Day 52

If my guess of around 200 days is right, then we are past the 1/4 mark for the deployment.
So that's something.
small.

Alex came out of her quiet time with this letter for me to send to Josh. I thought it was sweet.
I introduced her to what a colon is (the punctuation, not the body part), but I think she may have gotten a little confused in how to use it. She's colon-happy.

I'll try to help with some of the less-recognizable words--
Dear, Daddy I love you. And I miss you. I wiss (wish) you dont have to go on a log (long) trip.We are praying fir you. I hope you fite the bad gise beycass taye muyt fily thaw allplan in to a nuttl big bilidin: agin. (fight the bad guys because they might fly their airplane into another big building again)
You must be sad beycass you miss us: But you Dote (don't) have to miss us: Beycass we miss you: insted.
We can't waite for you to cum home!
You love me: just like I love you! In 13 Days in to we go to missigin (Michigan)
We love yuir job.
Have fun.
I like yore not. (note)
This wuss a lag (long) note.
Have a fun Day.
Love Alex

She's not exactly a poster child for homeschooling, now is she? ;)
But she does love her Daddy.

And we're working on the whole u-looks-like-an-a thing.


In other news-- I have not succeeded in my dryer repair. But I haven't given up.

Though I probably should.


Also: Spain!

So we got our next assignment and could not be happier about getting an awesome opportunity to live in Madrid for a year! 
It's a little hard to explain to my non-Air Force friends, but I'll give it a try.

As a major in the Air Force, you apply to attend a school for professional development. It's called Air Command & Staff College. It is one year long, and located at an Air Force base in Alabama.
There are also several non-traditional school spots available to attend the school of a different service (Army, Navy, Marines, etc.), some spots to attend other colleges in the U.S., and several foreign countries who each offer one spot in their schools. It's kind of a like a foreign-exchange program for the Air Force.
We were fortunate enough to be selected for one of those, and so Josh will be going to the Spanish Air Force's school in Madrid.
The classes are taught entirely in Spanish, so he will have his work cut out for him.
We will leave here sometime in the summer or early fall for Josh to attend language school in Monterey, CA. We're not sure of all the details, but our best guess is that we'll be there around 9 months or so. Then we will leave for Spain in the summer of 2013. The school is one year long, and we don't have any idea where we'll be sent after that.

Clear as mud?

Got questions?
Me too! ;)

I leave you with this little excerpt from Josh's letter to Derek.
Ever wonder what a daddy writes to his 4 year old?

I think Josh's handwriting is worse than his daughter's so I'll translate this one too.

Try to remember your three special steps before peeing.
1) Put the lid up.
2) Pull your pants down.
3) Make sure your penis isn't stuck to your balls (HINT: it always is)

Thanks for backing me up, honey. That's long-distance parenting at its finest.