I'm On My Way..

I dunno where I'm going .. I'm on my way ... 

Ok ok, enough singing!! Yes I do know where I'm going! Michigan! 

Jeff just dropped me off (and got me settled of course) at the USO st LAX.

I seriously, seriously hate saying goodbye to my husband. We've spent so much time apart over the last year and a half that I hate being without him. I haven't slept alone since BEFORE July. This time is for only 5 sleeps, but it already feels like forever. 

So I'm staying at the USO currently. My flight is super early in the morning, so I had to come down tonight. What do you know about the USO? I've stopped by them over the past year or so ... Dropping guys off, picking guys up ... But I myself haven't stayed. I have to tell you how great it is. The USO is a place for any branch of the military and their families. You can stay the night, eat, drink, watch tv, use computers and some you can even shower in. Currently, I have staked out a recliner for myself in the nap room. Every part of it is free and they run on donations. They even have internet and wifi. I keep telling Jeff that if we had one closer to our home, I would volunteer. Our closest airport is an hour and a half away.. But, I think it's incredible. They even have me set up for the person at the front desk to wake me up when I need to get up for my flight. It's just so nice because I could currently be sleeping on a hard airport bench under the fluorescent lights ... No. Fun. 

I'm so thankful for the USO and everything they offer our military. 

Ps, sorry for the lack of pics .... Taking pictures in there would have been just downright creepy with people trying to sleep :) haha

Moving News

We've been up.

We've been down.

The last few weeks have been crazy for us.

The day before my mom came to visit, Jeff got his orders. Jeff is used to the Marine Corps telling him where to go already. Me on the other hand ... I'm along for the ride. Please understand that I knew this is how it would be. Please know that it being that way ... Is a whole other thing. It's very emotional. Jeff's orders were taking us to Okinawa Japan. I felt so many things about this news. 

I was so nervous. I think I was BORN nervous. I'm scared if new things and I always have been. 

I was excited, because honestly moving to japan ... Ok let's be honest, even visiting japan is not something that you would find me doing if it weren't for Jeff's job. 

I was thankful for an opportunity and the push to do something that I wouldn't do ... Making me expire nice something new. 

I was also feeling sad about being so far away from my family. Weeks have passed. We have gotten our heads around the idea a bit more and started accepting it. We were really moving to the other side of the world. The paperwork finally came through and it read "unaccompanied" which was a mistake. 

Jeff is a married Marine so I go with him, unless he is deployed. So ... His Master Sergeant, who has been saying all along that he's never seen them send a married first term (first contract... First 4-5 years in the Corps) over seas... Said he was changing the orders. He didn't like it all along that we were going. They didn't even know how to send us properly (LOTS of paperwork and requirements). 

So ... Just a few days ago we found out that we aren't in fact going to Japan for the next three years.  We are being stationed in North Carolina. This is good and bad news. It's great because we get to stay in the country. In the same TIME ZONE as our families even .. Which is amazing. Now, it's bad news (for me) because he is now stationed with an infantry unit. Which means he's attached to their unit and gets deployed with them if they are deployed. The way I understand it is that he will be in the background of whatever they are doing, fixing their radios. His new unit actually deployed today so they will be overseas when we get to NC. As I said, I knew this is how it would be. Things to worry about. But it's all very real these days. Jeff graduates at the end of January and we will hit the road for North Carolina at the beginning of February.

As I said, up, down. Life is crazy. When we were going to Okinawa, I just said to myself that God has a plan for our family. It must be meant to be ... So maybe Camp Lejeune, NC is meant to be!

 

Our First Halloween & Marine Corps Ball

Hey peeps!
I wanted to show you some quick "first Halloween" pictures, ya know .. since it's almost Thanksgiving? What?!

We loved it. We were told we would have a lot of trick - or - treaters ... so we got ready!

 My amazing husband did the dirty work ..

I turned that bad boy into a castle ;)

We prepped for the kids .... and like 5 came .. haha! Joke's on us, right!? Kind of sad .. but Jeff and I had a great time. As for Duke? He was exhausted after his first Halloween:

I said I would write about our first Marine Corps Ball and I'm only what ... 25 days late?
Away we go!

Our ball was in La Quinta, CA which is about an hour and a half away from where we live. It was at a beautiful resort called, simply enough: La Quinta Resort!

We had a beautiful room complete with an enormous bath tub and fireplace, which is the way to THIS girls heart! The ball and our room were both at the same resort which made for easy traveling. The ball was great. So much love and tradition in one ceremony, I loved it. People told us before hand to "buckle up, because there is a lot of standing and sitting". There was some standing and sitting but afterwards we laughed and I told Jeff "We're Catholic ... that was nothing!"
Check out some pics!!

The day after the ball, I was dying for some Cheesecake Factory cheesecake. We stopped for breakfast at Ihop and I warned the boys we were still getting cheesecake so that they wouldn't eat too much. They ate too much. I still got my cheesecake and so did they, but they were miserably full :) This is why you listen to me, boys!! haha!!

