Welcome to "O: What a Life!" For quite some time, I have wanted to blog, but it can be a bit intimidating when you don't really know what you're doing. I'm still playing around with the look of the blog, so don't be surprised if it changes frequently and often until I find something I like. Enjoy!!!
California Dreamin'
As most of you know by now, The O'Donnells are moving to California!!! That's right, pretty soon Mike, Rebekah, Amelia and Andy will be packing our bags and bones and will drive across the country right into Monterey, Calif. where we will call it home for the next 18 months.
That is....if we can ever get our orders. We were told back in July that Mike was selected to attend the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) and we should expect to see orders after the first of October. Well, it's Nov. 6, and we still don't have them. We do, however, expect to receive them tomorrow (fingers crossed!), and will have about 10 days to pack up our life in North Carolina and head towards California. For those of you non-Army readers, orders are THE key factor in moving. You cannot arrange for transportation (movers) or sign up for housing without them. Such is the life of the Army (or so I'm learning)!
What are we doing in California, you ask?
Each year, the Army selects a small group of soldiers to send to the NPS in Monterey, Calif.
Mike was one of 79 applicants (76 were chosen) to be selected to for the 2012 incoming class. We, along with 20 other men and their families, will be moving to Monterey at the end of the month to report by Dec. 4. The rest will move out there in June.
Mike will be earning his Masters in Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict. I am so proud of him, and am loving reaping the benefits of being his wife (AKA getting to live in awesome places)!!!
We haven't been able to set up housing yet, but know where we want to live. We are making sure to have at least one guest bedroom. There is so much to do in the area, so we hope to receive lots of visitors! There is something for everyone ::: Monterey Bay Aquarium, Cannery Row, the 17-Mile Drive, kayaking, sailing, golfing, wine tasting, camping, hiking, shopping and the list goes on.
Amelia and I are excited to be California Girls (we hear they're unforgettable), and all of us are looking forward to this next adventure.
