We are 3 weeks away from when our PCS (permanent change of station) leave is scheduled to start and we finally received our orders! There's nothing like waiting until the last minute, especially when you are about to make a life altering move. I should ad that the Army usually isn't this slow in getting things to you. Apparently we had orders with Ben, Maddox, and myself on them, but since Carson was born on October 21st this caused the delay. All of Carson's paperwork had to be completed through the EFMP (Exceptional Family Member Program) office, then sent to Germany, then come back to the US in order for him to get added and get the our final orders.
Now that we have them here is a list of things that we can finally take care of:
1.) Get our passports and tickets - The Army has purchased all 4 of our tickets, but won't give them to us until Carson's passport comes in. I think we will be in Ohio by that time, so they will have to mail them to my parent's house. At least they are purchased and we know what day we are leaving the states. We originally thought that we would be flying out on the 9th since our report date is the 10th, however, I have quickly learned that the Army rarely follows your plans. January 9th is a Sunday and you are not allowed to fly in on a weekend. Ben must be there by the 10th to sign in or he will be in BIG trouble, so they scheduled our flight for January 4th. I am a little bummed because that cuts out 4 days of family time that I had planned for, but I'm slowly learning to live with constant changes and disappointments.
2.) Arrangements to fly the dogs - We are still trying to find homes for these two dogs, but I doubt we will be successful. In today's economy people are giving up their pets left and right. I posted an ad for them on craigslist and I was shocked at how many ads get posted in one day. I've called Guardian Angels for Soldier's Pets along with other military affiliated foster programs and none seem to be able to help us due to the fact that we will be gone for 3 years. They are specifically designed for people who are deploying for a year or less. Don't get me wrong, I think it is a great program, but I just wish there was some kind of assistance for people in our situation. I've also called no-kill shelters (which are all full) and rescue organizations (which are all breed specific and won't take our lovable mutts). I put them on petfinder, but I'm afraid these guys are too old to compete with all of the puppies and pure bred pooches that are out there.
Several people have mentioned just taking them to a shelter, but these dogs are my husband's babies. He's had them longer than most of his children and I understand how heartbreaking it would be to do that because, in all honesty, we know they will not get adopted. A few people have emailed me about the craigslist ad saying they would take care of them, but when I write them back and ask for their phone number so we can make arrangements I never hear back. Why would someone answer an ad like that if they weren't serious? I get my hopes up that they will be taken care of and then I am disappointed again.
So, if we can't find a home in the next few weeks we will start calling the airlines to arrange for them to fly with us. I have a feeling it will probably be expensive, plus if the temperature outside is too cold they won't be able to fly with us. That means we will have to find someone to hold on to them until the weather gets warmer and get them back to the airport to fly to us. Cross your fingers that it is warm on the 4th, in both St. Louis and Germany!
3.) Arrange the movers - Our Unaccompanied Baggage (things we will need right away like sheets, pillows, towels, etc.) are being picked up on December 3rd. The rest of our Household Goods are being picked up on the 6th and 7th.
4.) Shipping the car - Since there is a loan on the car that we want to ship we need to get permission from the lien holder to ship the car. We couldn't get that permission until we had orders. Now we need to fax the orders and a request form to the loan company and wait for a letter that give us permission to ship. I guess we have to wait until after we have the permission before we can set up a date to ship it. Who knows how long this will take. At least it is shipping out of St. Louis.
5.) Change insurance companies - Nationwide does not cover you car internationally or while it is being shipped, so we need to change our insurance company. The easiest place to do that is USAA since they specialize in military accounts. We will cancel the insurance on the truck since it will be in storage.
6.) Cancel our cell phones - Since we are still under contract we need to fax our orders to Verizon in order to cancel them with no fee.
7.) Change our address on all of our accounts - We have no address in Germany yet, and don't know when we will get one, so I'm changing all the addresses to my parents house. Once we get an address I will have to change it again.
