Meet the Members Mondays: Christina M

Hi!  My name is Christina MacGregor and my husband, Rob is an Air Force MS-4.  We are proud parents to Katie (6), Sarah (4), Audrey (3) and Robbie (10 months).  I was born an Indiana Hoosier, but transplanted to South Carolina at age 12.  My parents still live there, so it has been nice having them a bit accessible. 

I graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 1999, and I met Rob while I was “awaiting pilot training” at Moody AFB, GA.  He was an A-10 pilot there.  4 months later, we were dating.  Over the next 5.5 years we dated long distance as I moved away to ultimately became an F-16 pilot and he moved away to do an overseas tour with the Army and then back to the A-10.  It was New Years’ Eve Day of 2005, 4 days before I was deploying to Iraq when he asked me to marry him. 

We spent the next 6 years hanging out in NC and Germany, and then separating from active duty at the same time (dual income Majors to dual unemployed is a bit shocking to say the least).  I was blessed to find and begin my lia sophia business and used it to supplement our income while working as a hotel sales manager and doing my AF Reserve duty while Rob attended school for his prerequisites. 

USUHS is exactly what we prayed for as this opportunity allows Rob to retire with 30 years of service by the time the commitment is over!  What a shock it was to me, though…moving to Bethesda with a 3 year old, 20 month old and 7 week old was hard enough.  Add to that becoming a stay-at-home-mom for the first time ever….and a “dependent” spouse.  From then until now, I have finally figured out that I am happiest when I can work a little…so I am doing more AF Reserve duties and running my lia sophia business with the help of a nanny.  I love the flexibility both of those jobs provide! 

So, it was never an option for me to not be involved in the SSC.  I searched it out before PCSing as I will with every base we move to in the future.  In my humble opinion, there is never a reason to NOT get connected.  You never know when you are going to need something OR even better, when someone else is going to need something that you can provide.  “It takes a village” to raise children…most civilians have their families nearby.  We have each other.