Is it really a coincidence that PCS season coincides with hurricane season? Like a storm, a PCS move can turn your world upside down in a very short amount of time.

PCS. The three letters can spell disaster, joy, new opportunities or new hurdles. Most seasoned military wives have had easy PCS and the proverbial PCS from hell. The only constant is that as long as you are a military family, you will, at some point, PCS.

Please take a moment to laugh and cry with our staff writers as they share their best and worst PCS moments in a series of stories that will run over the next two weeks.

Ann Marie Dombrowski

My most memorable PCS would have to be my very first military move. As a newlywed of six months, we made a cross-country PCS to the west coast. We had no children and a one bedroom apartment. The trip from Virginia to California should have been easy.

But instead of seeing the country and taking our time, like I envisioned, I saw a couple of cheap motels and rest areas. We made the trip in three days. My husband literally dropped me off at a hotel in California and left for almost two months for training in the desert. I received our first housing assignment on base by myself and didn't receive our household goods until two weeks later, in two different shipments. I remember crying to myself on an air mattress while I watched chick flicks that I had rented from Blockbuster to watch on my laptop.

And, I can't forget about my microwaveable dinners for one. Or the fire I almost started "cooking" it. I totally had a pity party for those few weeks I was alone. I wasn't sure I would make it as a military wife. Little did I know, but that first move was just about the easiest experience I have had as a military spouse and PCSing. Ever.

My best advice for moving would be to get as organized as possible and be involved. Easier said than done, I know, so here is a list:

• Record the names of the moving companies who are contracted to move you, the dates, times and names of anyone you speak to regarding the move and cancelation of services like cable and utilities
• Weed through your goods before your move so you have less to do after your move
• Even if you are not physically moving your goods yourself, you have to be as active in the move as possible because no one will take care of your belongings like you will. Don't be afraid to be assertive!

Rebecca Yarros

When we PCS’d from Germany, it was a calamity of errors.  Armed with a husband who doesn’t travel well (unless you consider cranky “well,”), a four year-old, three year-old and three month-old, we were ready to head back stateside. 

First, in Nurnberg, we almost missed our flight due to a scanner malfunction as it read our passports. Upon arriving in Frankfurt we learned the airline lost the double stroller that we gate-checked.  Now envision my 6’4” husband crawling under the plane to see if they missed it. They didn’t. We had three kids under age four in a huge airport and no stroller. But that’s what they make luggage carts for, right?

Twelve hours, one stressed-out mom and three cranky babes later, we arrived in Atlanta. Hallelujah!  However, we missed our flight to Dothan, Alabama.

Problem? Yes. Fort Rucker had agreed to let us sign for brand-spanking-new housing, but only if we signed for it on the first at 9:00 a.m. Waiting another day for a flight was not an option for us.  “No problem,” we said.  “We’ll drive. It’s only four hours, right?”

Well, sure, except they wouldn’t let us leave with any of our luggage since it was checked through even though we had our luggage in our hands so we could clear customs. Luckily, the car-seats were carried on, but the pack-n-play for Chase to sleep in?  Nope, they wouldn’t let us have it. This was not my idea of southern hospitality. 

So, we rented a minivan and drove to Fort Rucker. Once we arrived, extremely jet lagged, the Inn at Fort Rucker was full, despite our email confirmation of a reservation. The only place within a forty minute drive that had a hotel room (after two hours of looking) was a motel with one vacant room. When we walked in, the furniture was tossed every which way like a frat party had just gone down, but when you have three kids that haven’t slept in twenty-four hours, well… 

Good news is, once we woke up the next morning we signed for our brand-new housing, and the PCS from Hell was over.  That’s always the silver lining of PCS’s - eventually you move in and they’re over.