Starting a New Life......

Well, We submitted our AF separation paperwork on August 4th, 2006. We have a job in the works for Billy to stay on as a civilian here at Kirtland AFB so I guess that will make us New Mexicans....boy that sounds strange! Guess we'll just be misplaced Texans. That is much better!

Anyway, due to our family plans changing ....I am not home schooling this year. It has been an emotional roller-coaster over the last few years & I think I have about all I can handle on my plate right now. I am thankful that we will no longer be on base & I can separate myself from all of the duties I have acquired as an officer's wife while living on KAFB. For the last 2 years, I have felt as though I have a double-life. My military life & my church life.

We are planning on moving to a suburb of Albuquerque (Rio Rancho) & Billy will be able to ride the train into work. It will be some travel time (30-45 min) but he can work on the train. He will not be stuck in traffic. Yea!

The school district comes highly recommended in Rio Rancho & there is an elementary right down the road from the sub-division we are looking at. Hopefully, things will transition smoothly. The girls are really excited about staying here in Albuquerque. They still talk about their friends from our last base & miss them. The good thing is we have a year to transistion.

The plan is Billy will walk out of work on 30Sep07 as Capt Shipman & walk back in 01Oct07 as Mr Shipman. It is not set in stone for a civilian position here but we are not worried. Billy is very good at his job & he is very marketable (he sounds like a car, huh?) & has made some pretty good connection. We are both excited about the new opportunities that lie ahead in our lives. We believe that God is in control of our future & that we need but to listen to his directions.

We did however, make a list of pros & cons when we first started entertaining the idea.

Pros:
1. We love our church we are at.
2. The weather is great for us. Not much rain so not may allergies....except for lately. :)
3. The city has many attractions for young kids & for the adults.
4. We are only 8 hours from San ANgelo, Billy's folks.
5. We are 12 hours away from Waco, my folks, brothers, grandparents.
6. We are 7 hours away from Denver, Co...Billy's grandparents & extended family.
7. The mountains are beautiful to look at.
8. Balloon Fiesta EVERY YEAR! I love hot-air balloons.
9. We have a Rudy's BBQ & Whataburgers & an soon to be Eddie Bauer & Kohls....YEA!
10. We do not have to move around every 3 years. We can grow roots!
11. We can buy a house & paint it whatever color we want! (We live in base housing...They have strange rules)
12. Billy has more & better job opputunities than he did if we stay in the Air Force.

Cons:
1. It not TeXaS.

Well, that about sums it up.

We will always be Texans at heart, even if we are driving with New Mexico license plates on our vehicles.

And if you are wondering, YES those are my toes painted with TEXAS flags!