The Lyon Pride

Our First Baby Video!

noreply@blogger.com (Wings4Flight) — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 04:53:00 +0000

Well today was the much anticipated day that Nikki and I were supposed to find out whether our baby is going to be a boy or a girl. We had read a lot of different advice about how to get the baby to cooperate and decided to try eating a little before the appointment and drinking something with caffeine. After eating we headed to the doctors office a little early hoping that we might get in before our actual appointment time. Shortly after signing in we were called back for the ultra sound. Everything started off fine, the tech was able to see most of what she needed for the doctor rather quickly, unfortunately this was not the case for determining the baby's gender. The problem was that the baby was basically standing up, and its head was right behind Nikki's belly button. On an ultra sound any empty space, like a belly button, creates a large dark shadow on the image, this was inconveniently located directly over the baby's face. The other problem was that the baby had the umbilical cord tucked right between its legs making it impossible to determine its gender. After nearly 45 minutes of pushing and prodding on Nikki's stomach to get the baby to move, we were no closer to getting an answer. This was one stubborn baby. The technician politely informed us that she had to move on to her other patients, and apologized for not being able to do more. On our way back to the waiting room she told us that if she could work us back in before we went back to see the doctor she would give it another shot. After about 30 more minutes of waiting the technician came rushing in and said OK lets go I've got about five minutes, let's see if the baby moved. We hurried in to the room and prayed that we would get an answer this time. Well, we did! It still wasn't easy, and we didn't get the best of images for confirmation but the tech assures us that it is a... Did you already place your vote on our Baby Poll? We wouldn't want anyone cheating! Nikki and I were very surprised and very excited. We had both thought for the longest time that it was going to be a boy, but this was a great surprise. So now we get to start working on a name, picking out nursery decorations, etc... We were very excited to get a video of our ultra sound. It was originally almost 20 minutes long but I have edited it down to just the highlights so now it's around 6 minutes. I hope that you all enjoy the video. It does pause several times throughout to identify some of the key areas so don't mistake a pause for the end. You will also see the video go crazy in one spot, that is one of the many times that the tech was trying to encourage the baby to move by pushing it around a bit. The last image in the video shows the gender so don't miss it!

Baby Poll!

noreply@blogger.com (Wings4Flight) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 00:09:00 +0000

Well most of you know that Nikki and I are expecting our first baby in January. Tomorrow, if the baby cooperates, we get to find out whether it is a boy or girl. Until we announce it to everyone we thought that it might be interesting to see what all of you think. Vote on the poll below and see what everyone else thinks!

Do you think it will be a girl or a boy?

My Sister's ... Birthday!

noreply@blogger.com (Wings4Flight) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 02:22:00 +0000

Happy Birthday to my sister Krista. Here are a few pictures of her and her family. We love you all and wish that we could be there with you to celebrate.

Krista & Brant Reibling's Wedding

noreply@blogger.com (Wings4Flight) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 00:41:00 +0000

On Saturday Nikki and I got to take wedding pictures for one of her co-workers. We were so happy that they picked us to cover there special day. It was a beautiful event with close friends and family and everyone made us feel very welcome. Congratulations to Krista & Brant.

Baby's Heartbeat

noreply@blogger.com (Wings4Flight) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 23:56:00 +0000

Well today we had another Great doctor visit. Nikki is progressing wonderfully and so is Baby Lyon. We got to hear the heartbeat for the second time and the doctor said that it sounds perfect, 158 bpm. I was able to record a short clip to share with everyone. We also got to schedule our next appointment which is exciting because that is when we will find out if it is a boy or girl. We will of course post the picture and the news as soon as we find out which should be on July 28th.

Gathering of Eagles 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Wings4Flight) — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 21:43:00 +0000

The first week of June, I was very fortunate to be invited as a guest of aviation artist, Jay Ashurst, for the 2009 Air Command and Staff College (ACSC), Gathering of Eagles (GOE) event. I would like to personally thank Jay, the GOE staff, the ACSC students, and of course the "Eagles" for allowing me to participate in this amazing event.

