Total Eclipse (not of the Heart)

So we've been super busy around here getting ready for the big move. Unfortunately, Sarah has been really sick the past two weeks. We think it started as the flu and then turned into sinusitis(sp?). Despite all of that, we're still slowly getting everything done and I think we'll be good to go when the movers get here next Wednesday.

On the 20th there was the total lunar eclipse that I thought would be a fun thing to try and photograph. That is a very difficult thing to do. I think I did a pretty bad job, but I could probably get one decent 4x6 out of the 100 pictures that I took. It didn't help that clouds kept rolling in. At first, the clouds were just a nuisance, but it turned into the most exciting thing I have photographed in a while. There was a HUGE cloud to cloud lightning storm with about 10 minutes of rain. Before the rain came I was able to snap some photos while I was talking on the phone...how is that for multitasking? That's our house in the middle of the second picture for those who haven't seen it. Anyways, I thought that the pictures turned out really amazing, so I figured that I would share!

It's a XY!!!!!

It's official...despite the Chinese birth calendar, pilot's wives' folklore, family "curses", and multiple incorrect guesses by family and friends alike, we're having a XY! But that was just a portion of our eventful day yesterday.

Yesterday was quite the day. Sarah got into a fight at school and had to be rushed to the Emergency Room. She had a large cut to her left thumb and the X-rays revealed that it was broken. They stitched her up, put a large dressing to cover the wound, and gave her some pain meds and antibiotics. Unfortunately, the paper cutter didn't make it. Witnesses said that shortly after the fight ended, the paper cutter was "cold, unresponsive, and didn't have a pulse". When asked later that afternoon, one teacher, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said "I saw the paper cutter only minutes before and everything seemed normal". "He'd always been such a hard worker, never complained about anything, and everyone really liked him" she continued, "...and to see him like that...it just breaks your heart".

So after the E.R. visit, we trekked on over to the baby doctor to find out the sex and to make sure the baby was doing well. We're very happy to have a little XY running around our Japanese house in a few months...maybe more like sleeping, drooling, pooping, and eating...but you get the point. We've got the new baby pictures to share, so here they are!!





P.S. XY = boy...it's a chromosome thing...

Flying pictures

The past couple of weeks has been a little crazy. It is always a little difficult to get back in the swing of things after a long break. I finished my night systems training course on Monday (14th) and will be starting my next phase of academics on Tuesday to prepare me for the mission I will be flying in Japan. Sarah took the day off school on Wednesday for outprocessing meetings that need to be completed for us to get our orders to leave. After that I had a couple of days to hang out back in the old B-course squadron. I "sandbagged" two flights (ride in the back seat of a two-seat model), an Air Combat Maneuvering mission on Thursday, and a Transition flight on Friday. I was able to take my camera along with me to take some photos. Taking photos in flight proved to be much more of a challenge than I had originally expected, but it was still a lot of fun. I've also created a script that adds our photography logo and a border to the pictures. I think it makes them look more professional and adds a visual element that is stunning. Enjoy!

Merry Christmas!

Hey everyone! We're back home and we're going to kick off the New Year in a few hours. Our Christmas vacation was a wonderful time for family, relaxation, and of course...food. We flew in on Saturday the 22nd meeting up with everyone to surprise Sarah's mom. She thought that we wouldn't be able to make it until after Christmas. It was a great idea that the girls schemed up months ago.

Despite the ever fearful trend caused by global warming, we enjoyed a beautiful white Christmas. We saw about 12 inches of snow for the whole week. This allowed us to display our prowess in such gentlemanly sports as sledding, tubing, snowball war, king of the snow hill, and the ever favorite...slam the other guy's face into fresh powder.

Of course, we brought the cameras to capture the moments. Here are some of the highlights. For the entire collection, visit:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cross-photo/sets/72157603596211095/show/

Oh BABY!!!

That's right, our first pictures...kind of. Sarah is due July 9th, we are both very excited. Enjoy!

Thanksgiving - Jacksonville

We just got back from Jacksonville on Saturday night. We had tons of fun. Greta cooked us up a storm. Heather and Chris were so great to host us all in their house.We loved seeing the boys, man... have they grown. Here are some pictures.

B-Course Graduation

Here are some pictures from Ryan's graduation. We were glad to have both of our parents in town for the big weekend. We had a non-stop, fun packed weekend as we showed off our "new" home and surroundings. Sarah got to taxi in the back seat of the F-16 on Friday. It was a great opportunity to snap a couple of photos. We also went to Marley Park that weekend to get some family photos taken. Enjoy!