Through The Eyes of a Flight School Spouse

Time flies when you’re having fun. When you’re not having fun, well that’s another story. The day my husband left for SERE I decided it was time to take advantage of some more Family & MWR events, otherwise it was going to be a long three weeks. I paged through the Fort Rucker At Ease magazine and the first thing I noticed was that the Auto Skills Center was offering free holiday vehicle inspections in the days leading up to Labor Day. What a perfect opportunity for someone who is without her handy man! I took my car in and after offering me a chair they checked the fluids, lights, and all the other essentials. They even answered my questions about a funny noise in the car. I was thrilled to find out that my car was in tiptop shape and I shouldn’t be having any problems with it any time soon. To my surprise, I also found out that should I have any problems with it, they have a mechanic on staff with whom you can schedule an appointment to have any issues fixed. That could prove to be very helpful someday!

After getting my car’s clean bill of health, I headed over to the Arts and Crafts Center next to the Exchange for a lesson on framing. I wasn’t aware that they offered framing classes until one of my friends recommended it to me, and I am so glad that she did! It was a one on one lesson and Beth was a very patient instructor, ensuring that I knew how to use the machines well enough that I could come back any time and use them by myself. For the lesson I brought in my husband’s commissioning certificate, picked out two colors of mats and the frame, and then we built the entire thing. The whole process took about two hours and included cutting the frame pieces, gluing and stapling them, cutting the mats, assembling the finished product, and finally filling in any rough corners with putty. When I looked at my finished product I felt like a little kid who had just completed their first finger painting. I was so amazed that I could make something that looked so professional! The best part about doing your own framing is that you only pay for the materials, so you save an incredible amount of money by framing it yourself. Now everyone can afford custom framing. Beth suggested that in order to keep my newly learned skills sharp, I should come in and frame something on my own within two weeks. I plan to be back there even sooner!

Thanks,
Kathleen Montion, a military spouse.