8.) Cancel Dish Network - We are under contract on this as well, so once again we have to fax orders to cancel it with no fee.
9.) Cancel Internet - this was the easiest - no contract and nothing to send in. Go Cable America!
10.) Cancel Utilities - I have to go in to the office to do this as well (pain in the butt)
11.) Clean the house and throw out anything we can.
12.) Get a U-haul for all the things that we can't fit in the tiny German apartments and send it to Ohio for storage. These things include our washer, dryer, kitchen table and chairs, extra end tables, Ben's grandmother's organ, my pottery (don't want it to get broken on the way), Ben's glass collection, our pub table and chairs, any of my school items that I'm keeping (I think I'll give most of it away)...
Well, I'm sure there's a lot more but my head is spinning just thinking of these items to take care of (maybe listing them on here wasn't such a good idea.)
Once this is all over and we are settled in our teeny tiny apartment in Germany I'm sure I'll enjoy it. I plan to dive in to German life and meet the challenges of living in a foreign country head on and with a positive attitude. It is an experience of a lifetime that I'm sure I will look back on with fond memories. (I just have to keep reminding myself of that to get me over these hurdles we are facing now.)
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Military Sisterhood
I was reading a discussion board on PCSing overseas and came across this post. As I got to the part about planting trees to never see them grow tall, and work on projects for the betterment of those who come after us, it made me a little emotional (which may be because I just had a baby and my hormones are still out of wack). We've been stationed here for over 3 years, been in 2 different battallions, saw one company get dissolved and another start up. I've said goodbye to good friends who have been like family, hello to new ones, developed a fantastic relationship with my brother-in-law and his wife, and experienced the birth of my 2 wonderful sons. I've lived in 2 different houses, taught in 2 school districts and worked very hard to use my experiences and knowledge to help the schools, principals, other teachers, and my students reach their goals...or at least help them get a few steps closer. I will not see the end results of so much that has been a part of my life. I will not see any of my students graduate, see my friends non-profit foundation grow, or the FRG transform into the the vision that I've been helping to work toward. As much as I have complained about Missouri, I am sad to be leaving all of the experiences here. I have learned a lot about myself through this duty station and am looking forward to getting involved in my next community even though I know that it will not be mine forever.
Here is the post:
I am a military wife - a member of that sisterhood of women who have had the courage to watch their men go into battle, and the strength to survive until their return. Our sorority knows no rank, for we earn our membership with a marriage license, traveling over miles, or over nations to begin a new life with our military husbands.
Within days, we turn a barren, echoing building into a home, and though our quarters are inevitably white-walled and unpapered, we decorate with the treasures of our travels, for we shop the markets of the globe.
Using hammer and nail, we tack our pictures to the wall, and our roots to the floor as firmly as if we had lived there for a lifetime. We hold a family together by the bootstraps, and raise the best of "brats," instilling in them the motto, "Home is togetherness", whether motel, or guest house, apartment or duplex.
As military wives we soon realize that the only good in "Good-bye" is the "Hello again." For as salesmen for freedom, our husbands are often on the road, at sea, or in the sky, leaving us behind for a week, a month, an assignment. During separations we guard the home front, existing until the homecoming.
Unlike our civilian counterparts, we measure time, not by years, but by tours - married at Knox, a baby born at Portsmouth, a special anniversary at Yorktown, a promotion in McDill. We plant trees, and never see them grow tall, work on projects completed long after our departure, and enhance our community for the betterment of those who come after us. We leave a part of ourselves at every stop.
Through experience, we have learned to pack a suitcase, a car or hold baggage, and live indefinitely from the contents within: and though our fingers are sore from the patches we have sewn, and the silver we have shined, our hands are always ready to help those around us.
Women of peace, we pray for a world in harmony, for the flag that leads our men into battle, will also blanket them in death. Yet we are an optimistic group, thinking of the good, and forgetting the bad, cherishing yesterday, while anticipating tomorrow.
