A visit from my family.

As I hinted in my last blog, my whole family came down for a visit last week. None of them had ever seen the Southwest before, or had even seen a desert until now (just like me before I moved here). They drove the whole way down, stopping at a couple of places along the way including Albuquerque, New Mexico, where they went whitewater kayaking. 

Ghost town!

Finally, on the afternoon of July 2, they arrived in our city. I met them for a visit to the Border Patrol Museum first. The museum was pretty interesting. I'll admit that I hardly knew anything about the Border Patrol, and what I did know I wasn't too thrilled about because of the way immigrants have been treated in our country. However, I discovered that the Border Patrol does more than apprehend immigrants--it often comes to the rescue of people facing death in the harsh desert. I also had no idea what a dangerous job working in the Border Patrol actually was. As I leafed through hundreds of names and photographs of Border Patrol people who had died in the line of duty, I came to appreciate the fact that you never hear about these men and women who are killed trying to rescue others in the desert. Although I may not agree with some of the INS's policies, I can appreciate the sacrifices these men and women make to keep people safe.

Parents at Old Mesilla :)

After the museum I took my family to our apartment to show them around. Of course there wasn't much to see, but they were still impressed. It made me happy to know that my parents were very pleased with where their married daughter is living now. After listening to them relive their kayaking experience (which sounds hilarious), I went to class and they met AJ for a tour of the scenic drive and dinner.

On Wednesday we got up bright and early for a drive to Hueco Tanks State Park. Hueco Tanks is kind of like an oasis in the desert, where you can actually find standing water and lots of plants. As a result, the site has become a refuge and sacred site for local Native American tribes. We went on a guided tour that included climbing over rocks, learning about local plants, and seeing lots of rock art left by different tribes over the past few hundred years. Our tour guide was great, and we learned so much about the local culture. My family agreed that they would have spent the entire day there if they could!

After that my parents dropped me off so that I could prepare a presentation and get to class. AJ took them out for a relaxing dinner, showed them the border, and that was the end of the evening. Finally, AJ and I both had the Fourth of July off to spend with my family. We drove out to the middle of nowhere New Mexico to see a real ghost town. And when I say middle of nowhere, I'm so not kidding. If you think Illinois is rural, you haven't seen the Southwest!

The ghost town was actually very interesting and worth the long drive. We got to learn all about the town and see the place exactly as it was left. Once we finished we drove to Old Mesilla, New Mexico to browse the historic buildings and shops. My dad bought me a Navajo sand painting, which has yet to find a special place in our home. That night AJ and I treated everyone to a steak dinner and we went to check out the laser light show on post, which was actually pretty lame :( Still a great day though.

Brother and sister.

On Friday morning we took everyone on a tour of post and stopped by the museum to do...what else? Take pictures with tanks. ;) We finished our time together by eating at Taco Tote, a fast food restaurant that has migrated over from Juarez, Mexico. It was really sad to say goodbye after lunch. I keep holding on to hope that maybe, just maybe, we'll be able to come home for Christmas. But of course when you're in the Army you just never know!

The men in front of a tank of course.

Army folks.

Life as a graduate student.

Let me tell you, this past week has been a crazy whirlwind. I started school on July 1, and my family arrived for a visit the very next day. I'm really looking forward to telling you all about my family's vacation to the Southwest, but first I'm going to start off with my impressions of graduate school. 

For starters, I'm currently taking two classes that meet at night from 5:30-9:15pm. Thank goodness the latest I've been kept is 8:50, because none of us could make it until nine! One class meets on Mondays and Wednesdays, and the other meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This means that AJ and I have breakfast together in the morning, and then we don't see each other until sometime around nine at night. So far, after I've gotten home each night I've simply pulled out my books and continued to do homework, so I don't get to enjoy AJ's company even at night. It means I miss him a lot during the week.

The first class I'm taking is largely a review course focusing on the key things we should have learned in college. The first two weeks are focused on direct practice (mostly with individuals and families), and after that we get a new professor who spends three weeks on research (my least favorite for sure). This class is for those of us in the accelerated program, so that we can review and catch up to the other students who go for two years. This class has been absolutely insane regarding the work load--even my professor said so! We have to cover so much material in just four classes (of the first segment), which means I have a crazy amount of work to do.  

The second class keeps the same topic and professor for all five weeks, resulting in it being very fast-paced but not quite as much as the other. This class focuses on sociocultural concepts of working in the U.S. Southwest. We talk about theories of oppression and diversity as well as the nuances of working with minority groups. I love diversity stuff, so this class is really interesting to me. 

Thus far grad school has consumed all of my free time. I always have my nose in a book or my eyes glued to the computer. I definitely enjoy what I'm learning, but the sheer volume of reading and work is tough to keep up with. Hopefully the fall will be a little more reasonable, but I'm not holding out hope. As long as I survive with a B average for the next three semesters, it'll go by quick at least! Yes, you need a B average to graduate. Well, time to go...I'm off to prepare a biopsychosocial assessment with a group and then to class I go!

