Having always been interested in medicine/healthcare, I opted to return to school to pursue nursing a few years back and was about to begin my senior year in an RN program about 90 miles south of here. Matt and I planned to live apart for his year in UPT, assuming the sacrifice would not be that major considering how little we expected to see him during UPT anyway, and the drive was easy enough to make every other week or so. Well, Matt left for Vance in early July, and by his second visit home, we were realizing the drive and cost (compounded by a $182 speeding ticket for 3mph over the limit), were much more than we expected--AND the kids, particularly our oldest, suffered through a fresh separation every Sunday night/Monday morning.
We were also denied a second housing allowance (the last time we were separated due to my schooling, we received additional BAH, so we assumed the same would happen this time around, however we did not realize that option is pretty much only available when the military member is stationed overseas and the spouse opts to remain/return stateside). Our budget calculation had us at roughly -$500/month living apart and +$1500/month living together, all expenses considered; that realization was definitely the final straw prompting me to put the RN on hold, test for the LPN instead, and move the family in together in Enid, OK.
Living in a military community again, after 2 years in civilian ROTC life, is amazing and refreshing. I love how easy it is to meet people and find playdates for the kids. I love that our housing layout here is very similar to the enlisted housing scheme in the TV show "Army Wives"--where all the backyards open up on one another [separated only by a bike/walking trail]--although thankfully each home here has a dryer hookup! It is wonderful being able to frequent the Commissary and BX again, although I have to remember the whole "no food shopping on Mondays" thing. Hearing Revelry every morning (foolproof alarm clock), the Star Spangled Banner every afternoon, and Tap every night is refreshing and instills a sense of national pride in our children as well.
Stress and car-free walk
through the block with both girls on bikes plus the dog:
Living on a base teeming with cops patrolling every street corner 24/7 and knowing most folks on the installation have passed a basic background check is a breath of fresh air when I step outside with the kids on our walks, and enjoy an evening stroll with Petunia (our dachshund) after lights out. Although I do still need to carry pepper spray to guard against the unbelievable number of leash law violators in the base housing sector (Hana has been jumped on twice [and was not hurt!] and Petunia has had two [thankfully peaceful] encounters, but after having a pup of ours viciously shaken by a neighborhood animal that escaped its flimsy backyard fence, I err on the side of extreme caution and paranoia).
A big difference living on base this time around is that pretty much all the families on the block are guard/reserve. Most of the active duty folks (Matt is active duty) are fresh from ROTC or the Academy, very young, and single. So, for most of our neighbors, this is their first real moving experience with the military. I am very impressed with how friendly and welcoming they are, considering I had attributed the easygoingness of many military spouses to their presumably frequent moves. We have already met some great families that I certainly feel like I have known more than 3 weeks, lol. The hard part of it is that most of them are here for UPT, meaning most of them are here for 1 year, as opposed to the 2-4 year stint you get at most other bases. Oh well, thank goodness for Facebook!
Another thanks to FB is that we also knew, coming into this move, that one of our enlisted friends who we were both stationed with at Misawa Air Base from 2002-2004 (back when Matt and I were still dating!) is now stationed here, too, with her cute little family and young kiddos that our two girls already adore! Definitely a small Air Force! :o)
