Basic Training & Birthday Surprises

     Sorry I haven't been on in a little bit but I was spending time wit my husband before he shipped off to basic training. So let me catch you up on how that process went...
Saying goodbye to your man at MEPS is long and drawn out you sit and wait for him to finish going through his processing and then your given about 5-10 minutes to sit around until the bus arrives. A lot of people bring their families but Chris and I decided that it would be best if it was just him and I ( we would have brought out dog child if we could have) We made a pack that we weren't going to get caught up in the emotion and look at it as this is his job and that its only 2 months, couples go a year without seeing each other all the time. I love my husband to death and although inside I wanted to just cry my eyes out and hold on tight to him I knew that it would just make it harder for him to leave if he saw me breaking down. This was the best decision that we could have made and I think it made the saying good bye process a lot easier.
The reality check didn't come until about ten that night when I got a phone call form his cell phone that consisted of a couple sentences that I could tell he was being forced to say. Thinking about how I had no idea what was going on at the other end of the phone was a little weird for me since Chris and I have always included each other in everything that we do in life. The next phone call was the same rushed feeling with him rattling off his address and he was able to get in one I love & miss you until the phone was call was ended. Writing letters is almost like writing in your diary when you were a little girl, I talk about all these random topics and don't hear anything back for a couple weeks so after a while you start to feel like you're talking to a wall.
I have been staying busy with family events, dates with my friends and tomorrow I am starting a baking class. Although I do miss having my husband around I think it is important to keep moving on with my normal daily routine to keep my spirits up. After all I am the one that is still at home surrounded by people I know and the comforts of home, my husband is the one that is in a completely different environment and doesn't need to have letters sent to him telling him how sad I am.

This experience has only made me fall more in love with him and appreciate the times that I do have with him. I have always known that I got lucky and married a sweet man but he even surprised me with the surprise he had set up for me on my Birthday. Chris left on July 1st and my birthday was on July 6th so I figured I would just do dinner with some of my girls or something really mellow but to my surprise my AMAZING husband had the entire day planned out for me that included letters from him through out the day. He totally pulled a "P.S. I love you" moment like the movie but this was even better because he isn't dead lol. He had one of my girls pick me up in the morning with flowers & coffee and she took me on multiple adventures that included some nice drinks because lets be honest when it's your birthday and your husband just left you 5 days ago you could use a good drink or two.

I can't wait for the end of August to get here so that I can see him again and find out where we will be moving to and starting our new adventure!

The paperwork wedding

So today I had to go to the county clerk office to get a new copy of my husbands birth certificate and our marriage certificate (paperwork that he needs to take to basic). While I was waiting for my number to be called I watched multiple couples come in for their scheduled appointments to be married and couldn't help myself but to observe the different attitudes each couple and their families had while waiting for their big moment to be husband and wife. The first couple that came in was a very pregnant lady who was probably about 19 and a man that looked about her age, they both looked terrified but had put in some effort to get dolled up for photos. I noticed that neither of them had their parents with them and their two required witnesses were obviously friends of the future bride. The next couple were probably in their middle 20's they were all dressed up and she even had a fresh flowered bouquet with her. They both had a lot of family come to watch them make this commitment to each other and yet the two families were meeting in the lobby for the first time. Watching these two couples made me step back and be so thankful for the fact that I was able to have the wedding of my dreams even though I was in their footsteps nine months ago.
               We all know the cliche military story where they rush to the alter because they are young and their parents don't agree, he is leaving for boot camp, moving away or being deployed. Growing up next to one of the biggest military bases it was nothing new to hear this type of story and I always felt so bad for these girls and swore that I would never let that happen (read my first post on never wanting to be with a military man). So to my surprise when my fiancé at the time asked me to go talk with his recruiter in September 2012 one of the first things the recruiter tells me is that it would be better for us and him if we got married before he entered his information into the system. Something about a delay time if they had to go back and register him as married or some crap... at this time my mind was in a whirl wind and I was beyond furious since my mom and I had already started planning for a September 2013 wedding. I put a smile on my face and just nodded when the recruiter asked us to make an appointment right away and kept reminding myself how much I loved this man. I made the call and we got "legally" married on September 21, 2012. It was the most awkward moment standing in front of judge and our parents going through the motions and saying our I do's. Only our parents, siblings and a select few friends were told about the event and everyone knew it was a secret; I didn't want people to think we were faking it on the day of our actual wedding.

        Since we didn't know when Chris would be sent for basic we made the command decision to push the wedding from September 2013 to January 19, 2013 and any lady that has planned a wedding knows that loosing nine months of wedding planning time is a HUGE deal. Thanks to my lovely mom, amazing bridesmaids, and understanding husband somehow we pulled it off and I will always be thankful that I was lucky enough to do what I needed to do for my husband and the Air Force and still get my big day and not just 10 minutes with a judge.

Background check

Hi, I'm Christa I'm 23 years old I am married to an amazing man named Christopher ( yes I know Chris & Christa how funny) we currently live in California and are about to start a new adventure in our lives because my husband has decided to join the Air Force. Now before you jump to conclusions that this is just going to be a crying bitch fest about how much I miss my husband and what a proud Air Force wife I am let me give you a quick background on my relationship with the military:

1. I am a Marine Corps brat, I grew up with a dad that was in the infantry and was a drill instructor (basically as moto as they come). I have lived coast to coast and am well aware of how much having your dad gone all the time sucks, knowing that your "uncles" might not come back from that trip they said they had to go on, and that cleaning your room will be followed with a white glove inspection.

2. Although I am thankful for what my parents were able to provide my sister and I because of the military I also knew that I was over the military lifestyle. I refused to even entertain attention from Marines and when two of my old boyfriends decided they wanted to join the military I bolted for the door and never looked back.

So what happened... Well I found the love of my life, got engaged before he decided he wanted to become an Airman ( I still say he did it on purpose to trick me). He decided that the military was something he has always been interested in and I'm sure being around my family, the poster family for the Marine Corps didn't help, he decided the USAF would be the best fit for him. Loving someone unconditionally means that no matter what you bite your lip and deal with what life throws at you.

This will be my story of a Marine Corps brat starting her own family as an Airman's wife.

From Semper Fi to Aim High