The Gathering of Eagles program is an annual aviation event that traces its origin back to 1980, when retired Brigadier General Paul Tibbets was invited to visit the ACSC, Maxwell Air Force Base Montgomery, Alabama to share some of his experiences with the students. This visit became the genesis for the Gathering of Eagles program. Each year the ACSC graduating class selects a group of aviation professionals both military and civilian to be recognized for their accomplishments and service, (Eagles). The ACSC then commissions a painting of the "Eagles" and their aircraft. For the past 26 years artist Jay Ashurst has been the vision and talent behind the incredible "Gathering of Eagles" art series. The original painting is reprinted as limited edition lithographs and each is hand signed by the "Eagles" for that year. The lithographs are then sold to help raise money for a scholarship that the ACSC awards to one outstanding cadet each year. During the week long event the "Eagles" are brought in to share their stories first hand with the ACSC class. These interview sessions provide a unique opportunity for ACSC students to hear inspiring stories from some of aviation history's most revered heroes. Each day's interviews are followed by a catered lunch in the base Officers' Club where the event staff gets to enjoy one on one conversation with the "Eagles". After a brief break in the afternoon the ACSC students, event staff, and "Eagles" reconvene for a casual BBQ event held in one of the hangars on base this year. ACSC students are encouraged to bring their spouses and children where they can join in the festivities with the "Eagles". This year the GOE staff arranged to bring in several aircraft for a static display setup right outside the hangar doors. Several of the ACSC students also pooled their talents to form a band that provided outstanding entertainment throughout the evening activities.

This years "Eagles" were; Eugene Kranz (Apollo 13), Bruce Crandall (Medal of Honor), Joe Jackson (Medal of Honor), David Thatcher (Doolittle Raider), Charles McGee (Tuskeegee Airmen), Betty Strohfus (WASP), John Young (Astronaut), Augusto Bedacarratz (Argentine Pilot), Regina Aune (Vietnam Flight Nurse), John Alison (WWII Ace), Wayne Fisk (Vietnam Pararescue), James Hobson (Special Ops Pioneer), Lloyd Newton (Vietnam/T-Bird Pilot), and Jack Broughton (Vietnam Pilot/Author).

If you are interested in finding out more about the Gathering of Eagles program, or about purchasing one of the GOE prints please follow this link to the ACSC Gathering of Eagles, website.

Kelly & Dan's Engagement - Session 2

noreply@blogger.com (Wings4Flight) — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 19:44:00 +0000

This is engagement session two for Nikki's sister, Kelly, and her fiancé Dan. We really had a great time taking pictures for them, and they seemed to have fun goofing around for the camera.

Our New Niece Melody!

noreply@blogger.com (Wings4Flight) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 21:02:00 +0000

My sister Krista and Brother-in-law Ryan just had their second baby. We are so excited for them, and wish that we could have been with them to celebrate. They have been great about posting some pictures and videos for us so that we don't feel left out. Here are a few of the ones they sent.

Kelly & Dan's Engagement - Session 1

noreply@blogger.com (Wings4Flight) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 20:44:00 +0000

We recently took a trip down to Florida to visit with some friends and family. While we were there Nikki and I caught up with Kelly, Nikki's sister, and her fiance Dan, to take some pictures. We are so excited for them and we hope they enjoy the pictures.

Happy Mother's Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Wings4Flight) — Fri, 08 May 2009 22:05:00 +0000

This is a special Mother's Day message. I hope you all enjoy...

The Taco Salad experiment !

noreply@blogger.com (Wings4Flight) — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 17:27:00 +0000

Last night Nikki and I had the rare opportunity to actually enjoy a home cooked experiment. With Nikki working and me working to find work we find ourselves trying to avoid complicated meals. To be honest most of the time what we eat either comes out of a box, bag, or can. This time though, Nikki got off work a little earlier than usual and we decided that we would try something a little different, Taco Salad.

