"Mommy, I'm a Pwinthith!"

You are, indeed, little one!
Abby Kate loves dress-up now. She's into fairy princesses and the like. She was having so much fun dancing around in this tutu I bought for her. And those necklaces - she wears them everywhere! I wish I still had some of my old dance recital costumes for her to wear. Mom, any chance you still have any of those?!

Beginnings of a curtsy, maybe?

For the record, this is AK's attempt at a pole climb, not a pole dance.

CJ, Amber and Luke Visit NC

Mike's brother, CJ, his wife, Amber, and their 18-month-old son, Luke, flew in for a few days this month. We had a wonderful time and the days flew by way too fast. We enjoyed touring downtown New Bern, Union Park, the aquarium, the beach, the base, Morehead City, Beaufort and Creekside Park. Mike and CJ got a couple of rounds of golf in as well. The weather was beautiful each day, so that was a huge plus. Abby Kate and Luke played well together and were giving each other hugs and smiles the whole time. (Except, of course, for the times they wanted the same toy!)

Thanks so much for coming to visit guys! We loved having you here and can't wait for you to come back.

Welcome to the World

I mentioned in a previous post that we have a new nephew, and I finally dug through Mike's e-mail and found a picture. Congrats to Matt (Mike's youngest brother) and our sister-in-law, Beth, on the birth of their first child - a beautiful baby boy! We are so, so excited to meet little Josh when we come to TX for Christmas. Congratulations, Matt and Beth!

Joshua Matthew Wallace was born Aug. 15, 2008 at 2:47 p.m.
He was 7 lbs, 10 oz and 21 and 3/4 inches long.

Random AK Quote

AK and I were being silly and dancing around today. She was repeating everything I did and said, so I started shaking up and down, singing "Dancin', dancin', dancin' machine!"

She immediately started shaking her hips and arms, singing, "Dancin', dancin', dancin' with sheep!"

:)

Mommy, What's a Shark Say?

Ummm... not really sure. Mike decided the shark says, "I'm gonna eat you!" with a growling sort of voice. And miss Abby Kate readily accepts that answer like she does every other piece of information right now. AK was infatuated with the sharks at the aquarium last weekend near Morehead City. They had an entire wall made of glass for excellent shark-viewing. Abby Kate was the loudest person in the place that day... every other sentence was, "Just like in Nemo, Mommy!" and "Look at all those fish! I like all those fish!" She absolutely loved every second that we were there and has been talking about sharks ever since, saying "Sharks! Eat you!"


We also invited our neighbors for a play date this week. Tameka's husband is also a Marine, and in fact we lived in VA at the same time and our husband's knew each other back then. Tameka and I finally met soon after we moved here. She brought her two adorable kids, Devon and Tayhlore over for some playtime. Thanks again for coming, guys, it was fun!


And of course the week wouldn't be complete without GYM-NAK-SICKS!!! AK is getting better and better at all the exercises each week. Daddy was able to come and watch for the first time and he was very impressed! He got a couple of pictures, too...

The balance beam.

Climbing the ladder.

Thirty-one

Happy birthday, honey! Hope you enjoyed your gifts, cake and ice cream. We are so thankful to have you, and we love you very much!

Alive and Well

Thanks to all of you who called/e-mailed to see how we weathered the storm last night. Hanna was sweet to us. No damage, no flooding - we didn't even lose electricity. We heard the 60 mph winds whipping around the corners of our house in the early morning hours, but rose to find nothing but small, stray branches here and there. The storm ended up going just West of us, moving somewhere between New Bern and Charlotte, NC.

Looks like Ike will most likely be headed into the gulf. While we may not have to worry about our safety in that storm, we will be praying it doesn't hit the house we own in the Pensacola area!

Labor Day Weekend

I was so excited for my parents to come and see this great, new place we live. We're so much happier here in this town and in this house and I couldn't wait to show them all of it. They arrived late Friday night, so they didn't get to see Abby Kate before she went to bed, but they peeked in to find her fast asleep wearing her beloved "gym-nak-sicks" shirt that she refused to take off.

