Last days of Yuma

Well, we just can't seem to sit still these days.  I don't see an end to it really.  May is crazy super busy, but I need to back it up just a few days.  Jim had what could be his last flight in a Harrier.  His next job will keep him out of the cockpit so we had to make sure we were all there to witness it.  He got to taxi under an arch of water cannons which was pretty cool and then he got doused with champagne and two 5 gallon coolers of water. The kids LOVED it!!

Jim's brother John came out to visit for the weekend.  He was able to take advantage of Jim's end-of-command social activities of which there were quite a few!

Lucy was chosen as the Student of the Month in her class for the month of May!  She has worked so hard all year, it is nice that she gets a moment to shine!

With May crammed full of so many work related events, we decided to take off to San Diego to meet up with some friends for one last weekend.  It was the right call.  Soo much fun!

Maybe it isn't our last time in San Diego.  Jim could get stationed here someday.  Fingers crossed!!  

No sooner do we get back than Jim has his last flight in the F-5!  On his birthday no less!  He could not have asked for a better present.  No champagne shower this time though.  Ha Ha!

The next day, we took off to Mexico!! The kids had been begging me to take them back down there and of course Jim also wanted to go.  The kids just wanted to score some Mexican Doritos.  Mexico has a flavor you can't find in the US unless you live in a border town and even in Yuma they are hard to come by.  However there were shelves and shelves and shelves of them in Algodones.  Jim was in the market for some Mexican souvenirs and I was just the tour guide.

  

Mother's Day was atypical.  I had a tournament soccer game that coincided with church so Jim took the kids to church and I got to do something I wanted to do.  Sounds like the perfect Mother's Day present to me!  My team lost but I had a great time playing with these people.  I hope to find something similar once we land in DC.

Ben was selected to jump "on stage" during the Jump Rope for Heart.  He insisted I come and watch him.  It lasted for approximately one minute.  He did have some impressive Rocky Balboa jump rope skills, but I was expecting it to be more of last man jump-roping type of event.  Lilly and Lucy both had their field trips.  Lucy to Legoland and Lilly went to the San Diego Safari Park and the beach.  They each had a blast!

Next up is the Change of Command!! I am so excited for this event to happen.  The incoming CO has graciously put up with my running countdown of which I am happy to keep him updated every time I see him.  EVERY.TIME.I.SEE.HIM!  There was also the 40th MAWTS-1 reunion going on that weekend so Yuma was the place to be for at least 24 hours.  Jim's parents had an unexpected last minute medical issue (everyone is fine!) pop up and they had to cancel their trip out.  Thank goodness his sister Sallie was able to join us.  She was unable to attend the incoming ceremony two years ago, so I am happy that she was able to make it to this one.  

The weekend leading up the ceremony on Monday was filled with goodbyes.  We have really found a church home while in Yuma and it was with a heavy heart that we walked away that last Sunday.  

Finally it is May 21st!  The morning found Jim and I at VMX1's Change of Command.  We were fortunate to have events stacked on our incoming and outgoing.  While it makes for a busy day, it is great to have so many friends in town.  Afterward we were making our way back to MAWTS-1 and the maintenance guy was out there changing the sign.  We told him to wait until we could get a picture in front of it!  I think about a minute later Jim's name was off and the new CO's name was on there.  Talk about good timing!

Jim had some life long friends travel out to see him!  One from High School and the other three from the Naval Academy.  They are so much fun!  

I mentioned I had been teasing the incoming CO about the upcoming turnover pretty much since he got here.  Today was no different.  Earlier in the day he was sitting beside me during the VMX1 COC and when the flag portion was going on I leaned over and whispered in his ear to remember to grab low because that flag was heavier then it looked.  I am not sure if he realized I was giving him valuable advice.  Ha Ha.  I also told him it was my favorite part of the whole ceremony!  

Ben missed part of the actives/festivities due to a baseball playoff game that was supposed to start at 7:30 but in realty didn't start until after 8:00.  I hustled him out of the hangar in time for him to catch a ride and ended up missing quite a bit of it myself.  I did manage to see the most important stuff though.

The weekend was filled with visits from friends and family.  You never get to see or talk to everyone you want.  It is very much like a wedding in that regard.   I do not feel like I got to have a decent conversation with anyone and there are people I missed entirely.  Sigh.

The next week was basically the last week of school, filled with end of the year parties, yearbook signings and last minute field trips.  Lucy was part of a really cool program at her school and had the opportunity to go to the Arizona Science Museum.  I was finally able to chaperone an out of town trip!  After a few hours of cruising around the museum which included the Pompeii traveling exhibit, the group got a soldering lesson!  How cool!!

All season I have missed all the great plays that Ben has had.  Every.single.one.  Thank goodness for other Mommas and their cameras!!  It really does take a village.  Ben hit an in-the-park home run!  He was super excited as is evident by the ear to ear smile on his face as he is heading for home.

  

The following week the packers and movers came and cleared out our house.  I am always amazed at just how much stuff we own and at how it can fill up a giant moving truck!!

Jim jumped in my car with the fur babies to drive them to NC where we will be spending the bulk of the summer.  I will say it was hard to watch him drive away!  He did send us daily updates of their travels and even though he tried to lose my cat several times, all three made it to Swansboro. 

Lilly will miss babysitting all the children in the neighborhood.  She has already stated she really needs to find new families when we get to VA.  Lucy is anxiously waiting to take the babysitting class so she can always have some cash on hand!

Speaking of Lucy, she had her 6th grade Promotion!!  It was quite hectic that day with all the post-move house stuff coupled with the fact that we had been living out of a hotel room for the past few days.  One of my friend's daughter graciously offered to do her hair.  I will be forever grateful.  She looked gorgeous!!  It is hard to believe I will have two children in Junior High starting in the fall!

As has become our tradition, we celebrated Lucy's birthday in May instead of July.  This year it kind of sneaked up on us.  Well that isn't exactly true, we just didn't have enough days in May to do it!!  We first tried to do the Escape-the-Room experience, but were unable to coordinate all the moving parts.  So we went with Plan B - a movie!!  Luckily for us, "Solo" opened on Memorial Day Weekend.  Easy Peasy.

I have to include a picture of how much the kids have grown this year!  Hard to believe!! Lucy was not happy that I pulled her out of the pool to take this picture, but since it is the last week of school and our time in Yuma, the kids have been having a sleepover-palooza for the last several days.  This is the first time I have seen them all at the same place at the same time pretty much all week!

So we are down to the final day.  It is much harder then I care to admit to leave this place.  We have all made so many lifelong friends here.  While I will not miss the heat. Or the dirt. Or the snowbirds, I will miss the locals and my military friends.  And the Mexican Doritos!