Phase 1 Complete and Michael's dollar ride!!!

This has been an exciting week in our home! Michael's class completed Phase 1 of UPT and they are now "hitting the flight line". These are both big milestones in UPT!!!!! Most of the guys/girls have had their first ride (dollar ride) in the T-6. Michael had his dollar ride today!!!! He still has a long road ahead of him...but he was finally able to do what he loves again today...and he said it was like nothing he's ever done before. In this phase, they will still have some academic work and tests, but they will also be flying everyday (weather permitting). He will stay in the T-6 until the end of Phase 2. Many people have asked about what plane he will be flying...and we won't know until the end of pilot training...aka November 2012. So, for now, we are just enjoying T-6 world!

I am thankful every single day that my husband gets to do what he loves. Neither of us ever take that for granted.  God has given him this amazing ability and the opportunity to use it :)

Alright enough of that...here's a picture I snagged from his dollar ride! (No I wasn't there...but we have an awesome friend that hooked us up!)

PS--If you want to see a larger version of the picture...just click on it! (That's him the front!!!)

Christmas with the Coles

I know this will come as a shock to many of you, but...CHRISTMAS IS MY MOST FAVORITE HOLIDAYYYYYY!!!!!! Sorry. I can't help my excitement. I wanted to share with you guys all of our Christmas stuff around the house...and yes I started putting up Christmas decorations right after Halloween. I take my time with the decorations. For example, it took me 3 days to get the tree like I wanted it. Michael loves Christmas, too. Probably not as much as me...but let's be real, I'm obnoxious about it. Thankfully, he lets me decorate however I want because he's awesome like that.

Many of my decorations were gifts that I got at a fabulous Christmas Shower that some sweet friends of mine had before I got married. Most, if not all, of the ornaments were given to us by my mom and Michael's mom. I even got to take some from when I was little...like my baby's first christmas one! I guess my mom decided that her tree had enough ornaments (and it does...it's on overload too!)

Alright enough chit chat. Here is Christmas in the Cole house:

We got a real tree and boy does it smell fabulous. Had to keep the ornaments off the bottom because a certain puppy likes to eat them. (That little rocking horse at the bottom is my baby's first Christmas ornament)

This was from the shower and is SO cute. I forgot about some of the gifts we got until I started putting the ornaments on the tree. I think mom gave us this one...but I could be wrong.

Another ornament from mom :)

This was one that Patti gave us...even Santa is a UGA fan!

You can't see it but the snow globe is a partridge and it says "A Partridge in a Pear tree"  (for those that don't know...my maiden name is Partridge so this is super special) The snowman lights up, but it didn't catch it in the photo.

Yay for easy DIY...told you guys I had a lot of black frames! Also, check out those ballin coasters! They match my Christmas China :)

Nativity scenes...and a snowman!

Window Decor! The frame in the middle is a (Christmas) recipe from Michael's grandmother. It was a gift from Michael's sister, Katy. She told me that it was his dad's favorite recipe. It stays up there year-round...and is especially awesome at Christmastime.

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Christmas china! Plus the red accent plate :) And yes...we do eat off of it! It has snowflakes (in case you can't tell) so it's staying up until winter is over!

Hope everyone is having a fabulous Holiday Season! We love you all!!!!
Merry Christmas from the Coles

...and now November

Wow...an entire month. Where to begin...well, things have settled down here and Michael's gotten into his routine with training. He is still in academics for the next 2 weeks and then his class hits the flight line (Phase 2). That will be the week before Christmas holidays! Everything is going well so far with training...just lots of studying and lots of tests. Things are the same on the job hunt for me (aka no job) which is tough but I've found some awesome volunteer opportunities (much needed around the holidays) to keep me busy. I am hoping some positions will open this month/first of the year. The plus side to not having a job is that Michael and I can go be with family for his Christmas break! We are very much looking forward to spending time with everyone. So catching up on November...

Zoe is now a whopping 50 lbs!!!! Almost as big as her bone.

From when Anna came to visit...we went to see Breaking Dawn :)

Thanksgiving in GA

One of my favorite wedding gifts...it stays on the wall 24/7

Went to Bass Pro Shops on Black Friday...and Michael had a "right of passage" with dad :)

Love this plate! Can't wait to show everyone the rest of the Christmas decor...it's a little obnoxious in my house :)

A bow that I made b/c a wreath is too big to fit between our front door and the glass door.

Oh you know...just doing her thing.

I am so excited about this holiday season!! It will be mine and Michael's (ignore the grammar) first Christmas together! Christmas is my favorite holiday...I started setting things out in the middle of November :) I take it very seriously. As soon as we get our tree (today) I will post more pictures around the house. It may be the first time some of you have seen some of the rooms in our house! I will have a lot to post this month...recipes, crafts, decorations, etc! So get excited! I hope that everyone is able to enjoy this time of year as much as I am. Love you all and I will update soon!

Catching up on October

Well, well, well
I honestly have no excuses for my lack of posting. I am literally just lazy. So let me catch you guys up... After getting back in town from our fabulous trip to GA, my parents came in for a visit. We headed up to Memphis to see the ducks in the fountain of the Peabody Hotel...which was...interesting. There is SUCH a huge crowd and some inconsiderate people that decided at the last minute to block our view...so we really didn't get to see anything cool as far as the duck march goes. BUT...we loved Beale Street which is also in the downtown Memphis area. So we had dinner and then headed to Tunica to the Casinos we have heard so much about! Yeah, I know...I can't believe we gambled all our money away either! We had a blast and got home super late. Yeah, my parents are awesome. I know.

