Moving forward

Baby Jackson is 13 months old! Holy cow, I don't even like saying, er, typing it!! Where did all of that time go?

Jackson has turned into a walking machine. He can walk the length of a room - or for those of you who have seen our house, he can walk from the stairs, into the kitchen, round the corner into the dining room. That's usually where he stops because he finds something he's interested in and needs to play with it for a minute.

Yes, I said a minute because right now you can't stop this boy. He's on the go and is quite the explorer. "No" has become a commonly used word around here lately. Luckily, most of the time he listens and it doesn't go any further than that.

If anyone has nap time solutions, send them my way. Jackson has NEVER been a napper. He sleeps 12 hours a night, which is AMAZING. But, he will only take a couple of 30 minute naps during the day and it's honestly killing the both of us. He gets so crabby, but he's also pretty stubborn when it comes to those darn naps.

My poor husband is realizing he's leaving. Yesterday, Jackson sat in our recliner with Jonathon and just rocked for a good 15 minutes. We were watching "Survivor" and it was so rainy out which is the perfect recipe for cuddling. As I previously stated, Jackson never sits still, so him laying on Jonathon for that long was super sweet. Jon just looked up at me and said, "I'm going to really miss this". It breaks my heart he'll be gone so long, so we won't dedicate too much time to writing about this. :)

I have roughly 5 weeks until I'm moving back to Colorado. Yikes! There is SO much to do and I feel like I'm not getting enough done. Even though I love new experiences, new places, etc, moving is gross and I can't wait to get movers for our next move. Jackson's room has been packed up for quite some time. Our spare room is filled with boxes, and all the odds and ends that don't have a home anymore.

If anyone hasn't heard, Jonathon got orders to Buckley AFB in Aurora, Colorado. We've gotten the question why we're moving there - and simply put, it's just a stop in our journey. We love Colorado and look forward to what it has to offer. It's a 4 year tour, so once our time is up, we'll no doubt be onto a new adventure. I prayed so hard that God would just send us to a place where we'd be the happiest, so I'm trusting his decision. It doesn't hurt that Jonathon and I already have friends and family in the area. As it turns out, he has a few military and high school buddies residing in that area. Cool!

Our lives

The military wife can handle...

-- Lots of moving...
Moving...
Moving...

Moving far from home...

Moving two cars, three kids and one dog...all riding with HER of course.
Moving sofas to basements because they won't go in THIS house;
Moving curtains that won't fit;
Moving jobs and certifications and professional development hours.
Moving away from friends;
Moving toward new friends;
Moving her most important luggage: her trunk full of memories.

Often waiting...
Waiting...
Waiting...
Waiting for housing.
Waiting for orders.
Waiting for deployments.
Waiting for phone calls.
Waiting for reunions.
Waiting for the new curtains to arrive.
Waiting for him to come home,
For dinner...AGAIN!

They call her 'Military Dependent', but she knows better:
She is fiercely In-Dependent.

She can balance a check book;
Handle the yard work;
Fix a noisy toilet;
Bury the family pet...

She is intimately familiar with drywall anchors and toggle bolts.
She can file the taxes;
Sell a house;
Buy a car;
Or set up a move...
.....all with ONE Power of Attorney.

She welcomes neighbors that don't welcome her.
She reinvents her career with every PCS;
Locates a house in the desert, The Arctic, Or the deep south.
And learns to call them all 'home'.
She MAKES them all home.

Military Wives are somewhat hasty...
They leap into:
Decorating,
Leadership,
Volunteering,
Career alternatives,
Churches,
And friendships.
They don't have 15 years to get to know people.
Their roots are short but flexible.
They plant annuals for themselves and perennials for those who come after
them.

Military Wives quickly learn to value each other:
They connect over coffee,
Rely on the spouse network,
Accept offers of friendship and favors.
Record addresses in pencil...

Military Wives have a common bond:
The Military Wife has a husband unlike other husbands; his commitment is
unique.
He doesn't have a 'JOB'
He has a 'MISSION' that he can't just decide to quit...
He's on-call for his country 24/7.
But for her, he's the most unreliable guy in town!
His language is foreign
TDY
PCS
OPR
SOS
ACC
BDU
ABU
BAR
CIB
TAD
And so, a Military Wife is a translator for her family and his.
She is the long- distance link to keep them informed;
the glue that holds them together.

A Military Wife has her moments:
She wants to wring his neck;
Dye his uniform pink;
Refuse to move to Siberia;
But she pulls herself together.
Give her a few days,
A travel brochure,
A long hot bath,
A pledge to the flag,
A wedding picture,
And she goes.
She packs.
She moves.
She follows.

Why?
What for?
How come?
You may think it is because she has lost her mind.
But actually it is because she has lost her heart.
It was stolen from her by a man,
Who puts duty first,
Who longs to deploy,
Who salutes the flag,
And whose boots in the doorway remind her that as long as he is her
Military Husband,
She will remain his military wife.
And would have it no other way.

--Author Unknown