Well, we finally heard back from the Army about our next duty station. Ft. Bliss, in El Paso, TX, is where we will call home for the next 2 years! The first word that came to mind was: SHOCKED. the Army asked us to list 10 spots where we would prefer to be stationed. Ft. Bliss was not one of them, not even close. Plus it is a brigade spot, which means Isaac will be assigned to a unit and won't be doing as much dentistry, but going to the range and doing training with his unit. Only 1 person in his AEGD class got one of their top 10 spots, and the rest of us got put in the spots that no other dentist put in their preference list. We think Ft. Campbell was the last post to be assigned so we had to fill the places that no one wanted.
Here are the positives: It's only 2 years! We will get another chance to PCS to a preferred spot in 2 years. Also, his unit is not due to deploy at least til 2015, and even then it wasn't on the 2015 list of deployments. It is called the Sun City, as the sun shines 305 days a year! It has 2 really nice malls that have stores that I love. It has a Costco (!!!!!) and a Chipotle. I will get to speak Spanish more. I LOVE Mexican food and I just know there will be delicious taco stands where I can eat to my hearts content. We've already talked to other Army and church member dentists there who have given us good neighborhoods to live in and other helpful info. There are mountains and lots of outdoorsy things to do. Finally, despite being a few miles from Ciudad Juarez, El Paso is safe. Don't think that I won't be getting my concealed and carry in Texas though :)
Negatives: Isaac being in a brigade spot versus a DENTAC means he will have to be gone for training and not doing as much dentistry. El Paso is reallllllly far out in west Texas. So, being in the middle of nowhere doesn't seem ideal.
Can you tell I've been working hard in seeing the positives? :) I am actually excited about moving from Ft. Campbell and exploring a new place. I never thought I would live in Oklahoma and I LOVED it. We will learn to love Texas and El Paso. We won't be leaving Ft. Campbell til the middle of October.
In other news, please keep my friend Kelli Thurgood in your prayers. She was just diagnosed with glioblastoma stage IV. She is my age and has 3 sweet girls and a loving husband. She is being so positive and I know the power of prayer and that miracles can and will happen for her!
1 comment:
Sometimes the sweetest things come from the hardest trials. I never thought I'd live in China and it was the best experience of my life. Hopefully you won't butt heads too badly with the other sports nuts of TX.
I'll definitely have your friend's family in my prayers. My mother just passed away from a glioblastoma, and if she ever needs someone to talk to that can relate or has personal experience, send her my way. It's a difficult road, and she's far too young.
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