Tying loose ends...

So I think I've finally for all my Christmas presents taken care of. I had thought I finished Xmas shopping on the 1st, but noticed a week or so ago that some of my things hadn't arrived and we hadn't been billed for them. When I called to check, I found out that a Bowflex I had ordered from the base exchange for Mike was out of stalk and I have no idea when they're gunna ship that out. I bought him a 4'x6' Cleveland Brown's rug for the garage that for WHATEVER reason they just never shipped out. I ordered it on the 1st and was told it would be shipped within 2-3 days and when I called on the 14th to complain I was told that the 3rd party company was planing on sending it out on the 16th... Well that does us NO good since we left town on the 15th and won't be back till the 3rd. So I called and told them they needed to hold the shipment till the 30th or so because we don't live in the best area and that will get stolen... Heh, well I was told "Oh ok, that't won't be a problem" ...Well surprise surprise, guess what's being delivered today! I just hope that company plans on replacing the item when it gets stole after sitting there for two and a half weeks.

THEN I had ordered a bunch of perfume and cologne for my family and had planned on having it shipped strait to my parents house in Cali. Well I called a week and a half ago to complain that it hadn't been shipped yet and was told by Perfume Worldwide that you can not order something and have it shipped to a different address than your billing address. Well I thought that was just plane weird. So I tried explaining that we are going to my parents for Xmas and their gifts for them and I need them shipped there. The lady kept telling me that there was noting she could do for me and finally ended up canceling my order and just hanging up on me. So I went and changed my address on my credit card to my parents address and re-placed my order. I guess they emailed me on Friday saying I put the wrong info again, UGH!!! I emailed and called them over and over and didn't get a hold of anyone till today. FINALLY when I got a hold of someone, she told me that supposedly my credit card STILL had my Yuma address on it BUT that was not a problem, she pushed the paperwork through and I should be receiving all my gifts next Monday (Now why couldn't the lady I talked to last week have done that?)... Sooo I FINALLY think all the loose ends have been tied... Everything that needs to get to my parents house SHOULD get to my parents house on time ((Knock on wood!))

Santa came early this year.

Since we'll be on vacation from December 14th through January 2nd, we decided to exchange gifts early this year rather then haul a bunch of unnecessary things from here to Cleveland then to Cali and then back.

We bought Makayla a reall pots, pans, utensils, an apron, an aqua doodle and a play dirt devil vacuum. My mom got her a pink toaster, coffee maky cute wooden kitchen, play food,er and mixer; and my grandparents got her a tricycle that I've still yet to figure out how to put together :-(

I got Mike a home gym, a really big Cleveland Browns rug, a tool box, power drill, measuring tape and a bunch of hot sauce and my grandparents sent him a REALLY nice her electric shaver.
Mike got me a BUNCH of stuff. Before you read the list you gotta know that i'm working on makin my kitchin ALL pink. I've already got a pink coffee maker and toaster and a lot of small pink odds and inns. Well Mike got me a couple pink serving platters, a set of tall drinking glasses with a pink tint to them and short tumblers. He got me Cuisinart's compleat pink utensils set, a pink collander, pink tea pot, tea kettle, some pink stalk pots, pink measuring spoons and cups, a really nice set of BIG pink coffee cups and a couple of pink and brown oven mitts. My grandpa got me a coffee grinder and the biggest bag of Starbucks coffee that I've ever seen. and my grandma got us the prettiest sounding wind chime I've ever heard. It's like huge and has a really deep sound... I'm excited to put it up when we return home.

Our New Car!!!

We are now the proud owners of a black 2008 fully loaded Nissan Altima 2.5SL :-D

The sticker price was $32,000 (MSRP $29,145) so with the $900 tax & title, that would make it an almost $34,000 car!!! And after much nagoating and actually walking away, the guy chaced Mike into the parking lot and decided to go down to $26,500 (we were aimin for 26k) but I guess i'm happy with $7,500 off.

The car is sooooo cute tho...

It's got a Navigation System with a 6.5" touch-screen monitor, voice recognition and Steering wheel-mounted navigation menu controls. Colored RearView Monitor and a Bluetooth® Hands-free Phone System (your phone calls come through the car speakers). XM Satellite Radio, MP3/WMA player, Digital Bose audio system with AM/FM/in-dash 6-CD changer and 9 speakers. Charcoal leather heated seatsm a moon roof and rear passenger air conditioning vents (I know Makayla was appreaciate that).

Finally Pics of our new house!

First Day At Work!

I felt like I was getting my kid ready for their first day of school this morning (-: Mike finally returned to work today after a month's leave. Today he's reporting into his new unit, Commander Naval Air Force Atlantic (COMNAVAIRFORLANT). I think he's only working for like half the day and won't start actually checking in till Monday. Actually I'm not even sure he'll even find where he works... I assume he has, seeing how he's been gone for like a hour and a half and I haven't received a phone call yet. Anywayz, I added a pic of the proud Sergeant and his dilapidated bootcamp documents folder... Maybe Santa will bring him a new one that ISN'T falling apart... Ok... Now I need to get back to unpacking the house before the internet and phone guy shows up.

FINALLY in our new house... Oh and what an ordeal it was.

