In the empty parking lot of a country church, my mom took me around and around in countless circles teaching me the rhythm of clutch-shift-gas-release clutch. With much clunking and jerking, I stalled that little engine the first 1,000 times I tried to shift out of first gear. It wasn't until my mom started talking me though my clutch release by repeating "clutch, clutch, clutch..." in increasing pitch and frequency that I finally began to master the skill of shifting without stalling.
This stage in my life feels a bit like learning how to drive that Saturn. I am changing gears from balancing motherhood with a full-time nursing job to full-time stay-at-home motherhood; from civilian life to a new community as a military wife; and, in a few short months, from being the mommy of one to a mommy of both an active toddler and a newborn. Add an interstate move and temporary living situations for the next couple of months, and I suppose that it is natural to feel a little clumsy in all of these transitions. I am trying to be patient with myself as I clunk around while shifting my life's pace and rhythm.
The past few weeks have been a bit of a blur as Steve and I completed our time at our jobs in Greenville, had our house packed up and our belongings shipped to storage by the military, sold our house, said "see you later" to many dear friends, settled Luke and I at my parents for the next month, and said a very hard "see you later" to Steve as he headed to Alabama for five weeks of Air Force Commissioned Officer Training (aka COT); leadership training/military indoctrination for professionals like physicians, lawyers, and chaplains who join the Air Force.
Steve is doing well in COT. Of course, he is experiencing a lot of pressures, both physical and mental, during this training period. He knows that this is all designed to help mold him into a leader in the world's finest Air Force. Steve was chosen as the lead chaplain for his group of about 100 students, and has received positive feedback about his performance in this leadership role. I have been pleasantly surprised that I have been able to communicate with him almost every day. We even were able to video chat for a little while over the past weekend.
2 days after Steve graduates from COT, our little family will arrive at Seymour-Johnson AFB in Goldsboro, NC. We have been offered a house on base, which is a huge answer to prayer - we are excited to have the opportunity to live in the midst of the community we will be serving, and look forward to the convenience of base living. The catch is that our new home will not be ready for us to move in until around November 27, which means that we will be in a temporary living facility (TLF) on base for a few weeks until our house is prepared for us. TLF is apparently like a one-bedroom condo, stocked with linens, cooking utensils, etc. It will be challenging to have our light-sleeping wiggle-worm of a toddler in a one bedroom house, but I know that we will all just be happy to be together again as a family.
We have been so blessed to have amazing support from our family and friends as we begin this new adventure. I know that many people are praying for us, and that has helped tremendously.
We are thankful to God for so many details of this transition including:
- The very quick sale of our house in Simpsonville (for greater than our asking price! - If anyone in Greenville needs a realtor, we have a great recommendation for you!)
- A loving new home for our dogs, who could not come with us :(
- The availability of a home on base for us
- Our health and stamina during all of these transitions, including a very smooth pregnancy so far - baby Lydia and mommy are both doing well :)
- Continued strength and harmony in our marriage while we are seperated
- Encouraging feedback for Steve during COT
We value continued prayer for:
- Our marriage - that we will continue to have healthy communication, harmony, and intimacy during this time of huge change and high stress
- Steph's transition to stay-at-home mommyhood, especially while Steve is away at training. Single parenting (even with the support of awesome grandparents and other family) is tough!
- Luke's resilience throughout all of the moving, changes, and temporary housing situations.
- Our entry into military life - that we will be able to make new friends quickly, and will have wisdom as we begin to discover the mission that God has for us at Seymour-Johnson
I will continue to try to write periodic updates for our friends and family. Writing (and pretty much anything else for that matter) is a slow process when you are chasing a 15 month old!
