We PCS’D from Norfolk to Everett knowing that within the year there my husband would get new orders. 

That proud, stiff out his chest, going from sea to shore duty.

The orders came. Hovering in the land of soft orders. Waiting, waiting, waiting. Then finally. Official orders.

We did a DITY move or PPM. We packed up boxes, rented a truck mild debate about burning everything. Figured out where to store my car because we couldn’t drive 3 cars.

Our new duty station is Fallon, Nevada. We heard mixed reviews. I ended up finding a horse farm to rent. And we packed up and headed down.

We had x, y, z days to get down there then had to be back. My husband was detached from the ship but not truly. He detached to skip going underway because he signs out. But he had to go back to detach from the base. Confusing a bit but paperwork was ran a bit wrong.

We arrive and have his new command come out and help. It was awesome. Them bam we boarded the dogs Koda didn’t like the ride and went back for my car.

Through Oregon and California. Please tell me why at 5,000 ish feet construction jam that we had to stop. Saw some awesome signs in California don’t pee in the bush.

I loved having my car back. But I learned Cali sun is harsh and got burnt. Convertible.

Slowly settled into our home. The pups love the fenced acre. Lulu plops on the porch that has the most sun lol.

This PCS trip wasn’t that bad. But do sleep at 6,000 feet in your car just bring a sleeping bag I got cold. But I missed my doggies and wanted them back.

I’ve always wanted to visit California.

I was looking forward to enter California during our PCS. I counted down the miles.

Oregon frustrated me. I couldn’t figure it out at first. But after the 3rd time seeing Butte I figured it out. Reminds me of Montana, and our car broke down during our last PCS move in Montana.

We enter California and I get so excited. My excitement died…

Modoc National Forest, if I could never see another national forest it would be due to this national forest.

Driving, driving, driving. Realizing if something happens you have NO cell phone reception. Please update national forests. If something happens you can’t call for help.

I finally see the sign that says leaving Modoc. Get so excited. But then a few miles away you enter it again. I questioned how big was this forest.

Now I’d like to state I’ve been to Yellowstone. While visiting there as a blizzard. Yellowstone is HUGE. But with a blizzard you drive slower.

I started questioning why we went this way. It wasn’t just the no cell reception. But NO FOOD. I didn’t check the route before hand. But when hunger strikes, you’re starving. Then the little towns are closed, I mean abandoned. You’re wondering when the next service station is… and there wasn’t a sign last gas until… come on.

Why did I want to visit California? Then I realized I needed to be more specific.

I want to see the Hollywood sign, go to Disneyland, go to San Diego beaches, Coronado to see if it’s like the books you’ve read, and you didn’t mean rural California. You didn’t mean a national forest.

Sorry to rant.

One of the first things I do in the morning besides a cup of coffee is to check my phone. My sisters are on Eastern Standard Time and sometimes I will get messages from them I have learned to turn my phone on silent cause 8am EST is 5am PSD. And I will check my email have you noticed that spam happens to come at like 1am.

Well one morning my eyebrow perked up when I opened my email and saw the subject line “Welcome Aboard ****” (for OPSEC and PERSEC will not list the command). I rubbed my eyes as I opened the message. I was expecting some sort of spam message but NO.

This email was welcoming my husband to his new command and telling him some basic command information, and sponsor name.

I pulled myself out of bed and walked downstairs. Pretty sure my hair was standing up, meh he married me and is used to me waking up with funky hair. I asked him “have you heard from your sponsor yet?”

He gives me this look. Because I had asked him a few days ago and he just laughed at me. Perhaps I should throw in, he goes to school first then checks into his command. I turn my phone around. He grabs it honestly can’t blame him I was most likely swaying without my dose of coffee yet. And he says “why did they send it to you?”

Good question

“The Navy has taught me how to deal with ISIS, terrorists, and even each other. But they haven’t taught me how to deal with a 6 year old girl who just walks into your house with a cupcake, sits on your couch with said cupcake and eats it, ignores you questions.”

Let me rewind a little bit…
For the past few months I’ve had a little girl come to our backdoor. She will open our sliding door/screen and walk into our house.

I’ve asked her her name, if her parents know where she is, why does she come over. Questions after questions that are ignored. The girl will ask me questions, will ask me about our dogs, just won’t answer my questions.

