FINALLY got my ratings back from the medical board—I will indeed be medically retired. Amazingly, they rated me higher than I was expecting, which means I'll be making significantly more money monthly which is huge because we had estimated our family income dropping 60%, but it'll only drop 40% (at least for the next few years). That will help us adjust to our new life as rural civilian home owners.

I'll require a re-evaluation or two in the next few years to check on the "stability" of my PTSD and anxiety, but I am not too worried about those. I figure I'll probably end up being dropped a bit but not having my retirement pulled (temporary retirement—TDRL—is an interesting beast, as are the VA rating math, and the MEB/PEB process if you are ever curious). Being with my kids helps me a lot; going to be hard to work and maintain time with them though. We'll see how going back to school next year impacts stuff. And G going to school. And the move. And not being a Marine. And getting new doctors. And meeting new people. And trying not to be overwhelmed with life đŸ˜¬

The last 17 months have been rough. Hell, the last 13 years have been rough. I am proud of myself for finally addressing my issues and hope I can help a few others gather the courage to do the same.

Now we just wait on a date and orders so we can schedule our final military move!

Love others. Love self. Love coffee.

#coffeewithasideofcowbell #ptsd #medicalretirement #coffee #usmc #somuchwaiting #hurryupandwait