From Mid Sib to Cadet – join me on a new adventure

Once my son set upon the path to a USNA appointment, everything was seen through that lens.

Leading up to his appointment, we were laser-focused on paperwork and procedure, whether it was the admissions portal or congressional nominations. Once he accepted his appointment, USNA dominated our schedule and every conversation. We were no longer Karl, Ruth, and Catie. We were Mid Dad, Mid Mom, and Mid Sib.

While Commissioning Week wasn’t exactly what we had all dreamt about for the better part of four years, it did result in our son earning his commission. He will always be My Kid The Mid (and this blog will continue), but it’s time for a new chapter, one I hope you will consider joining.

Presenting, My Kid The Cadet.

Yep, Catie has gone from Mid Sib to Air Force Academy appointee (I Day is just a few weeks away), a journey that deserves its own blog. We are, after all, equal opportunity parents. 🙂

We know that our experience at USNA will be a help to us as we navigate the USAFA experience, but there will be plenty of differences. Noah was a direct admit from high school while Catie spent last year at the USAFA Prep School. Noah arrived in Annapolis without any real idea about what major or service line he would pursue. Catie has already narrowed the field considerably (she thinks she’s landed on a choice for both, but is giving herself some latitude to change her mind). Noah signed up for the sponsor program with no idea what it really entailed and no idea who it might be (it turned out awesome, by the way). Fate smiled upon us with Catie – one of her mom’s former piano students lives just outside the USAFA gate and her husband is not only an Academy grad, but teaches flight there.

As parents, the biggest difference (aside from the whole gender thing) is distance. It’s a less-than-three-hour drive from our doorstep to Bancroft, which facilitated a lot of quick trips – shuttling our Mid (and other Mids – #YourMidIsMyMid) or simply providing a link in the supply chain. Colorado Springs? Not so much.

So with we hope are fair winds and following seas, we set off into the wild blue yonder. I hope you’ll check in on our exploits. As the late, great Hunter S. Thompson often wrote, “buy the ticket, take the ride.”

#onward