Ok so it all starts our with some shady Chinese food we ate on Monday... We woke up with food poisoning on Tuesday... And when I say "we" I mean not only Me and Mike but ALSO poor Makayla. So on top of all the stress we have to go through of moving EVERYTHING into our new house on Tuesday we get to deal with being sick as dogs. So we had scheduled to pick up our keys, have our furniture/boxes, and direct TV installed all on the same day... I think was was mistake #1 cuz we couldn't pick up the keys till 9am and the firnature got here about 8:15... I don't know if that irritated the packers or what... But they seriously just didn't give a crap about anything. I mean we've never done a PCS move before, and I don't know exactly how it's supposed to go... But literally every person I had talked to that had been through one said that we would have a check list with corasponding numbers that have been taped on our boxes so we can check off everything as it's going in the house. Well we didn't have that... I mean I stood here tellin the guys where to put what and I mean they flat out idnored me. I mean I expected a few boxes to be out of place... But I mean, if they decided that a box was too heavy to carry upstairs they'd just leave it down stairs for us to deal with. THEN the thing that really irritated me, they took things apart that should have NEVER been disassembled. I mean like our living room furniture, dining room table and freakin a 40+ year old bamboo [computer] desk NONE of which should have ever been disassimbled. I mean ALL of it was in one piece when we bought it... In the 23 years I've had that bamboo firnature it had NEVER been taken apart... But apparently the movers took it upon themselves to dissemble it. But the thing that makes me real mad was we were NOT told they would be doing this. They put that stuff in the truck WHOLE... I watched them put it in the truck and it was all in once piece. Somewhere between the truck and the storage unit and the storage unit and here, someone took it upon themselves to just dissemble it for WHATEVER reason. THEN when Mike tells the guys that they need to put all the stuff that was taken apart back together, they want to argue with him and clame that it's not their job. So Mike got them to put the diningroom table and the livingroom furnature back together but we've got the do the rest. OH and we had been told by the company AND signed a piece of paper saying that we wanted our boxes "unpacked" and the packing supplies removed. So when the guys had empied the truck and started to leave, Mike asked them if they were going to be unpacking the boxes and they once again said no, that it wasn't their job. Mike informed them that we had indicated on the paper that we wished for them to unpack atleast some of the boxes and remove the packing supplies and they TRIED to explain that the little box on our Packing Sheet that said "Do you wish to wave the unpacking and removal of debre" meant that we'd be waving them unpacking everything from THE TRUCK! Heh, really, now does that even make any since? So whatever, they didn't unpack a thing or remove any of the empty boxes... We've just got a huge pile of paper and crap in the garage that we have no idea what to do with.

Oh and on top of all that... Of course things got broken... Most I don't care about... I had a cake platter that was smashed to pieces, a spoon holder that had been broken in half, 2 lamps that were broke, missing pieces to our living room end tables, a dresser got it's knobs broken off... But the thing that I can NOT get over... The thing that makes me the MOST mad... I had a terracotta pot Marine that I had made... Those in Yuma, I'm sure remember it, it sat right next to my front door for the 2 years I lived on base. Well I was talking to Mike about taking it in the car and finding room for it when one of the movers over heard me. I told him I was REALLY afraid it was gunna get broken and he stood there and swore up and down that he would make sure it got bubble wrapped and taken care of and that they would be REALLY careful. Well we get it... It HAD NOT been bubble wrapped, it HAD NOT even been placed in a box... In fact, they purposely chiseled it apart to stack the terracotta pots in each other AND THEN just lightly wrapped it in brown paper and tossed it in the truck. So of course, it's freakin broken... And you wanna know how much freakin TMO's gunna pay me? Nuthin more then a couple bucks for the stupid pots and MAYBE the cost of the paint (So probably about $10) I am soooo incredibly irritated at the moving company right now. I'll be calling down there here in the next couple days, once we figure out exactly what's broken or "missing" and file a formal complaint.

More housing issues...

