That’s me! Here’s what happened:

After Sam went to MEPS for his full physical and to get a job, he was wondering if he would be placed in infantry like his recruiter had told him. At an E4 – a lower rank than what he had gotten out of the Marines as. It was a big blow to both of us, because infantry is terrifying.

When he called that night, he simply said they had messed up his paperwork and put that he needed to go to boot camp, so he would need to go to MEPS again the next day to sign the corrected papers. I asked him, “What about your job? What did they tell you?” He told me we’d talk about it when he came home to get another change of clothes (the military makes you stay at a hotel the night before MEPS).

Naturally I had no problem waiting, because I am a very patient person. ::snorts::

Once he got home, he said seriously, “E4, Infantry. We could be stationed in Italy.”

Trying to see the bright side and not fall apart I said, “I like Italy.”

I peppered him with questions while wondering why he looked, well, pleased over the whole thing. Because (this answers your question Krista ) he really didn’t want to do infantry – although I know he would have.

Suddenly he spun the computer around and said, “This is my job, and I’m an E5.” Confused, I looked at the screen to see, “Multichannel Transmission Systems Operator-Maintainer.”

“What?” I asked. “What happened to infantry…”

He grinned. “I was just joking, I got this job and it’s pretty cool. I’ll spend a little over 4 months training in Georgia and then we’ll be stationed at the end of July.”

By this time I was so excited I didn’t hear anything else. He got a job he wanted, that wouldn’t require him to be in combat, that he won’t deploy all the time in, goes in with his previous rank, and earns enough for me to stay at home and him not to worry anymore. Plus? Free health care. Which is killing any extra income every month for us.

The only part that I’m not looking forward to is the 4 1/2 months alone here. I’m so glad he doesn’t leave till March so it’s not the dead of winter, and I’m really glad I’ll get to live here for a full year before we move. But that’s a long time to have Bella by myself 24-7.

The plan now is to either hire a sitter or put her in a daycare 2 half days a week. This allows me to get things done quicker and for us to both have a break. In January I’m going to start interviewing and looking at places. I’m also planning trips home and to see some friends, and to try to go see Sam as often as we can. Keeping busy I think will be the most important thing for both of us.

Any suggestions of things I should look into or things to do?

And thanks for all the kind words and support. Really. This blog has been a sanity saver for me the past year and I’m sure in the many long months to come.

Tags: Changes, Real life, Something New