My Nations Call Pt. 2

 Here is what Tech training for the Cyber Transport Systems as we finished up (all based on our experience and current knowledge):

It's broken down into three, now completed, classes:

1.  IT Fundamentals  November 30th 2020 - January 6th 2021
2. Cyber Transport Systems January 11th 2021 - April 13th 2021
3. Security Plus April 21st-May 25th 

Out Processing: 

This outline was finished on or by May 26th 

• Leave in Route - Was updated as follows take transportation from base to Gulfport, MS airport, fly home May 27th on Delta with one stop in Atlanta, GA and then the arrival time in Arizona at 1:38pm.  
  

Then take leave until June 9th 2021. The kids and I had written our a whole list of things we wanted to do with Da Beast when he got back which included:

Getting Ice Cream

Going to the Movies

Going out for Breakfast

Getting Donuts

Date Night!

Baby put on her list to have a date with daddy, eat cheese, wear sunglasses, and drink juice so Da Beast asked her out on a date to do all of those things together! 

Get coooookies!

Get pizza for our home remembrance dinner

• Government Assisted Moves (Packing and moving your household items from one place to the next)- Set for the first day of travel on June 10th for pack up. The week before they sent us email reminders and a list to estimate what kind of things they were going to need to pack. A day to two days before they text and called the time window we should expect the movers to arrive. From our understanding they will then move our things from our apartment to a storage location on Beale AFB since we don't have housing on base yet nor had we at the time heard back from them yet. 

• Seven Days of allotted travel with a mandatory break every 8 hours or 500mi, we can never seem to remember the amount we just knew we had to stop roughly around L.A. and we took the opportunity to make a vacation out of our break by stopping along the way:

Mariposa (butterfly) Alley in Riverside, CA 

The wall across from us was really bright, ha ha. 

We drove the rest of the way to Los Angeles checked into the hotel and then went to bed to get some rest for the next morning when we were going to Universal Studios! With two old tickets from last year, the kids tickets having never been printed, and the new COVID guidelines we were unsure how it was all going to work out but we were very blessed. Our tickets were reprinted with no problem but the kids tickets were difficult to find so a manager had to bring us to guest services where they were still difficult to find. While waiting I looked at the newly printed tickets and the blackout dates were different this year than last year. Last year said we could go on the 12th of June, the new tickets said every weekend in June but the 26th was blacked out. Once the kids tickets were found and printed the manager said that everything was good with the tickets and asked if this was our first time back. We said yes and she personally walked us through the gate and also handed us express passes to get onto the Secret Life of Pets ride quicker for the difficulty we had in getting the kids tickets. We couldn't believe it! We were in Universal studios and our first ride we wanted to go onto was Jurassic World! 

Bubba was tall enough but Baby had to wait and so we got to do parent switch on the ride and Caleb got to go twice. The ride was 130min wait normally but the nice woman at the express lane must have felt bad for Baby having to wait that long not just once but twice with nothing to do (they have a dinosaur playground right next to it but it was still closed) because she let Da Beast and Bubba through the express lane. I thought I might just cry from how blessed we were already for the day!

After we went on Jurassic World and then Transformers that everyone could go on it was time for lunch:

At the three broomsticks of course! Bubba loved the butter beer!

For the rest of the day we only went on rides that everyone could go on like Despicable Me, Secret Life of Pets, and a ride a Super Silly Funland and even watched a few shows that Bubba complained about at first but ended up loving like Water World: 

We decided to end out day with a very long wait for the well worth it studio tours. Our tour ended up leaving right at sunset and it was an awesome time to go but next time we might go first thing in the morning when the line is much shorter! 

On our way out we bought a doughnut at Lard Lad's to eat the next day...

It was pretty delicious and "dough" not worry we shared with the kids too 😜. For most of Sunday we just sat in the hotel and rested taking the children to the park for a little bit in the afternoon since they were going a bit stir crazy. On Monday we left the hotel first thing in the morning and drove two hours to a cute little town called Solvang: 

We ate breakfast at a cafe, walked through the chocolate and candy shops, bought some cheese and sourdough bread, and saw some cool clocks and a little mermaid statue. 