Ok so this whole housing thing is gettin soooooo irritating!!! So just to recap... We originally thought we would be moving to VA without a house... So I had all my mail forwarded from our Yuma house to to a friend's house who lived the next building over. Then a couple days before we moved, we were offered a house in VA and given the address so I THEN had my mail forwarded from my friends house to our VA address... Well I guess that confused the postal lady cuz she continued to deliver all our mail to my friends house but told her she couldn't deliver anything with my maiden name on it so God only knows where any of that mail ended up. Well after movin into the mold covered house and deaming it unlivable they placed us in a hotel room for a night, then moved us to a temporary house where we're currently staying. Since it's fully furnished, we had to have ALL our boxes and furnature and stuff put in government storage till we got a permanent place to live. So THEN the housing office called us a few days ago and told us that they had found a NEW house for us and gave us the address and everything. So we spent all yesterday changing our address YET AGAIN with the post office, changing our order to have our phone, TV and internet all hooked up and changed the address on our bank accounts and credit cards AND setting up an apt to have both our boxes and furniture removed from gov storage AND have some new La-Z-Boy furniture delivered... THEN this after noon as we're drivin to Cleveland I get a call from some chick in the housing office saying that there's been a mistake and she accidentally gave us the wrong address... So ontop of having to refill-out and resign the lease we now have to change our address (among changing our address with all our other services) for the freakin 5th time in 3 weeks!!! Well I guess the house we NOW have , has got pretty much the same floor plan as the one they told us we were gettin a couple days ago but instead of a triplex, it's a duplex. Oh, and SOMEWHERE there's a couple hundred extra sq feet... I really don't know what we're gunna do with all this extra room... I mean the house we had in Yuma had 1200 some off sq ft... This house has 2062! I'm just super happy that we're gettin a 2 car garage cuz the original house we had when we got here DIDN'T even have assigned or covered parking and it was IMPOSSIBLE to get a spot even remotely close to our house. But I'm totally stoked about this whole double garage thing. Well so far, we're still set to move in on the 27th... And if we can keep our same apt dates that we JUST made with the moving company they should be delivering all our stuff and Direct TV should be hookin up our TV the same day we get our keys, and then La-Z-Boy should be commin the following day, AND I think Mike said the phone and internet guys were commin on the 30th to hook that stuff up... Oh man, I just can't wait to have all my crap back... And to finally have the internet hooked up and crap so I can go on it whenever I want and no longer have to steel random people's wireless internet... Anyway, if you're interested, below is a floor plan and sketch of our house... We won't be able to go see it in person till we get back to VA on Sunday/Monday.

Our new house!

So i'm excited... We finally got our address and signed the lease and all today... We'll be movin in the 27th and FINALLY have our internet and whatnots turned

Housing woes...

So we moved in Thursday around 3:30 PM. The house was totally trashed, completely FILTHY! It had not been cleaned since the previous tenets left a week prior. The district manager wanted to do the walk through with us cuz it was so bad. Well she listed some things that she personally wanted fixed or replaced like the kitchen counter tops, she wanted the old tenets garbage removed from the front yard and she wanted a general cleaning done of the place. Well all this crap irritated me enough... As far as we knew at the time, the only things wrong with the house were comedic. I expected to move into a house of the same quality and cleanliness as the one we moved out of in Yuma... But obviously that wasn't the case. So we were told that someone would be by that day or the next to pick up the trash and to install new blinds on one of our front windows since it was missing and EVERYONE can see into the house.

Well Friday morning I got up to shower and while trying to clean some black gunk out of the master bathtub I discovered that the drain was so clogged that it wasn't draining at all. So I called Mike in to screw off the top of the drain and MAN it was disgusting! Not only was the thing COMPLETELY clogged with hair, there was that clear green grass like the kind used in Easter Baskets, toilet paper and what looked like fake moss (like used in fake plants). So when the cleaning folks came over that morning we had them remove that and clean the bathrooms. We also told them that there was mold on the stairs that needed to be scrubbed off and the floor downstairs was completely filthy (looked like it had never been moped before). Well the cleaners didn't really do much, they scrubbed a few stains that were on the hard wood floor and like we thought, they couldn't be removed. The lady tried gettin all the mold on the stairs up but said we'd have to talk to housing about that cut it was IN the wood... And then she said there wasn't much she could do for the downstairs floor... She said it was too old, and scratched up and just needed to be replaced.

So once 1PM hit and the office came back from lunch, Mike went down there with a list of EVERYTHING that needed to be fixed in the house:

• Oven leaking
• Oven/Stove exhaust vent missing cover
• Oven covers NASTY & caked in crap!
• Dishwasher sitting completely crooked
• Kitchen sink drips
• Replace kitchen counter tops (previously used as a cutting board and stained)
• The bottom of the front door frame is COMPLETELY rotted
• Replace ALL vinal flooring downstairs (DEEP scratches, stained and covered in holes)
• Light over laundry room burn out
• Backyard lights burn
• Front storage room light burnt out
• Wooden door knobs NOT painted (paint white)
• Bottom step completely chewed by dog
• Mold growing on stairs
• Rail on stairs filthy and marked with permanent marker. (sand and refinish)
• Master bath door rotted on bottom
• Master bathroom bench covered in stairs and marks (stain and refinish)
• Stains and deep scratches in floor of master bedroom
• DEEP scratches in upstairs hall
• Upstairs bath, broken bathtub faucet knob
• Upstairs bath, shower head clogged with hard water (hardly works)
• 2nd bedroom closet off track.
• 3rd bedroom door knob broken (wont lock in door)
• 3rd bedroom closet door wont close.
• PICK UP TRASH!!!

Most of it they said they would fix... But as far as the mold on the stair case (which was a huge concern of mine) they said they couldn't really do much cuz "it's on the s tairs" WTF kinda excuse is that??? A lot of the stuff they said they'd send the maintenance manager over Tuesday to look at but they promised that they'd send someone over before the end of the day (3:30pm) to remove the garbage from the front of our house... Well 3:30pm came and went and the garbage is STILL sitting there. Ugh, it was soooooo nasty and there are soooo many flys all over our downstairs and it STINKS! Yuck!


