Goodbye Active Duty, Hello Reserves

September 19th was Jesse's last day as active duty Army. We were mixed about the ending of this "era" in our lives. We were happy because he's home with us, no more calls to do petty tasks, no more "parenting" soldiers who don't know how to behave, no more early morning PTs, and no more problems taking time off. We were sad because it's been a great paycheck every month, discounts have been great, we miss the commisary meat prices (grocery store on post), we miss our Army friends, and it truly changed our marriage and our lives by joining up (including adding a child in the mix)!

Jesse chose to go into the Army Reserves here in Knoxville. He's got a slot in a Cival Affairs unit as a Captain (which means promotion) and a guarantee of no deployment for 24 months. We'll see how long he stays in, but it will be a good paycheck and will provide us with great Tricare insurance to just work 2 days a month. Plus, it keeps him connected to the military. If Big Army will get all of his paperwork in place and will put him on the roster at his unit here, he will start drilling in October. So, even though we are active duty no more, we are still doing the military thing by transitioning into the reserves. Goodbye, 1/75 Cav, 2nd Brigade, 101st Airborne. Hello, 489th Civil Affairs Battalion! HOOAH!