The next morning, I awoke to hear AK sounds coming from our guest room. I found Abby Kate sitting in the middle of the bed, soaking up the hugs and kisses and laughs of Mimi and Pawpaw. They were amazed at how much she could say to them. We enjoyed a pancake breakfast and then took a tour of our surroundings. We went to the air station first to show Mom and Dad the Harriers parked in the hangars. They were quite impressive - it was my first time to see them up close as well. We toured the beautiful downtown New Bern area and had fun swinging at the waterfront park. We ate at Captain Ratty's and then followed it up with ice cream from the cafe next door.

Mike and Dad got 18 holes in on Sunday while Mom, AK and I did a bit of shopping. We drove down to Atlantic Beach on Labor Day and enjoyed the gorgeous weather, the sea breeze and the big waves. AK had no interest in the waves, but could've spent all day in the sand, searching for shells.

Mom and Dad watched AK for us a couple of times so we could do some furniture shopping. (We had forgotten how much easier it was back when we could just jump in and out of the car and jet around from place to place!) AK kept Mimi and Pawpaw entertained the entire weekend. She is so funny these days. And quite bossy! Especially to me. It's hard not to laugh, but I try my best. :)

Mom and Dad - thanks again for coming to see us. We had a WONDERFUL time and wish you could've stayed longer.

Oh, and we have a new, very comfortable queen-size bed for our guest room... so, you know, if anyone wants to come visit. Just sayin'. :)

Coastal Living Brings Visitors, Both Good and Bad

We have been enjoying the company of family and friends this past week. Mom and Dad came down for Labor Day weekend (post and pics to follow), and then some friends from MS have come to stay with us while they search for a house (they'll be moving here in the coming weeks).

Word is we'll be having yet another visitor - if not two - before the week is up, and we are not happy about it. Tropical storm Hanna and then possibly hurricane Ike will be unwelcome guests in this area. We're supposed to see the first signs of Hanna tonight, although it's already pouring here right now at 1:25 p.m. The worst part of the storm is expected to be in our area tomorrow (Sat.) afternoon.

We plan to stay right here with our flashlights, candles and water, but will definitely get out of town if necessary!

As AK would say, "Go away, rain, go away!"

22 Months!

There was one word in our house today. And it fell repetitively from Abby Kate's lips the entire day.

Gym-nak-sicks.

Or, gymnastics, as those over 3 might say. That's right, we start gymnastics class tomorrow! It's a mommy/child class for 18-month to 3-year-olds. We're both really excited about it! The class teaches toddlers to follow simple instructions and how to move as a group, along with teaching them forward rolls, how to hang from the bar, etc. Mike and I showed her how to do cartwheels at the park yesterday. But not because we're immature. No. It was purely for her preparation. :)

Abby Kate turned 22 months today and she is doing great. AK's favorite things at this stage are puzzles, baby dolls, letters, numbers and music. She knows all her letters and can count to ten. She also sings many different songs (or parts of them at least). She is wearing size 3T now and weighs about 30 lbs. Her hair is long enough for pigtails! I waited so, so long for the moment she could sport these. She looks adorable with them. (See, there is hope, Sara Floyd!)

AK sports a red scar from her accident, but it doesn't look nearly as bad as I thought it would. And I think in time it will fade away almost completely. She is such a chatterbox these days. I swear she never shuts up. She is already starting that "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, MOMMY!" thing - interrupting my conversations only to say "look, Mommy, I have thumb" (while pointing at her thumb). I wasn't expecting this so soon!

It is so funny the way she tries to speak like a grown-up. She has this low-octave voice with a serious tone that she uses when she's giving us instruction. Mike picked up a dish of steamed broccoli to offer her more one night at dinner. Without hesitation she pointed to the table and said, "No Daddy, put it on the table. No brocky, I eatin' chicken."

Yesterday, I was pushing her through the grocery store when she spotted a large, bald man with a long, gray beard. She immediately pointed and yelled, "Saaaaanta Claaaus!!!!" I don't know if the man heard her, but I couldn't help laughing out loud.

And anytime I laugh at her, she says, "I funny."

She has had the chance to play with other kids many times since we've moved. She now enjoys the gym's child care and has also been to a drop-in child care/play-time place a couple of times. I love watching her interact with the other kids. And I can't wait to see how gymnastics goes!

Our baby girl is sunshine and love and joy and everything sweet! We have loved every second of these 22 months!

Still Smiling!

These stitches haven't phased our girl one bit. Here she is smiling after eating all of her Lima beans! Well, maaaaybe Junah ate one... er six, but really, who's counting. In fact, I think she is about to drop that very bean onto the floor and cackle as Junah eats it up.

