Wow I can't believe it has been so long!
A lot has happened since I last posted.
The biggest one is that we've PCS'd (aka moved.)
Next our car got broken into last week.
And the day after that our windshield met with a rock and the rock won.
Its been...an adventure! I've been proud of the hubby and me because we've managed to laugh through the whole thing. Mainly because all the crooks who broke into our car got was a bag full of jumper cables. I hope they were seriously disappointed or that the really needed them.
Today was the first day Mr. had to go into work. The alarm clock went off at promptly 4:30 am. As I watched him get dressed in his uniform I felt a huge rush of emotion. My husband, my best friend is a soldier. The thought struck me as if I hadn't really understood the concept before. He is a soldier. I started to cry because that's usually what I do when I am woken up before 6. But this time it was because I realized more now than ever before the sacrifice this wonderful man has made for me, our boys and his country. I feel a huge amount of gratitude that I thought had already peaked. What has really surprised me is what I have learned about our capacity to love and feel gratitude. Every time I feel as if there is no way I could possibly love this man anymore, those imaginary bounds are exceeded. I am concluding now that our capacity to love has no limits. Our ability to feel thankful is like wise unending. I love this man more than I did when I married him. And honestly kind of laugh when I think about the day we got married and how I thought I could never love him anymore than I did in that moment. Everyday life seems to be teaching me exactly how much I don't know.
Anyhoo I am not here to actually write a post. But fear not, the day shall soon come! Today's post comes to you via my great friend Anna who is way more of a pro at this whole army thing than I am! I asked her before I moved to write a post about PCSing and the her tips and tricks!
And of course it took me this long to get it up! Without any further adieu I give you Anna:
So, Kayli has asked me to put together a little post about
my experience PCSing {Permanent Change in Duty Station} and all the things I
wish I had known.
·
First thing you want to do is call the on-post
housing and find out EXACTLY what you need to do to get on the waiting list.
Regardless of whether you are planning on living on-post or not, get on the
list. The waiting list can be up to a year wait and the sooner you get on the
better. Then go to http://www.militaryhomelink.com/
, click on the BLUE BOX {ONLINE MILITARY HOUSING DOCUMENTS CLICK HERE} and
follow the step.
The Documents you’ll need/want...
o
Soldier’s orders
o
Birth Certificates
o
Marriage License
o
If you have pets, Up to Date Shot Records
You will also want to have all
these documents scanned into the computer for your application as well. A
worker will be assigned your application. Keep in touch with them. We had
issues with their copies of our documents going missing and they neglected to
tell us until we finally called to check on things. It doesn’t stop your
application, but it does slow things down considerably.
·
Second thing you’ll want to do is get
reservations, for when you arrive, to where ever you are going to stay. Call
the On-Post Temporary Housing first. The military will pay for up to 10 days,
this excludes boarding pets; you will have to cover those charges.
The best part about the Temporary Housing
is that, if you are waiting for On-post Housing, they CANNOT bump you if you
need to extend your stay and they are booked up. They have to allow you to
stay. We dealt with that when we got to Fort Hood. It took them 3 weeks longer
to get our housing figured out and by then we finally just made our own
arrangements Off-Post. You will want to verify the current rules and
regulations, because things change all the time in the Military.
Now all of that being said, if you are
planning on Off-Post, then I would suggest taking your first 10days at the
Temporary Housing, then make arrangements at an extended stay hotel. They will
be a little less expensive. And schedule your last day after you get the date of
your stuff will be delivered. I will explain that later.
·
Third, plan what you want to take with you.
We were in
Temporary Housing for about 6 weeks by the time we finally found a place to
stay. We thought that meant that they had already brought our things from our
previous location, and that it was just sitting in a storage unit, in the area,
waiting for us to give the go. After we had signed our lease we called to
schedule for them to deliver everything. That is when we found out that our
stuff hadn’t left our previous location and it was going to take another week
for it to get to us, even after 6 weeks! And, to top it off, since we were no
longer waiting for On-Post Housing, we were no longer covered under the
previous mentioned rule and therefore had to move into the apartment or find
another hotel. So, I have put together a list of things you should plan to take
with you to make this situation a little easier.
o
Air Mattress/Pads
o
Pillow & Blankets
o
Food Storage Containers (tubberware)
o
Plates/Bowls/Cups
o
Flatware
o
Toys
Even if you are
just staying in the Temporary Housing or a hotel, these things will make your
stay/transition a little easier, especially with kiddos.
Finally, if you
have already gotten your housing, whether apartment, house, or on-post housing,
and you know which ward you are in, call your Elders Quorum President and
Relief Society President. They are there to help. They can help with moving you
in. There are so many people willing to help in Military wards.
After all of that, the best advice I can give
you is call and ask questions. Information, rules and policies are changing
everyday. If you don’t ask you don’t know, and if you don’t know, you could be
missing out on some major benefits.
I hope this helps
with your future moves, whether it be a military move or not.
