CONGRATULATIONS CHARLIE!!!!
Introducing:
AF Second Lieutenant Charles Bernard Kennedy
Four years ago at the suggestion of our good friends Rick and Joni Costa, we joined the "Sponsor a Cadet" program at the Air Force Academy. We picked up our freshmen cadet...Charlie...and now it is over...wow...did that go by fast.
Little did we know that Charlie would become a close friend of the family...so close he and Katelin started dating about 8 months ago...don't they look fabulous!!
Charlie showing off his new stripes at the commssioning ceremony!
Jarod, Charlie and Brandon were roomies at the AFAC...and will be also at Flight School in Columbus MS for the next 2 years...
Here we are at the Air Force commissiong ceremony...which was followed by the Air Force Ball later that night...pretty classy venue!
Charlie with his parents, sister and grandparents....all who flew in from Memphis!
Charlie and his roomate Brandon....right after the parade.
Katelin is very proud of Charlie...these two look great together don't they.....
It was a cloudy, cold and wet day for the parade....
On May 27, 2009 Charlie graduated from the Air Force Academy...
The ending to every graduation is when the graduates throw their hats up in the air and the Thunderbirds fly over...a very choreographed moment...of which I missed!!! I had know idea from where the Thunderbirds would approach...
These shots were taken from our family friend...Tim Skrastins of Image Factory Photo...
http://www.imagefactoryphoto.com/ ...he is an amazing photographer!
These pictures were taken by another family friend...Ken Cross...I used theirs because mine did not turn out so well.
This is the Great Sand Dunes National Preserve outside of Alamosa, CO...this is a "one of a kind" place where their are mountains, desert (dunes), and a marsh/bog all in one place and all dependent on each other. Eddie and I took a day out to see what it was all about...
The dunes are surrounded by Medano Creek...which in turn creates a beach like atmoshere...Kids were playing in the creek, building sand castles...people were barbqing...throwing frisbee's...the creek was only 2 inches deep...no chance of drowning!!... great place to bring the family...and it was only 70 degrees!
Yeah that is right...Eddie wanted to go to the top...officially the highest sand dune in North America!
We checked this one off the list and added it to the resume'.
Dared Eddie to do a belly slide...he wimped out.
Sand filled my shoes to the point I had no other rooms for my toes...we soon left and jeeped our way out over Medano Pass to Westcliffe...and then to home...8 hours in a Jeep is tough!
