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My Unbelievable DITY Story

August 14, 2017 By Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

 

by Patricia Neleski, Guest Contributor

Unicorns carried our household goods away in golden chariots.

Yep, I said it.

Because when I tell you the real story, you are just as likely to disbelieve it.

We did it ourselves and we’d do it again! Or rather, we used the Navy’s DITY move system for our final retirement move, instead of hiring a mover.

Even though DITY stands for Do It Yourself, we didn’t really do it ourselves.

We hired trusted friends to help us pack, babysit while we packed and then, we hired a military volunteer group to load our goods onto the trucks. At the other end we paid teens to help move everything into our final destination.

My husband took care of the financials for the move. He got receipts for all the labor and kept receipts for all our packing supplies, the truck rentals, everything! He is very thorough.

To say I enjoyed every part of our DITY move would be a lie.

To say I will never forget it, never regret it, is the absolute truth.

Ours was a big house, 5  bedrooms — we have 4 kids —  so it took a while. We started early on our own. For months, I saved large and small boxes and started going through our things, separating things into piles for a yard sale, stacks for the thrift store and setting aside special gifts to bequeath to friends and family. After we had settled on what would go and what would stay, we gave each of the kids boxes of different sizes and sharpies to begin packing their things.

The younger kids were reluctant at first, because every time something went into a box, they worried they might need it again before we got to our new home. So the boxes remained unsealed until the last day.

Then, Ed and I assembled our assist team.

My beloved neighbors and friends, Jennifer, Amy and Bianca, were there for parts of every day for 2 weeks. They took turns packing boxes, sweeping corners and babysitting. The small boxes proved very useful, as we packed small fragile items in small boxes and tucked them inside larger boxes for extra padding and to make the boxes easier to identify when we got to our new home.

On each box, I scrawled a complete list of what was inside the box. Recently, I found a holiday box tucked in the garage with this list: treasured homemade crèche, headless Joseph, Joseph’s head, hand crocheted angel, tinsel. This year, I promise, I will glue his head back on, but until then, I know where it is thanks to our thorough inventories!

My Unbelieveable DITY Story

In the midst of all the packing, my friends were in every inch of my house. They found the candy wrappers behind the rice in the pantry. Sorry about that!

And one day, I had to chase Jennifer out of my bathroom where she was scrubbing my toilet — I love you girl and that’s why you can’t scrub my toilets!

Closer to moving day, Ed contacted the Norfolk Naval Operations Base Chief Petty Officers Association and offered to hire the Chief Selectees, the group of new E7 CPOs preparing for their initiation, to help us pack the trucks. There were 3 trucks.

On moving day, the Chief Selectees showed up half an hour early, which I know is military for on-time. They were ready to start work, but suddenly I wasn’t.

As I stood in my house full of boxes, I grieved for the end of our old life and the beginning of the new one. “Stop, I’m not ready,” I wanted to scream.

Sure, we would all keep in touch, and text and call, but it would never again be the same. I knew that from a lifetime of military moves.

The empty freezer brought it all home to me: the day before I had given away the last of the food because it wouldn’t travel well. Empty freezer, empty house.

Things moved quickly after that — military people can pack a truck in a hurry!

At lunchtime, I looked up and the whole gang was back, with kids and dogs and covered dishes, and someone had fired up the barbecue grill. They had taken all my leftover food and cooked it! There was enough for everyone and we ate as we worked.

It wasn’t perfect, but that made it perfect. A dog threw up, a kid blew out a diaper, a neighbor complained we were blocking the driveway. (We weren’t!) The usual.

And when we got to our new home, I had one last surprise. Amy and Jennifer had tucked my tomato plants and rose bushes into the very last foot of space behind the rolling door.

The movers wouldn’t have done that.

Patricia NeleskiPatricia Neleski owns http://www.navyrackpacks.com an American company that provides privacy, storage, blackout curtains for Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard seagoing personnel. Patricia also worked for several years as a journalist, as both a staff writer and freelance writer for the Virginian-Pilot. Her stories have appeared in HamptonRoads.com, Navy Times, Florida Times-Union, among others.

Filed Under: Articles, PCS, Slider Tagged With: Connect the Dots, DITY tips, empowerment, military retirement, Moving day, Navy spouse, pcs, tips and tricks

The 7 Stages of Packing for a PCS

April 24, 2017 By T.T. Robinson 1 Comment

PCS season: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. But really, it was the most stressful of times.

