It's PCS season.

Around June and July, I always notice an influx of moving trucks in my neighborhoods. Of course, you'll see people moving in and out during the rest of the year, but there is a definite uptick in PCSs around this time of year.

I always wondered why, but had another military wife explain it to me in a way that makes perfect sense. People graduate from high school/college around this time and therefore join the military around this time. PCSs usually happen every 3 to 4 years, so when that time rolls around, it's typically pretty close to the anniversary of service entry.

Anyway!

I never told you all about our PCS last year. It was quite eventful. Let's start at the beginning.

About 4 days after I graduated from college, I flew out to North Carolina to help my husband pack our apartment. We had known that we were going to San Diego for a few weeks at this point, so he was doing what he could on his own, but was also busy finishing up his schooling. I had packing down to a science at this point since I had been packing up my things back home in Vegas.

So, on May 18, I flew out of Vegas on my way to Jacksonville, North Carolina.

My last couple of days in North Carolina were spent saying goodbye to some friends, scrubbing down the apartment and driving 3 hours to pick up the trailer because none of the Uhauls in a reasonable distance had any for us. 

That Sunday, we loaded up the trailer and finished cleaning the apartment and spent the night on the air mattress watching tv on our laptops. I loved it. 

Monday, we had our final inspection with our property manager, said goodbye to base, to our cute apartment, dropped off our modem at the cable office and headed West. 

The Husband loves driving, so he settled in for the long haul while I dozed in and out of consciousness. Driving makes me sleepy, and especially so if I'm a passenger. Plus, our truck is so big and comfy, I couldn't help it! 

While driving through Tennessee, we confirmed with housing that we had a place to live. They gave us an address, I looked it up on Google Earth while fighting for 3G, rejected the first one, got a second house, looked it up on Google Earth and accepted that one. Not long after, we stopped at Denny's. Which The Husband was thrilled about. While we do love fine food (and we enjoy it as often as possible), there's just something about some Denny's that is delicious. And they had none in North Carolina. 

After dinner, we jumped back on the road and I took another nap. 

Take a look at what the Arkansas border looks like when you're still waking up...

I had maybe 10 seconds to come to, get my camera out, and try to snap that picture. Thanks for the adequate warning, Husband!

We drove all the way to Clarksville, Arkansas before I convinced The Husband to stop for the night. I desperately wanted a shower, a bed, and it was storming pretty bad. I was too freaked out, even as the passenger, to keep going. 

So, The Husband being the excellent husband he is found me a hotel. We pulled in right around 4 am and after washing my face (it felt so good!), we crashed for the night. 

The next day, we would head through Oklahoma City, and my life would forever be changed. 

More on that tomorrow!