The other day, I was flipping the pages of my Army Wife Handbook, and came across the following entry:
“I went to a company coffee last night. There was the usual griping about the Army, griping about the weather, and some not so usual attacks on the commanding officer’s wife because she couldn’t attend. Under the sniping was the attitude that nobody cares.
Well, ladies, I’ve got some good news and some bad news. The bad news is that the commander’s wife, the sergeant major’s wife, the first sergeant’s wife, and others have houses to keep clean, jobs, volunteer work, children to tend to, husbands to baby, college to attend, bills to pay, and their share of homesickness, boredom and despair over living overseas. We don’t have time to coddle you about your boredom, loneliness or non-existent social life.
The good news is, we do care. Call the same commander’s wife, too busy to make it to a coffee, and tell her your car broke down and you need to get the baby to the doctor, and she’ll be there to give you a ride. If your husband is in the field and the kids are making you crazy, call the first sergeant’s wife, and she’ll be more than willing to listen, maybe even baby-sit so you can get away for awhile. Need a job? Call the platoon sergeant’s wife who works at CPO and find out how willing she is to show you how to fill out the maze of paperwork.
We care because we’re all in this together. But you’re grown women, and your first responsibility is to care about yourselves. You have to reach out, and let people know you have problems. You have to take the steps to ensure your happiness.
Homesick, but can’t afford to call Mom? Write letters, or send cassette tapes and post cards. Can’t afford to travel? Travel through the post library, or discover the city or village where you live by foot or bus.
Don’t know anybody and you’re lonely? Reach out. Invite possible friends for coffee. Encourage your husband to bring single soldiers home for dinner; macaroni and cheese in a homey atmosphere beats a steak in the mess hall any day. Be the nice lady who bakes a birthday cake for the single men, or sews stripes on their uniforms.
Bored and can’t find a job? Volunteer. Being needed a few hours a day is a terrific remedy for a sagging self-esteem. Are your kids making you crazy, but you can’t afford a baby sitter? Find someone else in the same situation and time-share the child care. No night life where you are stationed? A bottle of wine, a deck of cards, and a few friends can be a lot of fun on a Saturday night. Husband in the field? Have a slumber party or a potluck dinner.
Make yourself useful, do favors for people, develop your skills and talents. Start caring about yourself and you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find out how many people out there care about you.”
The Stars and Stripes, May 8, 1988
Even though this entry was first published over 20 years ago, it still encouraged me to GO OUT and make something of myself in spite of my current circumstances. So often, spouses of soldiers in the military become stagnant and allow their soldier’s career path to absolutely consume their lives (understandably so!) I started to feel as if I was starting to journey down that road…and then I realized that it does NOT mean we cannot have a GREAT job, not just another job…or make an impact on others that are around us. It has been difficult to go out and find new friends, it has been difficult going from TWO nice paychecks to ONE so-so paycheck, and it has also been difficult finding another church to call “home”. But, we are making it…we know that we are right where God wants us to be in this moment, and in knowing that, we find comfort.
Until next time, stay encouraged <3
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
RECEIVING END UPDATE!
I’ve heard it said that if you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all. So, with that in mind, here is my next post:
OK, well we didn’t get very far with that, did we?! Bad news doesn’t get better with time, so here it goes!
David and I arrived to Columbia Sunday afternoon. The movers were scheduled to deliver our HHGs Wednesday morning. We were also working on setting up cable, Internet, and getting some other items switched over. The cable/Internet folks couldn’t come out until Wednesday either, so we were both a little bummed about that…but with our luck so far, we weren’t surprised at all.
The movers arrived, as promised (thank God!) The supervisor of the movers was the same gentleman we met in Florida, except this time he had two different helpers with him. David had an appointment that morning, so I was the lady left in charge to manage the movers, check off all the boxes and furniture on the receiving list, tell the movers where everything should be put, etc. A tough job, but someone’s gotta do it, and that someone might as well be ME =)
No sooner than David walks into the house, I hear a LOUD CLUNK-THUD-THUD-CRASH-BANG! Uh oh. I look outside towards the moving truck and I see one man standing on the unloading ramp of the semi trailer looking down. My first thought was, Dang, that really stinks for who ever THAT belonged to….then I realized what it was =/
A few days before the packers came, we decided a brand new Browning gun safe would be a nice OCS graduation gift for David. For those of you that don’t know, David is an avid competitive shooter and it is a sport that is near and dear to his heart. Boys and their toys, right?! So, we splurged and got one that was a little nicer than we originally intended to purchase. Mistake? You decide.
