Despite the fact that I document (or have documented) a fair amount of both my kids' experiences at their respective academies (as well as their journeys to those academies), neither one has a particular interest in my writing. Oh, they are fully aware that I write about their lives - and supportive of it - … Continue reading My daughter told me not to write this post

Every parent who headed to Colorado Springs for Parents Weekend spent weeks anticipating the trip and the time with their cadet. I did as well, but likely with some markedly different emotions. Last year's Parents Weekend was a difficult one. Incredibly difficult. I won't bore you with the details except to say it was the … Continue reading Parents Weekend bookends a challenging year

When you become a military academy parent, you quickly learn that much of the next four years of your life will be about milestones. From the time your child earns an appointment, you set your calendar by events like I Day, A Day, and Parents Weekend and look cautiously forward to things like job drops … Continue reading Of unexpected milestones

A Day is behind us, meaning the Basics are now Doolies, and Transition is also in the rearview mirror, signaling the return of the entire Cadet Wing and the beginning of the academic year. That means the focus for most USAFA families turns toward one thing - Parents Weekend. Over my six-plus years as a … Continue reading The only way to do Parents Weekend correctly

Some of the best parts about being connected to a military academy are traditions and milestones, which are often intertwined. It starts with I Day and ends with Commissioning with a countless blur of them in between. The Air Force Academy Class of 2026 now has two major ones in their pockets with I Day … Continue reading Putting A Day in the rearview mirror

Summer for Basics and Cadets at the United States Air Force Academy means something different to everyone involved. The Basics, of course, grind their way through BCT. The Cadets have a wide range of experiences that may include BCT as part of the cadre, professional training, and the coveted time off. But there's one thing … Continue reading “T” is for Transition

It's been excited to read posts by Class of 2026 parents about Jacks Valley. The best part, of course, is that my daughter isn't there. 🙂 For the academy - and for the Air Force at large - Jacks Valley is important because it introduces important skills to the Basics and reinforces key traits like … Continue reading Why Jacks Valley is important

We all have summer at the same time, but we experience very different summers. For those with cadets heading into their second, third, or final year, there’s a lot of excitement. Sure, the rising C3C’s have to struggle through combat survival training (CST), but there’s also a more, um, interesting training block to look forward … Continue reading Summer and those precious phone calls

The shock and awe of I Day are in the rearview mirror. The Basics are, well, learning the basics from the cadre, and the rest of the Cadet Wing is scattered to the Four Winds. A few random thoughts as we hurtle through summer... If you have a Basic, take a deep breath. There's probably … Continue reading Random thoughts during BCT

Three I Days - 2016 at USNA, 2020 at USAFA Prep, and 2021 at USAFA. I’ve been through three I Days with two kids and while everyone’s experience is different, there’s one thing I can say with some certainty. Your perspective changes after  I Day. The most jarring change for us came on that first … Continue reading After I Day, some perspectives are forever changed