History

Okay, I said I was going to do my family history, so I want to get it over with.   Here goes...

Gabriel as baby

This adventure originally began on November 16, 2002 when we  got married.  We were married at the AFB Chapel in Columbus, MS, and our reception was at the O'Club.  We then honeymooned at Sandals St. Lucia Golf Resort and Spa (Beautiful!!!  Highly recommend).  At the time that we got married Melanie was teaching Pre-Kindergarten at Aberdeen Elementary and Justin was a T-37 Instructor Pilot at Columbus AFB, MS.  Melanie got to quit her teaching job at Christmas that year because we were on our way to Georgia for fighter pilot training.  We stayed there for around three months and then moved to Goldsboro, NC where Justin trained in the F-15E (training called the B-Course).  We were then stationed at Seymour Johnson (Goldsboro, NC) for five years.

Elyssa

9 months pregnant packing house

While we were in Goldsboro our first little miracle was born.  Gabriel Troy was born on August 1, 2006 at 7:35 AM.  He weighed in at exactly 8 lbs and was 22 inches long.  Justin was in the AF for one more year after Gabriel was born and then he started working for Continental airlines.  We put our house on the market in August 2007 because we got based in Guam at that time.  Melanie got pregnant with Elyssa in October of that year, and yes our house was still on the market.  Justin was flying out of Newark, NJ, so he was commuting from Raleigh, which was an hour drive away.  This was a weird time because we were trying to sell our house, Justin was driving an hour to fly two hours to work, and Melanie was pregnant.  In June of 2008 Melanie decided to move to Charlotte because Elyssa was due in July, and with Justin traveling everyone thought it would be safer to be with family in case Elyssa decided to come early (she didn't).  Our house finally sold in June as well.  We closed on our house on July 15, two weeks before Elyssa was born.  So, Melanie is  nine months pregnant, four hours from the hospital where she is suppose to be born, and packing up a house, but YEA it sold after 11 months.

Elyssa turns 2

Gabriel is 4

Guam

Our second miracle was born on July 24, 2008 at 5:38 PM. She weighed in at 7 lbs 9 oz and was 19 inches long.  About a month after she was born Justin took a leave of absence from Continental and we stayed in Charlotte.  He got a job with Johnson Controls and worked for them for a little over a year.  He stopped working with them in March and Melanie started working at a public school in Charlotte, Merry Oaks International Academy, as a part-time Reading Tutor. Justin decided to go back to Continental, and started training this summer.  Elyssa turned 2 and Gabriel turned 4 this summer.  We visited family and friends for the month of July. Since Guam had been the last base that we were suppose to be at before he took the leave of absence, we got based in Guam again.  We arrived in Guam on August 10th and have been staying at the Westin. We are signing our contract on our apartment and moving in tomorrow!  And there you have it.  All caught up!