Knuckles Tip #6- Hotel Life

Tip #6
For Adults/older teens: Hotel life
For kids/younger teens: "CAN WE CALL ROOM SERVICE PLEASEEE"

Life in a Hotel

A lot of the times, when you get on post, they don't have a house for you yet so most likely, you'll be either living in hotel or inn or some place not home. There really isn't much to tell you, of course you haven't live in a hotel before.

Living in a hotel is a lot like living in a house, just your entire family is in a single room. Think of it as...a "vacation" sort of. Your hotel room will be cleaned and maintained by someone else, you don't have to cook. (unless your parents do cook then that's different) I know what you're thinking "AWESOME!" :D And yes it can be awesome but there are a few things to keep in mind:

1. There are people living on the other side of the wall. So even if you yell "quietly" they most likely can hear you.
2. There are things in the room that might cost your parents more money to stay in so keep a look out for tabs and read what they say!
3. The shows on the TV may be limited and some channels you have to pay for it. I wouldn't want to see my parents surprised look when they discover you ordered 10 movies from pay-per-view.
4. Even if someone else cleans the room for you, your parents are still the boss and still want you to clean your "room" or spot if you will, in the hotel room.
5. DON'T break anything! Cuz yes you'll have to pay for it.

So that's pretty much it, sounds simple right? Well it can be! :P

To the parents:

If your kids are younger, living in a hotel can be an adventure and it is! Let us explore a bit but still stay within the "rules" of the house. Hotel life can be fun so let's make it fun!

If your kids are young teen/teen: No comments. If you're anything like my parents, living in a same room with your teen can be hell. Kidding! Same rules applies basically just try to let us have our own "space" if you will? That's be just awesome :D

Until next time, hug your parents and tell them you love them and have fun staying in the hotel! Go play with the elevators, they can be fun.

I mean...DON'T MESS WITH THE ELEVATOR!

Accessible showers

If you're a disabled traveler like me, I'm pretty sure you already know what needs to be done to ensure that you have a wheelchair accessible room. Here's the thing, be VERY SPECIFIC. Some hotels might tell you they have wheelchair accessible rooms but it might not suit your needs. Generally I'd ask if they have wheelchair accessible rooms and showers so I wouldn't have to transfer in and out of the tub. Just remember to be SPECIFIC you can never be too careful. Plus, it'd make life a lot more easier when you actually get your hotel room.

Knuckles Tip #5- Driving to your new Post

Tip #5
For Adults/older teens: Driving to your new Post
For kids/younger teens: "Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?"

NO WE'RE NOT THERE YET SO STOP ASKING

By this stage, you should be out on the road and enjoying the view of the great American land. (Don't know how you're reading this but they, thank you iPhones and other smartphones)

Really got nothing much to say here other than if you're driving or helping your parents with the drive...good luck to you. The stress and excitement of the drive to your new post can all turn into one mess for your parents which will most likely end up in yelling, screaming, and the occasional sleeping. So while you still don't have the wheel yet, consider yourself lucky and QUICK pretend you're sleeping so your parents won't ask you to drive the next shift.

But if you're parents are organized freaks like mine is, you know you're time slot so...just drive. Good thing about driving is, you get to control the radio! (If you can find anything that is...either you have XM radio or you're just out of luck)

To the parents:

If your kids are younger, yes the drive can be stressful but please...less yelling, less screaming will most likely equal more fun! I know you get sick of hearing the "Are we there yet?" question but...how about ask us some questions? Or just start talking about something adult-ish and hopefully it'll put us to sleep for hours.

If your kids are young teen/teen: DON'T WORRY! If you trust us enough to squeeze us in this drive schedule then why worry? Ya it's true we might be blasting the radio when you're trying to sleep in the backseat but hey, really don't worry, we'll get you there safe and sound. (And probably half the time too! :D)

Until next time, hug your parents and tell them you love them then get driving. Try to remember those signs on the highway is telling you the fastest you can go, not the slowest. But...just some 5 miles over the limit won't hurt nobody.

YOU DIDN'T HEAR IT FROM ME THOUGH.
IN FACT WE NEVER TALKED AND YOU NEVER READ ANYTHING I JUST SAID!

Next Tip: Knuckles Tip #5 Part 2- Flying to your new post

Knuckles Tip #5 Part 2- Flying to your new post

Tip #5 Part 2
For Adults/older teens: Flying to your new Post
For kids/younger teens: "COOL! THOSE HOUSES LOOK LIKE ANTS!"

