Just Another Military Move

"The art of being wise is knowing what to overlook" ~ William James

Many have asked questions through emails for more details on our move! Some people I haven't told yet.  Here are the questions that have been asked most recently. I am sending everyone to this post to make it easier on me.  I hope it answers some of your questions.


Is it true you are moving again? Yes. We are moving.

Are you stressed about moving? No.

Is “Beloved” getting out of the military? No. He has 24 years in and he is going to 30 years.

Don’t you want “Beloved” to get out of the military? He is happy and I like living with a happy man.

Are you moving for a job promotion in rank? No. Beloved is as high in rank as an Officer as he can go. He will still be an Instructor Pilot. However the job is a step up in the “special” organization tier and that organization is over all the “specials people” in his branch of service.

When did you find out you were moving? Beloved’s job commitment was a 2 year slot in this area. We have been extended each year and until last week (when the change in job responsibilities was given to someone else) he has been in his job for 4 years. So, we have always known that we would move. Yet, we were asked last year where we would like to go and so we gave them three choices. They picked the best choice that suited the “organizations” for him to go to. (Each choice required us to move.)

How does Beloved feel about the job change? He welcomes a new challenge and feels God is setting up big things for our Family through this change. Since, we see our military family lifestyle as a mission field we feel this is exciting.

Are you moving to a different military instillation? Yes.

When will you be going? Beloved has to do two war deployments, we have to go to a military Pilot School for several months and then some time after we will finally arrive in our new state on the East Coast.

Where will you live? We do not know at this time where we will live! Due to military housing having an unpredictable waiting list, we will probably be in our camper for awhile. We will not be buying a house. We could rent I suppose but we would like to live in military housing  due to his next job commitment only being two years as well. (They will probably keep us longer) Then we will move again.

What will “Beloved” be doing? He is a Pilot. So, the only thing I know is he will fly planes and helicopters! (Seriously! I am not kidding. I only know rumors.) The organization is the tier above our organization. Like here, I am on a need to know basis and I will be even more so there. I follow Beloved’s leading in regards to what he says or what I have been briefed about what I can say by the command chain.

How do you feel about moving? Moving is no big deal to me. I have moved all my life. First with my Parents and as Beloved moved up in rank his assignment choices put us in a position of moving. Each move that we have done has been prayed over a career advancement. It would have been very easy for us to stay in the state of Georgia due to being comfortable but God isn’t calling Beloved to do that the past 6 out of 24 years of his Military Career. (He was in Georgia for 13 years for his military career and we bought and lived in the house that he grew up in from the time he was in 2nd grade.)

Once you get in a house how long does it take for you to be unpacked and everything in place?  Two weeks. If pregnant? Three. It isn't a big deal either. I watched my Mom and many other military ladies do it all my life.

What will happen to you furniture? Movers come and pack it up. The military stores it  until we tell them we are ready to have it at such and such house.  It seems simple but there are many disadvantages in having to have people pack your items.

Carmen, are you pregnant? Because, you always move when you are pregnant. (If she wasn’t a mother of 6 I would have considered her crazy for asking! But, she delights in making me giggle!) No. I am not yet.  But, God has a sense of humor!
I don’t talk about my birth experiences it is raw and a little out of the ordinary. However, here is the general History of the moves with the births of the children. First birth, I moved to Korea 6 months pregnant. Delivered the Little Lady in a clinic on a cot where no one spoke English. In Korea, I wasn’t able to touch her for almost a week and the only reason why I didn't have to birth my baby in a room of other women is because I had a c-section and Beloved was a pilot!  The second child, I went on a Temporary Duty Station Trip to Kentucky just a couple months after he was born via vbac.  This was challenging because I was very sick after my body tried to shut down (read- Drs thought I might die) after having class 1 Hellp Syndrome. Then, the child had neo-natal mastitis. My body remained sick until after I had the Little Gentleman (Third Child). I was advised by Drs to seriously consider not having any more children after HELLP.  However, after having the Little Gentleman via c-section my body corrected itself and that was when I was told, “Oh yeah! That often happens.”  Yes, just after the Thrid Child was born, I  moved to Tennessee. Forth Child, I moved into this house just 3 weeks before delivering her via vbac. All was well with this pregnancy except that I have a slight health issue which can only be corrected by surgery and only if I have no more children. So, I go to a physical therapist instead.  Ta Da!

What do your Children think about the move? I haven’t asked them before so I had to ask. They said, “Great”. Here is my opinion. Children feed off Parent’s emotions and Parent’s attitudes. If the Parents are excited the Children will be excited. If the Parents are not happy, the Children will not be happy. If the Parents are divided than they will be divided. My Parents always made each trip and each move an adventure even if there were secret struggles and anticipation to them. They capitalized on all the interesting new places to see and learn about and I have taken their rearing and applied it in my Child rearing.

Will you continue to home school or will you find the Children a private or put them in a DOD school? We will still home school.

Will you work at your new location? No. I believe my place is in the home and ministering with in my military community as a Family. We could not do so if I was working and we have found our biggest testimony to others is how we travel with Beloved and having “soldier friends” over when they are in town.

