My husband called frantic,telling me we had a list of places to go and we only had a few minutes to decide. What?! I am the type of person that has to think things over for months sometimes years before I make a major decision and he wants me to make my mind up in just a few minutes?! The "List" had Hawaii,Alaska,and Oklahoma,and I think another duty station but it doesn't matter because we picked Alaska. Alaska home of the cold,the snow,and more of that cold stuff.
I will never forget how hard it was to say goodbye to my family at the airport. With tears in my eyes,my one year old daughter in tow and a few days shy of being 8 months pregnant we boarded that plane off into our future. Almost 24 hours later I was at the Alaskan airport staring out the doors into the cold. I thought this will not last long. There is no way I can manage an actual life here. As the doors opened -60 degree winds hit my face giving me my answer. This was NOT going to work!
A year later I had two beautiful kids to manage my time and I had even made some friends. I couldn't believe that this was happening! I was starting to enjoy Alaska. Sure I would get down sometimes when I would see family get togethers posted on my newsfeed or when my Mom would call telling us we needed to move closer but I had to look at the bright side. I had to look at the new changes in my life for the better. So I started to enjoy myself. I started to look at how beautiful and amazing Alaska really is.And just when I thought I was getting use to Alaska, BAM! Hello, North Carolina!
North Carolina was very different from Alaska. It was in the South. It had that southern appeal I am so keen on. I am a southern girl who loves to be in the hot and humid with tan legs as a bonus. And it was only 11 hours (give or take with how Red drives) from our hometown. No more paying thousands of dollars for airline tickets! No more complaining that I never see family anymore! I will admit that while it has been so nice to be able to travel every few months back home I am bored. I am ready to travel. Like most military families we move every two or three years. North Carolina, however, has been almost four years. About a year and a half ago I got the itch.
Any military wife knows what the itch is. You start to get anxious, you start finding reasons why you dislike your neighborhood, your community, your husbands unit. EVERYTHING starts to annoy you and you want to hitch up the wagon and move along. Move somewhere new. Somewhere fresh. Somewhere you have never been before. A new adventure around every turn. So one day Red calls me up and he says "Remember when you told me you would go anywhere with me?" I remember saying Yes with a question mark at the end of it. Red told me that we could either stay in North Carolina or pack our bags and move to South Korea. Wait, What? I wanted to moved and dreamed of living out of the country one day when the kids were older but right now? Within a year? Are the kids even old enough to appreciate this adventure? Am I old enough to appreciate this adventure?
We are still in the early stages of getting all the paper work drawn up and sent wherever. And I am absolutely terrified of the initials C.S. Any one who has ever moved out of the lower 48 as a military family knows exactly what I am talking about. Command Sponsorship. Command Sponsorship is the stuff you need for the military to pay for your family to move. We put in our paperwork with C.S. and they basically told us wait so many days before you move. We have already passed our screenings but the waiting game on C.S. is killing me. Can we just file paper work one day and the next have a brochure of all things South Korean? Is that so hard? Ha. I know I am living in dream world but with the military and so many families waiting for their paperwork I know I am not number one on the list. I know it will be the last minute before we know anything about airline tickets or even our sponsors name. I don't like that. Red loves living on the seat of his pants. I don't. But for now I will just have to enjoy the little time left I have in North Carolina and try not to think of everything I hate about it.
I know I will be the one scared to death the first 50 times or so we venture out into Seoul holding on to my babies for dear life with a look in my eyes that would scare even the most hungry predator away. I know that will finally subside and I will let them and myself enjoy the beauty of our new adventure in South Korea. I believe that change has been beneficial in my life. Even though it scares me to death. I appreciate what it can bring to the table. Good or bad it shapes you into the person you were destined to become. I have changed into a wife, a mother, and now a traveler. And I enjoy every minute of it.
North Carolina was very different from Alaska. It was in the South. It had that southern appeal I am so keen on. I am a southern girl who loves to be in the hot and humid with tan legs as a bonus. And it was only 11 hours (give or take with how Red drives) from our hometown. No more paying thousands of dollars for airline tickets! No more complaining that I never see family anymore! I will admit that while it has been so nice to be able to travel every few months back home I am bored. I am ready to travel. Like most military families we move every two or three years. North Carolina, however, has been almost four years. About a year and a half ago I got the itch.
Any military wife knows what the itch is. You start to get anxious, you start finding reasons why you dislike your neighborhood, your community, your husbands unit. EVERYTHING starts to annoy you and you want to hitch up the wagon and move along. Move somewhere new. Somewhere fresh. Somewhere you have never been before. A new adventure around every turn. So one day Red calls me up and he says "Remember when you told me you would go anywhere with me?" I remember saying Yes with a question mark at the end of it. Red told me that we could either stay in North Carolina or pack our bags and move to South Korea. Wait, What? I wanted to moved and dreamed of living out of the country one day when the kids were older but right now? Within a year? Are the kids even old enough to appreciate this adventure? Am I old enough to appreciate this adventure?
We are still in the early stages of getting all the paper work drawn up and sent wherever. And I am absolutely terrified of the initials C.S. Any one who has ever moved out of the lower 48 as a military family knows exactly what I am talking about. Command Sponsorship. Command Sponsorship is the stuff you need for the military to pay for your family to move. We put in our paperwork with C.S. and they basically told us wait so many days before you move. We have already passed our screenings but the waiting game on C.S. is killing me. Can we just file paper work one day and the next have a brochure of all things South Korean? Is that so hard? Ha. I know I am living in dream world but with the military and so many families waiting for their paperwork I know I am not number one on the list. I know it will be the last minute before we know anything about airline tickets or even our sponsors name. I don't like that. Red loves living on the seat of his pants. I don't. But for now I will just have to enjoy the little time left I have in North Carolina and try not to think of everything I hate about it.
I know I will be the one scared to death the first 50 times or so we venture out into Seoul holding on to my babies for dear life with a look in my eyes that would scare even the most hungry predator away. I know that will finally subside and I will let them and myself enjoy the beauty of our new adventure in South Korea. I believe that change has been beneficial in my life. Even though it scares me to death. I appreciate what it can bring to the table. Good or bad it shapes you into the person you were destined to become. I have changed into a wife, a mother, and now a traveler. And I enjoy every minute of it.
No comments:
Post a Comment