Being a military family, it's hard to establish roots. Oh, you can plant yourself, grow a little, but in 2-3 years you have to dig yourself up and set up shop somewhere else. Rinse, lather, repeat.
Today, I am homesick. Bad. Tears and all.
You see, seven (wow!) years ago, I was planted in Warner Robins, Georgia. I kind of didn't want to go, we were stationed on the Florida Panhandle after all (beaches, hello!). We bought a beautiful, big enough for all five of us house in a new subdivision. Hunter was almost 6, Sarah was 3 and Andrew was 3 months old. The school that Hunter would start Kindergarten at was just across the highway. We would only be there for two years, right?
I remember walking into the school to register Hunter. The very first person that I met in Warner Robins was Leigh Vaughn. She was working in the office and was so very nice in helping me figure out what all I needed to do. In fact, EVERYONE that I came in contact with that day in the school was so friendly that I immediately knew that I had found the perfect place for Hunter.
Little did I know, that I was planting myself in this place. Over the next five years, I was at that school a LOT. I volunteered in the classrooms, was PTO President for not one but two years, I substitute taught, I applied for jobs to WORK there permanently! I knew all of the teachers and their families and most of the students and their families. During this time, Chip was deployed most all of the time. The school became my busy spot to make the time go faster. All of those people lifted me up when I needed help or a shoulder to cry on. They were my FAMILY. All of those precious children always seemed to know exactly when I needed a hug and they were right there "Mrs. King! Mrs. King!!" I celebrated births and mourned deaths with these people. I went to church, ate dinner and partied with them. Such great memories!!
The irony in this is that I was BORN on the Air Force Base in Warner Robins many, many moons ago. My dad got out of the AF when I was less than a year old and we moved back to my parents' hometown of Sylacauga, Alabama. This is where I grew up and graduated high school. I never thought I would think of any other place as home. Then I moved to the big WR.
Today my heart is in Warner Robins, Georgia. I am seeing on Facebook all of my little friends starting their first days of middle school and high school and last first day of elementary school. It's only been two years since I left, but it seems like I am missing so much. It's hard to look at the pictures of these almost grown 'babies'. Some of them, I remember from Pre-K. I really do miss them all like crazy!
In May 2009, Chip received orders to a new duty station...Maxwell AFB in Montgomery, Alabama! Closer to my parents, but still not the home that I had established in Warner Robins. The kids and I stayed on in our house while Chip went ahead to Alabama. A little over a year later, we moved to AL with him, all of us kicking and screaming.
Today we live in Virginia, but a little town in Georgia is always on my mind.
