The Navy

I am so proud of my dear husband. As I've mentioned before, Scott was active-duty Navy for 11 years before he got out last year. When he left the Navy, he thought he was totally done and was ready for new adventure. Several months later, he joined the Navy Reserves and began drilling with a unit in Atlanta. There were many reasons for that decision - benefits like earning his retirement and great medical insurance, but Scott has deep-rooted reasons like having a deep desire to serve our country. After a few short drill periods in Atlanta, he was selected to be a flight instructor in Meridian. This was a big deal. It's a big deal to be selected, but it also marked a return to the "ready room" side of the Navy. The aviation community is laid-back, doesn't seem to take the Navy quite so seriously and believes in playing hard. It's the Navy that Scott enjoys and is comfortable with. Scott is a gifted pilot. He has a ton of experience, unbelievable skills (so I hear from others) and absolutely loves to fly. Being selected for this position is a blessing and an absolute gift from the Lord. I am so proud of that man.

Ok, so to prepare for this job, Scott is spending 4 months (May, July, August & Sept) working full-time for the Navy in Meridian. Yes, he still works for Delta. He's living and working in Meridian during the week and comes home on the weekends. It's amazing that it takes the Navy 4 months to teach Scott to fly a plane he's already flown when Delta can teach him to fly a 737 in 6 weeks, but that's another story (and the Navy for you). We spent the week in Meridian with him on this last trip.

To be perfectly honest, one of the things that I LOVED about this last trip was going back into that Navy community. This is where I'll lose most of you, I think. I was a Navy wife for 8 of those years that Scott served active-duty. Those 8 years were some of the greatest and toughest years of my short little life. Overall, we loved it. We made amazing friends. I couldn't say enough about the community that sharing that Navy life brings. Our last year in California, we lived on the base. We lived literally around the corner from our best friends. The best analogy is that it was like living on a college campus only we all had our own house. We hung out all day, had dinner together at night and then returned to the community park before bedtime. All the husbands (almost) had the same job, worked the same unpredictable crazy schedule, were gone sometimes more than they were home, we were all the same age and all had kids the same age. Our crazy lifestyle was absolutely normal to everybody that we were around. We became each others' family since no one had family around. It was nuts and absolutely fantastic. Separating from that community continues to be the hardest part of leaving the Navy for me. However, until this trip, I thought that I just missed our friends and those experiences. I do. A lot. This trip reminded me that I also thrived on being part of the bigger Navy community.

In returning to the Navy communities in Meridian and also in Pensacola, I was reminded of the comfort and security that I feel when I'm on those bases and in the lifestyle that it brings. I had such a weird desire to shop at the Exchange or just walk around the commissary. It sounds bizarre, I'm sure, but just showing my id card to the sentry at the front gate was fun for me. I remembered that I love being part of something that's much bigger than ourselves. We're all fighting on the same team. Working toward the same purpose. Going through the same experiences. Sharing this crazy life together, whether we wanted to or not. Who knew I missed it so much??

All that being said, it was totally the right decision for Scott to leave active duty service. I wouldn't trade being in Alabama for anything. Growing accustomed to Scott's schedule has been (and will continue to be) a challenge, but the fruit of that decision has been sweet. We're excited to see what else is in store for our post-Navy life.

Did I mention that my husband looks incredibly handsome in his uniform?? Go Navy. :)