MHN Moving Story: The Nichol Family

It’s safe to say that hardly anything in the military goes as planned. This same sentiment can be applied to PCS moves. Just ask Tina Nichol. When her family’s PCS move plans were uprooted at the last minute, Nichol was forced to navigate the uncharted waters of unexpected change. And, she has an interesting moving story to share with us.

The Best Laid Plans…

Nichol’s husband, an Air Force Technical Sergeant, originally received orders to move from his current station in Montana to Texas. This move was different from other PCS moves, however, as it was actually an Exceptional Family Member (EFMP) move. This also meant they had a shorter timeframe in which to move. “Our last base didn’t have the best medical care, so once our EFMP orders were cut, we only had about four weeks to move!” Nichol said. “Talk about stress!”

The Nichol family was all set – or so it seemed

When school was out at their current station, Tina and her kids went to Texas to visit their family. Since they were due to PCS there soon, she made the decision to start settling in. They moved in with Tina’s parents, registered the kids for school, and the kids were even seeing doctors. But three weeks before their family was officially set to move for good, the military changed course on the original plans. “The kiddos went to school, saw doctors, and everything there [Texas]. We lived there for four months – then got told ‘sorry you’re going to Nevada!’” she said.

The change in plans proved to be a good thing in the end

Needless to say, the change of plan came as a bit of a shock. With only three weeks to go before they were due at their next station in Nevada, the Nichols had to act quickly. Since they were doing a combined Household Goods (HHG) and Personal Procurement (or DITY) move, they needed to make sure the other half of their belongings would arrive at the proper location. “Luckily our [shipment] didn’t leave Montana yet, so it was good to go. The company was notified to reroute to Nevada,” she said. They also opted to live in base housing.

Other than the last-minute change in orders, Nichol stated that the move went pretty smooth. They were even offered a house on base pretty quickly in Nevada. “We actually got offered a house before we even got to our current base. So that was really nice! We only had to stay in TLF for 10 days, and got our house on the 10th day. It was very convenient!” she said.

We are so glad that everything worked out for you in the end with your PCS, Nichol family! If you’re PCSing soon and are not sure where to start, check out MilHousing Network! Milhousing Network is your one-stop resource to all things PCS related. Whether you’re looking for tips and tricks or to connect with a realtor in your area, we can help! Check us out!

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