One Decision After Another

With October passing right before our very eyes, November is quick to knock on our doorstep, and with November hopefully comes orders. What are orders you say? For those of you that are not military lingo savvy, orders are the pieces of paper that the Navy sends to John to tell him where he will be going next. Granted these orders don't just come out of the blue and John does have a say in where they (the Navy) potentially will send him, however they make the final choice for him.

Back in August, we had the big discussion about where we'd like to go next. We looked at the options and both decided that Hawaii sounded like a great idea so John filled his first 3 picks with jobs in Pearl Harbor. We were constantly talking about it and how great it would be. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Well, my sister told me in September that she was going to have a 4th child. All I could think about was how I would probably only see this child 1, maybe 2 times in the 2 years that we'd be living in Hawaii. It bothered me, but my sister and I both have webcam, so it's not like I wouldn't ever really see this kid.

On September 4th I flew to Hawaii for 10 days since John's boat was pulling in there before they came back from their 2 month underway. From the moment my plane touched down and I drove down to the apartment we were staying in in Waikiki I kept saying to myself, "I'm going to live here!" Being able to walk to the beach, seeing it from the balcony, and never needing to wear a jacket, I thought, "This is great!" Well, as the days went on, John and I were discussing his picks for shore duty and whether or not we really wanted to be in Hawaii or not. I was sad to admit it, but I just didn't feel like I could live there. I know you're all thinking, "You're crazy!" But, I had to go with my gut. Every place I've ever been/moved to in my life, I've known in my gut that I was going to live there. Saratoga, Vegas, and here in Seattle, when I visited these places on vacations, something in my body told me that I was going to live there someday...and I just didn't get that feeling in Hawaii. So, John emailed his detailer (the guy who picks his job for shore duty and who sends his orders) and told him we'd like to go back to Saratoga Springs, NY.

Now we are patiently waiting for those papers to arrive, telling us 100% that we'll be heading back East. The job up there is not something people like to volunteer for since it's shift work, so when you do volunteer, you're pretty much guaranteed that job, but I've learned that NOTHING is ever guaranteed, especially in the Navy. Even though I say that, it doesn't stop me from looking every single day for a house to rent. It's one decision after another, and it never seems to get any easier!