“Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.”

I had pretty amazing day a few weeks back. I got to watch this guy:

Fly this:

(In word form that's my fiance flying a T-6.)

This was definitely near the top of my list of favorite days. I was witness to Kyle's decision-making process when he was trying to determine whether or not he should pursue grad school. At MIT. For free. Seems like a no-brainer, right? But for someone who has been dreaming for years of flying jets for a living it wasn't easy to put this on hold for two years. Selfishly I'm glad he did because I seriously. loved. Boston. 

How can you not?

Still, Kyle's been waiting a long time for this and I can't tell you how exciting it was! I knew it would be cool to witness but had no idea just how grateful I would feel to be there. For me it was such a tangible representation of everything he has worked so hard for. He also looked SO good doing it. 

In addition to being really, really nice to look at, he's also so inspiring. God has put this man in my life who shows me every single day what it means to set your mind to something, work hard, and achieve it. I have some long term aspirations that I know I would never actually consider pursuing if it weren't for his example. 

Visiting Kyle at an actual Air Force base has given me a better idea of what military life will be like and I'm so anxious to be living in the same place.

Soon he will be flying the T-6 solo then moving to the T-38's. In less than a year we will find out what plane Kyle will be flying for his career and I can't wait to see where this crazy awesome career choice takes us!

"Listen to advice, but follow your heart."

No doubt there are far more complicated things in life but one thing I find tricky is telling people what I want to be when I grow up. I have a great job in corporate America doing exactly what I went to school for. I have an apartment I love and on occasion I find myself with a few dollars in my savings account but if you ask me what I want to be when I grow up it isn't found anywhere on my company's career path. When I grow up I want to be a wife and a mom.

There are thousands of amazing people doing this exact job right now and killing it. Still, many times when I'm not talking to a wife or mom I tend to get a polite smile when this topic comes up. Quite frankly sometimes I feel like I need to have a defense ready when I say it. I think this comes from the fact that many incredible women fought incredibly hard so we had the opportunity to grow up and take on roles outside the household. For this I am so grateful. I don't believe every woman is called to be a wife or a mother or both. I also think there are women, many women, who are meant to be wives and mothers and doctors and soldiers and teachers etc etc etc. I'm also not naive enough to think there aren't wives and mothers who would love for their resumes to end there but because of the circumstances of their lives find themselves taking on additional roles.

As women we often measure ourselves against one another and I believe we are doing ourselves such a disservice. I will never be as creative or patient as some women but I have strengths they don't. They will never be as good at Gilmore Girls trivia as I am. God has a unique and divine purpose for everyone one of us. I wish we would look at the positive qualities in other women and use them to inspire ourselves instead of feeling less about ourselves because of the title of their job, size of their home or amount of things they seem to be able to manage at once.

I grew up with a grandmother with a masters degree and a mother who realized college wasn't right for her. These are two of the smartest women I know and without a doubt the two women who have had the greatest influence on my life. I have never once thought one was more successful than the other. Honestly, it was their example as wives and mothers that has resonated with me more than any accomplishment either has had in the workplace. Trust me, they've both had many.

Make no mistake, I have no idea what the map of my life looks like but for now I think I can see the next few steps and for me they include a few jobs I am so excited about. While these are, at this point in my life, my greatest aspirations, I have other goals and dreams as well that I hope I'll be blessed to pursue. I was lucky enough to be raised in a home where I grew up believing I could do whatever I wanted to do and do it well. I'm also lucky enough to get the chance to follow my heart.