Ok, so Saturday was an interesting day... There was nuthin much we could do about everything wrong with our house since every one had a 3 day weekend. So we decided to go furniture shopping... So I got up and showered in the master bath, then Mike got up and showered while I went downstairs to fix the baby some food. Well when I walked downstairs I saw a HUGE Puddle of water in front of the front door (BTW, it had been sprinkling all night)... So I went upstairs, told Mike to hurry up with his shower and to come look at the door that was leaking. Well we ended up having to call the 1800 number cuz the dripping wouldn't stop even though it had stopped leaking outside. When the after hours maintenance guy came by, he said that the water wasn't from the rain outside, that it was from the piping that leads to the master bath, but that there was nuthin he could do for us, that we'd have to just not use that shower and wait till Tuesday when the plummer was workin. UGH!

Well later last night Mike was in the master bathroom and noticed that a lower part of the wall between the bathtub and the door looked different then the rest... Like it had been plastered and sloppily painted.So he poked at it and surprise surprise it was completely damp and his finger went through. So he pulled it out, and pulled the wet part of the plaster off and low and behold MOLD!!!

Well I was livid at this point... First mold on the stairs they they try to brush off as "it house and it's on the stairs, there's nuthin we can do about it" But now it's been proven that the stupid bathrooms leaking and it obviously has been for a while cuz that mold didn' looking for some sign on mold on that wall... Well yesterday I went to close the air vents (they're on the floor) and NASTYNESS black MOLD!!! all over the one in the master bedroom... So that right there proved to me that there's mold all in that front wall but the leak it's self was about 15 feet away from where the vent appear within a few hrs. Well I just KNEW it was all in the wall (it's the front wall of the house) I kept looking andt is... YUCK! I can't wait till Tuesday..'s an old. We're goin down to the office and demanding a new house cuz there's NO WAY that they can properly isolate, remove and dispose of the mold that's infesting that front wall with us living here! They have till Thursday to find us a new house... I've already had to reschedule our Direct TV set up, and our furniture delivery (We bought some new La-Z-Boy furniture Saturday) but our unaccompanied baggage (furniture, boxes, etc) is scheduled to arrive some time Thursday and that I CAN NOT RESCHEDULE!

Oh yeah, and they've still yet to pick up the garbage that the previous tenets left!

PCSing - So you made it to your duty station!

You will be given the telephone number of the transportation office (TMO) at your new duty station. Your Marine should contact the office as soon as possible, and provide them with a phone number where the member or designated representative may be reached.

Arrange for phone, gas, and electricity to be connected.

Check the pilot lights on the stove, water heater, incinerator and furnace.

If you are moving to a new state, register your car and get a new driver's license as soon as possible.

Register your children in school.

You will need to visit the DEERS/TriCare office to resister at your local medical center, or depending on new duty station, possibly change TriCare reagons.

Before the moving van arrives, clean the hard-to-reach places in your new residence.

When the movers arrive, check their inventory against the one you made prior to departure -- they should match.

Know in advance where to place each piece of furniture. The mover is required to place each piece only one time.
At time of delivery, you are entitled to the reassembly of all items that were disassembled by the carrier.

In addition, you are entitled to have everything unpacked, with packing materials removed from the residence, unless you specifically waive this service.

If you discover that you are missing some items or items have been damaged in transit, you must list these items on your DD Form 1840. You should ensure that three legible copies of this form are received. This is not a claim, only a record of loss or damage. Any additional loss or damage discovered after the carrier has completed delivery should be noted on the reverse side of DD Form 1840, which is DD Form 1840R.

Well we made it!

Well we made it to Norfolk this afternoon and checked into housing... We weren't supposed to move into the house till tomorrow morning but we talked them into lettin us pick up the keys today... It's kinda dirty and not quite what we expected... But here's a few pics!

PCSing - The Big DAy (part 2)

The movers must seal everything in crates before they leave your house. Do not let them take un-crated boxes and tell you they will crate them at the warehouse! You should witness them seal the crates, and the seal numbers go on the paperwork.

Trust me, I learned this the hard way. On our last PCS move the movers told us they were just stacking everything in the truck since they weren't being put into storage they wouldn't need to be crated. Well as everyone should know, "things come up" and we ended up not having a house as soon as we should have at our new duty station and out household goods ended up needing to be stored for a month. Well let me tell you it was a HUGE shock when I received my furniture in PIECES!!! And not because they broke them accidentally... But because they took it upon themselves to TAKE THEM APART! And I'm not talkin $50 Wal-Mart furniture... My pooooooor Antique Hawaiian bamboo desk, my dining room taable and livingroom coffee and end tables that I didn't even know came apart!

Just trust me here, it's a lot easer to just make sure they crate them.

PCSing - The Big Day (part 1)

Have your own inventory of all your items, and list the serial numbers for those things that have them. Take pictures of all of your belongings. If it's electronic, show that it works... Take a video of your washer and dryer working to prove it IS infact in working condition since they won't check that when they come to pack. If you have to file a claim and you have a picture, you are much more likely to get replacement value instead of depreciation value. For items that are high value but you would not have receipts for (such as wedding china), you may also submit a letter from a third party (such as a friend or relative) certifying that these items were in your possession and they saw them in your house. The reason for this is because boxes will not be labeled “12 place settings of Noritake china, Gold Ring Pattern with 5 piece serving set”. They are more likely to be labeled “China”.

