Summertime and the living is easy...

Three months have passed since my last post. My husband did make it home safely, though not without a few snags here and there. It wouldn't be the Army life any other way right? Since being home we have enjoyed so much time together that it has just flown by. This is a bitter sweet habit time has. Why can't time drag and allow one to relish the good moments instead of rushing through them; only to drag in times we'd rather see speed by?

Ah well what can one do but make the best of it.

My husband is back to work at a new job and a new unit. It feels good to let go of the past, but it is hard walking away from a unit that has been your "family" for nearly 6 years. Like all families, the disfunction is there, but there were plenty of good moments to make up for them. Regardless of where we are or what we are doing, the chinook family will always be dear to our hearts.

As for us, we travel forward toward the window. That window is showing more and more light every day, but I know ours is a tinted window. My husband loves his job and the Army, so the thought of him retiring at 20 years is very much like a mirage. I can see the end, but it ripples in the glow of the Army star, threatening to vanish with the slightest turn of events. For now though, we will go forward and just enjoy the view of the mirage until we can be sure if it is a real watering hole or not.

Right now, this is the time for my self improvement. Starting this semester I will be jumping head first full time into college. Up until now, I have sort of waltzed with college; a class here, a class there. Now though, with the reality of my husband's retirement hanging so vividly in front of me, I have a goal that must be tackled. If that mirage is to be a fading temptress it won't be because I can not work to provide for us. In the end, the worst case scenario would be us PCSing for another go, and me making some serious money to add to the family pot. That's not a bad worst case scenario at all...

This isn't going to be just his retirement in the end anyhow. Sure, the soldier serves and fights, but we as Army wives (and husbands) give to the cause as well. Once you have lived this life for a good amount of time, the idea of walking away from it can be overwhelming. If all you have ever known of yourself is "The Army Spouse," it is important to take that journey to find who you are outside of the Army life and what you have to give the civilian world. For me, my journey starts with college...