For my non-military friends and family, PCS means permanent change of station. Before you PCS (or transfer) to another base you can take leave to visit family or take a vacation before you report to your next duty station and sign in. We are taking 4 weeks of leave.
The movers came to pick up our UB and HHG on December 3rd, 6th, and 7th. Thankfully, my mom came down to Missouri on the 7th to help out with the kids while we finished packing things up and got ready to move out on December 10th. We would not have been able to accomplish this feat without her. Once the movers left on the 7th I could not believe how much stuff we still had at the house. Part of that was due to the fact that we won't have a yard, garage, or basement in Germany so everything that was in those areas did not get packed up and shipped. We sold somethings, gave a lot of it away, and whatever was left (and in good condition) was loaded in a u-haul and brought to Ohio for storage (and when I say "loaded", I mean LOADED. That thing was packed to the brim. I really can't believe Ben and his brother fit it all in there). My brother in law, Pete, and his wife Cassie were also a huge help in us leaving Fort Leonard Wood without losing our minds. They came over several times and helped us by watching the kids, loading the u-haul, and taking some excess items off our hands. We are very blessed to have such wonderful family members who come to our aid in times of need.
After everything was packed and we had our final walk through with the property management (which was 20 minutes late because she forgot about us), we headed to St. Louis. Mom, the 2 boys, and I had tickets to fly to Ohio around 5pm and Ben was going to drive the jam-packed truck and uhaul up. Before we could head to the airport we had to drop the Dodge off at the Shipping grounds on the other side of the Mississippi River. The papers from Wells Fargo arrived with just 2 days to spare. Since there is a lien on the truck, the company that gave us the loan (Wells Fargo) has to give written permission for the vehicle to be shipped out of the U.S. We had been dealing with Wells Fargo for several weeks and were biting our nails waiting for it. The only reason we got the Dodge was to take it to Germany, otherwise I would not have traded in my paid off chevy (I was not looking forward to another car loan). If we didn't get the papers in time we would have had to send the truck and we all know Europe is not very conducive for large vehicles. The 3 of us caravaned down I40, Ben in front with the Ford, Carson and I in the middle with the Dodge, Mom and Maddox pulling up the rear in the rental car. As we did this I reflected on the time we had spent in Missouri and said a solemn goodbye in my head. I felt relief in knowing the 3 years of Ben being on the trail and me being a "married, single mom" were over, sad to be leaving the place where we became a family and made so many good friends, and anxious to see what this next destination has in store for us.
We dropped the Dodge off for shipment without any complications, sent Ben on his way, and headed to the airport. At the rental car return, it took what seemed to be an hour to get everyone out of the car, loaded into the double stroller, and arrange our bags in a way that we could carry everything to the shuttle without falling over. Maddox made friends with the driver and laughed when she would talk to him over the speaker. Once inside the airport the trip really got entertaining. While waiting to get through security Maddox decided to pretend to shoot all the people in line. He used his finger as a gun and shouted "boom, boom!" while pointing at all the strangers. Thankfully, most people found it humorous and no one took offense because Mom and I were both unsuccessful in our attempts to stop him. When we got to the xray machines we took up an entire coveyer belt full of tubs and held the line up for quite a while. We had to send our carryons, purses, shoes, coats, Maddox's shoes, the double stroller, and the car seat all through. My advice to anyone traveling with two small children: pack light and check as much as you can.
Things did not get any more calm once we made it through security. Poor Maddox had been stuck sitting down for hours, and we all know how much energy two year olds have. Once he was out of that stroller all he wanted to do was run. Mom was giving Carson a bottle, so I was stuck chasing him all over the airport. It was fine for the first few laps because he would stop and turn around when I told him to and I could keep up with him by speed walking. Soon he decided to test his limits. He wouldn't turn around or stop when he was told and kept running faster and faster. I was "that parent", chasing after her kid, darting around people half crouched down yelling "Excuse me!" while reaching out trying to grab him by the arm. He finally crossed the line when he raced through a gate and tried to get down the ramp. I dragged him kicking and screaming back to our gate and made Mom switch places with me. Maybe she would have more success at keeping him in line. I watched while she stood up and put something away in one of the carry-on bags. Maddox was backing up, getting closer and closer to the aisle while keeping both eyes on Mom. She saw him trying to escape and told him to come back here. He took another step backwards and Mom firmly said "Maddox Bradley", but the use of the middle name did no good. I saw him bolt around the corner and she took off after him.
They finally made it back just in time to board (which was also complicated because we had too many bags with us.) Once on the plane we convinced a woman to switch seats with us so I was not stuck sitting with both Maddox and Carson by myself. After take off we tried to get the DVD player out for Maddox to watch. We were counting on this to keep him in his seat for the hour flight, but the batteries were dead. At that moment I was relieved to be sitting with Carson and not Maddox...Mom would have to deal with him. Surprisingly, he was very well behaved for most of the flight and only tried to jump out of his seat a few times. Mom even had time to read some of her book.
We landed in Cleveland an hour or so later. Ben made it home a few hours after we did. Now it was time to relax before picking up Morgan and Susan and heading to Massachusetts.
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