Yes, It's TRUE!!

I have been waiting to post about this, simply because I don't know too many details as of yet. I guess I will go ahead and spill what I DO know for those of you who are confused :) Here goes...

I received a phone call from Justin early this week. When I answered the number with a VA area code, I was not expecting it to be him. Much to my surprise, his voice replied "Hey...we have a lot of decisions to make." My first thought was "uh-oh" and my second thought was "shoooooot". Both were pretty accurate reactions to what was to come. Justin found out that the only orders for shore duty included Sugar Grove, WV and Groton, CT. At first, I didn't really care. My response was something like "We'll make it work wherever we end up, at least we'll be together." Then I did some research. This is what I found...

WV
--only about 800 people on the base (in comparison to the 50,000 here)...could be a good thing, depending on how you look at it.
--no commissary, only a "shoppette" which they compare to a 7-11
--nearest Walmart (OR ANYTHING) is a good 45 minutes away
--limited (if any) cell phone service
--in the middle of the mountains
--no colleges close enough for me to even think about attending
--2 churches, neither one a denomination we would attend
--the elementary school admits they are not academically advanced, but small enough for lots of one-on-one attention

CT
--WAY farther north than we ever want to live
--see above, too far from our family
--COLD COLD COLD
--has a college that I might be able to go to, but the one closest only has degree programs relating to marine/aquatics
--the housing looks nice, which would be a must because I would never leave the house haha
--Did I mention how COLD it is in CT?

The other option that the Navy gave Justin was to do back-to-back sea duty, which would mean that for the next 3 years he would spend much of his time deployed again. My husband, crazy as he is, told them he'd go to the squadron and do just that. The squadron he'd join would be attached to the Ike. This would also mean he would be staying until the end of THIS 8-month deployment.

It's really really hard to make these kind of decisions when you are oceans apart. We spent the next 24 hours emailing each other back and forth with our ideas and suggestions. I looked at everything I could find on the internet, and I tried to give Justin the most unbiased portrait of each place...I know I failed at the unbiased part. The more we thought about it the more confused we felt. We both decided to just spend the following night praying about it. I know that I personally prayed for peace and wisdom. I prayed for clarity in our decision-making. Overall, the thing we have wanted most is to follow God's will, and I found myself asking (and others) how I know if it's God's or not.

Fast forward to the next morning.

I woke up EARLY. Couldn't go back to sleep...I prayed some more and then came downstairs to go back online and do more research. There are a few things that flashed in my mind the entire time. The answer was right in front of me. It wasn't what I wanted it to be...but I knew that the decision was the right one. And then I wrote this email:

"Hey baby...Get out of the Navy. Do not pass go, do not collect $200. We will work it out. We will make a way. I love you xoxo."

Ok, maybe my words weren't those exactly--but they were close. I waited ALL day to hear back from him. The response was hysterical:

"Hey baby...are you for real? Don't play around. I'm going to personnel now to start the check-out process. See you in 28 days."

Again, a bit of a paraphrase...but this is pretty close I'm sure.

Anyone who knows me knows that I have been telling Justin that he's "not allowed" to get out of the Navy yet...I have done nothing more than beg him to stay in. After all, where would we go? What would we do for a living? What about my school? And Alana's? As I spent so much time in prayer, really asking God for that direction, I realized that my problem has been trying to micro-manage everything. I say that I trust my God and my husband, but yet I try to control the situation too. I can't do both.

Justin has been living on a ship for the past 4 years. He has been gone from home more than 2 of those years. He is surrounded by worldly people, and it is difficult to be a light in that darkness after a while. Alana cried herself to sleep the night before Justin called to tell me his order situation. She sobbed. She played her build-a-bear that Justin made for her before last deployment. As his voice said "Hey Alana, it's Daddy...I miss you and I love you so much. See you real soon," she hugged it and cried louder. I miss my husband terribly when he's gone. It breaks my heart to see Alana heartbroken. We all miss our family...so why am I being so adamant that this continues?

One word...FEAR!

I'm tired of being fearful. Justin initially told the Navy he would go to the squadron and do another 3 years of sea duty. My initial reaction was "YOU DID WHAT?!" I couldn't figure out why he would do such a thing...Then it hit me. He did it because he thought it was best for Alana and me. When we were trying to weigh the options with WV and CT, Justin finally asked..."What would make you and Alana the happiest?" It was these unselfish things that ultimately made me realize that no matter where we are...no matter what we are doing...I have a husband (and Alana has a daddy) that is going to make sure that we are cared for.

It's such a beautiful reminder of how God loves us, too.

We don't know exactly when Justin will be home, but we are thinking it will be around the 20th of February. Our plans are to move back to Nashville and start a new chapter of our lives! We are excited and nervous...but overall, we know that we will be together at the end of each day and that we can conquer anything!

I will update with more details as I get them! But please keep us all in your prayers as we have a LOT of planning to do in the next month or so...

Peace, Love and Trusting God