The Things We Leave Behind....

Since the last time I posted, we have received our official orders which means we can now start scheduling things for our move.  We drove to Texas and stayed a week to say goodbye to all of our family members and to leave our dog with my mother.  Thanks to my mother for offering to give her a home for the next three years.

I would also like to thank my dad and stepmom for hosting a going away party at their house to provide a central location where our family could meet to see us, hang out and say goodbye.  It saved us a lot of traveling from house to house in a short amount of time.

Upon arrival back to New Jersey, we promptly bought paint to touch up the nail holes in the wall and several items we need in order to bring our house up to code to pass inspection for a rental property.  It was the moment I took the pictures off the wall that it really hit me.  We are leaving.

After twelve years in New Jersey, it is like leaving home all over again.  This is our first house- we rented at our last assignment and then lived in military housing for four years here before buying a home.  Noah was eighteen months old when we bought this house and he only remembers living here.  We brought Zoe home to this house after she was born. We have renovated and made it our own.  We have grown as a family in this house. It is ours. It was good to us and now we are leaving it behind.

I am excited about our next adventure and I know we will have a blast living in England, but I cannot forget some of the sacrifices we must make.  We have made some great friends- military and non-military in the last twelve years.  Our neighbors across the street have watched our dog, our children, gathered our mail, watered our plants, and even helped me shovel snow during that crazy winter when DJ was deployed.  I am going to miss them.  They are hilarious- I have blogged at least twice about them- the time we had a water balloon fight across the street and the time Noah off-handedly remarked he would pay them $500 if they painted polka dots on their house.  So, they cut out polka dots and taped them on the outside and asked Noah to pony up.  Great people.  They will be missed.

In March 2005, we had just moved into our new home and I didn't know any of the neighbors yet.  My friends on base had all just either moved away, or were away on lengthy trips home and I was feeling sorry for myself.  It occurred to me that some of my best friendships were forged in high school and college band.  So, I googled "community band" and came up with a group that met just fifteen miles from my house.  I joined and they quickly became like family. As a group, they watched me through my second pregnancy and when Zoe had complications and wound up at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, the outpouring of support and offers of help, meals, etc, was just amazing.  One family in particular adopted us almost immediately.  They live in the same town where we live and invited us over for their family Christmas Eve get-together since we had no family in the area.  We have gone to their house every Christmas Eve since- they even welcomed our family into their house twice when our family was visiting New Jersey for Christmas.  We also spent several Thanksgivings with them and they made a point of taking me out to a special birthday dinner in the dead of winter for my birthday the year DJ was deployed.  They didn't want my birthday to go uncelebrated.  Great people.  They will be missed.

And then there is the neighbor that I know, but not well.  We converse over the fence a la Snuffy and Loweezy Smith chatting with Elviney and Lukey.  And yet, on the Mother's Day DJ was deployed, she showed up at my door and asked if she could borrow my kids for a few minutes.  I agreed and about fifteen minutes later, they came back toting potted flowers for me.  She helped them plant their own flowers in little pots and bring them to me for Mother's Day.  They will be missed too.

I have made some wonderful military friends over the years as well and they have all left me at some point.  This time, I am the one leaving.  A few years ago, I was at a MOPS meeting, sad that the only two friends I had left were leaving soon.  A new girl showed up to the meeting and was assigned to our table.  She sat down and introduced herself- she had a four-month-old baby and said she was just exhausted with the baby and was relatively new to the base and wanted to get out and meet new people.  Her husband worked long hours and she rarely ever got out.  We chatted a little bit, I noticed when I glanced at the roster that it was her birthday that day and I told her happy birthday.  The meeting was over and we both left and went our separate ways.  Two days later, I was at another group setting for mothers of babies and in she walked.  We chatted over the next few months, but never really got together or made plans.  And then, in May, her husband was set to deploy and she invited my kids and I out to the park with her family.  I met her husband at the time and we briefly chatted about Air Force jobs.  My husband was in an entirely different squadron that had nothing to do with what he did. She and I gradually became friends and started hanging out together.  We formed a friendship and then,  one year after that initial meeting and discussion with her husband, in a strange twist, my husband's assignment was changed to the aircraft maintenance squadron.  He now worked with her husband!  They have been in the same squadron together for the past two years and her husband is now my husband's supervisor.  She has watched my kids for me for numerous reasons, provided more than her share of "therapy", "shoulder to cry on", "listening ear" as well as general companionship, friendship, entertainment and always a good snarky remark via text message.   I am going to miss her so much.

I am so thankful for all of the people that have been placed in my life at just the right moment.  I hope that trend continues and that there are awesome people waiting to cross our path in England (or Karyn gets an assignment to England).

I am going to miss New Jersey, Wawa, Jersey Sweet Corn, "down the shore", pizzerias, cheesesteak, The Robin's Nest, being a short train ride away from NYC and my home.  But more than anything- I am going to miss the wonderful people- some New Jersey natives, some just living here temporarily.  I can't believe it is finally our turn to leave.  I have waited for eight years for it to be our turn. Here it is, and it is so bittersweet.