A peek into our kitchen.

Since AJ and I have been living together again I've really enjoyed having more time to think about what we're eating. I'm trying to keep us eating healthy for the most part, but I can always use more ideas so I don't get stuck in the same recipes. One meal I've discovered has become one of our favorites, and it's a new entree for me: salmon. Prior to moving here I had never really eaten salmon, much less cooked it, but after all the crazy things I ate in Ecuador I thought I'd give it a shot. I did, and now it's one of our favorite meals! And it's easy, which is the most important thing for me. :)

Baked Salmon

2 cloves minced garlic
6 T olive oil
1 t. dried basil
1 t. salt
1 t. black pepper
1 T lemon juice
2 salmon fillets

Marinade for one hour. Place on cookie sheet and wrap in foil, back at 350 for 35 minutes or until flaky.

Asparagus

2 T olive oil
1/2 lb. asparagus
3 T lemon juice
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook and stir asparagus in oil until tender, about 5 minutes. Pour in lemon juice and cook just a little longer. Serve and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

I serve these two things with some rice and a squeeze of lime juice on top. AJ also likes to pour the extra marinade over his rice. So that's it! We love this and hope you do too. :)

Whirlwind wedding weekend.

This past weekend I actually made in appearance in Illinois for the wedding of a good friend from college. Although it was a splurge to fly in for literally just the wedding (to understate it a bit!) it was totally worth it for me. AJ left work early to drop me off at the airport and even stayed so that we could have coffee together before I went through security. My flight was delayed, so we even had a little bit of extra time. Of course, AJ didn't come because of the expense of flying and because it would be too hard for him to get a pass to leave post.

My beautiful friend and her hubby!

And then...things got a little rough. Long story short, my plane was over two hours late taking off because it was overweight. They took seven passengers off, and I suspect all of our luggage because they were carrying something else. After I got into Chicago things got even crazier, when no one's luggage showed up from our city and no one could tell us why. We waited for over two hours because we were told our bags would show up in 20-45 minutes. Finally, someone tells us that our luggage "is not at this location", meaning it was all taken off the plane in our departure location and was never sent. I didn't get to my parents' house until 1:00am. Needless to say, rough day.

Saturday made up for it, though. I got to watch my beautiful friend get married after a two year engagement and enjoyed some coffee with two friends I haven't seen in a very long time (one is from Kansas and transferred after the first semester, so we only see each other once a year). At the reception I got to see even more friends. The whole wedding itself was absolutely perfect, as I knew it would be--that's exactly how my friend is, and she had two years to plan after all! I couldn't believe how nice it was and it was a blast for us guests. Most importantly, though, my friend has begun her marriage solidly rooted in Christ, and their faith was so evident in the whole day. I, meanwhile, am so excited to gain a married friend, even if she does live 2,000 miles away!

Me, Kaitlyn, Megan, and Meg. Freshman roomies. <3

On Sunday I woke up and drove back to the airport with my mom. Although I didn't get to see anyone besides my immediate family (because I slept in their house!), it was nice to see them in person if only for a brief moment. And lucky for us, next week they're coming down for a family vacation!

So here I sit, back in the desert and missing my family and friends again. My visit was way too short. Being an Army wife is still a lonely gig, and I would still rather have had a choice about living near everyone I love--or at least somewhere that is appealing to me. If nothing else, though, I will be busy with school next week, so I won't have time to be lonely (fingers crossed).

A visit to the zoo.

This past weekend we finally got out and did something interesting. We found out that the zoo has a great military discount, and the elephant festival was going on. So, to the zoo we went. We had a great day, as long as a great view of Mexico from the Africa exhibit ;) Seriously though, when we drive along the highway in that part of the city we actually see much more of Mexico than we do of the U.S. 

In other news, AJ just told me that he's about to get a new job. A captain just recently PCS-ed (moved, basically) to AJ's unit, so it makes more sense for this captain to work AJ's XO job (executive officer, which means AJ's been the second-in-command). AJ's pretty excited about it, as he's ready to get some different experience and be relieved of some of the pressure that comes with being the XO on the rear detachment while the unit is in Afghanistan. He's gotten a lot of great feedback since October, so he's leaving the unit better than he found it. Proud of my man, as always. I'll keep you updated as to exactly what position he'll fill next.

My first FRG (family readiness group) meeting is tonight, so we'll see how that goes. I've been doing some things with PWOC (Protestant Women of the Chapel), a group of Christian Army wives stationed here. The great thing about the Army (and also the sad thing) is that someone's always new and someone's always leaving, so it's easier to get plugged in on post than in the civilian world. Although AJ and I make a point of spending time with the local civilians, having Army wives to relate to is also very important. I love being able to tell our story and having women just nod and not look at me funny, as if being away from my husband for nine months is nothing special. Because in the Army, it's not! I love how we automatically understand each other's lives and even speak the same language (seriously, take a look at my husband's work email and you will see more acronyms than actual words). Still working on meeting other younger, childless wives though--so far all of my Army acquaintances are older women with children who aren't career-driven like me. I told AJ to keep networking with other married 2nd lieutenants. :)

And now for our zoo pictures:

Settling in--in the Southwest.