I was pretty sad to say bye to my parents because we've been so lucky to be able to see them and our other family so often...and now it's going to be a while (like probably Christmas) before we see them again! LAME. Anwayssss we decided to really get festive this year so Michael and I each got our own pumpkin to carve. Clearly, I won. (on the left)

Let's see...Michael is currently in his first "full" week of pilot training. Everything is so far so good! He is basically just doing academics (aka a bunch of class time and tests) but they get to do some cool new things too like the altitude chamber! We had a career day a week ago which was super neat. We got to look at a lot of planes and talk to the pilots about what their lives are like professionally and personally. It really opened my eyes to what it could be like for Michael and me. I know I'm going to sound so corny when I say this...but it makes me SO happy to finally see all of Michael's dreams coming true...I know we are only in the beginning and we have a long way to go...but still. I'm just so lucky to be along for the ride!

 Here's the C-17/Cockpit view with Michael and our friend Tony inside!

ALSO!!! We got new counter tops!!!! I am such a freaking housewife. Ahhhh I love them :) Our old ones weren't awful...but I guess I didn't know how bad we had it b/c these new ones are amazing! Look!

Um....other than all the above we've just been enjoying married life and I'm still job searching...but trying to stay patient and trust that God has my best interests in mind and has the perfect job out there for me! Love you all to the moon and back! Miss you guys!!!!

(Sorry if I seem cracked out in the post...I am...on sugar from leftover Halloween candy)

The bible and dog treats

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord "plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

A sweet friend of mine reminded me of this verse today. It was exactly what I needed to hear. I have been in a sort of funk because I still haven't found a job...and I'm really getting frustrated trying to find one. I am going to do my best to just stay patient and pray that God will open the right doors for me and I know that it will all work out. So, since I'm not working...I have spent a lot of time at home and that leads me to my next topic...

Before I begin this part, I'm gonna go ahead and expect all the "your dog is like your child" comments. And, yeah...she is :) Anywho, I have been very bored at home which led me to Pinterest and to making dog biscuits. We had everything on hand so why not?? It was so simple and Zoe loved them...so I'll probably make them again because we always keep that stuff on hand :) Here you go dog lovers:

Ingredients:
1 cup of flour
1/4 cup oats
1/2 T baking powder
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup milk
1 T olive oil
1 T applesauce

Mix it all up...if it's too sticky to work with after you mix it...add more flour.

Roll it out on some wax paper about 1/2 inch thick

(Insert cute cookie cutter here) I obviously didn't have one...so I just cut them up.

Bake for 20 min at 350!
And yes, you can eat them if you want. We did!
They taste like peanut butter cookies without the sugar. AKA nasty. haha

An Apple a Day....

 Fall season is in full force, and after going to the fair this past week I have been dying to make my own caramel apples. Well, I did it! Thought I would share with you guys...and I have to thank Pinterest for the inspiration!

Enjoy :)

What you'll need:
5 tart apples
1 bag Kraft caramels
1 bag white chocolate chips/candy melts
Popsicle sticks
Cinnamon sugar
(Okay, I went overboard with the apples so I used 2 bags of caramel/white chocolate)

First, wash and SCRUB those apples like there's no tomorrow...otherwise the caramel won't stick. After they are squeaky clean shove a Popsicle stick in the bottom of the apple. (I only had jumbo sticks on hand and they worked fine!) 

In a medium saucepan melt the caramel (use whatever the directions on the pkg say). Just melt one bag at a time...it's a little easier to deal with. And stir the entire time b/c the caramel will stick to the pan.

Dip the apple into the melted caramel...and spoon some on the sides to cover it completely.  Place on parchment paper or wax paper (coated with cooking spray) because those suckers get STUCK on that freaking paper.

Pop these suckers in the fridge for about an hour or 2 (you can poke them with a clean finger to see if the caramel is set). 

Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave in 30 sec intervals and then coat the apple with the chocolate. (I have to use a CLEAN finger to smear it around in that fabulous pattern you see here).

Sprinkle the apples with a little (or a ton) of cinnamon sugar and VOILA! Yummy apples :)

Our week in the Motherland :)

Well, Michael and I are now back in Mississippi from a very long and wonderful trip back to GA. Michael hadn't been back since we moved here! Crazy...because I feel like I've been back so many times. Anyway...we spent a wonderful weekend in Athens, quality time with our parents and some fun with our friends. It was GREAT. I really miss being so close to all my family and friends at home...but living further away makes those trips back home even better :)

Finally back between the hedges. Felt so good to see UGA beat MSU.

Mom and I at the fair! One of my favorite things about home in the fall :) We never miss it!!!!

GA National Fair in Perry

We stopped in Columbus, GA on the way back to MS and I got to love on these little ones!!
Ahhh I miss them so much. How cute are they?!

This pretty much explains just how we all felt on the trip back to MS.

We are all safe and sound at home...and pretty rested up. (Although I am pretty sure Zoe could/will sleep for days) Switching gears...this is Michael's last week of freedom! He has his Week 0 next week. It's basically a bunch of paperwork and medical stuff he has to do before he official starts UPT. Sooooo we are going to enjoy this last week off to the fullest! I also just remember that I need to post more pics of the rest of the house! I will plan on that this week! Hope you all are doing well and taking some time to enjoy this amazing weather! Love fall in the south :)