straight up

Ok ladies (and gents, if there are any out there that read this).  I spoke about 30 minutes too soon yesterday.  Depending on what blogs you read, you may have heard this or that.  Things seem to be quite different depending on who you ask or what news you watch.  I'm going to tell you how things are going here and what I say applies to our base and our base only.

Yesterday we had a FRG meeting scheduled at 1530.  I blogged about our rolling blackouts then stopped by my husbands office before heading to the meeting.  In the time between my post and the meeting, shit hit the fan.  The word "evacuation" was flying EVERYWHERE, friends from other bases were posting things on FB and lots of people were starting to panic.  At the meeting, our Battalion Commander got up and told us pretty straight up how it is.  The President signed an order for Military Assisted Voluntary Departure of Dependents.  THIS DOES NOT MEAN WE ARE BEING ORDERED TO LEAVE!  It means we have the OPTION to depart if we feel necessary and the government will provide transportation to and lodging at a "safe haven".   We were told to pack a bag with clothes for 3-4 days and be prepared to leave with in a couple of days if we choose to.  At this point, we do not know when we will leave, where we will go or how long we will stay.  The plan is changing by the hour and I won't be confident in the plan until the wheels are up on the plane and even then, I'll probably still have some doubts.  At this point it is also unclear whether or not pets are going to be able to travel under this voluntary departure option.  As you can imagine there is a LOT of confusion and speculation going on right now.  It may not seem like I'm giving you much that you haven't already heard but I'm simply being smart about what I say, the last thing I want is this blog starting more rumors.

Ok, so what about me?  What is my plan?  Well, without saying too much and breaking opsec rules, due to my husbands job and what that means for him, we have decided that it's best if I go.  Hopefully soon, I'll be able to elaborate a little more on that but for now, that's what you get.  I will say that I am NOT leaving because I am worried about anything here.  I feel completely safe here and don't feel like there is any need to leave.  We just feel I can do more good by traveling with friends who are departing the area with small children.  Plus, I'm up for an adventure and this is sure to be one!

Stay tuned.  The lap top is coming with me where ever I go, so I'll do my best to blog as things move along.  And please please please keep sending prayers to Japan!