It's Official

So...we finally made a decision. After spending a couple of months weighing the pros and cons of me going home for Cam's deployment, we decided that I will come back to live in Florence until he gets out of the USMC. You know what that means...yes...I'll be mooching off Mom and Dad for the next year or so.

I'm not gonna lie, it's a big relief. After our test-run when Cam was at Mojave Viper, I was wiped out! I can't imagine having to stay in Jacksonville all by myself with a baby for 7-13 months. The one weekend I actually stayed home that month left me more exhausted than the drive back and forth from Jacksonville to Florence. Plus, having some type of adult conversation after work will be awesome. I also don't have to worry about Jac having one of his little mini panic attacks when I have to run out to the car to look for something, or heaven forbid...the BATHROOM! I'll be able to take a shower in peace, and if I get sick, I've got a back-up. Not to mention the unlimited baby-sitters and the little "nest-egg" we're hoping to save by me staying here. If Cam is planning on going to school when he gets home (and he is), we're gonna need every extra penny we can get.

Leaving my kids in the middle of they year is tough. They drive me absolutely nuts and I firmly believe that I am not cut out to be a first grade teacher (that is if I am cut out to be a teacher at all), but in all honesty, they are such a sweet group of kids. I know they are going to take the news hard. Kids come and go all the time, and you sort of get used to saying goodbye to them after a while. A good boss, on the other hand, is extremely hard to find. Our principal is so nice (some say too nice). She tries hard to help teachers out (and keep them sane). She's the type of person that you really don't want to disappoint. I finally worked up the nerve to type up my resignation letter and meet with her last week. I was super-nervous and literally sick about it. I didn't want to leave it in her box or on her desk to just "find." I wanted to meet with her and talk about why I made the decision to leave in the middle of a school year. Her reaction was an answered prayer. She was so supportive and actually said that she admired me for putting my family first. She also said that she would be more than willing to write up a letter of reference for me if I choose to work (big relief!). I was so worried that she was going to be angry or that she would try to talk me out of leaving, but instead she gave me a hug and said that she would miss me. Seriously...I have the best boss in the world! Am I a complete idiot for giving all of this up???

So now, my to-do list is getting longer by the second. There are:

assessments and conferences to complete
boxes to pack
furniture to move
utilities to cancel
addresses to change
lessons to plan
storage buildings to scout
Land Rover to sell (anyone interested??? lol)

NOT TO MENTION

baby to feed
diapers to change
clothes to wash
pre-deployment crap to think about

...all the while trying to spend some quality family time with my soon-to-be overseas husband! I don't even want to think about having to tackle this new endeavor without my best-friend and the only person who really understands my warped sense of the world. What the heck am I getting myself into??? Don't get me wrong, I have the most incredible parents for not only LETTING me come home to live, but actually WANTING me to come. I know that sometimes "The Family" (my little mafia) can be a bit suffocating, but I am totally blessed to have their support, no matter what!

Oh yeah, so, since first grade isn't really working out that great for me, (I'm not all about tying shoes, bagging up lost teeth, and sending kids to the nurse's office for a dry change of clothes), I figure I'll try my hand at fifth and take over Kimmi's class when she goes out on maternity leave. I'm sure that I'll have a whole new (and more mature...lol) set of pet peeves to go with it. More to come on that later.

So I guess this is the start to a whole new chapter of my life. A little scary, a little exciting, a lot sad, but at least I'm not doing it alone.