Sometimes I get so caught up in life I forget to slow down and do the things that I enjoy, like writing. Everything that has been going on in my life lately has kept me extremely busy. Be it the dog, the deployment to New Jersey, or work, I just keep forgetting to take time for myself. Hell, even right now I’m only writing this because the dog is asleep, Levi is at work, and I have 20 minutes before I need to get ready for work.

As of this moment it definitely looks like New Jersey is happening. Levi finally realized that I didn’t want every detail, just enough to know if we would be getting compensated for living expenses so he e-mailed someone who was able to answer his question. (We should be.) I’m still nervous about moving across the country, but I know that it couldn’t be coming at a better time. I am in between school and Levi doesn’t have anything holding him here either. The extra money is going to help us get where we want to be financially so that we can buy a house when we get back to Washington, and the stories I will have about driving across the country will be priceless I’m sure. Also, I can’t express how excited I am to document the move on my blog. Perhaps it will help our friends remember us while we are gone. (My biggest fear about leaving is being forgotten, it’s silly but it’s true.)

Im going to miss everything when we leave. Our friends, our family, our apartment – Our everything. The only thing keeping me together is knowing that it’s still a few months away, and it’s only temporary. I think most people understand that I hate change, so much so that I cling to things that are bad for me – just because they are familiar. Perhaps the move will give me just the push away from familiarity that I need to live my life the way I want to, and not the way I think I need to.

Time to walk the dog.

The other day I blogged about the possibility of my husband being deployed to the local military hospital, among other things. Well, about two days later, Levi got a call telling him his deployment had been changed to a year long deployment to New Jersey. While I don’t want to freak anyone out at this point, I think it is only fair that I publish this to let people know what is going on in my life right now.

We don’t yet know all of the details, but at the moment it’s looking like I may be moving to New Jersey with him. We haven’t yet found out if he will be able to receive an allowance for housing while he is over there. We have a lot of decisions we need to make within the next few days, and it already seems a bit daunting. I’ve never had to move my life to the other side of the country, and if we do decide to go we will be driving there. (We would be reimbursed if we fly, but the car will be too expensive to send over. Also, because the military does not recognize same-sex unions my plane ticket could not be reimbursed.)

At this moment, I am not entirely sure what my future holds but I know it’s going to be an interesting journey. If we go to New Jersey, I am going to miss all of my friends and family but I feel like it might be a once in a lifetime opportunity for me to live on the east coast. We already have our lives set up here in Washington, something that we will easily be able to return home to at the end of the year.

Adventure time? I think so.

Life has been quite busy lately. My lack of writing can probably be attributed to this, though not entirely. Right now I am writing from my phone so as to avoid waking up the dog, who is snuggled up in my lap. Moving to my computer at this point isn’t really an option. While the responsibility can be a pain, owning a dog has really made me feel better about life – it has made me feel more calm. Megatron’s carefree attitude reminds me that some things aren’t worth getting worked up over.

If you’re wondering what it is in life that I have to get worked up over, it’s change. I hate it. I’ve built my life up around a stable platform an when anything threatens that I get nervous and start to worry. The latest thing that has gotten to me has been Levi receiving news that he will be getting mobilized to by the Army Reserves to work in the local army hospital. While this isn’t a bad thing on its own, the logistics of it are bothering me. Right now it is up in the air how this mobilization will mess with my ability to work. With only one car there is absolutely no way we will be able to work around his schedule if he doesn’t receive a set schedule, doing so would put a burden on everyone involved and I can’t conscientiously do that. Right now it’s looking like I really only have three options – go on a leave of absence (for a year? Probably not going to be allowed,) put in my resignation or transfer to a new restaurant. Right now I’m leaning towards a leave of absence so that I can give myself some time to think about what I need to do with my life.

The mobilization itself won’t be a terrible thing, I am thankful that he isn’t being mobilized to a war zone. The change will mean an immediate increase in pay by about 800 dollars a month plus guaranteed housing allowances and an allowance for food. I already don’t need to work as it is, but I definitely won’t need to work when the mobilization occurs. The thing that gets to me, is having to uproot my entire life for this.

I guess I get to be a real army spouse for a year.. All of this is going down in October, and I’ve got a lot to think about in between now and then.