I’ve always been a planner.

I used to get dressed (shoes and all!!) the night before some exciting event. Or at least lay out the outfit.

I also used to pick my bags a few days early, just in case I forget something… right?

This trait has totally cramped my logic while preparing for our move to Arizona. I have bought many containers and prepared many things to go with us on our trip.

So I have almost packed everything I own and we still have 6 weeks!! I think I’m going a little crazy.

Ian left on February 28th. We were only married 27 days before that. Time flew before he left. It was a bittersweet moment as he hopped in his fantastic, Hulk green Sonic. Even though he would be gone for six months, our married life could begin once his training for CBP was over. Graduation is on August 20th and I already had a countdown ticking (176 days at the time).

When Ian left, I kind of knew there would be a lot of planning, anxiety, stress, and so on. Those things hit me a lot, and still do.

There isn’t a lot of time to talk to a spouse in training. Ian and I get about two hours of FaceTime each day. With the two hour time difference, it is about 8:30 before I ever hear from him each day. During the school year, that was not fun. But I look forward to hearing about each day, every day. 🙂 P.s.- training can involve some fun stories (OT training and what not)

Since we are moving across the country, we also had to find housing. That is a fun story. Ajo, AZ is 40 miles from the border. The original plan was to avoid small towns and find the closest city. Buckeye, Arizona was that. It is approximately one and a half hours from the station Ian would be working at. So the choices are: live in a small town or have Ian drive 3 hours each day (or take the van pool). Nobody really told us that these options would be so hard in the beginning. We were clueless.

After many back and forth decisions, we finally made a decision.

The Customs and Border Patrol Department decided to build government housing in 2013 for agents. The department knew the housing options are limited in this town and they wanted a nice place for their employees to live that is not 2 hours away. Once I discovered this housing existed, I was on it. How do I get tin there? This was also not easy. These houses are not public information and are not rented through regular realtors. I struggled to find a connection myself. But Ian and I finally found someone who set us up in an ADORABLE yellow and salmon home in the agent community.

So, if you are a wife or girlfriend of an agent in training and need some info, I hope some of my insight helps you or makes you feel less alone. I had no clue that we would have such a roller coaster in the beginning, but now we are sailing into the final month before graduation and we have a house! I may even have a job too, fingers crossed!

My name is Jenn. I’m short. I’m a clothes horse, rock music lover, and a Netflix junkie. I flipping love puns. I am 25. I have an education degree. While teaching can be a great job, my passions lie in other things- not all figured out yet.

One of my biggest passions is my husband, Ian. We met at Campbell University in 2016. We got married in 2019. He is the absolute best. We love many of the same things and hate many of the same things too. Many would argue that’s not how it works. But it works for us. I love this man more than words could describe.

We are quite used to long distance in our relationship. For one year, he lived in Edenton, NC to fulfill a year in law enforcement as he applied for other jobs. Currently, he is in training for the United States Customs and Border Patrol in New Mexico. Wow, right? This blog is mostly about our journey through this huge time in our lives. In 6 weeks, we will move across the country so my husband can protect our country. Let’s see what happens!!!