Florida to California PCS: The Road Trip

3,100 miles, 11 days, 8 different stops, and 7 hotel stays. 

#FLtoCaliRoadTrip 

T-10 days till go time! 

So, there it is...that's the route we'll take on our 11-day journey across the good 'ol US of A. This Northern route approach will have us logging almost 50 hours of driving. FIFTY. I know, kill me now. But, we've got enough stops planned to break it up quite a bit. Here's a better breakdown of our plan:

STOP #1: Atlanta, Georgia - Here we'll be logging in another sure to be FABULOUS stay at Towneplace Suites (this hotel chain is perfect for road trip stays for couples AND families alike) and hopefully enjoying some iconic burgers & shakes at The Varsity. We've been to Atlanta before so we're not gonna go too crazy exploring, especially since we've only got maybe 13-16 hours in the city. Plus, the drive from our starting point in Florida to Hotlanta will be the second longest leg of our trip (clocking in at an annoying 7 hours). I'm sure by the time I get to the hotel, I'll want to kick my feet up and chill.

STOP #2: Nashville, Tennessee - Even though we've also been to Nashville before, we were young (hello, 11th grade!), so we're excited to get to explore a little more. We'll have a good chunk of time here in Nashvegas...roughly 24 hours, but who's counting (me, I am--we've got a schedule to keep, unfortunately!). We're still undecided on whether we just wander the city or if we should hit up a backstage tour at the Grand Ole Opry or a couple hours at the Country Music Hall of Fame (thoughts?). We know FOR SURE that we want some good southern food (biscuits, preferably) and to buy Heidi some baby cowgirl boots. Because when in Tennessee, am I right?

STOP #3: St. Louis, Missouri - Another city I've visited once at a young age, so we're not spending a whole heck of a lot of time here either. But, I do want to show D the Gateway Arch (not that you could miss it) and we'll probably hit up Delmar Loop for some shopping/eating. I would LOVE to do the City Museum, but thanks to being pregnant, it wouldn't be nearly as fun. Next time!

STOP #4: Kansas City, Kansas- This may be the stop I'm most excited about. Not because I've never been here (hint: I have...like 5 times), but because we get to spend 3 days staying with my Kansas cousins! After a few days cooped up in a car, we'll be SO thrilled to have some quality time with some super familiar faces. Plus, KC is a really fun city and D has never been! Hoping to share the goodness of KC BBQ and Boulevard Brewery Beer with him. We've also got a date with a swimming pool. Can. Not. Wait.

STOP #5: Denver, Colorado - This will be our longest, most boring drive of the whole trip (8.5 whopping hours of midwest nothingness, yay!). So once we get to Denver...a city I HAVEN'T been to before (but D has, whomp whomp), I have a feeling we'll grab a bite to eat and pass the heck out. Not much time for sightseeing, but we did get a hotel with a view of the Rockies, so at least we're looking forward to that.

STOP #6: Moab, Utah - I'm super excited to make a stop here in Moab. We'll be staying at an fun motel just outside of Arches National Park and will get to spend a decent amount of time exploring the gorgeous rock formations inside the park. No hiking for us (thank you, Heidi), but we'll still drive through & stop at all the scenic pull-offs for a good taste of one of Utah's most treasured natural attractions.

STOP #7: Salt Lake City, Utah - Salt Lake will be another fairly quick stop, but that's alright with us. Aside from eating at some cute local eateries, the only thing I really want to do is explore Temple Square. Our hotel is just around the corner from it to make visiting super easy on my sure to be exhausted body. I wish we did have a little bit more time here just so I could meet up with some fun bloggers I've gotten to know. Hopefully this won't be our only time in town!

STOP #8: Reno, Nevada - the "Biggest Little City in the World"...if you would have told me we'd be making a pit stop here, I would have laughed at you (Vegas AND Reno in one pregnancy? You gotta be kidding me!). But we had an extra day and instead of facing a third 8-9 hour drive straight from SLC to Cali, I decided we'd stop and see how Reno compares to Vegas. We're staying right on the Reno "strip" at a casino/spa resort, so while D tries his luck with the roulette wheel, I might cash in on a prenatal massage. I'll have earned it by then, right? ;)

FINAL DESTINATION: Sacramento/Roseville, California area - At this point, I'll calmly get out of the car and kiss the ground. We aren't 100% sure yet where we'll be laying our heads when we FINALLY arrive to the Golden State, but I do know I'll be so darn thankful...and ready to hit the ground running on the house-hunting front (UPDATE: staying at another fabulous Towneplace Suites for the next 8 days!! HELLO, FREE HOT BREAKFAST AND COFFEE!). We aren't buying a house in Cali (I wish I had that kind of cash flow, plus we'll only be here 2 years), so a rental it will be. Fingers, toes and eyes crossed we find something perfect for our little family of 3.

As much as I want to hit this road trip hard and make the most out of our first big move cross-country, being preggo comes with more restrictions and less fun. My sole goal is to make it across without giving birth, ya know? My doc has been on top of that and so far, baby girl and I are healthy as can be. Even so, we're going to try to make this trip one to remember. How many times does one get to road trip across America? If you're military, often...but we like to think this will be our only chance. I hope I don't eat those words later.

