PCS Leave

We are now within one week of our departure from the US! Crazy!

We've been back in our hometown since right before Christmas (about 3.5 weeks) and I must say, it's been a whirlwind. It feels like time has flown and also like we've been here forever all at the same time. 

A big chunk of our time has been spent trying to get healthy! Southern Ohio as a whole seems to be infected with a nasty respiratory bug right now. My mom had pneumonia over Christmas, my dad had a serious sinus infection and double ear infection, the Soldier had an ugly cold for a few weeks, and I lost my voice and was severely congested for about a week and a half! Thankfully, we are all feeling a bit better.

That's not to say we haven't had some fun!

We spent a wonderful overnight at Great Wolf Lodge playing in their massive indoor water park.

We've played in the snow!

The boys loved it so much! They and my little sister spent almost that entire day outside.

We've celebrated our Buckeyes rolling over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl and beating Oregon in the the final playoff to become the National Champions!

{photo from the Columbus Dispatch}

And we've spent lots of time with our amazing family and friends.

It's been a pretty good couple of weeks. I've had a few hard, emotional days. That's to be expected I suppose. My husband reminds me daily that it's all going to be just fine, that in the big picture the things I'm worried about are small, and that we are not going to be away forever. Thank goodness for that man. I don't know what I'd do without him.

HHG Shipment - Check

Our Household Goods are officially on their way! This is the biggest of two shipments that we have going to Korea. It includes furniture, most of our small kitchen appliances, dishes, extra clothes, and anything else that we won't need immediately upon arrival. We opted to send this shipment two months in advance since it typically takes 2-3 months to arrive (it goes by boat). We would rather be inconvenienced for a bit here in the states rather than be without our stuff for longer than necessary in a new country. We can always borrow from friends here and because it's holiday season, we are traveling and visiting with family a lot anyways.

The hardest part of preparing for this shipment (and the rest) is that we're still living in the house. My strategy for this first shipment worked fairly well so I think I'll use it for UB (Unaccompanied Baggage) and our Storage Shipment as well. Here are some tips I found helpful.

First, get yourself a good organizational app and use it. I recommend Evernote. I have lists for each shipment stored in my Evernote app. I recommend organizing these lists by room. Walk through your house and take note of every single thing and which shipment and where (in what shipment) it's going. I also have serial numbers of our high value electronics and photos of each. I haven't even explored what else I can do with Evernote but I know I can record audio too if I need to in order to take notes later (would be great to utilize during a housing move-out or PCS brief). One more thing about Evernote, it is available for smartphone, iPad, and computer. So I will have access to my notes everywhere.

Designate a certain area or areas in your house for the shipment items to go. A few weeks before our shipment date I cleaned out our downstairs storage closet and my youngest son's bedroom (we moved him in with his brother for the remainder of our time in this house). Then, I started using my lists to gradually put all the HHG items in those two places. Obviously, our furniture could not go the closet. We have two family rooms downstairs so we put all the furniture going in one and the furniture NOT going in the other. Simple. When the movers got here, I was able to just point and say "pack all of this." It made their job easier and it made me worry less that they may pack something they weren't supposed to.

Have something for your children (and pets) to do! If you can, sending them to a friend's house would be best. If not, designate a kids/pet room for the day. The house will be filled with brown paper-wrapped furniture and boxes. It can be overwhelming, and a dangerous place for precious babies! Our boys were in pre-school for half the day, when they came home we sent them to our master bedroom with snacks and the iPad for a movie night afternoon.

Be nice to your movers! We were lucky enough to have great movers. Plan for them to be there the entire day. Offer help/advice where you can. It's your stuff after all, why not do your part to make sure everything gets there safely! If you have original boxes, keep those and provide them, your movers will appreciate it. They will also appreciate coffee, water, Gatorade, snacks, and/or lunch, but those are not required. We didn't have that much stuff this time around so our movers were only here until about 2pm, so we provided them coffee and water but not lunch. When the company comes to do our storage shipment, I imagine it'll take most the day so we'll likely provide chips, fruit, and sub sandwiches for lunch.