Us with our anniversary cake in IL.

Today officially marks three weeks since I've been in our new home. Hard to believe! Since AJ's week of leave life has continued as usual, without anything terribly new or exciting to report. I've been doing the stay-at-home-wife thing, since I'm waiting for graduate school to start on June 28th. I'm slowly getting to know the area, although once in awhile I still panic and think I'm going to accidentally leave the country. I'm also getting acquainted with some of the people AJ knows, both Army and civilian. So far we've been invited to dinner with two different families, which was nice. One of the families is an Army family, so I now have at least a couple Army acquaintances. I've been invited to the main park on post with them and their kids, which means we get to hang out, play with kids, and get a tan all at once ;)

Chester the Friendly Cactus, a gift from my mom.

I've finally registered for graduate school classes and have finalized my field placement for this fall and spring. Yay! After two interviews, both of which accepted me, I've chosen to work with an agency that provides services to children. I'll be working within the foster care program, which means my clients will be children with complex trauma. I'll provide counseling services, manage a caseload of children, train foster parents, and work with a team of professionals including a psychiatrist, psychologists, social workers, teachers, the court system, and foster families. I'm going to learn a ton, and I've been told that they already have a project for me to work on! I'm really excited to take the next step in my career.

Last week was our anniversary, which we spent quietly by going out for sushi, one of our favorite treats. We dressed up in the same clothes we wore to leave our wedding, had dinner, and then celebrated with some cake purchased by my mother-in-law :) Not super eventful, but nice enough for us.

View from our apartment complex.

So that covers the basics of life down here. AJ and I are still getting reacquainted as husband and wife after nine months of being apart. To clear up what seems to be a common misconception, we never felt like we got a "second honeymoon" after being together again or during AJ's week of leave. For many military families, living together again is often just as hard as being separated. Things change when you're apart from your spouse for almost a year, especially if you've only been married a year and lived together for just two months of that year. Many Army couples find themselves working to rebuild the intimacy necessary for marriage after being apart. So, although we agree that being together is wonderful because that's how it should be, it's not quite as romantic as many people seem to expect. ;)

Greetings from the Desert.

Well, after coming back to North America, saying hello and goodbye to everyone I'm close to, and graduating from college, I've finally landed in my new home. And this time, we don't know when or where we will be moving next--so although this isn't our last stop, it's at least the last one on the calendar.

I'll admit, moving out of Illinois was not easy. I had just one week to see everyone I love and graduate (not to mention pack) before I was on the move again. This time, I'm not even sure when we'll have a decent amount of time in Illinois again. I'll be coming to a couple weddings and of course we want to visit for Christmas, but you just never know if that'll happen in the Army. In short, it's very strange to know that I'm in a place semi-permanently, and that this place is about 22 hours from the people I've known for my entire life.

I also definitely feel like "the new kid" these days. Growing up I was fortunate to live in the same place, keeping the same friend group from my elementary years through high school. And of course, everyone's new in college. While we lived at Fort Lee, we were part of a group of 2LTs and their wives who were all young, new to Fort Lee, and often new to active duty. All we wives had was each other, and we became really close. My best friend from Virginia saw me through some really tough times. Since getting here, though, I definitely feel like the new girl in town, and even my own husband already knows everyone and has his own group of friends. We went to a church barbecue for Memorial Day, which was great but overwhelming--I can't tell you how many people I met, most of whom said, "Oh, I've heard so much about you!" Meanwhile, I can't even remember their names! So, still working on the whole making-friends thing. 

Although the first week or so was pretty tough, there are good things happening too. I finally organized our apartment, so it feels more like our space now. I've used the commissary and PX (which are way bigger and better here, and as a result they're stricter about doing 100% ID checks), had lunch with AJ while he was at work, and applied for a public library card. I've now been on my graduate school campus once, and I've already had one great interview for a possible field placement. Two couples from church have invited us over for dinner, although I have yet to meet any Army wives more my age. AJ says I'm expected at the FRG meetings (Family Readiness Group; it's run by the Army to keep families informed and prepared) anyway, so maybe I'll meet someone there...maybe.

The last few weeks have definitely been a bit of a shock. This city does not look like anything that I'm used to, and I feel like I'm starting over completely here. To add more complexity, AJ has already established a life here that I've felt pressured to fit into. Still, I'm starting to feel like God has a purpose for my life here, not just for my husband's, and I know that things will get better and better. I miss family and friends a lot these days, but ultimately we're called to be here right now, and so we might as well embrace it. I keep telling ourselves that we're going to have lots of adventurous stories later on.

In other news...our couch comes tomorrow! Looking forward to actually having some furniture in our living area. :)