Where Has Time Gone?

So - this time next week I will be in Colorado Springs! Glory be! I look forward to Labor Day weekend always, because it means time off from work or in the past time off from school but for the past 4 years, it has also meant a trip to Colorado Springs and who doesn't love that? I know I'm a fan - especially since I get to escape the sweltering Mississippi heat for just a few days. I'm pretty sure when I fly out next Thursday, the temperature here in good ol' Mississippi is supposed to be hovering somewhere around 100 degrees. Ugh.

Labor Day weekend is also Parent's Weekend at the Air Force Academy. A weekend where family members can visit, go to classes with their cadet and attend the opening football game on Saturday. We've visited Colorado Springs quite a lot in the past 4 years anyway, much more than just Parent's Weekend - it's funny to realize that although I've never lived in Colorado Springs, I feel that I could pretty well find my way around if I needed to - because I have before. I've navigated 5 o'clock traffic on the interstate in an Expedition on a secret surprise mission. All that being said - next weekend will be the last Parent's Weekend for my family. Lindsey is a Firstie - which is USAFA code for a Senior. That means all the things we do in Colorado Springs this year will be the "last" time we do all those things. I feel like it was just yesterday that we started all this...and now it is almost over. I thought I'd step back in time a little bit and remember the last four years.

First time to see Lindsey in over two months. There were tears. My sunglasses conveniently hide my tears.

In the late summer of 2009, the four of us went to Colorado Springs to vacation and drop Lindsey off at the Air Force Academy. Her first year of school would be spent at the Air Force Academy Prep School. It was very strange to head home after a few days without my partner in crime but that is just one of the many joys of growing up - ha! When we went back to Colorado in late August, I have never seen so many people standing around waiting for just a glimpse of their kid. It was crazy...and we were right in the middle of the craziness. They made the cadets (that's what they're called...not students or whatever) march out and be so regimented...the waiting was insane. It's really hard to see the person you have been waiting to see standing just feet away and you can't run grab them up until the person in charge says so. *sigh* We all cried when the moment came though - because we are all such complete softies. Ha-ha!

Family picture on game day!

I suppose I will share my story of being truly graceful during our first Parent's Weekend visit. Each year there is a parade - although not the kind of parade you're probably thinking - and everyone sits in the bleachers to watch. The parade is held early in the morning and the metal bleachers were covered with a light dusting of dew...which made them a bit slippery. Can you see where this is going? Maybe so... Anyway, I wanted to go down to get a closer look at something and I just hopped on down...and it was all going smoothly until the bottom step when my foot hit a slick patch and my whole body pitched forward. As I mentioned - I'm incredibly graceful, so I grabbed onto the railing at the corner of the bleachers and somehow managed to do a semi-controlled spin/fall/dive toward the ground, recovering in mid spin/fall and landing on my feet. It was truly a thing of beauty - and I don't think my parents could contain their concern for my well-being, which was evidenced by how hard they were laughing when I looked back at them. Ah- the love of family.

USAFA Football - my very first game! Go Falcons!

Year Two - the year of the Surprise Attack! I wasn't certain I would be able to come until about three weeks out and once we sorted everything out, we decided that I would just play up being pitiful and pretend that I couldn't come. We got to the Springs on Wednesday afternoon and for a day and a half, I had to pretend I wasn't even in Colorado. I talked to Lindsey on the phone Wednesday night and pretended to be sad and pitiful...all the while staring at the Colorado mountains. Sneaky, sneaky. My parents had meetings on Thursday, so I went to the zoo and basically amused myself all day. When the time came to meet up with Lindsey, my parents left me in the car and once they were with Lindsey, they suggested she call me so we could all be "together" for a few minutes. Little did she know I was advancing on them with each word! It was definitely so much fun to watch her reaction - and I was so glad that I was able to be there!

The Summerlin ladies in front of Cheyenne Mountain

Surprise - I totally had you fooled! 