Because the travel blogger in me can't let this opportunity go to waste, I'll be documenting the whole crazy adventure via Instagram and Snapchat (username: Caseadilla1016), so feel free to follow along! There will be exciting sights to see along the way and likely a whole lot of delirious car chat (and singing--consider yourselves warned), so help keep us entertained! Also, if you have any suggestions for great restaurants for us to try in any of the cities above, shout 'em out! We're always down for recommendations from past travelers. It's how the travel world goes 'round.

And as always, if you've got some spare good vibes and prayers hanging around...we could still use them! We're getting closer to that light at the end of the tunnel feeling, but we've still got 3,100 miles and a few questionable hurdles jump before we can breathe again. It ain't over until I'm surrounded by my belongings in a nice home in California, amen? AMEN! Oh, and baby girl...stay nice and comfy in there for at least 10 more weeks, mmmkay? Peace out, East Coast!

**Cool road trip map itinerary planner via Roadtrippers**

From One Sunshine State to the Other...

West Coast is the best coast, they say. Well, I guess we'll find out if that's true because S-U-R-P-R-I-S-E!!! Team Cote just got orders to move to the great state of CALIFORNIA!

No, you don't need to adjust your eyes. You read that last paragraph correctly. We're moving. To California. THIS JUNE. Cue panic and shock and all of the freak outs.

Have we been keeping a secret? Nope. Was this in our plan for 2016? Not a chance. Were we supposed to move this year? Negative. Are we excited? Welllll...yes and no. Is this the most ridiculous thing you've ever heard? YES, DEFINITELY. Here's the skinny on life as of two weeks ago:

Back in January, D got word that he had been selected for a very prestigious list of 60-some top-vectored officers in his career field. Big deal, super proud, he's a rockstar (for real). From this list, a board of important higher-up, big wig-types had the task of placing select officers into spots for 26 different jobs around the world. Long story short, we thought it was a long shot that D was get chosen for a spot. I should stop thinking anything is too crazy for the Air Force because lo and behold, D was selected for a job at a base in Cali and now here we are! Preparing to move to the West Coast for the first time in either of our lives.

To say all of this is blowing my mind would be a serious understatement. In fact, I did lose my marbles the morning D broke the news to me (as one would expect from a hormonal pregnant woman). I'd really washed my hands of the idea that we might even have the slightest chance to be selected for a new job. I know that seems like I don't think much of D and his stellar Air Force performance as an officer, but there were so many other factors involved in selection that I didn't give it a second thought. Probably why I feel so blind-sighted by it all! For the record, D is a bit shocked, too. Also for the record, even though this was totally not in our plan, I'm so darn proud of that man o' mine! He's really the cream of the crop in more ways than one.

Where does that leave us now? Well, for one thing, we've got a house to sell in less than 3 months time. So, that's fun. I'll be 7 months pregnant traveling 3,000 miles cross-country...also SUPER fun. And we get to do all the other typical "moving with the military" appointments and paperwork and pack-outs as with any other move (plus a slurry of doc appointments for yours truly). Needless to say, I'm pooped just thinking of all that we have to do in such a short amount of time. BUT we've done it before and we'll hike up our bootstraps and do it again! If I can move to Europe for 3 years, I can surely handle moving to California, right? RIGHT, YOU GUYS?!

If I could drink wine right now, I'd need ALL of it.

Having an extra layer of stress because our pending bundle of joy isn't ideal, but it's also not the end of the world. I have to keep reminding myself that hundreds of women/families do this each year, so it's not like I'm reinventing the wheel here. It is, however, more than I wanted to handle during this special time in our lives. I'm slowly trying to let go of the romantic ideas of a perfect nursery, seaside delivery, and spending the next year sharing mornings by the ocean with our little beach baby. I hate the abyss of unknown that will be the last few months of my pregnancy. There's only so much we can do from here in Florida, so some important baby-related details will have to wait until we finally make it to Cali. Feeling a bit out of control (and me no likey), but onward we march. 

From the research I've been feverishly doing these last few days, I think I'm really going to like the medical facilities/hospitals in our soon-to-be new home city. I'm thankful that I'll be able to stay with off-base OB care since the base doesn't have that (much like our current base here in Florida). So, that's a bright spot in all of this. Not to mention, the base we'll be moving to is a hop, skip, and jump away from insanely gorgeous destinations like Napa Valley, San Francisco, and Lake Tahoe (yay!). We've always wanted to venture out west and explore, so the travel opportunities that are about to be afforded us are endless and so exciting! Even with a little babe in tow! Can you tell I'm clinging to all the little silver-linings I can find? I am. And rightly so. This is a major life change among some already major life changes happening for us this year, so we need all the little bright spots we can get. Is Tuck going with us? That's an issue still to be determined. He's an old fart that doesn't do well with change and I'm a pregnant fart that is slightly neurotic and we're worried how those two will mesh so far from our lifelines (re: my parents). So, we have some pros and cons to weigh out, but it's likely he'll be back with his grandma and grandpa. That KILLS me, but he'll be a much happier (and less neglected) pup living with them.

