Let the Countdown Begin...

...Until we're back on U.S. soil, that is! We officially got word yesterday that we'll be PCS'ing (relocating, in human terms) to sunny South Carolina this coming April. We're extremely, extremely happy, as that is where Jeff's little ones are. We can finally be a bigger (and more regular) part of their lives and poor Jeff will finally get some sleep. With the time difference, his weekly Wednesday night phone calls usually put him in bed well past his bedtime. ;) We're really very excited to finally be reunited with them and settle down for the next few years in one spot. We love and miss those little guys so, so much and just can't wait to be there for so many of the things you look forward to in a child's life - the first day of school, school plays, report cards, helping with their math homework (although, I'd be a hopeless disaster in this arena), and the all-important PTA meetings. Even though I'm "just the step-mommy", I love those kids more than I could have ever imagined and truly look forward to having them reunited with their daddy, whom they miss dearly.

I, on the other hand, as excited as I am to be moving forward in our lives (and in a positive light no less), have been furiously scouring web page after web page for potential job prospects. Ugh. I'm finding this is definitely not one of my strong points - dealing with potential employers, that is. Since I used to don the ol' cammo suit myself, I never really needed to find employment. So, this should be interesting. On top of that, I'm taking this next year to really prepare myself for applying to grad school - I'm applying next year (for the fall '09 semester) to USC-Columbia for their Speech Pathology program. I think I've finally pulled my head out of my ass, maybe even grown up a bit (I said "a bit"), and found what I really want to do with my life. So, we'll see how that pans out. Wish me luck!

Along with finding me a job in the sleepy town of Sumter, we're going to work our arses off to get Jeff back up in the airplane - where he belongs! If all goes as it should (since he's healthy as a horse), he'll be back up flying the friendly skies in one of these pupppies:

We'll see. He's got way too much time and heart invested in his passion for flying to let some doctor tell him that he can't fly. It's pure crap. And we're going to do what we can to fix that.

Needless to say, however, we won't be making the trek across the big, blue pond to SC in one of those contraptions - Cool? Yes. Fun to fly in? Yes. Fun to fly in for 4,000+ miles with the jet fuel stench permeating your clothes, hair and burning the insides of your nose? No. I'm thinking the Air Force needs to send us off in style...like this, perhaps?

Hey, a girl can dream, right?

...."I'm flyin' first class, up in the sky...a bottle o' champagne, livin' the life...."

(Yep, you'll be singing that one all day now - you can thank me later.)