Big Announcement revealed…

That’s right folks..Joshley (and the Charles) are Utah bound (Hill AFB to be exact)! No we aren’t just visiting, we are moving there..or more like the Air Force is moving us there! Yeah I was a little shocked at first. I will be the first one to admit that I didn’t have the best first reaction when the Hubs called to tell me then news. I did feel really bad afterwards, I mean he did just call me from another country all excited (he loves to ski.. need I say more), and well the thought of Utah just didn’t sound very appealing to me and I had a hard time hiding that fact. I know when you live the military lifestyle you shouldn’t get you hopes up on any certain location, but sometimes that is hard not to and Utah just wasn’t on the getting-my-hopes-up-for list! However, it is closer to Cali and for that I was excited!

But folks, you know what..this is where I had to put on my “Good military wife” hat, take a deep breath and find out the good parts about moving there! Like, for one the hubs is going into a job that will look very good on his resume..yay hubs (and don’t ask me what it is b/c i don’t really know). I also did a little internet research and found that there are several malls, including Nordy’s, Panda express, corner bakery and several other can’t live without spots! That is when I really started to embrace this move. Surprisingly I am really going to miss New Jersey and the east coast. I am a little sad that we didn’t take more advantage of it but we will be back there for 2 months before we move so I am planning some fun trips around the area. The hardest thing I am realizing is having to leave friends. It’s one thing when you move away from home because you know that you will be back to visit or at least still have ties to your hometown friends, but this is different. It took me a while to make friends out in NJ but now I can’t imagine my life without them (one in particular) and I am very sad to leave them!  I know we will keep in touch and I am excited to see if and when our paths cross again! Mal you are the best friend ever and I am totally going to miss you..but we still have 2 months so going to live in denial for the time being!

I will admit that I am a slow learner, but there are several lessons that I have learned during this last assignment. I have learned the importance of getting involved right away. In NJ I spent a lot of time by myself, lonely and wishing I had more friends. Then I discovered living on base, base bible studies and spouses groups and my whole outlook on the military life changed. I now felt like I had a place and could make this my home. I wish I wouldn’t have taken so long to figure it all out but I wouldn’t change any of the process! I am looking forward to the new people and opportunities that are awaiting us in Utah.

I have also learned never to judge a state by preconceived ideas. Growing up in Cali, I hadn’t really ventured to many other states and really didn’t have a desire to..yes I was a California snob! However, being able to visit or live or drive through all these different states has really shown me that each place is a new adventure to explore and usually I will find many wonderful jems that will make me want to return. It might take me a while to really discover what a place has to offer but I am learning to take that time and enjoy!

There is still a lot to be done before the move. There is the drive back to east coast for me and the charles, the hubs return from the deployment, hopefully my first marathon (more on that to come), the second try on the fertility treatments (hopefully we will be a bigger family when we cross the boarder to Utah), and the close of our time in NJ. I am excited, scared, nervous, but most of all content with whatever this brings us.

So does anyone have and advice, tips, whatever for us as we start our new adventure in Utah?? We will be in Ogden which is right outside Salt Lake City. Anyone live there now? I am hoping i’ll get lucky and meet some wonderful bloggers from the area! Well that’s the big news for us right now! Have a great wednesday :)