Ruby and Foxy resting after a difficult morning of vaccinations, micro-chipping, and heart-worm tests.
Ruby and Foxy had a long morning. We went to the FedEX office to have form DD 2208 printed off to prove to the military that the dogs had been micro-chipped and that they had received a rabies booster in the last year. Once we had our form in hand, we went to the vet clinic where they met a lovely wheaten terrier, which was the highlight of the morning.
Less pleasant things were in store for them, though. The vet drew blood for a heart-worm test on them to renew their heart-worm pill prescription, inserted micro-chips, and gave them a rabies booster. The dogs were both pretty done with the vet by the time they had been poked with needles three times each, so they stared out the window impatiently waiting for me to pay. They were glad to get out of the vet’s office and now are (almost) ready to fly to Germany!
I am taking them to the local pet bakery this afternoon to pick out some treats, since they were very good girls.
I need one of these. But not the one I had. A different one.
For Christmas (knowing I would need one to travel to Europe) I asked Ben for a passport. My very first. We waited until after we got married and I changed my name on all of the necessary documents, then he bought me a tourist passport. I had it in my hands by March and thought I was ready to go to Germany.
Not so, it seems. For an OCONUS (outside of the contiguous United States) move, I need a visa passport, not a tourist passport. We found out that I had the wrong kind of passport about 10 weeks before our move date. There was some concern I might not receive the correct passport in time, and Ben talked to the passport office on base to see what might be done. They said not to worry, I could apply for the visa passport after school was over, use my tourist passport, and they would write a letter explaining that I had applied for my visa passport as a military dependent.
Then, last Monday, I had a day off school for the storm. It was suggested I use this time to go apply for the correct passport in hopes that we might still get it before the move. I filled out the paperwork, just the way they wanted me to, provided all the necessary documents, had my photos taken, handed over my tourist passport for identification checks and was told, “Usually, the dependent passports are processed faster than other passports, so you’ll probably have it back in time for the move.” I was happy that I had beat the storms, made it to base, and checked something off my list.
Then, last night, around 4:00 am, I woke up and realized I GAVE THEM MY TOURIST PASSPORT. They sent it off with the passport application and told me it would be sent back AFTER the visa passport was returned. This literally did not clock on my radar until a week after I applied. And now the government passport office has BOTH passports and I have NO passports.
So, friends, pray that there is an amazingly quick turnaround on this passport application process, because if there isn’t, Ben may be going to Germany without me until I can prove I’m allowed to go to Europe. I can’t believe I did something so stupid.
I am moving in a little more than a month. I am leaving behind my life here in Oklahoma, filled with friends, family, a job, a car, a home, and I’m heading with my husband to Ramstein AFB in Kaiserslautern, Germany. I am going there with no job lined up, no car to drive, no home to move to, and unsure of most aspects of what day-to-day life will be like there.
This is a test of faith for me, a test of my bravery, to leave all of the life that I grappled with and built for myself. To leave behind the house I have owned for the past four years. To set down my career knowing I may not be able to teach for the next three years. To see my friends and family only occasionally. It’s a hard thing to leave all of this behind for a nebulous, undefined future. But I have faith that it holds exciting things for me.
I love traveling and moving to Germany provides me with a chance to see places I may not have ever had the opportunity to see otherwise. I can make new friendships and use this time to decide if teaching is a life-long career or just a step on the path to another. I can create a new home and a new future with Ben, building our little family and letting love grow. I can plant a garden, bless it with patience, and see what sprouts.
A couple of birthdays ago, my best friend gave me a framed print that says “Be open to whatever comes next” and that has become my personal motto. I am scared. I’m nervous. I’m worried about finding a job and building my independence in a brand new place. But I’m also open to whatever comes next.
Whatever Comes Next 