I don't know about y'all, but I had an AWESOME summer!! I mean, totally fabulous. I finished my enlistment April 24, 2007. Yup, I'm out of the Navy! I'm still inactive reserves, which gives me the benefits of going on base, shopping at the commissary, and maintaining a military ID, but I don't have to deploy! Yay! I really had a lot of mixed feelings by the time my last day rolled around. It was hard--I mean, here I had spent 5 years doing something really fulfilling, and that part of my life was ending. It was like leaving a part of me behind. It helped that I was leaving for a cross-country trip with LeAnne, though. I was able to just relax and enjoy seeing the country instead of grieving.
So I moved out of my apartment at the end of April, but I still had some loose ends to tie up in Whidbey Island. I pitched a tent on base and camped out for about a week while I finished up everything, including selling my truck. It was really kind of miraculous because some guy just appeared out of nowhere and paid me a fair price for a vehicle I was desperate to get rid of. LeAnne and I had decided to just take her car to Alabama, since she was coming with me, and we figured my truck wouldn't make the trip. Besides, we wanted to really immerse ourselves in the land and culture as we crossed over to the South.
When everything was in order, we took off, heading first to Bend, Oregon. I won't go into the details here, because there is an entire travel blog that LeAnne and I wrote that you can see here, which details our super-fun trip. The only aggravating thing is the posts have rearranged themselves out of order, so here's the correct order: Pre Trip; Bend; Crater Lake; San Frannie; Vegas; The GC; and Alabama.
Once we got to Alabama, we didn't have a place to stay. The Navy had moved our belongings into storage so we had to find a place so that they could deliver our stuff. By the time we arrived, we'd had it. We were both sick of traveling, and we really wanted to settle back down into a routine. I mean, I just spent 5 years in a very regimented lifestyle, and then followed it up with 2 months of doing what I wanted. To be honest, I was sooo ready to get back into following a schedule, and having my own place to come home to.
We found a house in Jacksonville for a great price. We decided to rent because of various reasons, including the fact that neither one of us was employed at the time, so that really puts the brakes on buying a house. Besides, I really wanted to focus on getting ready for my Senior year, and being ready to be mobile once I graduated to find a good job. No sense in getting sucked into J'ville with a mortgage. Anyway, it was another one of those deals where everything fell into place. We looked EVERYwhere for a house to rent, and they were all either too expensive or too gross. This one was perfect. It's so close to the campus that I can walk to my classes.
Seriously, we are so blessed. Right now in my life everything seems to be working out great. I'm enjoying my time being back home in Alabama. It's so awesome to be able to go visit all my family. I love it!!! I've missed them all sooo much, and I feel closer to them now for some reason. Maybe my Paw Paw getting sick prompted me to realize how much they all mean to me...I mean, I've always been aware of it, but it really showed the importance of maintaining an active relationship with your family. No one's gonna love you like they do!Classes start tomorrow. I'm so nervous. I've got one class where the prof wants us to buy 14 books. I thought it was so ludicrous that I went and asked someone else to verify it. My classes this semester aren't going to be a walk in the park. But everything about my graduation just fell in my lap. I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to graduate in the Spring of next year due to a technicality. However, because I had completed some coursework in the Navy, everything again fell into place and I will now graduate in the Spring of 2008. I'm really excited!!! Finally. Yeah, I'll be 30. But I know I had to choose the path I did to get where I am now. I wouldn't change it for anything. I know that going back to school at my age gives me an advantage over traditional students. I just hope I don't get stuck in any classes full of freshmen.
Since I've left the Navy I've been lagging on my daily workouts. However, LeAnne and I have participated in a number of 5k runs in the area, and we also joined the Anniston Runners Club. I'm looking forward to meeting cool people in the club. We've had a great time going to these runs, but it's so different running in 95 degree heat with a heat index of 105, as opposed to running in cool, comfortable Washington. Who knew I'd miss it?!
We found a kickin' rock climbing area about an hour from J'ville that we've hit a few times. Lots of talented climbers out there. I've definitely got climbing fever, and I nag LeAnne all the time about going. This weekend was great because my dad and my sister were in town for a visit at grandma's. We took them out to Weaver Caves, where we harnessed Avery up and she climbed up the wall, showing some pretty impressive talent. I'm hoping that we can get her to come stay with us so we can take her to do stuff again. Grandma even came out there to watch, being a good sport about it. We had to leave after awhile, though, because the place seriously turned into Redneck City. I guess the caves is the local hoedown place for the weekend. The picture above is my grandma, my dad, my sister, LeAnne, and me.
This one's of Avery kicking ass on the wall.That's about it for now. It's good to be back online!
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