• Base Housing & Housing Application - Just before we arrived to Beale on the 12th or 13th we found out we were 6th place for housing now and will be checking into temporary housing through Gold Country Inn by Air Force Inn's which we checked into Monday the 14th 2021 for the next two weeks.      

  

What's Next?

On our way to Los Angles Bubba had mentioned that he wanted to go home which confused Da Beast and I a little. He knew we were moving. We've been prepping him for this for a long while and he knew that our home was going to be in California now. In fact he told everyone on our trip after that comment that we were moving. It wasn't until day two of being in temporary housing that I also had the  thought, "I want to go home". It's feeling like a long vacation where you get to the point where you've had your fun but now you're ready to go home. It was in that moment I understood. 'Home' really isn't a place because if it was it didn't matter where we were because we were moving and we've had places to stay. It's a feeling of safety, consistence, and familiarity. When Bubba said he wanted to go home and when I felt it it wasn't that we didn't understand we were moving or that we wanted to "go back" to where we left (although that might be a part of it because of the familiarity, safety, and consistency we felt there). It was because we felt the sudden severing of all we knew, of all the familiarity, safety, and consistency we felt. 

We were called here for duty, obligation, and desire but we are still trying to figure out our place not only in residency but socially and our new community. Not knowing which community to add our loyalties too or where we're going to reside increase those feelings of insecurity and the misplaced emotions have waved their flags high. There is a sense of desperation clouding the inspiration and sucking out the excitement of being somewhere new. 

Only after two days here I felt as though Beale, AFB was rather boring and I guess I expected something different because I felt a bit disappointed. I also acknowledged that we had only been here a few days and I'm not giving it much of a chance. It only took us that two days to walk the 8 minutes from temporary housing to the commissary and BX which wasn't much to look at and is a good majority of what you can "see" of base. 

The most exciting thing we saw on that walk was a very large rabbit the likes of which we thought was a small dog at first:

There is a movie theater across from the BX, playing four shows (two of which I doubted were children's movies). There is also a park in the family base housing on the other side of the base that we haven't seen yet but we've been a little busy trying to figure out where we're going to live after our two weeks is up at the temporary housing. 

After staying on base for a week and driving around to the nearby towns/ cities searching for houses to rent we started familiarizing ourselves with the area. I found out a few things that I've been loving about base and will miss when we will more than likely move off of it due to the waiting list for on base housing being a bit long. Those things include taps playing at 10 in the evening, Da Beast being able to come home for lunch, and the cheaper gas prices on base 😉. But that last one can easily still be used because Da Beast will be taking the car into work every weekday anyway. 

A few things we are glad we brought with us and what we wish we would've packed with us: 

What we Brought

• A step stool: This has been very handy in the hotel and temporary housing. In fact Da Beast and I have wondered why we haven't ALWAYS brought a step stool with us to every hotel we've gone too. It helps the kids reach the sink and there are never stools available for when you might need to reach something. 
• Food containers (especially kids sandwich containers): the temporary housing has food containers but the hotel does not and while traveling they have been a few of my favorite things to bring anyway because I can store leftover food AND reheat them in the microwave at the hotel so much easier! Plus it's easier to hand the children their food at lunch and snack times and it's easier for them to eat out of. 
• Two kids small backpacks full of their toys: This has been a lifesaver especially as we sit here in the temporary housing. Its been something I do for travels too just so they have a few toys to play with. 
• One set of our own bedding: this hasn't been necessary in the temporary housing but at the hotel it gave us extra bedding as we also brought sleeping mats for the kids and because I packed sheets and pillows as well it gave the kids something to lay on besides just the mat. When we got to temporary housing I just put their sheets over the other sheets for the past week and all I had to do was take of their sheets and throw them in the wash today and wallah! The bed was already made for me with the temporary housing bedding!
• Our food: I'm pretty sure they're not allowed to pack up the perishables anyway but I'm really glad I had necessities such as olive oil, flour, and seasonings. 
• Laundry baskets: these are one of those things that you wouldn't think to bring on a trip but they have been very helpful in carrying our more loose items in the car, carry in the groceries from the store, and to sort laundry and take them out of the dryer.  
• A different pair of shoes: instead of just tennis shoes all around I also brought dress up shoes and sandals for the children and I and Da Beast wishes he also brought different pairs of shoes. 

