Fully Certified!

First let me apologize for it being an entire week with me not posting. You may or may not be excited about that... ;-) It's been one heck of a week though, that's for sure! Our emotions have been all over the place and not much we could do about the situations at hand. Our family in Georgia, both sides, have had some serious drama going on and although it was nice not being in the middle of it we also had hurting hearts for those that we love and could not be there to give them hugs and cry with them... Things seem to be settling back down now and hopefully life will get back to as normal as possible for everyone. And I, back to blogging. Oh so much to say!

So first... The oh so exciting news!!!! :-)

It's technically more like "Gateway to the West" that Missouri is known for, particularly with that fancy arch and all we've got going on.

And "Gateway to the World" it has been.

This past Wednesday {Thursday and Friday too} we celebrated a HUGE milestone that we thought would always be just out of the reality realm...

Charles became 100% certified as an Air Traffic Controller!!!!!!!!!!!

He is no longer a trainee. No longer has anyone constantly watching over his shoulder {uh-oh!}. No longer is he at the absolute bottom of the totem pole!

I'm so very proud of him!!! It's been one long journey to get here... Here being an employee at St. Louis' Lambert Airport that is.

Want to journey back to where/when it all started with me??? It's a funny story really and why I originally began blogging...

When Charles applied back in May 2007 to be an Air Traffic Controller, we imagined we would be moving but had no clue as to where/when. December 17, 2007 he took the test to see his competency level and of course, I married a brilliant man. :-)

First we thought we would be moving to Rhode Island. Convinced of this. Then we got a letter from Michigan saying he was on that list and asking him to rank these locations in most to least favorable. And then, about a week later we got a letter saying he was on Iowa's list and to rank their available cities. And yet another curve ball, he was notified he is on Atlanta's list! And more lists... Las Vegas. Illinois, Nebraska, Arizona.

Then the first interview letter was sent... For Michigan! And then he was denied {later we find out due to user error within the government, go figure} without ever even having an interview! And then back to Michigan. And we planned for Michigan...

Changing paces all together! Baltimore-Washington Airport?!?! Talks of Ohio, Kansas, and Washington State all become known too... More talks of other locations.

Since it was becoming obvious that we would be moving for this job, we listed our first house. We got an offer. We got the good news from the appraiser. And we closed. All within like six months which was in the early downward spiral on the housing market...

And then Missouri entered the picture. The quarter decided for us. :-) Charles headed to Chicago for the physical/psychological/blah blah blah exams and was given the okay to head to Oklahoma City for the three months of intensive training before heading to Missouri.

I on the other hand spent the time in Georgia living at my dad's house working, looking for a place to live in Missouri, and finding a job in Missouri. Fun times.

I celebrated my birthday without him. He celebrated his birthday without me. I finished my Bachelors degree and moved from my hometown all within a couple of days of each other. And more goodbyes...

And the day finally came. We {My youngest brother Daniel made the trip with me} made it to Missouri! Our first house in Missouri. I had a job and in a matter of hours, had no job. I got homesick. Went on tons of job interviews, one I really wanted didn't come thru and now I know why. :-)

I started an Infertility Support Group. {Still going on, although in starting-over-phase.}

Charles finally came home August 21!!!!! It was a very busy 13 weeks without him. Although, I was able to see him three times during those weeks. Short but oh so sweet moments...

As I was reminded. I survived this too. Charles did all the training. He did all the work. He was the one to go thru all the crap being a trainee brings. Charles is the one that technically brought us here. It was still so hard for me too.

It's just nice to look back at this adventure, from beginning to end, and see how far we've come. We've grown so much being away from everyone and having to figure out who we are, Charles and Meghan. No family to reach out to. No friends for comfort. Just him and I.

I'm so very proud of Charles... My, and everyone who happens to fly to/around Lambert Airport, Air Traffic Controller!!!

Now to the future.............................. Whatever or wherever that may bring us!

*I sure did document a lot of this adventure by looking at all those back links! HOLY COW! Gotta love blogs... :-)*