into the wild blue yonder

yesterday was, hands down, one of the coolest days of my life
flying in the T-6 was like being on a rollercoaster with no tracks
we pulled somewhere in the range of 3-5 G's...which was INTENSE
those chap-looking pants i'm wearing are actually a G-suit,
designed with inflatable bladders that automatically inflate
whenever the plane starts pulling G's.
to keep you from passing out.


speaking of passing out,
i almost did.
i'm very familiar with the sensation of almost-passing-out
i went to medical school, after all.
i have never--knock on wood--actually done so
and my record still stands
but up in the air after doing barrel rolls and loops and cuban 8's (?)
i started to get that hot, sweaty, almost-nauseous feeling
and i had to tap out
whew.
what a rush, though.


my pilot, LtCol Lane, or "Lois", as was his call sign
let me take the joystick a few times
and i got to fly that beast on my own which was CRAZY.
towards the end he let me do a loop
and i will remember that experience for the rest of my life.


as we were sitting in the plane, about to hit the runway,
with the afternoon sun shining gloriously before us
getting ready to hit the sky in this little plane
i said to Lois, we have pretty cool jobs, ya know?
he laughed and said, there are absolutely worse ways to spend an afternoon.
i couldn't have agreed with him more.

 my very own locker for my very own loaner gear

 sun setting over the flight line

the Texas sky was celebrating my day with me.

seriously. no filter. it was that phenomenal.

there are days when being in the military seems like a real drag.
and then there are days like yesterday, when you feel connected to something bigger
more powerful. more purposeful.
and it makes you feel proud, to belong.


even if you needed to paint your nails this morning,
just to remind yourself that you are, in fact, still a lady.