Truth be told, we are excited. I'll be even more excited once we start making big check marks on our "to-do" list, but excited just the same. If you have any California or moving cross-country tips for us, please, we're all ears! And if you have any prayers or words of encouragement to spare, we could use a few (or a lot) of those as well. While our world seems totally upside down at the moment, we continue to trust in God's plan for our growing family. His plan is always much more wonderful than ours, I just need to get outta my head and get onboard! 

Cali, here we come!

Tips for Moving with the Military: Things I Wish I'd Known My First PCS

In the military, PCS is just a fancy acronym for "Hey, you're moving!" The acronym stands for Permanent Change of Station, but as all military families know, the move is never permanent. Some families will move every 2-3 years, while others may live at one duty station for 4-7 years. Sometimes more depending on the job. For D and I, it's somewhere around the every 3-4 year time frame...and once he gets higher in rank, it'll likely be every 2 years. One thing that's for sure is military families get really good at this whole moving thing. The entire process can be super stressful (and never gets any more fun to do year after year), but after the first 2 moves, you begin to get it all down to a science. Housing office meetings, TMO scheduling, out-processing, packing, unpacking, TLF living...I feel like I could write a book about it all myself! 

{Taken at D's deployment homecoming in 2010}

Since marrying into the Air Force in the summer of 2008, D and I have moved to three different duty stations. Our very first military move was from our hometown in North Carolina to Hampton, Virginia (Langley AFB). I learned a lot that first PCS, and even more when we moved from Virginia to Germany in 2011 (moving abroad deserves its own PCS post!). Just when I thought I'd gotten the hang of this moving thing, then we up and bought a house and moved to our next duty station in Florida after 3 years abroad. Needless to say, owning a new home and navigating a transatlantic move granted us a whole new learning curve for military moves. Just goes to show, every move can be different! Now that we've covered all kinds of moving situations, there are a few things that remain constant throughout the military moving process...

Here are some basic things I wish I had known my first PCS with the military:

• Don't pre-pack anything in boxes. The movers will just unpack it and re-pack it to their liking. The reasoning behind this is because the movers are liable for any items they break during your move. If you pack it and it breaks, that's on you. It's their way of protecting you (and themselves) should anything happen along the way. If you have anything in large Tupperware bins (i.e.-holiday decorations, keepsakes, old clothes, random storage items, etc.), they likely won't re-pack those. It is a good idea, however, to organize your belongings and throw out anything you know you'll never use at your new duty station. Downsizing & simplifying are two of the perks of moving every few years!

• It's always a good idea to have a few snacks and drinks (like water, tea, gatorade) on hand for your movers. It can be a long day (or multiple days depending on your moving poundage) packing up and labeling all of your precious belongings, so snacks help to keep their energy up and crankiness low. If you're feeling extra sweet (hint: just do this anyway!), buy the movers lunch. Nothing fancy or expensive, just something to show them you appreciate them taking good care of your stuff. And after they're full and happy, I guarantee they'll be extra careful with your grandmother's antique vase. 

• Anything you don't want the movers to touch, LABEL IT! You can even go as far as placing all those things in a closed-off room and telling them whatever's in that room...stays. Believe me, if you don't tell them or show them what NOT to pack, they'll pack it all. I've heard horror stories about folks getting their household goods weeks or months later and realizing the movers packed their garbage as well. I'm sure that smelled lovely! If you're a super organized Type A-mover, you may also want to color code your boxes with tape or stickers to designate what boxes go in what room when you get to your new home. I've yet to try this, but I hear lots of good things from fellow milspouses who've tested this technique.

• Keep a watchful eye, but don't hover. It's a tough thing, watching strangers touch your personal belongings, but hovering over them and dictating what you'd like to have in what particular box is overkill. There's a fine line for helpful monitoring and nagging over-protectiveness. Nit-picking and having unrealistic packing ideals won't make them go faster and it sure won't make for a happy packing environment. I know, I know...it's YOUR stuff. You want to make sure it's packed away safe and sound (and that no one's stolen anything), but have a little faith that your movers know what they're doing. I'm sure packing your house isn't their first go-round. If you want them to take particular care of precious items or see something you rather them pack differently, then politely ask them. Or better yet, find a way to get those items to your new location yourself. We kept all of our fine china in my parent's basement for our move overseas. Just didn't want to chance it. If you do notice your packers completely disrespecting your belongings, call the moving inspector and let them know immediately so they can remedy the situation. DON'T take matters into your own hands!

• Put your bedding, sheets, curtains, pillows, towels...anything fabric (aside from clothing) folded nicely in those giant Ziploc moving bags. They are absolutely wonderful for keeping moisture out and dirty hand prints off your linens. That way, when you finally get them back, you can just pull them out and not worry that they're moldy or soiled.

• You'll have to take down everything of your walls (the movers won't do that). For all the screws, bolts, photo hangers, curtain tiebacks, mounting fixtures, etc. (the little things that help hang something to your wall), place them in labeled baggies and store them all in one box labeled "DECORATIVE HARDWARE". Then you'll easily find them all in one place ready for hanging. Such a timesaver!