The packers will note the condition of items on their inventory; for instance, if the couch is worn, or a dresser is scratched. I honest to God think it is just standard to list "scratched, soiled, dinted" on all sides... Seriously, check the invintory list, they don't just list it as ""scratched" they list a code next to it... Probably to confuse you. Really, it would be in your best interest to go through and question every code before you sign that paper and have them correct it. If you have problems with this, or concerns about how the packers are noting the condition of many of your household items, call the Traffic Management Office and ask them to send an inspector out. This is probably the #1 problem servicemembers have with packers.

PCSing - The Movers

I love this comic!

Trust me, put the items you DON’T want packed in a empty closet marked “DO NOT PACK”, or lock them in your car.

Packers will pack anything not nailed down. If you don’t want the trash in your trash can shipped to your new base, be sure to empty it before the packers come! Put the pet’s food and water bowls aside or they’ll get packed, too. Some of the active duty member’s records must be hand-carried. And if you got a newcomer’s welcome package about your new base from your sponsor don’t let the packers box that up, either. The info in that package will come in handy as soon as you arrive at your new base!

Halloween!

This was actually Makayla's 2nd Halloween, but her first one actually doing something. Last year I dressed her up as a Cowgirl and handed out candy since Mike had duty. This year we all went trick-or-treating with my friend Natalie and her two kids. Makayla was the CUTEST flamingo in the world!

And this is my favorite picture of Halloween... It just says the nights over :-)

PCSing - Final Days

Separate items that will not be packed, including suitcases. If more than one shipment, separate items per each shipment into groups.

Ship as "unaccompanied baggage" items that will help you set up housekeeping at your new address immediately, such as linens, dishes, etc.

Keep a household inventory list on hand to carry with your personal luggage.

Make a complete inventory of all the boxes you will have moved to your new location -- you will need to check this later after you move in.

Attach colored stickers to your boxes to correspond with rooms in your new home where you want your boxes to go. If you are using movers, prepare a color-coded map of your new house, so they'll know exactly where to take your belongings.
Make sure that cash, jewelry, important documents, your checkbook and other valuable items are secure and placed with the suitcases and other items you are hand-carrying yourself. Do not ship jewelry.

If you are renting a truck or other vehicle for your move, check it over to make sure everything is running properly.
Make sure the condition of belongings is accurately noted. If anything is marked "scratched, dented or soiled" also note the location of such problem.

If you are leasing phones from the phone company, return them.

Confirm child care and pet arrangements if necessary.

Clean and dry refrigerator and freezer. Allow to dry one or two days with doors propped open. Note: Families with children or pets present should block the doors from accidentally closing. To avoid a musty odor you can place several charcoal briquettes in a stocking or sock in both the freezer and refrigerator compartment.

Discard partly-used cans and containers of substances that might leak.

Carefully tape and place in individual waterproof bags any jars of liquid you plan to take with you.
Remove outside TV and radio antennas.

Remove air conditioners from windows.

Remove pictures and mirrors from walls.

If you have a clock with a pendulum, remove the pendulum. If you are on base housing, you may need third-party authorization to do this, so call your local personal property shipping office if you feel you require this type of service.

Disconnect gas and electrical appliances. Moving companies are NOT required to perform the disconnects or to reconnect at the destination address.

Remove all light bulbs from lamps.

She's getting so big!

Wow I can't believe Makayla is a year and a half old today! WOW!!! I used to look at 18 month old kids in disbelief, thinking they're so old and I could never picture my daughter like that... But wow, here she is.

She's gettin big too... I have no doubt she'll be my hight if not taller. Right now she's 33.5" tall/long (within the 95% for her age) she's a whole half an inch taller then I was at her age HaHa. I weighed her on our scale at home, not sure exactly how accurate that was, but it said she's 26 and a half pounds... WOW I can't believe she weighs that much. Geez, it seems like just yesterday I was worried about her being too skinny, she was born nearly 9lbs (within the 90%) but didn't gain weight as fast as she should and by 8 months old she was only within the 18% for her age... But wow, apparently she's made a full recovery HaHa and now is within the 80%.

Well Makayla's showing all the signs that she wants to be potty trained. Unfortunately, our PCS move has made it impossible, so as soon as we get to Norfolk and get settled in our new house I'm gunna start focusing on that... It's so cute, for the past month or two she's gotten real good about pointing at her diaper when she is going to or has gone to the bathroom... More recently she's been bringing us a diaper and the wipes when she wants to be changed... Or like today, we were busy packing and stuff and I look over to see her taking off her PJ pants, then taking off her diaper, and then she whiped her own butt... She's such a weirdo HaHa.

Gawd she just does the cutest stuff and amazes me every day... I know we should be teaching her slightly more useful things, but this is just so damn cute, we can't help but teach her this. She's got the hi-5 down... I know thats a think you're supposed to teach your kid at like a year or earlier... But for some reason I never thought to teach her that till Mike got home... But now she's got it down... We also taught her the Carlos Mencia "Dee Dee Dee." So we taught her to plug her nose and talk like Steve Urkle... That one's really funny when she does it... She loves to dance, especially to Disney channel theme songs.

