McLean Ever After: This girl is crazy 'bout her sharp-dressed man

You remember that old song by David Bowie, where the chorus lines goes something like, "ch ch ch ch chaaanges...?" Good. Now, imagine me singing it out loud to you. Okay, just kidding, I'm not going to torture you. :) Albeit I find the other words of the song to be a bit sad and depressing, that particular verse has been running through my head, in anticipation of what is to come in the months ahead.

Now, before you read on, a little "Christory."

My husband, Chris, is a SWO (Surface Warfare Officer) and has been stationed in the Hampton Roads area for nearly six years, since graduating with his Electrical Engineering degree from the United States Naval Academy in '05. He started his Engineering Management master's degree at ODU last year, and is a third of the way through his program.

Okay, now you may continue... :)

While we were still engaged, we made the decision that we would leave Navy life once Chris had fulfilled his current orders. Keeping with this plan, Chris put in notice last May of his official resignation. Those of you with any background in the military understand that this is no quick process -- rather, it can take nearly a year to have a resignation approved and be processed out of the Navy. As it stands, we are still awaiting the official word that his out-date has been recognized.

This being said, we should be *free* before June of this year. I cannot even begin to tell you how excited we are to begin this next phase in our lives. Our time in Norfolk has been nothing but beautiful, but we are both feeling God's tug to move forward on the path He has laid out for us.

The wonderful part for me is that I can continue doing my work (both as a freelance writer and event planner/consultant/marketing manager for my company, RS Exclusive, LLC) regardless of our location.

Once we have official word, I look forward to sharing more of the details with everyone. In the meantime, please keep us in prayer for God's direction and wisdom in the decisions that lie ahead for our family.

Navy official or not, the beginning of job-hunting season is around the corner, which meant it was also time to evaluate Chris's closet for proper interview attire. The conclusion was that he was in need of one new suit, a little tailoring on the one he owned, the addition of a few spiffy-yet-conservative ties, a new dress shirt, and another pair of dress shoes.

While I do love a good shopping trip, and normally, shopping for Chris is easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy, I never in my life imagined finding the "perfect" interviewing suit would be as exhausting as it was. Who knew all the crazy measurements you have to take into consideration? (FYI, the traditional fit of an American suit is very boxy, therefore, trying to find a suit with a tailored fit to suit Chris's athletic build was challenging.) Thanks be, after several days of strenuous searching, we found the "one." A beautiful, lightly-pinstriped navy blue Hart Schaffner and Marx.

My mother and two of my aunts were in town the weekend we began the clothing hunt, but didn't get to see the end result...until now. Chris may not love that I'm showcasing him on here, but I can't resist the opportunity to show off my handsome hubby in his new duds.

Suit #1

(Navy pinstripe)

P.S. The littlest McLean also wanted to be in the picture.