• Have the movers and packers lay down moving cloths or cardboard boxes for them to roll their dollies over and pack (or unpack) heavy items on in your home. This way, you'll save your precious floors some serious scratches. If you do find any damage to your home, address it with the movers and with the moving inspector before the movers leave your home.

• Make sure to pull out any important papers, passports, bills, password sheets, medical info...anything you might need to keep your life going while your stuff is moving, don't let the movers pack those! It's a good idea to have a "PCS Binder" full of all the important paperwork you might need in one organized place, that way you won't be wracking your brain looking for Sally's shot record when you register her for school in your new town. 

• Make sure to talk with your moving inspector pre-move to find out what items the movers will or will not pack. Most moving companies will move any non-perishable food items (i.e.-boxed dry food, flour, rice, pastas, canned goods, etc.), but anything half-opened they'll leave for you to discard. I've had moving companies tell me they won't move candles, batteries, alcohol, opened liquids/toiletries, lighters, cooking oils, aerosol cans/sprays or anything that could be flammable. In our recent transatlantic move, alcohol was permitted (as long as the state we were moving to allowed for it) and they packed my candles & batteries. Proof every company is different...so ask before chucking them out! Hiding half-opened toiletries wrapped up in Tupperware bins is also a trick of the military moving world, but you didn't hear that from me! ;)

• If you're moving abroad (OCONUS locations), the second you can start making plans (scheduling movers, out-processing, being medically cleared, no-fee passports, etc.), DO IT! Don't wait until the last minute to do any important things that will help you get abroad. You know the military works on their own schedules, so being ahead of the game on your end can save you a headache later. Also, it's wise to stay ON TOP of whomever you need to to get stuff done. Don't be afraid to pester the housing office, TMO, your sponsor, EVERYONE...if you need something done ASAP. Sometimes things fall through the cracks during peak PCS season. Don't let that something be you!

Any move is stressful, but moving with the military can be a different beast of its own. You might think you're out of control, but take heart, you're not! You have many military entities in your corner during the moving process, so don't let the stress get the best of you. PCS season can be exciting, too! Moving to a new city, starting over, experiencing new places and making new friends...think of the possibilities! Take a deep breath, make lists, and go forth with minimal worries. It will all get done! And if you've got any PCS questions (abroad or otherwise), don't hesitate to email me! Always happy to help a fellow MilFamilies!

Any more tips you'd add to this list? Share the wealth!

Starting Over

Every 3 years it's the same old song and dance. We pack up everything we own and move to a new city and a new Air Force base. The typical things happen...D starts a new job, we find a new place to live, we learn new neighborhoods, shop at new stores, and find new doctors, dentists, and hair stylists. But the one part of the moving process that never ever gets easier (and people tend to forget about)? Making new friends. It's my least favorite thing in the world to do. I know that's probably a loaded statement, but finding myself as a complete stranger (knowing absolutely no one) in a new place makes me feel 30 different kinds of weird and vulnerable. Starting from "friendship scratch" will forever be a daunting endeavor. 

D and I have never really had problems making friends. In fact, I think we're quite good at it. I've got the gift of gab and D is cool as a cucumber in almost every social situation. A dynamic duo, if you will. But even with glowing social skills and lots to talk about, we still find the tasks of finding friends, all the way to building friendships, something of a beast to tackle (at least in its beginning stages). Some may think it to be "old hat" to have to start over making new friends every few years, but we still get nervous, we still feel awkward, and we still hate breaking the ice (and not every friend we meet is a friend we necessarily want to keep...but that's another post for another day!). I think it's human nature to want to retreat into a hole whenever the thought of having to put yourself out there becomes something of necessity more than it is a luxury. Having friends and acquaintances outside of just your significant other, old friends, and family members is an integral part of adapting to a new place, in my opinion at least. I know for D and myself, it's one of the first things we try to do when moving to a new city or state...or foreign country, for that matter. Even though we know we have to do it, friend making can take a toll on me emotionally, sending my nerves into overdrive until that first friend meet-up is over and done with. After the first initial social ice-breaker, we build confidence and momentum in the whole process. The nerves dissipate a bit and we remember that building new relationships is also fun and exciting! It may take time, but we know it's worth it. Friendships are good for our minds, but essential for our hearts.

That's where we find ourselves just 3 weeks into our Florida relocation. Now that we've secured the house, the jobs (for D, at least), the familiarizing ourselves with our new surroundings...it's time to venture out and make ourselves some friends! Thankfully, D's new squadron is chock-full of new faces to meet. In fact, we've already broken the ice and had our first two social experiences here in the Sunshine State! Praise the Lord! We spent Saturday night mingling with 5 super sweet couples at a backyard BBQ and then had dinner last night with D's squadron sponsor and his lovely wife. It's interesting how both D and I can be so out of our minds with nervousness before these meet-ups, but after, so pumped and hopeful as we download our experiences at home with each other that night. So far, our friend-making attempts have been positive and far from scary. Granted, as the years pass by, we find ourselves more selective with who we build friendships with (you live and you learn, am I right?), but one thing remains the same...the need to find friends who build you up, are supportive through the tough times, and who are just plain 'ol fun to be around. I've got to say, it's so nice being back in the South! Southern sweetness abounds in this city! While the art of making friends is something I might never find easy, it's definitely an exciting and rewarding part of life. As the saying goes...

"Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other, gold!"

Is friend-making something that makes you nervous, too?

How do you cope with being a stranger in a new city?

Any tips or words of the wise for those of us navigating making new friendships? 

I'd love to hear your thoughts!

When Life Hands You Moving Boxes...

Scene from our move to Germany in 2011...

Yesterday morning, D and I had our first of 2 moving inspections. Someone from the moving company contracted to handle our move comes to the house and estimates how much crap we've got (hint: A LOT) and they plan the amount of boxes and crates and manpower they'll need to pack us up and get us out. A very simple process…we've done it many, many times before. Happy to have D home to help me deal with it this time (I typically have to handle these inspections on my own), we woke up at 6:30am…preparing for the guy to be at our place anytime between 8am and 10am. We sipped coffee, got ready, and shuffled a few of my organizational piles around to make a path for easy inspecting. We even made the bed, to keep up civilized appearances, of course. Naturally, the inspector didn't arrive until 9:55am (the frustrating timing that all people in the service industry seem to operate on)…but that's neither here nor there. He had us walk him through our cluttered war-zone of an apartment, showing him what was going, what was staying, and what things we wanted extra care and protection for (the alcohol, TV, and wine barrel, duh). He spouted off instructions for the days the movers are here…all familiar and stuff we have prepared for. As he left our apartment, we let out a sigh of relief. One more check mark off the moving "to-do" list. One less thing to worry about.

Normally during this part of the process, I start to get sad and mopey. The whole moving thing gets REAL. As if the junk piles weren't already real enough, the weight of the process becomes heavy and tangible the second strangers start entering your home with tape measurers. You see the boxes, you hear the packing tape screech across the cardboard (like nails scratching a chalkboard, that stuff), you watch your personal belongings go into wooden crates that you won't see for 60 days (or more) and you essentially become homeless. Most of the time it feels depressing to me. Stressful and depressing. During our move to Germany, I was sad to leave my family and terrified of moving to a foreign country. Although, if you ask my family and friends, they'd say they couldn't tell it. I put on my best brave and happy face and trucked through that move like I wasn't about to poop my pants. Those feelings are a far cry from the feelings I felt yesterday morning. 

It's so friggin' crazy…but now I find myself feeling happy about leaving Germany. Real happy. Watching the inspector measure our couch and inventory our beer glass collection didn't drum up those melancholy feelings I'm used to. Truth is, I'm ready to get the heck out of here. Are you guys just as surprised to hear that as I am?? The human psyche is a complex thing. 4 months ago I was waxing poetic about how devastated I was at the thought of leaving Germany and how they'd have to drag me kicking and screaming through customs that final day. I wholeheartedly expected to be crying every time someone mentioned moving, but these days, even in the thick of this process, I'm screaming inside my head--"GET ME TO FLORIDA, NOW!!" I can't quite put my finger on when this change of heart happened (because I think it's been a gradual thing), but it's definitely weird. I went from mourning the loss of travel and our unique experience abroad, straight to how-quickly-can-we-make-this-move-happen-because-I'm-done kind of feelings. It's like a switch flipped in my brain and I've somehow shut off the panic I felt. Today, I'm so dang happy to be leaving Germany. I feel slimy admitting that. But it's true.

I've noticed a big change in how I view and even live our life abroad over the last couple of months. I've become exhausted of constant travel (I can tell by the way we don't really plan out our day trips anymore)--like my body and mind have taken solace in the fact that we won't be stressing over travel plans or hopping planes so often anymore. I can see our bank accounts expanding...and our other hopes and dreams seem a little more in reach without so much focus on travel. In another way, I'm SO DONE with how inconvenient living here can be. I'm very much over street parking, frustrated with the language barrier (even though I wasn't before), and all around just peeved-off with the lack of instant gratification here. It's almost as if the American in me is slowly seeping out again, no matter how hard I try to keep my European mindset. These feelings remind me of that episode of How I Met Your Mother--the one where the gang didn't want to tell Ted how awful and annoying his girlfriend was for fear of shattering the rose-colored glasses he was viewing her through? Once that glass broke, Ted could see everything wrong about her. I think that's what happened to me. Florida shattered my rose-colored glasses for Germany. Everything I used to think was unique and special about this place is slowly changing into little annoyances. I'm yearning for the familiar. It's almost more than I can stand some days. Not to mention, I'm beyond ready to be in the same time zone as my family again. I'm thrilled at the thought of being included in birthdays and parties and silly things like game nights again. While we've had some amazing experiences of our own, we've gone through most of them alone. And we've missed out on some really sweet things in the lives of our loved ones along the way. A 2-hour flight is way more doable than a 9-hour one, if you didn't know.

