Preparing for Our Next Journey

As our journey here in Colorado is winding down, we are preparing for our new journey--a journey that's taking us to San Angelo, Texas.  Matthew will be stationed at Goodfellow Air Force Base, where he will be instructing.  Back in 2005, after our return from Japan, Matt spent three months in San Angelo, at his C School training.  He will now be instructing this same training.  Recently at work, Matt finally got off the watch floor (where he's been since we  moved to Colorado).  This has been a wonderful transition for him.  Typically, people are switched out of watch floor duty after about 18 months to give them a break and change things up.  Matt had been on the watch floor for 32 months!  And believe me, he needed a change.  He'd worked on all of the 4 crews that serviced the watch floor.  32 months of cycling 2 weeks of day shifts then 2 weeks of night shifts (2days on, 2 days off, three days on, 2 days off, 2 days on, 3 days off).  Confusing, I know.  He's work a 12 hour shift plus 1/2 hour commute one-way, plus PT once a week, so anywhere from 14-15 hours away from home at a time.  It is so nice for him to have a calmer schedule.  Monday through Friday, about 7:30 to 4:00.

This new position is in the training department--a perfect transition to what he'll be doing in Texas.  He's setting up training classes, sitting in on some, and he'll be taking a couple classes, as well.  The class he's already taken was on leadership and training.  He got 100% in the class.  It's like he's starting to really find his groove.  I LOVE it!  I'm so happy for him!  He was really stressed those last 3-4 months at work before the change.  He hated going to work, but he did what he had to do.  Now, he actually enjoys his work!  It's helping him get more acquainted with how the training process goes, at least on the administrative side, so when he gets to Texas, he'll be better equipped to manage his classes and organize his job overall.

 
Yes, it will be different being in a place like San Angelo.  Lately, I've been checking up on the weather here.  Yesterday it was 32 and cloudy here in Strasburg, CO, while it was 74 and sunny in San Angelo!  Climate shock may be in our future!

We are due to leave here in early June, but we have not yet received Matt's hard copy of his orders (what he needs to start the screening and check-out process).  I've been searching (almost daily) online for houses for rent in the San Angelo area.  I'm praying and waiting for God to reveal to us where he wants us to live.  Most of the houses I've found intriguing have been within a block or so of a registered sex offender, so...the search continues.

Moving will be an interesting task this time around.  Last time it was already compounded with having a third person in the family, but now, not only do we have Matt, Abby, Toby, Kaydence, and me, but we also have Madison and Jade (our aquatic turtle).  Matt and I have a lot to figure out when it comes to the logistics of moving a family of four with two large dogs and a water turtle.  From here to San Angelo it is about a 12 1/2 hour drive.  From Lee's Summit, MO, it's about a 12 hour drive.  These times do not include stops, however.  We are trying to decide whether we'd like to visit Missouri on our way to Texas, or if we want to go to Texas first.  Oh, so many decisions to be made!  We can't really make a lot of these decisions until we have Matt's hard copy, so...we wait.  Matt says he will more than likely get it in April, but...I'm hoping sooner.

As for the OTHER side of the move, the emotional side, I've already started trying to get Abby ready for the whole ordeal.  She's absolutely "in love" with a boy in her class at her preschool.  His name is Chaz.  I've already had a few conversations with her about how we will be moving and she won't see Chaz anymore after we move to Texas.  It is hard for her to understand that Chaz will not be moving to Texas with us, but...she'll understand eventually.  I try to always end our conversations about this with the positive, that she will get to go to a new school and make new friends in Texas.  We'll see how this all plays out.  It isn't going to be easy, I'm sure.  I will, as always, miss those we've become friends with here.  I will miss the excellent sermons on Sunday (however, they do have their sermons online now), and I will miss the beauty of the landscape, especially when the storms roll in.  Life goes on, though, and God has plans for us somewhere else.  On to a new place, a new command, a new house, a new school (for Abby, anyway), a new climate, a new landscape, a new church, and new friends.  Ugh!  So much to do!  All I keep thinking is..."here we go again!"