She barely notices her stitches. I've been really careful putting her clothes over her head and being sure not to get the area wet. They are supposed to be taken out on Monday. You can see she has bled through the bandages a bit. But the doctor told us to leave them on unless they fall off themselves. I want to clean her up under there, but... what to do?

It's going to take awhile before Mike and I let our overprotectiveness wear off. We cringe everytime she walks even slightly quick.

In other news, Mike's youngest brother, Matt, and his wife, Beth, just had a baby boy! I'm waiting for the first pictures to be sent. I'll be sure to post one. Congrats Matt and Beth!!! We're looking forward to meeting little Joshua Matthew Wallace!

Big Fall

It's going to be painful writing this, just as it was painful to experience... but Abby Kate now has her first (and hopefully ONLY!) set of stitches. Our shy, extra-cautious, non-rambunctious, little girl... I never would've thought she'd end up with a 'head wound' - as the doctor called it.

We had gone down to Mike's brother's house Sunday to have dinner and stay the night so we could say farewell as he left on his deployment. We were getting ready the next morning when we heard a loud thud, followed by screams from Abby Kate. I rushed out of the bathroom and found her on the floor, her head near the sharp corner of two walls. I was planning to pick her up, dust her off and tell her "you're OK, sweetheart," like I always do when she falls. However, when I turn her over to pick her up, blood was gushing out of an inch-long cut right down the middle of her forehead. I screamed for help and tried to stop the bleeding with my hands until Mike and Bill rushed over with cloths. The bleeding slowed fairly quickly, but we knew from the size of the cut, she'd need stitches. I felt terrible for her. And Mike and I both felt like the worst parents in the world for not being able to prevent it. She kept screaming "hurt head" and "booboo head." She calmed down in the car, but I started feeling queasy as we drove to the emergency center. I couldn't stand to see her hurt like that.

The feeling continued when we had to watch her scream and cry out for us as they put her in this straight jacket type thing to hold her still while they stitched her up - four or five in all, I think. It was terrible! She kept crying and screaming "Mommy, hold me!" Even though they numbed her, we could tell she felt some of it.

She's feeling better now. She only seems to notice it when she looks in the mirror, so I guess it doesn't hurt too much. She'll get the stitches out Monday. We are afraid of scarring. Please pray for our sweet girl!

Random Thoughts and Happenings of Late

When you buy a brand new refrigerator, it's supposed to work for more than five weeks, correct? I mean, come on, at least give me a couple of months before I have to call a freaking repair man. Lowe's is terrible here. That's where the aforementioned appliance was purchased - as well as many sets of blinds that still have not arrived nor been installed. Ducking beneath the windows in my room to fetch clothing everyday has really gotten old. Mike and I are on display to the neighborhood every night as we read in bed. It's ridiculous... thank goodness there are no other houses close behind us. The blinds should be off backorder and to our doorstep next week (fingers crossed).

I had a breakthrough this morning at the gym. You're probably wondering... what did she do? Break a personal record on the treadmill? Lift a million pounds? Spin so fast she rode the stationary bike right out the door? No, no, something way more miraculous. The big breakthrough was that Abby Kate actually loosened her death grip around the nursery worker's neck and walked around and played today. Imagine that! In all previous visits, she'd be crying when I left her (actually she starts to cry as soon as we pull in the parking lot) and then she'd calm down, but sit in the lady's lap the whole time and then cry again when I picked her up. But not today my friends! I peeked in at her and she was playing with the other kids, having a grand ol' time. I asked her if she had fun and she said, "I had a good time," which is way more comical if you could hear her say it. Anyhow, SUCCESS!

Uncle Bill (Mike's younger brother) came to visit last weekend. He and Mike played golf and then we all enjoyed Mexican Lasagna when they got back home. Abby Kate warmed up to Bill very fast and was singing and laughing and playing games with him up until bedtime. Bill leaves for Iraq this coming Monday on his fourth deployment. He is also a pilot in the Marine Corps. Please pray for a safe trip over there and for a quick and safe return.


The Newbolds came over on Saturday. They brought their blow-up pool, which was a fabulous idea as it kept the kids entertained while we spent time catching up and enjoying a couple of drinks and chips'n'dip on our deck. We had dinner and truly enjoyed their company as it had been awhile since we'd had a gettogether. The girls have so much fun together. I love it when they get to play and laugh and run around. They are all so sweet.