So, yes, as you have probably guessed by now, it was David’s brand new, never been used, gun safe that was dropped off the truck…literally dropped off. It face planted like humpty-dumpty face first onto the concrete parking lot / curb and definitely will NOT be put back together again…the locking mechanism and fire proof material inside has all been damaged, rendering it useless for its primary purpose (locking and fire protection).
…David was furious. Wouldn’t you be?! This entire situation CONSUMED our emotions, along with the rest of the afternoon and well into the next day.
Along with the brand new gun safe that was damaged beyond repair, here is a list of other items that were broken, dented, scratched, gouged, etc. etc. etc. : our bed, dresser, mirror, chest, table, bookcase, love seat, washing machine (it was shipped without the shipping rod, when we explicitly told them to insert it), treadmill, and a multitude of other weight training equipment.
To make it even more interesting, the supervisor attempted talking David into just “buying the safe” off of us so that we would not file a claim. Mmmm hmmm, yeah RIGHT. With that said, we have spent the last two or three days, documenting and taking photos of EVERYTHING so that we can file a claim. And, it was submitted this morning =) We will SEE what the company comes back with as far as a counter offer is concerned.
So, a few other things I have learned through all this:
1) I’ve said it before, but people really do not care or have any respect for your belongings – WATCH them, stand over them, babysit them…and if you are going to do all this, you might as well do it yourself.
2) When your hired movers break or lose your stuff (and they will), FILE A CLAIM. The paper work is ridiculous (purposefully, I’m sure…) but do it anyway. Eventually, these companies should get a clue.
3) Get renters insurance BEFORE you move. We spoke to USAA today regarding renters insurance and they informed us that if we would have had it last week, ALL of our belongings that we damaged during shipment would have been covered. It is worth it!
Interestingly, remember about the cable/Internet folks not being able to come until Wednesday? Well, let’s just say that was a divine appointment to say the least. Rich, the gentleman who came out to do our installation, was just what the Big Man upstairs ordered =) David had been really questioning how he handled himself and the situation regarding the movers damaging the safe. Rich helped encourage and remind us both that God is always in control, regardless of whether or not we see it (or remember it) in the moment. Up to this point, everything had been so overwhelming with the move, it was a relief to have someone in our home to talk with and be encouraged by. Rich shared with us his military stories and how God worked in his life – everything truly DOES work together for good to those that love Him (Romans 8:28) <3 Here’s a pic of the Cable Guy ;-) THANKS Rich for all you do! Keep up the super work =)
The past week has been one giant learning experience. Perhaps we just had a good streak of bad luck with this whole move…or maybe this is just how all of them go. David and I are still scratching our heads about the whole situation. It is just unfortunate that companies – professional companies – do business this way. I mean, WHY hire a professional to do something that we could have done better on our own? In the long run, it is still costing us just as much time, energy, and effort as it would have had we just embarked on this our own. I will post the outcome of all the claims paperwork once it is finalized and hopefully that will be sooner rather than later =)
So, take NIKE’s advice and JUST DO IT (yourself!)
OK, well we didn’t get very far with that, did we?! Bad news doesn’t get better with time, so here it goes!
David and I arrived to Columbia Sunday afternoon. The movers were scheduled to deliver our HHGs Wednesday morning. We were also working on setting up cable, Internet, and getting some other items switched over. The cable/Internet folks couldn’t come out until Wednesday either, so we were both a little bummed about that…but with our luck so far, we weren’t surprised at all.
The movers arrived, as promised (thank God!) The supervisor of the movers was the same gentleman we met in Florida, except this time he had two different helpers with him. David had an appointment that morning, so I was the lady left in charge to manage the movers, check off all the boxes and furniture on the receiving list, tell the movers where everything should be put, etc. A tough job, but someone’s gotta do it, and that someone might as well be ME =)
No sooner than David walks into the house, I hear a LOUD CLUNK-THUD-THUD-CRASH-BANG! Uh oh. I look outside towards the moving truck and I see one man standing on the unloading ramp of the semi trailer looking down. My first thought was, Dang, that really stinks for who ever THAT belonged to….then I realized what it was =/
A few days before the packers came, we decided a brand new Browning gun safe would be a nice OCS graduation gift for David. For those of you that don’t know, David is an avid competitive shooter and it is a sport that is near and dear to his heart. Boys and their toys, right?! So, we splurged and got one that was a little nicer than we originally intended to purchase. Mistake? You decide.
So, yes, as you have probably guessed by now, it was David’s brand new, never been used, gun safe that was dropped off the truck…literally dropped off. It face planted like humpty-dumpty face first onto the concrete parking lot / curb and definitely will NOT be put back together again…the locking mechanism and fire proof material inside has all been damaged, rendering it useless for its primary purpose (locking and fire protection).
