Roll With The Punches

The phone rang this morning. Early. And now I'm in a bad mood.

Remember when I mentioned that Captain J was done with his time in the field? I said that we would never have to deal with a rotation ever again? Well, it turns out I lied. The Army made a liar out of me and truly, I should have known better.

I'm frustrated and I've really no reason to be. It's just that we had plans and frankly? I get annoyed when I have to parent alone. My pregnant body hasn't been that kind to me and by the end of the day I'm in gobs of pain from bending over the bathtub trying to wash Baby K. My knees are hurting from the constant climbing over of the baby gate. And I'll not mention some of the other physical ailments that pregnancy tends to bring along.

We're a few months away from being out of the Army for good which begs the question- What's next?

We still don't know. Next weekend, Captain J is off to a hiring conference. There, he'll have six interviews from jobs that will likely be all over the country. Our preference is to be in the Southeast, but I fear this large company looking for employment options for J does not care about our geographical preferences. Anyway, the job interviews will filter in from various corporations but the opportunities will primarily be in the field of business. Captain J is currently working on finishing a Master's in Business. Of course, he isn't promised a job offer, only interviews.

He got a call the other day suggesting he interview for a company that would require him to travel every 6-8 weeks for a calendar year. Keep in mind his reasoning for getting out of the military is so that he could be around to see the babes grow up. Obviously, this scenario isn't ideal for us. He'd be gone for a year with some availability to visit, but not much. The other option is that Baby K, Baby A, and I pack up with him every 6-8 weeks and travel the country, too. Ideally, how neat? Realistically? We'd have two under two on the road with cloth diapers. Schedules would fly out the window. And I would still not get to properly decorate for Christmas! Kidding on that last one. Actually, no I'm not.

I want a home that is ours. One that isn't too far from family in Tennessee. One that we can settle in, find a reliable babysitter, make friends, and find a church home we love.

I understand that when one is just starting out, they have to pay their dues. Unfortunately, the dues Captain J paid years ago won't translate in the civilian world. Now, we start over.

I'm sure it will be exciting, difficult, and chaotic all at the same time. The transition already feels that way. We don't have much of a plan at this point. Everything is up in the air, just like with the Army so in that way our lack of a plan does feel like home. Frustrating but comforting.

So if you ask what our plans are post military, I'll have to tell you that we don't know. And when we get one, it might change. That's life.

Roll with the punches.

Source: weightoffmyshoulders.com via Mrs. on Pinterest