Constant Beginnings

Today marks the last day that Chris will put on his "blues", military issued black patent shoes and dawn his cap with the old familiar Captain's bars on it. Such an exciting day for him, for us, for our family. So even though his official retirement isn't until August 1st, it feels that today is somewhat more of an end than that date will be. The military is all he's ever known, joining at the age of 17, heading off to boot camp a month after graduating from High School. Our paths crossed a couple of years later when he was still a lowly A1C. It is hard to believe I've been along side him for almost this entire journey through the military. We've survived countless PT tests, EPR's, promotions through each stripe as an enlisted member, OPR's, ROTC, college graduation, pinning LT bars, pinning Capt. bars, 3 moves across 3 different continents, 2 deployments, completion of graduate school, and countless exercises and training hours dedicated to the p...

One of the best and most kind thing someone has ever done for us was the welcome basket we received when we arrived to Germany. Seriously. That sucker was jam packed full of survival necessities, snacks, a few activities for our kids, local newspapers and things that made our first few days of coping with jetlag and adjusting to life overseas so much easier. Sponsoring incoming airmen and their families is a big thing. Some are great at it and others are well, not so much. Chris and I happen to be pretty darn good (if I do say so myself). Our newest family arrived today, but the groundwork had been laid months before. Chris communicated via email, sharing details about work, some of our experiences and attempted to answer some of their questions. I pretty much took over shortly thereafter, offering my thoughts/suggestions about where to live, what to expect, etc. We put the icing on the welcome cake this weekend when we shopped 'til we dropped to ...

Chris has been dying to take a cruise--like for the past 5 years dying. Anyway, that desire was finally fulfilled. Thankfully, being in Europe, we are close to many ports, allowing us to travel at a decent price. MSC cruiseline is based out of South America, but they are based out of Italy in the spring/summer/fall. The best thing is that on MSC, children 18 and under cruise for free. Yippee! So, for the price of 2 adults, our family of four went on an adventure. My Mom is always up for our travel escapades, so she graciously agreed to join us. We are so glad she came along. It was a memorable trip filled with breathtaking views, the most beautiful blue/green water and rich, rich history. Day 1: We departed from Venice, so I booked Ryanair flights and a hotel. Packing for 4 for a one week period and meeting Ryanair's crazy bag policies was a small feat, but we did it. It was actually snowing when we boarded the plane in Frankfurt. Needless to say, we were all thrilled to be leavi...

We are still playing the game. The Waiting Game! I really, really dislike the game. However, to pass the time, we are also playing another game. This one is called, "let's plan out our lives as if we are going to this temporarily undisclosed location!" This game is so much more fun! We're winning this game. So far we have a preschool picked out for Mya, a school for Claire and a house  (or 2) for us all! Yippee. Oh, I found a potential job as well. I do so like this game much, much better ;) Now let's hope all this playing is for real! We are down to our final 22 days that this could drag out. Let's all think happy thoughts.

We are potentially down to our last four months in Korea. I say "potentially" because it rests solely on where we are going. If we are heading back to the States, we will most likely be leaving early June so that we can enjoy a full summer with family and have time to get settled before Claire begins school. We caught wind today of what could be our next assignment. Although it is far from official word, all of a sudden my tummy is filled with butterflies. I had the privilege of teaching a little first grade girl who was one of a set of quadruplets. They (she and her sisters) are the most delightful little girls. They are well behaved and truly beautiful inside and out. Anyway, their family was due to PCS (military move) in December. I teased her that I was going to follow her and live down the road. While they were house hunting, I continually asked if there was a neighboring house for me. She'd laugh and giggle, not really sure if I was serious or not. Her Mom thought ...

having only done one move with the military before, i did a bit of research and gathered some advice. casey at the ever changing life offered an entire blog post to her suggestions to prepare for moves. i took some of that advice. 1. i washed and bagged in huge ziploc bags bedding, curtains, and other linens. funny faces. moving day! 2. separated all our household goods and all important documents. 3. packed in 6 suitcases/bags our clothes, toys and other necessary items for the next 3 months. 4. i documented serial numbers of all major electronics. 5. took photos and videos of all large items (furniture, etc.) 6. while the packers were working, i made sure EVERYTHING was wrapped. they tried to load the step 2 toy kitchen without wrapping and a few other oddly shaped items, but i stepped in. just wanted to be safe. carry on and checked baggage life as squatters. i tried to confine us to my bedroom in order to keep the rest of the apartment as clean as possible. glad ...

Wow. I just did the math and although it could be quite worse, the number of days we've been separated as a family is just over 100. Sad. That is basically one third of a year! One third of a year that Chris has not seen his baby. He's missed out on many doctor appointments, many firsts, seeing her little personality develop and of course, the best part---the glorious, everyday experiences that come with having a little darling. Although I have cherished and will miss having every moment of Claire's undivided attention toward me, I am so happy to say that our separation is ending. Hallelujah! Chris is nearly home and we are thrilled. He wasn't sure if he'd make it home tonight or tomorrow, but I've been preparing Claire. We made a "welcome home" sign together complete with balloons, shopped for some little activities that we can do as a family, cleaned a bit (she loves to vacuum and wipe things), and talked excessively about "daddy coming home....