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To all of my friends and family, at home and abroad,
To update those of you who have really lost touch with me, I shall recap the last two of my years since leaving the Army. After 36 months of marriage, I decided that the Army life was not conducive to my family. So rather than divorcing my wife, I decided to divorce the Army. I have no regrets about my decision, in fact, I have nightmares about reenlisting. We moved from Germany to Tulsa, Oklahoma so I could attend Spartan College of Aeronautics. I graduated Valedictorian with an Associate Degree of aviation maintenance technology. I passed the oral and practical exams to earn my FAA Airframe and Powerplant certificates. I am so thankful to my wife for her support and encouragement during the two years of my education. On March 13, 2008, my daughter, Lauren Elizabeth Ellis was born. She has added a whole new dynamic to my life, my responsibilities and my perception. After graduation, while waiting to hear back about a scholarship to a flight school, I took a job as a machinist. Machining was great work. I operated a mill and CNC lathe to make special tooling for an aircraft parts plant. I'd still be there if the pay were better. I had asked the president of my college to write a letter of recommendation, to help with the scholarship application. Upon reviewing my resume and bio, he offered me a teaching position. The flight scholarship fell through so I opted to take the instructing position. That brings us to this month. Well, Lauren is growing and growing. She has her lower front teeth and three more are peeking through. She has stared grabbing things and blows raspberries. I doubt she could be any cuter. Mylinda and I tried putting her in daycare so Mylinda could continue to work as a dental assistant. Neither of us liked it. So, Mylinda quit her job and is now a professional house wife. With brighter opportunities on the horizon, I quit my machining job and took my annual motorcycle trip. I rode to Colorado and spent a few days with my friends in Frisco. Eric and I took his pickup over Mosquito pass and did a little prospecting. It was so nice seeing Eric, Erin, Jerry and Scott. I am fortunate to have such good friends. I was thrilled to embrace the solitude of the road for a few days but it didn't take long before I was missing my wife and baby. So, I returned home and started work at Spartan. My first six weeks of teaching will be spent learning. I'll be sitting through a class which I will then instruct. I have been placed in A3 which is airframe systems. I'll teach hydraulics, brakes, and air-conditioning systems. While working at Spartan, I will start working toward my Bachelors degree (condition of the job). I will get a 90% discount on tuition and 20% on books, which was one of the major selling points of the job. I am excited about this and feel as though my life is moving forward again. Since we are staying in Tulsa, we are in the market for our first home. What a complex mess home buying is. It seems like everyone has their fingers in the pie. On August 20th Mylinda and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary. Six years, already? We went to a movie and dinner, I had her car windows tinted and she bought motorcycle pants for me, such extravagance. Well that is all from this end. Thank you all for taking an interest, I hope that this letter finds you happy, healthy and prosperous. I look forward to hearing from you.
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