And we are Moving to...

After ten years in the Marine Corps (6 active duty and 4 as a reservist in college), today was officially J's last day at work as a Marine.  He won't officially be out of the Marine Corps until July 1st but he had a lot of leave saved up and he is allowed to take it all now so he will never go back to the base.  It's a little bittersweet because there were a lot of things that he really loved about the Marine Corps but I think that we are both really looking forward to the next chapter in our lives.  I am very proud of my husband for the service that he has given.  His Marines honored him today with a Navy Com award and a personalized chest (I'm not sure what else to call it so see the pictures) that they made for him.  We have quite a collection of plaques and a wooden AAV model from different units that he worked with but this is definitely the biggest gift that he has received!

Receiving his Navy Com

Shaking hands with the Colonel

The chest his marines presented him with

We are both extremely grateful to have been able to spend the last five years at Camp Pendleton in beautiful San Diego!  We will definitely miss this place a lot.  It has been amazing to have the beach so close to us and also to have perfect weather.  But all things come to an end and now we are looking forward to moving to our new home in..... Enid Oklahoma!  Oklahoma is not a place that I ever pictured myself living and when J first mentioned it I was totally opposed to it but the more I thought about it and did research, the more I got exited about the possibility.  There are definitely a lot of good things about small towns in the mid west! It seems like a great place to raise children.  I have never been to Oklahoma and J has only been for his interview so it will definitely be something new for us.  I feel like since I am from a very small town in Wyoming it shouldn't be a terrible adjustment but going from San Diego to Oklahoma will definitely be a shock.  We will be flying out to do a house hunting trip next week so I am looking forward to seeing where we will be for the next few years!
J was very lucky (though it was largely based on how awesome he is :) ) and he was offered a great job in Enid.  It is such a relief to have the job search over with and to really feel like this is the opprotunity that he was meant to take.  I prayed that we would know which job was the best for J and for our family and I really feel like this is the one that will be the best fit.
J will be starting his new job the last week of June so we don't have much time before we will be moving.  I am so glad that J has the next seven weeks off of work so that we can spend a lot of family time together enjoying the end of our time in California!  It is a little stressful having to move with a baby to a place we have never been with J starting a new career but we have been blessed through everything so I know this will turn out well too!