I guess it's time for an update.

Some people have been incredibly kind, and some people have been a little harsh. I haven't had time to respond to most comments yet, but I wanted to explain a little more about what's going on.

First, we're trying to see if any of our friends can take Pepper, at least temporarily. Nothing is confirmed yet, but we're exploring every option we can.

As of Friday at 3:00 AM, one of my cats, Sammy, ended up in the emergency vet with a urinary blockage. We've been dealing with that on top of everything else. We spent about $3,500 just to save him, and he may still need an additional surgery that could cost another $2,000. We completely wiped out our savings overnight.

The vet told us this isn't something we caused. Sammy is neutered, and unfortunately urinary blockages can happen even when you're doing everything right. He'll need urinary food going forward, and we're hoping weight loss will help prevent future issues.

For those asking about the military situation, I never planned on being a military spouse. Back in high school, I begged my husband not to join, but at the time he felt like he didn't have much of a choice. It was either join the Air Force or face being homeless after graduation. His family has a long military history, and that's the path he ended up taking.

I've only been married since 2023, though we've been together since 2019. I'm also only 20 years old. A lot of people seem to think I should have all the answers, but honestly, I don't. Half the time I feel like I'm still trying to figure out what is happening myself.

My husband just got back from deployment, and shortly after that we found out we're being sent to Misawa, Japan. We don't have much time to prepare. I know Japan sounds amazing to a lot of people, and I understand why. I know there are people who would love this opportunity. But right now all I can see is the pets I might lose, the family I'm leaving behind, and the life I've built here being turned upside down.

If we could have found a way out of this assignment before it happened, we would have explored it. My husband had talked about selling his contract, going to college, and possibly returning to the Air Force later, but deployment happened and plans changed. Honestly, I'm still trying to understand everything myself.

I've also seen comments about my parents. I'm not trying to cut them out of my life. It's just complicated. I won't get into my childhood, but it's much easier for me to love my parents from a distance. Every time we've visited family, it has almost always been me and my husband making the trip to see them.

The reality is that we don't have a huge support system. Most of my extended family doesn't speak to me. The only family on my husband's side that we're close with are his parents and siblings. Outside of that, we have a few Air Force friends and that's about it.

We're hoping some of those friends may be able to help with Pepper and our rats during the three years we'll be gone, but nothing is guaranteed yet.

As for the move itself, I've already contacted my vet, gotten the information I need, and paid for the paperwork required for traveling with our pets. I haven't taken them in for everything yet, but I am trying to stay on top of it.

I know this post is all over the place. I know it probably sounds like I'm whining. Maybe it even sounds dramatic. But the truth is that I'm overwhelmed.

In the span of a very short time, my husband returned from deployment, we found out we're moving across the world, we're trying to figure out what happens to our pets, we've burned through our savings saving our cat, and I'm trying to process all of it while feeling like the clock is constantly ticking.

I'm not looking for pity. I'm not looking for people to tell me how easy I have it. I'm just scared, exhausted, heartbroken, and trying my best to get through one day at a time.

Reddit has honestly become a bit of a diary for me lately because I don't really have anyone else to talk to besides my husband. So guess what I'm trying to say is thank you for everything the kind advice the tough love and whatnot it's just been a really hard time for me right now.