 I know I'm still going to miss Europe and Germany terribly (and I hold some incredibly fond and beautiful memories from our time and travels abroad), but I'm more excited for this new chapter to start. I don't remember ever feeling such a drastic swap of emotions in any other moving process we've gone through. I've done a total 180° in a short amount of time. It scares me to be so OK with leaving Germany after being so NOT OK with this move not so long ago. Granted, there are a few things that have happened since we found out our new assignment that have made letting go of Germany quite a bit easier (things I SO want to tell you now, but will have to save for later), but I still never expected to be wishing our time away here. I hope I'm not just subconsciously stuffing emotions down that will eventually creep back up and smack me in the face later. Guess only time will tell for that one. This thing still feels very bittersweet, but also very done. Complete. An expiration well-placed. 

So, that's where my head is at right now. Completely opposite of this post just a few short months ago. Maybe I'm experiencing a weird new coping mechanism…or maybe this is how I know I'm ready for our time to be up here. Peace that transcends all understanding (Philippians 4:7) is the song of my life at the moment. While my body is going through all the moving motions here in Germany, my heart is in now in the Sunshine State.☀

Houston, We Have Orders!

DON'T YOU DARE SCROLL DOWN AND RUIN THE SURPRISE! I MEAN IT, PEOPLE! ;)

Around 7:30 pm last night, just as we were about to finish our dinner of baked fajitas (a healthy dinner staple in our household as of late), D jumped up off the couch with his iPhone in hand and shouted "CASEY, THE EMAIL!!!" The email?!? We'd been waiting 3 months for this thing. With Olivia Pope screaming orders on the TV in the background, tears immediately started welling up in my eyes. We both looked at one another with panic...suddenly, neither of us were ready to open it. Isn't that how it always goes? You wish and pray and hope for something and the instant you're about to get it, you second guess your level of readiness? We'd been expecting this assignment notification any day. We were angry it was taking so long and we'd both become discouraged...but the second it was within our reach, we froze. We both had to take a second to compose ourselves…to let the realness of the moment sink in. We were about to know where we will begin the next chapter of our military journey…the next chapter of our married lives. This email could tell us where we'll start a family…buy a house, even. This is where we'll spend the next 3 to 4 years celebrating Christmases, birthdays, and entertaining visitors (pending that they'd want to visit us at this new destination). The heaviness of the pit in my stomach was almost enough to make me puke. Being on the precipice of a huge life-changing moment like this is hard to describe. It's a flurry of hopeful thoughts, scared thoughts, and excited thoughts all at once. The time had come and there was no going back.

In true military fashion, this email wasn't one you just open and your fate would be written out in bold, perfect letters. Jumping through hoops is another one of the Air Force's favorite games. We had to click around and log into things, certify we understood terms and continue breathing. Finally we'd reached the link that would reveal our next duty station. Still not ready to take the plunge, we locked our arms together and said a short prayer. No matter the location, no matter how far away from our families or how difficult the job, we were giving it up to God. He's always been faithful in blessing us with good things, things we never knew we wanted or needed, and we were sure that no matter the news, His plan and provision would continue to be the song of our hearts. As ready as we'd ever be, we opened our eyes and clicked the link:

Get your Coppertone, bikini, and Mickey Mouse ears ready, because Team Coté is moving to… 

From the land of lederhosen, bratwurst, and cloudy skies to the land of sunshine, seafood, and the "Happiest Place on Earth"…I've got to say, we're both STOKED about our new assignment!! While this particular Florida base wasn't on our dream sheet (I never even knew this AF base existed, to be perfectly honest), as it turns out, this location might be better than what we were originally gunning for. We'll be right on the Atlantic ocean, a 9 hour drive from our North Carolina home, 2.5/3 hours from Miami & Tampa (hello, CRUISING!!), and just a 1 hour drive from Orlando and Disney World!! If you knew what a HUGE fan D and I are of Disney World, you'd know we're positively DYING over our proximity to the Mouse! We were so worried we'd end up in an area with nothing to do or see and no one would ever come visit us. Thankfully, that'll be FAR from the case! Needless to say, our families are thrilled. It was a lot of fun calling everyone last night and letting them in on the news we'd all been waiting for. Some days I think they were more impatient to know than we were! It warmed our hearts to know they're so excited to get us back stateside again. And interestingly enough, while I'm still sad about leaving Germany, I'm actually really looking forward to getting to Florida! Now that we know we're not moving to Montana or some unknown corner of the world, we're excited to get this moving ball rolling and make our way back to America. Funny how one little email can change your perspective, huh? I bet you guys knew that would happen, didn't you? ;)

So, the wait is finally over. Once again, I didn't do a great job waiting, but maybe by the 4th assignment I'll be a patience pro. Now begins the exciting, but stressful few months of planning and prepping for our big move. I can honestly tell you I'm least looking forward dealing with movers and packing and the logistics of it all, but it's gotta be done. Thank you guys SO STINKIN' MUCH for hanging tough with me as I lamented about all our life uncertainties these last few weeks. Your encouragement and support was much needed and so very much appreciated!! Keep it coming, won't ya? We Took the Road Less Traveled is moseying on to the Sunshine State…hope you'll join us for the journey!!

