OCONUS
2 thoughts on “OCONUS”
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Let the Light Shine
For many years, my husband and I discussed attending a Christmas Eve candlelight service. He and I attended a few growing up or when we were married and didn’t yet have children. Once children came into the picture, the idea of attending a candlelight service sent me into a panic. These services don’t correlate well with the kids’ dinner and bedtime routines. The candlelight services hours force us to drag hungry or cranky kids into a church. Furthermore, to ask a very young child to sit quietly in a pew for an entire service, and prevent them from eating an unlit candle, tearing the paper shield, or touching the flame, is nearly impossible.
Coming Together
Living at a small military base overseas, I feel like it is only natural for everyone to know everyone.
The housing communities are small and nestled into local German towns and villages. It is a wonderful experience but can also feel isolating. I have to say, in our nearly five years of living overseas, this has been one of the most welcoming and close-knit communities we have ever been a part of. You run your errands on post or on the local economy, and you are bound to find someone you know and are bound to strike up a conversation.
Regain Motivation
How are we already into October? Where have the last seven months gone?
This is our final year in Germany, and we were going to go out with a BANG! Big plans for traveling and exploring things we couldn’t easily do before because the triplets were less independent. However, here we are, seven months after the pandemic first started to cripple normal life as we knew it.
And to be honest, I don’t think I have recovered.
It’s All Worth It In The End
I had this vision of how Owen’s birth would go… Most woman who have gone through labor will tell you that birth plans are like dreams: It’s good to have them, but they don’t always work out.
Feeling and Dealing with ‘The Disconnect’
The perfect sunny day hits after two rainy weekends and a string of tropical storms. He wakes up happy because it’s day two of golf plans with friends. She wakes up happy because she thinks they’re having a day date full of sunshine and tea.
Disconnected, much? I’d say so.
Don’t Miss Out: Request Your Absentee Ballot
If you’re already registered to vote, you’re probably prepping for the next part of the election cycle: requesting absentee ballots.
Active-duty service members and their voting age family members can request absentee ballots rather than physically voting in their home state. There is still time to request absentee ballots for the general election!
So You’re Gonna Be Induced
Every hospital is different, but when I was worried about being induced, it helped me to understand exactly what would happen.
The further we got away from my due date, the more anxious we got. Several times my husband and I prepared for the moment that didn’t come. One day before week 42 of my pregnancy, we headed to the hospital to be induced, an experience that might have been different if I delivered in an American hospital. Instead, I was delivering in a civilian German hospital.
TIP: Typically as long as mom and baby are healthy, you should be allowed to go two weeks past your due date.
Thanks to Video Chatting
While re-reading my previous post, I keep coming back to the, “You should have seen my face!” exclamation and subsequent wordy explanation of how I did see my own face—thanks to video chatting.
Lately, I have been thinking how thankful I am for video chats. Guessing I am not the only one with an increased participation in video calls, I got a little curious about the history of them.
A recent Time magazine article shared some insight into the history of video calling and how this technology took much longer than anticipated to actually take off.
The Magic Words
Last we talked, I was struggling with hope.
We were lucky with our egg extraction. Even after the first round of IVF, we still had enough eggs left to do multiple rounds. After taking a break, we did a second round of IVF. And I was so thankful that this round only included the insemination.
The break was good because it allowed me to find my hope. I took time to concentrate on me—not our relationship, just good old me time. And it helped me feel better.
Tip: If you are going through this, a break might help with the emotional rollercoaster. Also, don’t forget to be nice to yourself.
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!