October 26, 2011

Guarded and Reserved




"I figured something out. The future is unpredictable."  — John Green  


I know I've been asking mysterious questions and saying cryptic things on elsewhere on the internet lately. I wanted to wait until I had told my parents, and until I had more details straight from the horse's mouth. Turns out, I'll have to wait for those details, and I'm too impatient to not share the big news. I want things to be set in stone before I tell everyone, but we all know it won't be until he's on a plane or a bus somewhere. So nothing definite yet, but here is what we know...

On a Friday, as out of the blue and unannounced as his release letter, Sky got a envelope from the Army again. This time, the letter talked about individual ready reserve and gave him a phone number that he was supposed to call. While I Googled what the heck that meant, he called the career counselor and left a message. We heard nothing back.

On Monday, Sky tried calling the sergeant again, and after chatting with him a few minutes, made an appointment to see him that afternoon. The sergeant had mentioned there was a chance Sky could re-enlist sooner than his "mandatory" 6 months, which would have been around January. For two hours, I nervously bit my nails, paced, and took care of Millie, all the while wondering how the meeting was going. And finally, Sky called me.

He described two options that were offered to him (besides the IRR). Both are for the Army Reserves, but one would mean driving to Chicago or St. Louis every month for drills, while the other was much, much closer to home (finally, he'd be able to come home during drills instead of staying at a hotel somewhere). One job didn't translate well to the civilian world, while the other would give him lots of skills to look for a better job. One would deploy two or three times, while the other would mean a long AIT (i.e., deployment-long to some of you active duty friends) but probably only one deployment. After talking about it, the choice of which MOS he would pick was pretty obvious.

It hadn't occurred to me that anything could change military-wise before his 6 months were up (silly me to think that!). I hadn't really been in the mindset of thinking about change because we still had some time before we had to make any decisions. But suddenly, this option was laid out before us. Sky said the sergeant laughed at the notion of being kicked out over a measly 17 seconds on a PT run. He informed Sky that all he needed was approval from whichever unit he picked, and he'd be able to re-enlist, be given 3-6 months to pass the test (and this, after all the work he'll put in at AIT). A leader from the unit he was leaning towards was there and approved him on the spot. Everything lined up so easily and so quickly. Call it what you're comfortable with, but that speaks of God to me.

We had talked about options for the future for a long time- long before he left the Guard. We had talked about active, Guard, no military- everything. We weighed the pros and cons, but it was all safely in the distance. Remarkably and unexpectedly, this option- this opportunity, really- was all but dropped in our laps.

It is something I've hoped for and been afraid of; it's something I have both desired and dreaded. And right now my heart is full of two emotions- the apprehension of Sky being gone at school for so long (unless Millie and I move there, which is a whole other story), and the overwhelming gratefulness of what this could mean for our family. The monthly drill pay plus the AIT time would mean a huge part of our debts could be paid off, and it would be like we were starting over.

The ramifications of this are too large even for me to understand, and I will write more about it in the coming days, so today I will just stop here.

To briefly sum it all up? Sky was an infantry solider in the National Guard. Then he wasn't. Now it seems he will sign on the dotted line for papers marked 'Reseves'.

And we'll see what happens next.

25 kind comments from you:

Jennifer @ Also Known As...the Wife said...

I had a feeling that's what your tweets were all about. This sounds like a good opportunity for your family. Can't wait to see where it takes you!

Unknown said...

I love that God has things for us that we weren't expecting! I'll be praying that you and Sky have wisdom to make the best decision for your family. And we'll all be here for support:) I love knowing that none of us are in this alone!

Alana said...

Isn't it amazing when God puts opportunities we never expected in front of us? I'll be thinking of y'all as you make these big decisions!

Rachel said...

lots of prayers headed your way as you and Sky make these big decisions and move forward in your lives together.

<3

ms.composure said...

wow. yes my prayers and thoughts are with you! i know how scary that can be. my ex boyfriend and i would have to go through the same thing and it is always an uneasy feeling trying to figure things out esp. when the government is in charge.

http://infinitelifefitness.com
http://mscomposure.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

WOW! That is a whirlwind! I know what you mean was dreading it, but wanting it too. I feel the same way some times about military life. :)

I wish you guys the best of luck!

Skinnie Piggie said...

God is GOOD!

Ashley S. said...

What a great opportunity! I'm so happy for you and Sky! I will pray that things turn out the best for your family.

The New Normal said...

"When one door closes, God opens another one." - I think I say this phrase many times a day, but it is so true!
I will continue to keep you, Sky, and Millie in my prayers as you work through these decisions! :)

Dani said...

Wow! What an opportunity! Keeping you guys in my thoughts as you are making decisions. Best wishes to your family.

Michelle said...

I'm so happy for your family! So happy. I can't wait to hear more and see how you three grow even closer from this experience.

____j said...

That is exciting! So has he chosen his MOS or did I just misunderstand that part? Regardless, this is good news for your family, and I am happy for y'all!

Chantal said...

What a roller coaster! I'm glad you guys are finally hearing something good!

beka said...

ohhh my goodness.
He is so good.
i'm so glad to hear this news! :) :)

Anonymous said...

Wow, big changes! I hope it all works out in the best way possible. Even though my family has just started our journey with the Army I can certainly understand the whirlwind of changes and ups and downs that go along with it.

Kaylee said...

Yay! I am eager to hear how this keeps unfolding, and will continue to be praying for you guys!!!

My Traveling Troop said...

Yay! What an amazing opportunity! Keeping my fingers crossed that you'll have more good news to share soon! Good luck!

Best,
Kristina

Brittney said...

I've been praying for you guys and always have your family in my thoughts! I'm so glad the lord has reached out to you and made all this possible. He has a way of doing things like that...when it's his will all the right doors will open! :) So excited for you guys and I can't wait to read all about this new and exciting chapter in your lives!

Lisa said...

I think it's so amazing and I'm so happy for your family!! I hope things get quickly set for you guys to begin this new journey as a family! Can't wait to hear more!!

Fran said...

Aaah! I'm so happy for your good news! What an amazing opportunity :)

Anonymous said...

I'm happy for you guys!! Can't wait to hear more about the journey!

Anonymous said...

i pray that everything you want to get out of this, is what you get. :)

Jane said...

I am so happy for you all that it seems to be working out and you even are able to get options for the future. Good luck with some tough decisions but everything is going to work out perfectly!

Kathryn said...

Wow girl lots of stuff going on! I am so glad everything is falling into place for you. God is good in that way! :) I understand the emotional roller coaster of it all too as i was just on that for the pre-deployment and also now through the deployment. Praying for peace, and a good outcome for all. :)

JennyTheBeatBoxer said...

HOOOOOORAY!!!!! :) God is so good!! :) SO so so so so good! He's always faithful! I'm so glad for you guys! (as I'm sure you can tell by all the exclamation points!) ;)

Post a Comment