Frost Times

My time here in Altus, Oklahoma is drawing to a close. Many times in life we dread the end of something we have become comfortable and familiar with, however this is not one of those times. People will often become familiar with a place, find a routine and become a creature of habit in said routine. I have become one of these so called creatures of habit. I however am so ready to break the habit and find a new place to explore and to become comfortable with. Oklahoma as you may have read from my previous posts is not one of my favorite places. It’s too hot in the summer, to cold and windy in the winter and there is not much to do that doesn’t involve getting drunk or getting in trouble. Minnesota is the place I will always call home, for home is not always about the location, but is all about the people who occupy it. I have for so many years longed for a sunny warm winter season far away from the cold blizzards and freezing wind chills all so common in The Great White North, but now after these many months in the land south of Dixie, I long for snow flakes and fireplaces. Trees covered in snow, the pureness of a fresh snowfall, the stinging feeling of your hands being warmed by warm water after a snowball fight, the frozen eyelashes after a headfirst slide down a snow covered hillside. These are the things I long for. Woods, trees and water. All things I have been robbed off these past few months. 

My flights lately have been amazing. We are required to have 8 flights before we can be recommended for our final flight (called a check ride) which we are graded on all aspects of our training and the mission. The 8th flight we receive is called our rec ride (standing for recommendation ride) on this ride we accomplish all our normal tasks, and if the instructor believes we are ready to go to our check ride after accomplishing all we need to on our rec ride, then we are recommended for the check. On Saturday morning I had my flight 7. I flew up to the southern end of South Dakota and back, my flight was nearly flawless and everything went as well as it’s ever gone before. When I landed my instructor told me that he would Proficiency Advance me and flight (meaning I get to skip a flight). He recommended me for my Check Ride on flight 7, which is pretty awesome. However, due to timing, I have decided that I would rather have an extra flight to practice, and therefore have flight 8 on wednesday and my check on friday. Less than a week away from finishing training and I am so excited. My time here has been full of lessons and hardships. I’ve been blessed to have such an amazing girlfriend in Kaydi who puts up with my crazy schedule and still finds time to talk to me on the phone every night. Being away from all my friends has been so hard, but I know that it’s been hard having me gone too. I think of you all constantly and I can’t wait to spend as much time with you as I can in the future. You all mean the world to me. Thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope you have a great day. 

Love to all, Dan

The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.