First-time blogger.

Ok. I've been trying to get in to the whole "blog" thing for a while now. I'll feel inspired, start a blog and then never write anything. Not. One. Word.

Oh wait! I just did! That's a first.

My name is Shelby. I was in the United States Navy from June of 2010 until May of 2013. Not terribly long, I know, but it was long enough to change my life forever.

My husband Zach has been in since 2008 and is currently in Pensacola attending his 3rd A school. Our daughter, Jo, and I are living with my parents again in Houston.

Let's go ahead and call this blog what it is: An escape from hell. My way out. My lifeline.
because honestly, what self-respecting person wants to be married with a 2 year old and a great big life of their own and back living with mommy and daddy? No one. That's who.

This whole debacle started when I decided to go to my cousin's wedding in Oklahoma. I was going to take Jo and drive to Tulsa for the wedding on October 19th. Then we would drive to Houston to visit with my parents and sisters for a week or two before making the trek back to San Diego to be together for Thanksgiving. (We were currently living in San Diego by the way, in case you didn't pick that up...) All was going according to plan. We had made it to Houston, been there for a few weeks and we're planning on heading back to SD in about 4 days or so. Welp, Monday morning my mom wakes me up at about 06:30. She was holding out her cell phone saying Zach was on the line. My mind, of course, jumped immediately to the worst possible conclusions. Either he'd been in an accident of some kind (but then why weren't the police calling instead of him?) or he'd been called underway (I wasn't completely wrong). He'd just gotten orders.

I guess I should've mentioned before that we'd been impatiently waiting for his orders since July/August time frame. Being told weekly, if not daily that it'd be "any day now."

Not only had he FINALLY gotten orders, but he had to report to school in Pensacola no later than November 23rd. It was already November something when I got that call. Can't, for the life of me, remember the date but you get the picture. Roughly 2, 3 weeks at MOST to have our entire life packed, planned and moved. The next few days were spent arguing about whether or not it was worth putting our 2 year old through another 20ish hour drive when we'd have to come right back to Houston a week later. In the end we stayed here and he settled everything in SD. Of course keys and garage door openers were overnighted and we kept Skype in business deciding what to pack. He handed over the keys to our house on November 15th and, I'd say never looked back but I'd be lying. The next day he hopped in his 2001 Ford Explorer that he'd bought for about that much the year before.  7 miles down the 8 his transmission blew on him. So he kind of had to look back. He junked the car, I booked him a flight, and the greatest friends you could ever hope to have agreed to keep all of the shit he'd packed in the car until the came to Houston for Christmas.

Anyway. I'm tired and feel very well vented as of right now so I'm gonna call it a night.. Next time I'll tell you what it's like to live with your parents with a kid and no car for 4 months!

Because I'm sure people care...