We’re moving to_____ AND We’re ______!

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We have two big announcements to share with you…

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Let me tell you about the most emotional day of my life. It was May 8th and I was a nervous wreck. We knew we were going to find out where we were getting stationed. Although I was nervous, I also felt confident that we were getting something on our list of 20 (I wrote about it here.) I was confident because another resident in Andy’s group, who did not get anything on his list, got a heads up from the commander. So, we were good, right?

The commander wanted to tell the remaining residents where they were getting PCS’d over a pizza party…that also sounded good, right?  So, my girlfriend and I decided to have a pizza party of our own and wait for our husbands to call.  She got the call first, they got something on their list!  And then I waited.  And I waited.  And he finally called and said, “It’s not good…we’re going to Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico.”  I hung up the phone, I sat down, and I felt shell-shocked.  I apologized to Rachelle and told her I had to go home.

The first thing I did of course was I called my mom and I cried…a lot  How could this happen?  I know I said there were “no worst case scenarios” (read about it here) but this caught me really off guard.  What was worse, was that I could tell Andy was so upset he couldn’t talk about it.

That afternoon, I don’t know how to explain it, but I had an old pregnancy test laying around and for some reason I took it. I wasn’t that late.  We weren’t trying to get pregnant, in fact we were taking measures to not get pregnant, but I had this weird feeling.  I did the test and as I waited for the results I said this prayer, “God, if I am pregnant, please let this be a positive test,” and right then and there, it was.

After calling my mom, again, and crying a lot, again, I realized 2 very specific prayers I had been praying for months had been answered. 1) I asked God to show me if I was supposed to go back to work or not. This cleared that up. For starters, there are no news stations in Alamogordo, New Mexico. And with two under the age of two, I don’t think I’ll have much time to devote my energy to anything else. 2) We asked God to put us in the best place for Andy’s career.  He wants to be an orthodontist and the Air Force only takes two candidates a year.

See, Andy and I took a bit of a gamble with our list.  We either wanted to be closer to family, or we wanted a big adventure, like Europe.  We started realizing that Europe could potentially hurt his career because if he got into Ortho, he would have to get a waiver to come back.  They fill the European bases first and we ranked them really high and it was likely that we could get one of those slots.

Two weeks before finding out where we were stationed I sent Andy this text message. Cannon is another base in New Mexico, by the way.

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I truly believe that God answered this prayer.  According to a lot of the higher-ups we’ve talked to, a small base like Holloman could really help his chances of getting into ortho.

On our orders it states the day we were assigned to Holloman. The other residents in Andy’s group were assigned back in March or April. Andy was assigned May 7th, the day the assignments were sent out to the commanders. I believe it was a last minute switch.

It was a God moment.

Fast- forward to now, we are really excited about having this baby!  So far this pregnancy has been tougher than my last, but what a miracle! I’m 12 weeks along and I’m due in mid-January.

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We are also really excited about moving to New Mexico.  Being from the southeast, I’ve never really heard much of anything about the state (which was probably the reason for my initial fear)  but after doing some research, I know we will get to see so much beauty in the “Land of Enchantment”.  It was my favorite state in last year’s cross-country road trip (read about it here) and we’ve talked to several people who have been stationed there and we feel that it’s where we are supposed to be.

This past year in Las Vegas has been the best year of my life and I know 27 (today is my birthday) will be full of adventure, challenges and more love than ever I’ve ever known.

You know what would be an amazing birthday gift? Hop over to my Facebook page and give me a “like” or follow me on Pinterest or Twitter!

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This was how I told Andy I was pregnant, by the way!

37 thoughts on “We’re moving to_____ AND We’re ______!

  1. Congratulations to you on your growing family, and on a move that will hopefully bring much better things down the road. Getting the news of a new duty station can be so stressful and emotional. I had the same reaction as you when we got assigned to Fort Riley back in 2009. I cried, and cried, and wondered what in the world there could ever be for us out in Kansas. But you know what? 3 years later I cried my eyes out when we left. I made some amazing friends, and that place now holds a huge place in my heart. I hope the same happens for you, and that better things are at the end of your assignment! Congratulations again on the little blessing coming your way! 🙂

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  2. Jill, I am very confident that you and Andy will face your upcoming move with grace and fortitude. I am one of your biggest fans!! You will be blessed to have another baby as precious as Violet. Remember Austin’s family’s motto……I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me. Keep in touch. Love, Ms. Mary

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  3. As an old military commercial once said, “it’s not just a job–it’s an adventure!” That not only applies to the military, but to momhood. Congrats on all accounts. I am sure Grandma Debbie is over the moon!

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  4. Oh my gosh. This is HUGE Jillian!! Wow. I’ll be praying alongside you and Andy as you move and as your pregnancy progresses… you’re entirely right that God works in ways that are higher than our own and occasionally, things that really shake up our faith can create huge opportunities for Him to work above and beyond any expectations 🙂 Thanks for sharing about your own journey of trust with us (and the emotional ups and downs!). My husband and I are going through a possible move as well (he is having difficulties starting his chosen career where we are living at the moment) and I have been praying like mad with no clear ‘direction’. We’re taking a leap and flying to the United Kingdom from Australia next week and I am trusting that God will lead as we ‘move forward’! Anyway, huge congrats on the pregnancy!! Wow. Sending you hugs and hoping that the move to New Mexico will go smoothly… good luck for Andy on the ortho application too xx

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  5. Congrats and Happy (belated) Birthday! Something similar happened to us. Actually Steve got orders from Korea(no where near his list of 20) and we Sadie and I couldnt go. I was so mad at God because he just returned from his second deployment not even a year ago. But last minute, we were told our orders were changed. We are still going to Korea, but we get to go as a family. God had it in his plans the whole time. It’s nerve wrecking and exciting all at once! I have military friends stationed in New Mexico and they LOVE it. Good luck!!

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  6. Aww congrats on both! I tend to be a bit if a worry wert and my best friend always says “Em, ya gotta let go and let God” sometimes I have to repeat that over and over but it is so true. Our God is a good God, a loving God. He knows where we will be the happiest. I will keep your family in my prayers 🙂

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