…David was furious. Wouldn’t you be?! This entire situation CONSUMED our emotions, along with the rest of the afternoon and well into the next day.
Along with the brand new gun safe that was damaged beyond repair, here is a list of other items that were broken, dented, scratched, gouged, etc. etc. etc. : our bed, dresser, mirror, chest, table, bookcase, love seat, washing machine (it was shipped without the shipping rod, when we explicitly told them to insert it), treadmill, and a multitude of other weight training equipment.
To make it even more interesting, the supervisor attempted talking David into just “buying the safe” off of us so that we would not file a claim. Mmmm hmmm, yeah RIGHT. With that said, we have spent the last two or three days, documenting and taking photos of EVERYTHING so that we can file a claim. And, it was submitted this morning =) We will SEE what the company comes back with as far as a counter offer is concerned.
So, a few other things I have learned through all this:
1) I’ve said it before, but people really do not care or have any respect for your belongings – WATCH them, stand over them, babysit them…and if you are going to do all this, you might as well do it yourself.
2) When your hired movers break or lose your stuff (and they will), FILE A CLAIM. The paper work is ridiculous (purposefully, I’m sure…) but do it anyway. Eventually, these companies should get a clue.
3) Get renters insurance BEFORE you move. We spoke to USAA today regarding renters insurance and they informed us that if we would have had it last week, ALL of our belongings that we damaged during shipment would have been covered. It is worth it!
Interestingly, remember about the cable/Internet folks not being able to come until Wednesday? Well, let’s just say that was a divine appointment to say the least. Rich, the gentleman who came out to do our installation, was just what the Big Man upstairs ordered =) David had been really questioning how he handled himself and the situation regarding the movers damaging the safe. Rich helped encourage and remind us both that God is always in control, regardless of whether or not we see it (or remember it) in the moment. Up to this point, everything had been so overwhelming with the move, it was a relief to have someone in our home to talk with and be encouraged by. Rich shared with us his military stories and how God worked in his life – everything truly DOES work together for good to those that love Him (Romans 8:28) <3 Here’s a pic of the Cable Guy ;-) THANKS Rich for all you do! Keep up the super work =)
The past week has been one giant learning experience. Perhaps we just had a good streak of bad luck with this whole move…or maybe this is just how all of them go. David and I are still scratching our heads about the whole situation. It is just unfortunate that companies – professional companies – do business this way. I mean, WHY hire a professional to do something that we could have done better on our own? In the long run, it is still costing us just as much time, energy, and effort as it would have had we just embarked on this our own. I will post the outcome of all the claims paperwork once it is finalized and hopefully that will be sooner rather than later =)
So, take NIKE’s advice and JUST DO IT (yourself!)
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Hind Sight…
…they always say is 20/20. How true it is. We are currently in the process of our very first PCS move, and oh if we could only do this all over again. Most of my blog readers are friends and family, however if there are any military families out there that are reading this, this post is for YOU =)
First, I would like to start off by saying, I am a brand new ARMY wife…which means my hubs is also new to this whole military thing as well…we are learning as we go and hope others can glean a bit of knowledge from our experiences. Here we go…
So, over the past week we have been doing our very first PCS (Permanent Change of Station) move. This is where your “sponsor” a.k.a. military service member, a.k.a. my husband has received orders to permanently change where he is required to report for duty/schooling/training. PCS orders are when the military pays to move the sponsor and his/her family members. There are other categories of moves, but I will not go into detail of that for this blog post…perhaps another time. For your family’s PCS move, you can choose to have the military set up times with packers/movers to come to your house, pack EVERYTHING (and I DO mean everything!), drive it to your new duty location, and unpack your belongings – you do not have to lift one finger or pack one box. Or there is what is called a DITY (Do It Yourself) move. This is where YOU pack everything, YOU load the U-Haul, and YOU drive to your new duty location, and yes, YOU unpack everything. Or, you can do a combination of the two types (usually shipping the larger house hold goods (HHG) and then taking the items that cannot easily be replaced).
With this being our very first move and knowing that we really do not know how everything works with the military, we decided it would be best to have the military coordinate the move for us so we were “less stressed” about everything. (Note: this was mistake #1).
