Is it just me, or did the summer come and go very quickly? At one moment I am starting a new job, the next moment it’s mid-August. Better watch out! It might be Halloween by the time you’re done reading this. Unfortunately, that might not be far off seeing as I’ve not written in over three months. There are things to say.
My first Marine drill since October 2019 occurred in May. If you remember, I had been on active duty orders in support of the Marine Reserve Headquarters down in New Orleans. I returned to my home unit in Greenville where I dropped my issued gear and transferred to the Inactive Ready Reserves (IRR). There’s an embedded link inside the previous sentence if you have questions about IRR. It was not an easy decision to transfer to the IRR, but it was the best decision for now.
Back in January I started preparing a package for the Selected Marine Corps Reserve (SMCR) Warrant Officer selection board. To be a Marine Warrant Officer, one has to meet certain criteria, and I happened to meet the criteria this year. After coming off of active duty orders, I started my job at Ramsey Solutions and personally needed time for acclimation and my new job. So I transferred to the IRR while awaiting results for Warrant Officer selection board. Personally and professionally, that was the best move.
After transferring to the IRR, I carried on with work and then had the privilege of returning to New Orleans to attend my friends’ wedding. Congratulations to Johnny and Tracy! It was a whirlwind of a weekend, but it was good to see friends again. The running joke (but kind of not) was that I only showed up because there was going to be a crawfish boil the day after. Those crawfish were good!
June rolled around and one of my best friends came to town with his buddies. We hung out in downtown Nashville where we did some axe throwing, walked around, and attended one of the worst taco festivals of all time. If you ever hear of the Taco and Margarita Festival coming to an NFL stadium near you, avoid it. There were indeed tacos, but they were not good, they were overpriced, and the low expectations were not met. Now you know.
July was packed with activity. My family came to town for 4th of July and then we got to see our Kentucky family the weekend after. The weekend after that, my mom and I got to see Garth Brooks in Charlotte. This was her Mothers Day 2020 gift which then extended to Mothers Day 2022. I must be a concert dude now because I received some free tickets to see Josh Groban and was able to see him perform too.
The month of July ended with some work fun. We had bingo night at work with food trucks, drinks, and prizes all provided. I didn’t win, but the food and company was great! On July 25th I brought the Christmas in July festivities to work. We had a Christmas tree, music, cookie decorating station (shoutout to my teammate for putting that together!), fun, and games. Christmas in July is serious business.
August brings a lot of good change. I just finished my second to last college class and will begin my last class on August 22nd. Once that’s done, I will have my Bachelor’s! This month I turned 32, I technically have been enlisted in the Marine Corps for 11 years, and the results for the Warrant Officer selection board were released. . . I made the list!
Talk about about speechless. On Friday I was casually headed to lunch when HQMC released a message with the results of the board. To my surprise, my name was on the list to become a Marine Warrant Officer. Wow! I am truly humbled and thankful for the opportunity. Many thanks to the ones who had a hand in the process and guided me on this journey. The wild ride never stops.
What an adventure it has been over the last several months. I am thankful for all the experiences God has sent my way. If you’re the praying type, please consider praying for my preparation for Warrant Officer Basic Course. This course commences in February. Cheers to the Summer of ‘22 and all the memories that came with it. Until next time: Be strong. Love God. Love others.
rejoice.always
The Wild Ride 