Saying Good-Bye

Yesterday I had my first experience of saying good-bye to a close friend due to a PCS. 

Jeremy and I have been stationed in Southern California for the last 6 years. In that time we have had friends leave for other duty stations or moving back home when they got out of the military. But only one of them has been my close friends, and they moved to WI, so we see them when we go home to visit. Most have been Jeremy’s work buddies, who I was friends with too, but they were more his close friends. 

But in this case, it is now my close friend, Brittany, who is the one leaving. 

We have been friends for the last 3 years. Her husband and Jeremy worked together, but they didn’t become friends until Brittany and I became good friends. She supported me through 2 deployments and actually videotaped our first homecoming. I was there for her through the birth of her second child and supported her when she and her husband temporarily separated and she moved back home for a few months. We both volunteered for the command, and even when Jeremy and I moved down to San Diego and got re-stationed at Miramar, we could make an effort to hang out and see each other, even though it was a 45 minute drive. Jeremy and her husband would go dirt biking together and we would hang out at the beach with her kids. 

Yesterday we had one last get together, and it finally hit me that she is really leaving. That I can’t call her to hang out or stop by her house when I am in the neighborhood anymore.

I guess that’s the double edged sword of military life. You get to meet people you never would have had the chance to, you quickly become friends and bond over your shared lifestyle and rely on each other when you are alone in new city/state. But your time together is always limited, and you go into the friendship knowing that. 

I hope that never limits me in making friends. I hope that I never hesitate to get to know someone just because of the inevitability of our friendship. Because to have friends all over the country/world is a wonderful thing and I have had the chance to meet some great people. 

At my first homecoming, waiting for Jeremy to arrive. I was texting him…not sure who she was texting lol

We share a love of all things country. This was at a Monster Trucks derby. She is also my go-to person for line dancing, rodeos and concerts.

Yep, she is “that friend” lol. This was at a command volunteer event haha

 

Weekly Photo Challenge: Change

This week’s Photo Challenge is Change.

Conveniently that topic lines up with a recent event in our life, the possibility of our first PCS!

Jeremy got selected for Recruiting Duty, and today he called me and explained to me that he was told to make a decision about it by Monday.

So we have to decide if we want to take it or not over the next 2 days.

There are pros and cons to both sides that I won’t really go into, because it’s personal and specific to our life, but I am every excited about the possibility of finally leaving CA — for the possibility of CHANGE!

I’ve lived my whole life in CA, and you would think once I married someone in the military I would get to see the world and travel. But not us, we’ve been in Southern California for almost 6 years!

If we do decide to take the orders, there is a high chance that we would get stationed in Wisconsin, which is where my husband is from and where all his family live.

Talk about change, San Diego to Wisconsin lol.

So stay tuned! Maybe on Monday I will write a post about how 2014 will mean our family moving from Beach Bums to Snow Bunnies!