Gosh!
Where do I start?
I never meant to be gone so long.
Truly.
Remember when I mentioned there would be changes coming?
There was more truth to that than
I even knew.
Have you ever been given a choice and the decision seemed pretty simple?
But deep down you weren't sure if your decision was the best choice?
So you give it to God and ask Him to make the choice for you,
knowing He knows what is best.
As a Navy wife,
I am pretty used to unexpected change.
I sense it coming.
My husband usually comes home with a look on his face
and the words that come out of his mouth go something
like this...
"I had an interesting call today...."
Those words still send a pit to my stomach.
A feeling of anticipation AND uncertainty.
It was just a year ago that he used those words to let me know he would
be deploying for 6 months last Summer.
In January,
he was given the choice to change duty stations AGAIN.
Of the options we were given, we happily chose Hawaii!!
Warm breezes, sand between our toes, birds singing all year round.
As we waited for official orders, we stayed quiet about it
(OK, so it was really hard and I told more than I should have,
but it was HAWAII after all, duh!?)
The more I watched HGTV "Hawaii Life",
researched places to live, beaches, planned visits from friends & family...
the more I felt uneasy about being so FAR from my kids for 3 years.
Paradise or not...I tried to block out how sad that made me feel.
Especially with a very real possibility
we could become grandparents during that time.
We waited and waited for the official orders to come in.
We took a 2 week trip to Arkansas.
(I'll share about that soon)
We started to go through everything in our home,
deciding what to take, or not take, all the way to Paradise.
We made many trips to the thrift store & dump.
THEN, about 3 weeks ago, Jeff came home from work,
plopped down his backpack and said...
"I had the most interesting call today...."
I was kneeling on the counter top washing the kitchen windows.
I slumped onto the counter, put down the paper towels and quietly said
"We're NOT going to Hawaii, are we honey"?
***
It turned out that the orders were never written up for Hawaii,
the guy he was supposed to replace was extended and so that option became
obsolete. Without us knowing, the orders were written up for our next choice.
The choice my gut felt was the best choice all along.
The choice that put us within 2 hours of our daughter and husband.
The choice that God knew was for our best all along.
Washington D.C.
The night we found out about the change in plans I called our
daughter, Janelle.
She squealed and cried when I told her.
I felt peace.
*****
Now, that I've had more time to think about it I am kind of scared.
Sounds silly, I suppose.
I have been in Washington STATE for 23 years.
My husband has lived alone in CA and on ships in order for his
family to have a sense of stability and structure.
We have lived in 5 houses here,
but our kids grew up with the same friends most of their life.
I wanted that for them, I was a Air Force "brat" and changed schools a lot.
I envied my husband. He knew the same kids his whole life.
I am not a city girl.
I like wide open spaces.
Water and meadows and space to breathe.
Tall buildings, crowded sidewalks and traffic give me anxiety.
But, I am excited too.
Excited to step out of my comfort zone.
To see and do things I've never done.
A new chapter.
*****
Today we listed our beloved Vintage Home for sale.
I realize that I've been very spoiled.
I don't think the place we will be renting will have crown molding,
hardwood floors, dormers and built ins.
But I'm totally fine with that.
Truly.
I can create a warm and pretty house.
But a HOME...
A home is so much more than the building we live in.
It's a state of mind. An attitude.
All the crown molding, bead board, and hardwood
in the world won't fill your heart the way
memories, hugs and a home cooked meal does.
Home is the sound of laughter, singing, and the warm fuzzy feeling you get when
your husband...children....friends.....family....walk in the door.
And its in the mess they leave behind.
It's the feeling of your puppy curled up at your feet.
It's the smell of hamburgers on the grill on a hot Summer evening.
Home.
xoxo
Jodi
Are you ready to go on an adventure with us?