I heard from an old friend I met when we lived in Virginia after she found out we had moved to NC. I met Jody when Mike began TBS in Quantico. She, her husband (also named Mike) and their 15-month-old boy, Noah, live down in beautiful Emerald Isle. It's about an hour drive from here. Jody invited us down to spend a few hours at a water park near their home. We had a nice time catching up. Thanks for inviting us, Jody! It was great to see you and meet your adorable son. The picture is of Noah and AK getting ready for the water park.

Update

Thanks for your prayers for my grandmother. She is still in the hospital - although moved to St. Mary's now instead of Baptist East - where she underwent another procedure yesterday. She came through it fine and now has a coil inserted in her pulmonary artery. The doctors are hoping to get her back on her blood thinning medication soon so the blood clots in her arms won't move to her heart. Please keep her and my family in your prayers as she heals.

Another Video

I've been using my camcorder more lately. I feel like I missed a lot of video opportunities during her second year, so I'm trying to make up for it here at the end. Here she is doing one of her favorite things... naming objects, animals, letters, numbers (almost anything) she sees in pictures.



Uuuuuuuum, that's it. :) I have another video of her at the beach. If you're not sick of these videos, maybe I'll post that one soon as well.

ABCs and One, Two, Sevens

Our daughter loves to sing. The only song she fully knows is the alphabet, so she sings it to us all day long, over and over. No matter though - we love it! She has been doing this for months now, and I finally caught it on video on our way to the beach yesterday...



She's now working on Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. :)

She started counting several months ago as well. At first, she had numbers one through eight down, not missing a beat. But lately she has decided that she just doesn't have time for three through six and has discarded them entirely. Now it's 'one, two, seven, eight, NINE!' no matter how many times we say 'one, two, THREE!'

She is so much fun. We laugh with her nonstop and continue to enjoy each stage of her precious life.

Fun in the Sun... er, Rain

William and Abby Kate, Ft. Myers Beach, FL

Vacation with my family in Bonita Springs, FL, was great - even if it did rain (read: POUR!) almost everyday. We just had to change our focus is all. Instead of playing in the sand and waves on a beautiful sunny beach, we played in the racks of clothes and shoes and accessories in the outlet malls. No complaints here!

We did have a wonderful time spent together. We stayed in my aunt and uncle's beautiful condo and the kids had plenty of room to run and play. William and Abby Kate cracked us up the whole time with their dancing, singing, and yelling at at the rain... "go away rain, go away!" Abby Kate loved her Uncle Brian... every time I put her in one of her pretty little dresses - before I'd even buttoned her up - she'd say "go show Bwian?" So cute. We did get out to the beach one of the days and to the pool one or two times as well. And thankfully I took a lot of pictures on those days!

Hanging out with Pawpaw.

Mommy wanted to do sandcastles, but the bucket was much more interesting. I think she could've sat there for hours filling it with sand.

"Hha you?" as William would say.

Running so fast she's kicking up sand!

After a delicious shrimp dinner and key lime pie!

They were having entirely too much fun bouncing on the bed!

Telling Mimi stories on the patio.

Our trip ended in a rush home to see my grandmother who was not doing well. I changed my flight to take us to KY to see her. I stayed for a day and a half and was pleased to see her doing much better when I left. She is such a special lady. I love her dearly and ask for your continued prayers as she is still in the hospital.

Mawmaw is in the same hospital as Dad. In fact, he was in the Critical Care Unit and only two doors down from where my she is now. It was weird (yet so good) to see my dad walk through those hallways. He looks so strong and so much leaner. I just can't tell you how great he looks. And he feels great, too. God is so good.

We're back home in NC now and we are soaking up Daddy as much as we can when he's home from work. Mike was very happy to see us, and Junah was, too!

Prayers for Mawmaw

Please pray for my sweet grandmother (my Dad's mom). She is in the hospital after having chest pains earlier this week. She will undergo a procedure tomorrow where doctors shoot dye up into the heart to determine if there's trouble (forget what it's called). She is in good spirits, but fearful. Please pray that all goes well and that the doctors take great care to fix things.

Vacation!!!

