The story begins with this crazy little girl…and this sweet little boy.
They grew up (ever so slightly) in their separate midwestern hometowns until all their high school sports eligibility expired in the summer of 1998 and it was time to move on. They traded in their SLP Oriole orange and Wethersfield Flying Geese green for Air Force Academy Falcon blue.
Fast forward through three years of USAFA chaos to the fall of 2000 and a geography final. Hi. My name is Ali. Mind if I copy those notes? And the rest was history…
In the spring of 2002 the brand new second lieutenants — one a personnelist and the other a program manager, bid farewell to their teammates, friends and coaches and and hit the road with nervous excitement!
After 60 days of paid vacation, the two settled in for their first assignment at Wright Patterson AFB just outside Dayton, OH. It was here where one changed her name and both earned their masters. These two youngin’s kept busy playing sports, learning what the “real Air Force” was all about and making some more life-long friends.
Before they knew it three years had flown by and the apartment was packed up for Air Force move #2 — Colorado Springs or bust (take 2)! They were assigned to two different bases; Ali back to the Air Force Academy to coach the women’s basketball team and Jace down to Peterson Air Force Base to continue with the personnel business. They decided to split the difference and bought their very first house on the east side of town. One year into their time in Colorado life threw the Team their first curve ball and Jace left the service. Though this wasn’t in their “plan” Jace was quickly hired as Air Force civilian at Peterson doing civilian personnel and then retraining into contracting. Meanwhile, the two of them decided their home was a little empty so they decided to add to the Team Anders roster — enter little Raemund T. Anders. She arrived looking like a homeless little puppy but soon turned into their trusty little sidekick.
All good things must come to an end so they say a (whoever “they” is) and after another fabulous four years in Colorado it was time to sell the house and pack up for move #3. 2,000 miles (give or take) later the Team arrived in Boston, MA and reported for duty at Hanscom AFB. New England was fairly unchartered territory for them so there were plenty of adventures to be had. They explored up and down the coast, saw many of the sights Boston had to offer and added a few more dear friends to our circle. The pair celebrated their 7th wedding anniversary in 2010 and welcomed their first child, Easton, in the spring of 2011.
By May of 2012, just two weeks after Easton turned 1, yep, you guessed it, the moving trucks were parked outside and all their possessions were loaded up. It was time for the team of four to head back to Dayton, OH for their second stint at Wright Patterson AFB.
And that brings us to today. Our family of three and a Yorkie are happy as can be here in Ohio…that is until it’s time for those beloved moving trucks 🙂