It starts long before the move; during the season of orders uncertainty. Remember that scene in “Legally Blonde” where Harvard’s finest are huddled in the hallway anxiously awaiting the internship list to be posted? We thought it would probably be Warner and Viv, but of course we were all pulling for Elle. Her infamous, “ME!” was one of my favorite parts of the movie. If you’ve watched it once, you know the scene:

Reese Witherspoon GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

“Legally Blonde” not your thing? How about Harry Potter and the Sorting Hat? Students sitting in anticipation waiting for their fate to be decided by a hat…The tension is palpable. Will it be Gryffindor or Slytherin? Hufflepuff? Ravenclaw?

Harry Potter GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

Whatever your choice pop culture reference, you know that feeling of apprehension about your future.

When maybe it comes down to work ethic or timing or chance or some sort of algorithm to which you are not privy.

You’ve been there.

You know that moment in the Harvard hallway or the Hogwarts Grand Hall, when you’re just…Waiting.

Whether you get your top choice or don’t get picked for the prime spot, there’s one great equalizer in moving: Packing and unpacking.

While the emotions might be intensified if you’re not thrilled about your final destination, it doesn’t really matter. The 7 Stages of Packing for a PCS are practically science. That’s why we capitalized it.

Stage 1: Waiting

You’re waiting for a date.

You’re waiting for written orders.

You’re waiting to tell your in-laws when to visit and when to schedule the babysitter and when to plan your farewell dinners and lunches and when to give your job notice (or make the hard sell for telecommuting) and when to get the pack out scheduled and the cleaning lined up and the inspection and All The Things you need to do.

There are almost literally 1,000 things you need to schedule, but can’t even fathom until you have orders.

So yeah, you’re just waiting.

Bring It Dancing GIF by Lifetime - Find & Share on GIPHY

And then, you have them! You have orders! While you’d think the next stage would be elation or relief, you are wrong. It is quickly replaced by:

Stage 2: Overwhelmed

You ask yourself such reasonable questions as:

How am I going to pack enough to keep us all alive when our things might not arrive until the next fiscal year?

What am I going to pack in the express shipment?

And how am I going to schedule those 1,000 things?

Why do I have so much stuff?

Can we just leave it all here?

I Just Felt Like Doing It GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

Stage 3: Determination

Luckily, once you soar through the overwhelmed stage, you get into your Olivia Pope phase, and you Handle It. You schedule the things, you line up the movers, you figure out jobs and schools and tickets and leave and plans and you get it done. Because that is what we do.

It'S Handled Olivia Pope GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

Stage 4: Meticulous

Your grandmother’s china? Individually wrapped and labeled in bubble layers of promise and hope. You’re sorting by “need immediately,” “next season,” “long-term storage” and “donate.” It’s going really well. Because you are meticulous. You are organized. You are amazing. And you’re killing it.

Fashion Menswear GIF by Primark - Find & Share on GIPHY

Oh that was fun while it lasted wasn’t it? Until the movers call and tell you instead of Friday, they’re coming in 6 hours. Suddenly you’re thrust into:

Stage 5: Panic

The rest of the china gets stacked in the corner for your movers to pack with the cat and leftover takeout from the night before that you meant to put in the trash. You do your best to stay one step ahead but really, you’re six behind. You’re throwing things in a suitcase and hoping for the best (also filed under how our ski jackets made it to Guam before such useful things as towels).

Hashtag fail. Hashtag panic.

How I Met Your Mother Lily Himym GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

Stage 6: Over It

After some frantic moments, maybe a little bit of yelling (not me, of course, I never yell), and maybe even some tears, you reach your tipping point. Enter Stage 6.

Maybe you throw away/donate the rest of your things. Maybe you consider burning the place to the ground. Maybe you let the movers do their thing and you channel your inner honey badger and just don’t care.

Whatever that zen is, embrace it. Run with it. Drop the mic and walk off the stage. It’s all good my friend. Your stuff will get moved one way or another. It’s just stuff. Ooosa.

Tv Show Comedy GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

And finally, once you’ve gone through all these stages again at your new duty station, you’ll eventually reach the end. That’s right:

Stage 7: Finished

Happy Eddie Murphy GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

You might not have everything you left with. You might have acquired new things along the way, but whatever it is, you’ve packed, you’ve unpacked and you’re finally done. Kick back, break out Grandma’s china if it survived the trip and enjoy your new home. At least until you have to do this all again.

Spit Take GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

Are you packing for a PCS? Which stage are you currently in? 

 

Filed Under: Articles, Humor, Military Lifestyle, PCS, Slider Tagged With: Confessional, Get It Together, humor, Moving day, Navy spouse, pcs

20 Inspirational Quotes for When You or Your Best Friend Is Moving

October 12, 2015 By Rachel Leave a Comment

Let me set the scene. The military has gone and done it. They cut orders for your spouse and your family is going to move. To make matters worse, you LOVE your current duty station or are so over with the whole PCS process (which could be said for most of us!).