AK and I are busy packing our swim suits and beach towels for a week in the sunshine state with my family. We are very sad that Mike won't be able to come. I feel bad that he has to miss everything. We haven't been able to plan visits to either of our families' homes together or plan a vacation for ourselves in what seems like years. We only travel on holidays together anymore. We are hoping Mike gets a break in the coming weeks, but with his schedule, you can never predict.

The Marine community has this saying "semper gumby," which I hate. Semper is the Latin word for "always" and gumby, well, that's just referring to being "flexible." You get the point. It's stupid. But whatever. I think most people say it with a smile on their face while gritting their teeth.

Anyhow, we will kiss Daddy 'bye tomorrow morning and fly down to Bonita Springs, FL, to spend time with my Mom, Dad (who is doing great, by the way!), Brian, Carrie and William. Thanks to my Aunt Darlene and Uncle Lin for letting us all stay in your beautiful condo! We are really looking forward to it.

Can't wait to share pictures from the trip!

Settling

Abby Kate, enjoying the view from her new front porch.

The movers came Saturday with all our stuff. When the big moving truck pulled up, Abby Kate said, "Oooo, BIG TRUCK!" Followed by, "petter?" As in can I pet the truck? We did not pet the truck, nor did we go in it. If I HAD gone in it, maybe I would've seen the box I'm now missing. :) Mike's brother, Bill, drove up from Wilmington to help us unpack. Thanks, Bill! If it weren't for you, we'd still be living in a cardboard fortress!

The painters come tomorrow morning. I'm so excited to see how it turns out. I'll wait to share pictures after it's painted - and clean, for that matter. Mike has been busy working on his "Man Room." I agreed to let him decorate the upstairs room. So far, he has our old 52" big screen TV in the corner and a desk and bookshelf. What more does a guy need? Apparently a couple of leather recliners and a kegerator. Hmmmm. :)

Abby Kate is loving her new room. (And I love her new room, too - specifically because it's on the first floor. I love not having to run up and down the stairs carrying a 30 lb child 20 times a day.) This move hasn't really affected AK one bit. She has adapted so well that I'm not even sure she realizes we've moved!

We are planning to spend the 4th out near the bay with friends. I'll be sure to take pictures for all you Nicholas Sparks fans. I'm looking forward to exploring our new surroundings a bit more this weekend.

Happy 4th of July everyone! ...and happy birthday to you, Dad, on the 4th.

Another Place to Call Home

At long last, we are in our new home. We have no furniture, mind you, but we are in it nonetheless. We left Meridian and our little, yellow rental house behind last Saturday and headed to NC, stopping for the night in Augusta, GA. Our friends, the Newbolds, were moving to NC the same day, so we stopped at the same hotel and let Abby Kate and their two daughters play in the pool together. It was a fun way to break up the trip and felt almost like a vacation. The Newbolds so graciously offered us a place to stay for three nights once we got here since we weren't closing on our home until the 26th. They have a beautiful new home with lots of space. Thank you, Colin, Sarah, Eden & Maren! We had fun!

As of yesterday afternoon, we are the owners of a beautiful new home in a great neighborhood. I have paint swatches taped all over the walls and can't wait to get some color in here. Right now, a guy is hooking up our cable, internet and phone. Our furniture arrives tomorrow morning (we hope). Abby Kate and Junah are loving all the big windows and open areas. And Mike and I are enjoying having a big bathroom with double vanities again.

Mike has been busy checking in and preparing to start work on Monday. He'll be really busy the first few weeks and then will slow down a bit after that. I'm not sure when his first flight in the Harrier will take place. He has a few weeks of ground school before they'll get in the aircraft. Mike is excited, and a bit overwhelmed at how fast they've gotten him into the mix here.

I joined Gold's Gym today. The one in New Bern is nice - it has a lot of great classes and best of all, free childcare... perfect! We are also planning to make many trips to the pool and the beach this summer. Atlantic Beach is only about a 30-min drive, I'm told. We're looking forward to checking it out! I'll be glad to get more and more settled in the coming days and get back to my routines with AK, my work and exercise.

