I mean, I can only start and stop so many times before I finally just give up entirely, right? Or maybe I’ll actually stick with it. I’m hoping for the latter, really.

So, let’s see… I suppose I have to catch everyone up, hm?

Which is kind of the problem. Because there’s some of it that I can’t talk about. Really. Things are still in the works and it’s just… complicated. But what I can tell you is that we’ve now moved to Japan.

What?! you exclaim, completely bewildered, looking around this place so full of dust as it is. Japan?! When did this happen?

As many of you know, we’re a military family. And, as comes with the territory, we move. Now, of course, the idea when we were living in VA was that we would be staying there until MarvMan’s retirement. In the military, though, when you make plans… detailers happen.

[Dear MarvMan’s Detailer: I’m super kidding. Really. I’m grateful for these orders. Xoxo.]

In the middle of all this, I won the AFI / Military Spouse Magazine NS Norfolk Spouse of the Year award. I worked for and achieved my ISSA Fitness Trainer Certifications. MarvMan returned from deployment.

And then we picked up and moved to another country.

Since then, we’ve been settling and adjusting and getting set up. It took eight weeks for our household goods to arrive. In that time, we lived with loaner furniture. When you’re moving overseas and assigned housing, loaner furniture and a loaned dishpack are lifesavers.

They are also not of the greatest quality.

So you spend a lot of time grumbling, but then also reminding yourself to be grateful for what you have. Because it could be worse. You could have nothing. Except maybe an air mattress, a microwave, and paper plates.

In the military, every time you move, there’s a chance to reinvent yourself. To learn something new. To work on yourself. To push yourself out of your comfort zone, and to grow and change as a person.

And now that we’re settled for the most part, I can start working on that.

What am I going to do? Who am I going to be?

Well, that’s kind of the point of starting this all up again, now, isn’t it?

[Photo is from Mount Osorezan, known to Americans as “The Gates of Hell,” in northern Japan.]