If you’ve been following along since the beginning of this blog journey, you know by now that I am currently living that TDY life at Randolph AFB in Texas with my husband for his T-6 instructor pilot training. If you haven’t been around since the beginning (a whopping 2 months ago 😂) no biggie, you’re here now + you can go back to my PCS posts
+
to catch up!
The TDY (temporary duty station AKA a period of training away from your normal base) experience is an interesting one, think of it like a pit stop en route to the final destination. We’re here for 3-6 months + then we’ll go on to our permanent duty station. Typically when my husband is TDY, I’m not along for the ride, but because this is a longer training period + we’re en route to a new home, we decided it was best for me to come along. That being said, my husband has done the crashpad thing before + I have happily visited him while he was at one before, but now I am experiencing this living situation with him for the first time!
[Crashpads are homes in the local area, typically owned by someone in the Air Force, that provide you + your housemates with everything you would need to temporarily live. Think dishes, pots, pans, a bed, sheets, towels, TVs, washer/dryer, grill, etc. The Air Force will reimburse up to the same amount it would cost to stay in on-base lodging, so you aren’t paying anything out of pocket with this option.]
The most common question I get is how I like living in a house with my husband + a bunch of roommates. Now…I would be lying if I said I wasn’t slightly anxious trying this whole crashpad thing out, but the honest truth is that it has been a BLAST. When we moved in, the house consisted of 3 other women + 1 other guy, all first assignment instructor pilots (FAIPs) going through the same or similar training my husband was starting. Already my assumptions were challenged because I expected to move into a house full of guys! Obviously I loved having so many ladies around me-brought me right back to college with lots of wine nights, girl talk + pedicure adventures *sigh*
But beyond that awesome ratio, living with roommates helped me socialize in a time when I could very easily hole up + not come out until Laughlin. One of our first weekends, we hosted a “low country boil” + invited over crashpad neighbors, which was an absolute blast. We’ve rented a boat from Outdoor Recreation (on base equipment rental service) with some roommates + tubed the day away on a local lake. Everyone piled into a car one weekday night + we hit up the Alamo Drafthouse to see the movie “A Quiet Place” (I’d be dead in 10 seconds if that movie were real life). We’ve smashed pounds (yes POUNDS) of guac all together. Ranted about the Laurel vs Yanny recording. Rolled + filled our own homemade Tortellini. Started a weekly Bible study together. Piled into ubers + hit up the local bar to play giant connect four. Relaxed in the pool on pizza floaties. You get the point.
Living in a crashpad full of people jump started my life down in Texas + I couldn’t be more grateful for it. I would not call myself a creature that particularly enjoys change. Going to a new place can be tough + I know all too well the amount of effort meeting new people requires. The best part of roommates is that those friendships organically start to form by just coexisting in the same space + then they have an entire circle of people they can introduce you to + vice versa. Some of my best + closest friends are the people I lived with at some point in life; there’s something to be said for that. Test your comfort zones + try out the crashpad thing if the opportunity presents itself. I promise you that no matter what – you’ll learn something new about yourself.
Xo, Kirst
