A year in Matt's life.........take a seat...you'll be here a while.

Well to catch everyone in my family up on my life and to introduce myself to Rachael's family and friends and Rachael to my family and friends I figured that I would add a blog to our family site. I'll start back in October of 2007 since that was the last time that my family was able to see me...some even longer than that. After Jordan's (my little brother's) wedding I went back home to Northern California with my wife Katelyn and daughter Aislinn. At that particular time Katelyn and I were having some issues in our marriage and a few months later she up and left me taking Aislinn with her. For a while she was letting me take Aislinn on the weekends which I made the best of until finally all the divorce papers were done and signed and Katelyn decided then that she didn't want me in Aislinn's life anymore. The following months were extremely hard for me especially on holidays that I didn't have any family to spend with and wasn't able to see Aislinn. Finally in April my life did a complete 180 going from being divorced, depressed and alone in California to being extremely happy when I met and became friends with Rachael. It was great having Rachael to talk to and vent to because at the time she was going through a divorce herself so having someone else that understood what I was going through was a great strength to me. Finally after being friends for a few months and getting to know each other over the phone and Internet we decided that Rachael would come out to visit me seeing how I lived in Northern California near a world renowned Culinary Academy which Rachael was extremely interested in visiting. So at the beginning of June 2008 her and a good friend of hers' Amanda came out for a week to visit and see all that my neck of the woods had to offer. We had so much fun going to San Fransisco to the wharf and to Alcatraz and driving around Napa checking out all the wine vineyards and beautiful scenery. Rachael and I really hit it off. We had so much in common and enjoyed alot of the same things from styles to music to being raised LDS. For Rachael...a week was just not enough...so after flying back to Idaho Falls she proceeded to pack her van up with all 3 kids and drove 16 hours back to my house to stay for 2 months...lol. It was only suppose to be a week for me to meet her kids but we hit it off so well that we decided to stay an extra day...and another day....and another day...ha ha and so on. Yes I know. Weird but it was the best summer I have had in a long time. The kids took right to me and we all had such a great time once again going to San Fransisco so the kids could see all the sites and see things that we had gone and done while Rachael was there the previous week. While in California, Mikey (Rachael's oldest son) got a chance to meet his biological father for the first time ever. So we decided to meet him and his family down in Santa Cruz and go to the beach and the boardwalk with them all. It was SUPER FUN and Mikey's Bio Dad and his family were very nice. While down there we stayed in San Jose at a pretty nice hotel and had a great time ourselves there as well. We got the chance to go see and do a tour at the Winchester Mansion which for me being a firearms guru was extremely interesting. The boys enjoyed the tour of the mansion. On our way back up to my house we once again stopped in San Fran to take the kids on the old trolleys. They had alot of fun doing that and it was really fun for Rachael and I as well. Some of the other things that we got a chance to do was go to a really cool beach at Bodega Bay which happens to be one of California's most deadly beaches. Ha ha so obviously we didn't go swimming but we had fun anyways. So finally it came down to the time when Rachael and the boys absolutely had to go back home. One of the things Rachael had offered her ex husband in their divorce is that with his military career that for the first few years if possible that she would move near him so he could have time to spend with his boys. Hence the reason she had to go home because the Army gave her less than a week to move to his next duty station. This brought us to where we are now. Sierra Vista, Arizona (Fort Huachuca). Rachael moved here at the beginning of August so the boys could get situated in their new school. I stayed in California for the next month and a half working and saving up the money to move. At first it looked like it was going to be a long time before I would be able to move but my best friend who is like an older brother to me (JD Sagley) helped me out by letting my borrow the money I needed to move to be with Rachael because 1. He cares alot about Rachael and 2. He knows how much I love Rachael and wanted a change in my life. Thanks JD, I love you man! I appreciate all you have done for me! So after leaving a pretty good job with some great friends in California I got my chance to move to Arizona to be with Rachael. So here I am in Arizona now. Everyone knows how bad the economy is right now so finding a job has been a difficult thing for me lately since I've been here. Especially being in an area where the jobs are really competitive and most people around here have military experience. So with the hard times I have really had to re-evaluate my life and my career goals. My end goal is to become a Federal Law Enforcement Officer with either NCIS or FBI and so on. So being military is a good way as well as a quick way of gaining the experience and schooling requiered to even consider those positions. Being from a family with a decent amount of military experience, being military is something that I have always looked at and wanted to do. Of course most people including my family know about my medical issues with my past knee surgeries and all that so in the past those issues have kept me from being able to join the military. In the past I have been turned down by the Navy and Marine Corps because it was too soon after my knee surgeries so I hadnt fully recovered but as of late I have been looking into the Army and they seem to be a little more laid back with their medical policies but at the same time I have had many years to recover fully from my surgeries. At first I was a little hesitant because I have always been gung ho about the Navy and Marine Corp but the farther I have looked into the Army the more I have come to like what they have to offer from jobs to schooling to bonuses and just over all Army life. So as of right now I am just waiting on my medical records to come in from my orthopedic that did my surgeries and then I'm off to MEPS to do my ASVAB and Physical to get started on my Army life. Hopefully everything will go well and I will be able to pass all required fields so please everyone keep me and my family in your prayers that I will be able to do so if its what is right for me to do for myself and my family. I really want this. I've been working my butt off everyday to train doing things from running 4 miles a day and 2 mile bike rides and an hour or so in the gym doing all types of workouts. The biggest help in all this is I finally have a companion who being an Army brat and ex Army wife understands the military and the way it works and is very supportive whether I get in or not but she has been a great help and motivator for me in all this. This is something that I just didn't have in my previous relationship. As of right now I have the opportunity of going in as a possible E-3 Private First Class or E-4 Corporal because of my being an Eagle Scout and previous college credit hours and state licenses and finishing the Army Pre-enlistment checklist. Rachael and I over the past month or so have talked alot about marriage. We love and respect each other very much differences and all and if this whole thing with the Army works out there could possibly be a wedding in the near future. We will keep everyone posted on that. Because of the time frame between MEPS and BCT and AIT there isn't a whole lot of time to have some grand wedding so it will probably be something small or in a courthouse for now but if so we do plan on having some small reception for family and friends after my training. (For those who don't speak military...MEPS = Military Entrance Processing Station......BCT= Basic Combat Training.....AIT= Advanced Individual Training....which all in all = anywhere up to 6 months to a year). We haven't discussed marriage solely because of the military. We have discussed marriage as a goal for the next 2-3 years but because of the military the only way we would still be able to be together is if we are married or else moving becomes out of pocket which just does not work financially for either of us and neither does separation if we can help it. Deployments are one thing....but separation by choice is not an option when you truly love someone........I mean come on....who else is going to wash my ACUs? Ha ha just kidding she does other house chores too (ya it's ok..she knows I put this in here....what a good sport huh! ). (oopps forgot...ACU= really cool digital camo uniforms). Other than that....that's my life in a nut shell........Married, Divorced, Sad Sad Sad, Very Happy, Fun, Fell in Love, Change of scenery and now going Military...hopefully with lots of prayers and luck....Love you all!!! I will keep you posted and like I said in the email to all of you....leave us comments and email us. We'd love to hear from you all and catch up on your lives and also have the chance for all of you in my family to meet Rachael and get to know her as well as her family and friends to get to know me a little better as well.......enough rambling...I'm out!!! ha ha
My email address.........norcal707mcm@yahoo.com
Rachael's................cute_sassafrass@yahoo.com