So, we are EXCITED. Our first move. Our first NEW apartment. A new town. A new post to explore. Its summertime and things are GRRREAT! We are anxious to meet the packers, the movers, and just to see how all of this works. After all, YOUR tax dollars at work ;-)
Wednesday rolls around. The packers come. Two men and one woman. They were all very nice, very quiet, but nice. It only took 3.5 to 4 hours for them to pack our entire house (not that we have a big house by any means…but it was super fast!) We also provided drinks and snacks for them during this time, since we had been advised to “take care of your movers” on more than one occasion. About 30 minutes before it was time for them to leave, they talked amongst themselves about how “great” of a tip one family gave them last week. So, David and I of course overhear this, and decide we too should probably tip these people. I did a little research online to make sure it was appropriate to tip packers (and it is WHEN they do their job right). The going rate appeared to be $20 per packer (or about $5 per hour). So, $60 we paid and that was that. (Mistake #2).
Thursday morning the movers were supposed to come and load all of the heavy furniture and all the boxes the packers packed the previous day. This crew consisted of three men. We provided the same hospitality we provided to the packers the previous day. About half way into the morning, the supervisor of the crew came to David and I and showed us a piece of chewed up bubble gum that was still a little soft that had been stuck to the bottom of our bed (allegedly the previous day)…and we also found two or three additional pieces thrown all over our front lawn (see Mistakes #1 and #2.) This gentlemen also pointed out that they packed a box of my hanging clothes with shoes and bedding supplies (which they are not supposed to do because it will wrinkle the clothes – they have special boxes to ship hanging clothes in). And, they also packed cleaning liquids, which they are also not supposed to pack because it could leak out of its container and ruin your belongings or the belongings of someone else. All of our belongings are loaded up onto a semi trailer (along with other family’s belongings from all over the south east) and it will be delivered to our apartment by Wednesday or Thursday of next week. So, we tipped three more guys $20 each – so now our tip total is up to $120.
So, here is what we have learned from this SO far (b/c it isn’t over until we get our goods on the receiving end!):
1. Watch your packers. They will tell you to stay out of the way (and you probably should so they can do their jobs). But remember, they are packing YOUR items, YOUR memories, and NOBODY cares about your stuff like YOU do!
2. Do NOT tell them this is your first move. Period. If they ask, answer it like a politician…if you are not still living with your parents then you HAVE moved before, capice?!
3. Get the first AND last names of each of the packers and movers. This way, if you DO have issues, you can call the company. The company should know who was on the job, but you never know.
4. Just do it yourself, if possible. Period.
All of this has been quite the learning experience. What makes the bite sting a little more is knowing that if we would have just DONE IT OURSELVES, we would have banked about $8,000 based on the weight of the items in our home and the distance we are to be moving. Ouch!
Yes, it is true that you live and learn…we have done just that. Packers and movers are great, and I am sure not all of them are like the folks that came to help us…if they are I don’t know how they stay in business. Just be prepared and know what “could happen”. We certainly did not.
Next time, provided that we are not stationed OCONUS (Outside Continental United States) we WILL be moving ourselves =)
Updates on the receiving end to follow!
First, I would like to start off by saying, I am a brand new ARMY wife…which means my hubs is also new to this whole military thing as well…we are learning as we go and hope others can glean a bit of knowledge from our experiences. Here we go…
So, over the past week we have been doing our very first PCS (Permanent Change of Station) move. This is where your “sponsor” a.k.a. military service member, a.k.a. my husband has received orders to permanently change where he is required to report for duty/schooling/training. PCS orders are when the military pays to move the sponsor and his/her family members. There are other categories of moves, but I will not go into detail of that for this blog post…perhaps another time. For your family’s PCS move, you can choose to have the military set up times with packers/movers to come to your house, pack EVERYTHING (and I DO mean everything!), drive it to your new duty location, and unpack your belongings – you do not have to lift one finger or pack one box. Or there is what is called a DITY (Do It Yourself) move. This is where YOU pack everything, YOU load the U-Haul, and YOU drive to your new duty location, and yes, YOU unpack everything. Or, you can do a combination of the two types (usually shipping the larger house hold goods (HHG) and then taking the items that cannot easily be replaced).
With this being our very first move and knowing that we really do not know how everything works with the military, we decided it would be best to have the military coordinate the move for us so we were “less stressed” about everything. (Note: this was mistake #1).