Never rich by monetary standards, our hearts are overflowing with a wealth of experiences common only to those united by the special tradition of military life. We pass on this legacy to every military bride, welcoming her with outstretched arms, with love and friendship, from one sister to another, sharing in the bounty of our unique, fulfilling military way of life.
Here is the post:
I am a military wife - a member of that sisterhood of women who have had the courage to watch their men go into battle, and the strength to survive until their return. Our sorority knows no rank, for we earn our membership with a marriage license, traveling over miles, or over nations to begin a new life with our military husbands.
Within days, we turn a barren, echoing building into a home, and though our quarters are inevitably white-walled and unpapered, we decorate with the treasures of our travels, for we shop the markets of the globe.
Using hammer and nail, we tack our pictures to the wall, and our roots to the floor as firmly as if we had lived there for a lifetime. We hold a family together by the bootstraps, and raise the best of "brats," instilling in them the motto, "Home is togetherness", whether motel, or guest house, apartment or duplex.
As military wives we soon realize that the only good in "Good-bye" is the "Hello again." For as salesmen for freedom, our husbands are often on the road, at sea, or in the sky, leaving us behind for a week, a month, an assignment. During separations we guard the home front, existing until the homecoming.
Unlike our civilian counterparts, we measure time, not by years, but by tours - married at Knox, a baby born at Portsmouth, a special anniversary at Yorktown, a promotion in McDill. We plant trees, and never see them grow tall, work on projects completed long after our departure, and enhance our community for the betterment of those who come after us. We leave a part of ourselves at every stop.
Through experience, we have learned to pack a suitcase, a car or hold baggage, and live indefinitely from the contents within: and though our fingers are sore from the patches we have sewn, and the silver we have shined, our hands are always ready to help those around us.
Women of peace, we pray for a world in harmony, for the flag that leads our men into battle, will also blanket them in death. Yet we are an optimistic group, thinking of the good, and forgetting the bad, cherishing yesterday, while anticipating tomorrow.
Never rich by monetary standards, our hearts are overflowing with a wealth of experiences common only to those united by the special tradition of military life. We pass on this legacy to every military bride, welcoming her with outstretched arms, with love and friendship, from one sister to another, sharing in the bounty of our unique, fulfilling military way of life.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Carson Thomas is here! = new complications
I had my new baby Carson on October 21st. Unfortunately Ben has been in school and was unable to get the paperwork needed to get Carson's passport started until after his graduation. We finally made it to the office on November 9th and had to submit his birth certificate with application. The passport takes 6-8 weeks to get back and they won't issue him a plane ticket until they have the passport back. This is going to be cutting it really close, so I'm just crossing my fingers that it gets here in time.
After the passport we go next door to find out if we can fly to Germany out of Cleveland or Pittsburgh since that is where we will be on PCS leave at, instead of flying out of St. Louis. They told us we could but they will only reimburse us the cost of the govt flight out of St. Louis. When they check the prices they tell us we will be out about $1200 after the reimbursement. So looks like we will have to find a way to fly out of St. Louis. We just have to figure out how we are going to get the truck back to Ohio for storage.
We go upstairs to register Carson in DEERS and TriCare and we need Carson's birth certificate. Thankfully we did this on the same day we got his passport and not the day after or we would not have been able to register him. Ben had to run down stairs, get the birth cert., and come back up. At TriCare only 1 person could go in the office and the rest of us had to wait in the waiting room. After Ben went in to register him Carson started crying because he was hungry, so I stood up to try to calm him. Maddox took that as a sign that it was time to run around the hallways. I couldn't let him do this because the car seat and bag were left sitting on the floor by our seats. Maddox got halfway down the hall and I stopped him and took his hand to lead him back toward our stuff. He decided to fall on the ground and throw a tantrum, which escalated Carson's crying. I dragged Maddox back to our seat and unsuccessfully tried to get both kids to stop crying. Thankfully a nice lady came out of the office down the hallway and brought Maddox a Snoopy stuffed animal. That calmed him down for a little while, but I still had the little one crying his eyes out.
