Well, it's that time again... waiting for new orders. It's ironically somewhat easier, I think, entering into a sea tour than a shore tour, because there are fewer bases as options and you can begin to prepare yourself for what will be, undoubtedly, a lot of time alone as a military spouse. But the transition from sea tour to shore tour can be daunting, and we are in the position right now in which there are over ten bases as options and all of them located in different states across the country.

I have to remind myself sometimes to stay positive in the face of this kind of anxiety, and to make the best of whatever comes. But it is difficult to imagine starting over somewhere else after four years in Virginia. It feels like, when you finally begin to make someplace your home (buying a house, getting a job, adopting a pet, joining a church), that's exactly when "time" is up. As we examine all of our options and pray for the best, I can begin to understand the difficulties involved in a lifelong Navy career. In many ways dealing with the loneliness of deployment was far easier than dealing with the uncertainties of a possible move. On average, a military family moves every one to three years, so I suppose we have been lucky remaining in Virginia Beach for four already! But it is definitely hard to think of building a new life elsewhere. And it is even stranger to try to imagine where we might end up, when this adventure is over--where we might be twenty years from now. I am actually beginning to be envious, for the first time, of "civilian" life, and all that certainty!

But somehow this time of uncertainty coincides nicely with the passing of Valentine's Day, which brought with the the reminder that the only thing certain right now is love, and family. I should count myself fortunate in those respects.

I would like to wish everyone a happy Valentine's Day and send luck to those of you who are going through your own periods of uncertainty or waiting. I would like to end this post today with a John Milton quote: "Tomorrow to fresh woods, and pastures new" in the hope that the next time I write I will have some more information.