Life of a Navy Wife – Day 1

This might be my first day as a Navy wife but it has been coming for about 8 months now.  My husband has been actively trying to get back into the Navy since January 2009.  It might be because the recruiter was just really bad or that the Navy itself has such an influx of people joining that they were dragging their feet, or it was just bad timing.  Whatever the reasoning is, we had been put on a roller coaster ride for months.  To make matters more interesting we learned that I was pregnant with what will be our first child.  Talk about a stressful waiting period. 

For all the months of waiting, the Navy gave Keith (the husband) orders and he had a week to go to Chicago!  8 months of waiting and then we need to be packed up and gone in a week – did I say we?  Oh, I really meant him.  The military couldn’t care less if I came.  In fact they would have preferred if I didn’t come.  If Keith would go alone he would have had his plane ticket paid for as well as his food and housing.  But since the pregnant wife had to come along we have to pay for everything out of pocket.  I’m not seriously complaining because we are back in the military.  Now it’s time for our life to begin right? 

We had to pack our newly purchased minivan with our 3 cats and make the 17 hour drive from Texas to Illinois.   It was exhilarating and scary at the same time, but we had little time to dwell on anything, there was just so much to do. People to say bye to, work to quit, getting arrangements for living over in Chicago, not to mention the fact that i’m 32 weeks pregnant. 

Well we traded both our cars into CarMax for a Kia Sedona 2008 Minivan on Saturday and left for the windy city on Monday night.  It was a long drive, without stopping it’s a 15 hour drive.  That’s not counting the Kristen has to pee all the time stops, and gas, and just getting out to stretch our legs.  With leaving at 8:30 at night we arrived at 2:00 pm the next day.  That’s driving overnight without stopping for a nap.  Keith drove the entire time, the great guy.   

From the hotel to the base is about a 5 minute drive with traffic, it’s literally just a hop, skip and jump away from us.  We went to the visitors area where we had to get a temporary tag for the Van.  We’ll be able to get the decals on it once we had updated ID’s and current registration for the van. Well since the van is new to us, we won’t be getting the registration until around August 15th, so that means we’ll probably be headed towards Connecticut about that time. 

Once we make it on base our first stop is to get some new ID’s, or in my case, my very first military ID.  I was so excited to get it, it’s the first official thing to make me known as a Navy wife.  There was a slight delay with the ID, Keith wasn’t able to get his renewed because the computer system still had him as in Reserve.  I was able to get my ID, but his was put on hold until the computer updated itself as showing he is now in Active Duty status.  I was just elated to get my ID, I took pictures of it.  One of the major problems for the system not updating Keith immediately into Active Duty status is the health insurance.  Right now we both don’t have insurance, because the health insurance that was supplied from our old jobs expired on the 31st of July.  We have been without health insurance for 3 days.  Not the longest I’ve ever gone, but being 32 weeks pregnant it’s the scariest time not to have it. 

We made a few more stops while at the base, one was getting me onto the Navy bank account.  Then it was time to say bye to the base and head out to get some groceries for the kitchen.  We are planning on being here for a month, and eating out for every meal would just cost us so much money.  We went to the commissary for groceries and to the NEX just to look around.  I feel so much like i’m in a special club, one reserved for the select few.  I gotta say, it makes me feel pretty darned awesome!

That was my very first day as a Navy wife.  I learned that I am nothing without Keith in the eyes of the military. He is the main dish and i’m the sprig of leaves of the side that always comes along with it and yet no one can ever find a reason to have it there.