Advance Baggage

This is the week before the week that will be most stressful. With that in mind, here is a sampling of the things that must be accomplished. Pack suitcases, get TX driver's licenses, hound the car dealer to make the payoffs on the cars we traded in almost 3 weeks ago, see if I can get physical appointments for 3 children, clean some more, sort and purge some more, set aside the advance baggage, and continue to empty the pantry, fridge, and freezer. Most of this is self explanatory to the non-military person except for that advance baggage. So what is it, you ask? It is a shipment of stuff. They give you a weight limit of 1000 lbs. You choose what goes in it and they come and pack it up in boxes and ship it air freight to your destination. We are shipping things like David's bike and fall clothes, and extra pairs of shoes. Also any equipment or reference material that will be needed on short order upon arrival. One time we shipped the xbox and games and a bunch of movies in the advance. Some people send pots and pans and a set of dishes or bedding. I can't remember our no later than date for receipt of household goods (HHG) in Germany, but I think it is in September. Imagine you had to pack your house up for a move and would not have access to your things for two to three months. You pack your suitcases and those travel with you. The advance baggage is like being able to pack a car trunk in addition. It will not travel with you , but you will have access to it sooner than the larger HHG shipment. OK? The first time we did this our HHG got stuck in storage for 3 months in South Dakota. When we in processed they missed an important step that would release the shipment for transfer to the new duty location. As a result, we went six months before our HHG arrived and the season had changed from spring to summer and into late fall. Oh and at the beginning of that move I had a two month old baby. It was interesting to say the least. So this week, I will try not to stress out too much and get all this done. Maybe, I will post as I complete certain tasks.