Deployment Day 118, Mobilization Day 161 – 6 May 2010

I think a lot of folks have officially hit the wall on this deployment, and we aren’t even halfway done yet. I feel bad for the people that have already been on leave, since they won’t be leaving again until we leave. I at least have leave in August to look forward to. By then, we’ll have around 2 months left, so when I return from my trip to Europe we’ll be almost home. I’ll be refreshed and excited to leave and not even really worry about anything else that has been going on. Then I can prepare and do the things that I need to do in order to take my life in a new direction.

My wall is a little different than everyone else I think. I came into this deployment planning on reenlisting along my way to making a career out of the Army. I have even written previous posts about wanting to reenlist on my 10 year anniversary with the Army. Now I could really care less about the whole situation. I’ll continue to go to the gym and do what I need to do there. I still would like to be able to leave here with an award of some kind, but I guess ultimately it doesn’t really matter.

As for what to do when I get home, if I don’t reenlist, I am done with the Army on February 6, 2011. If I leave the Army Reserve, I lose my civilian job as well. At this point though, that doesn’t seem like a bad thing. I will hopefully be able to finish up my accounting degree before then, at the latest by the end of April next year. I think I can find some kind of temporary job to do until I get it finished and get my condo sold. If I can’t sell my condo, if I can line up a job in Utah, I might be able to carry it until it does sell and simply come back out for the closing.

I really feel like this is the time now to move back to Utah. I think if I keep forcing myself into a job I hate to afford living in a place that I have no ties to I will drive myself crazy. A lot of the things I want to do would be easier to do in Utah, and I have neglected my family long enough. Both my parents will be retired by this fall and I still would like to buy their house to give them an opportunity to really enjoy a retirement within the next few years. Plus, Stef is having a baby and Lance is growing up and I feel like I am missing a lot. I miss my friends and I miss my family. So Utah it is.