How do you measure a year?

I watched Rent earlier today so if the title of this blog rings a bell for anyone, that's probably why.  I am not sure what made me watch it... but what stuck out to me was that line... how do you measure a year?  A year in the Marine Corps can be measured by days left at a duty station, days until you get orders, days until your best friends move back to the same coast as you, or days until a deployment is finished. For us, this past year has been measured by my Marine being home.   (Maybe not in the most conventional sense of the word, but home nonetheless!)


One year ago today, I was on my way to Camp Lejeune for our homecoming.  Tomorrow, September 19th, marks one whole year since the boy got home from his most recent deployment

by Amanda Courtney Photography

 It really amazes me that one whole year has gone by since that day... since I was able to wrap my arms around him for the first time in 206 days... since I was finally able to take a deep breath again and know that everything would be okay.

by Amanda Courtney Photography

This year has been measured by how far removed we are from a deployment.  The boy and I are lucky enough to be an entire year away from a deployment ending, and not have a deployment looming in the near future.  It is actually a strange place for us to be, and kind of hard for us (well, at least for me).  We have a couple friends deployed right now, a handful that just got home, and very close couple of friends that will be leaving in the next few months.  It is a weird feeling of guilt... that I really have a hard time putting into words.  But that is life in the Marine Corps- when it comes to deployments in our world, we all serve our time and do what we need to do.   We don't play the who had it worse game, we are there to support each other no matter what, and be there for the family members that are holding down the home front.

The year in front of us will hopefully be measured by the time we are able to spend together.  We have been doing the geo-bachelor thing for almost 2 years now, and I am hopeful that there is an end in sight for us.  I am hopeful that things will be back to "normal", and that we will be living under one roof and driving each other crazy.  I'm hoping we will wind up relatively close to home, but I am not holding my breath for that one... you just never know what curve ball the Marine Corps will throw at you!

Until then, I will be happy with where my guy is- 365 whole days of being safe on US soil!

by Amanda Courtney Photography

Good News!

Four days ago, we FINALLY got some good news.

That my friends, is the MARADMIN letting us know that the boy has been selected for promotion!!!!!!

Not only are we completely thrilled that he was selected, we were also pleasantly surprised that this was released a whole month earlier than we thought.  (I think that is the first time that has ever happened in the history of all things Marine Corps.... ha!)  

For us, this selection means so much more than just a pay increase, a new rank, and new responsibilities.  This selection means that we have a bit of security and know that we are able to stay in the Marine Corps until retirement.  It also means that the boy is able to resubmit his package for recruiting.  I still have a few more Marine Corps birthdays to celebrate.  And I still might get my cross country road trip!

I am so incredibly proud of Randy.  He has worked so hard for the last 9 years to make himself the very best Marine he can be.  We now know that all the sacrifice, time apart, deployments and hard work has been worth it.  He has accomplished anything he has ever set his mind to, and this latest achievement-while some of it was out of our hands- is a testament to how hard he worked.  

Looking back,  A LOT of people told us that everything happens for a reason, things will work out how they were supposed to, etc... and it was just very hard to hear that.  Neither of us it turns out really believed that he would be selected.  We were both preparing for the worst- and not even really hoping for the best.  He had taken a week of leave to make some connections and set up some interviews because we really believed that our time in the Marine Corps was up.   Now he gets to spend the week relaxing and not worrying so much about the future.... and working on deciding what kind of motorcycle he wants.  (I promised him years ago that when he pinned on SSgt, he could get a bike.)  

Now we get to wait a little bit longer and see exactly when he will be promoted.  That part I am not so worried about- the boy seems to think it will be by the end of 2012, which again, would be way sooner than I thought!

Whew.  I still can't believe that the waiting game is over, and things actually worked out in our favor.  Since we found out on Friday, I have been sleeping better, and this splitting headache that I've had just disappeared.  I didn't really know how much this was stressing me out until it was no longer there for me to worry about.  

Now, onward to retirement!  I just cannot wait to see where our Marine Corps journey takes us next!