Hey everyone, I just wanted to let you all know that after the 24th I will be very scarce on the boards! Our "pack out" dates are Sept 24 and 25, and that means that everything gets boxed up on the first day, and then crated on the second! We will be in our home town for 3 months, and the computer is going to our ultimate duty area, so I will only be able to be on the boards when I can use my parent's computer or Sailorman's parent's computer. Just in case I don't get on very often, I didn't want any one to worry too much about me "dropping off the face of the earth".

This has been the most stressful move in our 14 yrs of service history! It wasn't so bad coming out here, as we only had 2 kids and a cat to worry about(the cat had to stay in 30 day quarentine, hence she is now the "Million dollar cat"). This move out, we have a large dog(ok so bordering on large), cat, 3 kids with the youngest being 18 mos(6 hours on a plane and the screaming baby will probably be mine!), and we will be living in one city for 3 months before we get to our duty station! Also, the climate change! Going from tropic 85-90* temps + humidity to dry heat(AZ!!!!!!! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="images/icons/grin.gif" /> <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="images/icons/grin.gif" /> ), and then to cold and snow in northern AZ! The biggest shock is going to be getting the kids their winter clothes! We still have our jackets and sweaters, but the kids have grown so much, nothing that they had(we didn't keep winter stuff for them anyway) wouldn't fit any more!

The biggest hurdle has been cleared, though. We live in military housing, and I have been stressing, big time, our move out inspection. Well, we had our pre-inspection, where they tell you exactly what needs to be done, and there is only one major stain in one of the kids bedroom carpet that should be removable by a cleaning company! Everything else has changed as far as what needs to be done when we move out. You used to have to have EVERYTHING spotless, but now they just request that you shampoo(and you can on your own) your carpets, sweep the floors, clean the inside of the fridge, stove, dishwasher, washer, and dryer, and if you have any oil or grease spots in the driveway, to get those cleaned as well! We don't even have to clean the windows! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="images/icons/grin.gif" /> <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="images/icons/grin.gif" /> <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="images/icons/grin.gif" />

Just pray that our move goes smoothly! We will be flying in to LA, and then driving the rest of the way to AZ. We will be staying over night somewhere near LA, but driving with 3 kids isn't always that much fun! Especially across the boring flat deserts of eastern CA, but I sure love it when you get to the AZ deserts with the jagged mountains and hills, and the beautiful saguaro cactus! Can you tell that I've missed that in the last 2 1/2 yrs? Also, that we get a house in Northern AZ that will accomidate our family! The military is actually going to be leasing our housing for us, so we are a little nervous about that! But, that won't be till Jan, as Sailorman has a school for 5 weeks in FL.

Ok, enough about our move. I just needed to get this all out, as I am excited and nervous at the same time!

Love,

Tigger

aaahhhh MEMORIES

we once failed an inspection because a fly had gotten in the light fixture and died... unbelievable <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="images/icons/shocked.gif" />

Good luck on the move and enjoy your new duty station.

Good luck on your move! I can tell by your post that you are very excited. I hope everything goes as smoothly as it can with 3 kids, lol. Wishing you luck!

I have always loved moving...call me sick...lol
Maybe for your drive across the not so exciting part of Cali...y'all can drive at night...with the kids snoozing away??
<img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="images/icons/grin.gif" />

What an adventure, Tigger! Aren't you glad to be coming back to the continent? Do you think you will miss Hawaii a lot or are you ready to come back?

Thank you so much for alerting us that you won't be around much for a while, because we would worry.

My son bought an inexpensive car TV with a VCR in it for his trip to another state with his 5 year old daughter. She was mezmerized (and occupied and quiet) the entire trip. If you are concerned about the boring ride, you might want to consider popping for something like that...unless they would all fight over which tape to play.

Bon voyage, Tigger...I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers that your journey is a safe and happy one...and stress free, too.

Love

Catnip -^^-

Hang in there tigger! You can do it!!

I had a similar nightmare move with newborn, older kid, 2 pets, clearing housing, long pit stop with relatives, long flights, (all without H!) etc.

Prayers and good wishes,
J

Hi Tigger~

Just wanted to say that I can't wait till you are in AZ!!! We will have to get together. Maybe me and Abby can drive up to Northern AZ to see you one day, it is not that far and I would love to get out of the heat!! Anyway, good luck with the move. I will be thinking of you. We actually moved to Hawaii on my birthday when I was young. It is on the 26th. So it will be easy for me to remember you guys are moving! Good luck!!!!

Love,

Happy_girl

Dear tigger,

I am praying for you that your move goes smoothly. Catnip has a great idea about the tv/vcr for the car. We always carry one on long trips with the kids and it does focus them. Ours had an adapter for video games which was really terrific.

Being a former AZ girl myself, I am so happy for you and jealous -- I lived in the Tucson area but visited throughout the state and I love every part of it.

Good luck with the move. Don't worry, it will go smoothly! We'll miss you during your computer blackout!

love,
heavenly

Tigger,

So many military, former military. I remember failing a housing inspection one time. We had been in the house for less than 3 months and the housing director was angry that we were moving off base and turning over the place so quickly. So...when we had moved in there were molly brackets in the walls of the kitchen. She made me remove them, spackle, sand and paint them--all 20 of them. She also made me remove that build up you get on your kitchen cabinets from all the hands around the door handles and the tops of the doors. And it wasn't even our dirt because we had only been there 10 weeks!

Best of luck to you on your move. Actually life gets a little boring after the "excitement" of the military. I just got an email from an old "Navy wife" friend. They just moved to Japan. He is doing a post XO/CO tour. I am a bit jealous of their adventure. I love living overseas.

