These boots were made for walking

The Countdown begins...

290 weeks down, 22 to go
(Ahem, the is 5 months!!!! AHHHHH!!!)
Goodbye boots
Goodbye Navy
Hello Corporate Job
Hello College too...

I can't believe it will have been 6 years. It is even more amazing how much I have accomplished (personally, spiritually, financially). I have traveled all over the world and met so many people. Hell, I have been introduced to so many amazing lifestyles. The experience has been fulfilling and has made me so proud. Wow. Just wow.

The road has been unbelievably bumpy and at times appearing to be never ending. Somehow, it is hard to look on the bad and I am so thankful for those lacking memories.

Some places I have been: Florida (Pensacola, Jacksonville), Illinois (my first winter), Maryland, Massachusetts (my first mission), Virginia Qatar, Iraq, Scotland, Amsterdam, Italy, Spain, Palma, Greece, Turkey, Crete, Montenegro, Croatia, Mauritania

Some things I have learned: Don't worry about your peers just be honest with yourself. Stand up for your values. Don't let a man stomp all over you; you are just as good as he is (sometimes better). Friends will come and go but it is your family (doesn't have to be blood) that will stick by you forever. KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT! Remain in contact with your shipmates because you never know when you are going to need them. Motivation. Dedication. Pride (in oneself and country).

What these boots mean: When I first put these boots on (well, not these that would just be gross) I was a lost individual, seeking guidance, a purpose. Now, when I take them off for the last time I am going to be a grown woman, a wife, someone who knows there is more to this world than myself. I may have not chosen Active Duty as a career but this part of me will never leave me. I will forever be a Sailor.