Military Life

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What a dreary day today! I stayed in bed with the Bean till 11:15 this morning, because a) I can, and b) what else is there to do? I must say though – it was kind of nice, and Annie sure enjoyed it. I got a few fleeting and choppy moments over Gmail with Chuck while I ate breakfast. I can’t decide if those choppy moments are worth it, or if I’d just rather wait to hear from him when we can actually have an uninterrupted conversation.

It’s supposed to rain all day, so I may try to work out and clean. Or, maybe I’ll just continue to do nothing 🙂 There’s a women’s social at Chuck’s old Captain’s house tonight that I plan on showing up to, if it’s not too gross.

Tomorrow is supposed to be 62 and sunny (YES!) so I’m thinking I will take Annie to the beach in the afternoon. Gotta get her annual beach trip in before the tourists come! 🙂 She’s so funny at the beach!

A young new military wife from Chuck’s unit posted this today. It’s a little negative and dramatically put for my taste, but true nonetheless. And we’ll go way longer than 3 days without talking, most likely. Last deployment, I went as long as 4 weeks without hearing anything! It’s not easy hearing a friend complain about a measly business trip. Such is the life… we are more independent because of it 🙂

Anyway. The first weekend was soooo quiet here by myself. I have felt drained and moody though, so I needed a weekend to unwind. Basically all I did was clean and nap. Hopefully things will pick up once the weather warms up… otherwise it’s gonna be a long ass deployment in this lonely little town. It is just the first week, but I can already tell it will be worlds different from the last deployment when I led an interesting, dynamic, and engaged life up in DC, where there was bustling activity and various forms of human interaction as soon as I stepped out of my apartment.

With the exception of leaving my Bean alone all day, I think I will look forward to going back to work on Mondays… apologies for the momentary lapse in positivity!

Today, Chuck left for his second deployment to Afghanistan. As much as saying goodbye sucks, I am surprisingly okay (for now.)

I will have bad days, but I have this odd sense of relief to have it started and the countdown underway, even if our future remains a bit uncertain. I never did have the freak out/meltdown that everyone predicts (though that USO/Jeep commercial during the Superbowl brought me very close), but his deployment has been a long time in coming. I think I am just very prepared…

Still, the house is very quiet and empty, and will be that way for quite a while. I’m making myself a giant pot of Kraft mac n’ cheese with hotdogs – an all time favorite – to keep myself full and spoiled. 🙂

And in the meantime… boy, will I miss him!!

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Challenging Year Ahead

First I must say that I feel very silly describing anything I go through as “challenging” or “difficult.” I’m always so acutely aware of how lucky I am – blessed with health, support, and happiness – but bear with me a sec 🙂

So, we found out what our next assignment will be. It’s neither DC nor California. When Chuck gets back from his 6-7 month deployment to Afghanistan, he will ship off for yet another 5 months for training in Fort Benning, Georgia. BLEH!! Not at ALL what we were expecting or hoping for. It essentially means a year apart.

It’s a PCS, so technically I could go with him. That option is not off the table, but it would create a whole new set of issues (what would I do for 5 months in a small Alabama border town while he goes through some rigorous schooling?) Practically, I should probably stay here.

It’s really not the end of the world, but it did throw us for a loop. I was all prepared and feeling great for this deployment, and looking forward to planning for our next 3 year assignment. The news sent me reeling a bit, and has required a whole new mental approach – not just for the time we are about to spend apart, but for whatever the immediate and long-term future hold.

I mean, I was only supposed to be here till this spring at the longest. Then it got bumped to this fall. Now, it’s back to a full year from now before we’ll move on. I won’t even get into the housing issues we’re going to face when the owners of our rental come back this summer, or how we’re going to handle paying two rents, or how we’re going to get to all the weddings this fall (I’ll probably end up going to most by myself.)

Anyway. C’est la vie. We seriously just found out, right in the midst of the stress that comes with prepping for a deployment – so that was annoying. But I think we’ve both stabilized. There’s nothing we can’t handle 🙂 I am endlessly grateful that I do have a job and some semblance of a life here now! We’ll take it all one step at a time and get back to “normal” next January/February.

2014 WILL be our year!!

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Our Next Big Change

Any day now, Chuck and I are supposed to find out where our next assignment will be! I think I’ve mentioned he was selected for some specialty billet, which narrows our options a great deal. It seems that Monterrey, California, and the DC area are the two most likely! We’d most likely move late summer, when Chuck gets back from Afghanistan.

We both have a preference for Monterrey. It would be a grand adventure, something new, and the billet would eventually send us overseas – an even bigger adventure!! DC is a great option too, of course, for many obvious reasons. We already have a social and professional network there, it’s fun, and it’s accessible.

At this point, my biggest hold-up to going to Cali are all the rapid-fire weddings we have. I’m starting to get super nervous about those. Two are in September, two are in October, one in November, and one in January. Chuck and I are in pretty much all of them.

They are going to be crazyyyy costly if we are in California. Like, thousands of dollars costly. And then what about the holidays thrown in the mix, when we’ll be expected to fly home again? I’ll have to be the Scrooge that says “no, we just can’t do it!”

Otherwise, Chuck and I will just have to go to each (or most) solo, which sucks, but it will cut our costs in half. I’m trying to avoid backing out of any – you can’t really back out of a wedding you’re in. I don’t want to stop pulling for California… but if we do get it, I’m going to have to pace myself so I can enjoy the experience, as well as the weddings! But the craziness of this fall/winter definitely makes DC atypically tempting…

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but luckily the USMC will make that decision for me 😉

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General Updates

I am officially half way through Chuck’s month-long training escapade – woohoo! It’s flown by and I feel a little guilty admitting I’ve barely noticed. I think I may be keeping almost as busy as he is. In reality though, I think I’m just in that be-strong-and-focused mode. Full gears ahead….

I am REALLY loving my new job. I love how it gets me out in the community, and how I’m learning to provide services to area businesses. The girl I’m replacing officially left yesterday, so as of Monday, I’m “in charge”.  I really want to do well there. The Chamber has been so nice to take me on even though I won’t be around long, and I want to make sure I make it as awesome for them as they have made it for me.

I’m ready to move into my new office on Monday. I already have a bag full of silly decorations in tow! I realized I haven’t had my own “space” at work in years. We did hoteling at PwC… a different cubicle every day.

When I’m not busy at work or staying late/arriving early for events, I’m prepping for weekend activities. Weekends are generally the hardest to be alone, and when I miss Chuck the most. Last weekend I attended the Commanding General’s holiday reception on base, courtesy of an invite via the Chamber. It was so nice! I watched a football game with friends (gasp!) and got lots of Christmas shopping and cleaning done.

This weekend I hosted a lunch for the ladies attached to the men in Chuck’s unit. I always stress myself out taking these things on, but they are generally worth it in the end. I’m glad we had an opportunity to get to know each other a little better.

I’m about to head to dinner at “Bemily’s” (Ben + Emily) and tomorrow I’m hoping I’ll be motivated enough to get up and go to church. We’ll see… 😉