28 January 2010

Wow. Some shocking news.

What a difference a few hours can make. Seriously. Yesterday, I was talking about how I was antsy & ready to move, right. Well, shortly after we went to pick up my car from the dealership, Will got an email letting him know that he was chosen for a job at the Pentagon! He'd applied for a job there last fall but was told he wasn't going to get it because he was 5 months short of his 4 years at Andrews. I don't know. To me, it sounds like a bunch of "blah, blah, blah" but evidently he was required to be at Andrews for exactly 4 years before they would "release him" and let him get orders and/or take a new job. So, basically, after he was told that they wouldn't make an exception to this policy for him to be able to take the Pentagon job, we kind of forgot about it and started thinking about where we'd want to put in for orders once September rolled around.

So, yeah, he will be heading over to the Pentagon in May. And...AND...they must know by 18 February where we want our next set of orders. Yes, you read right. That's 3 weeks away. We're both completely shocked right now. Both about him being accepted for this job at the Pentagon and the fact that we have 3 weeks to decide where we're going to go next. Now, he'll be at the Pentagon for 14 months so it's not like we'll be moving out of state immediately, but we do have to let "them" know where we want our follow on base to be.

We definitely need to sit down & make a list of some areas we're interested in and the pros & cons of those places, plus the pros & cons of staying here in MD (although at the moment I'm having a hell of a time finding one thing to keep me here!!) and it's just a lot to absorb in a short amount of time.

Did I mention that he also has to take 28 days of leave before he starts his job in May?! I think we should take a serious road trip! Of course, being the middle of winter, there aren't a lot of areas I'm interested in road tripping to at this time. lol Maybe we'll go see his family down in Va Beach and then see my family in SC before heading to Florida. I hate the heat though so maybe we won't go to Florida.

Anyhow, on the top of my "wish list" is Alaska. Do yall think I'm crazy? You can be honest. lol I know I definitely do not want orders back down south. Nowhere in SC, NC, GA, FL, TX, the Gulf Coast, NM, OK, CA or Hawaii. That narrows it down quite a bit. I'd probably be happy anywhere in the Northeast, definitely out in Colorado or Wyoming, Montana, Washington, parts of the Midwest. Of course my wish list & his may vary drastically and in the end, I'm going wherever he's told he's going so we'll see.

So...those feelings I was having yesterday are gone. They're replaced by excitement and nervousness and confusion. I think I need to have a beer & just decompress & try to take this all in!! With the market the way it is, we'll probably put our house up soon in hopes that it'll sell well before we have to actually move. Besides, his commute is about to double in length and we'd ideally love to be closer to the Virginia line. Ack! See...I told you it was a lot to take in!

If anyone has any suggestions on locations, I'd love to hear your ideas!!

5 comments:

Swampgirl said...

My daughter's husband has been stationed at Fort Richardson in Alaska for 3 years. Right now he is deployed so she has been alone in Alaska for almost a year! The scenery is beautiful, but they are so far away from family and it takes so long to fly home! Not to mention the expense. They are hoping to come back to the South! I'm glad they have had the experience. The only thing she has really disliked about Alaska is the darkness all day during part of the year and the brightness all night for the other part of the year! I lived near Denver growing up so I would vote for Colorado!

vintagesue said...

my dream is that my husband gets a job at the pentagon!!! but then again...i did grow up in rockville, so i would be a stone throw from family!!!
if you aren't from this area, it is an overwhelming place to live. lots of people. lots of traffic. expensive. cold. blah, blah. good luck figuring it all out!! i have been away from maryland for 24 years. we lived in GA for 16 years...benning, HAAF, and the ranger camp in north georgia. i miss georgia, but it took a long time to embrace it. i LOVED atlanta.
i bet you would love alaska. it's expensive. what about europe? any chance? we waited 20 years for germany and finally got it.
if you a list of shopping places, please go to my box treasure blog and email me with a list. i'm still not sure where to go in baltimore.
DC is awesome though if you change your mind and want to hang out there. lots to do.
hang in there. good luck.
sue

Barbara said...

We have family in Silver Spring, MD, and even though I could never live in a metropolitan area, I think it's pretty great. All those museums, excellent public transportation, city life, the sense that you're in a place that's really one of the most dynamic cities in the world - I'd like all of that. I would not like driving one little bit. It's exciting to have a new adventure to consider! Good luck!

Unknown said...

Come to Colorado! Lots of military jobs here in Denver & Colorado Springs. I'm not sure what exactly Will does, but I'm betting he could find something out here because there's just so many agencies and such. Here in CO we have beautiful weather, nice people, focus on health and education, and affordable living. Oh, and REALLY GOOD thrift stores. :D

YAY for the new Pentagon job! How exciting!

Robin said...

oh so exciting for you!
I would NOT want to go to a Northern State that had cold weather. I'm such a wimp. What about Washington or Oregon? Those I could live with...beautiful artsy places!