Be flexible! Things happen, timelines will change, things will get packed that weren't supposed to, there will be things you didn't plan for, etc. Remember that most things can be borrowed or replaced fairly cheap. Did your movies accidentally get packed? Visit the library. Did your hairbrush end up in the box? Walmart (or if you're already in Korea, I've heard Daiso is a good place to shop!). If your salad bowls got packed? Thinks outside the bowl and use a flower vase. I definitely never would have thought to do that but my husband did!

Lastly, do a big woooooooo saaaaah, have a glass of wine, and relax.

The next shipment will be going out soon enough.

(:

Posted with Blogsy

Post PCS Funk

If you've ever moved (whether you are military or not), you know how stressful it can be. And I'm not talking about the actual physical moving part of it...

I'm talking about things like [prepare for personal tangent]:

• my new home doesn't feel like home
• there's no children's salon here to cut my munchkin's hair, and the girl in the barber shop was annoyed with my baby boy (even though he was good and held still)
• the thrift store here isn't as good as the one where I used to live
• I get nervous just thinking about meeting with new friends, because... well... they are new and that's scary.
• the fact that I'm nervous about friends annoys me

And that's just the beginning of my "pity me" party. Oy, I'm in a funk. Maybe being 8 months pregnant and the weather being 95 degrees and humid daily has something to do with it.. but I sure I hope I can bounce back soon.

Sorry to be so negative today. I guess I just wanted you all know that if you have PCSed/moved recently, or are getting ready to... it's okay to be "this way" about it, and completely normal. Just keep swimming... swimming... swimming...

Home again, home again

"Who lives in That bright yellow house on the corner?", you ask?

Why, that would be me. First night in our new house! Our household goods and our new washer & dryer are supposed to be delivered tomorrow. I cannot wait to sleep in my OWN bed (: We've only been here a day and we have already started a list of projects (home improvements). Extend the fence, paint the walls, plant flowers, etc, etc, etc! We can't wait to make this house our home! But, we know we need to do what we can with what we have and tackle each thing as funds become available. Regardless, we are in a house. The biggest stress of our PCS is over. So, here's a goodnight from the family who lives in the bright yellow house on the corner (:

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.8

A good kind of busy

I know I've been away for what seems like forever, and I'm sorry for that :(

....BUT....

The last two weeks have been full of fun, love, and silly times. We've been visitng family/friends in Ohio while waiting on our house to be ready.

(Saturday morning breakfast at Bob Evans w/ my family, pictured is my stepdad, Rick, and Avery with Jack)

How can you look at those pictures and not smile?

Today we are heading back to Fort Campbell. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow morning (I'm 32 weeks pregnant now, crazy!), Tuesday afternoon we get the keys to our house, and Wednesday our household goods are being delivered.

What have y'all been up two the past two weeks? Showing off your belly buttons too? :)

We made it to Campbell

Just wanted to pop in and let everyone know we made it! 

We spent 5 days driving, and got in late Friday night. We stopped to see Yellowstone, Mount Rushmore, and the Omaha zoo. And my wonderful husband found a Bob Evans to treat me on my birthday! :)

The trip wasn't too bad. Jack was actually very good. His nana got him a DVD player for the car for Easter, and he LOVED it during this trip. He got cranky a couple times, but hey... he's 1 and riding in the car for 5 days straight is not his idea of fun.

We headed out yesterday (Saturday) to explore Fort Campbell, Clarksville and the surrounding area and we're slowly learning more and more about it. Trying to find a rental house here is already proving to be exhausting and its only day 2! Oy. We're hoping to have better luck tomorrow though, since all the rental angencies will be open (They have been closed all weekend). Wish us luck!

Anyways, here are some pictures from our trip.

Jeff and I

You know you're bored when...