FLYING

There WILL be chances that you and your parents will be flying to some post overseas like I did when my family and I moved to Germany, it's a huge difference compared to driving (of which I'm sure you know) but mostly it's the same. Well, sort of.

By now, I've come to believe that every family have a Monk. Meaning, there is always one (excuse my language here) anal person in the family. And yes, especially doing a PCS, you can tell who that person usually is. Between the "you need to go to bed now or else we'll miss our flight" and the "WE GOT TO GO! WE'RE GOING TO MISS OUR FLIGHT!" you can pretty much tell who is extremely anal and/or stress about this entire flying situation.

You're the kid, tell them to relax. (And if YOU'RE the anal person, chill out, alright?) Come on it's just flying...really, it's not that bad.

The important thing is to listen to your parents. Unless you are like me with more "knowledge" than your parents when it comes to flying, then listen to what they're telling you. Listen to what they got to say about what you can and can't pack on your carry on and when they tell you to "watch the bags, please" do so. Last thing you need at this point is miss your flight AND get your bag taken by the airport police simply because it was "unattended".

If you're parents got no idea what they're doing (which I'm sure they will, hopefully) then stay calm and take over for them. Grab your stuff and head on over to the check-in counter and give the person there your ticket information. They'll ask you some simple questions or even carry on a small conversation with you.

If there's nothing wrong (as in you missed your flight or they over-booked, then leave the talking to your parents.) then you're good to go, grab your ticket and go on over to the security check point. Which bring me to another point. Yes, we all know those security people can be stupid but they're just trying to do their job. Ever since 9-11 I don't think I need to tell you what the consequences are for "messing" around with the security. So act smart alright?

After the security check point, you're pretty much free to do what you want till the people tell you it's time to board the aircraft. Simple, right? Get in the plane, find your seat and buckle that seat-belt. And you're pretty much gold. :D

If it's your first time flying, it's ok, nothing to worry about. There are plenty of people on board you can either chat with or just read your book or something. Keep in mind the things that the flight attendant wants you to do and you'll be fine.

Just keep in mind because of the altitude, your ears might pop and if that's the case, ask your parents for tips on making you feel better. (What I do is hold my nose then blow through my mouth, you'll feel your ears pop and it'll make you feel better, trust me.)

And of course, if you do decide to take off your shoes, because of the temperature and pressure your shoes will "shrink" and it'll feel tighter when you try to put them on once you landed. Don't worry, your shoes just didn't shrink, just the temperature and pressure changes during flight is all. Just put your shoes on and it'll be all good after a couple minutes.

After you land, just grab everything you took on the plane with you, then get ready to go and pick up your luggage at the luggage claim. See that wasn't so bad, right? Now you just got to listen to your parents on where to go and so on. Not bad for a first timer! :D

To the parents:

If your kids are younger, flying can be both exciting and scary for us especially when we don't know why our ears feel strange and why the plane is moving up and down so much. Keep in mind the toys and games we like to play and use it as a diversion from all the changes during a flight. And of course, there's always a good time for cool lessons like how to pop your ears during an altitude.

If your kids are young teen/teen: By now we've probably done this a million times. So relax, put us in charge for once and just try and enjoy the flight. Things can go a lot smoother if you just let us check in and let us do all the work. Plus, flying is supposed to be relaxing, not crazy, right?

Until next time, hug your parents and tell them you love them and have a nice flight! Maybe if you ask nicely the captain might even let you peek in the cockpit, who knows? Or at least try and remember those call buttons are only for when you need something. Or when you want to check out that hot flight attendant, right? :D

I mean...DON'T MESS WITH THE BUTTON!

If you're a disabled traveler like me or going to travel with someone who needs wheelchair to get around, it's pretty much the same. Only a few tips to remind you and watch this video for more. (I'd be glad to answer more questions if you have them)

1. At the check-in make sure you ask the person to tag your chair. It'll be a lot easier when your chair is right next to the plane once you've landed.
2. Ask if possible for an isle seat. It'll make a getting in/out of the seat before, during, and after the flight a whole lot easier.
3. Frisking at the security check point is ok! I know it's more fun to go through the security gate but the chair will set them off. I know, bummer.

And here's the video in more details:
Have a safe trip!

Next Tip: Knuckles Tip #6- Hotel Life

Knuckles Tip #4 Part 2- Moving Day Cont.

Hopefully by now, you’re done packing. If not, why are you here reading this tip, go back. Oh a break…seeing what’s next? Ah I see, fine then, read on.

