Boy! Am I ever one tired girl!
Our move officially got underway today as we met with transportation to schedule all three of our shipments. Yes, three!
We will first ship our car (POV in military speak) on Thursday.
Then next Thursday and Friday will be our household goods shipment. This is the shipment of the bulk of our house, including all the big stuff like furniture, pictures, rugs, TV, etc. But excluding the necessary stuff that we will need to live for the next few weeks such as sheets for the beds that the Army will loan to us, cookware, dishes and a few toys. That will all be in what is called Unaccompanied Baggage which will be picked up the day before Thanksgiving.
We went out tonight to rent a teeny tiny car for Keith and I to run errands in for the next few weeks as well.
All along, we have been talking to the girls about our move. They are excited to go to South Carolina and eventually to Virginia. It is a constant topic of conversation around here.
I think it is starting to feel much more real to them as it is to us as well. And along with that comes a little bit of confusion and a mix of emotions.
So, I have a few quotes from the day just for your entertainment….
The girls were asking questions about the car being shipped at lunch today. They seem to be pretty attached to our Odyssey and are genuinely concerned for it’s safety. Because of something that the lady at transportation said, they are especially concerned that it may fall off of the boat that it’s being shipped on. I took some time to talk to the girls about how they are feeling about the move before quiet time today. EA said she was scared because, “Mommy, boats are little and cars are big, so it isn’t going to fit!”
Also as I was talking to the girls before quiet time, I told them that packers were coming next week and would pack up almost everything in their room. We have had this conversation many times, but I want to make sure that they are not caught too off guard by an empty room. EA looked around and said, “Well, they are going to need a really big box for my kitchen!”
Now, while they have been apprehensive about the van being shipped they were excited about getting a new car to drive. MC was in my room before we left to do that tonight and she was asking questions about it. Like I said, we just got an itty bitty car…a Smart car…for Keith and I to run errands. So, I told MC that there wouldn’t be room for her in the car. Her eyes immediately filled with tears and she began to cry. When I asked her what was wrong, she responded with “But Mommy, I want to still live with you!” Her Daddy and I had to explain to her that we won’t leave her alone when we have the small car, one of us will always be at home with her. I guess she thought that since she wouldn’t fit in it that we would leave her. Poor girl!!!
And lastly, my two little girls are such good encouragers! We drove to the Ramstein Air Base tonight to arrange the rental car. As we neared the base, EA proudly exclaimed from the back of the car, “Daddy did it!! Daddy did it!! I knew Daddy could do it…he got us to Ramstein!!” And then when they made it home, Keith said he was met again with enthusiastic exclamations of “Daddy did it!! We’re back at Baumholder! Yay!! Daddy did it!!”
This was a very productive start to our move, with times of laughter brought by our precious children. I am so thankful for them and their appreciation for and the joy they find in life!
I hope to write more about what an overseas move with the Army entails. As you can imagine, it is a lot of work and takes a lot of organization. The next two weeks will be incredibly busy, but then we should slow down a bit until our flight home. Now that will be interesting!
Note: This post is being linked to Tackle it Tuesday at 5 Minutes for Mom because starting this move is my biggest tackle yet!
LifeAtTheCircus says
Will you be able to get “home” to SC in time for Thanksgiving??
Those kids sure are cute! Good luck with all the packing and adjusting. You seem quite organize and experienced, so I am certain you’ll do wonderfully!
Nancy M. says
Aw, poor thing! I know she was relieved when she found out y’all weren’t leaving her! I never thought of having to ship the car. That’s interesting! It sounds like they are taking it well. They are going to love “coming home”!
.-= Nancy M.´s last blog ..Please Read If You Have My Button =-.
Krista says
I just started reading your blog a week or two ago, when you first mentioned that your family was getting transferred. I can’t believe how quickly things are going! I have never been a part of the military, so I have no idea how all these things work. This will be an incredibly interesting journey, for you and me both! Thank you for sharing your adventure!
.-= Krista´s last blog ..Chloe’s Gift =-.
Carol says
So glad things are going so smooth for you guys. I am sure this is really starting to feel “real” and you are getting more and more excited.
I cannot say that I am thrilled about you moving…we went through so much together with the deployment. I will miss you tons, but I know we will keep in touch. Let me know if you need anything!
PS–Loved the quotes—these were too cute ;)!
.-= Carol´s last blog ..Bloomer Style Pants with matching Onsie =-.
JESS says
I can’t help but cry when I read this because it means you are all so close to leaving. What is the official day now? Can we please make time before you go? I will miss my friend, but then again we always have blogs. Which by the way I got a new address http://www.willingwords.net
Susie's Homemamde says
So cute!!
Good luck on that moving tackle:-)
.-= Susie’s Homemamde´s last blog ..Tackling Literary Cupcakes =-.
Linda@cookingtipoftheday says
I can tell you’re really excited…. I would be too! The girls are cute…. it’s funny how kids interpret things differently… they take everything very literally…
They must be excited about their new adventure. I had no idea you were heading to the south…. I hope it’s close to your family and friends.
I am fascinated about the move…. I find the way the Army moves is awesome… so organized…. I was amazed during Desert Storm how efficiently they moved and set up so many people…. then as I got to know Army families over the years … I was amazed how they move individuals also.
Thanks so much for sharing the details… I love reading about them.
.-= Linda@cookingtipoftheday´s last blog ..Recipe: Classic Cheddar Cheese Sauce =-.