First Flight!

Cadet LaJoy in his BDU's

We got a surprise phone call later yesterday afternoon inviting Matthew on his first "O" flight.  O = Operations???  Oh My Gosh?? Outstanding??  I have no idea, there is all this military jargon that I am not privy to, but will eventually figure out.  Hey, at least I got "BDU's" down pat!  Matthew was excited and also happy to wear his BDU uniform for the first time, patches and all.

Matt has already gone up at least a couple of times in a small aircraft before, prior to being in Civil Air Patrol so this was not altogether new to him.  He was joined by another cadet, and they flew from Montrose to Gunnison, landed there, spent a little time at the airport, and then returned.  All together it was a three hour trip, and he learned a lot.  He was pretty mellow when I picked him up, and I asked if it was fun.  He replied "Yea, but it went pretty slow.  I know I have to start somewhere, but someday I want to fly jets!"

I did well, was not nervous at all about it really.  Yea, Grandma Alice, but YOU don't need to worry!  I just heard a statistic on NPR recently about flight safety (I think it was NPR) and they said that the odds of dying in an airplane crash in America are about the same as any single person being voted President.  Matt even told me this evening that if he were to die flying in an airplane at 12 or 13 years old, he'd die happy.  So, how can I argue with that?  I personally think odds are pretty high too that this kid is going into aviation for a career of some sort, so this training and exposure is invaluable.

Matt is really struggling to keep his spirits up with the back issues he is facing.  He is so limited, and although he has not complained once he talked honestly with me about it tonight saying he misses jumping on the trampoline, misses TaeKownDo big time, misses wrestling with his brothers, and feels pretty left out.  The other kids aren't even playing on the tramp without him, in some sort of unspoken pact not to make it even worse.  We are still waiting to hear back from Shriner's with an appointment date for November, and we might learn more.  He gets his back brace and orthotics next week.  All in all though, he is handling it very, very well and having Civil Air Patrol just beginning as this all came about has helped tremendously.

My wish for all our children is that they would find something eventually that they are this passionate about.  Heck, my wish for MYSELF is that I would find something I am this passionate about! Hahaha! Well, Joshie always has his obsession with Abe Lincoln.  In fact, the Teaching Company had a course on sale for $10 (A total steal as their products are expensive!) about the life of good old Abe, and I bought it for him.  Although it is a college level course taught by a professor, there are lots of pictures on the DVD to go with the lecture and I figure he might like that.  He was quite excited about it when it arrived today.

Olesya and I were looking at a catalog my equally hobbyless friend shared with me, and it has all kinds of glass items for making stained glass windows, mosaics, etc.  Very, very cool and something I have always wanted to do but never made the time for.  Being lacking in any artistic talent, I fear spending money on something like that but it looks like fun!  Sort of paint by numbers with glass, if you have a pattern.  Surely I could handle that, right??  Still thinking about teaching myself the harp too, but the cost of a decent harp will hold me back a long time on that one.  Someday, maybe when I am retired...more than likely though I'll still be as hobbyless then as I am now! Hahaha!

I am excited about something coming up this next week though, a class I am taking for church on social networking.  Geek that I am, this sounds fascinating to me and I am really looking forward to it.  Social networking is changing not only how we communicate as as society, but also the very dynamics of relationships, and I find that totally intriguing. 

Here is one last photo of Matt.  Hoping to have the opportunity to add a few of Olesya and Joshua, who are not involved in things right now that are as easily photographable!: