Counting down

I really am counting down to the day I land in Guam. Since Ryan left 44 days ago, it has been really difficult. Unless you've done this before, you really have no idea what it takes to move over seas. I'm happy I got a jumps start on everything and didn't wait until the last minute. It was so stressful. One of the things I had to do was set a day for pack out. That's the day the movers come and pack all of my things and ship them to Guam. Then I had to fill out an application for military housing in Guam and fax Ryan's military orders, change of home port letter, page 2, and power of attorney. After they received the fax then we were put on the list. Once one of us arrives to Guam, there could be up to a 30 day wait to get into housing. Luckily there are available homes right now. The housing manager said we should have a house within 10 days or less of our arrival to Guam. So I told Ryan he needs to call the manager as soon as he arrives so we can get into a house. Our things are being packed and shipped in November 14. They say it could take until January for our things to arrive. I think that is the worst case scenario. I have talked to other wives, and they said it took their things 2 weeks to arrive in Guam. I was told it doesn't take as long for things to be shipped in the Fall/Winter time. So hopefully once I get to Guam, we'll only have to wait another week before our things arrive. Another thing on my move to Guam to do list was get things prepared for my animals. Guam, like Hawaii, is a rabies free area. Lucky for us, since we are coming from a rabies free area, we can avoid the whole quarantine thing. I had to send copies of their current immunizations, rabies certificates, and an affidavit stating they were coming from Hawaii. Guam also required money. Nothing is free. I initially faxed all of the paper work. I even called that day to make sure they received it. They confirmed they received the papers and stated I would receive an email. Several weeks went by, and I never received an email. So I called Guam, and the girl said she couldn't find my paperwork, yet they received my money order and deposited it. So I was thinking, if they didn't receive my papers, how did they know what the money was for? Did they think it was a donation? So they took my money, no questions asked. Nice. Since I couldn't depend on the fax, I decided to mail it to them. I called a few days after mailing it, and the girl confirmed receiving all the correct forms. She also stated my animals were good to come to Guam after they received the health certificate. They both need  health certificate, and it can't be more than 10 days of their flight. So on November 13 I will be taking my animals to the vet. That will be interesting because I will have my babies with me. If you've ever walked my dog, you know why this will be difficult for me. My plan is to put my babies in the stroller, walk into the vet, and request someone come out and get my animals for me. I also had to call the airlines to reserve a spot for the animals on a flight. They are flying out on November 15 at 3:05pm. The flight is just under 8 hours. They will arrive in Guam on November 16 at 6:45pm. I have to call customs in Guam a couple days before the flight and arrange for someone to come to the airport to check over the animals and their forms so they can be released to Ryan. Customs will be closed when my animals arrive so we have to pay money for someone to come in because it's considered over time. Also, the airlines want my animals at the airport 3 hours before the flight. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? 3 hours? I think not. I asked if there will be someone there checking on my animals. The lady said yes. I'm not convinced. So they expect me to keep my animals in a kennel for close to 14 hours? That is complete torture. I'm thinking 2 hours before the flight is plenty of time. So that's the deal with the animals. Next I had to get things together to prepare my car to be shipped. So I went in to the same place I went to schedule my pack out date. The lady asked if I had my title. I asked, "Don't you only have the title when your car is paid off?" She said, "Yes." I told her our car wasn't paid off yet. She then proceeded to tell me I needed to get a letter from the lender giving me permission to ship my car over seas. Ok. Fine. So I called Wells Fargo. Go figure, Wells Fargo also needed things before they would send me the letter. They needed an automatic payment set up, and bill pay doesn't count. I don't understand why. So if I live in Guam, I won't make a car payment? Anyways, they also needed Ryan's military orders. What if it wasn't a military move? They wouldn't allow me to take my car? They also wanted proof of insurance. The whole car thing was the biggest ordeal. I was in tears several times over it. I had called Wells Fargo so many times I pretty much had their number memorized. I called my insurance company, and the nice girl in the office said she would fax the insurance to them. I called Wells Fargo after faxing the orders and the automatic payment form. They said they received it, but they didn't receive the insurance paper. Then the lady said she needed me to refax the orders and put my name and account number on the orders. I called my insurance company back. The girl said the fax wouldn't go through. I gave her the number again for her to try. I then called Wells Fargo and told them I was not going to put my name on MILITARY ORDERS. So they said they needed a copy of my military ID. I was also told at some point of calling them, that they had given my insurance company the wrong fax number. (The girl was having problems faxing the forms, so she called Wells Fargo herself.) Are you kidding me? So I refaxed everything AGAIN. The lady at Wells Fargo said they received everything, but my ID came out black. We lightened it and refaxed it. It still came out black. I was beyond annoyed and frustrated at this point. They even gave me a different fax number to try, but it was ringing busy. So after being on the phone for an hour, I hung up and went home. Then I emailed Ryan and told him I was done with the car. It wasn't going to be shipped. Being the awesome husband he is, he said we could pay it off if that would be easier for me. So I wired complete payment to Wells Fargo. I called them a few days later to confirm they received payment. They said the title was being sent out that day. Finally. I received the title a few days later. I was able to set things up for it to be shipped to Guam. Believe it or not, that was the short version of the car problem. So my things are scheduled to be packed. My car is ready to go. Everything is in order for my animals to be shipped. Since we won't have a house when we arrive, I had to call the military hotel in Guam and make reservations. I'm happy they take animals. I also made reservations at a military hotel here. Basically what's left to do is to pack the clothes I want to take with me. I have to pack my clothes and the babies' clothes. I also have to decide what toys to leave out for Abrielle to play with. I think I'll have 4 suitcases when I go to the airport. I'm keeping a couple air mattresses and a pack-n-play so we have something to sleep on. After I send my car, I'll have to get a rental. I'll have to get something big enough so all of my luggage will fit. I've been trying to eat up the food that can't be shipped so I don't have to throw anything out. My dad will be here in a couple of weeks, so I had to figure out what to buy at the store for us to eat that wouldn't need pots and pans or a grill to make. I'm telling you people, this hasn't been fun. I haven't had any help either. I've had to drag my poor babies all around the island to get things set up. Ryan helped by paying off the car. He's also helping by getting the animals before I fly. I couldn't imagine trying to take my animals and all my luggage to the airport. Thank goodness my dad is coming. I was really dreading flying by myself to Guam. Flying with Abrielle with Ryan was torture. I couldn't imagine flying for 8 hours by myself with 2 babies. His help is so completely appreciated. I've downloaded toddler games on my phone for her to play. I plan on bringing my computer so she can watch a few videos. I'll pack lots of snacks. I'm praying for a smooth flight. I can't believe in just under 3 weeks I'll be living in Guam. I never even heard of Guam before Ryan and the navy. It's such a small, tiny island. It's 5 miles by 20 miles. Yeah. It's that small. Look it up if you don't believe me. We will be in Guam for just under 2 years. Ryan has decided that he doesn't want to re-enlist. His contract is up in August of 2014. So that's when we get to leave Guam. Evan will be 2 by the time most of my family and friends get to meet him. It's so crazy to think about that.
Well, other than the whole Guam situation, things are going ok. Some days are harder than others. Evan is growing so quick. He has a smile that melts my heart. Abrielle is so ornery. She likes to push my buttons. She's saying so many words now. She knows some letters and some shapes. I have been working out pretty much every day. I have 6-7lbs left until I reach my goal weight. I am very determined to get there. I know I can do it. We miss Ryan so very much. We got to see him a few days ago. It was only for a couple of hours. I felt like the entire time we were together, I was watching the clock. It was speeding right along. It was even harder the second time around to say goodbye because we barely got to see him. It was the biggest tease ever. The hardest part was watching him say goodbye to the babies. This has been so much harder on him. At least I can see the sky every day. At least I am with my children. Ryan is with his co-workers every day, working in very tight quarters. The only alone time he gets is when he's sleeping, which is pretty much never. We have very little communication. When I receive an email from him, it lifts my spirits. It's the best thing in the world. Then I know he's alive. It's so scary to think what could happen. I mean he's hundreds of feet under water in a small tube. No thank you. You couldn't pay me enough. So I pray to God to keep him safe. I pray to God to give me strength to make it through until we're together again. I think this will be one of the biggest challenges I will face in my life. I'm doing ok. Family and friends try to offer encouraging words like, "You're strong. You can do it. It will go quick." Sometimes the thing that would help the most is to say to simply say, "This totally sucks." Yes. It does suck. I don't want to do it anymore. I will be glad when it's all over. I am thankful I have friends here in Hawaii who are in the same situation. Some of them have it worse because they will go longer without seeing their husbands. I went 40 days. It felt like a year.
I'm done complaining. I am not trying to make you feel sorry for me. I don't need sympathy. I am writing to try and make you understand. I am very proud of my husband. I am proud to be a navy wife. However, it doesn't come without costs. So thank you for reading this. I hope it wasn't too long. I really do miss all of you. I wish I could have visited home before I moved to Guam. It just wasn't possible. One day we will see each other again. We will keep in touch. Thank goodness for technology.