Moving

Here we go again!

PCSing, aka moving, can be one of the more exciting and frustrating parts of military life.  The thrill of moving to a new location and a new experience met with the terror of making new friends AGAIN, moving with kids for the first time, and the logistics.  Ohhh the logistics.  I'm sure every military spouse's story is different.  I'm not sure how many end up with cross-country trips like we do but this is my experience.  

We are currently stationed at Fort Drum, NY with orders to report to Fort Huachuca, AZ.  That's about 2,500 miles.  We did this move before from Virginia to Arizona with just the two of us.  We didn't book hotels ahead of time, we just stopped and found one.  We didn't have housing planned ahead of time, we just arrived and figured it out.  This time we have two little people so we are attempting to have a plan.  We are going to Fort Huachuca for about 6 months of school and then will PCS again to a more permanent (read 2-3 years) location.

But Liz, why don't you just stay on the East coast while Chris goes to school?

While it may seem a wee bit like torture to make this move for a measly six months, school time means quality family time.  School hours are more reasonable and Chris will likely be home for dinner every night, maybe on occasion even for lunch.  Not knowing what the next job or location holds for us, this is valuable time for us as a family.

Our most immediate to-do list involves selling or renting our current home. 

Wait.  Doesn't the Army give you housing?

Yes, military posts DO have housing.  Enough for everyone stationed there?  Ha, yeah right!  When we arrived at Drum we were told it was an 8-10 month wait for on-post housing.  I was 6 months pregnant at the time and Chris was set to deploy in 3 months so I wasn't thrilled about the prospect of moving twice, the second time by myself with a newborn in the dead of Winter.  Thanks, I'll pass and get my own place.  We didn't have to buy a home but that was a choice we made.

Now onto our move to Arizona.  

They have housing available for us!

YAY!

It's the same old housing we lived in before that has swamp coolers for a/c and was supposed to be torn down by now.

BOOO!!

They ARE tearing them down in 2014 though, so we'd have to evacuate by the end of the year and possibly move twice in a 6 month time frame.

BOOO!!

But there are lots of really nice off-post rental houses in Sierra Vista!

YAY!!!

We found one that we LOVE!

YAY!!!

But the rental company won't reserve the house for us until we do a walk-through.

BOOO!!

Call me cheap (and I am) but I'm not flying out to Arizona to look at houses we will live in for less than a year.  No matter how perfect it is.  The important thing to remember is that we have choices.  It is the little things, right?  And we'll be together as a family.  That is most important of all.

I suppose if it wasn't a roller-coaster it wouldn't be an adventure now would it?  Didn't I tell you PCSing is both exciting and frustrating?  

Just another day navigating a PCS.