What will you do about the Children’s Extra Curricular activities? We will continue with the horseback training for the Little Lady. We will look into a piano teacher again as well. It just requires me to research and interview horse trainers and teachers when we get to the other state, although I have already been looking. The boys will continue their “Training” for the Iron Kids with Beloved. Matter of fact, it will be easier for them to be involved since we will be more centralized to those sort of activities.

How are you getting ready to prepare for the move? I have done some garage sales and consignment stores to get rid of items that I don’t want to move. The military only gives us a certain amount of pounds and so we need to stay under it or we pay. I have been doing this all spring. I have researched home school laws and groups in our new state area. I have set up portfolios to show their work from this state. I am in the process of trying to figure out what we need and what we don’t since we have no idea how long we will be living in the camper. Organizing the camper and what to take is what is on my mind mostly!

Do you see the Lord in these details? Yes, in numerous ways. One way is that this move requires Beloved to go fly certain planes. Although, I guess his desire is shocking to others it isn’t shocking to me. Beloved has never shared his desire with anyone else but me and he has never requested or acted on the desire. Instead, we have been praying that God would allow Beloved to have the school in God’s timing and that he would have God’s favor. We have known that it would have to be a special circumstance for him to get the school because when a Pilot’s is at his rank and is eligible for retirement they do not give a MILLION (plus) Dollar school to them. So why does he get it now? Well, this new job demands that he has the Pilot School to fly the planes and the helicopter that they have and the organization pays for it. We feel very blessed. No way could we afford this school any other way.

Do you think you will like the new place? I have visited it several times before due to Beloved’s trips. Beloved and I are aware of what it is like there as a visitor only.  I have learned many things growing up moving and watching other people moving. Here is the simple truth!! You don’t have to like an area to know that God is sending you there. You just have to remember 2 things! The military rule is to try to be as neutral as possible and exploring the area a good year before you judge it. Then you can state your opinion in regards to your circumstances only.   The Biblical Rule? Take a pick! Don’t be like Lot’s wife and look back at the place you have been or don’t be like Jonah and be bitter that God sent you there.  ~ Grow roots where you are planted. Sometimes that means you grow roots like an oak tree (easily uprooted since the roots lay  not just underground but on the surface) and sometimes you can grow them to go really deep like a pine tree.

What does both sets of Parent’s and your siblings think about you moving?

I had to ask Beloved what his extended Family has said because I can't recall anything. He replied. "No one has said anything to me about the move."

I do not know what Beloved’s Sister and her Family think either although Beloved remembers someone saying that they wished that our schedules were not so busy so we can see them more often since they live just over 2  hours away from us now.

My Parents are happy that Beloved has the opportunity to go to another organization to fly more planes and helicopters since that is what Beloved wants to do. They support him in whatever and where ever! I do believe if he said, "We are moving to the other side of the world?" They would just ask "How long before we can come visit?"    My Parents are traveling across the United States in their 5th wheel since they have retired. So, they would visit us no matter where we live. You can peak into my Parent’s travels here.   They also do not mind the fact that they won’t know what he will be doing either. My Mom use to work for Customs and the Air Force so she has had secret clearances. My Dad was in the military also and has had secret clearances. It is just a way of life to them to be on a need to know basis.

Now, My Sister? She has said several things. “Move back to Georgia so you can homeschool my kids!” and “ If you move out West, I am coming with you.” She is all tease.

What will be the hardest part of moving? Well. Not necessarily moving at all but leaving an organization that Beloved has been a part of 19 out of his 24 years. We have seen people get married and have Children. They have seen us get married and have Children. Some of these Children we have watched grow up and become pilots and crew members with Beloved now. I suppose we will miss the “History” we have with in our military family. There is just nothing like a military family. It is hard to explain to civilians because there is not an organization except for maybe a intimate small church that compares to it.

Are you kidding Carmen? You are so unpredictable. You are going to live in a Camper with 4 Children? Are you sure you want to do that during Beloved’s school and also while you are waiting for a house to come open during your move? I could never do that or want to do that! Yes. I am serious. Looking back, I can see that God has prepared me for this over the last 4 years as we have been traveling with Beloved. So, I know what it is like to travel with Children and have a really good handle on how to work with their schedule, Beloved’s Schedule and the Homeschool Schedule. It also seems like God is asking us to be obedient to refine us for something else as well. Beloved’s desire is to be a Missionary Pilot some day and we know that he is preparing us for the possibility of fulfilling that desire. Having many Missionary and Pastors in my Family, I am well aware that being “adaptable” and “flexible” is important.

Do you know anyone that has ever lived in a camper during a move change? Yes, several! It is not all that uncommon many Officers have RVs since they move around ever 2 to 4 years. And, I won’t be the only one doing it this time either. My friend, Heather has 4 Children that she homeschools. She will be camping in the same place we will be during Beloved’s Pilot School and then they will be camping during their move change as we go our different directions.

Is anything concerning you about the move, yet?  Yes. It is silly too.  I have been spending entirely to much time wondering how I am going to store all my homeschool material into the camper! Imagine my relief when Beloved reminded me we will have his truck too. ;) Now, he might have a place to sit.

What size camper will you live in?

Did I answer everything?  Any more questions?

I try to be as opened as possible. And, yes! You may give your opinion. I can assure you I have heard it ALL already. And, I am not the least bit offended. The range of "Shocked" reactions has actually been comical. ;)