OCONUS
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More Than the Boxes
Moving. PCSing. Relocating. Whatever you want to call it, the event (no matter how routine for some of us) is really not a singular activity. The whole process comes with much more than a pile of boxes containing everything you own.
A Love Letter to So-Called Lazy Susan
Dearest Lazy Susan—
First of all, I’m terribly sorry for the unfortunate name that has been so unfairly bestowed upon you. If I had it my way, I would have called you Hardworking Susan or Ever-Evolving Susan or Lady Susan of Spinnington. Nevertheless, I would like to express my sincere gratitude for your existence and dedication to organization during this month of love and appreciation for those who hold a special place in our hearts.
Milspouse Life, A Better Me
Like many spouses of military servicemen and women, I get caught up in all the reasons why it is not fun to be a military spouse. From deployments, having to spend thousands on hidden costs like the new pinks and greens uniforms and PCS season where essentially everything you own is scooped up into a giant washing machine. And, like a washing machine, everything gets tumbled around, sometimes things are destroyed, and sometimes things are lost (like that one sock).
But while out for a run the other morning at our new duty station, Fort Lee in Virginia, I had time to think about the positive changes military life has brought to me.
American In Germany, Lesson Learned
When I began this three-piece series regarding my time in Germany, I immediately struggled with what I knew would be a conundrum in the final piece. But here’s the surprising lesson I learned stationed in Germany.
How Can You Say Thank You?
Here we are again, about to move and start a new chapter. At five and a half years, this has been the longest we have ever lived in one location.
What I WILL Miss About Germany
As I near the end of my time living in Germany while my wife serves in the United States Army, this is Part II of a three-part series, examining my thoughts and feelings as I prepare to head back to America and leave Germany behind. Part I examined what I will not miss about Germany and can be found here. Part II, below, examines what I will miss about Germany. Part III examines what I’ve learned during my time in Germany.
What I Will NOT Miss About Germany
My wife Jules, myself, and our three children Hunter (12), Eva (10), and Acadia (8) were scheduled to be stationed in Germany for three years, and the way my wife’s Army career was looking, it was possible we could squeeze in a fourth year. Then the military does what it always does, and our world was turned upside down. Jules was selected for a position at Fort Lee in Virginia and our three or four years living and traveling in Europe was cut short to two.
How do I help the children cope with learning that, at 18 months and in six more months, they will once again have to pick up their lives and move? How do I cope with picking up my life and moving at the two-year mark?
Dreaming of Warmer Weather
I have a confession to make:
I’m ready for winter to be over.
That realization hit me hard the past two weeks. I’ve been dreaming of summer here lately. We had a warm spell in Alaska, and by warm, I mean in the 20s. Never in my life did I think I’d be saying 20 degrees is warm, but here I am.
Don’t Trick Me—Milspouse Edition
The best (and by best, I mean most hilarious) lunch I’ve ever had from the commissary was macaroni and cheese. I’ve gotta hand it to these folks, really, because they got me pretty good. Now, if you know me, or have known me for more than five minutes, you know macaroni and cheese is my favorite food. I eat a lot of it and often…a habit I’ve had for years.
We are getting ready to PCS to Germany. Our sponsor obtained our APO already and told us we could start shipping stuff to ourselves. My question is what would you suggest we mail ahead of our UAB/HHG? As of now, we will be in temporary lodging as there is not a house available for us.
Thanks
Hi, MJ! Hooray for your upcoming OCONUS PCS!! So exciting. And great question about Unaccompanied baggage and HHG. If you jump over to this page https://armywifenetwork.com/ultimate-pcs-one-stop/oconus-pcs-prep/ and scroll down to item #9, it will give you some starting points on what to pack for UAB.
Item 10 and 11 each address the other types of packing you might be planning for… Long term storage and HHG.
There’s a bunch of other links about all things PCS/HHG for both CONUS and OCONUS experiences. Each link leads to more links… If you need more insight, let us know here or shoot us an email info@armywifenetwork.com or a message on our FB page. Many of our Command Team members have (or are currently!) prepping for an OCONUS PCS and can give personal experience insight as well. Best wishes and happy moving! Prost!