The second half of the year in summary

We just got back from the trip-of-a-lifetime & we were enjoying the "warmth" of summer in New Jersey.  The great thing about the Garden state is that we got to pick strawberries/blueberries/apples/peaches/plums/nectarines/corn/pumpkins and more from June-September! We had fun making homemade things with our hand picked produce!

The White House decided to downsize the military this year. Some members received notice while deployed that they were being separated from service. The Air Force had a few waves of voluntary separations as well as involuntary. We were considering voluntary separation for several reasons. We wanted to get back to Texas (not fans of the north!) and we wanted to be near & help some of our family that was going through rough times. Blake was ready to pursue other career opportunities and find something fulfilling. We didn't fit the requirement the first go round, but we did the second. Although we thought it was a shot in the dark due to the restrictions on his career field, Blake applied for separation.

We found out that our first attempts at adding a third child to our family were a success! 

We continued doing everything we could to enjoy the part of the country we were in. Blake had races,  we traveled to the Jersey Shore and NYC and Niagara Falls and Washington DC!

Then we found out we approved for separation. Wow. What did this mean? When would this happen? Blake had to get his resume done & we had to start seriously thinking about what the future held for us, outside of the military life we had come to know over the past 7 years. We knew we would move back to our house in San Antonio. Our renters had just moved out & we hadn't gotten a new tenant in yet, all part of God's plan! We wanted our kids to be close to their cousins who were living with Blake's parents while their mom & dad pursued school and jobs.  I have fond memories of spending time with my cousins growing up, and I want the same for my children.

Blake's final out date was the first of October. Then we were on our way down to Texas. Pregnant, moving, with two toddlers and a dog. No job lined up. The house was a wreck from the awful contractor I'd hired to refinished the ceilings and paint the walls. The truck was doing door-to-door delivery so we wouldn't have to have our stuff go into storage and lose things/have things broken. It was wild times & a few serious patterns of contractions reminded me to keep my cool!