Empowering military families through art, culture, and buckets of fun! 

Bye Bye "Regular" Army

I've shared some photos, written some words, and sort of (in a round about way) explained what Justin's job entails in the Army as of late. Most of you know that my husband was a combat arms guy. Gunnery, field training, tanks, mgs' - you name the dirty work, my husband likely did it for the better part of a decade. Detailed recruiting came into the mix almost two years ago and introduced a whole new side of the Army that Justin had never been apart of.  As always, I supported him 100% with whatever endeavors he wanted to tackle next. We have always been extremely communicative and supportive when it comes to major changes in our dreams, goals, aspirations, etc - and because of that, change never really shakes us. Last year Justin mentioned that he may want to re-class (change his job) to a permanent recruiter and leave the combat world behind, for good.

Initially, I was hesitant. I mean, recruiting was never meant to be permanent and the stresses we'd experienced as a family were some of the most taxing we'd ever gone through. Even still, I encouraged him to make a decision for himself. We may be a family, but Justin is the only one that has to do the job he chooses. After many, many talks, pros/cons lists, he decided he was going to pursue the job change. ROAD BLOCK. He was shut down by his command on the job change. Apparently the "HR" of the Army decided they were not allowing promotables at Justin's rank/job to re-class to any other job. That was most definitely a kick in the stomach.

The next several months were spent discussing our options (location wise) and planning for the end date of USAREC (United States Army Recruiting Command). Little did we know, those days would not be coming anytime soon. The day after I delivered our son, Justin was asked to step up at his center in a really big way. He took the responsibility and totally wow'd his leadership (I mean, as much as you can in this organization). So much in fact that they brought up trying to re-class again. Justin went to the board (NAILED IT), got a recommendation, and received his official stamp of approval from HRC just a couple of weeks ago.

What does this mean for our family? 

1) NO MORE DEPLOYMENTS. I mean maybe if we ended up in a World War III, but outside of that - very unlikely.

2) Justin will continue to come home every night to our family (unless he has a military school to go to).

3) We can literally end up ANYWHERE. Recruiting centers are in every state, in so many different cities. There are even non-continental choices as well. 

4) Justin will be the station commander at his own recruiting center (he's doing this now, pretty much). 

5) No more block leave dates! He can request leave quarterly, and in this battalion, he can take up to 10 days at a time every three months. That's 40 days of paid vacation time a year. 

That being said, our first "wish list" choice was obviously Washington.

I AM SO READY TO COME HOME. We could very well remain in Texas for at least another year but I love knowing that home is a possibility. The girls talk about Washington a lot, so many people we love are there, and I know there are SO many things Justin would love to explore if we are able to move back. 

For now, nothing major is changing and I'm okay with that. Ava starts Kindergarten in a few months and I am so glad we are familiar with the area we live in, that she's made her friends, and that we have roots here in Northern Texas.

If you would have told me two years ago that this is the future we'd be facing... I would not have believed it. I'm so excited for our new adventures and I'm so stinkin' proud of my husband for finding something he's excited to be apart of everyday. 

9-6

I may talk about this a lot over the course of the next three years, but I can't help it. The girls and I are on this permanent cloud nine and it feels incredible. Because we are a military family, there are a lot of things that are out of our control. Sometimes - it's the big stuff. Like, giving birth to your first born child while your husband is over 7,000 miles away. Most times it's just the little stuff... like just being home as a family and spending time together. We have learned to make all of our moments together count, even if daddy isn't home for them. This month marks four months that I have gone to sleep beside my husband every single night. This month marks four months that our children have seen their father every single day. If you are military, you know how HUGE something like this is. 

I have had to learn not to over schedule our time in an effort to make sure Justin is included - because he always is. Saturday morning breakfast, swim classes, and lazy Sundays... he is home for all the moments. I think it just really hit me this weekend. Justin had the last few days off and they were amazing. Not just amazing because he was off, amazing because there was nothing we had to catch up on. Usually when he's in the field for a month, has staff duty overnight, or he's doing some type of week long training on post - there is always something he has to be caught up on. A picture Ava drew, a new word Ava said, something pregnancy related... that just isn't the case right now.

I get to watch my husband be the father he wants to be, even while having a full career in the military. I am so incredibly proud and gushing over how much of a family man Justin is. Whether it's flying around the house in PJ MASKS costumes with the girls, sneaking in chocolate treats with Ava before dinner, or reading them new books we picked out from Barnes and Noble earlier in the day.... he's here for all of our moments. I am so blessed to have this man for my husband. Adjusting to seeing one another every day wasn't nearly as weird as i thought it would be. Instead, I'm giddy at the end of his work day. I can't wait to see him. Even though we text throughout the day, I still get excited to hear about what happened at work. This is bliss. 

♥- Leilani

Recruiting Life: 30 days in

I'm actually writing this just a little bit early, but while the subject is fresh on my brain, why not share? This week (on Thursday to be exact) Justin will have been in USAREC for 30 days. It has been such a whirlwind for our family... definitely different from Justin being on the line, but we are finding a normal in the mists of all the change. I think the best part of this entire situation is the fact that we do see Justin every single morning and every single night. Because I'm such a big fan of all things organization and lists.. you guessed it right? Yep. Below is a PRO + CON list for our current situation.

