I hate to see good neighbors PCS. But I love the boxes of goodies they drop on my doorstep as they hustle off to the airport.
Here in Hawaii the PCS bounty has been especially plentiful. Families generally continue to live in housing after their furniture is packed and taken away. They don’t say their final goodbyes until the morning they board a flight off this rock.
Look around slowly, children. Soak it in. Remember this. You may never see this again.
I wanted to say that over and over again to my kids last week as we explored the island of Hawaii. We saw oodles of waterfalls, splashed on black sand beaches, ooh’d and ahh’d as giant, green sea turtles slipped into the bright blue water.
There is a lot that is inconvenient about military life. The PCS moves thousands of miles from home can be terrifying and difficult. But those same far flung locales are also the memories our kids will cherish for decades.
The toughest part of going back to school may be choosing the school.
There are a lot of colleges vying for the plentiful GI Bill dollars that service members and their spouses are entitled to.
There are a lot of promises made, and a lot of deals that seem just too good to be true.
Rest assured, Bryant & Stratton College is the real deal.
The school is once again on the list of Military Friendly Schools published annually by Victory Media and G.I. Jobs Magazine.
To be fair, the command sergeant major did say he was available for questions.
He probably didn't count on having a spouse in the audience who was also a reporter.
At the Signal Corps Ball last week, the guest speaker, a command sergeant major, addressed the crowd and offered to answer questions afterwards. When he did, I leaned into my husband and said, ‘I’m going in’. He sighed and said, “I know.”
Currently, there are a lot of worried senior enlisted families.
In the next few weeks, officials expect to pink slip a large number of senior NCOs who are serving in career fields that are considered to have too many soldiers through the Qualitative Service Program (QSP).
And they way those soldiers are to be chosen, is not exactly fair or clear, from what those of us holding our breath can tell.
As I look around our home assessing our most cherished, adored items and prep mentally for the next move, my thoughts always return to the same sentiment: Why the heck did we bring this?
After two years we have boxes that have never been unpacked. Pictures, never hung on the walls. Clothes, never been worn. Holiday decorations, never celebrated a single moment.
And seriously, I can’t even explain what was floating through my mind when I decided my wedding dress had to make the cross-Pacific move.
If you look closely, the military offers more than you can ever imagine.
I’m not talking about money for college, and programs on base. I’m talking about weird, unusual, even bizarre perks that military families have access to. Some of them, you’ve never even heard of.
Last week I stumbled across one of the more quirky benefits, though it’s limited at best.
If you are stationed in Hawaii, and you have a second POV you want to ship home without the added cost, the Navy will toss it aboard a ship – if they have room.
Apparently, August is the unofficial month to slack at the office.
That’s according to an MSNBC.com article heralding the first day of the month.
And, their experts say good employers know that a little downtime on the clock can make for happy, productive employees. Fewer work breaks mean more stress and more mistakes.
I couldn’t agree more. This theory of necessary relaxation fits in the office and on the homefront.
I work from home. Get your jealous ohhs and ahhs out now. Let’s get the big points out of the way first.
Yes, I have worked in my pajamas and even attended meetings with my boss sans proper attire – sorry Morgan.
Yes, I answer the phone and talk to people who I am not working directly with - my friends neeeed me!
Yes, I check Facebook, while at work and no one can see. Hah! Until my boss notices the way cute pics I posted of my kids’ first day of school.
Last year Congress announced that the military budget was going to be slashed. And it was. Almost instantly, military families could physically see where the cuts were made.
In Hawaii, the Child Development Center stopped offering hourly care to certain age groups. Respite care for families in the Exceptional Family Member Program was limited. The arts and crafts center on our base was shuttered. Permanently.
Now, those budget cuts may alter the course of our lives.
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