- I moved out of the house I had been renting with my sister and sister-in-law in Chico at the end of May. It was bittersweet- moving out meant I was getting closer to living once again with Josh, but also meant this unique stage of my life of getting to live with both sisters was now coming to an end.
- I went to Maui at the end of May/ beginning of June to nanny for a family whose daughters went to the preschool I taught at in Kapalua. I got to spend a lot of time with my Mom, Dad and brother Chris, which was very refreshing! Being able to enjoy the ocean and outdoors of the beautiful island was also great.
- I returned to California and lived in Escondido for 2 1/2 weeks, house sitting for my aunt and uncle. I was able to reconnect with friends I had not seen in years, as well as my cousins who live locally. Being able to spend time with people made living in a house by myself bearable! I was able to babysit for my cousins' children as well, and cook for a few families my aunt connected me with.
- During the months of May and June, Josh went through School of Infantry at Camp Pendleton. The first 4 weeks were basic infantry skills, and the second half was his specialized school for his chosen MOS (which means Military Occupational Speciality). He chose (and was chosen due to his high academic scores) to be a tow gunner, or anti-tank missile man. This meant he was learning how to shoot a very specialized missile.
- Josh and I were able to see each other each weekend (after I returned from Maui). His Mom and sister graciously drove down to spend Memorial Day weekend with him while I was still in Maui. His liberty (freedom allotted to him during training) was different each weekend. He was able to leave base with me one of the weekends, and I was able to go on base to spend time with him the remaining ones.
- We both got to attend Josh's uncle's wedding one weekend in June. It was, coincidentally, in Oceanside, which made it very convenient for us. We were able to spend time with his immediate and extended family, which was really nice.
- I was able to see my Mom and her side of the family at a family dinner in Irvine. It was fun to spend time with family I had not seen in a long time, and hear old stories of the hilarity of my grandmother and great grandmother.
Josh graduated from School of Infantry on June 21st. Prior to this date, we had been waiting to hear his orders- which would determine where we will be stationed and living for, most likely, the next three years. He did not receive his official orders until the Friday before his graduation, which made for a painfully slow few weeks for me. When we finally did find out, we were told Josh would be stationed with an anti-tank unit in Twentynine Palms, CA. If you have never heard of it-there's just reason for that. It is a "town" made up primarily of Marines in the Mojave desert east of Los Angeles. The only time I had been close to here prior to moving here was driving through the desert to Lake Havasu.
Receiving the news of our new placement was harder for me than I had hoped. I had been trying to mentally prepare myself for this option, since I knew it was one of the top three places we were likely to be stationed. Emotionally, though, I had my heart set on Camp Pendleton. Living in Escondido for the month of June reaffirmed my love for the area, and being so close to many friends and family made the idea of living there much more appealing. I had even been looking into the job market and found some promising options. Needless to say, hearing about Twentynine Palms was hard to swallow.
The same day Josh graduated, just 2 hours after the program had ended, he was driven out to his new unit by several Marines who had attended the graduation, along with 3 other new graduates. I did not accompany him, of course, since he was being introduced and getting checked in (which is a very extensive and long process). At that point, we were not sure of when I would be able to move out there and live with him. He would not know more information on that until he was there and able to ask questions directly. We also did not know whether he would be able to attend, and be the best man, in his brother's wedding. The wedding was in Alabama on June 25th, and in order for Josh to be able to attend, he would need permission for time off and also permission to travel that far. Normally, weekend liberty allows for travel about 300 miles away from the base, but we were asking for 1,900 miles away!
With the lack of clarity on whether Josh would be going to Alabama, I had grappled with the decision to attend. In the end, I decided it would be best for me to go, to provide support our family and of course the bride and groom. I flew to Birmingham on Wednesday. The next two days were full of anxiety- as we waited to hear from Josh about whether he would be coming or not. It was not until Friday afternoon that we received the call- he was allowed to come! He booked his flight out, and I quickly got on the phone with Southwest and was able to get both of us return tickets on Tuesday. He had been given time off until Thursday- which was great. His flight arrived Saturday morning, the day of the wedding. We picked him up and rushed him over to where the groom and groomsmen were having brunch and then getting ready for the wedding. It was a joyous occasion to witness the family being together for such a beautiful wedding!
Josh and I returned to California on Tuesday, after enjoying a few days of family time with The Hills in Alabama. We picked up our car, spent one night in Oceanside soaking up the cool, coastal air and then drove the 2 1/2 hours out to Twentynine Palms. In another crazy, God-ordained situation, we had landed a place to stay together just a few miles off of the base. Our good friends from Maui, who now live in Orange County, have an aunt who happens to own a small house off of base. They do not live in it full time, but just use it for occasional weekend trips. She was gracious enough to say we could use it until we find out about the military family housing here. It is not much- very primitive, no internet, surrounded by dirt/sand roads, but it means we can live together. For that we are grateful!
It has already been an interesting adjustment, moving here to the desert. I have been here less than a week and already feel extremely isolated. I have been searching for jobs, but there are very limited options. We have not made any friends yet or been exposed to community. We are waiting for on-base housing to allow us to move to a more permanent place. I am praying God opens up more doors for us soon, and that I can seek out opportunities until then. My Dad recently told me he keeps thinking of the phrase "Bloom where you are planted" when he thinks of this new endeavor God has placed Josh and I on. I am trying to cling to that, and remember that God has a plan in all places, even when I am surrounded by desert on all sides and it is 120 degrees out. Life is about much more than the view from our front porch or our proximity to shopping.
Please keep us in your prayers- they are much appreciated. The good thing is, there are many weekend excursions to take from The Palms. We were able to celebrate out 4 year wedding anniversary in Big Bear this past weekend, and are planning other trips to Lake Havasu, Las Vegas and Palm Springs at some point in the future. There is always a silver lining- we just need to look a little harder to find it here. Thanks for reading.
Josh's graduation
Anniversary dinner in Big Bear