[And if you're a Central Florida blogger or military spouse, email me!! I need friends! HA!]

It's Coming...

I don't mean to sound dramatic, but my heart feels like one giant gob of worry pudding. I've spent all winter trying to come terms with our impending move and now, any day now, we'll have to hike up our proverbial bootstraps and finally start putting this move back stateside into motion. We will know the day, we will know the where, and we will have to start working on the how, but I'm not sure I'm completely ready for any of it. I've been praying feverishly to know all these variables…for the Lord to prepare our hearts for this big change...but with every day that passes by, we get closer to the inevitable and I find myself still clinging tightly to our life here. I have cereal boxes with expiration dates stamped after our time in Germany is over. Even my food knows it's coming.

 There are days I get sad. Real sad. I look at my inbox filled with travel bookings and trip itineraries and I die a bit inside. Over the next 4 months, those common inbox adventure confirmations will disappear, and I'll return to the life I knew pre-travel. Back to the life that was good, but lacked spice, spontaneity, and engulfing wonder. I had no idea I even wanted those things for myself, but now that I've tasted them, I'm addicted. I know what you're thinking, "You don't think you'll travel when you move back to the states?" My answer is yes. I DO think we'll travel. My gosh, I'll die if we don't. We're going to try our hardest to keep travel as a sub-priority, but we're positive it won't be as prevalent in our lives as it is right now...as it has been these last 3 years abroad. It can't be. We have other goals, other priorities we're equally as passionate about that have started needing our attention. One can't live the selfish, carefree life forever.

 I think the loss of a life focused on travel is what I'm having the hardest time coming to terms with. Not the fact that I won't have a job (although that's a whole other beast of a worry), not the possibility of still living a 12 hour drive from our families (I don't love that, but I think we can handle that), not the idea of having to make new friends and get new doctors and new hair stylists in whatever town we end up in. These things I can handle. These things are challenges we endure every 3 years or so. Old hat, if you will. What's not come so easy is the thought of leaving behind the freedom of jaunting off to "X" destination on a whim. The excitement of throwing suitcases in the car and driving 2 hours to Belgium for a beer, just because. The thrill of combing through travel books on Sunday afternoons, planning our next great adventure as we listen to our towns' church bells ring in the distance. The memories D and I have made exploring Europe childless, completely on our own, and adapting to daily life in foreign country. All those perks of expat life make this transition HARD. We can still do some of those things in our soon-to-be life back stateside, but they'll be different. Jury's still out on whether they'll be good different or just different. It's all relative, though. We'll get used to our pre-travel life again (or at least that's what I keep telling myself). But what this experience abroad has given us has been so unique, so special, so good different from our life stateside, that I'm feeling rather lost about being forced to give it up in just 100 days or so.

There are so many challenging moments in expat life and travel...language barriers, learning new customs, driving new terrain, deciphering new foods, avoiding gypsies and evildoers (just to name a few)...but I'm finding that the hardest part of expat living and traveling is being forced to leave it. There's always been an expiration date on our time abroad. From the day we stepped foot in Germany, our time started ticking down. At first I couldn't hear the tick…now it's so loud I can hardly think straight. But that's the way it goes with the military. Many expats don't experience that certainty of expatriation's end. They stay however long they want...or however long they can stay in school or keep a job, renew their visas, or heck, even move to a new country. Lately I've been pretty envious of those kinds of expats. As much as I miss home and long for Target, my sweet puppy dog, and expansive parking lots, I can't hide the fact that even though we're not typical expats, I've developed a strong attachment to our expat way of living. It's a double edged sword; finding somewhere you feel happy, comfortable, and settled, but having to let it go not out of your own free will. I know we chose this life. I know I married a man who has a love for his country and a need to defend it. I know the day I said "I do" to him, the Air Force became my life, too. But no matter the circumstances that brought us into the expat world, I can still be sad about it ending far too soon. I'm sure every expat who's had to leave expat-dom can relate to that, at least.

 So, I spend my days waiting for the other shoe to drop, that phone call from D that will start this whirlwind of change again. The musings I had in this post are still the same…only littered with more visceral panic, mourning, and melancholia. I feel weird telling my family I'm so excited to move home when I also feel so distraught about leaving Germany. What's weirder is that I can't even say home because we're not even really moving there! Layers of crazy cake, I tell ya. I've never understood the many facets of confusion more clearly than I do now. In fact, I'm not even entirely sure what I was hoping to achieve in writing this post. Transparency, maybe? To remember these feelings when I'm back in America scarfing down Krispy Kreme and Chick-Fil-A? I once loved and thrived in another way of living...mustn't forget that. I guess I'm writing this to tell you the condition of my heart through all this waiting, through all the thoughts of moving back to a life that once was familiar, but now seems hard to grab hold of with all my heart again. I'm happy, I'm sad...somedays, indifferent. The Air Force gave us this amazing, life changing blessing...one can only hope lightening will strike the same place twice. 