Now I know what your thinking, "Taco Salad", really? It is not that difficult of a meal. Well you might think that at first, I certainly did. After assessing our pantry for what ingredients we already had, Nikki headed out to the store to get what we needed. Something you need to understand about what we had in mind is that we wanted actual Taco Salad bowls for our Taco Salad. I don't know how many of you have tried to find these in the store but apparently they are not exceptionally popular, so very few stores carry them. If you can find them, what most stores stock tends to be something like the Old El Paso brand corn Taco Salad bowls. Needless to say that's not exactly what we wanted. We had envisioned the light flaky tortilla shell like Taco Bell has. Well to our dismay grocery stores in Auburn don't sell those. At this point most people probably would have either settled for the corn shells or would have given up all together and just gone to Taco Bell, not us.

I started searching online for the best way to MAKE a tortilla taco bowl and guess what I found? I found a whole lot of information on how FRY your own shells using specially made forms, which I obviously didn't have. Again most people probably would have given up hope, but for those of you who know me, you know that I do not give up easily. I got up from the computer, wandered back into the kitchen and began blankly staring at the ingredients we had pulled out earlier. One of the things I saw was two giant soft tortilla shells left over from the last time we made wraps of some kind. Then it hit me; I know how I can make them. I proceeded to pull out a large cookie sheet, a medium sized Pyrex bowl, and a can of smart balance cooking spray. I preheated the oven to 375 degrees, sprayed both sides the tortilla shells with the cooking spray, draped each one over a different bowl, placed them in the oven, and began praying that I didn't burn them because they were the last two tortilla shells we had. Magically about 10 minutes later I pulled out two perfectly formed golden brown Taco Salad bowls.

By this time Nikki was back from the store. I had already cooked some ground beef for Nikki and some fajita steak for me, (Nikki doesn't like fajita steak), and so we built our salads; first piling some lettuce in the bowl, then adding some meat, tomatoes, cheese, and finally topping it with sour cream. The result was two, near perfect, restaurant quality, home-made, Taco Salads and probably at least a monthly tradition.

Abigail

noreply@blogger.com (Wings4Flight) — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 16:44:00 +0000

On Wednesday Nikki and I took some pictures of her bosses daughter Abigail. We had a great time chasing her around a little pond.

MacDill AFB AirFest 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Wings4Flight) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 22:05:00 +0000

While I was in Florida this past week I was able to attend AirFest 2009 at the MacDill AFB. AirFest is a great free event open to the public. This year the Thunderbirds were the highlight of the show. There was an incredible turn out, so many people went that the base quickly reached capacity and late comers found themselves parking off base walking in. Unfortunately I was one of those late comers and ended up walking nearly two miles just to get to the show. At the conclusion of the show I was pleasantly surprised to see the Thunderbirds stick around and sign autographs for nearly thirty minutes. I even got a few myself.

Chelsea Joy

noreply@blogger.com (Wings4Flight) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 19:48:00 +0000

I was down in Florida last week while my sister and niece were visiting from Texas. We did a mini photo shoot with Chelsea and got some great shots.

Our Wedding Day Part III

noreply@blogger.com (Wings4Flight) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 19:12:00 +0000

Sorry that it has taken me so long, but here are a few more pictures from the wedding. There are still more to come, so please be patient and check back often.

Snow day in Auburn

noreply@blogger.com (Wings4Flight) — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 16:35:00 +0000

Yesterday Auburn was under a tornado warning all morning. We had three touch down within a few miles of our place. There were a couple of cars over turned and roofs torn up but we were fortunate not to suffer any damage. From about noon on it turned out to be a beautiful sunny day with temperatures in the mid 70's. This morning however was quite a different story. We woke up around 7:30a.m., looked outside and found the ground covered by snow. Overnight the temperature had dropped to the high 20's and the snow started falling. By them time we got bundled up and went outside there was nearly 6 inches of snow on the ground. We grabbed our cameras and the dog, jumped in the car, and drove to down town to take some pictures. Nikki has hoped for the opportunity to see Samford lawn covered in snow, and today it happened. Everywhere we went people were making snowmen, having snowball fights, and taking pictures. It is now nearly noon and the snow is still coming down hard.