So, we are EXCITED. Our first move. Our first NEW apartment. A new town. A new post to explore. Its summertime and things are GRRREAT! We are anxious to meet the packers, the movers, and just to see how all of this works. After all, YOUR tax dollars at work ;-)
Wednesday rolls around. The packers come. Two men and one woman. They were all very nice, very quiet, but nice. It only took 3.5 to 4 hours for them to pack our entire house (not that we have a big house by any means…but it was super fast!) We also provided drinks and snacks for them during this time, since we had been advised to “take care of your movers” on more than one occasion. About 30 minutes before it was time for them to leave, they talked amongst themselves about how “great” of a tip one family gave them last week. So, David and I of course overhear this, and decide we too should probably tip these people. I did a little research online to make sure it was appropriate to tip packers (and it is WHEN they do their job right). The going rate appeared to be $20 per packer (or about $5 per hour). So, $60 we paid and that was that. (Mistake #2).
Thursday morning the movers were supposed to come and load all of the heavy furniture and all the boxes the packers packed the previous day. This crew consisted of three men. We provided the same hospitality we provided to the packers the previous day. About half way into the morning, the supervisor of the crew came to David and I and showed us a piece of chewed up bubble gum that was still a little soft that had been stuck to the bottom of our bed (allegedly the previous day)…and we also found two or three additional pieces thrown all over our front lawn (see Mistakes #1 and #2.) This gentlemen also pointed out that they packed a box of my hanging clothes with shoes and bedding supplies (which they are not supposed to do because it will wrinkle the clothes – they have special boxes to ship hanging clothes in). And, they also packed cleaning liquids, which they are also not supposed to pack because it could leak out of its container and ruin your belongings or the belongings of someone else. All of our belongings are loaded up onto a semi trailer (along with other family’s belongings from all over the south east) and it will be delivered to our apartment by Wednesday or Thursday of next week. So, we tipped three more guys $20 each – so now our tip total is up to $120.
So, here is what we have learned from this SO far (b/c it isn’t over until we get our goods on the receiving end!):
1. Watch your packers. They will tell you to stay out of the way (and you probably should so they can do their jobs). But remember, they are packing YOUR items, YOUR memories, and NOBODY cares about your stuff like YOU do!
2. Do NOT tell them this is your first move. Period. If they ask, answer it like a politician…if you are not still living with your parents then you HAVE moved before, capice?!
3. Get the first AND last names of each of the packers and movers. This way, if you DO have issues, you can call the company. The company should know who was on the job, but you never know.
4. Just do it yourself, if possible. Period.
All of this has been quite the learning experience. What makes the bite sting a little more is knowing that if we would have just DONE IT OURSELVES, we would have banked about $8,000 based on the weight of the items in our home and the distance we are to be moving. Ouch!
Yes, it is true that you live and learn…we have done just that. Packers and movers are great, and I am sure not all of them are like the folks that came to help us…if they are I don’t know how they stay in business. Just be prepared and know what “could happen”. We certainly did not.
Next time, provided that we are not stationed OCONUS (Outside Continental United States) we WILL be moving ourselves =)
Updates on the receiving end to follow!
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
A Quick Update!
David and I have returned (briefly) from Ft. Jackson – we found a super cute apartment about 10 minutes from post!
Court Yard
Our new backyard - stocked with bass too!
Front yard
Dining/ Kitchen
Living Room
It’s actually really great that we will be in Ft. Jackson over the summer – my best friend’s father lives up there so we already know someone! We had dinner with him one evening to catch up on LIFE…the next day at our hotel, we had a little surprise from him waiting on us =)
Also, while we were up there, I went “car looking”…the car salesman, of course, made small talk and I told him we were new to the area, my husband was in the army, etc. He asked what I was planning on doing as far as jobs were concerned and I told him about my personal training background and that I would probably continue building my personal training business in South Carolina. He mentioned that he knew someone that managed a local gym and that he would make a couple phone calls to see if he could at least help me get an interview =) Neat, huh?! Even cooler, is this guy actually called me back with the manager’s contact information, I called him, and I have an appointment next week to meet with the manager! I am stoked!
Since we have returned to Tally, we have been talking with all of the usual service providers – utilities, cable, Internet, etc. about turning off services in Florida and getting everything set up in South Carolina. So far, so good! Everything has gone smoother than expected so far. Wednesday, the packers are coming to pack and Thursday another set of folks are coming to load everything up for its journey to SC…we are super excited, a little sad, but we are embracing this as a NEW opportunity to GO and LIVE and EXPLORE everything the world has to offer…and maybe give a little back during this whole process =)
AND..... MOST important, I COULD NOT go up there without checking out the stables. This is the riding arena, overlooking the golf course. It is directly behind the Officer's Club - HOW convenient, right?! Now, we just have to buy the RIGHT horse trailer to bring my baby up with us!
I will continue to update the blog during our move! We MAY be out of Internet for a couple days once we get up there, but hopefully no longer than a few days =) Again, thank you for all your support!!!
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