Until then, we're still waiting. Prayers appreciated. xo

Our 2014 Travel Plans

Lots of big things are happening for Team Coté in 2014. LOTS. Most notably our inevitable move back to the good ol' US of A this coming summer. The moving wheels are in motion and we're gearing up for a super busy and change-filled year. Honestly, all I want to do is go hide in a hole somewhere, but that's a blog post for another day. Knowing that our expat expiration clock is ticking down faster and faster these days makes D and I very panicky. We need to see this...we want to visit there...we must try that. NO TIME...THERE'S NEVER ANY TIME! My usual weekly brain meltdown a la Jesse Spano. :) With only 6 months left to easily explore all the wonderful countries Europe has to offer, we made it a point to plan out and book our last trips abroad much earlier than normal. Our list of 'must-see' places has dwindled quite a bit thanks to the fabulous year of travel 2013 gave us...but there are still more than a handful of cities we've been dying to see. While we aren't going to able to cross them all off our bucket list in these last 6 months, we are making quite a dent! Below is our travel itinerary for trips we've officially booked and are absolutely happening in 2014! Well, happening as long as the universe doesn't throw us any curve balls between now and July. Are you listening, Universe? I'm watching you. This list is just the big trips we're taking...ones that are overnighters, require more than 4 hours of driving, or a part of a cruise. I'm sure we'll shuffle in a few Germany day trips in between these larger trips, but I rarely plan those. We like our day trips to be spontaneous!

So, what trips on our list are we most excited about? Ireland...definitely. We've been trying to get there for 2.5 years now and it always kept being pushed back by one vacation or another. No more! We're booked for 4 days in Dublin with day trips to the Dingle Peninsula and the Cliffs of Moher! D's been dying to try a pint of Guinness straight from an Irish tap. Should be a fantastic trip in March! We're also pretty pumped about the trip we've booked as our last European hurrah...a 14-day cruise around the Adriatic Sea with Celebrity Cruises! On this cruise alone, we'll check off 4 new countries and hit a few cities we missed in countries we've already visited. Since we're sailing with our favorite cruise line again, I'm positive we're in for a treat! Go big or go home, right? Shooot...I'm not going home until they drag me outta here! We're both just thankful to have things to look forward to among all the not fun stuff we'll have to endure this year. Stay tuned for lots of fun adventures, y'all! It ain't over till the Air Force mails us home!

Tell me, what exciting travel plans have you made for 2014?

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'Friendsgiving' 2013

Even though we were celebrating Thanksgiving far from home and our families again this year, we still hosted a small table filled with friends that have become like family here in Germany. That's one amazing thing about military life...at home and abroad. While you may not be able to share stuffing with your mom, dad, or crazy Aunt Phyllis, you do get to celebrate with your adoptive family, courtesy of the US Air Force. If I can't be with my real family during the holidays, I can't think of anyone else I'd rather be with. These friends are an extra special type of friend. Ones that have wiped tears through deployments & long TDYs, have rejoiced with you at homecomings, and have endured the same sacrifices as you've faced through the years. While they may not be blood, you create bonds that last a lifetime and move with you wherever the military sends you.

This was the first ever Thanksgiving dinner hosted at our place. After almost 7 years of marriage and homemaking, I'm almost ashamed to admit that! Needless to say, I'd been dying to host and cook a whole Thanksgiving feast all by myself, so this was the perfect opportunity to do just that. We have a small dining room (and tiny German oven!), so we could only invite a few of our dearest adoptive family members. I spent 2 weeks before the big feast planning the menu, shopping for fun tablescape decorations (I think I pulled off my rustic forest-inspired tablescape quite well--take that Sandra Lee!), and thinking up ways to make our guests feel special seeing as they were all celebrating far from home as well. D was a champ and helped wash dishes as I dirtied them up cooking and calmed my nerves when I started doubting my shaved brussels sprout salad. He made for an excellent sous chef...I think I'll keep him! :) From the second the turkey went in the oven until the moment it went into our bellies (well, not my belly, but you get the idea), everything went like clockwork. I've gotta give myself a major pat on the back for executing such a spread my first go-round! Here was what I cooked:

Cajun Roasted Turkey Breast w/Gravy

Honey Glazed Ham

Homemade Mac & Cheese

Roasted Garlic & Chive Mashed Potatoes

Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad w/Bacon & Pecorino

Sweet Potato Casserole

Fresh Cranberry Chutney

Homemade Dark & White Chocolate Caramel Apples

We also had Green Bean Casserole, Pumpkin Pie, Pecan Pie, and an Apple Torte contributed by my sweet guests. To say were STUFFED would be a complete understatement! D and I munched on leftovers for 3 days after. Thanksgiving leftovers are the best kind of leftovers, I've decided. Turns out, this Thanksgiving feast thing isn't so hard. I can only imagine the feast I could put together with an American sized kitchen! Add that to the list of pros for moving back stateside next year! Suffice it to say, this Thanksgiving abroad was pretty darn wonderful. Our table, bellies, and hearts were full that day and I'm so thankful to have been able to host this year. 

Next year, though, I'll leave the cooking to my mom and MIL. ;) 

Tell me...how was your Turkey Day this year?