Why I Stay...

Deployed again....

But this time I am on a Navy ship in a foreign place.

The good things about the ship are the gym, the hot showers, the clean room, my TV, my internet access and my roommate.

The bad...where do I start? Well, the bad parts are the food, the constant loud noises, the fact that you are never alone, 14 hour workdays, no days off, micromanagement, my command, no WIFI, limited telephone access, and many, many, more.

Why do I do this?

Every year that rolls around I re-think my decision to stay in the Marine Corps. I don't love what I do but there are times when I like what I do. Not for the last two years...but hopefully that will change when I change duty stations in a few months. No, I don't do it because I love it; I do it because I can retire when my children are still young and I will only have to work if I choose to. I do it because I make a lot of money (by my standards) and I couldn't do much better if I changed jobs. I do it because the economy is very unstable and even if I got a dream job, you never know if it is going to last more than a short time. Most people don't plan to get laid off and I don't want to take that chance.

I look forward to the day that I do retire. I have 6 years and one month until that day and I am so excited to know that when I am 40 years old I will no longer have to work unless I choose to. I can take my children to school and go on field trips. I can take them to sporting events and be a team mom. I can go out of town anytime I choose. I will be able to choose where we live and not ever have to move again unless we decide to. I can spend my days laying by the pool if I have nothing else that I want to do more. I can't wait to be free. The most important and exciting part of retirement is this; I will never ever have to leave my babies for a deployment again.