The One with the Move

A side effect of being a military family are the moves. My husband is working on 15+ years as a soldier in the Army. It's a life that none other share except other military families. Friends and family not affiliated with the armed forces will pretend to understand, sympathize and offer often times unsolicited advice with the best intentions but the truth is, they can't really understand. I'm not saying its better or worse than any other scenario out there. I'm just saying it's different and like with anything it comes with its own somewhat unique challenges and one of those is the possibility of hearing the words "I've come down on orders" and you know it's PCS time (that's permanent change of station).  This time we were moving from Joint-Base Lewis McChord which is in the gorgeous Pacific Northwest about 10 minutes south of Tacoma, Washington...to Fort Riley, KS. Kansas. Really?!?! (Spoiler: Dorothy was there to greet us after our long trip from The Emerald City).

Now I realize we don't know each other that well but a little tid bit more about me is that I am from Texas. Born and raised in a small country town north of Houston that is about 2 miles from one side to the other. The "suburbs" of that town has Prairie in its name. I'm not joking. If we wanted to go to anything resembling a mall or a decent restaurant even, then it required a thirty minute drive so I am familiar with the concept of living in the middle of nowhere. That is why I dreaded the move to Kansas. I need civilization. I need a Starbucks on every corner. I need malls and shopping centers. I need more than vast plains and tornado's.

 Nevertheless, I am always up for an adventure. You have to be with my life. Packing up three kids, two cats and a husband to drive halfway across the country is still exciting no matter how many times you do it even if a little daunting. Weeks and months of planning and anticipation and its all over before you know it. If you get the chance, enjoy the ride. Share the experience with your family. Take lots of photos. This move was bittersweet because I fell in love with Washington. It's indescribable. The views, the culture, the outdoors. Now that we are in Kansas I am trying to make the most of our time here and not dwell everyday on how much I miss it. Because who knows? In three years we might get to hear those words one more time.

We drove through Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming and Colorado on our way here and the drive was breathtaking in some places and incredibly dull in others. We moved at the beginning of April and still drove through a snow storm in Utah. It was amazing. I can't remember where each of these photos were taken. I wish I had documented it better but I'm glad I got to stop and take them along the way. It was a pretty smooth trip and our arrival at Fort Riley was even smoother. It's just one more experience we can add to our ever growing list. Here is a few shots we were blessed to be able to take and now share with you. Enjoy!