Civilian Life

It’s been about three months since The Man went on terminal leave and about two months since he separated from The Navy.  It was a little strange to have him home all the time in the beginning but it feels normal now.

About a week after Munchkin was born The Man’s boat left for an underway.  We were both very, very thankful that he was no longer on that boat.  That separation would have been brutal.  For those of you that have face separation after the birth of a child, my heart feels for you.  I would have and could have done it if I had to but I am oh so thankful that I didn’t.

The Man had a job offer in April.  He said yes but had to go through the hiring process which included a physical and the ability to show that he could handle small spaces and lift 50lbs.  This usually takes months and was starting to take a little longer cause he had to go on an underway.  Things were going pretty well and we were hoping for an August or at the latest a Sept. 1 start date.

Then I went into labor.  That morning he was supposed to have an appointment for the job and didn’t end up going cause we headed to the hospital instead.  It took over a month to reschedule that appointment.  So bye-bye August start date.  We were still hoping for one in September. 

We knew he failed the color portion of the vision test.  He had a waiver from the Navy so we didn’t think it would be a problem.  They needed to see the waiver and then talk to the department that DH will be working for.  They had to approve the waiver and while everyone was expecting to it took them awhile.  So we were a little nervous because you never know, they could say no.  Then The Man would have to look for another job.

Thankfully they approved it so he is officially hired!  That’s the great news, knowing he has a job with a good salary and health insurance and other benefits.  The not so good news is that we still don’t have a start date.  They’re backlogged so we should find out in a month what is start date is.  So it’s looking like it will be at least another month and a half before he starts work

We hadn’t really planned on this so financially it’s a little tight.  We’re thankful for unemployment.  We went to a Veteran’s benefit fair today and The Man applied for VA health insurance.  We also applied for health insurance for Munchkin.  She’s due for he 2 month appointment and we were hoping we’d have health insurance to take her.  We also got a meal and some groceries which are a big blessing.  We have food and are not starving but the little extra is helpful.  We don’t want to take advantage of the help but we do want to use what we can and stop when we don’t need it anymore.  It helps to fill in the gaps.

So all in all, our needs are being met.  We’re able to meet our obligations with creativity.  We’re enjoying more time together as a family.  The Man is enjoying being able to work on projects around the house that he hadn’t had time to get to before.  We’re also learning to trust and wait on God’s timing.