Things we Wish We Had:

• Reusable water bottles: I actually had planned to do this but before I knew it they were packed into a box and we bought new ones. 
• Children plates, bowls, utensils, and cups: These aren't super necessary but all they provide are breakables in temporary housing which makes me just a little more nervous. The kids are doing a really good job with the breakables but I'd be more at ease if I had kids plates, bowls, utensils and cups. 
• A few blankets: It may be about a hundred degrees outside everyday but sometimes it gets a little cold inside and a few blankets would have been nice but also not necessary. 
• Our X-box: There is "TV" in the temporary housing but the channels are VERY limited and there really isn't anything for the kids. Plus we wish we had some video games to play every now and then. Alongside this we wish we had an HDMI adapter to easily connect what we have to the larger monitor to watch what we want. 
• A dish drying rack: this is not a necessary item to have but I think it would have been nice to have because the hotel had nothing for that (but we didn't stay long enough to need to wash anything) and the temporary housing only has given us one towel. Having a drying rack would be nice for the smaller load of dishes that don't need the dishwasher. 

Things I Bought: 

• Refrigerated food (of course) as well as some bread, crackers, bananas, and onions. 
• Laundry soap pods
• Ice cream scoop
• Tongs 

Well that's it for now! 

Off to find a place to call home! 

XOXO

Megan 

Next blog post: Fly, Fight, Win! 

My Nations Call Pt.1

*This blog post covers the time from April 22nd to May 22nd and here's why...

Remember how hopeful the last blog sounded with the graduation from Da Beasts third and final class being projected May the Fourth? How I even thought Star Wars day would be the perfect day to graduate for him not only because of the famous saying "May the Force be with you" and it being the Air Force but also because that would mean he would be home by his birthday and mothers day and we wouldn't have to wait another month. Well is you couldn't tell by the way I worded all that, it didn't happen like that. 

Da beast was super bummed right away but I was still optimistic, at least for that first week in May, and then I got hit hard with emotions the weight of a ton of bricks. I think what really did it in for me was the thought: "I have no plans. I didn't plan this far ahead." I literally left the first few weeks of May wide open to just be experienced. I wanted to just have some fun as a family and get ready for our move. Instead I was left with the thought, "Now what?" It wasn't that I was bothered with continuing life the way it had been, it was that I had already moved on to the next step. 

I still tried to cling onto some hope by thinking that I didn't need to "wait" for things to happen to make plans. That even though it seemed like I might not have much choice with when Da Beast would be coming home but I could choose what I did with any time that I had to wait, which on May 5th-8th I didn't know when that could be, everything had to change now. The next security+ class that he could take was scheduled for the 11th which put his next test on the 25th. We weren't sure how that would work out with him needing to report no later than May 31st. 

May 9th, Da Beast decided he'd pay for the test himself and take it again because it gave him the chance to come home earlier than the 26th or 27th with his new current schedule, but if he didn't pass it wasn't going to get in the way with him taking the test again on the 25th. It seemed like a risk worth taking. When he didn't pass that it solidified the *new* current schedule.         

Here is what Tech training for the Cyber Transport Systems has looked like for us so far (This is all based on our experience and current knowledge):

It's broken down into three classes:

1.  IT Fundamentals  November 30th 2020 - January 6th 2021
2. Cyber Transport Systems January 11th 2021 - April 13th 2021
3. Security Plus April 21st-

We got the next duty assignment & Short Sheet about January 21st 2021 to Beale, AFB with the reporting date changed to no later than July 30th 2021 but we'll be heading up to Northern California sooner than that. Or at least that's what I hoped for. The next few weeks would prove to be a challenging time for my spirit.

Da Beast is still in his third and final class.

This class lasts about two weeks starting the 11th putting his test and graduation May 25th. Shortly after he submits his test he finds out if he passes or not and with the extra time to report to Beale we still have the two weeks of leave (in route) and then 7 days of travel.  

Out Processing: 

The steps involved in out processing (everything you need to do in order to leave your current base) involves your short sheet (which you can read more about on my previous blog).

