military

Kansas City Here I Come!

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On Thursday, hubby and I headed out to every vacation lovers dream destination-Kansas City, KS. I know, I know, you are super jealous. But we had a specific reason to go out there. A good friend of ours was getting promoted. If you know anything about the military, then you know that getting promoted is a big deal. And this promotion was a HUGE affair; he was pinning on Colonel. He would be a “full bird”. That’s what we call it when someone achieves that rank.

We’ve known Pumba and his wife, Hobbes, for 18 years. And if you’ve been following me, then you know that he’s been mentioned in one of my articles. He is a character but in a good way. Every time we see him, he makes us laugh; there is never a dull moment when he is around.

He asked my husband to do the ceremony so of course he said, “yes!” It is an honor we can’t say no to. While it is a solemn occasion, with Pumba, nothing is serious.

The weekend didn’t disappoint. The Alvarado’s are the consummate hosts. But where there are Pumba’s, there is alcohol. Along with that is a ton of great conversation, friendship, and food.

Friday, the day of the ceremony, came early. We headed over to Fort Leavenworth. That was a treat too. I hadn’t been to (or through) Kansas in many years. And I’d never been to Leavenworth. The fall foliage was amazing. It seriously reminded me of New England where I grew up. The colors on the trees were bright and vibrant. The town was quaint. It is great to see old downtown areas revitalized.

The ceremony took place on a building on campus. Pumba’s classmates were there in droves. So were friends and family from out-of-town. My spouse (I think) did a wonderful job.

Once the proper portion was over, the party could re-begin. Hobbes had made so much Mexican food. It was delicious. The music was blaring and the conversation flowed. Even the bonfire was going well.

And we didn’t get to bed until 2AM. That’s what I call a successful party!

Pack, Unpack, Repeat: It’s Moving Time!

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My life lately has been about boxes. I pack them, I unpack them and then I do it again. And why am I doing this? Because I’m moving, silly people!

This time is more like the moving of my childhood. When I was younger, my mom, brother and I were always moving from one apartment to another. It seemed like every few years my mom would call upon friends and family to help us load everything into cars and trucks and transfer all our goodies to a new place. Mind you, we didn’t go far. We always lived in the same town, just different apartments.

It would be a weekend long endeavor. I don’t recall helping much but maybe I did. Knowing me, I probably entertained everyone by singing the whole time.

Now as an adult married to the military, I have movers that come and take care of this task for me. And not just movers. There are PACKERS too! That’s right. You heard me. We have people that come a day or two before the truck and they pack everything in boxes. And I mean EVERYTHING.

We’ve heard the stories of packers packing garbage and dirty laundry. They aren’t just tall tales; they actually happened. I’ve never had anything as awful as that but they once packed my daughter’s library books. They were too quick and I didn’t set them aside. Fortunately for me, the library was understanding and I was able to mail them back once we received our goods on the other end. Not only that, but I learned a valuable lesson: clearly mark what isn’t going!

In addition to the packers, there are movers who come and haul your furniture and boxes into the moving truck. They disassemble your furniture and reassemble it when it arrives. You can also have them unpack your boxes too! There’s a lot of complaining we do about the military but this is one perk I enjoy.

But now, I am responsible for all of it. Obviously not me by myself but you get the picture. My spouse and I did a great job in the beginning. We closed on Friday morning and started moving right away. It was easy to take everything from the garage and lower level to the new townhome. It got rough when we started on the second level and had to bring it up to the second level. All those stairs get tiring!

My youngest daughter joined us on day two. in the afternoon. She was a great help but it was hot and muggy and those stairs didn’t help anything. I’m definitely feeling my age. As the day wore on, we slowed down.

I always felt bad for our movers since we always move in the summer but this year I feel a special kinship with them. I’m not taking them for granted anymore. And for the record, if we have to move ourselves again, I’m hiring professionals for the whole thing.