One month from today will be our last night in Monterey before beginning our cross country PCS {permanent change of station} to Connecticut. This will be our 9th move {5th PCS} in our 7 years in the Navy. It feels a lot harder this time since, aside from a 6 month stint in Singapore in which we did not have to move all our stuff, we have never moved with our children {and the oodles of stuff they have acquired in the past 3 years of their existence} and we have never had to drive cross country for a move. It has also been nearly 3 years since we last PCSed and I am feeling pretty rusty at the whole process.
We have been turning the house over in an attempt to get rid of anything we possibly can and have done a good job at unloading most of the baby stuff our kids no longer need {swing, jumperoo, high chair, etc} on expecting friends. Since we will likely only be in Connecticut for 6 months before moving again, I am really hoping not to have to unpack everything we own there which requires some serious forethought and organization on this end to make sure things get packed and appropriately labeled so we know what is what when we arrive. That *little* project has not even been started because I don't want to tear the house apart that we have to live in for the next month, and {more importantly} what mother of a 2 year old and 10 month old has time for that?! It's also entirely possible that I bit off more than I could chew when I decided to throw one final party before we leave, taking significant portions of my time and energy for planning and preparations, and also delaying the point at which we can start destroying the house to get ready for the packers. Oh well, if things don't get organized before the packers arrive, it won't be the end of the world, in all our previous moves I have never pre-organized for the packers and everything turned out fine then.
In addition to the logistics and packing, every move is emotional in one way or another. I am generally ready to go when it is time to leave somewhere but then a few weeks after leaving will find myself crying for no reason. This time, I have already shed my first tear about leaving. This morning on the way to preschool, Q told me he wanted a fish taco and I teared up. I had never had a fish taco before moving to California, but my California-born son has been eating them his whole life. It's always those silly little things that get to me when it comes to this stuff! As ready as I am for our next adventure, it will be hard to say goodbye to the first home our children have known.
Speaking of our next adventure, in true Navy fashion, I heard about {and got the details on} Sam's slate {list of jobs he is eligible for following training in CT} through a friend before Sam even knew the slate was out yesterday. In the Navy, well connected wives know everything before their husbands {*wink*}. We have been discussing for years what he'd like to do and where we'd like to go next but really it's all up to the Navy and what is even available at the time. Submarine department head slates and subsequent orders are notorious for changing up until the very last minute so we're not getting too attached to the jobs on this slate, but we are excited by the possibilities.
After almost 3 years of discussing and worrying about where we'll end up next, I think we are finally in a good place regarding our future. We will put in our preferences and we will go where the Navy sends us and we will know that wherever that is, it is right where God intends for us. I have stopped praying for "somewhere warmer than here" and started praying for the relationships we will make in our future home and the impact we can have on our future community. This shift has really impacted my thoughts and the anxiety I use to feel about where we might end up. I now day dream more about God's purposes for our family in a new location than I do about moving to a place I love and finding the ideal house.
For now, I should get off the computer and start some of this "organizing" I am so keen to do!
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