This list then branches out into other items that need to be accomplished based off our your current situation before leaving base. For our family this meant additional TMO briefings more specific to: 

• Leave in Route - This isn't updated from the original dates until he passes his test but will most likely be taking transportation from base to Gulfport, MS airport and flying home May 26th.       
• Government Assisted Moves (Packing and moving your household items from one place to the next)- dates also aren't changed for this until he passes his test, but my guess was for packing up on the 4th of June. From our understanding they will then move our things from our apartment to a storage location on Beale AFB since we don't have housing on base yet.    
• Base Housing & Housing Application - This was only talked about in the TMO briefing but required us to seperatly go to the base housing website and submit an inquiry. They then called Da Beast with more information as well as sent him, you guessed it, more paperwork for the application process via email. Also in the email they detail what's included in the home, what you need to provide for yourself, and a little bit about the community and surrounding area. I don't know why but I was surprised by how similar it was to filling out applications for living in apartments. We currently have no idea what place we are in for housing now.       

Other items that need to be finished before leaving base (all of which was pretty much accomplished before his first test so he didn't have much left to do besides pack up and buy plane tickets):

• Any other out processing paper work and finalizing the above dates and routes 
• Close out mail box 5 days prior to leaving, which he already did before taking his first test and he just left it that way. 
• Be signed off on PT score
• Buy plane tickets 
• Get rid of/sell/ship/pack up belongings 

What else is about it?

Before Da Beast took his test on the fourth I fasted and prayed that he'd pass his test and come home and so did many others. That fast I was grateful for the power and opportunity of fasting in numbers. Knowing I wasn't alone or sacrificing alone was a comfort to me despite how the outcome wasn't as I expected. Before Da Beast took his second test I fasted and prayed again although this time I changed my perspective. I didn't fast for him to pass, my heavenly parents and I both knew that was going to happen although my vision of it was a lot more limited and my faith on that, I felt, faltered. I prayed and fasted for the assistance to "let go and let God". I knew that was what I needed to do, I knew that the way it turned out would be the best way and better than I could imagine or expect, and I knew Da Beast would pass his test despite how I was at war within myself on whether that was true or whether I was imagining it. If I knew all these things why was I holding on so hard to my ideals?! Not only could I seemingly not "let go" but I was also frustrated with myself that I wasn't! The answer to that fast and prayer was that is exactly why I was going through what I was: I was being tested. 

All of the answers to my questions began to tie together into a more cohesive thought on the tenth after I participated in a class I'm in called, "Joyful and Spiritual Birth" by Melissa Stoker which I was talked into taking by a friend and I decided "why not?" and decided to take it with her. The class is every other week and every single time I go to participate in the zoom call something happens that makes it more challenging for me to even arrive whether that be physical like a earlier time when I'm putting the kids to bed alone or a more mental such as wondering why I'm in a birthing class when I'm not pregnant, nor plan on being pregnant anytime in the future. 

As I was preparing for this birth class and again reflecting on the difficulty of participating in the class and wondering why I'm even in it I had a few thoughts, the first being, “I’m refining you.” Refinement is often related to that of precious stones where they take the raw element and then cut it, heat it, pressurize it, fill up any fractures caused by the impurities that have been removed which then leaves holes, and then polishing them. I’m sure no stone, if they could talk, would say this is a painless process by any means. I would also doubt any jeweler would tell you the process is "quick and easy".  

The second thought I had was that of following all the steps in this class. I’ve felt from the beginning that it isn’t necessary. This class, for me, is to help me in this refining process; not to prepare me for birth or another child but to guide me in areas I need to understand better; to take out the impurities and replace them with light, much like the tourmaline crystal which actually starts out very dark and then through light and heat is lightened in color. This class is more than just a birth class for mother and baby. This is a birth class for emotions and to increase spiritual connection. Both of which cannot work without the other just like mother and baby work together during physical birth. For me this meant that I'm going to take the class for how I need it all while having the support and insights from the group which have been spectacular. A few takeaways from this class were:

• I am not just a bystander to my life, waiting for things to happen, I am a partner with God in my life. With him I can decide what is next, especially when things don’t seem to go the way I expected. There is always a next step even if I don’t see it right away. I hold a powerful responsibility in my decisions even when others are involved.
• My experiences these past weeks have been teaching me how to discern these “voices” in my head: My own, the spirits, and the adversaries. There was even a specific moment when I was talking to my friend, who introduced me to this class, last week when it hit me: the thoughts I was having we're not my own. They were of the adversary. He knew he couldn’t shake me knowing that God was going to take care of my family and that we would be together again when Dax passes his test. So he used it against me which was unclear at first. Before and during my fast and prayers I would have thoughts such as “who am I to ask God for this? Who am I to tell God what I desire in my life when he is all knowing and already has a plan for me?” Once I realized it was a thought from the adversity it no longer had its power over me. Instead he has moved on to find more thoughts to twist and turn like “see? Dax is not passing his test. He’s failed twice. He’s failed you. He can’t support you so you shouldn’t support him. He’s not going to pass. You are going to continue to do this alone for even longer. You just give up your faith and the hope that it’ll ever happen”. As I continued to recognize this thoughts and disown them the power was taken away and the adversary no longer held that power over me until he found another angle to attack such as guilt for the thoughts I had or shame that I doubted God and his plan now. I was in the depths of a fight I struggled to believe I'd win but I kept pushing forward hoping that I would and I'd eventually find my relief.

Following this class I began to feel as though I was gaining more ground on my feelings and faith; I felt more relaxed and at peace; and I also realized after some time that I had finally let go and could now see the God's plan being put into place. I continued to make plans and try to soak up every minute of it because I felt it wasn't going to be too much longer before they all became memories. As I scheduled as far out in advance as was possible I began to see even more why Da Beast hadn't passed the first few times and why we needed to stay: I was learning, once again, that there are more than just my plans and desires in play. God creates the most beautiful balance of care between all their children .I was reminded that this work involves many, not just me. They do what is best for all not just the one. It was another confirmation to me that our Heavenly Parents truly love and care for each one of us individually, even on subconscious terms we may not have even given any thought to but we were grateful to receive it and during that time realize it was more important to us than we could've known. Such as a unexpected call from a son in Basic Military Training the day before your birthday,

more attendees to a graduation you didn't originally think was that important but it ended up meaning the world to you,

intense gratitude to a sister who was available to watch your children even though you initially dreaded asking her because she has so much else to do but it ended up blessing you both more than you ever thought, safety in knowing your sister is nearby during a time when you were scared and unsure, 

time with a friend at the park that you had first met and not thinking anything of it until you sit and reminisce with them,

extra time with a great grandmother to which you understand that there is always a chance that it could be the last, and being able to be certain that with this new schedule there would be no way you'd miss out on most of your friends and families schedules being perfectly aligned to surround you with their love and congratulations

 as well as being available to hold that new niece on her blessing day.

This thought became much more clear when I was in the next "Joyful Spiritual Birth" class held on the 24th of May when there was an excerpt from her booklet that said, "This is not just my experience it is our experience". Of course it was talking about how in pregnancy and birth the mother holds space for the body and spirit of another child of God. The woman's body then becomes a vessel that not only holds the spirit of the mother but the body and spirit of the child as well. So, in birth, it is not just the experience of the mother it is also the experience of the child. I interpreted this on a larger scale for myself while I had been reminded of the vastness and complexities of God: this is not just "me" it is "us". This birth class has made me realize the more I participate in it that it's not just for preparation for birth it is preparation for life situations. These are fundamentals girls to women should know, in my opinion, because they are the foundations of who they are. In fact I think anyone could gain something from these excerpts because it's a birth story with no beginning or end. The only thing that makes it more predominate knowledge for the female gender is because birth happens through them. 

“For a Few hours she becomes a wide-open portal into Heaven”- Heather Ferrell; the The Gift of Giving Life  

So why did I wait to write this blog? Well I've been posting on the 22nd or 23rd for the past 8 months and Da Beast would be taking his test only a few days after that. Honestly I didn't want to write a blog post that would be depressing and unsure. I wanted to be able to write a blog post that said, "Hooray he passed!" But then once the day came where Da Beast was to take his test I then found I ran out of time and now looking back I see the beauty that was there the whole time. 

So instead of one blog post this month I'll be writing two posted on the same day. 

XOXO

Megan

Next Blog Post: My Nation's Call Pt.2