Almost every December, it seems, I get to share details about our next move.
When Paul was in med school in Maryland, the hopeful plan was that he'd get assigned to the Naval Hospital in San Diego for his residency. In December 2009, we found out he had earned a spot there for internship. In December 2010, we learned he would have to spend two years completing a GMO (General Medical Officer) tour in Port Hueneme (where we are now) before he could move forward to residency.
Paul left for training in Mississippi in July 2011 and then deployed to Afghanistan in August. I stayed in San Diego until an amazing townhouse rental became available through a college friend and then with the help of military movers, got our stuff up to the new town. Paul came home in late February 2012 and we've had a really fantastic 10 months together living here.
In early February 2013, Paul will deploy again. Per usual, there are a million things that could change, but most likely, when he returns, I'll have our stuff back in San Diego (and hopefully a great little house to store it in). This time, Paul coming home will not mean gearing up for another deployment in eleven months. It will mean four years in one spot. To be fair, these are going to be four years of radiology residency with plenty of studying and 60 hour weeks at the hospital, but he'll be home. We'll have dinner together and put our kid to bed together almost every night.
After what will be four moves and two deployments, we are finally making what we talked about seven years ago in the middle of the night outside my parents' house a reality. Residency in San Diego. Four years in our favorite town. Paul, you did it! Hooray, hooray!
