Back in December my husband, a 10 year infantryman for the Marine Corps, graduated Recruiter Training School out in San Diego. After countless deployments it was his turn to "give back" to the Corps by filling a billet position. I know, the thought of having to give back after fighting so hard sounds ridiculous but it's a part of the job he was well aware of from the start. And on the plus side he is now non-deployable for the next few years. So I guess in a way they are giving us a break. In a whirlwind move we loaded up a truck from Camp Lejeune and headed south to Florida. No clue where we would live or where exactly he would be working we jumped into the unknown. All we knew was the name of the town he was scheduled to work in, but that it could change. We spent a few days on the road before reaching the U-haul drop-off where we would also leave all our belongings until we found a home. As I nervously checked into our temporary home, a hotel, I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the daunting task ahead of us. We were given 10 days to find a permanent home in a place I had only seen in pictures over the internet. The next day as he drove to his recruiting headquarters in Orlando I went into overdrive trying to learn as much as I could about central Florida. When he came back, he told me he would be working out of Rockledge and Titusville, two places I had never heard of. But at least we had a definite area to explore. We would be living on the Space Coast as it is called, since it contains Kennedy Space Center, Nasa, and an air force base. Also well known there is Cocoa Beach, where "I Dream of Jeanie" was based out of. A beautiful area covered with beaches, cute houses, plenty of activities, but a lot of people moving away since the cut backs on the shuttle launch program. To shorten the story we raced around the surrounding towns until deciding to settle in Merritt Island. The island is nestled between Cocoa Beach and the mainland by causeways and just seemed a perfect fit. Plus the ten minute commute for the hubby couldn't be beat. As happy as I am to be settling in now, the anxiety of rushing into the unknown was terrifying.
We are beginning our new life routine this week.
I am facing another long job search, a thing I have come accustom to with our constant moving. I am facing long days alone in the meantime since my husband has to work extended hours and even weekends at times. I am facing the difficulties of making new friends in a town I do no know. I realize how lucky we are to have been stationed in such a warm, beautiful location but even so it is difficult to change everything you know and start over again. As much as I support my husband and what he does for our country everyday, I always wonder what it would be like to live a normal life. I guess I'll find out in 9-10 years. Until then I will continue to update our journey, how he is making a difference in this new role, and hopefully, I will get to the stories of what it's really like to be an infantryman on the front lines. There are so many stories to tell.
