How do I even start this?? *sorry if I ramble too much*
Hubs is going to an Army recruiting station at 3:00 today to take the ASVAB test.
Yes, I know, I'll let that sit in and resinate for a little bit....
Okay! I can do this!
Trey grew up in a military family. It's all he's even known. He always knew he would follow in his father's, grandfathers, etc, footsteps. Of course by the time he graduated from HS he followed another path. (ie staying in town drinking all weekend with his buddies) and then meeting myself of course the year after we graduated. The military plans were pushed to the back burner and at that point in my life, if I had anything to do with it, I was pushing those plans right out the window!
T finished school and has tried three different jobs from that point on. Went back to school last semester to get his Masters. He's never really satisfied with the jobs he's tried out for one reason or another. The jobs he REALLY wants to get into, he seems to keep getting declined for. So when my brother announced recently that he's joining the Nat. Guard, the ideas started brewing with T again. He really really wants to do this. Of course he's worried about us being apart, but the desire to be doing something he's always wanted to do, and knowing that this will give him a surefire way to provide for his *future* family, is the reason he's going for it. My acceptance has a lot to do with it too.
His father set him up with a recruiter that he's been friends with for years apparantly. He got T an appointment to take the test right away. His goal is to make a certain score on this test so he can get into Officer Candidate School (OCS).. which this recruiter guy seems to be pretty sure of his ability to get him into it. So.. this would mean.. 8 weeks basic training followed directly by 14 weeks of OCS.
Of course I'm freaking out slightly inside. But we're at a completely different point in our lives than when we just started dating. I don't think we could have made it through this back then. Now obviously we're married and much stronger. And I'd like to think I'm much more mature than I was at that point in my life. This isn't set in stone yet, but with my personality I immediately start worrying and imagining that this will be my life.
I have moments where I'm perfectly ok with all of this. I know that I'll be so so proud of him. It'll be great to see him happy. Seeing what this will do to him will make me happy definately. But then there are moments last night. We're laying on the couch watching one of my all time favorite movies *love actually* and I just started crying. I was picturing myself alone while he's gone at that time of the day and that's when I think it'll be tough. When the day is over, it's dark, and I'm just lounging on the couch, getting ready to get to bed. Yuck!
I need to do my research if he does do well on this test. I have no idea what to expect after basic and OCS is over with. As in.. what are his chances in being deployed and how often we'll have to move around if any.
Now i'm just jumping the gun big time. I'll stop now. One step at a time. Let's just see how he does today!!
4 comments:
I think it's very mature of you to say that you can cope if this is what he wants to do. I know you'll miss him, but I think it's great that he is willing to be a part of something that makes our country so great.
Hang in there. I know it will be tough being away from him, if it comes down to that - but I also know you can do it. :)
If all else fails, you can come hang out in Alabama with me while he's gone. Since I'm living in a town with virtually no one my age, the company would be nice! (And Love Actually happens to be one of my favorite movies!)
Good luck, everything will fall into place!
Ditto to what Heather said -
also, you'll get to live in some very interesting places. My BIL was in the Coast Guard for twenty years. Every new location for them gave me great places to visit. San Francisco CA, Clearwater FL, Washington DC, and Charleston SC.
Heather's M
Oh my! My boyfriend wanted to enlist after coming back from his deployment in Iraq and it scared the crap out of me - there was no way I was moving around the country every 3 years or so BUT that's because I come from being a military brat growing up. The only reason I didnt like it was and is that I dont really have any friends long lasting from school age to now in my life. It's rough. On the flip side, there are the benefits and those are niiiiiiice. My boy changed his mine on his own (whew!) but I have also had to go through without him for four months while he was in Iraq, it was tough but doable and now that I look back, it was nothing. Since he is in reserves he treks down to the base once a month and that's all. You are awesome that you are standing back letting him make his decision. Whatever it is, you sound like you are ready to make the best of it, no matter what.
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