If the door is locked she will knock. I’ve gone out there and have seen her father. As I went to tell her she couldn’t come in she ignored me and walked in. I gave her father the look, the do you know what your child is doing look aka WTF look.

I wish I could describe how awkward this all is. I don’t know her parents. Have never introduced myself to her parents. And I truly do hope they care for their child but I wonder who would let their child just wonder into someone’s house they don’t know.

I’ve told my husband about this. It got to a point to where I stopped opening the blinds out back and would keep the sliding door locked if she saw the blinds open she would knock until someone answered.

Then one day my husband was trimming the dogs nails and had the sliding door open. And the little girl walked in with a cupcake. She teased our dog with the cupcake, then sat down on the couch and ate her cupcake. I had taken a step back to let my husband deal with this payback for all the times he ignored me when I said this was happening. I suppose I should be honest, I ran away.

I heard my husband asking her questions and get ignored. And I had laundry to do… err yeah I ran away. I come back down stairs to my husband finally kicking her out. We were repeating this story to a friend when my husband said the above. That he was taught how to deal with ISIS, etc but not how to deal with some random child walking into your home, ignoring your questions, and who won’t leave until you force them out of your home.

I have tried to tell this child coming to a random person house isn’t safe. She doesn’t listen. And obviously ignores the ID channel I keep on hey I’m addicted to the ID channel.

Has this happen to you? I don’t mean your child dragging in some random child. But a random child coming into your home uninvited.

My sister and her husband traveled to Oregon to visit family. They rented a car to drive up and visit me and Seattle.

This was the first time my husband would meet one of my sisters. And you know how you warn your loving husband of your siblings… well…

We made our way through Pike Place Market and my husband asked if I was looking for my sister, Nifer. I said no I was looking for my brother-in-law Topher (thank the names to Starbucks). Topher is like 6’5″ tall he’s easy to spot. So when I look for my sister and her husband I look for Topher lol.

We finally find him and introductions are made.

My sister wants to see the Space Needle. So we made our way over. We get to the Space Needle and my huband (sticking with the Starbucks naming system) Atlas asks Topher if Nifer walks away from him in mid conversation…

What can I say… it’s a genetic thing. We don’t mean to. But have a habit of seeing something we like and walk away when our husband’s are talking. I’ve lost Atlas a lot due to this. It’s my super hero power.
I love my sister and super happy we got to spend time together.

We did some tourist things and what can I say it’s fun to be a tourist in a town you know.

One of the unique things about being in the military community is in the span of five minutes you can meet someone from each State in the USA.

My husband and I went out to eat with a group of friends.

We decided to sit in the bar area. And this restaurant requires ID if you sit in the bar area.

There were 4 of us and we each pulled out our ID. The waitress got to the first person and commented about not being from Washington.

Indiana, Tennessee, Michigan, and Virginia ID’S where on the table for the waitress to look at.

Here the four of us sat down to eat from 3 different states (yes I’m from Indiana but still hold a Virginia license) eating dinner at this local restaurant because the United States government brought us to the lovely state of Washington.

Now ask everyone in this group where we have lived and the answers will change. We’ve lived across the country and visited places.

I didn’t bother transferring my license when I arrived here. I knew we wouldn’t be at this duty station long. And honestly I chuckle when I end up showing my license and someone questions the location and I say “yeah the drive here was really long”.

A lot of people use the same option that I do and do not transfer over their IDs. So they have an ID from which ever state they went and got one.

Around the United States. Like the military just used a salt and pepper shaker and dispersed it’s service members.

Location doesn’t matter where you find friends.

I’ve wished and I’ve dreamed and then one day my husband threw papers at me…

Honestly the paper should have been 24K gold…

4 rounds of picking orders. Yes you heard me right. Not the normal 3. Some how a mistake got us another round. And of course the last choice was given to us.

Overseas screening even though… okay honestly. I’ll say now.

We will be going to Fallon, Nevada

I’ve joked if I needed a passport due to the overseas screening. But it’s an isolated duty station.

After my husband threw, no joke, the orders I scrolled through. Passing ZEN looking for the DET. Pausing and saying “Lemoore, CA?” My husband flipped the page and my nightmare ended.

You know the nightmare. The you get soft orders but when the hard orders come it isn’t where the soft orders said. I’ve been saying since April we’d be going to Guam just to stay off this bad karma.

But finally hard orders. Which means we PCS soon!!

I found this and I died laughing