Steve and I met in the summer of 2000 at Goodfellow Air Force Base in the small town of San Angelo, Texas. We met through mutual friends on a Memorial Day Weekend trip to Dallas (seven years ago this weekend). He was a Marine and I was in the Air Force, we were both attending an intelligence course at Goodfellow. The only problem was that he was slated to graduate in about a month, and he was being stationed in Hawaii. I was graduating in 3 months and being stationed in San Antonio. Although we liked each other almost instantly, the deadline seemed too soon to actually date or anything of the sort. But, we did end up dating long distance after Goodfellow, for 3 years. We saw each other every 4-6 months and kept up with letter writing, emails and phone calls.
When Steve got out of the Marine Corps in 2003, we got married! I think a lot of people worried about us never having really "dated" for an extended period of time in the same city, but as it turns out there was nothing to worry about. Even I kept waiting for a period of frustration after the newlywed feeling wore off, but we have just grown closer and closer. I am constantly amazed at how well we are suited for each other and I can definitely see God's work in our marriage.
So, after we married, we lived together for 3 whole years! Steve went to school to finish his degree (hurrah for the G.I. Bill!) and I continued on in the Air Force. I even reenlisted in 2004 for another 4 years, because we thought maybe Steve would go for his Master's and maybe I would still nee
d to be working. In the end he stuck with the Bachelor's, and when he did graduate he ended up getting a job as a government contractor for a company called SAIC. He loved his work there, but since the contract came up for renewal every year, it was a little bit unstable. After much discussion and prayer, Steve decided to go back into the military, only as an officer this time. We knew what we were getting into with deployments and a lot of moves, but there are a lot of pluses to military life that we both love: job security, health insurance, housing allowance, moving to new and exotic places, commissaries, base exchanges, etc, etc, etc. The best way to describe the military lifestyle is with an oxymoron: very unstable and very secure all at the same time!So at the current time, Steve is an ensign in the U.S. Navy, studying intelligence. He is in Virginia and I am still in Texas, but we will both be moving to Whidbey Island Naval Air Station very soon. I will move first, at the beginning of June, and Steve will be up there before the end of July. God provided us with this wonderful blessing of a baby, which guaranteed that I could get out of the Air Force and move with Steve, and He provided us with a child at exactly the right moment. Literally just before Steve left for Virginia. I wouldn't have been able to get out of the Air Force for another two years if we hadn't gotten pregnant and that would have been a huge separation, even for us. I was definitely beginning to panic about it until I got that + on the stick.
That is our story, a bit long, but since I'm trying to catch up with people I haven't seen in 10 years, I suppose it's okay. :)
3 comments:
Very interesting, and not to mention, complicated! But I'm glad you're able to see Steve for a little bit! Thanks for giving us the background info.
yours is a touching story, for sure!..but I really just want to comment on those beautifully shaped eyebrows! I take credit (in part) for those beautiful eyebrows. I do remember laying back in what flight was that? and plucking away...
Amazing. You're a trooper! I'm glad that you can see a light at the end of the tunnel and that pretty soon you'll just be able to stay home with your baby and see your husband every night. Thanks for sharing.
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