The Calm
Today, Jensen turns 7 months old. And today, James will interview for his next assignment and location. Together, we ranked a list of jobs at different Army bases 1 to 25. They will place James at one of those locations, depending on where they think he (and the rest of his captain's career course classmates) fit best.
In a little over 2 months, we will be packing up to move to one of those places. Some of those places are overseas. Some of them are in the middle of nowhere. None of them are very close to family in Chicagoland (the closest, I believe, is a 6 hour drive). We have no idea which one yet.
Four years ago, when I waited outside some gates, waiting for James to come out of Ranger School, I talked to a veteran Dad waiting for his son. He promised me that "life will eventually calm down." After nearly 8 months of living apart and phone calls and letters from the field, I didn't really believe him. We got placed at James's first assignment and he almost immediately deployed for 1 year. He returned and became this executive commander for his company, often going into the field and coming home late in the evening. Then we got pregnant and had this beautiful baby boy. Life has not been calm.
Until these last few months. We moved out to this tiny little town, next to this tiny little base, in the middle of the desert. James comes home for breakfast and it's rare for him to be home after 5.
Everything that was fast-paced before seems to have come to a halt. I used to rush to commute to work. Now I meander down the hall to my desk at home. We used to wake up early on so many Saturdays to go run a race, go hiking, or go camping. Now, we pull the baby into bed with us in the early morning and sleep in on most weekends (or at least doze and cuddle while our little adventurer sips his breakfast and rolls between the sheets). I like to think we still do more than the average couple with a baby, but the fact is that we are not quite as spontaneous as we were a year ago. Even my running has had to slow down due to some pain I still have from the pregnancy.
As we put together the list, it becomes a game of "would you rather?" Swamp or desert? Beach or mountains? Would we rather be adventurous and put Germany, Italy, and Korea on the top of the list? Or would we rather be close(r) to family, since we will likely try for another baby in the next couple years?
So I don't know where we will be in a few months. Regardless of where it is, we'll have another crazy move soon. This will be Jensen's third home and he's not even a year old yet. And it will be the first home he remembers. God will put us where we are supposed to be. Until then, we're just going to hang out here and enjoy the peace and sleepiness of the desert.
<3 Amy
In a little over 2 months, we will be packing up to move to one of those places. Some of those places are overseas. Some of them are in the middle of nowhere. None of them are very close to family in Chicagoland (the closest, I believe, is a 6 hour drive). We have no idea which one yet.
Four years ago, when I waited outside some gates, waiting for James to come out of Ranger School, I talked to a veteran Dad waiting for his son. He promised me that "life will eventually calm down." After nearly 8 months of living apart and phone calls and letters from the field, I didn't really believe him. We got placed at James's first assignment and he almost immediately deployed for 1 year. He returned and became this executive commander for his company, often going into the field and coming home late in the evening. Then we got pregnant and had this beautiful baby boy. Life has not been calm.
Until these last few months. We moved out to this tiny little town, next to this tiny little base, in the middle of the desert. James comes home for breakfast and it's rare for him to be home after 5.
Everything that was fast-paced before seems to have come to a halt. I used to rush to commute to work. Now I meander down the hall to my desk at home. We used to wake up early on so many Saturdays to go run a race, go hiking, or go camping. Now, we pull the baby into bed with us in the early morning and sleep in on most weekends (or at least doze and cuddle while our little adventurer sips his breakfast and rolls between the sheets). I like to think we still do more than the average couple with a baby, but the fact is that we are not quite as spontaneous as we were a year ago. Even my running has had to slow down due to some pain I still have from the pregnancy.
As we put together the list, it becomes a game of "would you rather?" Swamp or desert? Beach or mountains? Would we rather be adventurous and put Germany, Italy, and Korea on the top of the list? Or would we rather be close(r) to family, since we will likely try for another baby in the next couple years?
So I don't know where we will be in a few months. Regardless of where it is, we'll have another crazy move soon. This will be Jensen's third home and he's not even a year old yet. And it will be the first home he remembers. God will put us where we are supposed to be. Until then, we're just going to hang out here and enjoy the peace and sleepiness of the desert.
<3 Amy
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Sounds like change is on the horizon! As I'm sure you know by now, there are pros and cons to all different kinds of locations. It was such a cool opportunity to travel when we lived in Germany, but it was also really lonely and hard. I was so not excited to get sent to Fort Bliss, but I've learned to love it. There are lots of pros to living in a big city (by Army standards). I know you'll make the best of wherever you end up, and (fingers crossed) it will be a good place to grow your family.
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