Wow, it has been far too long since I’ve written on this thing! My apologies for the long hiatus I took from my goal of weekly updates. Life has just been far too busy, apparently, for me to just slow down and write a solid post.
In case you forgot about the horrible moustache…
Last you heard, I was discussing Nick’s mustache. It was the end of November, and during that time, everybody was doing it, so the ‘stache was eh…okay. But then, once December rolled around, the stache became officially creepy. Luckily though, he passed the test and is now qualified to land a plane on an aircraft carrier (such a comforting thought, right?). AND I have my husband back – the clean-shaven one – and he now has a new shiny gold pin to wear on his chest. Yes, indeed, he finally has received his very long-awaited (for both of us!) wings of gold. It really is a great honor, and I am honestly so proud of him. He worked very hard, showed much focus, and much humility, and those wings have long since been a dream for him. It is almost surreal to think that they are finally his!
More on the pre-winging (to make a long story short): the weather off of the coast of Jacksonville – where the USS Truman was anchored – was not very cooperative. The goal was to fly Nick and three others out to the carrier on Tuesday, get their flights in, and hopefully get them back on Thursday evening, since Friday was the official winging ceremony. No such luck. The boys didn’t make it back until mid-morning on Saturday, after the scheduled winging. And unfortunately for me, I had no one to blame or curse except for good ol’ mother nature (it’s just so easy to blame the Navy sometimes! But not this time.)
When they finally returned, the command hosted an extra special winging for the four guys who returned safely, qualified and ready to celebrate. In the end, everything was totally fine. It was just those few anguishing hours, wondering if they would ever finish and make it back in time to celebrate with their families, who traveled many miles to see them.
The whole Murray clan, sans Nick.
Overall, the ceremony was beautiful, the celebrations were great, and I basically spent the whole few days beaming with pride (still am beaming).
Emily, all ready for daddy to be home!
Everyone went to the airport to pick up our favorite pilot.
AND! Not only did Nick qualify and receive his wings, but we also found out that we would be getting orders to NAS Oceana, which is located in Virginia Beach, VA. This was amazing news, as we had been hoping to move there for quite some time. It is, though still far, quite a bit closer to home, and I’ve also been told it is an amazing area. I really am looking forward to moving to the East Coast! And, I’m also looking forward to leaving Texas. I know there is this whole crazy Texas Pride state of mind, but I just don’t get it. And I’m ready to move on.
Me, pinning on Nick’s wings.
Some of our friends at the winging.
Nevertheless, I did want to mention a few things about Kingsville that I’ve loved, and reasons why I am sad to leave. There are numerous reasons why I am happy to leave, but it’s always good to look at the positive side, right? Right. Glass half full (or would it be half empty, because we’re leaving?)
Anyway, here goes:
1. Small town livin’ – Kingsville, you are a small, sometimes quaint little town. You have your own strange charm, and I appreciate being able to drive anywhere in town within 10 minutes. I’ve learned, after living in Pensacola and Ann Arbor, that life just isn’t always that easy.
“Downtown” Kingsville
2. Our apartment – Although it is small and I’m starting to feel like I’m suffocating from stuff, I really have liked our apartment. It’s cute and cozy, and – for the most part – has the perfect amount of closet and storage space for a newly married couple (not too sure I’d say the same for a growing family). It was our first place that Nick and I called our home and hung our “Murray” sign on the wall. It was just one of those places that cooperated with my wall-hangings and decorations, you know? Everything had a place, and it just fit. I think, after a few moves, you start to really appreciate that kind of thing.
3. My baby’s birthplace – I sometimes struggle to see the positive side of my first child being a Texan, but it is what it is. She was born (not raised) in Corpus Christi, TX and we brought her home – for the first two months of her life – to our tiny little cozy apartment in Kingsville. She will never remember this place, but I will always have the memories of our first couple months as a family, right here in south Texas.
4. The people! DUH. Yes, it’s totally cliche and predictable, but I have met some wonderful people here. I am grateful to have been a part of such a wonderful spouses club with the squadron and to have met so many wonderful people who have allowed me to witness how to be successful with the whole military family thing. It’s not easy, movin’ your kids all over the place like they ask us to, but the people whom I’ve met seem to be doing it right. They help me set my goals for the future.
And not only that, I’ve met some amazing local people who I hope to stay in touch with and whom I’ll never forget. I’ve gotten to know some fellow teachers who have been so kind and loving to me, and I’ve also gotten to know some pretty cool kids who were in my classes while I worked at the middle school. I’ll never forget these people – they will stay in my Kingsville memories forever.
So, that’s that. Today is the day the movers come to pack up all of our stuff and we are hoping to be out of here on Friday, and back up to the mitten on Sunday. After the holidays, we’re headed east, down to Virginia. I have been counting my blessings every day that we are able to move out east and be closer to home, and to experience another new part of the country. It’s definitely exciting, and I love every bit of the adventure.
I am so excited to start this next chapter of our lives, but for now, I am just looking forward to being home with my family for the holidays! May you all have a very merry Christmas. And now, to quote the brilliant Dr. Seuss, just keep in mind…
