So many emotions, so little time

I got a phone call from the personnel office today. It went something like this:

Her: Hi, Sgt Rios! I’ve got your assignment RIP right here!
Me: My what????
Her: Your assignment RIP.
Me: Excuse me???
Her: You didn’t know?
Me: No! Where to?
Her: I’m sorry! I thought you knew! You’re going to Aviano! (For those that don’t know, Aviano is in Italy.)

And that’s how I found out the next 2-3 years of my life will be drastically different than what I originally thought! One issue we still need to get straight: they didn’t give Tony an assignment (normally the Air Force tries to keep military couples together. Generally, when one gets an assignment, the other will get one at the same time. Not sure what happened here!). I need to make some phone calls tomorrow to find out what we need to do.

Meanwhile, I have so many emotions I’m feeling. For one: I HAVE TO SELL MY HOUSE!!!! YIKES!! Luckily, the housing market here isn’t as bad as in some areas, so we shouldn’t have our asses handed to us while trying to sell it. However, this house is nowhere near “For Sale” condition and we don’t have long to get it there!

Also, this really couldn’t come at a worse time for us. Ashley and Amanda will both graduate while we’re over there. Air fare is expensive. Air far for 5 people is something I don’t even want to think about. Missing either of their graduations isn’t particularly appealing either. 😦

It’ll be my first “real” job in my current career field. And I’ll be in charge (well, there’s a Captain that’ll be “in charge”). I’ll be way out of my comfort zone. And chances are highly likely that I’ll “get” to deploy while I’m there.

And then there’s the one emotion I wasn’t really expecting: I don’t want to leave here. Never in a million years did I think I’d say that, but this place has grown on me. We’ve built a good life for ourselves here. We’ve got good friends, a great church family, love the schools/daycare. I’m not ready to leave.

We haven’t broken the news to the kids yet. I don’t know what we’re going to tell them. Angelina and Amber won’t care. Alyssa is going to have issues…especially since it means moving further away from her best friend who moved to San Antonio two years ago.

*SIGH*

I was just over at http://www.spriteskeeper.com and noticed that this week’s Spin Cycle is about adventures. And if moving half way across the world to a country I’ve never been and who’s language I don’t speak with 3 kids, a dog, and a husband doesn’t qualify as an adventure, I don’t know what does! So, I’m making this my Spin Cycle post too…which will hopefully get me back on the Spin Cylce wagon!).

Random Tuesday Thoughts by Sandie

Does anyone remember Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey? I don’t know why, but I thought of that old SNL skit today. For no reason whatsoever. I didn’t even remember a Deep Thought to go with it.

Tony and I have decided to renew our vows this summer. We’ll be celebrating our 10th anniversary. I didn’t get a “real” wedding when we got married, so I’m really starting to look forward to this! We’re keeping it very low key to save money, but the best part is my parents will get to be there (my mom is still a little miffed that we eloped).

As of Sunday, Ashley had decided not to come visit us this summer. She wants to go to summer school this summer to get some extra credits. I’m hoping she’ll change her mind before the summer, but it’s probably a long shot.

Angelina has started using the phrase, “What the…?!?!” I have no idea where she learned it, but it’s hilarious when she decides to use it. The other day, Tony and I were in the bathroom. I’d just gotten out of the shower and he was getting ready to go in, so we were both in our birthday suits. He grabbed me to give me a hug right as Angelina walked in. She took one look at us and said, “What the?!?! You’re naked!” It was much funnier when you were there.

Girl Scout cookies are the devil. I told Tony to rip them out of my hands if he sees me eating any more. I think he’s relishing this task a little too much.

I love most of CBS’s Monday night sitcom lineup. I’m ticked that How I Met Your Mother wasn’t on tonight. Why does the president have to speak in primetime and interrupt my TV watching? At least they put Big Bang Theory on at 9:30 (and I’m so glad Worst Week wasn’t on…I can’t stand that show!).

These random thoughts were brought to you by Keely of The Un Mom. Want more? Go here.

The Christmas Guest

Picture it: It’s Christmas Day and the kids are excitedly getting ready to open their gifts. Then Ashley’s cell phone rings. It’s her mom. I hear Ashley tell her, “We’re opening Christmas presents.” For most people, well normal people, that would be a signal to say, “OK, call me back when you’re done.” But no, she keeps Ashley on the phone for at least another 5-10 minutes. And then utters the famous words we all know are coming: “When are you coming over?” This was followed by another phone call about an hour later: “What time are you going to be here?”

Some background information: Tony and I have been married almost 10 years. In that 10 years, we have spent THREE Christmases with the girls (including this year). All three of those were spent in Laredo. And now all three times, it’s been a shared holiday. They spend part of the day with us and part of the day with their mom and because my husband generally takes them over there and stays while they open gifts, HE spends part of his day over there, as well. The only other time we get to spend with the girls is 6-8 weeks in the summer and an occasional spring break (though that hasn’t happened since Alyssa was in kindergarten because the girls’ spring break is a different week then Alyssa’s). To break it down, on a good year, the girls spend 70 days with us and 295 days with their mother. And that’s only if they are with us 8 weeks in the summer, a week at Christmas, and a week for Spring break. On a normal year, they spend 49 days with us and 316 days with their mother (and don’t even get me started on how somehow the courts find this not only fair, but “in the best interest of the child”). She gets 87% of they year with them. Can’t she let us have one completely undisturbed holiday?

I’ll admit, sharing Christmas didn’t bother me much in the last two times this happened. This year, it really bothered me though. Maybe it’s because the girls are getting older. Ashley will be 16 this spring. Last summer, she wasn’t sure she wanted to come for 6 weeks this summer. She wants to go to summer school and then she has band camp (which starts 3 full weeks before school starts!). Our time with them is already precious enough. The last thing we needed was their mom to show up, uninvited.