Here we go!

Price Pritchett remarked, "Change always comes bearing gifts." Sometimes the change itself may be the gift. Other times we may not immediately recognize the gifts through the chaos that inevitably follows. Regardless, change is at once exciting and nerve-wracking.

 Last summer, my husband (C) was selected for a pilot slot with the Air National Guard. Many are confused about what the Air Guard is, so let's clear that up right now: basically, the guard is part of the Air Force, which some choose to pursue as a part-time job and others undertake as a full-time career.  For us, it is the equivalent of active duty Air Force, without all of the moving. The Air Guard is extremely competitive - we were thrilled when C was chosen for two interviews out of three applications. I think I actually screamed when we got the call that one of the units had chosen him out of dozens of other qualified candidates.

To summarize the last year, after C was selected in July, he enlisted in the unit in October and attended drill weekends once a month. In March, he attended Officer Training School for six weeks (a blog unto itself) while my daughter (H) and I stayed with my parents in his absence. Our happy reunion occurred in April, where C was sworn in as a 2^nd Lieutenant in the USAF at OTS graduation. I couldn’t have been more proud! At the end of May, our family embarked on our first cross-country roadtrip to join our new unit while C awaited a date for pilot training (UPT). The date came a lot sooner than we expected and we found ourselves back on the road after four short months.

OTS Graduation

This brings me back to present day: this week we arrived at our UPT base and moved into our new house. The community, though charming, comes with a certain amount of culture shock (I’ve discovered that I am definitely a city girl) and base living also requires a bit of adjustment (under any circumstance, do not speed!). I think we’re all a bit tired of staring at boxes after three moves in the last eight months or so. But I am proud to announce, after three days of non-stop unpacking, my house is now empty of cardboard and is actually starting to look like a home.

I know that C and I are both nervous about embarking on what has been called “the best and worst year of our lives”, but I think that this journey is probably a gift in itself. So, here we go!