Life's Little Speedbumps

Well I did it....I finally went out and found another job; one I can actually breathe at and where I won't have to work nights or weekends...where I will actually have time to spend with my husband. These past few weeks I have been working the night shift day after day, working weekends for almost a year now...55, 65, sometimes 80 hours straight...and on salary. Talk about draining. These past few weeks I have hardly seen my husband at all...leaving for work before he gets home from work and coming home to him already asleep. Now he is out to sea and I miss him so much. I feel like the trip is even longer because of those days I didn't get to spend with him before he left. I hate that my job took that precious time away from us. Don't get me wrong, I actually love what I do. Being a hotel manager is a very complicated and in depth job and it takes a lot, but I want something better for my family. Something where I can pay the bills but have time to spend with my family, too. Don't we all want that? I turned in my notice...I actually did it....whew....

Pictures are here!!

We got some of our pictures back from the wedding and there are quite a few I am particularly fond of; I will share one with you. I haven't scanned any of the others yet. This is one of my favorites. My husband (Don't you just love the way that sounds? :o) ) is gone frequently now since the Navy pulls him out to sea time and again. So I sit and look at pictures of our wedding and it helps keep a smile on my face and the tears away. I don't like it when he has to leave but I am supportive because I love him very much and if we aren't there for eachother in times like this then there is no point to the whole thing. I notice that a lot of people just don't get that anymore, that marriage is a commitment of love and honor that deserves respect and dedication. People are so quick to split; they don't want to work for their relationship. If there was one piece of advise that I received before I got married it was from my sister, "Any relationship worth having is worth working for." She's right.

Boss' Day

Today was Boss' day. I didn't even realize it until I had a gift bag sitting in front of me on my desk and a card that said Happy Boss' Day. It was so strange. I didn't really think that the staff cared much for me, and maybe they don't, but they sure fooled me today. They gave me a small insulated coffee cup and a large bag of coffee grounds from Starbucks. Oh yes, and a muffin which was great because I was hungry. Sometimes it is the things that catch you off guard that mean the most. Thanks.....

Re-enlistment

My husband re-enlisted in the Navy last Friday for four more years. I was driving to the boat and traffic was so bad. It was bumper to bumper traffic and I just knew I wasn't going to make it to the ship in time. I was sitting in traffic, crying because I was failing at my first job as his wife because I wasn't going to make it to his re-enlistment. I was a wreck. I got to the gate of the base with five minutes to go until the ceremony on the boat was suppossed to start. I called Luis and asked him to have someone meet me to walk me up so that I could be there and I searched for a place to park. In front of the McDonalds was the only place I could find, and although I risked getting the truck towed, I parked there anyway. My husband was standing there at the turnstyle waiting for me and we hurried onto the ship. He had postponed the re-enlistment for fifteen minutes to give me time to get there. Thank God!!! They took a picture of us during the ceremony. I think it turned out pretty well.

The Military dependent Experience

After several versions of the same form and multiple trips to the ID office on multiple military installations, I finally have my dependent ID. (sigh) What a pain in the butt. I understand why you have to have the right form and it has to be filled out properly, but I don't think the process should take so long! I had to send my husband back twice to get the form corrected and then if you don't get to the office ahead of everyone else you will be there forever. The best time to go is 7:30 in the morning before the line starts because the office opens at 8:00 AM. Of course on the larger installations where the office opens at 7:30 you have to be there earlier and then it still takes forever because the staff is lazy and wants to sit around and chat instead of doing there jobs. Has anyone else experienced this? I've never had a job where I can slack of all day...maybe I should get a job at the ID office on post.

What's the next step?

Well, it's finally over. The wedding I mean. We had a wonderful time. The wedding was held at the Chapel of the Centurion, built in the mid 1800's on Ft Monroe, VA. It is a white wooden chapel with stained glass windows, just perfect. You can take a look if you go to the website at the bottom of this entry. Of course the occasional detail went wrong, the limo got lost, the air conditioning wasn't working so well at the reception hall, the normal minor stuff. Could've been worse.
The next day my husband, his sister (visiting us from Puerto Rico) and I went to Busch Gardens Williamsburg to enjoy the day. What a wonderful time we had. His sister had never been there before so it was a new experience for her. We rode all the roller coasters and ate lunch and just enjoyed the day.

http://147.248.251.93/monroe/sites/services/religious.asp