We are in!

We got all of our household goods yesterday and it has been a tornado of cardboard and packing paper ever since. Besides finding new places for old things in our house, it has been nice to slow down a little and really absorb everything that has happened recently. 

This past week has been a complete blur! When we were packing up the Norfolk house I was feeling fantastic about the move. Everything was going really smooth, even the movers that came to pack and take away all of our stuff were excellent. But the moment we were taking our last walk around the house I suddenly felt this heaviness in my chest. I was sad. It kind of took me by surprise but I was deeply saddened; not just to move but to leave the home we had made, the friends we love as well as the town we had began our married life in. Norfolk will always hold a special place in my heart. 

Moving is without a doubt one of the hardest parts of this lifestyle. I came to the conclusion a few years ago that in the outside world, it takes about a year to get comfortable in a new city, another year to make friends and another year to really cultivate your relationships. But for us military folk that is just in time to pick up and move again. We have to speed up the process and find our footing a lot sooner then the average person. While it may seem like a sad lifestyle it actually is quite the opposite. In these past 3 years I have made some great friends that I know I will have for years to come, I got to experience a new state and city that I never would have lived in otherwise and finally I got to know myself better too. When you only have a few years in a place, you have to knock down your guard walls and really put yourself out there sometimes. When Hubby was working or deployed and I didn't know anyone yet, I forced myself to get out of the house and go to a dinner with other wives or a meeting or squadron party. I worked some odd jobs, took some interesting classes and even cooked meals for people that I didn't really know yet. How else are you going to meet people?

With one more move under our belt, it is time to start the three year cycle all over again. But the beauty of the Navy is that it is a small, small world. We already know a good group of people that moved down here before us and we get to catch up with all of them! 

So wish us luck on our newest adventure. The Emerald Coast: We are here!