Finally, Ben is done with the registration. We still don't have our hard copy orders because we had to enroll Carson into EFMP then wait for him to get added to the orders and wait for the new family travel authorization to get back from Germany. So we can't schedule a date with the movers or get any tickets until that is done. Ben said he doubts his report date will change even if his orders take a month to get here. So we went ahead an gave our Rental Managers our 30 day notice on the house. If the movers can't get here by the 10th of December I guess we'll have to talk to them about changing our move-out date. I hope they are understanding.
We head home and in addition to all this, Ben tells me "By the way, you might have to come after me if there is not housing available." Are you kidding me??? I'm just imagining flying to Germany with a 2 year old, 2 month old, 2 dogs, and all of our luggage....by myself. My mom better be saving her frequent flyer miles so she can come with me. Ohhhh, the stress....
After the passport we go next door to find out if we can fly to Germany out of Cleveland or Pittsburgh since that is where we will be on PCS leave at, instead of flying out of St. Louis. They told us we could but they will only reimburse us the cost of the govt flight out of St. Louis. When they check the prices they tell us we will be out about $1200 after the reimbursement. So looks like we will have to find a way to fly out of St. Louis. We just have to figure out how we are going to get the truck back to Ohio for storage.
We go upstairs to register Carson in DEERS and TriCare and we need Carson's birth certificate. Thankfully we did this on the same day we got his passport and not the day after or we would not have been able to register him. Ben had to run down stairs, get the birth cert., and come back up. At TriCare only 1 person could go in the office and the rest of us had to wait in the waiting room. After Ben went in to register him Carson started crying because he was hungry, so I stood up to try to calm him. Maddox took that as a sign that it was time to run around the hallways. I couldn't let him do this because the car seat and bag were left sitting on the floor by our seats. Maddox got halfway down the hall and I stopped him and took his hand to lead him back toward our stuff. He decided to fall on the ground and throw a tantrum, which escalated Carson's crying. I dragged Maddox back to our seat and unsuccessfully tried to get both kids to stop crying. Thankfully a nice lady came out of the office down the hallway and brought Maddox a Snoopy stuffed animal. That calmed him down for a little while, but I still had the little one crying his eyes out.
Finally, Ben is done with the registration. We still don't have our hard copy orders because we had to enroll Carson into EFMP then wait for him to get added to the orders and wait for the new family travel authorization to get back from Germany. So we can't schedule a date with the movers or get any tickets until that is done. Ben said he doubts his report date will change even if his orders take a month to get here. So we went ahead an gave our Rental Managers our 30 day notice on the house. If the movers can't get here by the 10th of December I guess we'll have to talk to them about changing our move-out date. I hope they are understanding.
We head home and in addition to all this, Ben tells me "By the way, you might have to come after me if there is not housing available." Are you kidding me??? I'm just imagining flying to Germany with a 2 year old, 2 month old, 2 dogs, and all of our luggage....by myself. My mom better be saving her frequent flyer miles so she can come with me. Ohhhh, the stress....
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
The complexity of preparation - gov't passports
When Ben found out we had orders to Germany, he went to some office and got paperwork for Maddox and I to get free government passports. This was months ago. I've been putting off going and getting them done because of a couple reasons. 1.) I had no idea where to go to get the passports done. 2.) I didn't feel like going alone and having to chase Maddox around the office while they take my picture and do whatever it is they had to do.
This is Ben's last day of leave, so we decided to take care of the passport situation. We looked up where you had to go to get it done and the only place in Pulaski County was at the Court House, but you had to bring your own professional head shot. Well, forget that. Then we searched google to see if there was a passport office on post. Yes, there is and they will take your photo there - much easier.
