One foot in and one foot out

So, are you guys staying in DuPont?

The short answer is yes.

That must get hard with everyone moving all the time.

The short answer is yes.

Wow. Phil has a really long commute!

The short answer is yes.

Most people don't seem very interested in my long answers. Of course our good friends are and our family care tons, but all those "others" the ones you meet in passing or chat with outside the elementary school, or even the new acquaintances that may someday become good friends, they aren't too interested in the long answers. To be fair, my long answers tend to be pretty darn long.

But it is a complicated and emotional thing. We left the Army, but we really didn't. Phil won't deploy, we don't have a PCS move on the horizon-ever-, and I have no "mandatory fun" to complain about. I acutely remember the pain of dealing with Tricare, despite the fact that I haven't dealt with it for 2 years. We still shop at the commissary and PX; I have post access. But, we aren't really an Army family anymore.

Phil is on IRR (individual ready reserve). This means he is on a list for the "great Army in the sky" and could, in the event of something really really major, be called up to Active Duty. He does nothing for the Army, and they pay him nothing. But remaining on that list, and risking the remote possibility that he could be called to serve again, affords us certain benefits. Post access being a big one. He didn't have to resign his commission being the biggest.

Of course all of this is confusing for the people around us. Most people have never heard of someone staying on IRR on purpose. But for us, it is the right thing for our family right now.

Because continuing to serve as an Active Duty family was not the right thing for our family. The sacrifices we had to make were hurting our family. We weren't able to put the priorities that we felt most important first. However, we both still feel drawn to serve. And we feel that pull from the military.

Living in a primarily military community, we are surrounded by opportunities to help military families. Having been one of those families, having done deployments and PCS moves and TDY separations, we know all the little ways the "civilian family down the street" can help. It is forever my goal to be that help and support in every little way we can. I love that we are stable enough to do it. I love that we have the opportunity to meet and learn from and love these wonderful people from all over.

It is hard getting close to all these great families only to say goodbye a year or two later. It is hard being the one left behind. PCS season is already beginning and we will send off many good friends this spring/summer. But I know the Army is a very small world. And those families will meet someone getting ready to PCS here. And if we are lucky, they will mention their good friends that live in DuPont.

New Years Eve with friends

Someday...

There has been a lot of "someday" dreaming in our house as of late. It seems as if once the uncertainty of Army life was removed, we now have more freedom to dream about where we want life to take us. We have more control over every aspect of our live, but also much more risk.

It still surprises me (one whole year later) that I actually feel more vulnerable outside of Army life, than I did within it. Of course, Phil's job was risky in a way that working as a civilian will never be, but what I am getting at is risk over all. The Army Family is a cozy little network where all the choices are figured out for you. Your medical, life insurance, even your support network are all provided, figured out, and set up. That is not to say it is all perfect or even always preferable, but it is certainly easy.

Even with the confusing trek through selecting everything that was previously provided for us, we are happy in our new freedom. Phil and I look far into the future and have the chance to really plan and steer our family in the direction we choose. We are able to put our family values and the well being of all three of us first. It is refreshing and challenging!


Now for an Update on Us...almost a year after my last post

This fall was a crazy time for us. The house seemed to crumble around us. August revealed a significant problem with our siding. One side of the house was completely replaced and minor repairs done on the rest. Almost simultaneously, we had to replace our furnace and decided to upgrade to a heat pump/gas furnace combo. Those two, and the other little things around the house added up to our most expensive year EVER! Thankfully, it is unlikely we will have to buy another furnace for this house in our lifetime...

Phil moved into a permanent job at Seattle City Light in July, and has spent the last 6 months finding his groove there. He loves the projects he is working on and the people he works with are wonderful. While he misses somethings about the Army, civilian life has brought back the relaxed sweet man I knew when we were in college.

Nora is thriving in PreK, though I am tiring of the drive down to Olympia and all the time away from our house. She and I both can't wait for Kindergarten. Her, because it is the "big kid" school and I, because it will mean a 5 block walk (round trip) rather than a 25 mile drive. She is happily pursing ballet and will have her first stage recital this spring.

I have now been President of the MOMS Club of DuPont, WA for 6 months now. The job is challenging in ways I never would have expected, but I think I am starting to get the hang of it! Managing volunteers that are my peers forces me to approach leadership in a very different way than I have before. I feel very strongly about the importance of our mission and am very glad to be volunteering so much again. If you aren't familiar with MOMS Club International, it is a nonprofit support group and service organization for at home mothers. http://www.momsclub.org/


Happy New Year!

for more pics of the Ambrose Family : http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152140078332925.611613.510802924&type=1&l=1c3ebdbd6e

AND: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151743955957925.555737.510802924&type=1&l=8a327d8fa2

How is the job and everything going?

Wow. That was quite a break from blogging!

Our most asked question for the last 4 months has been:
How is the job and everything going?

In one word: AWESOME.

I am not sure I could have conjured up a better smoother transition for our family. Phil and I are more peaceful and less stressed than we have been in years. And while his job (like every job) has it's own set of politics and ups and downs, overall he is enjoying it. We are LOVING the fact that when he is home, he is HOME. There are no calls into work, no training exercises, no 15+hour days, and best of all NO DEPLOYMENTS.

Leaving the active army has been an adjustment in many ways we didn't expect. Phil misses the sense of service, I miss the built in support system. In an effort to work through those two big loses, we are volunteering more in the local community and investing time in planting deep roots here. Phil has been taking night classes as part of the Community Emergency Response Team Training that will culminate in a certification exercise this Saturday. Just the beginning for us of course....

Also, Philip has found now that he is no longer in the Army he has time for hobbies! We purchased him a new guitar and he is serenading us more and more. He has also taken great interest in shaping up our backyard! He will be a master gardener one day-just wait!

