My Family Away from Family

Okay, here's the thing. My husband is fairly introverted. He never tells people anything. Except me, and even I never get as much out of him as I'd like. He's the kind of guy who prefers to keep things to himself. If we were to get pregnant, and I left telling people completely up to him, he might mention it around the time we found out what the gender was. But he's never in a rush to share.

I, on the other hand, have a condition known as "word vomit." Okay, maybe not, but I do share. A lot. Pretty much whatever is on my mind. If you think I'm blunt on my blog, you should hear me around close friends (and maybe you have)! There are very few secrets in my life. If we were to get pregnant, I would be announcing it immediately - possibly before Ben even got home from work and found out for himself.

Okay, that's an exaggeration. Of course I would tell Ben first. My point is, I don't keep a lot of secrets unless they're really important. My philosophy is one of "if we let people know what's going on in our lives, we'll have more prayers and support when we need it!" So I share a lot.

Ben knows this about me. So I can only assume that when he told me last night that we were probably moving this summer, he didn't really expect me to keep it to myself.

At first, I was hesitant to say anything to anyone, because military stuff is often more sensitive than normal-life stuff. But we're not talking about troop movements, we're just talking about moving. Which is something that happens quite frequently when you're in the military. So I'm guessing it's okay to talk about.

First off, to answer the obvious questions:

No, we don't know yet where we're going. And I don't know when we would find out. Ideally, we'd like to move to a base closer to our family in Utah/Idaho. California would be nice.

No, we don't know when exactly we would be leaving. All I know is "this summer."

No, it's not a 100% certainty. From what Ben told me, it's just "probable." We're probably moving this summer. They're wanting to know what our top choices are for our next station, so it's very very likely. But not absolutely certain.

Yes, part of me is excited. I like seeing new places.

Yes, part of me is also terrified. Most of the bases we're considering are not in particularly scenic or interesting places. There's a good chance we could end up living somewhere even smaller and more isolated than Abilene. (Which I wouldn't be very happy about)

Yes, a very great part of me is sad. And here's where the gratitude section of my post today kicks in.

A few of the Abilene weirdos ;)

When we were told we were moving to Abilene, I literally cried. It was almost at the very bottom of our "wish list," and I never in a million years expected we would actually get assigned here. Everyone else got one of their top 5 spots. Abilene was #20 on our list. So I was mad.

Then we moved here. It was in October. It was fairly brown, and way too hot for my taste. "Come on, Abilene! It's AUTUMN!!!!" It was a small town, but bigger than where we had lived before. I still wasn't happy, but I was resigned to living here and making the best of it.

They were odd. We fit right in.

My first impression of the people here was when I went to church. It seemed like almost no one was singing during the hymns, which, as a musical person, made me nervous. And I didn't feel all that welcome right away. It seemed like everyone else already knew each other and there might not be space in their groups for one more. So I was nervous.

But over the new few weeks and months, I started really getting to know people. And while they (or, more accurately, we) are kind of an odd bunch, I found that the people here are sweet and loving and awesome.

Awesome ladies :)

And, of course, I met my best friend who has literally become as close to me as a sister. But that's a blog post for another day.

When Ben went on his first deployment, I didn't feel as lonely as I had thought I would. I felt loved. I felt like people here were watching out for me, and really cared about me. When he left again, less than a year later, and was gone for six months of training, I felt even more love. They threw me a surprise birthday party during that time, and people actually came! People never come to my parties! I was blown away!

This speaks for itself.

Now Ben is gone again, and I've had numerous people invite me over for Thanksgiving dinner. I've received hugs and love and support. People help me get my mind off of things by letting me take their family pictures, and by having me teach their awesome teenagers how to sing. :) I'm surrounded by people who I know genuinely care about me.

This is literally the longest I've been in one ward during my entire life. I lived more years in Provo, but I was in a new church ward every year. This is the longest I've been with the same group of people, ever. And they've become like my family away from family.

Backstage during Little Shop

And it's not just the church friends who mean so much to me. While Ben was gone, I started participating in local theater. Through that, I made a lot of other friends who have also become very dear to me. We've had game nights, gone to dinner, sung karaoke, and I even met Evie's regular babysitter through the theater. She and her mom are two of my favorite people in the world. They even watched Evie overnight a few times for us. They're amazing, wonderful people, and I love all of them so much.

Diva power!

So while Abilene had, at first glance, seemed like a terrible idea to me, it's turned out to be a place where I truly feel at home. And it's not because of the location - that's still fairly terrible. I dislike the heat, it's way too far away from family, and the seasonal allergies have given my little girl pneumonia for two years in a row. For those reasons, I'm happy to be leaving. But because of the people, I'm fairly heartbroken to be leaving. I wish I could just pack everyone up and take them all with me!!!

Evie's babysitter, & one of my favorite people!

I was hoping to have another baby here. Everyone has been so supportive of our trial with infertility, and I was looking forward to being surrounded by people who are rooting for me when I finally do get pregnant. I know it would have been a fairly epic baby shower. Now we won't get that.

I was looking forward to Evie getting baptized here next year. I know there would have been a great turnout, and she would have been surrounded by friends. Now, who knows where we'll be?

Trunk or Treat as Big Bang Theory

I was already thinking about next year's Christmas program, and Primary program, and chili cook-off, and planning costumes for the Trunk-or-Treat. We won't be here for any of those things.

I know that wherever we go next, we'll do well. We'll thrive. We'll bloom wherever the Lord plants us. But we're really going to miss everyone we're leaving behind. I've already shed several tears over the fact. The people here in Abilene are some of the best people I've ever known in my whole life.

Good memories :)

I'm so grateful for each one of you. You have truly made Abilene a home for us. Ben has been gone for more than a third of our time here, but you've made sure that I haven't been lonely. You've been such a huge blessing in my life, and I am forever thankful to have known you.

Hopefully these last several months we have here, I'll be able to show my love for you as much as you've shown your love for me.

Thank you all! I love you!