 

Yellowstone was covered in snow and it was about 35 degrees and windy, YIKES! We didn't stay there for long. Silly me forgot to pack warm clothes. Isn't it pretty though?

 

This is where Luna was most of the trip. Relaxin' at Jack's feet with her blankie.

 

Lots of Buffalo in Montana and Wyoming. They pretty much do as they please...

 

Jeff was happy to finally see Mount Rushmore (he's a history buff). All Jack said was "OH WOW!" haha

 

And don't let this picture fool you, it was actually hailing while we were at the memorial. By this time, Jack and I were so ready for some warm weather!

 

At the Omaha zoo, they just let this guy (and his mate) roam around! Not something you see every day, but very pretty... err... handsome.

 

Jack's favorite stop was defiintely the zoo. This is in the butterfly house, he was amazed. (And everyone loved his hat almost as much as he does).

And lastly, a picture of me and my boy in the aquarium. I'm almost 30 weeks pregnant, and you can definitely tell!

Oh Sunny Day

Exactly what I wanted to see on the weather report for my last day in Washington!

67 degrees, sunny, 0% chance of rain, and 46% humidity.

We're off to breakfast and then finding something fun to do to enjoy this weather.

Eastbound first thing in the morning!

*happy dance*

Track us while we're traveling!

You may have noticed (or maybe not) that I've added a new feature to our blog!

The "Where Are We?" section is updated hourly and tells you what city we are in! Powered by Google Latitude, it shows you a map of the immediate area and also tells you how long ago the check in was. "Where Are We?" is located on top right of our blog homepage right beneath the title.

Check it out!

Moving with JPPSO 101

Jeff and I attended the briefing for JPPSO (Joint Personal Property Shipping Office) this morning. Put simply, if you choose to have the Army move your household goods, JPPSO is the office that will handle all the paperwork and help arrange everything.

We've all heard the nightmares about JPPSO moves. Broken/stolen electronics and furniture, falsified item descriptions not discovered until after delivery, and movers that just plain don't care. Here's a few tips compiled from veteran PCSers and information I got at the briefing this morning.

BEFORE MOVING DAY

• Put remotes in a ziplock bag and tape them to your televisions
• Have ziplock bags already marked beside all furniture items that will be taken apart (for the nuts and bolts).
• Items that you are taking with you need to be in a closed off room that the movers are not allowed in, in your car, or completely out of the house.
• Empty your trash cans and wash them out to keep unwanted pests away during the move. The packers will pack your trash if its left out.
• Wash all of your sheets, towels and some blankets and seal them in airtight bags. Pack them in a special box so when you get to your destination, they can come out of the sealed bag, ready to go straight onto the beds.
• Get rid of items (or make arrangements for them) that the movers are prohibited to move (Ex: Alcohol, antifreeze, fluid cleaners, ammunition, flammables, propane tanks, etc.) The JPPSO office will give you a full list, don't worry.
• Disconnect and/or defrost all appliances and electronics.
• Drain oil and gas from ALL motorized equipment (lawn mowers, weed eaters, etc.)
• Dispose all food items, the movers won't pack them.
• Have dishes and laundry dry and clean.
• Take pictures of all (or as much of) your belongings as you can, especially expensive items and their serial numbers.
• Take a pre-inventory of all your household goods and their conditions. This will help you when you have to review the movers' inventory, you can just compare it to your list and you will be less likely to miss something that way.

