There is always a period of transition that occurs during a PCS whether it's the last few days at an old duty station or the first few weeks at the new one. I'm all about being spontaneous but after a while I need structure. It always seem like the lack of a routine is the hardest part for us to deal with.
Every time we have PCS'd Kyle has taken 30 days of leave. His leave typically begins once he signs out of the old duty station. I know people who will use some of that time at the old duty station but we prefer to save it for the new place. Thankfully, 10 days of that is non-chargeable leave (the Army is generous in giving soldiers 10 days of leave to look for housing).
While it is amazing to have Kyle around and present during that time, it's also hard. I certainly don't take the time together for granted but not having a routine is rough. He will tell you the exact same thing, after a while we both are itching for him to go back to work. He misses the structure of work and I miss being able to get things done around the house and take care of errands when I need to.
This transition has been significantly more difficult. Even though he signed into this unit back in June, his class did not officially begin until yesterday. So we have been together almost nonstop since the middle of May, that means he has been home for 90 days with a few days of in processing thrown in there. That's a lot! When he is home, neither of us have a desire to get things done around the house that need to get done. Instead, we would rather be out exploring and doing things. So, of course, some things suffer.
We also know that too much time together has a tendency to lead to bickering. We both have very strong personalities and are stubborn so a seemingly small thing can turn into something big. It happens, but we did our best to avoid that.
To keep from bickering about ridiculous things we had to make the effort to do things without each other. He would golf or go to a concert with friends and I would go get a pedicure or to playdates with E and friends. While spending time together isn't a bad thing, Kyle and I know each other well enough to know that after a while it's time for a little space to do our own thing. This is what almost 10 years of marriage has taught us. E is just like us and she notices when there are shifts from our standard routine, but she is still a ridiculously happy kiddo.
After roughly 90 days at home, he officially started class yesterday. Almost immediately we both had a huge sigh of relief as we settled back into a bit of normalcy. Yesterday was great because we both had things to focus on during the day but we came together as a family in the evening and it was wonderful.
A routine for us is necessary, it keeps everything moving right along.
Do you thrive on routine?
