I feel like my life has been quite the roller coaster in the past few years. I have had so many adventures that I wouldn't even know where to start to explain how I had ended up where I am now. Six years ago I left my life as a knew it in Michigan to do what I knew I wanted to do since the 6th grade, architecture. It was everything I thought it would be and so much more. My years in the architecture school at Auburn were amazing. I can't even explain all the things that I experienced and all of the amazing people that I met.
After nearly a year of living in Alabama, I was sitting in an old barn in the middle of nowhere Alabama, more fondly known as the rural studio red barn, trying to figure out how I was going to afford to stay at Auburn for the rest of the time it took for me to get my degree. I finally came across the bachelor degree completion program through the United States Navy and a program specifically for engineers and architects to become Civil Engineer Corps Officers. Through this, the Navy would pay me for up to three years while I went to school and finished my degree. In return, I am obligated to at least four years as an Officer in the Navy. I've always been interested in being a part of the military as it seems like such a foreign thing to me that can only be really understood by personal experiences. After much thought, questions, interviews, and a ridiculously large amount of paperwork, I signed my life away to the Navy.
This let me stay at Auburn for the rest of the time it took to finish my architecture degree (and then some). During this time I was able to study in Rome build some of my designs on the Auburn University Campus, and live/design/construct in rural Alabama for several years. After the whole crazy ride that was my undergraduate degree, I feel like I'm starting all over again on a new exciting ride.
In April I left the life that I had come to know in Alabama, and headed up to Newport, Rhode Island were a huge shock awaited me. I spent three months being yelled at my a Marine Corp drill instructor who is professionally trained at mentally and physically breaking people down. By far the most difficult, mentally and physically straining thing I had to do in my life. Words cannot even begin to explain my time there. On July 2nd I was officially commissioned as an Ensign in the United States Navy and got out of there before they could take it back! It still feels weird to say that as it was definitely not something I ever envisioned myself doing before I signed up for it. Now that it has happened, however, it feels really good to know that I have accomplished this and add it to the list of all the things that I have experienced that I never in a million years dreamed that I would have.
After a couple of months of pretty much vacationing and driving back and forth from Alabama, I started my next training for the Navy to become a Civil Engineer Corps Officer. The training was located in Port Hueneme, California which was awesome because I was finally able to live in the same state as my sisters even if it was only for three months. I tried to visit them as much as possible in that time. I also had many other fun/interesting times living in a really beautiful area of the country. Finally my time in California has come to an end, which brings me to my next adventure...the wonderful pacific northwest. I will be living/working in Oak Harbor, WA, which is on Whidbey Island. I'm still not sure what I am getting into in the Navy, but I appreciate the steady job in this economy, the good experiences, and many more great adventures that it has in store for me!
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