She really hasn't been saying any new words in the past month or two, but I've read that it's normal for 16 or 17 month olds to regress a bit and then then they'll just sprout at a year and a half and learn like 15 words in a month or sumthin. Her favorite words are "Mommy" (used to say Mama but Mommy's new), "Really," and "Uh-Ohh."

Ok I should probably end this now, I need to get back to packing and organizing, we've got a big day tomorrow!

A weight has been lifted!

Ok so it's only 2pm but this has already been proved to be an incredibly long day. So we woke up and started calling the Norfolk housing office at 7am... The secetary kept transfering us to people who wernt in their offices and that we had already left dozins of messages for (and they've still yet to call us back)... So I wait till after they woulda gotten back from lunch, call and explain to her what had been goin on and that I needed her to find someone who WAS in their office and could access our info on the computer. So she walked down the hall, found someone and transfered me to her... But supprise supprise, she didn't answer the phone... So I had it... I called the housing office here in Yuma, explained all that had been goin on and how we're leaving here in 10 days and I need to know where we stand house wise. So the assistant manager here called the manager down there and got a few phone numbers for us to call. Finally we got a hold of some "relocation assistant" in Norfolk who FINALLY put on the housing list... But said she was going to give us a 3 bedroom cuz of the fact there was too long of a weight on the 2 bedrooms and the fact Mike's an E-5 and we've got a kid, even though we had applied for a 2 bedroom (Yay!) So she was going through and said there was one available November 9th (the day we get there)... She said other then that there's a couple more opening up that week... So it looks like we might have a choice of houses... I'm SUPER excited now... That was an enormious weight lifted off my shoulders... Yay us!!!

Fixn to be homeless

So after a week of calling and leaving msgs for random people in the Norfolk housing office, Mike FINALLY got a hold of someone this morning... Unfortunately we found out we had NEVER even been paced on the housing list (Yeah, real nice, I know). Lucky Mike fixed that and our application should be backdated a week. We were told that there's a really long wait on the two bedrooms so Lincoln will most likely just give us a 3 bedroom (we already knew that but it was nice to hear confirmation). For whatever reason the lady couldn't tell us where we were on the list or when we may have a house... But at least we know we're actually on the waiting list now. Hopefully we'll be able to get a hold of someone later today or early next week who CAN tell us where we stand and when we may be offered a house. That's sumthin that might be good to know before we leave here.

Also, we had our walk-through with the moving company and that went well. We found out that the only thing we have to break down is our large swing out front... Which we had kinda figured... But were happy to hear that there wasn't anything else we'd have to disassemble. We were bummed to hear that unlike what TMO told us, we CAN NOT take our propane tank... Not even if we get it drained and certified. So that kinda sucked, but oh well. So yeah, they'll be here on Halloween to pack up everything and come back on the 1st to take it all away. Oh, I also found out all our stuff will arrive in Norfolk on November 15th... So that's not too bad considering we won't get there till the 9th or so... So even if we get a house right when we get there... That's only a week without our stuff... Which I can totally deal with.

Edit, 2pm:
Nevermind, now we're NOT on the housing list... I have absolutly NO idea why we were told we were placed on it... Cuz Mike called back down there around 10ish to see if we could find someone who could tell us where on the list we were and ofcourse, the lady we origionally talked to wasn't there, we left a msg but she's yet to call back... Mike's been calling about every hour trying to find SOMEONE in the office who could just look up on their comuter system to see where we are... Finally he got a hold of a girl who could access the list... And supprise supprise, we're not on it... So Mike kept tryin to call the lady who SHOULD HAVE placed us on the list, but she never did answer her phone or call us back and now they're closed... NICE So now we get to wait till Monday and start this all over again. I'm just gunna be pissed if they don't back date our application cuz this whole thing is they're fault.

PCSing - 1 Week Prior

Close out safety deposit box if you have one.

Buy a bunch of ziplock bags -- these will come in handy when packing large sets of small items, like silverware, or for components of furniture that need to be broken down (i.e., screws, bolts).

Make copies of any important documents before mailing or hand-carrying them to your new address.

Remove wall accessories such as drapery rods, small appliances, food and utensil racks.

Pull out all items from beneath stairways, attics or any other area that does not allow full standing room.

Drain garden hoses.
Drain oil and gas from lawn mowers and other gas operated tools. Disconnect spark plugs.

Dispose of flammables such as fireworks, cleaning fluids, matches, acids, chemistry sets, aerosal cans, ammunition, oil, paint and thinners.

Refillable tanks must be purged and sealed by a local propane gas dealer. Discard nonrefillable tanks. Some carriers and the military do not permit shipment of any propane tanks.

Disassemble outdoor play equipment and structures such as utility sheds.

Disassemble electronic components such as stereos and VCRs. Place original packing boxes (if they are in good condition and you want the movers to use them) by the equipment. If you decide to pack the item in the original carton yourself, leave the boxes opened so items can be inventoried.

If you have a computer, "park" hard disk drive units, then disconnect computer systems. Place floppy disks in protective cases before packing into cartons.

If you are using your vehicle, make sure that it is in good running condition and that all required maintenance has been completed.

Give a close friend or relative your travel route and schedule so you may be reached if needed.

Set aside cleaning materials to be used after packing and loading.

