We’re moving where?!? — by Sister Rachel

As a former military wife I have had lots of addresses, made lots of friends and tried my best to learn from women who had been there before me. Here are a few things I learned about moving that made my life easier, inside and outside of a military life; I hope they will be of use to you too.

Have all your important papers in one place.
I keep mine in a binder and always know where it is. This has saved me more than once when trying to get a new driver’s license or sign kids up in a new school. Click here for a copy of the list I work from and get yours together today. You'll be surprised at how much peace of mind it brings to you to have this in order.

Don’t own anything that you will cry over when it’s broken by the movers.
It's not that I don't appreciate really lovely (and sometimes expensive) items, but during a move, I didn’t want to worry about something getting stolen or at ending up at the bottom of the ocean — and I didn’t want the grief of having to work with the claims office when something did break. Instead I purchased things knowing that I would replace them in a few years. Other than our journals and family photographs (which are slowly being digitized and saved) I have tried not to put much emotional value on “things”.

Finish moving in quickly. 3 days was our goal to be moved in; everything put away, boxes at the curb and pictures on the wall. (You can always change things later.) We did this for two reasons, 1- We wanted to get things back to normal quickly so we could relax and explore our new town. 2- There are few things more depressing than those last 6 boxes in the corner of the garage. Yuck!! (Quick moving tip: if you open a box and you aren’t happy to see the contents, take the whole box to the curb immediately.)

Embrace your new home. No one said this has to be your favorite place in the world but you can appreciate where you are. No matter where we’ve lived, there were great people, interesting histories and cool things to do nearby. Whether it is a state park, castle ruins or Friday Night Lights; we try to take advantage of the experiences available locally (we especially love free experiences).

Stay positive. If you are happy your kids will be too. Early on in our military life someone told me that she loved growing up in an army family because her mom made it so much fun. She described with excitement in her voice, how her mom would get out maps and travel brochures and they would read and learn together about their soon-to-be new home. This was a life changing conversation for me and I saw this “make it great” idea confirmed again and again in every family I met. If the kids were happy and excited and adventurous, I would find the mom to be the same. If the mom loved living in Europe, it didn’t surprise me that the kids did as well. If the mom seemed to handle deployments, the kids usually did too.


Me and my husband Paul after he returned from a year in Iraq. My kids and I filled our tree with yellow ribbons to welcome him home.

Most importantly, enjoy the time your family is together. Those times can be taken away so easily and so quickly; love every second!