The Flying Canadian

We're back here in Utah and we had another birthday bash with our good friends, the Hansens. Brett & Kate always come up with great gift ideas...

George's initial reaction :)

This year for George's birthday they got him a sweet flight jacket!

They're always coming up with nicknames for George...like 'Goose' or 'The Flying Canadian'. It's an awesome jacket and very personalized. We've got the pilot's license and jacket, now all we need are some pilot glasses!

Evie, Grace, & Brett share August birthdays, so it's always a party at the Hansen home in August. Check out that princess cake, woo!

Thanks for the best birthday present ever! We love you guys :)

From Sea to Shining Sea

We've had a party pretty much since I landed in Florida last week... It started off with George getting his PPL, so we had to celebrate. And with his birthday on the 15th, one party led to another and it turned into a week-long celebration. George is in between classes now so it's been like a vacation for us. It's been so nice and relaxing...and George definitely needed the break after studying his brains out for all the tests.

We thought it'd be fun to watch the sun rise over the Atlantic Ocean and then make the drive to the other side of Florida to watch it set over the Gulf of Mexico. It was beautiful and we made a fun day of it in St. Petersburg (Tampa Bay area).

Cape Canaveral sunrise 6:50 AM

The early morning puffies. There were crabs EVERYWHERE...and I'm not talking about us :)

Not bad a 4-star for $40

Unfortunately this is what a lot of the day looked like...the pier socked in.

Taste the rainbow! It cleared up just in time for the sunset :)

This was hilarious...the lady bird was harassing the man bird for seriously 15 minutes! As she squawked away, he just stood there and took it. I should have recorded a video.

Liz the spaz, frolicking among the birds.

Making it up to the birds after scaring them off...

The Gulf of Mexico

St. Petersburg sunset 8:10 PM

I LOVE the huge grass at the beach.

Although it was fun to explore the west side, we decided we like the beaches on our side better...we get the waves so we can body surf, and there aren't as many seagulls. Two pluses in my book!

On George's actual birthday I made him a delightful breakfast of crepes topped with fresh peaches, strawberries, and blueberries. After that we went to the beach and played all day.

Crepes - and George's present was that rocking camp chair (and a new wedding ring since he lost his first one).

George proud of his big hole.

Just a second after I took the previous picture...a wave washed over him!

Relaxing on playalinda!

My husband, the pilot!

George on his first solo flight!

For the past month my George has been a very busy student. After two weeks of torturous waiting and no flying, George was finally able to get a check ride, which is the final 2 parts of a 3-part FAA exam that ultimately decides whether you get your license or not. There is a written, oral, and practical part of the test. He took the FAA written exam last week and ACED it...yea 100% I was so impressed!! Then he passed his stage check (pre-final flight check) which took two sessions of flying due to the weather (we're still enjoying thunderstorms every afternoon). The oral portion took about 1.5 hours and he breezed right through it. And last, but definitely not least, he had his pratical that took 2 hours. From start to finish it took 8 hours to complete, 4 of which turned out to be waiting and letting the nerves build. But he was able to stay relatively calm and show the FAA examiner his flying skills. I'm so proud of him...he's a pilot now, woot woot! This was all for his private license, so he still has more schooling for his instrument rating, commercial license, and certified flight instructor. It looks like we're on schedule for him to be completely finished by the end of Jan 2010. He absolutely LOVES flying, so we're happy with how it's all worked out so far.

George with his British instructor, Neil.

Kyson's Baptism

Kyson and his daddy Joe - 01 Aug 2009

I can't believe my sweet little nephew Kyson is 8-years-old!!! This past Saturday was his baptism and confirmation. I just adore this boy and am so proud of him. I love his energy and excitement for life. He had lots of family there to love and support him. It was such a great day!

Kyson, Joe, Kaden, Sadie and Sara Melling

I love you Kyson, thank you for bringing so much joy into our lives :)