Tip #4 Part 2
For Adults/older teens: Moving Day Cont.
For kids/younger teens: Before the "Are we there yet?"

HELP WHEN YOU CAN.

Since your parents have decided to tackle this move by themselves (the adults call it DITY/Personally Procured Move) that's going to mean a lot of time to either tone up on your muscles or make your arms and shoulders sore for the next day or more. In that case, remember, ice is your friend. Now, hopefully you did a fair job at packing, your boxes are labeled and the room is pretty much ready to go.

So what now? Listen to your parents, if you got a pair of arms (or a lap like me) most likely your parents will want you to help one way or another. Because like my Mom used to say "Those boxes don't move themselves!" but wouldn't that be great? So listen to your parents on which boxes needs to be in the U-Haul trucks and which needs to be going either along the ride with you or in the U-Haul later. They're your parents, think, by now they got enough experience to know how to pack things and which order would be important. So while they might be nagging at you to get the boxes and items out of the house, they know what they're doing, trust me.

So do the packing, listen to your parents and yes, it's ok to ask for breaks. But hey think about this, by the time you're done with all this stuff, you can show off your guns to the ladies. (Or...not? haha)

To the parents: The typical move can be really stressful even though you probably don't want to show it to us. Let us help out a little or a lot, just not going nuts with the nagging and yelling, right?

If your kids are younger, let us help. The "oh that might be too heavy for you" might be true but even the simplest boxes can excite us, after all, it's our move right?

If your kids are young teen/teen: Like I said before, there's work done and a lot more can be done with less talk, right? Let us work our muscles and things will turn out fine, don't worry, no stress. It'll all be good. All good.

Until next time, hug your parents and tell them you love them then get moving, get the boxes in the truck means less yelling, nagging or whatever your parents do when they're stressed. Have fun gaining those muscles and remember, ice are your friends.


Next Tip: Knuckles Tip #5- Driving to your new Post or Knuckles Tip #5 Part 2- Flying to your new post

Knuckles Tip #4- Moving Day

Hopefully by now, you're done packing. If not, why are you here reading this tip, go back. Oh a break...seeing what's next? Ah I see, fine then, read on.

Tip #4
For Adults/older teens: Moving Day Part 1
For kids/younger teens: Movers are here! Cool big truck!

HELP BUT DON'T OVERDO.

Since your parents have decided to have movers help with this move, there really isn't anything much you can do other than try to do whatever your parents tell you at this point. If you did a good job packing, your boxes are labeled and the room is pretty much empty and clean.

So what now? While your parents are busy making sure the movers are doing everything they want them to do, try to help out your parents. There might be last minute errands they need you to run or things to do around the house. Or even watch your little siblings for awhile so they won't be a distraction. Really no matter what, do your best to stay out of the movers way.

Friendly movers!

Another thing, ya they're movers and strangers but they're there to help you, so really, try and be nice to them alright? It's ok to look or laugh or talk to them once awhile but remember their job is to put everything in the house onto those huge movers truck. They're people too, be nice to them don't taught them that much or maybe buy them some coffee or something, ice tea would be good too.

Key is to stay away and don't get in the way. If you get hit by the couch or something...don't blame it on them, it's your fault.

To the parents: Yes, you're probably going nuts watching the movers but remember we want to feel somewhat important so...give us a job or two eh? It'd be something to keep us occupied and not to mention staying out of your way.

If your kids are younger, encourage them to try and help with the little things like "help" watch the movers or even help you check off that long check list you have. Anything to make us feel important, remember, but as soon as we get that annoyed look on our eyes. Let us go play with our friends for awhile, come on, we're moving, loosen up.

If your kids are young teen/teen: We might seem annoyed and want to text our friends all day but it won't hurt have us to some things around the house. Just not too many things alright, that annoys a lot of us. And breathe, parents, it'll be alright, remember you got a teen in the house? Ha, yes you probably don't think that was funny. Really though, have us run errands or I don't know coffee, anything to get us in the car and away from the house and movers for awhile. Simple right?

Until next time, hug your parents and tell them you love them then get out of the way, there are movers moving in and out of the house constantly. Go watch your little siblings or something.

Or...coffee run! You're parents will be thankful, hopefully.

Next tip: Knuckles Tip #4 Part 2- Moving Day Cont.

Knuckles Tip #3- Packing

Finish telling your friends yet? If you're extremely popular, have fun telling all of them or let the news travel. If you're boring like me and have few friends only, you're probably done by now and they are somewhat taking in the news.

