Wednesday, September 11, 2013

oh. my. goodness. I need help.

so stressful.  I knew that this had been coming.  I know that this is my life. I understand that military = moves. many moves.  But I can still be anxious and glum at the same time that I'm excited and happy.



The 'prelist' of air force pediatric spots was released late last week.  and it's kind of consuming me.  I get like that, though.  When there's something to research and study- I get a little crazy.   I'm already in contact with lots of people in these areas :) I chatted with some girl from cocoa beach, florida for an hour today!  I've scouted out YMCAs and Targets.  My only devastation is that Wright Patterson (where we are NOW) is the only location with a Meijer :)

So- I want some input.  What do you think!?  what sounds terrible?  what sounds exciting?  what about terrifying??  Any experience with any of these spots?? where would you come and visit? where would you NOT come visit?  We LOVE the idea of going foreign- so those are viable options for us!

The list can change quite a bit.  I'm just listing spots that are 'likely' available.  There were some major disappointments in spots not available- but I won't focus on them :)   They could ultimately open up.   And some on the 'likely' list could disappear.  But- we have to make a list of TWENTY.  That's OUTrageous, right?!  way too much stress.  I can (although with some reservation) rank 13 of these spots.  But some of them mortify me.

Also- keep in mind that our 'rank' list actually doesn't mean a whole lot.  Any spot on our list is a place we could go.  And- of course- we could end up somewhere not on our list at all :)  So- why am I stressing about this list anyway?!?




ALTUS
Altus, OK
ANDREWS AFDW Camp Springs, 
MD
AVIANO USAFE Aviano, Italy
BEALE ACC Sacramento, Ca
EDWARDS AFMC Niceville, 
CA
EGLIN AFMC Valparaiso,
Fl




EIELSON PACAF Fairbanks, AK
ELMENDORF PACAF Anchorage, AK



F E WARREN GSC Cheyenne, WY
HOLLOMAN ACC Alamoagordo, MN
KEESLER AETC Biloxi, MS


LACKLAND AETC San Antonio,TX




LAKENHEATH
 Lakenheath, 
England
LANGLEY ACC Hampton, 
Virginia



MACDILL AMC Tampa, Fl
MINOT GSC Minot, ND
MOODY AFSOC Valdosta, GA
MOUNTAIN HOME ACC Mountain Home, ID
OFFUTT ACC Omaha, NE
OSAN PACAF Seoul, Korea
PATRICK SPACE Cocoa Beach, FL
PETERSON  SPACE Colorado Springs
RAMSTEIN USAFE Kaiserslautern
Germany
RANDOLPH AETC San Antonio, TX
SCOTT AMC Belleville, IL



TINKER AFMC Oklahoma City, OK
TYNDALL AETC Panama City, FL
VANCE AETC Enid, OK
WRIGHT PATT AFMC Dayton, OH



YOKOTA PACAF Fussa, Japan

20 comments:

yaya said...

What a list! I guess you would have to consider school systems..near or not to be near family...fast food joints..hot all year or freezing most of the year. I work with a nurse who was in the airforce in Anchorage and loved it! Good luck with your search. I would totally nix South Korea. I work with a Korean doc and he drives me insane...just sayin'

Linz said...

I vote ANYWHERE FOREIGN!!!! (Seriously - we have friends who when to Japan for 3 years and loved the experience!)

German being my top pick!

Love you guys! Good luck in your decision!!

Unknown said...

Italy! For sure! How awesome!

KaLee said...

As I type this I worry that I am coming off as a weirdo stalker, but nonetheless I have followed your blog for a few years. I found you through my friend Lisa E. I currently live in Cheyenne Wyoming and if you have any questions about that location, I am happy to answer them.

Gypsie said...

I was stationed in Kaiserslautern for 5 years (1998-2003). My hubby was in Fairbanks, AK for 3 years. I have a friend currently in Cheyenne. I've been to Italy (Vincenza). I would go overseas in a heartbeat and DoD schools are some of the best. They literally visit world history. If you want to hear me gush, I'll happily tell you what you want to know.

Anonymous said...

You hate hot, so no Texas. Maryland is insanely gorgeous, beautiful mountains, green, cool, you'll always have something to do

Anonymous said...

I'm not sure what mountains he/she is taking about, but Maryland is insanely gorgeous. I won't move back to Utah so long as I earn enough money to visit family whenever I want. Maryland = gorgeous. But no mountains like what you had in Orem. -dave j.

Anonymous said...

I vote for foreign soil too. How cool would it be for the kids to develop an accent.
Alicia McCandlish.

Stephanie said...

Leisy! :) Long time no talk. I have followed you on and off, through your adventures. I have lived in a LOT of places, and honestly I would move back to Virginia in a heartbeat. I lived closer to DC, but I went down to the area near Langley fairly often. Lots of cool historical sites, close to the beach, only a couple hours from DC. That one gets my vote for sure! Also, Italy would be awesome!

Philip Oswald said...

I have never been to North Dakota. We would come visit.

dockters said...

