October 16, 2010-Jumping Up and Down News!

     I am still a bit in shock, but late yesterday I received a call from my boss who had some news for me about my exception to policy request to be granted housing with my new job on island.  As I’ve mentioned before in this blog, there are two types of jobs offered to the contract employees on island, accompanied and unaccompanied. I have been living in a dorm room where my children are not allowed to visit me until they turn 21 with an unaccompanied contract for the last 3 years hoping and praying that some day I would be able to move into an accompanied position, which are generally only given to managers or critical positions on island because of the lack of housing options available on the island. 
     All of the housing is military built and “free” of rent or house payments. We all live “on base,” so to speak, because off base is in the ocean with the fish! :)  Now after many long weekends dragging my boys from friend’s house to friend’s house to hotel rooms and Roi, I have been offered an accompanied position with the possibility of a home to go with it.  The “possibility part” meant I still had to send up an exception to policy to be provided the house allotted to accompanied positions because my children are under my ex-husband’s contract as his dependents, and I have no dependents on my contract. The funny thing is this is a unique situation to Kwajalein because our legal paperwork says we have joint custody, but because I did not have an accompanied contract at the time of the divorce, I could not have them under me as dependents here, so there’s the rub.

     At any rate, it’s been several weeks since the exception to policy talks began, and when my boss called, I, trying not to get my hopes up, said, “Is it news that’s going to make me want to jump up and down?” And he said, “Yes. Your exception to policy for housing has been approved.” Part of me will continue to feel it’s just a dream until I have keys to an actual home and have moved in, but today I was handed a copy of the official paperwork that says I can be given a 2 bedroom home to reside in for as long as I remain in my current position or as long as the job itself exists out here, and I continue to have my contract renewed each year.
     Praise the Lord! My prayers have been answered.  I feel equally blessed and spoiled because there are plenty of others here who wish they could live in a house, and I’ve been granted that atoll luxury.  If it wasn’t for the boys, I’d stay right here in my dorm room, but now I will have a home for them, with them, and finally be able to move forward in an area of my life that has been at a standstill.  For those of you out there who have a roof over your head, good food to eat, and family and friends who love you and live with or near you, celebrate life with them today.  It’s a tough world out there and being thankful for the little things makes the big things seem not quite so tough just as this one small “extra” for me will make a world of difference to my family time with the boys.