Nora is bright and amazing as ever. Loving preschool and ballet and swimming, she is a popular friend everywhere she goes. Like her grandpa and her great grandpa Reale, she will make a friend chatting in line at the grocery store! I can't wait for her to start saying "Good Morning!" to everyone we meet (my grandpa's friendly greeting regardless of the time of day). She is on the verge of reading, spelling out every word she sees and desperately trying to put the sounds together, so I plan to try to start teaching that this summer! Feel free to send me advice!

I have recently found my way back to sewing. In the last month or so, I have committed more and more time to one of my former favorite hobbies. Hopefully, in the near future I will have more to share in this department. So far, it has brought me great joy to find I still have the skills to create amazing things (or at least I find them amazing)!

That's right, life is pretty AWESOME for the Ambrose's these days!

Blessings. The 2011 Review

This year, however, we have so much news. So many wonderful changes have taken place for our family and I have been so terrible about emailing OR blogging about them. I feel as though only a tiny portion of the important people in our lives are aware of our big life changes.

Probably the most wonderful, we welcomed Phil home in March from his second (and final) deployment to Afghanistan. It was a torturous year in many ways, but we managed to come out stronger and more certain of the path our lives should follow.

In June, we decided that we would begin the process of separating from the Army. After many discussions weighing the pros and cons of remaining in the service, we decided the best thing for our family, for Nora, was to have Daddy home. He will remain on IRR (inactive ready reserve) status, but otherwise have no other connection to the Army.

In September Phil handed his company over to a new commander. He did a wonderful job bringing all his soldiers home and was sad to leave the job, but relieved to give up the late nights and super long hours.

Phil began Terminal Leave at the end of November and stepped up his job search with increased intensity. He began working as a Project Manager for Seattle City Light (the customer owned power company for Seattle) at the beginning of this month, and commutes about 80min each way by express bus. So far, he is loving the job AND the commute (lots of reading time).

Nora started Preschool this Fall and has blossomed there. It is a wonderful environment with compassionate teachers and many sweet friends. I am so happy with our decision to start her there last fall. If all remains as planned she will attend Pre K at the same school next year as well.

Nora spent the fall doing 3 activities in addition to preschool (Ballet, Swimming, AND Theater). We have since cut that back to 2 (Ballet and Swimming). She loves them all, but we just can't keep up with them all! Theater will likely remain one of her summer activities.

I have stepped up my volunteering and plan to slowly add more as we adjust to Phil's new schedule. I have enjoyed helping with the local MOMS club and am leading up the Fundraising commitee for Nora's Preschool. As Nora requires less undivided attention, I am enjoying having a little more time to catch up on all the little things that I have neglected the past 4 years ;)

Here's a quick Photo Catch Up:


Nora and Phil at Zoo Lights 2011


Ballet Class

Carm and Nora on the Santa Train 2011

Nora detailing her list for Santa

Christmas Cookie Tradtion lives on!

The Ambrose Family at the Tacoma Festival of Trees

Everyone really is THANKFUL for this little girl

Carm's girlfriend Getaway to Forks, WA with Best Friend Becky

The Three Little Pigs

It is REALLY happening!

Fox Hollow Farm Oct 2011


in 23 days (yes of course I am counting down) Philip will begin Terminal Leave! For my "non-military" friends out there, that means we are GETTING OUT OF THE ARMY! He will still technically be on active duty (same pay, same benefits) until February 5th, but won't have to go in and work. All time can be spent finding the perfect job (or any job that pays the bills).


If you can't tell from my tone, I am overjoyed about this new adventure! The moving and deployments and training exercises that the Army requires were never my dream. While there are numerous benefits to the Army, I would prefer to have Phil him home for dinner every night for the rest of our lives :)


For Phil, missing out on so much of Nora's life (which races by at this age) was super hard. He got the chance to do really amazing Army stuff over the past year and is now super excited to spend more time with Nora and I.


Thankfully, in true Carman fashion I have been planning this transition for almost a year now, so we are as ready as we can be. Phil was able to take night classes last spring and test to become a certified Project Management Professional (PMP). Currently, he is hoping to work for the US Army Corps of Engineers as a Project Manager/Project Engineer.


It is an exciting (and stressful) time for us! Nora is so excited that Daddy won't be going to Afghanistan again, and I am so glad that we will finally be able to get settled into the community in a real and permanent way. YAY Ambrose Family!

Looking up

Despite recent bumps in our reintegration road, I am feeling exceedingly happy today. We spent every day this weekend (Friday, Saturday, AND Sunday) with wonderful friends. Nora played her heart out and we had time to sit and relax and enjoy the company of people we honestly enjoy. Sometimes it feels like it is hard to find that, and this weekend I was reminded what a wonderful community of people we have had the opportunity to surround ourselves with.

I am so thankful for those friends that enrich our lives, support and share with us. Even more I am thankful for their amazing daughters that love my sweet Nora as much as she loves them.

Next weekend we spend sometime just the three of us. We plan to camp in the rain forest, hike to a waterfall, and check out some amazingly old trees...It will be just as fun, in a different way, and I am reminded how happy I am to have Philip home, hopefully for good this time.

Together again!

March 29th at about 7pm Nora and I finally were hugging Phil again! It was a long year without him and we don't intend to waste one moment of having him home. After 2 weeks of work, Phil was able to take approx. 1 month of leave, during which we took a few short trips, worked on the house, and just reconnected as a family. It was WONDERFUL having him home! He is back at work now, but I am so happy to say home for dinner almost every night!

here are some photos from our time together so far:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150307333577925.418671.510802924&l=abf3897b3c

here are some photos of our reunion:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150256538462925.389850.510802924&l=beae12964b