2 Moves, 3 States, 1 Year

As this year comes to an end, I cannot help but look back and reflect on what a year it has been. In the year 2011, Jordan and I have moved twice, lived in 3 different states, and have met some amazing people. We have officially lived in Florida for 2 months now, and while everything here still feels very new and strange, Virginia somehow seems like a lifetime ago. Our military friends are now spread all across the world, from Kailua, Hawaii to Okinawa, Japan, and despite only being in each other's lives for such a short time, there is definitely a void where that support group and those friendships were. I am so thankful for technology, which allows us all to regularly stay in-touch, follow each other's journeys, and continue to support each other and share information as we all continue to learn the ropes of this, still very new, military life. Despite looking ahead to flight school and moving to Florida for so long, I had no idea how sad I would be to leave our Virginia chapter behind.

Moving to Florida has brought on a whole new set of "firsts" as we have begun to adjust to this new region. While Virginia is technically considered the South, we were in such close proximity to D.C.,  we didn't really have a clue what the SOUTH was until Florida. Despite the culture shock we initially experienced in Virginia (having to take the "highway" in order to get to the nearest grocery store, driving 25 miles to the nearest Trader Joes, missing all of our favorite stores and restaurant chains, especially good Mexican food), complaining about the limited dining and shopping options is now laughable in hindsight! While Pensacola is a neat little city, the little suburb of Milton we live in is, well, COUNTRY! This area of the south isn't just a region, it's a way of life! You quickly find that out when you go into a bar on a Friday night and every single person is decked out in red-from head to toe, yelling "ROLL-TIDE-ROLL" along to the Alabama fight song, which is blaring from the speakers in every corner of the restaurant while the Alabama college game plays on every single tv screen. We are so SOUTHERN now that I even tried FRIED OKRA! I guess I ate my words from my August blog, where I adamantly stated " I will not be trying fried okra anytime soon!!!" (I called my Texas girlfriend up and just had to tell her-she was so excited)

Southern BBQ has now become a regular part of our Jordan's diet. Red Barn BBQ, which is about 5 miles away, is the closest restaurant to us, and Jordan is officially obsessed with it. The reason? All you can eat spare-ribs for $11.99. A few weeks ago, Jordan wanted to head to the Barn AGAIN for lunch, and I just refused to go anymore. Well 2.5 hours later, my very happy and very full husband returned from lunch.  He ate 3 racks of spare ribs himself! I am just waiting for the day when they choose to enforce the "We Reserve the Right to Refuse Service to Anyone" sign!

Here are a few of our other favorite memories of adjusting to our new life in Florida:

* The Blue Angels are EVERYWHERE! From freeway overpasses to water towers, Pensacola, Florida is the home base for the Blue Angels. Most days Jordan drives on base with his sunroof open so he can watch the Blue Angels flying overhead. As him and his friends finish class for the day, they often find themselves sitting on the back of someone's truck bed, watching the planes practice over the beach.

*Although we have heard about the infamous white sand beaches for a long time, we were really shocked at how white the sand really was. When the water washes over the sand, it almost has a snow-like quality!

* Houses are built on stilts here! We thought it was the weirdest thing when we came across these houses online house-hunting, but after coming here and seeing how close to sea level most of the land is, houses on stilts don't even phase us anymore and have become another normal sight!

*Guthrie's sells GOLDEN FRIED chicken, not GLUTEN FREE food! We were driving around, exploring our new town and looking for a place to eat (especially one that would work for Jordan's Paleo diet) when I excitedly yelled at Jordan to make a U-turn! I was so shocked and so excited when I saw Guthrie's Gluten Free restaurant in our little country town of Milton, FL...we were quite perplexed when we got inside and started reading the menu. Whoops-guess I read that sign wrong!

* Not only were we excited at the novelty of chopping down our own tree this year, we couldn't believe that we were able to purchase a 9.5' tree for $18! How much did you pay again mom?????

*We have found that Florida has the absolute NICEST people! We absolutely LOVE our neighborhood. Every single person waves as they pass you, whether they are driving by or be it a kid riding his bicycle around the block! We even had a neighbor, drop his family off, and circle back around to offer his help as we were moving in!

Transitioning from a Marine Corps base to now being stationed at a Navy Base, has also been interesting. The base in general is a lot more laid back, and well, NICER! The gyms (there are at least 4 on NAS Pensacola alone) are state of the art. They even have new treadmills with digital screens and ipod docs, and all group exercise classes are free!  Instead of having one small exchange (military version of a small department store), the Navy has a whole "mall." We are also enjoying the added perk that the Navy issues all of Jordan's flight gear, which means we don't have to pay for all his uniforms and gear as we have had to in the past (military uniforms and equipment are quite pricey). However, after Jordan finishes flight school, we will be stationed back at a Marine Corps Air Station, so we are enjoying all these added perks of the Navy's big budget while we can!

This move has felt a bit like starting all over again from square one! We are in a new place, with another unique culture, on a new type of base, and starting over making new friends! However, the Marine Corps is a relatively small community, and 12 families we knew from Virginia also moved down to Florida. Some were here only temporarily for AMS (Aviation Maintenance School), but the majority are here for flight school. And although we are spread out over a 50 mile distance between Naval Air Station Pensacola and Naval Air Station Whiting Field, we all reunited for the Marine Corps Ball last month, and are able to support each other and our husbands as they take on their next adventure in flight school.

Jordan and I have learned and grown a lot this past year. Our journey so far has really shown us what a small world it is: that family and friends are only a plane ride away (and now just a short drive in Florida), which makes living on the other side of the country not as overwhelming as we had initially thought, and that wherever we are stationed, we will have a part of our Marine Corps family with us!

So here's to 2011-and all the amazing memories and friends we made along the way, and looking forward to 2012 and all the wonderful blessings and adventures it will bring!