More to come, including pictures... as soon as I find my camera and all associated cords for downloading. Hmmm, might be a few days. :)

Seven Years

Mike and I were married seven years ago yesterday. It doesn't seem like it could possibly have been that long ago. And even more unbelievable is the 15 total years we've been together. Wow! That says only one thing. That we're OLD. :) In the midst of our move, we didn't celebrate the usual way with a nice dinner out. We are trying to eat up all the food in our refrigerator before we move, so our dinner consisted of the last pieces of chicken we had, sprinkled with (no joke) a random box of Shake 'n Bake that we had in our pantry. As I shook, I had to say with my most childish, country accent "It's Shake 'n Bake, and I helped!" OK, now I'm just shouting my age.

I have and will love you always, Mike. Happy anniversary!

Father's Day

Abby Kate greeted Daddy with a "Happy Day!" this morning. I tried to teach her to say Happy Daddy's Day, but that's what came out. She gave Daddy a big kiss and then was off to more important things, like her Dora yogurt. Mike chose to play golf with his buddies today, so AK and I went shopping for a Father's Day present and we're going to make Daddy's favorite dinner - tacos! Happy Father's Day, Mike! Thank you for being such a great daddy to our little girl. We love you!

This father's day is an extra special one for me. I am spending today cherishing thoughts of my dad and all the times we've spent together and conversations we've had, knowing that I came very close to not having them anymore. Dad, I am so thankful to have you. You are the greatest, most loving and caring father. I can't thank you enough for all that you've taught me and given me. But most of all, I thank you for loving me. Happy Father's Day!!! Can't wait to spend time with you next month at the beach!

Updates

The Move to NC

First, I'm happy to tell you we found a home in NC! We love it. It is beautiful, brand new and located in a great neighborhood. I'm so happy to be owning a home again... looking forward to collecting paint swatches and fabrics for decorating. We'll actually be moving into it faster than we thought - Mike received his orders and they say we've got to be out of MS and headed to NC next weekend. So we're having the movers come and pack our household and move it next Thursday and Friday, and we'll be closing on the house on June 26. Busy, busy!

Dad

He's feeling so much better. He's been working full days, taking walks in the neighborhood, doing yard work, helping Brian with his yard work, picking up William (my nephew) and just being his old self. His only complaints are headaches due to the plates on the sides of his face. But the doctors say those will go away after a few more months. He's starting to get the feeling back in his teeth, and they are a bit painful, too. But all in all, he's fabulous! We are going to celebrate his health with a trip to Florida next month. I'm so excited!

Mike

Mike is doing great. He healed up extremely fast from his appendectomy. He's back to running, doing pull ups, flying and tossing Abby Kate in the air.

Abby Kate

This girl cracks us up every day. We love this stage! She is full of words and phrases and repeats everything. She sings the alphabet and counts to ten (however jumbled). She loves her baby dolls and likes to ask them if they're hungry or tired or if they want a cracker. It's so cute. I'm not sure how this move will affect her, but I imagine she'll be fine as long as she's with her mommy and daddy. I happened to see a little boy playing in the yard across the street from our new house, so hopefully she'll make some friends.

Me

Staying busy with my design work and busy with Abby Kate. I'm looking forward to our move, even though I will hate to leave some great friends that I've known for so long (we'll miss you Sommer, Chad, Grif and Maggie!) and many that I've met here in Meridian this past year.

That's all for now. I'll send out our new address through e-mail soon.

Wings of Gold

Mike received his "wings of gold" on Friday, May 30th. I pinned them on his chest at the ceremony in the chapel on base that afternoon. Abby Kate clearly wanted to participate as she ran up behind me from her seat to 'help.' (You can see her climbing the steps in the bottom right corner.) She was quite a handful during the ceremony. She had been up WAY too long! And you know how that goes.

Mike's parents came in town for the winging. We all watched as Mike got several awards and certificates. Thanks to Lee and Ginger for coming and for watching AK for us a couple of times! She really enjoyed your company... and Dillon's, too. :)

I am so happy for Mike for all his accomplishments. He's is glad to be done and we are excited to get to North Carolina!

We'll be house-hunting this week, so wish us luck!

Mike with his class on the wing of the T-45.

Just after Mike got his wings.

When Mike touched down on the runway after his last flight (the day before the winging), he was greeting by me and a fire hose. A crazy tradition... but fun! I didn't have it on full blast. I'm not sure I could've held it if so!

More showers from his classmates.

With friends at the winging party. The wives of the pilots that winged made our own t-shirts that read: (front) 'Their wings are made of gold...' (back) 'Ours are of the angel variety' (with big angels wings printed across the back).