Going to class with Lindsey has always been especially interesting - Lord knows she takes some classes that would absolutely confound me at every turn. This has led to lots of pictures over the years of us acting goofy in her classes because I am completely lost...and sometimes she is a little confused, ha-ha!

What did you say the answer was? 

Falcons football game #2...this picture is starting to be a recurring thing...

Saying good-bye to our 4 Degree...known to all of you as a freshman!

Parents Weekend - Year Three! We have a 2 Degree now which = more freedom!

Another year, another visit out to Colorado Springs! The farther along your cadet gets, the more freedoms they have...which means as the family you also have more freedoms when deciding what you're going to do. We could take Lindsey with us sooner and for a longer amount of time during her 2 degree year. Lindsey also had more responsibility in her squadron (#16 - Go Proud Chickenhawks!) and we got to watch her "run the show" some while we were there. Classes, as always were fun. I discovered that Aeronautical Engineering is not even remotely my cup of tea - you can have that one Lindsey!

I can't even being to understand this...I'll just leave it to you.

Sitting CQ in her squadron. I was quite a bit of help - obviously. Ha-ha!

Falcon Football game #3 - we decided this picture must be a yearly thing. Also, don't let us fool you - we were freezing! There was a pretty stiff "breeze" coming off the mountains.

For our third year in the Springs, we actually decided to get out of the Springs a little bit and head into the mountains. I don't think my parents realized how far into the mountains we were really going to be because the cabin they chose to stay in was 45 minutes from the Academy. I wasn't sure about it at first, but now that I look back on it, it may have been one of my favorite places to stay while we were in Colorado. Especially when we had a cook-out and deer came right up to the cabin to visit while we were all eating. So cool! The views were beautiful and it was so nice to be able to explore the Colorado countryside - because almost everywhere you look in Colorado is gorgeous.

Feeding the deer some delicious bananas!

And then there was last year - the shortest Parent's Weekend I've experienced so far because I didn't arrive until Friday afternoon. No goofy class pictures because I didn't make class this past year; I was too busy zooming across the sky to the Springs. It's funny how even though the trip was technically shorter, it seems like we did so much more. The mystery of how time passes...always interesting.

The traditional picture - yet again. Only one more year to go...*sniff, sniff...tear*

Making sure we put the goofy in goofy golfing!

I think one of my favorite parts of last year's Parents Weekend was that we got to go to Jack's Valley, which is where Lindsey spent three weeks of Basic Training when she was just a little ol' Four Degree in training. I thought all the obstacles courses were so cool...because to me they looked like big playground equipment! Sadly, as Lindsey told us, that wasn't really the function they served. Boo!

Wait...so you mean to tell me that this isn't a swing?

Clearly I think this thing is some kind of sun tanning rack. I don't know...I'm a nut.

Another really cool thing about last year's Parent's Weekend? We toured the US Olympic Training Center - which was really cool! As with everything that Lindsey and I do, we added our own excitement to it just by being our goofy selves. I know my parents always appreciate all the crazy poses, dance moves and general mischief we bust out in public at random. What can I say - we just can't help it. :)

Go Team USA!

I think we'd make perfect additions to the Olympic Team, don't you?

My family is awesome - that's about all I know. Hands down, the best family. Ever.

So - somehow we've gotten to this place. I never knew that five years could pass so fast! It's funny to think about how much all four of our lives have changed in the past five years too! It's been so awesome to have this yearly get-together where all four of us can be together for just a couple days and I can't wait for next Thursday when I'm winging my way to Colorado Springs for the fifth and final year! Lindsey, you will always be my baby sister but in the past few years you have become such an amazing and accomplished young woman. I can't wait to see all the things you're going to do - you've already done so much and achieved so many dreams; the sky isn't even the limit for you - soon enough you'll be soaring above the clouds!

Four down - one to go! In about a week, we'll have competed the set!