MOVING DAY

• Have snacks and beverages ready for your packers/movers and/or provide lunch. Full tummies make everyone happier
• Keep children and pets out of their way. It could make them nervous
• As the movers take apart your beds and other furniture, have ziplock bags already marked ready to go & place all nuts and bolts in those baggies. Tape them to the piece of furniture they belong to. Otherwise, if you are searching for nuts and bolts when you arrive and can't find them, they can't put the bed and furniture together.
• Have all of thethings you specifically want packed together sorted in the same area. Example: you want all pictures and frames go in a specific box, so it's easier ot just have them all together in the same place.
• Make sure items are listed correctly and specifically on the movers' inventory. Example: If you have a Dyson vaccum cleaner, ask them to write "Dyson Vacuum Cleaner" rather than just "Vacuum".
• Ensure all serial numbers are correct for all electronics on your inventory. (Movers are required to write down serial numbers for every electronic, big or small. Make sure they do so).
• Make sure items' conditions are listed accurately on the movers' inventory. If you are skeptical about something, ask them to explain it and show you. Example: Your love seat is listed as having a tear in the side and you don't remember there being one, make them show you the tear and if there isn't one, ensure they correct their mistake.
• If you have items of high value, there is a separate inventory sheet for these. The high value inventory is completed and reviewed by you AND the movers. Don't let them leave with your stuff without doing this inventory (if you have items you consider high value).
• If you have major problems with your packers/movers, CALL JPPSO! This may be the most important thing to remember. You have every right to call JPPSO, report them, and request alternate movers. Don't accept behavior you are not comfortable with.

AFTER THE MOVE 

• When the deliver your goods, inspect all items for damage.
• Mark off box numbers as they come off the truck.
• Don't hesitate to point the movers in the right direction when it comes to where you want your things placed.
• If your household goods come off the truck damaged (or some stuff doesn't come at all), you need to file a claim.
• All claim notices need to be filed within 75 days of your delivery date. Keep in mind, your claim doesn't need to be filed by then, just a notice that will be filing a claim.
• All claims notices are filed online at http://www.move.mil/
• DO NOT throw away or get rid of your damaged goods. When you file a claim, the movers will want to send someone to look at the damaged goods to ensure you are not lying. But even after they've come to look at it, keep it. Technically, when they pay you a settlement to replace the item, they own the damaged one. Now of course they don't want your damaged items, but you can bet if you don't have them... they will do what they can to keep from paying you.

Wow, thats a lot of information! But it's not anywhere close to all of it. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to leave a comment or email me, and I'll do my best to find the answer. Happy PCSing!

Davis Moving Book

Warning: You are about to enter the OCD world of Katelyn Davis, enter at your own risk. (And no making fun of me)

If you've ever done a long distance move, you know how much work and coordinating go into it. Add the Army into the mix, and there's a lot of paperwork, planning, and particulars to be considered. So, being the freak that I am... I decided we needed a book. It may be overkill, but I already feel better with all our moving information in one place.

Introducing the...

(Isn't my little house drawing awesome? I'm not gonna lie, I put the word "Book" too far to the right and it was bothering me so I had to balance it out)

This is the "go to" place for our move. Our very own PCS bible, if you will. Otherwise known as a 1/2 inch three-ring binder I got at walmart for 2 bucks.

Inside are my categories.

1. Moving Truck Information

Well that's pretty self-explanitory. In here, I have estimates from Uhaul, Budget, and Penske. I have a list of all the particulars we need for our move (i.e. a car dolly, 24 furniture pads, 3000 miles, 10 days, etc.). And when we actually reserve the truck our reciept and insurance information from the truck company will go in there.

2. Helpful Information

All the research I've done on PCSing and DITY moves is in this category. As well as anything that doesn't fit in with any of the other categories. A list of PCS pay entitlements is in here, all the papers we get from our DITY briefing will most likely go in here as well.

3. On the Road

The tentative itinerary for our road trip is the only thing in this section so far. But I am going to add other stuff too as I get it done. Lists of 4 hotels (with phone numbers and addresses) for each city we are planning on stopping in. Information about Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone National Park, and Blank Park Zoo (the attractions we are stopping to see). A list of hospitals along our route (just in case!). And most importantly this will be the section I will store all of our reciepts in. We have to save food and hotel reciepts for the Army, and gas reciepts we will keep for when we file taxes next year.