The bells at a snow covered Samford Hall tolling 8:00a.m.

Diamond doing everything she can to get out of the snow.

It finally happened, I graduated!

noreply@blogger.com (Wings4Flight) — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 00:21:00 +0000

Well I am officially an Auburn Graduate. Technically I have been since May of last year but I wasn't able to walk until December, so I wanted to share this momentous occasion with all of you. It has been a long road but I have finally made it. I could never have made it without the love and support of all my family and friends. Thank you all so much. So what happens now, well I am in the process of trying to find a job in the aviation industry and am also considering pursuing my Aviation MBA.

I got a pickle, I got a pickle. I got a pickle, hey hey, hey hey!

noreply@blogger.com (Wings4Flight) — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 17:55:00 +0000

Nikki and I love pickles but we are very picky about the type of pickles we eat. They have to be crunchy and kept in the refrigerator. Our favorite brand has been Claussen which you can find in the refrigerated section of most grocery stores and it still is but only for dill. We have a new favorite for bread & butter and have also added a new pickle to our pantry, the sweet & hot, both made by Tony Packo's. Some of you may recognize the name because they have been around making homemade pickles, relish, chili, and much more since the 1930's. The restaurant was also highlighted in the TV show M*A*S*H by Corporal Max Klinger who was originally from Toledo, Ohio where Packo's is located. Now they are a little more expensive then your typical grocery pickle so I would categorize them as more of a gourmet pickle. The sweet hots are our new favorite and they are absolutely delicious. They are cut thick and are packaged with peppers to add a little spice. Unlike Claussen pickles you can store them in the pantry until you open them but if like them crunchy you'll want to stick them in the fridge a little while before you break open a new jar. If you get a chance to try them, let us know what you think.

Our Wedding Reserve the Date Magnets & Invitations

noreply@blogger.com (Wings4Flight) — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 18:00:00 +0000

Many of you have already seen our reserve the date magnets, wedding invitations, reception invitations, and RSVP cards, but for those of you who haven't here they are. We would like to thank Chris McKinnon owner of Trifecta Agencies for designing and printing all of our materials. As usual everything turned out perfect. Also we will have some more wedding pictures up soon so please check back.

Our reserve the date magnets

The front and back of our wedding invitations

The front and back of our reception invitations

The front and back of our RSVP cards

Our Wedding Day Part II

noreply@blogger.com (Wings4Flight) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 15:37:00 +0000

After we all finished getting ready for the wedding we headed out to the runway for a photo-shoot with the Waco Bi-Plane that flew in for us. Thank you so much to Whiskey Bravo Air for making it available and for adding a very special touch to our wedding. We were very excited to be able to take some wedding pictures with such an amazing plane and I think that we got some great shots to add to the album.

Our Wedding Day Part I

noreply@blogger.com (Wings4Flight) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 01:38:00 +0000

We are so excited to have our wedding pictures as a wonderful reminder of our special day. We will be posting a few at a time to share some of our favorite memories of the day with you. Thank you again to all of our friends and family who not only made it extra special by being there but also for all of the hard work that made it all possible. Also a big thank you to Ezekiel's Photography for being there to document our day.

Nikki's bouquet.

Nikki's wedding dress.

Nikki's wedding dress.

The girls getting ready.

Nikki getting ready.

Nikki's accessories.

Chelsea getting ready with the girls.

Nikki's mom helping put on her veil.

Nikki helping her Dad with his boutonniere.

Tim and Trea giving Nikki their congratulations.

Nikki's family.

Nikki with all the bridesmaids.

My vest and tie.

Tyson helping me with my boutonniere.

My dad congratulating me.

My mom and I before the ceremony.

My parents and I.

The first time that I saw Nikki in her dress.

Nikki's first time seeing me in my tux.

Our private meeting.

The two of us enjoying our private moment before all the pictures.

The two of us heading out for the photo-shoot.

The bridal party going out to the runway for the photo-shoot.

