A new year a new life!! (Jan 09)

In March 1999 I left for Basic Military Training for the Air Force. I flew to San Antonio and started my six week adventure. In April when I graduated, I was sent to Witchita Falls, TX for my training school. In June I was lucky enough to get stationed in Panama City, FL! When I arrived there and started my career in the Air Force, I never knew it would lead me to where I am now. I joined the AF to earn money for college so I enrolled in college shortly after arriving in FL. I thought I would get my bachelor's degree quickly and then get out of the AF. Boy was I wrong...

As time passed, I enjoyed the AF and decided I would probably make it a career. I took some time off school after earning my AS degree and had two wonderful children. In Octoer 2005 I went back to school to start on my BS. All along, I intended on making the AF a career and had hopes of applying and getting accepted to Officer Training School. In November 2006 everything changed....

I was deployed to Iraq and had to leave my beautiful boys behind with their dad...who I was now separated from (marriage and distance). It was there that I met a great mentor who guided me in the break up of my marriage. He told me to try and work it out for the kids but, if it wasn't working or I was happy, "have the courage to walk away." I returned from Iraq in April 2007 and tried to make my marriage work. It was probably only a few days home that I realized it wasn't working. I had some major life decisions to make...

My major decision was to leave my husband and start a life on my own for myself and my boys. It wasn't fair to them to see Mommy and Daddy unhappy. After this change, living on my own, and thinking about being a single mom again, I decided the AF was just not right for me anymore. I worried so much about their dad, who remained in the AF, getting a job somewhere else and moving. If I was active duty too, I wouldn't be able to just pick up and move to keep the kids together with their dad and me. Plus, what if I was relocated and the same situation happend. So, I made the decision to get out....

All of that lead to Jan 1st 2009. This was my first day of terminal leave...which is using all the earned leave you had saved. My last day working on active duty was December 31st. I couldn't believe how perfectly it worked out that my first day as a "civilian" was Jan 1st. This is what I called a new year and a new life. I was not officially a civilian until February 22nd but, I did not put my uniform on again after December 31st. I sat at home and waited for job offers. Who would have known 2009 would have brought so many changes....

Continue to read my blog for the next few weeks to learn more about my "new year and new life"....