Squadron Trip To Austria

The weekend before Lana and I left Italy we were able to take part in our squadron's ski trip to Austria. It was another chance for us to hit the slopes for some good snowboarding and hang out with the friends we had made during our time in Italy. Some of the ladies in the squadron made arrangements for us all to stay in a nice pensione/gasthof in a town close to Salzburg called Kirchdorf. This is close to the well known ski town of Kitzbühel where we spent all of Saturday enjoying the snow. I've said it before, but it's great snowboarding with Lana...we both enjoy the mountains and she's really good!

After a day on the slopes, it was back to the gasthof to clean up for our squadron Christmas dinner. Some of us were a little annoyed we had to dress up after a day of snowboarding, but the evening was nice. It was also my farewell dinner...kind of a sad moment for Lana and I as we didn't want to be leaving. But, such is the military life and it was time to move on. Our squadron commander said a few words about Lana and I before giving us a chance to say some things. I wanted to say more than just, "Flying is awesome, I've enjoying being in the 510th, keep working hard, etc." Even though all of that is true there is more to life than flying fighter jets. I may not always be the best example of this, but it's true. I wanted to point out the fact everything in my life has been a blessing from God from flying the F-16 to meeting Lana in Europe, God is in control! It's why Psalm 31:14-15a is at the top of my blog...our times are in His hands.

Sunday morning Lana and I said some last goodbyes before driving to meet her grandparents 30 min away from where we were staying. Our car was packed full of things we didn't have the Air Force ship, and the plan was to have her grandparents take it to their place so Lana could pick it up later after getting settled back in Munich. Lana also went with them because she had a flight to L.A. the next day. After eating lunch together, we parted ways and I started the drive back to Aviano. This time it was shorter for me to drive to Innsbruck and then south back to Italy through Cortina. To make a long story short, my trip took much longer than normal due to my route being closed due to snow. After about a 7hr 30min (usually 5) drive I was back in Sacile. The next day I finished my the last of my paperwork at the base and flew to Munich the next. Flying from Venice for the last time was strange, but I was eager to see and travel Asia during my time at Kunsan.

Lana and I are in the US now with my family enjoying the Christmas season. The last time we were all together was at our wedding about 15 months ago! HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

More Pictures:

Kitzbuhel, Austria

Leaving Italy...On To Korea

Tomorrow morning I catch a flight into Munich to meet up with Lana on our way to the USA for my sister's wedding and Christmas. I'm officially finished here at Aviano having completed my final outprocessing paperwork about an hour ago. We're both excited at what the future holds and look forward to flying and traveling around eastern Asia over the next year.

Last Wednesday I had what fighter squadrons call a fini flight. It's the last flight a pilot has in the squadron before moving on to another. I was scheduled for an ACM fini, but due to weather we had a flex to something different. It was strange stepping to the jet and flying what I knew would be my last fight with the Buzzards...the time has flown by, literally! After the flight my squadron mates taped me up and sprayed me down with a bunch of water in standard fighter pilot tradition. I came away with only a couple scrapes from the wrestling match which took place just prior, which is more than a couple of my attackers could say.

Another fighter squadron tradition is to put a pilot's name on a jet canopy along with the dedicated crew chief's (maintenance chief) name. My name was put on tail 443, and just today did I get out to the flight line to get a quick picture before leaving. Many ask if it's the jet I always fly, and the answer is no; we fly whichever jets maintenance has ready for us.

Well, the plan tonight is to get a quick workout in and then enjoy a nice Italian meal one last time before leaving. I'm not sure how Korean food is, but I'm pretty sure I won't enjoy it as much as the local Italian pasta and pizza. I'll be to Korea in early Jan ready to start the next phase in my Air Force career with the 35th Fighter Squadron Pantons! Push it up!

Thanksgiving Weekend

On Thanksgiving day I joined some friends from the church/squadron to enjoy the standard meal with turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes. In all there were about 30 people, so I actually felt somewhat at home with the large crowd. Many times back home we have 30-40 people at my Grandma's place for the holidays. Lunch started soon after 12:00, and there was a lot of great food. I actually did a decent job as pacing myself this year and didn't eat too much.
Around 2:30 I was ready to hit the road to Zermatt, Switzerland. A few of us had rented a station wagon for the weekend, which was already packed with our clothes and snowboards. We felt a little bad for leaving the party so quickly, but the drive takes about 6 hours and we didn't want to drive through the mountains too late at night. The weather forecast had also called for snow, so the pass could've been difficult. Lana's flight schedule had changed last minuet, so unfortunately she wasn't able to enjoy the tirp over the weekend. She left for a flight to San Fransisco and wouldn't be back until Sunday morning. She's a great snowboarder, and I really missed her on the slopes!

We arrived at our hotel, Gasthof Weisshorn, around 10 and called it a night so we'd be ready to hit the slopes early the next morning. Lana had found this gasthof on the internet in the middle of Zermatt and close to the main ski lift....a perfect location. Friday wasn't the best snowboarding due to bad weather and winds, but we enjoyed being on the snow again after the summer. At noon we had lunch at an apres ski on the mountain and finished the day around mid afternoon.

Saturday was much better! The weather had cleared up and the view of the Matterhorn and other parts of the Alps was...well, just take a look at the pictures. What an amazing Creation! We bought an international ski pass for the day and were able to take advantage of both the Swiss and Italian snow. Both sides of the mountains were great, but I actually thought the Italian side was a little better for snowboarding. The bad weather from the day before had brought over a foot of new powder. We spent the whole day up there and were back in Zermatt around 4 o'clock...time for a shower and nap before getting dinner.

That evening we enjoyed cheese and beef fondue, similar to what Lana and I had eaten our last time to Switzerland. The next morning we hit the road about 11 and arrived back in Sacile by 5. I'm thankful I was able to see Zermatt again before leaving Italy, and now Lana and I are planning a couple more snowboard trips before I leave Europe...how I wish the Air Force would let me stay here! We'll be snowboarding in Austria on the squadron ski trip the middle of December and we're planning Austria over the new year as well.

Ok, the moving compay will probably be here in a little bit to pack my things destined for Korea and I need to make sure they're in order. By the 5th, our apartment will be completely empty and we'll either be staying with friends or in base billeting until we leave...I only have one more flight left here at Aviano, crazy!

More Pictures:

Zermatt, Switzerland