The First of Many Big Days

Yesterday was a big day. Instead of having to wait until the 15th to reserve a job, Asa got to to do it yesterday! They did not have any firefighter positions available, which made us pretty sad. They did not have any of the jobs on Asa's list of possibilities, as a matter of fact. But, luckily his ASVAB scores qualified him for every single job they have, so he had a few options. The two that sounded somewhat interesting were Combat Engineer and a Secret Intelligence job. The Intelliegence job sounded really cool. Asa would get to learn a new laguage, and interpret emails, phone calls, etc. He would get a $20,000 sign-on bonus and have a high security clearance. On the downside, he would be stuck in an office with no windows, just listening. And I think we all know that that doesn't sound like Asa. So, he chose Combat Engineer, with no bonus. The money part is disappointing, but I really think we chose the right thing. He will happier with this job, and it translates into more jobs when he gets out.

So, a Combat Engineer is pretty much the support for the people doing the combat and they help then get to where they need to be. He will be building bridges, tearing down bridges, clearing land, driving big trucks and machinery, handling explosives, and in their words "blowing shit up". That totally sounds more up his alley. So, he leaves November 18th, for boot camp and AIT in Missouri. He will get two weeks off for Christmas, so we will get a little bonus visit that most people don't get if they go to training at a different time of year.

On Monday or Tuesday he goes to have his physical done and meet with a guidance counselor. At that point, they can check one more time to see if they have any opening available in the job he wants. If they do, he can switch. If not, he wants to continue with this one. I really don't want him to feel like he is settling because we are in a hurry for this to happen. But he says he is not and he is excited about this job. We have not gotten really great responses from the people we tell, probably because it has the word "combat" at the beginning. My mom and Joel are supportive, but it seems that everyone else is like "oh..." But I totally support him. If he wants to do a job that starts with "combat" then he should. He will have a gun and he will be with the infantry people, but he is more so there to support and help them.

So, he has been rushing around all day filling out papers and getting things in order. Meanwhile, my to-do list is also getting longer and longer. I honestly don't know how we will get it all done, even with 10 weeks before he leaves. It's so hard to decide what we want to do with everything. My mom has offered to let me live with them while Asa is in training. So, I am excited about that. But then what do I do with our stuff? Should we pay to store everything? Or get rid of the things I don't really want anyway and buy new stuff when we get to where we are going? And where will Kima stay while I live at my mom's? And when should we get rid of Asa's car, since we are buying him a new one once we get settled somewhere? I know he won't need it during boot camp, but in between that and getting stationed somewhere, he might. And when should we get married? And will we be able to afford to go on a family vacation before he leaves? My mind is going to burst.

Any advice, anyone? I'm so excited, yet so overwhelmed.