Our Shipment!

The day I was waiting for finally came!! The truck delivered all this goodness!!!

{this is just the first floor stuff!!}

We've been busy unpacking! I will say that our kitchen feels more kitchen-ey already!
But we still aren't finished ... check back! :) haha ... in a year!! LOL, just kidding ;)

Things I've Learned About Living in Twentynine Palms In A Week

• There is sand everywhere. Sand on the sidewalks, sand in the house, sand on the patio, sand in your shoes, sand in your eyes. Sand makes up our front yard ... there is nothing "yard" like about it.

This is the view from our front door.

• The commissary (translation: grocery store) is closed on Mondays.
• At the commissary, the people who are bagging your groceries aren't paid. They work for tips ... NO joke.
• When going on base at night, dim your headlights so you don't blind and therefore piss off the guard at the gate :)
• The difference between crickets and cockroaches.
• You will live with crickets as roommates. They never leave and you can't keep them out.
• The desert at night is a very different place than the desert during the day (cockroaches & black widows OMG)
• The view is beautiful. I love love love the mountains, everywhere!
• The Marine Corps has an acronym for everything ... We live at MCAGCC .. No joke. Be impressed I know what that means ;) ... ok ok I knew this before I got here.

 

• Dry heat is still hot. Luckily, I love most of the heat and we have air conditioning .. Anything under 100 degrees is a "cooler" day ... 106-110 is the norm right now.
• The pool is a great place to go during the day. The pool in our complex is really quiet .. not many people go there. I love to read and sit in the sun .. and I even met two friends!
  
• You can see the stars even better than Up North when you're coming up the mountain .. and it will take your breath away.

• Buying a washer and dryer will make you high five, because you'll be so excited ...
  
   
• Filling a home with furniture really makes it feel like a home.
  
 
• Our patio is a great place to spray paint my projects! I'll show the finished product later on, when it's actually finished.
• Living with my husband is fun :)
• Having our own place is fun :)

Last but not least ... I've learned that living in Twentynine Palms is going to be what we make it. There are some weird quirks about living here and you definitely have to get used to things ... but it's going to be great. Tonight we are going to a "Welcome Aboard" presentation on base and I'm hoping to learn more about this new place we call home!

Moving & Cross Country Road Trip!

We're moving to Twentynine Palms, CA ... the Marine Corps base is called MCAGCC .. short for Marine Corps Air Ground Command Center .. say that three times fast!

First we bought this truck :) making my husband the happiest guy in the world...

After a whole situation with Uhaul (I'll prob never rent with them again) .. we FINALLY got on the road. 

We towed my car .. all the way to CA! 

We saw Iowa ... LOTS of corn. LOTS. This was the second day. The first night we drove almost the whole time in the dark so there wasn't many picture opportunities. 

Corn, corn, corn

Day 2 we saw Nebraska! 

We tried to stop at MULTIPLE steakhouses on the 4th for dinner ... each were closed. We settled on Outback, because we wanted an Omaha steak! We also were driving when normal people were celebrating the 4th with fireworks. I thought this might suck ... but really, we could see every town on the way out of Omaha lighting off their fireworks. The whole horizon was lit up! It was beautiful. Too beautiful to get in a picture. I tried. 

Just try and tell me this guy isn't adorable <3 

On the road again .. I can't wait to get on the road again .. 

Crossing the Mississippi River! 

Crossing the Mississippi River!

Colorado was incredible. We went from tons of flat farm land full of corn to mountains and it was unlike anything I've ever seen. 

It rained a little bit when we got into Colorado .. see the mountains in the background? Those aren't all clouds back there! 

There were so many different variations of mountain. Some green, some sand, rocky, mountainous, it was truly beautiful. 

The tunnels right through the mountains were unbelievable. 

Denver! 

We drove through Vail! 

Yep! The car's sill back there .. and so are the mountains! 

Jeff brought his laptop! It's hard to see in this picture, but I'm watching a movie. It was such a nice distraction at night.

Bye, Colorado! Love you! 

Utah was pretty impressive too. I was shocked. 

We stopped at a rest stop and climbed a little baby mountain (which is really a hill.. work with me here) We were so glad to stretch our legs.

We saw Arizona for a short time, on the way to Nevada...

California! Our new state!! 

On Route 66, the last gas station for miles was charging over $5 per gallon. They were the last stop for what seemed to be forever.  It was super tacky on the outside and the strangest little store. We went inside and I was already in a foul mood because of the price posted outside. Everyone INSIDE though, seemed to be happy. I wondered if they'd all been drugged. Then I saw this sign on the counter .... well played "Oasis Gas Station" .. well played.

Almost to our new home!!! 

(new) Home sweet home! 

Yep! You read that right!! I now live with my husband!! 

It was a long four day road trip .. there are very few people I could survive let alone enjoy being in a car with for over 32 hours.. but this guy is one of them. It was well worth it, we had a blast making the best of it and seeing our beautiful country!