We have hand-held video games for our boys. They only get 45 minutes of computer or video games per day. In the car they get unlimited use of their hand-held games so they think the car is a real treat. Now if I could just get them to stop thinking that it is really fun to not go to the bathroom when Mom tells them to and then crying buckets and threatening to wet their pants 30 minutes later. My idea of hell--sitting barely off some interstate with traffic whizzing by at 90 mph while my boys are whizzing on the tall weeds. New rule--everyone pees when Mama says to. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="images/icons/smile.gif" /> That goes for Mr. J too! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="images/icons/wink.gif" /> If you don't pee on command you ain't getting in my car. Boy bet I'd be fun on a date night with some other couple huh?

MJ

Thank you all for your words of encouragement! It's keeping me from going insane, thinking of everything that could go wrong! Sailorman and I were talking last night about how stressed we are right now, and how we will be much more relaxed once in the hotel in LA, and will probably drop off to sleep shortly after the kids do! My biggest worries right now are the pets. The dog is going a week before we do and my parents will have her at their house for that week. The cat is going with us, but there are NO hotels on the island that will allow pets, so if we leave at 8:30 in the morning, our friends will have to be awake at 5 so Sailorman can pick her up and be back at the airport 3 hours early(as we believe is required when traveling w/pets!)! Hopefully, we will have our flight time soon, but there are many from the ship transfering off and back to the mainland, so our tickets are probably last in line right now!

Happy-Girl,

I can't wait to meet you in person! We will be in Tucson for 3 months, and then up to Flagstaff. Sailorman's brother lives near you, I believe, and I know that we will be visiting quite often, so I will get all that personal info once we arrive in AZ.

Heavenly,

As you can see from above, I'm from Tucson as well! I loved living there and can't wait to see all my family that is still there! It's big enough to have all the necessities, but still small enough to feel "safe"! I especially loved living in the valley of the 4 mountain ranges!

Catnip,

We have actually considered the TV thing, and haven't discounted it yet, but we don't know how we would get it from here to CA. As for missing HI, well, I am too much of a homebody, and don't think I'll miss it at all. I would love to come back for a vacation, and be able to see the other islands(wasn't possible money wise, and children wise while we've been here), but I don't think I'd like to live here again. I am very anxious to get back home again.

MJ & M05,

Luckily, our housing inspector is also a friend, and we go to the same church! She is very fair with everyone, and that's why some love her and some hate her <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="images/icons/wink.gif" /> I, personally, love her, cause she will tell me like it is, and I know there won't be any surprises! We have lived in housing 3 times now, and never have failed an inspection!

Jenny,

Luckily, Sailorman will be with me for all of this move! I had to get packed out by my self when we came out here, but he was there for the flight to HI. I do know how it is to travel with kids alone, though. I took the kids from Tucson to San Francisco by myself before we came out here, to meet the ship! 2 full days in the car with 2 kids, neither of them old enough to sit in the front w/an airbag! It actually went quite well!

Dumplin,

Well, I hope and pray for smoothness as well, but with an 18 month old, who knows?!?! Hopefully, she will be at her best for the flight, and we can find a McDonalds w/a play place to get rid of her pent up energy! Not to mention the 3 hour time change! We'll see!

Doc's Girl,

Well, we don't want to drive that night, as we will also be exhausted, and have also done that before! It just wasn't fun for us, and we will have a mini-van, so I could sit in the back to keep Abbi happy if necessary. I will be thinking of you as we are pulling in to my parents! I hope the wedding goes off w/out a hitch!

Again, thank you all, you are keeping me sane!

Love,

Tigger

I feel it fair to warn you in advance--

I'm in Tucson now--I'm a native...

Last week, we had a hail storm with hail the size of golf balls. Yet, it was still like 100 degrees.

Welcome back to the desert!

EJ

EJ,

Hey, another MBer that I'd love to meet! When I get to Tucson, maybe we could have lunch or something, if you're ok with that. Our yahoo email is jnk89_p@yahoo.com. We will be using that until we get to Flag and have our own computer hooked back up. I believe that there is still one other MBer that is in AZ, but I'm not sure. I just know that I would so love to meet everyone, and now I may have that opprotunity!

We just got our flight scheduled, and we leave here at 8:30 am, but don't have to check in quite as early as I expected, just 90 min, so it will be easier on our friend who will have our cat till we leave! Unfortunately, she is too big to be in a carrier small enough to be in the cabin with us. I know that she made the trip out here just fine, so I'm not too worried about the flight for her. That's another worry gone!

All I know for sure is that I can't wait to be back near family, and on the mainland again! At least on the mainland, I can drive to see family, and it won't be more than about 5 hours, depending on who I'm going to see! And no, I'm not excited at all!

<img border="0" title="" alt="[Roll Eyes]" src="images/icons/rolleyes.gif" /> <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="images/icons/grin.gif" /> <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="images/icons/wink.gif" />

Love,

Tigger

Hey Tigger,we did the drive from Ft. Irwin CA to PA to fly out of DC with 3 kids (3,5,6 yrs) a dog and a cat diving via Houston, TX. I heartily recommend the TV. Go to Best Buy when you get to the mainland, they sell a TV w/VCR for less than $200 or a DVD in a TV for around $265. WE keep ours in the kitchen so when I am cooking I have the news available. We didn't have the TV on our cross country drive then, but when we drove From PA to TX and back to PA for Christmas, with all 4 kids I stopped my H in KY,(this was the return trip) where we dropped off one the older kids, I told my H I was not going any farther without a TV/VCR. We still had 8 hours to go with a 2.5 yearold, who only asked mom for anything and he was in the 3rd seat in the Van. It is worth the expense, if you can stand the movies they like to watch.
Travel safely, look forward to finding you back here in a few mos.