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This morning I took a really nice 2 hour flight from Lenhardts up to Hillsboro, Oregon. I flew over our house and circled for a while, taking a few pics and waving at Joy, Dezerae and Airika down below. I've wanted to do that for a long time, it was a lot of fun. Our neighborhood sure looks different from 2000 feet. After playing around in the air for a few minutes I headed south to McMinnville, and then back to Lenhardts. The weather was perfect, nice and warm and really stable. Pictures will be posted in the gallery later today.

Today marks the first time I've ever taken an aircraft from the hangar, preflighted, taxied, took off and left the area, all without anyone else in the plane. I've had a few solo flights in the last week but they've always been with my instructor at first, then he'd hop out and tell me to stay in the pattern or stay within 5 miles of the field. This morning I flew from Lenhardt (7S9) to Portland-Mulino (429) then over to Aurora State (UA0) and then back to our homebase at Lenhardts, completely alone. Click here for aerial photos I took on this trip.

Today was my first solo in the trike, and it went off without a hitch! My instructor John Beaman had me take off with him and do 4 landings and then he asked me if I felt comfortable on my own. I felt OK with going up alone and I was off. The weight difference made controlling the trike a bit different but other than that everything else was the same. I made 3 more landings all on my own without a hitch.... Thanks John! Now I am looking forward to being able to fly further away from the nest!

My daughter Dezerae has spent the last month with us out here in Oregon, and she has now decided that she would like to stay with us permanently. I'm very excited for the opportunity to be her father full time, and I think we can give her a good life. Her mom didn't take the news well, as we expected. I've been tired of seeing my daughter live in hell for a long time, and now I have the chance to show her love and teach her that her life can be much better. Joy and I have been talking almost nonstop about this new development, figuring out what we need to do to make this work. Welcome home, Dez.

I found out that our contract/budget was pretty much up and now I am waiting for the bad news... when will I be done in Oregon. I'm hoping for another extension but I'm not counting on one. I may have more contract work coming from my company, or I might take a job with a friend in Atlanta... or maybe, its time to find a permanent non-traveling, non-contract job back in Utah, or here, or somewhere in middle....We'd love to stay here, and I enjoy working out here with Cingular and my friends there, and who the hell wants to move again?!@! Not us....

Today I did my first ever 50+ mile dual cross-country. I had spent the night before doing calculations and such to prepare myself for the long flight only to discover that they were null and void the next morning when the winds aloft were about 50 degrees off of the forecast. Good practice, anyways. We took off from Lenhardts (7S9) and headed southwest to Independance State (7S5) and then over to McNary (Salem / KSLE.)