A Waco for the Wedding

noreply@blogger.com (Aaron & Nikki) — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 06:30:00 +0000

Given my interest in aviation we decided to somehow incorporate it into the wedding. We knew that as a highlight we wanted to have a plane available for while we were taking our pictures. Over that last few months before the wedding I was still desperately looking for a nice vintage type plane that could fly in and I was getting no where. Just two weeks before the Big Day I came across the name of a place in Dunnellon, FL called Whiskey Bravo Air. It turns out that they had something way better than we had ever hoped for. When I showed up at the hanger to take a look at the plane I was greeted by Mr. Kevin Lawler who is one of the pilots for WBA. He led me to the very back of the hanger where there was a gorgeous, red, brand new, Waco Bi-Plane. It was absolutely immaculate. I was so excited to not only have found something for the wedding but that it was so much more than we had imagined. Needless to say this plane helped make our Wedding Day extra special. We should have our wedding pictures to share with you soon, but in the mean time I hope you enjoy these few pictures that I took of the plane.

Gatlinburg Ski Trip

noreply@blogger.com (Aaron & Nikki) — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 02:49:00 +0000

The weekend after we got back to Auburn from our honeymoon we had the opportunity to go on a ski trip with some of Nikki's co-workers; Kelly, Russel, Ruby, and Jacob. All of the arrangements had already been made so all we had to do was pack and go. What an awesome trip it turned out to be. We had so much fun hanging out with the other two couples. The cabin that Kelly booked was absolutely incredible. It was a three story, three bedroom cabin with two fireplaces, a pool table, an air hockey table, a six person hot tub, and jacuzzi tubs in all three bathrooms. The best part was that it only cost $300.00 for all three nights, so only $100.00 per couple for the entire trip. Skiing was great. It was Ruby & Jacob's first time skiing and they did great. Gatlinburg was a lot of fun and we are definitely looking forward to taking a trip back up there soon.

Nikki wrote this in the driveway to mark the occasion.

All of us hanging out on the deck of the cabin.
From left to right: Ruby, Jacob, Nikki, Aaron, Kelly, Russel

Ruby & Jacob all bundled up in their ski clothes.

Kelly & Russel hittin the slope like a couple of pros.

Me & Nikki ready for the next run.


Ruby & Jacob on our first night out on the town.		Kelly & Russel, both happy to be in Gatlinburg.

Me & Nikki enjoying the activity in downtown Gatlinburg.


Me & Nikki taking a break from the crowds.		All of us were enjoying the fresh snow that we got overnight.

The girls posing for a picture.

Our Amazing Honeymoon Part 4: Isla Roatan

noreply@blogger.com (Aaron & Nikki) — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 23:39:00 +0000

Isla Roatan was our last stop before heading back to Tampa.Of all the ports this was probably the most beautiful. We spent our in port time at an awesome beach on the back of the island. The water was crystal clear, you didn't need any equipment to see the bottom even in water that was well above your head. While we were there we even had the opportunity to get massages right on the beach.

This was the view from our room as we came into port.

We found this welcoming sand castle on the beach when we first arrived.

Nikki has some small feet.


The view from the beach was incredible. Gorgeous blue water, as far as you could see.		This giant coral wall made for some great pictures.

The coral wall seemed like the perfect place for a ring picture.		So did those old posts in the water.

On our trip back across the island we passed this lookout.

When we finally got back to the ship we noticed that it was much easier to see the reef that was next to the port so we snapped another picture.

Our Amazing Honeymoon Part 3: Belize

noreply@blogger.com (Aaron & Nikki) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 22:28:00 +0000

Belize was the third stop on our cruise. We decided to go on a diving excursion at this port. Since it was Nikki's first time diving we signed up for an intro course that didn't require a certification. Because I was already certified I was able to just relax, hang out, and take pictures and video of everything.

This was Nikki's first dive.
Nikki sporting her new matching pink snorkeling gear.


This was taken at the dive resort that we went to in Belize.		After a full day of dive training Nikki was ready to relax.

This was a great view of our ship as we headed back from our diving excursion.