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How are we surviving our latest PCS?  Boy oh boy.  It’s been the most interesting one for sure, but in a nutshell, we haven’t totally flipped our wigs yet.  We’ve been close, but everyone is still alive and functioning.  Every day I remind myself that we are just out here living and SURVIVING A PCS LIKE A BOSS!

Let me start with Carlos.  #TeamCarlos left the island before any of us.  He flew the friendly skies with Delta Airlines and spent a month with my in-laws.  Dude is still acting like he’s at his grandparents’ house.  They allowed him to sit on the furniture or in their laps and do pretty much whatever he wanted.  So now he thinks someone should always hold him and that he should hop in the car whenever it pulls out.

When A Stranger Entered Our Lives

The rest of the family flew out a month later; we departed HI June 22 at 9:00 pm and had very little sleep on the plane.  During our flight out of LAX, we met a very nice young man who approached us about having a beautiful family.  He called us the FAM WITH AMAZING SMILES.  We started chatting as we waited in line to board our flight. Had a delightful conversation, laughing and talking about our destinations and lives.

My family was tired and just wanted to get on the plane and sleep.  Once we boarded the flight, we all realized our seats were together, except for my husband.  Of course, he always gets a seat away from everyone else.  I swear he plans it that way.  LOL  Just kidding.  His reservations were separate from ours due to the way the military booked the flight.  Well, guess who was sitting on the row with the girls and me?  That’s right.  The nice guy we met.  He offered to switch seats with hubby so the FAM WITH THE AMAZING SMILES could sit together.

Our flight landed in TX and my family deplaned.  As we walked away, I heard, “Hey FAM!”  He handed me a note and told us to have a blessed trip and to continue smiling.  I don’t know why, but it warmed my heart.  Maybe knowing how tired we were, but knowing someone could still see the light of my family made me proud.  You see, my husband promoted to Commander in May.  During the speech the Admiral talked about having a great family behind you to support you and that we are a beautiful family and that’s just something you cannot fake.  I almost cried, but I don’t cry.  My cousin, however, was crying.  Girl, what are you crying about? Lol   So to have a complete stranger confirm the words said about your family from someone who had 1.5 years to observe was heartfelt.  Anywho…(stay focused MomJonz!).

The Note That Helps With Surviving This PCS

I opened the note as we walked to our next gate cause look, I had to make sure this dude wasn’t saying he was going to blow a plane up or something.

His words, OMG.  His words were exactly what we needed.  We were unsure if this was indeed the right move for our family.  We said Yes to a change of already unexpected orders.  Orders that we were not thrilled about receiving, cause who wants to leave Hawaii?  And then to have a call about changing those orders to a location that I said I would NEVER return to. Was the decision of buying a home in the area the correct one? Is this the correct move for our children?  Are we just chasing a dead end?  So many worries were swirling in our minds.  I mean, we talk about having faith,  but this was a big move for us with so many unknowns.  I mean, ten months orders.  That’s no time.  Our previous option at least had housing available for us and everyone there would be there for the same reason with a built-in support system and kids in the same short time span.  A few very close friends of mine told me they thought it would be an excellent move for Mamas and Coffee and of course closer to family.  But, there was so much more for us to consider.

Caleb’s words were right on time.  Yeah, I found out his name because he signed the note.  When I turned back around, he was gone.  We would love to find him just to let him know how much his note and conversation was a blessing to us.  Meeting someone who isn’t afraid to share God with you and not knowing your faith is indeed a blessing.

There are times I pray about things and tell God I need him to slap me in the face with the answer.  After I read the note, I turned to hubby and said, “well, God answered me.”

After making a pit stop to the bathroom, we made our way to the gate.  Fast forward…I don’t recall much of that last leg of our travel.  I. WAS. OUT. COLD!

We arrived in Mississippi, grabbed our rental and headed to my in-laws.  We were TIRED.  We should’ve stopped at my sister-in-law’s as planned, but we listened to Fashion Diva Girl who said to drive on to grandmas.  Why do we listen to her?

My mother-in-law greeted us outside with Carlos.  He was happy to see us, but as soon as we got inside, he was right back under her feet.  And when my father-in-law came in, it was a wrap. They were best buds for real. When it came time to leave, my in-laws tried acting like they didn’t care, but I’d already heard the stories about their care of Carlos, and I watched the interaction.  Part of me considered leaving him, but what about my kids?  They love Carlos.  Hubby does too.  He tries to pretend that he can’t stand the dog, but that’s his little buddy.

Off we went to Tennessee.  My mom was no better about Carlos.  He was on her furniture and had free roam of the house.  She got on to me for getting on to Carlos.  Her grandbabies haven’t seen their dog for over a month, and as long as they are happy, that is all that matters. Hmmmm…ok.  These kids and the dog did whatever they wanted every single day.  But, I wasn’t complaining because the kids stayed with my mom or my aunt.  Hubby and I had the house next door to ourselves.  Heck, we lounged until after 6:00 pm one day.  We deserved it and needed.  We knew we had a lot to juggle once we arrived at our new duty station.

We enjoyed my aunt’s birthday, Fourth of July and our eldest daughter’s birthday with family in Tennessee.  I also had an opportunity to spend some time with friends and of course my granny.  Yo, whatever my granny says is golden and there’s nothing anyone can tell me different.  Even got a workout out in and had a friend go to the gym with us.  Yeah, she wasn’t happy about it.  HUSH and get to getting!  And the best thing about the workout….the owner is a #MaC, and I LOVE supporting #MaCs! (yeah, will do a whole article about this.  This was some funny stuff).

The day came.  Time to hit the road again and head to our new duty station, time to lay eyes on the house we are buying that we’ve only seen via Facetime.

We arrived in the DMV (Metro DC).  Checked in our hotel and slept like babies.  But the next morning we were wide awake and off to see our home for the first time.  We met our realtors in person, at the house that we would close on 4 hours later. YIKES, right?!

To be continued……The next post will continue with this story.  Be sure to subscribe and follow me on my facebook page to be notified about future articles.  And, oh. If you know Caleb from Los Angeles, please send him this way.

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