So Long

(Written Friday, September 18)

I'm not sure where to start.. I guess the sum of it is that we are indeed not returning to New Jersey any time soon, if at all. Matthew's orders end this month but it was his unit's intent to extend his orders for as long as they could. Unfortunately he failed his PT test last month and they had to put them on hold. The good news out of that is he started physical therapy for the shin splints that have plagued him for the last 10 years.

The other side effect was an intense effort to find a new job locally. He applied to several government positions and last week we started hearing back that he qualified but we hadn't actually started the interview process. There was one in particular he decided to go ahead and apply for that had a rather tedious application process, but it turned out to be worth it. Early this morning the phone rang offering him the job. They have requested he takes two days of leave for the dates that would overlap so he could start on the 29th. The position is as a unit administrator for a subordinate group two grades before the command he is currently working for. It is just enough grades down that he will be able to continue drilling with his current unit. Aside from paralegal, this is the job he had been waiting for. It seems we have "arrived."

One of the results of this job change is that we well say goodbye to Tricare. It has been good to us.