Stay Or Go??

Since the birth of our "Wee-Bee" it has become clear to both J and I that we are ready to move on from the military. We want to settle down and plant roots somewhere close to family. We want to buy a house with a big backyard for Joel and our future babies (J wants 6 now by the way!) to make special memories.

The #1 reason J wants to get out is because he doesn't want Joel to ever experience the heartache that comes with deployments. It's hard enough for him to leave me, and now that Joel has entered his life he can't imagine ever having to leave him. J wants to make sure he will be there for all our Joel's firsts, every holiday, and every t-ball game. He wants Joel to go to bed every night with peace knowing his daddy is in the next room, not worrying because daddy is in a war zone.

The only problem is J has no idea what he would do if he got out. Right now we have a steady income and if J gets out we risk not having that which is scary when you have a child to take care of. Is the risk worth it though?

Most people have told him to just stay in, don't risk it, and retire at 38. Those people have never experienced a deployment, though. They have no idea how stressful this lifestyle can be for a family/marriage.


We have a year or so before J has to make the final decision on whether he wants to stay in or get out. I guess all we can do is pray about it and hope he makes the right choice.