Oh the Joys of PCSing

Here we are exactly 3 weeks from when we're supposed to leave and I am sooooo not ready. I suppose i'll never feel totally ready to move... I've just got a million and one things to do and every time I compleat one task a new one seems to pop up instantly. Lucky we had out pre-inspection this past week and were told everything's in order. Heh, the maintenance manager was shocked by how clean our house was... I guess most people who live in housing must be nasty or trash their houses or sumthin... She said there was nothing that we needed to do, the house was actually clean enough to move out right then and there... She said the only thing she could think of, was to just have us wipe off any dog hair that we may have seen on the floorboards... That was a huge weight off my shoulders cuz I thought they were gunna be totally anal about everything... But I guess not. Oh yeah, and we found out that our carpets 6 years old and they were planning on replacing it when we moved out anyway, so we got to cancel our carpet cleaning apt... So i'm glad, that's one less thing we need to do on the 1st (the same day TMO's commin to pick up our boxes).

Well anywayz, Mike's finishing checking out of his unit today, I guess he's got to go back out there (P111) Monday morning to actually detach from MACS-1... And then FINALLY we'll be able to fax over the detachment paperwork over to the Norfolk housing office and actually be placed on the waiting list and FINALLY find out exactly how long the wait is. I suppose I'll figure out what number we are Monday and then call back right before we leave and can probably figure out how fast the list is moving and get a better idea of when they'll have a house available for us.

The Smallest Church in the World

Built by a farmer on the edge of his field in Yuma AZ, in honor of his wife. It measures roughly 7 ft. x 12 ft. inside. A sign on the dirt road that leads to the church reads: "Stop, Rest, Worship."

Bridge To Nowhere

This 800-foot-long suspension bridge spanned the Gila River when it was built in 1929, and was named McPhaul Bridge in honor of Henry Harrison McPhaul, "the only Yuma resident who ever became an Arizona Ranger." But it was considered to be too flimsy for modern traffic, and when a dam was built upstream in 1968 the river was diverted and the highway was rerouted over a much smaller bridge. This ultimately proved unwise, as a flood in 1993 destroyed the new bridge while the Bridge to Nowhere, with its broad span and high clearance, probably would have been just fine.

Mike got promoted!

Well Mike picked up Sgt today, which is super exciting considering he's only been a Cpl for 10 months and just jumped over a bunch of guys who picked up before him... He barely scraped by, by the skin of his teeth... His cutting score was a 1733 (the score you're job says you need to pick up rank) and his composite score was 1733 (the point he actually has) so he was the last in his MOS (job) to pick up...

The picture to the left is his capt pinning his Good Conduct medal on him. He actually received the medel in Iraq, but for whatever reason they waited till not to pin him. For those who don't know the criteria of the medal, the Good Conduct Medal is awarded to any enlisted member of the United States military (except U.S. Air Force personnel after 2006) who completes three consecutive years of "honorable and faithful service". Such service implies that a standard enlistment was completed without any non-judicial punishments, disciplinary infractions, or court martial offenses. Oh and also, about a week ago we found out that he rates for a couple more ribbons then he's been wearing... so now he's up to two full bars... Not too bad for only 3 years of service.

Oh yeah, and yesterday he found out that his Ssgt from his old unit here (MALS-13) will be PCSing to Norfolk June-ish and will be his new Gunny... Which is really cool... Mike already knows his Msgt over there, I guess he was Mike's Gunny from MOS school... So that's kinda cool considering the shop he's goin to only has like 5 Marine's or sumthin so there's only like 2 he doesn't know.

PCSing - FYI (what to take with you)

What to take with you:

1. Important papers. His official orders, birth certificates, marriage license, social security cards, etc. should all go with you in your vehicle. Do not pack these items or let the movers pack them. In all likelihood, you’ll need them before you find the box they are in. These papers should be with you at all times during your move.

2. Pictures. If you have pictures that cannot be replaced, take them with you. The last thing you need in the stress of moving is to find out your wedding pictures have been ruined.

3. Your medications. Sometimes the movers are delayed for a variety of reasons. Take all of your medications with you and be sure you have more of a supply than you think you will ever need. Better safe than sorry!

4. At least one phone. It could be days before your things arrive and you need to have communication!

5. Take toiletry items including toilet paper with you. It’s also not a bad idea to at least take the shower liner with you (with hooks) and a few towels. Make sure you also have pillows and blankets in case you have to camp out on the floor for a few days.

6. Be sure you have everything for your pets. You will need their food, bowls, litter and any medications. Also try to bring a favorite toy so they have something familiar.

7. Be sure to leave out paper plates, napkins, plastic utensils, etc. so you can still eat while they are packing your things. This will also make it easier and much cheaper when you get to your new place until you find all of your dishes. Try to pack a cooler with sandwich meat, condiments and drinks. Have snacks and bread ready so you don’t spend a lot of money eating out.

PCSing - 1 month prior.

Schedule pickup and delivery dates with your mover, and arrange for storage if needed.

Verify your move-in schedule with real estate agents and landlords, and arrange for temporary housing/lodgings if needed.

If you live in base housing, you need to schedual your pre-inspection walk through.

