No move this year. Maybe year after next.

Some people know about the research and development job Thak was trying to get in my hometown.  He has decided not to go for that right now, and instead, to deploy with his current job next year.  While neither of us likes the idea of him deploying, his reasoning is sound, and I think he made the right, albeit difficult, choice.

First of all, he hasn't been with this firm for very long.  It doesn't look very good for his resume if he has only a short time at each of his civilian jobs.  He needs to stick with this one for longer.  Even if the other firm did have an opening, they wouldn't hire him with only 8 months at each of his two civilian jobs anyway.  That's not the kind of job history that just screams stability. 

The other thing is, we can't afford to move even if he did get hired.  When he deploys, he'll make a bunch of money, we'll pay off every dime we owe to anybody (car, student loans, etc), and have more to spare. We will be able to afford to move, just in case that other job comes through at some point after that. If it doesn't, well, he'll stay with this firm.  It's a good firm, and a good job.  We don't actually dislike a thing about it minus the deployments.  It's just that this place isn't somewhere we can really see ourselves living for the rest of our lives.  The only reason we'd leave is to go somewhere that fits us better.

It's a hard decision, and I know he didn't take it lightly.  Neither of us wants him to deploy. It's just that, at this point, this is the way it has to be.  He has to do this to fix the mess getting out of the Army put us into.  It's what Drill Sergeant always said about taking the hard right over the easy wrong.

Now I know what this kicks off.  It'll be just like it was the last time we lived here.  All anyone will ever want to talk to me about is deployments.  Here's what I know, so that people can just, like, talk about something else.  We do have a month that the unit is slated for.  It is in the earlier part of 2013.  These things nearly always change, but it would actually be kind of good if this one did not.  The timing would be, if ever there is such a thing with deployments, the best case scenario.  We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.  It's a ways off.  Don't worry about it yet. The only relevant news at this point is that Thak has made his choice, and when the unit deploys, he'll be with them.