PRO:

1. NO deployments. (This is definitely a major plus)
2. NO field time (definitely won't be missing those 30+ days of the husband being away)
3. NO 24 hour duties
4. Justin is home every morning for breakfast 
5. Justin is home every night
6. Sundays are guaranteed days off (as far as I know)
7. If he converts to 79R, we can literally live anywhere in the USA
8. He will be able to put in for quarterly leave, if he wants to
9. He gets to wear civilian clothes on Fridays + Saturdays

CONS:

1. Justin works until after 7pm ALMOST every single night (except Saturdays so far)
2. The FRG is pretty non-existent here.. ZERO family support for military families
3. We don't get to talk to each other during the day, like at all. He tries to shoot an I love you text when he can or call while he's out prospecting (those are appreciated)
4. We will never see Justin for lunch or dinner the next 3 years (meal times are family time for us)
5. He misses Ava's activity classes due to working on Saturday
6. His stress level is so much higher than it was while he was on the line
7. Only one person from the station can be on leave at a time (won't be traveling during the holidays to see family, that's for sure)
8. The girls only get to spend time with their dad 1 day a week
9. Justin feels like he's missing out on a lot because he works so much.. sometimes he comes home and the girls are already asleep
10.  I feel like I never see my husband. I saw him more when he was on the line - that's with him leaving for training and such too

The negatives of recruiting are so incredibly overwhelming. From the outside looking in, it's just awful. They are essentially making these soldiers sell a dream that isn't for everyone.. if they fail to sell that dream X number of times in a month.. longer days, loss of weekends, who knows what else I've heard some people explain how much they love this type of lifestyle, I've heard many who've shared how much they hate it. Granted we are only 30 days in and things could very well change over the next month.. but I'm not hopeful. 

I am focusing on making the time we have together count. For the girls sake and my own. I try to remind myself that things could be worse... and there are plenty of people in the civilian spectrum that work jobs with even more hours.. or 2 jobs.. or opposite work schedules from their SO. There is a lot of good to relish in for our situation, and with the good comes the not so good stuff... just trying to take deep breaths and take it in stride.

From his first week of recruiting!

♥- Leilani

Closing In

Finally, the end is near. Justin is closing in on his time at recruiting school and I couldn't be more excited to get my love back. In all honesty, the past month has gone by so incredibly fast. Having an infant and a toddler has definitely assisted with how quickly the time has gone by. I mean, some days, we wake up + then before I know it... I'm getting the girls ready for bed. We spend most of our days doing activities for both kids. Ava gets playdates, learning time, outdoor play, etc. Olivia gets bumbo seat time, floor mat time, and fresh air when we go for walks. Assisting in their growth is so much fun for me. I love being able to witness both of my children doing something new or learning something for the very first time. I think that's the part of leaving that is hardest for Justin. He has never been away from our babies this small (I've mentioned this before) and although facetime is a nice alternative, it's just not the same thing.

Olivia is growing so rapidly. I mean it. The months didn't go by nearly as quickly when Ava was in her infancy. She is nothing short of an amazing baby and we can't get enough of her. One thing is for sure, I am so looking forward to parting ways with these long military departures for a good while. I really am focused on all the positives that this new recruiting detail is going to provide us with.

♥- Leilani

He's leaving

The inevitable has occurred, and Justin is leaving again... This time he'll be grading the training of soldiers down at NTC, but I'm still pretty emotional about it. I've always been pretty supportive and accepting of the fact that I married a soldier, and I know he has a job to do. This means he isn't always going to be home, his time with family is precious (because it can be so limited), and this is what the job entails. I guess going through seven weeks of ALC really messed me up with distance. The ironic thing is that we've gone much longer. 8 months much longer. I'm not sure if it's just because we have Ava bug or what. I just know that ever since I found out about him leaving, I've been really emotional about it. The positive side is, he won't be gone a month or longer, he won't be missing any holidays/birthdays/celebrations, and he'll be back in the month of July!

While he's gone the only thing(s) he will really be missing out on are my NT ultrasound (they don't disclose photos or gender predictions anyways), Ava's check up next week, and a trip down to Oregon to visit with good friends of ours. I know he's pretty bummed about all three. Any chance to see our budding bean is exciting for him, and he always loves tagging along to Ava's check up appointments if he can. He always has his own set of questions for her Pediatrician. It's pretty sweet. Visiting friends in Oregon will be an option when he comes back as well, so I know he's not overly bummed about what will be occurring in his absence.

This time around we decided to make a good amount of videos for Ava bug when Justin leaves. Last time we did a bunch of recordings, but I think seeing daddy's face will make it even better. Ava doesn't do well with the distance when Justin leaves. Back in April, she got super upset every time they had to get off the phone or facetime, and it pretty much broke my heart to watch my baby get so distraught. I really plan on keeping us busy, busy, busy while our favorite guy is away. I'm hoping this morning sickness tapers off so I can be full of more energy than I am now. I know keeping up with her, the house, and school are going to be some major challenges in the weeks to come. I haven't had to do this all by myself for a while since we found out we were expecting. I'm a little nervous, but I have a good support system and helping hands in Justin's absence.

Hopefully with a little more free time on my hands, you'll see more blogs from me. I've been doing a lot of DIY stuff around the house (when I can), and I'd love to share some of those projects with you. I've used some new recipes, added to Ava's large book collection, AND found some cute stuff to do for our little miracle bean as well. I have even taken a leap and decided to try sewing for the first time in my life.. well the second time. The first time was in home ec, and I failed miserably.

Happy Sunday all!

♥- Leilani