"Change is inevitable - except from a vending machine." - Robert C. Gallagher

Wow. It's been well over a year since either of us posted. I suppose that's what happens when life throws you a curve ball-- or seven. Time to blow off the dust and get back on track. How about a quick update?

For starters: Everything changed. No, seriously, everything changed.

In January of 2009 we moved from Wisconsin back down to Tuscaloosa, AL where we continued our job hunts. After several false starts and flops, I managed to land part time work as a substitute teacher and as a sales associate at Buckle. Much to our distress at the time, neither of the positions were really "working out." So one day probably in late April, early May, Willie looks over at me and says, "Maybe I should just enlist."

And so it began. The journey was tumultuous. He (we) began meeting with a recruiter. He did very well on his ASVAB and was told he could choose any MOS (job) he wanted. After looking at Imagery Analyst and Translator he decided he wanted to enlist as... Infantry. I had a heart attack.

We'll skip the drama and stick to the facts. Willie managed to land the exact contract he wanted, a guaranteed shot at joining a Special Operations unit. We spent the summer traveling the country, informing family, and preparing for his big departure into the world of Army training.

On August 04, 2009, we ran down to a Bessemer court house and eloped. My hair was wet. His jeans were dirty. It was perfectly romantic and hilarious all at once. A couple of weeks later I dropped him off at his recruiter's office where he was bussed off to Ft. Benning to begin his seven months of training. Life as an Army Wife had begun, and it started with a ton of tears.

I could ramble forever about adjusting from civilian family to military family. Perhaps one day I'll make a post about that experience. For now I'll say that August through October were filled with tons of letters, laughter, tears, and a few precious, five minute phone calls. In late October Willie got a weekend off for family visitation. Two weeks later I found out I was pregnant. In December Willie graduated from OSUT (infantry training) and communication became more lax.

He's since gone through two more schools, fulfilling his dream and obtaining a slot on a Special Operations unit. Currently he's working in an office, though, while he waits on paperwork to go through for one final training course. He's close enough that we get to visit on weekends, and sometime in late August we hope to live together again in Georgia.

As for me? I'm surprisingly taken with the life I've found myself in. I've been living with my mom while Willie's in training. My future plans are still a little up in the air, but now I have time to figure them out.

I've been working on a writing project for some time now, and I've made excellent progress. I see a Master's degree in my near future, but how and what will be contingent upon what allows me to stay at home with baby Liam. He's due to join us sometime this month, and I couldn't be more impatient or excited.

And there you have it-- an extensive essay on where we've been and where we're going. So much has changed, and we have so many new, unique experiences to share. We both tend to suck at this blogging thing, but now that life's really taking off maybe it'll be different. I hope so, because so much is happening so fast. It'll be nice to look back one day and have some record of where all we've been. We have so many places to go now, and even though we're a year into our journey I still feel like we're just getting started.