Orders

I'm no stranger to moving. In fact, sometimes I can't believe how many times I've moved. I was born in Georgia, then moved to North Carolina, Indiana, Pennsylvania, back to North Carolina, Vermont, and then back to North Carolina. One thing is for sure- I'm a Carolina girl and I love it here.
I have been with my husband for 11 years, and for 7 of those he has been stationed at Cherry Point, NC. We only moved once, and that was to Vermont for him to complete his college degree. If it were up to me we would stay right here in North Carolina forever. Unfortunately, it is not up to me, it is up to the United States Marine Corps. And they say it's time for us to move. I started thinking about where I wanted move about a year ago. I was dead set on moving to Beaufort, South Carolina, because it was closest to home. My husband has a job that is only at a limited number of bases around the country, so our options were pretty limited. If Beaufort didn't happen though, I was down with pretty much anything except for Okinawa.

It's a bit hard to explain and I hope I'm explaining it correctly, but for career reasons, it was looking most likely that we would be moving to Yuma, AZ. James is now an officer, but he does the same job he did as an enlisted marine. He has a lot of experience in his field and was chosen to be a MAWTS (Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron) instructor at the tactical air operations center in Yuma. Since becoming a marine, he has spent 2 months every fall in Yuma at WTI (Weapons and Tactics Instruction) so he is familiar with the area and how things work out there. Around the time he was offered the position, Cherry Point asked him to stay an extra year. That was tempting, but he ultimately chose the Yuma position because it was a rare opportunity.

We spent months pretty much knowing we would be moving to Yuma but never had official orders until last week. I had done tons of research on the area and already knew where I wanted to live and where I wanted Brady to go to school. The second orders were in hand, I fired off housing and school applications. As of right now it is looking likely that Brady will get a spot at the school (it's a charter school and kids are accepted based on a lottery system). We are also number 3 on the wait list for base housing. James was in Yuma the past two weeks and he took some pictures of the pools on base (with some seriously sweet water slides), the housing, the playgrounds, etc. I have been in contact with some ladies who live there and it seems to be a very tight group. James will be traveling more than ever and it is important that the kids and I feel safe and comfortable. I feel confident we've made the right housing and school decisions. Being secure in those decisions has definitely lessened my anxiety over moving.

Moving to the west coast (not to mention the desert) is a bit scary to me. I envision scorpions, cacti, endless dry desert and unbearable heat. I am trying to remain positive though and want my family to have a really great experience. Here are some interesting things I have discovered about the area:

- Yuma is literally right on the Mexican border. It is also just minutes from California.
- It is the hottest, sunniest city in the country and averages 3 inches of rain per year.
- It is the iceberg lettuce capital of the country and very rich in agriculture.
- It attracts a huge number of snowbirds from up north and Canada every winter.
- The Colorado River runs through Yuma (I was so happy to see this because I am so used to being surrounded by water.)
- There are tons of things to do nearby. Some places I plan to visit are San Diego, Lego land, Disneyland, Phoenix, Las Vegas and of course the Grand Canyon!

While I am dreading the cross-country trip, we plan on doing some sight-seeing along the way. I'm not sure where I want to go, but we are thinking about visiting family in Georgia, stopping in New Orleans and maybe San Antonio.

Unfortunately, we won't be able to my family as often as I would like, but our three years there are sure to fly by. And who knows, we could end up right back at Cherry Point! One thing is for sure, it will be our biggest, most exciting adventure yet.