State of the Move

6 weeks into planning and two weeks until we pack our things, this move has run me ragged. The strategy at this point in the military move is survival and sanity. 

I wasn’t thrilled when we received news that the Army had decided to send us to Fort Knox, Kentucky. To be honest, I’m still dragging my feet mentally. I’m choosing to focus on the simple day to day tasks that have to get done to get my family ready to move across the country in a matter of weeks.

It helps that I have thoroughly appreciated Texas while we’ve been here. I think it was about 3 months into our time here that I came to the realization that I wasn’t having to try that hard to make this a home. Even with my husband away for training for 5 of the first 6 months we were here, it felt like home almost immediately. By the second Fall, I was committed to enjoying every moment. I’ve soaked up spectacular sunrises so often that my son comments almost every morning on the way to school. We’ve explored the things that make Austin weird in the best way. I have monster list of restaurants I can recommend. And the month of October in Central Texas has redefined my idea of perfect weather, which makes it especially ironic that we’re leaving later this month.

Planning for the next phase

A Binder

After 12 years together and ten years of marriage, my husband and I have faced our fair share of military moves – 5 actually, plus 2 local moves. Those moves have taught me that keeping all of the vital information at hand is one way to reduce the stress of moving. I use a 3 ring binder & page protectors to organize all the stuff that comes with moving. The acceptance letter for our home, receipt for cleaning, inventory of our household goods and all the receipts for our move expenses go straight to the binder. It keeps all of our records in one organized place.

An Address

As soon as our move was confirmed, I started researching our housing options. Having an address, knowing we have a place to land is always my first task when we PCS.

We quickly determined that with the availability of on post housing, the icy weather of Kentucky’s weather and the uncertainty about our time there (we don’t really know exactly what my husband will be doing), living on post was our best bet. A quick phone call to Knox Hills with an explanation of our situation resulted in a prompt back and forth email exchange to help us nail down which neighborhood was the best fit. Quickly, we had things locked in.

A School

My second priority was getting answers about my son’ school. This one has been a little harder to resolve. This will be the first time we’ve moved since munchkin started school and, of course, it’s in the middle of the year. Once we had an address, we were able to identify which school he’s zoned for. It didn’t really answer questions for us though. Munchkin is exceptionally bright – considerably exceeding standards in every subject they evaluate for – and has thrived in a “gifted and talented cluster” class here in Texas. I have been unable to get any straight answers from his zoned school in Kentucky about how we can set up for success since they do not have a gifted and talented class.

His teacher here in Texas has been a tremendous help, offering to put together information to help his new teacher. His current school’s gifted and talented coordinator has put together a packet of information about his evaluations and placements over the last three years. It all serves to make wish even more that we weren’t leaving.

We’re also looking into private school options, but have decided to wait until we get there to visit each school and make a decision. I’ve promised munchkin to let him be part of that conversation and choice. But it’s a constant underlying cause of anxiety for me. Kiddo adores school, is tremendously successful and I want to keep it that way.

A Trip

The most task heavy part of my To Do list has been prepping for our trip. We use the horse trailer to keep some of our valuables with us and transport things we want immediately. That takes a little planning. For my non-military readers, when we do a Permanent Change of Station move (PCS – where the Army tells us when & where to go) the Army pays a professional moving company to come pack up our things, load them into crates and ship them to our next duty station. While it’s awesome to not have to do the packing and loading, there are risks. We’ve had considerable damage to our things in every move. Things get lost. Sometimes, we have to wait 2-3 weeks after we arrive at our new duty station until they can deliver our things.

We get around that by bringing our essentials in the horse trailer. Essentials for us include:

• my computer, printer, and enough of my office stuff to be functional while we’re in transit
• camp chairs
• folding craft table (this will be for eating, working and pretty much everything else)
• a couple weeks worth of clothes for each of us
• air mattresses
• bedding & towels
• a surprising amount of my kitchen stuff that I can’t risk
• horse things that I don’t want to chance
• valuables like pictures and important documents

We’ll have a couple days of camping in our Texas home before heading out, three nights in hotels as we travel and up to a week or so camping our new home in Kentucky. Sorting all of these things, a check up & maintenance for the trailer and planning the route all have to get done. The trailer is dropped off at the shop, sorting has been started and now its just a matter of slogging through the organizing.

A Dog

Actually, its two dogs. Our lovelies are both seniors now – 9 and 11. They are a big part of the reason we are taking three days to do almost 14 hours of driving time. Being in the car is sure to cause some stiffness. They’re both caught up on their vaccinations, had a thorough check up and we’ve stocked up on some anti-inflammatory meds to minimize the discomfort of the trip. Bella also got a new memory foam bed that will fit in the back of our Land Rover to keep her comfortable. Mo will travel most of the trip with my husband in the passenger seat of the truck because he’s a noisy little guy and it gets on my nerves.

A Horse

A military move with horses adds a couple extra steps – like getting a tag from @smartpak engraved Elf's name & my phone number for his shipping halter. Its part of my shipping prep list! #horses #movemyhorse #pcs

A photo posted by Kristen (@ifthesaddlefits) on Sep 30, 2016 at 1:22pm PDT

Elf was one of the first things I squared away besides getting the paperwork started for our house. He has a stall waiting for him – we’re heading back to hunter jumper land in Kentucky. His transport is booked on Equine Express to arrive a week after we do. When I chose a barn, I asked for recommendations on vaccinations. Aside from the standard, my new barn owner recommended that I add the botulism vaccine since that has been an issue in Kentucky in the past and it was worth the extra protection. For $150, I was willing to be proactive.

Once I have a firm date for his departure, I’ll schedule his health certificate appointment and we’ll be good to go. Getting him out there as quickly as possible is a key part of my plan to establish our new normal right from the get go.

Hunting the Good Stuff

Even while I’m embracing all my CenTex favorites, I’m taking a little time each day to start bookmarking the “good stuff” about this move. While Texas has become home and I don’t especially want to leave, there is plenty of opportunity waiting for us in Kentucky. We’ll be within driving distance of most of our family for the first time in several years. It is horse country – with the Kentucky Horse Park, Rolex, top thoroughbred farms, the Derby, frequent horse shows and within driving distance to one of my favorite horse show venues in the country, Brownland Farms.

My husband has also agreed that it only makes sense that my always growing collection of hunt prints and equestrian fine art take center stage in our next home – since it is Kentucky after all. I’m taking that as free rein to decorate in full equestrian style. I’m already eyeing Bre Avery’s Brigilia removable wall paper for my office.

Since we ending up moving right as transition into my favorite time of year, I’m taking the opportunity to rearrange my schedule and work load to make more time for my family and riding. The last couple of months have been busy ones and it’s time to catch my breath.

On the Road

The next two weeks will be busy ones. Once my trailer is serviced, it’ll be getting a good scrubbing. Things around the house need to be finished. I’m steadily getting a little ahead on work so that I can take a couple weeks off while we’re in transit. We’re down to details and tying up loose ends, getting set up for a successful pack out.

Change is hard. And I’m working on being okay with that.