4. Box Inventories

Inventory lists for each and every box. Like I've done with each move I've made, I take inventory of each box I pack and label each one. Labeling is done with a letter (standing for which room the contents belong to) and a number. L - Living Room, M - Master Bedroom, K - Kitchen, etc. Example: Box "L-1" contains things from the living room and will correspond with the list in my book titled "L-1".

(I would highly recommend doing a box inventory if you are having the Army and JPPSO move you. And include pictures of each box packed but open, so the contents are visible. Would prove very helpful if you have to file a "you broke/stole my stuff" claim after you move)

5. After we arrive

List of property managers and companies in the Clarksville/Fort Campbell area. Profiles of houses we are interested in (printed from the internet, and will be updated up until we leave). Reciepts from hotels & food after our arrival (during route and after arriving are two different categories of reimbursement when dealing with Army finance so they have to be kept separate). Also a list of stuff we need to do after moving... submit change of address to post office, banks, family, etc., update car insurance, call Tricare for new doctors...

(This last category is just so I don't to go searching for a "Stuff to do with Jonah" folder after we get to Fort Campbell)

6. Stuff to do with Jonah

This is pretty self-explantory as well. Reciepts and warranty informations for baby gear we buy. A "things you need for baby" list I printed off Babies'R Us. Registry information. Pictures of the nursery that is the inspiration for Jonah's :) 

I'm so happy to have this mess cleaned up and organized! The pink notepad is still in the inside pouch and a pen, as I'm still packing and writing box inventories.

And I have to say thanks to my hubby for keeping Jack and our "visitor" occupied while I was doing this. We watched Jaelin tonight for some fellow Army friends so they could go out for their anniversary! I think Jeff is enjoying Open Season: 2 just as must as the little boys are though ;)

a DITY move.. my brain hurts

We were originally planning on letting JPPSO (The Army's relocation department) move us to Campbell. Which means they would pack up our whole house, they would move all of it, and they would move it in when we arrived at our new house. Sounds great, huh?

Well, because "confusion" between Jeff's unit and people at Waller Hall (the people that give him his orders) we are past the deadline for doing a JPPSO move. The average wait time right now for a move date is 60 days wait from when you do your JPPSO briefing. And Jeff can't do the briefing until he gets his orders. We are scheduled to leave here May 10th, Making March 10th the deadline for him to do the briefing, and we're clearly past that.

So, what does this mean? We will be packing our own house, moving our own stuff, and unpacking everything ourselves upon our arrival to Fort Campbell.

I'm trying hard not to stress, military families do this all the time. But the truth is, I'm going to be 8 months pregnant. And so packing wise, I'm going to be virtually useless. We were planning on driving our vehicle anyways, so nothing changes as far as that. But there are a lot of "what if" and "what should we do about this" questions.

Should we sell our cavalier? (that we JUST paid off) because how are we going to drive a moving truck and my equinox and Jeff's cavalier

Should we rent a U-haul or use a service like PODS (where you pack, they move)

How can we be sure about picking a house without being there? (because we are going to have all our stuff with us, we can't be in a hotel forever)

Should we stop in Ohio or not? We have stuff in Ohio we need to move to Campbell as well, so it'd be perfect if we could just load it in the moving truck on the way BUT...

the moving truck is $60 plus mileage (75cents a mile). So we'd have to pay for the extra miles to Ohio, and pay for each day we spent in Ohio. Needless to say, we'd have to stop, load all our stuff, sleep, and then leave. And that would make us sad, not to spend any time with family :(

AND who will help us unpack at Campbell? I mean, we have friends here to help (men to move heavy stuff). But we don't know many people at Campbell. (Amber- I know Mark would help, but it's right around Trent's due date and we don't wanna take Mark away from you two!)

Sorry, I know this is a confusing and big blob of a blog. But I just needed to vent. I feel a little better just getting it out. Off to start packing (I like to get a head start so I don't HAVE to pack every day)

We got orders!

FINALLY!

Come May, we are outta here! Fort Lewis, WA that is. Where are we going you ask?

....................................

FORT CAMPBELL, KENTUCKY