Italy?! Korea?! Japan?! Germany?! England?! Those all sound exciting and intimidating at the same time! I wOuld seriously consider a trip to visit you if you go foreign! When do you find out where you're headed? I cant wait to hear! Good luck!

Julie Sacks said...

Sacramento is where my sister lived for 7 years. They liked it there but the schools got really really bad by the time they left. Lots of gay rights and liberals, which I don't know about you, but I tend to stay away from those people :) I say go Foreign. Italy would be A-Mazing!

Jennie said...

While I can't imagine anything can compete with a foreign assignment, we think life in AK is pretty much the best kept secret in the US! We've lived in both Anchorage and Fbx. Anch is the way to ease in, Fbx is the real deal for freezing cold! They both have: completely amazing natural beauty, seriously great public school options, and insanely top-notch people :) I'd be happy to chat more about it any time if you ?s. Good luck!

Mamapierce said...

We just PCS'd from Patrick AFB and we L O V E D it there! If you choose Patrick, I highly recommend renting a house off base with a swimming pool. You will want it with the humidity. It's lovely being RIGHT on the beach, too.

Can I just say how unfair it is that you could go to not one, but THREE bases in OKLAHOMA and there are no jobs for Tyler at ANY of them ever!!! :(

Emily Shaw said...

If you move to Tinker AFB (OK) you can buy my parents house! It's only a 20 minute drive to the base, and it has 2 acres, a pool, fantastic climbing trees and is super close to the school ;) I grew up there and my childhood was so much fun! Plus, they have Braums and Mazzios (so yummy!) and you are super close to many fun activities (the zoo, science museum, children's museum, etc) Tinker treated my dad very well.

If you have specific questions about the Italy location, another friend moved there about a year ago so I'm sure she can help you!

Good luck!

Sheri said...

Leisy, Oooh, it will be fun to watch you make the decision. I laughed when I read what you wrote, I totally miss Meijer. : ) And Carriage Hill. And YOU and all my friends in Ohio. : ) BEST of luck with whatever you choose--it will be the right place for your family.
P.S. Your kids would rock an international adventure--they would do amazingly well. Just saying.
P.S.S. If you stay at Wright Patt, would you like to buy our house? ; )

Unknown said...

If you go foreign I could like move in with you and be your live in Nannie Annie (oh wait, that may discourage you from going there). Wherever you go, we'll come visit.

please let it be Germany please let it be Germany please let it be Germany please let it be Germany please let it be Germany please let it be Germany please let it be Germany please let it be Germany please let it be Germany

shona said...

I hear that Tampa has a pretty nice hospital. We have considered moving there multiple times. I love the heat and it's very near St. Pete's Beach, which is where we went every year for vacation as a kid.
I had a friend who lived in Minot and HATED it. Nothing to do and it is cold a lot of the time.
I say Japan!!!! Wherever you end up, that city is in for a treat. :-)

Delaps said...

You have so many great options!!! Out of all of those you are bound to end up somewhere fantastic no matter what. We are moving next summer too. Who knows where. When do you find out?

Mike and Adrianne said...

Hey, you don't know me but I'm a friend of Kristi's (used to live in your ward). Since I don't really know you I don't know what you like as far as towns go but I can say a few things about some of the places listed from my own experience.
Tinker, OK: Loved living in OK. It's hot there and humid and not very pretty. Winters can be extreme--huge ice storms but not a lot of snow. It can be freezing one day and in the 60's the next. The growing season for a garden is amazing--like May to November (if you are into gardening). The town that Tinker is in is small and not very nice but they were making some improvements to the city. A lot of people live in Moore or North of OKC. We lived in Midwest City, right where the base was and we loved it. We like a small town feeling though. The ward was tiny and we were used in the ward a lot. They would love having your family there. All in all, we loved it.

ND: I've never lived there by my sister-in-law does and we have visited. There is pretty much nothing in ND. But my SIL loves it there and if you like little towns, you could probably like it there. We were there in July and it was in the 60's. I don't think that is normal but it doesn't get super hot.

Colorado Springs: We live here now and I love it. It is like Utah but better. Conservative but not so in your face Mormon. The ward I live in is one of the best I've lived in. There are great schools all over, you can't really go wrong. If you are unhappy with your school you can get them into a charter school pretty easily but the public schools are great too. I love the weather--all the seasons. Hardly any of the houses have AC because it only gets hot enough for AC for about three weeks in the summer. I really love it here. There are three or four bases here so there is a lot of military.

Enid: I never lived there but visited and it is a tiny town in the middle of nowhere. Not much there. But if you like small towns you might really like it there. My friend was stationed there and really enjoyed it.

Maryland: My husband is from there and it is gorgeous. It is super expensive to live there though. It does get quite hot there in the summers, much more than Ohio in my opinion. Very muggy and hot in the summers. It's pretty close to big cities (NY, Philly, Baltimore, DC) but also has some nice country areas as well. We love to go visit MD but I'm not much of a city person and don't like all the congestion.

Well, that is a long comment from a stranger...sorry! Hope that helps.