It’s never easy to move. It’s psychologically proven that moving is one of life’s most stressful occurrences, so that doesn’t help at all.

Despite all the headache, heartache and craziness, a PCS could also bring a welcome change or challenge to your family’s life.

It’s difficult to comprehend at the moment your spouse plops the paperwork on your lap. I can pretty much guess at that moment you were saying, “Not again!?” or “Dammit!” either out loud or in your head.

I was a hot mess when orders to Korea came down for my husband. Although, it was an unaccompanied tour, it still meant I would spend a year separated from him AND deal with a PCS afterward. Even with a year to “prepare,” I didn’t feel ready to say goodbye to everything and everyone I loved.

I’ve put together some of my favorite quotes from inspiring individuals that helped me get through PCSing and other quotes that I think would help you when you’re moving too.

Dreading Your Next Move? 20 Inspirational Quotes to Encourage You

Life Is an Adventure; Moving Is a Good Thing

“To me, if life boils down to one thing, it’s movement. To live is to keep moving.” –Jerry Seinfeld

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” –Helen Keller

“Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.” –Dr. Suess

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep you balance you must keep moving.”–Albert Einstein

Change Is Good

“It doesn’t matter where you are, you are nowhere compared to where you can go.” –Bob Proctor

“Some people look for a beautiful place. Others make a place beautiful.” –Hazrat Inayat Khan

“Getting over a painful experience is much like crossing monkey bars. You have to let go at some point in order to move forward.” –C.S. Lewis

“All great changes are preceded by chaos.” –Deepak Chopra

“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.” –Lao Tzu

What Doesn’t Kill Us Makes Us Stronger

“If it scares you, it might be a good thing to try.” –Seth Godin

“Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.” –Marilyn Monroe

“All our dreams can come true–if we have the courage to pursue them.” –Walt Disney

“You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” –Eleanor Roosevelt

“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” –Walt Disney

We’re In This Together

“Home is people. Not a place. If you go back there after the people are gone, then all you can see is what is not there any more.” –Robin Hobb

“Sticking with your family is what makes it a family.” –Mitch Albom

“We might not have it all together, but together we have it all.” –Unknown

Classic Quotes for Every PCS

“Home is where the heart is.” –Pliny the Elder

“What I love most about my home is who I share it with.” –Tad Carpenter

“Where we love is home–home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts.” –Oliver Wendell Holmes

Do you have a quote that inspires you when orders drop and your family has to PCS? Share in the comments section. 

Filed Under: Articles, Military Lifestyle, PCS, Slider Tagged With: Moving day, pcs, quotes, School of Hard Knocks

The 10 Stages of Counting Down to Moving Day Illustrated in GIFs

February 26, 2015 By Adrianna 5 Comments

Without further ado, meet the military moving process complete with animated GIFs.

Purging. Packing. Praying. These are the 3 Ps of PCSing. As I sit here silently weeping about the amount of crap we’ve amassed over the past 10+ years of my spouse’s Air Force career while staring down the barrel of our next PCS (and yes it’s very much an “I” moment as I handle this PCS with 2 children, 2 businesses, 1 very confused dog, and 0 spouse due to a “short tour”), I’m desperately seeking the humor behind the moving madness that happens with every single military move.

And despite the fact that I should be organizing or cleaning or purging something, I decided I’d much rather put the PCS moving processes to GIFs, because words won’t suffice alone and I’m too embarrassed to put my emotions to interpretive dance.

Without further ado, meet the military moving process complete with animated GIFs.

The 10 Phases of Counting Down to PCS Moving Day

1. Declare to see the actual PCS orders on paper.
You’re in denial and refuse to acknowledge anything until you see it on paper. And even then, you’re skeptical.

 

2. Plan a bucket list to see/try/visit everything within a 50-mile radius
…because you thought you had SO much time to do it all.

 

3. Feel an overwhelming urge to purge
and consider adapting a minimalist lifestyle with the next PCS.

 

4. Plan a yard sale to end all yard sales.
Because your treasures are worth their weight in gold, right?

 

5. Decide real yard sales are stupid and post photos to the virtual yard sale Facebook group.
And then the haggling begins, “What do you mean you won’t take a quarter for your gently used treadmill?”

 

6. Realize all yard sales are stupid and opt to throw away ALL. THE. CRAP.
GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!

 

7. Accidentally get rid of stuff you might actually need.
What do you mean I sold my washer?

 

8. The moving truck arrives.
Bring it on.

 

9. Pray that your offerings of pizza and soda are enough to keep your household goods from being smashed and scratched to smithereens.

 

10. Feel the weight of the world lift off your shoulders as the truck is sealed and drives away.

Filed Under: Articles, Military Lifestyle, PCS, Slider Tagged With: humor, Moving day, pcs

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