Ch-ch-ch changes!

Remember how I told you there were some big changes in the Awesome house happening? Well let me explain.

We've moved. It all happened so quickly, I didn't have time to breath, let alone write about it. And honestly, I'm still in shock. 

Don't get me wrong, we knew this was coming. We had decided quite some time ago that we weren't going to make the Marine Corps a life-long thing. I think we both knew going into it that it was an adventure, and we both wanted to be back in Wyoming to raise our family. And back in Wyoming we are. In March. If you don't know what spring in Wyoming is like, let me explain. 

I left Hawaii, crying and sunburned, at 10 pm on Thursday night. It was about 80 degrees. I got off the airplane to a beautiful — sun shining on the snow-topped peaks — Colorado day. As long as you stayed inside, you wouldn't know it was actually 20 degrees outside. And I really shouldn't have complained about 20, because the next morning I woke up to a blizzard and -15 degrees. That's pretty much a 100 degree difference in 24 hours. Ouch.

In the few weeks we've been back, every week has has days that are 50 degrees and sunshine. Kona and I love walking along the river, chasing squirrels. There are also days that are 10 degrees with blowing snow. Those days I don't venture very far from home! But the point is, we're home. We're house hunting, and I'm job hunting, and we can't wait to see what's next.

As for the Marine Corps, I wouldn't trade a single minute of the last 5 years. It has been tough some days — plane tickets to and from Hawaii are far from cheap, and getting leave is difficult, especially with the training schedule PJ had. I was lucky to have made it home as many times as I did. Thank credit card rewards for that! But even as often as I made it home, and as much as my family came here, we've missed out. The day my nephew was born, the day my grandpa died, so many birthdays, weddings, family reunions, baby showers, family dinners, the list could go on forever. 

But having to develop our marriage thousands of miles away from our families has made us so much stronger. It made me a more outgoing, confident, self-sufficient version of myself. And we've made the best friends. In the military, especially in Hawaii, your friends are your family too. Your family isn't a short drive away, so when something happens, be it a happy or a sad occasion, you can't always run home. Add to that training and deployments, and sometimes you can't even depend on your husband to be there. Enter the best girlfriends anyone could ever ask for. And red wine. Never forget the red wine.

I cried the day I left Wyoming for Hawaii, and I cried when I left Hawaii for Wyoming. A piece of Oahu will always be in my heart. The ocean got into my soul and will never leave. But our hearts have always been in Wyoming. I complain about the cold, but the friends and family here are so much more important than weather.