To my surprise, and happiness, AJ flew back to Illinois on Thanksgiving Day. So what did we do to celebrate another weekend together?
I picked AJ up from the airport around 1:30 and we headed straight to his parents' house, since we missed the festivities at Aunt R's place. We had a good time catching up with his family before heading to my grandparents' farm for Thanksgiving dinner. My grandfather cooked an amazing spread, as always. This year he and my cousin took it upon themselves to cook nine pumpkin pies, including a whole pie for AJ and me to take home. The night included a big game of Apples to Apples for us younger folks, during which AJ and I discovered we're starting to think way too much alike. Towards the end of the night, my maid of honor and I planned out our first tattoo, which will hopefully be happening before I leave the country in January. Yep, this woman is soon to be inked! Like just about everyone else in my generation, of course.
Friday was a pretty chill day for us. Because we had no food aside from Thanksgiving leftovers, AJ treated us to a delicious breakfast at a local restaurant. They have the best black coffee I've ever had, and adding cream or sugar would be a crime. Which my husband did, of course. We came back to Aunt L's house for a little bit while I struggled to finish a paper. Soon enough I had given up, so we headed to my parents' house to recruit my little sister for a game of Scrabble. Which I won, fair and square. ;)
On Friday night we saw my family again at my youngest cousin's birthday party. It was a nice visit before we headed up to the city for a special date, just the two of us. These days when we're together we like to treat ourselves to a stay downtown just to do something special and make some memories. Let me tell you, we're going to be hotel connoisseurs before we know it. Anyway, it was great to get away and feel totally alone in a different place together. All the same, I told AJ that when we actually have our own place again I'm never going to want to leave.
The next morning we had breakfast at Dunkin' Donuts (yes, we come all the way to the Loop for coffee and breakfast sandwiches available anywhere else) and headed for the aquarium, someplace we love but haven't been to in years. We saw nearly everything there was to see and had a great time. We visited with AJ's parents again that night before returning to Aunt L's place. It's become a habit for us to watch a movie on our last night together, because it's easy to do even if you're feeling sad about saying goodbye to your spouse the next day. Last night we were still feeling inspired from our visit to the aquarium, so we watched our favorite episode of Blue Planet. If there's one thing we've learned by now, it's how to get really good at saying goodbye. When you do it a lot, you learn the tricks of how to make it less painful and how to avoid having expectations of your last few hours together. Believe it or not, there are Army resources out there just giving advice on saying goodbye. But in the end, nothing compares to how it felt when I drove away from our home together alone, knowing I'd never be back. No doubt about it, the Army has a habit of forcing you to be tough when you don't think you can.
So, AJ left again today. We stopped at an oasis close to the airport for a romantic last lunch together--Panda Express, of course. After one last kiss goodbye (no tears!) I was on my way with just the voice of NPR to keep me company.
A lot has been happening in our little family lately! I'll start with AJ's move to Texas first. He's been there for about a couple weeks now and seems to be settling in nicely, not surprisingly. My husband makes friends wherever he goes and has a gift for being pretty content in what may be challenging circumstances. His first week and a half was spent living in a hotel and going through what's called "in processing", which is what you do every time you PCS (permanent change of station). He killed the physical readiness test apparently--nothing like being the new 2nd lieutenant in town and proving the altitude doesn't stop you from running a 5:30 mile! I wish my body worked that way.
On the Army side of things, we've learned that AJ's job will be in support operations for the rear detachment. Meaning, he's the lead officer coordinating supplies for the brigade his unit supports in Afghanistan. This is already a big job, and he is filling a position left by a major, which is several levels of rank above him. He has huge shoes to fill, but I know he can do it! I'm so proud, and SO happy that it looks like we're avoiding the war for now. That is truly a miracle.
Meanwhile, AJ's been making friends in the Army and at the church he's connected with through a friend in college. He's already met some great people there and is in fact staying with a family for the next few months. He's expected to find an apartment on his own, so this will give him time to save money and get acquainted with the city before trying to find us a place to live. He's really impressed with the church thus far, and says that the congregation has in fact been praying for an opportunity to build connections on post. This church is outside of what we're used to, but I trust my husband and try to remain open to where God leads us. Apparently our new home is the newest and largest military installation in the world, and 10,000 more soldiers are scheduled to be transferred there. I guess it's a happening place!
Since AJ moved Texas we've been having conversations about how difficult it is for one of us to settle down and start a life in our future home while the other is gone. It's tougher for me now that I can't picture him in a state I've never visited and don't have any memories of our life there. As a husband and wife, we should be doing things like finding a church and a home together. I'm a little afraid of moving down there next summer and finding out that AJ has already made a life without me. It's a legitimate fear, and it's not uncommon in the military, but at this point I think we both still feel something's missing whenever we're apart. Let's hope it stays that way.
Over here on my end, I'm still working on finishing this darn degree and hoping I can get a job, because there isn't an opportunity for me to go to grad school where we'll be living. I'm trying to stay positive and take things one day at a time, but it's not easy being an Army spouse and trying to start a career. Of course, it's not easy being anybody and trying to start a career, but when you can't control where you live and how long you will be there a whole new dimension of difficulty is added. For instance, my social work license won't carry over from state to state, so that's one hurdle I'll have to tackle.
In other news, just purchased my plane ticket to Ecuador today! And now I'm officially out of money just in time for Christmas ;) I'll be completing my field placement there in the spring. Sooo excited and a little freaked out about learning to do my job in a foreign country! Now to keep accumulating documents to prove I'm an upright citizen so that Ecuador will grant me a visa.... ;)
I picked AJ up from the airport around 1:30 and we headed straight to his parents' house, since we missed the festivities at Aunt R's place. We had a good time catching up with his family before heading to my grandparents' farm for Thanksgiving dinner. My grandfather cooked an amazing spread, as always. This year he and my cousin took it upon themselves to cook nine pumpkin pies, including a whole pie for AJ and me to take home. The night included a big game of Apples to Apples for us younger folks, during which AJ and I discovered we're starting to think way too much alike. Towards the end of the night, my maid of honor and I planned out our first tattoo, which will hopefully be happening before I leave the country in January. Yep, this woman is soon to be inked! Like just about everyone else in my generation, of course.
The next morning we had breakfast at Dunkin' Donuts (yes, we come all the way to the Loop for coffee and breakfast sandwiches available anywhere else) and headed for the aquarium, someplace we love but haven't been to in years. We saw nearly everything there was to see and had a great time. We visited with AJ's parents again that night before returning to Aunt L's place. It's become a habit for us to watch a movie on our last night together, because it's easy to do even if you're feeling sad about saying goodbye to your spouse the next day. Last night we were still feeling inspired from our visit to the aquarium, so we watched our favorite episode of Blue Planet. If there's one thing we've learned by now, it's how to get really good at saying goodbye. When you do it a lot, you learn the tricks of how to make it less painful and how to avoid having expectations of your last few hours together. Believe it or not, there are Army resources out there just giving advice on saying goodbye. But in the end, nothing compares to how it felt when I drove away from our home together alone, knowing I'd never be back. No doubt about it, the Army has a habit of forcing you to be tough when you don't think you can.
