The Waiting Game

A good friend wrote on my Facebook wall this week asking me what was going on with Mike and I and kindly reminded me that I haven't updated this blog in several months. Truth is, there's been a lot going on with us, and I haven't been super sure how or even if to post about it. Hopefully I can do this in the right way.

When Mike went to pilot training, he received a waiver for his depth perception in order to go. His waiver expired this August, and so he went DNIF (duties not including flying) and waited for an eye test. After taking an eye test here in Montana, the results showed that he did worse, so the eye doctor here could not renew his waiver, and he would need to go to Ohio for additional testing.We really didn't think anything of it. Even the doctor in Ohio spoke with Mike, saying not to stress about this too much because very rarely do they decide to not renew a waiver, so we felt optimistic about everything.

Mike went to Ohio in November and spent a few days doing eye tests. The doctor came back telling him that it did not look good, and so his personal recommendation was to not renew the waiver. Then Mike had to go with that doctor to a medical board, where the doctor explains what he found and gives his opinion on the situation. The medical board decided not to renew his waiver, so Mike can no longer fly helicopters. When Mike called to update me on this, there was a flood of emotions. I wondered if we could appeal the decision. Let me tell you, I got a big ol' slice of humble pie when Mike told me that the doctor had informed him his eyes were so bad, it was not a matter of "if", but "when" his eyes would fail during a flight, which as you can imagine, would not be a good thing. Praise God that it never got to that point.

Overall, Mike was really okay with this. The way he sees it, flying was a really awesome opportunity and he has to be grateful for it. I am so proud and in awe of his attitude throughout this entire process.

So since November, we have been waiting for Mother Air Force to decide our fate. This will involve a career change and a move.

Complicating the situation further is the fact that I'm still in school. I am due to graduate in Dec 2013. The unfortunate part is that nursing credits do not transfer...nursing programs are just so different, so there is no way that a class I am taking here would mimic the same class at another school. There is also time and money to consider. I had to apply for the program I am in now about two years ago. I don't know if I'm willing to go through that waiting process again, knowing I still have two years of school left. And, after doing some research over Christmas, I am saving a lot of money by doing school here in Montana. It is just a much cheaper cost to us than in other states. Like 25,000 dollars cheaper. That is pretty significant.

Once we find out Mike's job situation, we will investigate the school thing a little more, but I think we will strongly consider me staying in Great Falls during the school year to finish. Thankfully, several friends have offered me a room to stay, and it has truly meant a lot, but we'll see what happens. So far we have been waiting since November, so I'm not holding my breath about hearing anything definitive anytime soon. (But you never know...)

So in a nutshell, that's what's going on with the Scotts. Our faith has surely been tested, but we have grown closer through this and we know that God is sovereign, so we are going to end up exactly where we're meant to be. Thanks in advance for any prayers...we could definitely use the encouragement as this process drags on.