The Rumor Mill

I’m always fascinated by how rapidly and easily rumors can start and spread… especially around the office.  Since the day Chuck first told his friends about me, they have all been giving him hell.  "You’re going to marry that girl, aren’t you?"  "You two are going to run off and get hitched as soon as your divorce is final."  "I give it six months max before you two tie the knot."  We’ve both been blowing the comments off and denying those accusations vehemently.  The rumor mill is generating a whirlwind of smoke, though, and it’s blowing right up everyone’s ass.

A couple of weeks ago, I was sitting in the Colorado Springs airport terminal awaiting my flight to Killeen when my phone rang.  My brother was calling to verify some information he’d recently come by.  Keep in mind that my brother, though he does work for the same company, manages our office in Washington DC.  Apparently, my boss, Kevin, who works in our Hampton, VA, office, let it slip that he believed the reason I want to move to Texas is because I’m getting married.  He met Chuck last summer when we were all in Baghdad together, so he’s well aware that we’ve been in a long-distance relationship since.  Somehow that one teensy, little, seemingly harmless comment jumped all the way across the country to our CO office, at which point it traveled back to the DC office via (I’m assuming, but my bro refuses to reveal his sources) a week-long visit by our vice president and several other coworkers.  Meanwhile, I’m none the wiser until Rob phones me exasperated at the thought of me making such an important decision without even telling him.

Sheesh.

Of course, I immediately phoned Chuck to tell him about the silly spread of stories.  He joked that since everyone was so concerned with our business maybe we shouldn’t disappoint them all.  We laughed over it for a few minutes, and in a quiet moment following, he said, "The actual funny thing about this is that we’re still telling ourselves that its not going to happen."  I was speechless!  The only response I could muster was, "Yeah, I know."  I still haven’t figured out how serious that comment was.

In other news, my trip to Ft. Hood last week was a total success.  My meeting on Thursday was quite important in my quest for moving to Texas.  III Corps is the group that originally funded CIDNE’s inception in 2003.  Though we’ve still had one personnel on the ground there permanently, the contract ran out a couple of years ago.  John and I briefed the G3 in hopes of establishing a new contract that includes funding for three permanent personnel in Ft. Hood.  John handled the CIDNE portion, and I briefed on WebTAS.  The Colonel had so many good questions, the meeting ran longer than expected.  He was so excited about the progress of CIDNE and the possibilities of WebTAS, he not only agreed to sign the contract for funding, he’s also requested a new server and full WebTAS setup on base.

Funding, or lack thereof, was the only thing standing in my way of moving to Texas.  Kevin assured me long ago that if the III Corps contract came through, I would receive one of the additional spots.  Kevin deployed to Baghdad last week, and I’m excited to be able to talk with him face to face about the way forward.  If things happen the way I would like, I will only be returning to Colorado in August to pack up my belongings and my two beloved cats before making that one-way trip south.  I’ve also decided to just come clean to Kevin while I’m in Iraq that I will not be deploying again.  I’m slated for another three month trip beginning in October, but since no tickets have been purchased yet, it won’t hurt my feelings to turn that down.  Besides, with the testing schedule that CTSF has released through November, I’ll be a more valuable asset in the states.  If a stipulation is placed on my relocation that I be available to deploy at a moment’s notice, then I will just continue my job search in Austin, and pray that something comes through before the end of the year.

Chuck and I have begun house hunting, as well.  Though we can afford his current house in Belton with our combined income, I personally don’t think it’s worth what he pays.  It’s been on the market awhile, though, so it’s likely we’ll have to stay there for at least a few months.  We’ve been searching the Round Rock area, and homes of the same caliber there are surprisingly much more affordable.  We’re looking for at least three bedrooms, two baths, about 2000 square feet, and in the $150-160k range.  I’ll probably end up buying a house myself, and I’ve already budgeted several different scenarios.  With both of us contributing to the household, it will actually be cheaper for me to live there than in my apartment here in Colorado.  Should something unmentionable happen, though, I’d still be in good shape on my own.

You can see some of the homes we’re looking at here, here, here, here, and here.  Those aren’t the only ones, but I could probably fill up an entire entry with just links to houses we’re hoping to walk through.

I should be cleaning and packing right now, but it’s so hard to throw a bunch of clothes in a bag for a trip you aren’t even looking forward to.  Thursday morning, I fly out of Colorado Springs bound for Austin.  I at least get to spend a few days (including the Fourth of July) with Chuck and the kids before departing on Sunday for Kuwait.  I’ll be stuck there for a few days before catching a charter flight into Baghdad.  I booked a room for a couple of nights at the JW Marriott in Kuwait City.  It’s attached to a shopping mall, so maybe I won’t be holed up in the hotel the entire time.  I’ll be in Iraq exactly thirty days before hopping a flight back into Kuwait for a night on the 8th and heading back to Austin the following day.  I won’t be coming home to Colorado until the 13th.  In a perfect world, I’ll be making an offer on a house during those few last days in Texas.

I’m not sure I’ll get a chance to write again before flying around the world, but I am sure you’ll hear from while I’m there.  Until then…

Cheers!
Felina