Yes, I said to myself, that is a brilliant thought. Back to scrapbooking.

Do I have ulterior motives, of course! I have somewhat of a deadline to prompt me into action; Jared's pilot training graduation in early September. After he graduates life is bound to get crazy again. Back to TDY training schedules, moving, etc. I also am desperate for a productive distraction. Things here are so tense, and time is moving slowly. Surely this will help get me through the final months before graduation.

The last few days I have been surfing the internet for new products and ideas. Yesterday I had a great time getting lost in the scrapbooking aisles of the local Hobby Lobby. While Jared spends his day golfing, I am going to put on a good summer movie (you know, A League of Their Own or State Fair) and start a scrapbook!! I will take pictures and keep you updated on my progress over the next few months.

3

This month I quietly, and tentatively say "3 months from today we will be graduating".

We will know come Monday morning, at the latest, how the union negotiation went. We are still praying hard that there will be no strike!

Barring a disaster in that area, we only have 3 months left! 3!

Planning a Wedding

Our wedding was beautiful, it was classic, it was simple. Less is more. I love to plan and organize things, but huge "events" just are not my thing. It's far too easy to get caught up in the preparations and the stuff while forgetting about the day and what it means.

Our pilot training graduation is going to mean, essentially, planning another wedding. However this one is going to be much larger, more complicated, and instead of 1, there are 5 "brides" (spouses). Oh my!

Last evening I attended as SOSC (Student Officer Spouse Club) meeting all about graduation. I came home feeling very overwhelmed. We had several key people speak to us; everyone from the Wing Commanders wife, to the Club catering coordinator, to spouses who have recently been through graduation, and finally the base graduation coordinator herself. That is quite a bit of information to take in and process.

There are basically 3 events that comprise the final weeks of pilot training. The first being assignment night. That is when we will find out what plane Jared gets and where we will call home next. Then there is a red carpet day. This is the day before graduation and includes a breakfast, tours, awards, etc. Graduation day itself is also in two parts; a ceremony to pin on their wings in the morning followed by a formal dinner that evening at the Club.

For every part I listed above there are jobs to be done, things to be picked out (from linen colors to food and wine choices), and money to be spent. Lots of money to be spent! And while I could very well handle this task on my own, there is a class of over 20 students and 5 spouses to consult about every step.

Now, please, do not think I am complaining! I am very much looking forward to these events. The getting there part is what is a little daunting at the moment.

So what did I do last night and this morning? I complied all of my notes from the meeting, and everything in their slide show, and whatever pieces of advice and other general information I could remember and created a 5 page Word document that outlines each event and the who, when, where, why, money and dress codes of each one! Jared thinks I am insane. However, after putting the jumble that was that meeting into words and then creating some semblance of order out of those words I am feeling much better. More in control of the situation. Proactive.

I emailed the document to the graduation coordinator on base so that she could check it over. Hopefully after a little tweaking I can hand the lovely document out to our class. And ultimately, maybe, it will help us stay organized and focused on the big picture: these students and their families just sacrificed over a year of their lives to get to this one day! The students are finally becoming pilots. And that is what it is ALL about!

Hello June

Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear ... Jared, Andy and Abbie, happy birthday to you!

Today was the twins 25th birthday. I made Grandma's birthday cake and it is already half gone! Jared spent his day flying to Arkansas and back. Andy had a simulator ride. I cleaned the house, did laundry, and didn't have to cook dinner because we went out. Our original plan was to eat at our local Italian restaurant, Napolis, but they are closed on Mondays? So we ended up at the local sports pub, Past Times.

The Blakes went to dinner with us and then came over for cake afterwards. The boys opened cards, but then it was back to normal. Tim went home to study for his first navigation ride, Andy went home to sleep, and Jared and I are headed to bed shortly.

Thanks to those who called or sent cards and gifts!

Tomorrow is Abbies birthday! She will be 22, I know this because I am 24 and we (my siblings and I) are all even or odd together. So this year it's 20, 22, 24. We hope she has a great day!

Tomorrow Jared gets a break from flying and I have to grocery shop and work. I also have a spouses meeting at the base club all about graduation. 3 weeks and 3 days left!

Jared & Andy on their birthday

THE cake :)

Love these guys!