Happy Endings

Oh how times are changing. In a matter of days, Justin and I were thrown into the rush of moving. Scheduling the movers to come, figuring out what we are going to do with the 6 days we have nothing in our house, but can't move yet, I'm updating my resume' and making meetings to hopefully get myself a job down in Corpus. All this mess is stressful, sad, exciting, etc. Friday marked one of first set of goodbyes. It was my last day as a counselor at the Youth Center.

I've said this before and I'll say it again. Never have I worked at a place where I like my boss, my coworkers, and the kids all at the SAME TIME! God really blessed me by giving me this job. It's actually hard to express in words how grateful and humbled I feel about this job.

First of all, the overall atmosphere of the Youth Center is an awesome one. I loved having the freedom to work with kids on a one-on-one basis, in groups, and also have a lot of fun along the way!

This picture was taken on Worldwide Day of Play. We had a bunch of games for the kids and the more games they played, the more tickets they got. With their tickets, they could buy prizes or...shove a pie in a counselors face. It was a lot of fun and we were all great sports.

This was for Pink Out Day in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Week. The counselors all joined in on the fun, and we had a great day eating pink food, painting our nails pink, and even spraying our hair pink with the kids!

When I think of this job, the saying "it's quality not quantity" comes to mind. When I started this job, I knew I wouldn't be there more than 6 months and could therefore not get very attached. Boy was I wrong. Having to leave this wonderful group of kids was just as hard on Friday as it was for me leaving my group of kiddos at Cross Timbers in Owasso (hi guys!). I tried to prepare myself for an emotional day and I was blown away by the kindness that was showed to me. First...

My sneaky coworkers had a surprise party for me! I've never had a surprise party before so I was so excited. Also, we at the Youth Center are pretty big on cookie cakes. So my surprise party was full of fruits, veggies, Diet Dr. Pepper (of course) and this delicious cookie cake! It was a great start to the afternoon and I managed to get through it without crying.

On a side note, my dad passed on this little story to me and he had it framed. It's a great reminder to me of how important the little things can be and never get discouraged about helping people, even if it's just a few...

One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed
a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean.

Approaching the boy, he asked, "What are you doing?"

... The youth replied, "Throwing starfish back into the ocean.
The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them back, they'll die."

"Son," the man said, "don't you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish?
You can't make a difference!"

After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish,
and threw it back into the surf. Then, smiling at the man, he said, "I made a difference for that one."

by: Loren Eisley

Now, I think I mentioned this story to my boss once. I talked about how I have my little "starfish" here at the Youth Center and even though I know I can't help them all, maybe I can make a difference for a few. Well, we were all called into the gym because everyone had something to give me...

Everyone at the Youth Center (coworkers and kids) had made their own little starfish and put made this pretty beach background. They made it to show and remind me that I have made a difference in ALL of their lives. Let's just say, my eyes were not dry when I saw this. I was unbelievably touched and I don't think they know how much this means to me. I will definitely keep in forever.


Not only did I make a difference in their lives, but they made a difference in my life as well. For 5 months I was surrounded by military kids and wives. Hearing the kids stories and seeing their positive attitude made my job such a humbling experience. The way I see it, if they can do it, then certainly I can do it!


I've worked with kids for over 8 years now and it's never easy saying goodbye. However, even as I was driving home that night, belongings cluttering my car, tears rolling down my face, I have a sense of peace because I know that I am still doing what I'm meant to do and my heart is in the right place.


So, thank you to everyone at the Youth Center for giving me an experience I will never forget! My next job will definitely have a hard time topping this one!


P.S. Megan...you're THE BEST ;)

Track Select!

Although Justin's track select was 2 weeks ago (see previous blog post), all of the Air Force dudes of class 12-12 had their track select yesterday. Although the Air Force guys don't move anywhere different after track select, it's still a big deal. Therefore, they make a whole day out of it! And it was a blast! First, the class had a breakfast for them, IPs, family, and spouses. Next, we got to go on tours of the flight line AND THEN I got to fly one of the simulators!

T-6 up close and personal! I thought this was so cool because they don't allow unauthorized people on the flight line. This is what Justin has been flying the last 5 months.

Then we got to go on the catwalk on the base tower. It was quite a climb! Just an incredible view though! T-6 nation! Planes constantly taking off and landing. Pretty neat!!

This is the closest I'll ever get to flying in a T-6 ;)

My favorite part! I got to fly a legit pilot training flight simulator! And I did a pretty good job too! 

What a fun day it was! Not everyone gets the opportunity to do and see the things I did. But, I guess it's just another....day in the life of a navy wife :)

New Year...New Location

I know that I hoped for a calmer year than the previous. However, I also knew that a move was upon us. Military life is always there to keep you guessing. A remember a few months ago when Justin and I were on our Friday night dinner date, he said that he was almost 100% positive of where our move would take us. I immediately told him to keep his mouth shut and to not tell anybody where he thought we were going because if I knew the navy, we would end up going somewhere completely different...

In December, Justin became T-6 complete. Hallelujah!! I thought we would know within days where our next destination would be. Alas, the navy decided that there would be no more track selects for the 2011 year. We would have to wait until the beginning of January...

In the meantime, we enjoyed time with family and friends, I kept up my work at the Youth Center, and Justin enjoyed a few weeks of well-deserved off time. We watched movies, played on our XBox and Kinect, and I figured out how to work my Nook. As relaxing as it was, I still yearned to know where we would be next...

Finally! 2012 was upon us! We rung in the new year in style...

Now there was only a couple more days to wait. Oh, the anticipation is killing me! Is it killing you as your reading this post?

Now, the day is upon us. I've had butterflies in my stomach all morning. Hoping and praying that Justin got what he wanted. You just never know. Then, at 11:12 AM, I got the call....

"Baby. We're headed to Corpus Christi. I selected P-3."

Oh, joy! My eyes got all misty. I'm just so excited and happy that Justin got what he wanted and believe it or not, we are headed EXACTLY where he thought. Justin starts training quick, so we will be headed out of Enid in a few weeks. Lots to do, but I'm excited for the adventure that lies ahead! Although a bittersweet time, I hate change. I'm not looking forward to saying goodbye to the kids and my coworkers at the Youth Center, I cringe at the thought of not having friends or family within a 1 or 2 hour drive. However, I'm excited to see what lies ahead for me and for Justin in Corpus Christi. I get to live by a beach for the first time ever AND my Nana and Doman are currently in South Padre Island, which is just a few hours away from Corpus. So, I'M READY!!

I want to thank everyone who has supported us so far. You all are the best! Now, I want to know how many of you skipped to the end to find out where we were going ;)