Obtain change of address cards from the post office. You can also download them directly from MoversNet. If your new address is not yet known, you can still address cards now to save time later.

If you haven't found a new residence yet, obtain a post office box or forwarding address for your mail until you have a permanent address.

If you haven't done so already, visit your military financial center or private advisor for counseling. If you are on active duty, check with Travel and Transportation Allowances to see if you are entitled to advanced pay or other benefits.

Get rid of any unwanted items around your house (furniture, clothes, etc). You can sell them through crageslist, hold a garage sale or donate them to charity. Keep any receipts from your donations for tax purposes.

Arrange to pick up your children's school records or get the proper procedures for sending the records to their new school.

Arrange for letter of transfer from local church and clubs, including Scouts or other national organizations.
If your family is driving in two or more vehicles, buy some short-range walkie-talkies so you can keep in touch while you're on the road.

If you or someone in your family is employed, arrange with your employer to forward tax withholding forms.
Spouse and children with part time jobs should give notice.

Ensure that all health, life, fire and auto insurance is up to date, and inform these companies of your new address.
Return library books and other borrowed items.

Ensure that your vehicle(s) are in good running condition and that all required maintenance has been completed.
Record serial numbers of electronic and other important equipment.

Fill out an IRS change of address form (available from the IRS in PDF format).

Have appliances serviced for moving.

Switch utility services to your new address. Inform electric, disposal, water, newspaper, magazine subscription, telephone and cable companies of your move, and cancel any local subscriptions or services (i.e., pool, diaper, fuel delivery) if necessary. If you have placed any deposits, get your refunds.

ReDeployment

I think pictures say a thousand words...
No explanation needed. If you want
to see more pictures from that night.
Check my photo album.

Car Accident

Well as most of you know, I was in a car accident this past weekend... Everyone keeps asking me what happened, so here's the story... So I was drivin back to base from the Walmart in the foothills (Goin East on 32nd street). I stopped at a red light on 3E in the left turn lane. When the arrow turned green, I slowly started to accelerate (maybe going 0-5 MPH). When I saw a car coming towards the intersection (Goin West on 32nd) and noticed it didn't look like it was gunna stop, I slammed on my breaks and laid on the horn. At the moment I saw her come through the intersection, I knew she was gunna hit me, I twisted around to brace Makayla for the impact and a couple times and she hit us again and we came to a stop. The thing that irritates me off the most was that she made absolutely NO attempt to stop, not when I was laying on my horn or anything... She didn't even swerve... Just hit me head on. Well my car's totaled... She was drivin some tank and only had bumper damage (atleast from what I could see)... My car's TRASHED!!! I couldn't even open my front door... I had to get the baby and shimmy over the back of the drivers seat and out the back door... The lady just stood there saying, "Oh my God, I'm so sorry, it's my fault" ...Well that's a BIG no duh lady, seeing how you ran the red light. I heard her telling the cops, "I didn't even see her." That statement alone just flat out scares me... HOW CAN YOU NOT SEE A RED LIGHT LET ALONE A CAR IN THE MIDDLE OF A BAM!!! She hit us going 45+ MPH (now remember we had come to a complete stop at that point), the car spunN INTERSECTION??? If she truly couldn't see me, she seriously needs to have her license revoked!!! Thank GOD I slammed on my breaks in the middle of the intersection, cuz had I kept going at the slow speed I was, she wouldn't have hit the front of my car, she would have hit RIGHT where Makayla was sitting... And by the looks of the front of my car, I don't even want to think what would have happened to Makayla... But I can tell you this much... That lady wouldn't have walked away from the accident... And not because of the force of the impact. As far as me and Makayla go... Well Makayla's totally fine... At least as far as everyone can tell... She hasn't been any crankier then usual, no cuts or bruises... I however am pretty soar... I went down to urgent care on Sunday, I got some Tylenol with codeine and some mild muscle relaxers... It's been helping, really it's only my ankle and neck/upper back that hurts now, and not nearly as bad as before the medication... I think Wednesday I'm gunna try to get down to base medical and see if I can get a referral to a massage therapist or sumthin... My back's all kinda messed up. So anywayz, I have no idea what's gunna go on with insurance... Cuz of the holiday weekend they couldn't do anything... And for some reason I haven't been able to get a hold of anyone today. I'm really gettin irritated about this whole thing... I mean, good thing I don't need a rental car... cuz I would be livid if they waited this long to get back to me. I went down to the tow yard to say my goodbyes, and gather the rest of my stuff that was left in the car... I was kinda irritated, cuz after the storm we had Sunday morning, the guy who towed my car left ALL my windows rolled down and now the car reeks... So in the off chance that it's not toatled, I'm gunna be livid if they just give me back the car that went through hurracane winds and pouring rain.

PCSing - Change of address

Inform family, friends and businesses of your new address

The US Postal Service provides various forms that can help having one’s mail forwarded either to a interim address, or directly to one’s new address. While first class mail will be forwarded up to one year following one’s move, it’s best to inform family, friends, utilities, banks and credit card companies, magazine publications, and others of one’s new address as soon as one is resettled. Preparing these notifications early can reduce the potential for bills not being paid or credit card interest being assessed due to late payments.

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