Maddox and I got showers and got dressed nice and neat to get our pictures taken. We got to the office and read the note on the door: "Closed for lunch daily 11:30 - 12:00". It was 11:26, guess they closed early. It was raining cats and dogs outside so we decided to wait in the building instead of dragging Maddox back into the car and then coming back. So, we sit around and waste a half hour, which felt more like two hours. Maddox entertained himself by taking off my flip flops and wearing them on his hands and running up and down the hallway.
It was 12:01, so we headed back to the office. The door was still closed, but it was unlocked, so we automatically went inside. Surely since they closed early for lunch they would be done at exactly 12. Maddox busted through the door and ran halfway across the room. There were about 5 people sitting around at desks, with plates and cups out, looking at us with a blank stare.
One man wipes his face with a napkin and says "Uh, we're closed, Miss." Guess we weren't supposed to just walk in. I replied with an apology and the 3 of us walked out and stood in the hallway. A lady opens a curtain that was closed over a long counter, but then walks away. I hadn't even noticed the counter when we walked by earlier. Another man comes and opens another curtain...and walks away....
Finally the lady comes back. We tell her we're here to get passports and she takes out a form with a bunch of instructions on it. She informs us that we can't get them today, that we have to fill out a bunch of things online, print it out, then make an appointment to come back and get them done. I was not happy. Why didn't they tell Ben that months ago when he got his first set of paperwork done at the office upstairs.
So the Army makes you do paperwork in order to go to another office, so they can tell you to go home and do more paperwork, and come back a third time to finally get it done. I wonder if you have to go back a fourth time to pick it up. Probably. What a pain in the rear, an inefficient system, and a waste of time. And why does the whole office have to be closed from 11:30 - 12?? There are a ton of people in that office. Why can't they rotate lunches so people don't have to wait around for a half hour to get turned away and told to come back a different time.
Needless to say I will be filling out a customer service survey and it will not be positive.
Let the frustrations begin....
This is Ben's last day of leave, so we decided to take care of the passport situation. We looked up where you had to go to get it done and the only place in Pulaski County was at the Court House, but you had to bring your own professional head shot. Well, forget that. Then we searched google to see if there was a passport office on post. Yes, there is and they will take your photo there - much easier.
Maddox and I got showers and got dressed nice and neat to get our pictures taken. We got to the office and read the note on the door: "Closed for lunch daily 11:30 - 12:00". It was 11:26, guess they closed early. It was raining cats and dogs outside so we decided to wait in the building instead of dragging Maddox back into the car and then coming back. So, we sit around and waste a half hour, which felt more like two hours. Maddox entertained himself by taking off my flip flops and wearing them on his hands and running up and down the hallway.
It was 12:01, so we headed back to the office. The door was still closed, but it was unlocked, so we automatically went inside. Surely since they closed early for lunch they would be done at exactly 12. Maddox busted through the door and ran halfway across the room. There were about 5 people sitting around at desks, with plates and cups out, looking at us with a blank stare.
One man wipes his face with a napkin and says "Uh, we're closed, Miss." Guess we weren't supposed to just walk in. I replied with an apology and the 3 of us walked out and stood in the hallway. A lady opens a curtain that was closed over a long counter, but then walks away. I hadn't even noticed the counter when we walked by earlier. Another man comes and opens another curtain...and walks away....
Finally the lady comes back. We tell her we're here to get passports and she takes out a form with a bunch of instructions on it. She informs us that we can't get them today, that we have to fill out a bunch of things online, print it out, then make an appointment to come back and get them done. I was not happy. Why didn't they tell Ben that months ago when he got his first set of paperwork done at the office upstairs.
So the Army makes you do paperwork in order to go to another office, so they can tell you to go home and do more paperwork, and come back a third time to finally get it done. I wonder if you have to go back a fourth time to pick it up. Probably. What a pain in the rear, an inefficient system, and a waste of time. And why does the whole office have to be closed from 11:30 - 12?? There are a ton of people in that office. Why can't they rotate lunches so people don't have to wait around for a half hour to get turned away and told to come back a different time.
Needless to say I will be filling out a customer service survey and it will not be positive.
Let the frustrations begin....
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