Two Pilots & an LSW: Sweet 16!

Monday, January 23, 2017

Sweet 16!

Saturday and Sunday the weather was supposed to be yucky, which didn't thrill me because I had two Cheyenne trips, loaded up with 9 of us, and I wasn't looking forward to a low IFR approach down into the hills. Somehow, when the day arrived, it was actually quite nice out. The trip down was uneventful, and on the way home, sitting in there by myself, once I canceled IFR I did a few maneuvers, a seriously steep turn, slow flight, a stall, then came in to land. When we were coming in to land down there, there was moderate turbulence, and it was really rough coming in to land, but everybody hung on and did okay. I was concerned about Sunday though, which was supposed to be rainy, windy, turbulent and unpleasant. So imagine my surprise to wake up Sunday to sunshine and blue skies too! One more uneventful trip sealed the deal. Saturday I had a student dual cross country trip in the morning, landed just in time to take the Cheyenne trip, came home and flew with another student until dark. Sunday I had the trip, then flew with a guy for a couple hours to check him out in the Bonanza, and then had to run home and take Kaylee to youth group. After I dropped her off, I had 40 minutes or so of legal daylight, and it was still in the lower 50s, so I grabbed the hangar key and my coat and I took the Cub up for 40-45 minutes. It was glorious, even if chilly. The end of January in Indiana and I could fly an airplane with the door open. Awesome.

So SOMEBODY turned 16 years old today! In preparation, she requested asparagus stuffed chicken for dinner, and an ice cream cake. She also wanted to do brownies for her class at school. A lot of yesterday therefore was prep work. A store run, a trip to DQ to order the cake, an order for the stuffed chicken breasts, a drug store run, all sorts of running around. Last night Kaylee and I started making brownies. She needed 35 of them. I got 3 box mixes, we made them, and I'll tell you what, I could not get those things to cook all the way. It's like my oven knows I like gooey brownies, so it refused to cook them. I took the brownies off the outside edges and kept putting them back in for 10-15 minutes at a time. By 1 a.m. they still weren't cooked all the way, but I hacked them into gooey squares and put them in a tupperware container lined with aluminum foil separating the layers (since i didn't have any wax paper). I was really concerned that these brownies would be falling apart, some too gooey, some too crispy after they sat overnight, and that she'd be embarrassed by these sad brownies at school tomorrow. Instead, they turned out really good, hardened up just enough over night that they were still soft and tasty the next day, and they were all gone when she brought the tupperware container home. Whew. That was more work than I expected. It took hours!

Kaylee was at school early today, stayed until 6:10 pm working on various ISSMA things. Steve picked her up and brought her home at 6:30, where I had rolls and corn and scalloped potatoes and asparagus stuffed chicken breasts waiting, along with the cinnamon orange tea that we bought in Ohio that I tried making up. Steve thinks it was a little strong so we'll tone it down a bit next time, but I like it. :) We pulled out the ice cream cake and sang, Kaylee opened her presents, and got a silly singing video from her aunt and uncle and cousin, and then had to get right to her homework, which she had a lot of, even on her birthday.

I think she had a good day, even if it was busy. She was sung to by the Starlets, her friends made a thing about her day, she enjoyed her gifts from her grandparents, and I think all in all she had a good 16th birthday. It does start going faster. She's a good kid, smart and funny and kind and sarcastic and dramatic, and I enjoy her company as she grows. :)

The school is still going through the "Comet Vomit". A bunch of kids left sick today too. So far she hasn't gotten it nor given it to me, but I'm not sure how hopeful I am of long-term health with something so bad they named it and hashtagged it going around like that.

I have to get up at 4 am and fly to Athens, Georgia tomorrow. Love those 4 am things. :p

Here are a few photos, first of the Cub flight and then Kaylee tonight. I should've taken a picture of the food. It wasn't bad!