Let it soak in...it'll take time. Like my Grandpa once told me, "Matt, telling your friends you're moving is like washing out a tough grease stain, got to pour the soap on the grease and just let it sit for awhile, son. Trust me, it'll work out better and faster."

So...listen to wise grandpa (or don't) and let the news soak in, it'll be easier to handle later on.

Onwards to Tip #3
For Adults/older teens: Packing
For kids/younger teens: Dumping everything in a box and try to make it fit by sitting on it.

PACKING IS AN ART.

Listen to me trying to sound like some sort of a smart guy, but really guys it is an art. First off you got to make sure you get the right boxes. Then after that, make sure you got your trusty Sharpie- If you're reading this and have young kids, have them use a marker or something. I just read that somewhere in the US kids are getting high off of Sharpies...weird- and in the mindset to pack. (Or procrastinate it, that helps too but then you'll just either end up getting yelled at by your parents or have to sit on your packing box hoping everything will fit. I know I'm a procrastinator myself but really, think ahead, make it easier on yourself.)

If you're anything like me, you're a neat freak either by choice or your SNCO Dad made you into a neat freak. But either way, set a plan and try to stick with it. Think about what you have in your room right now and ask your parents how much room you can pack. Sometimes, sadly, you can't bring all the stuff you have right now. So you'll have to choose between the "I want to bring this" and "I need to bring this". (Even though I'm sure a lot of the things you're going to pack are going to be a "need" anyways)

Boxes!

So, take a look around your room right now. What do you see? Start from a small area like say your desk or a book shelve. Look at the things and think about if you're going to need it any time soon or not. If not, hey, put it down on the check list.

You're probably thinking "Who the hell still use a check list anymore?!?" Really, it can be helpful not only to keep track of your stuff when you are unpacking but at the same time, you get a good look of what you're packing and if you can shorten up the list if your parents are breathing down your neck about it.


If you're parents are anything like mine, they have a dead line for when you need to finish packing with everything labeled. So, after you've somewhat made a list, start packing away the things you might not need and somewhat try to make an effort to make that dead-line. Why? Cause believe it or not, there's a reason why they set those dead-lines, if something to go wrong (knock on wood) there will be time to recover. Last minute thing can get kind of crazy so, make it easier on your parents alright?

Now, onto the packing itself. Really, packing is an art. When you have the things you're going to pack, think of it as a game of Tetris. (Don't know what I'm talking about then go here to play the game, come on, you've never heard of Tetris, what are you a loser? Go here now and take a break from all this reading and packing stuff and play some Tetris) You want to try and make the space within the box disappear. Simple? It can be.

Label 'Em!

So use your head and see what you need to back and make it fit like the blocks on Tetris. When you're all done, you just might be surprised on how many things you put in there, how well it fits and you can closed it up with some tape without having to sit on it or your parents yelling at you on why it's so darn big.

Last, don't forget, grab your Sharpie/marker and either write your name all over it or write what's in the box. Trust me, it saves a lot of time when you're unpacking to know which box is actually yours and not your Great-great-great-great-grandma's "dishes" (I mean China-why the hell do they call it that anyways?!?) that your Mom have and will never use. And if you're really bored, draw the up arrow and color them or something, plus it'll tell the movers which side is up, see it's a win win situation.

Don't forget to tape it shut with mover's tape too. Best part about the sealing is listen to the mover's tape come off the roll. Holy cow it's awesome.

To the parents: Yes, your China passed own from your Great-great-great-grandma are important, but packing for us kids are important too. Hey it's our stuff don't try and tell us what to do about it. How much things can go in the box are fine but don't actually do the packing for us without physically doing it. Remember, it is OUR stuff.

If your kids are younger, I know it can be a bit crazy trying to tell them to fit everything nicely into a big box that looks more fun than any games they have. But trust me, remember that "we want to feel like we’re important" stuff I talked about? Ya we want to feel important, like we're all grown up. So let us toss things in the box, it gets things done right? Sort of...but you get what I'm saying

If your kids are young teen/teen: I don't know what else to say...less screaming and nagging = more packing? Get my drift? Good, ha.

Until next time, hug your parents and tell them you love them, grab the Sharpie and start writing. Go make a list of things you need and want or something.

Ya right…you and I both know it's more fun when you procrastinate.

P.S. If you are like me with Spinal Cord Injury or need to use a wheelchair for any reason, here's extra tip for you. When you pack, make sure you put the boxes on top of the bed or somewhere higher than the ground. Really, when the boxes are full, it's easier to pick them up from the bed than from the ground. Ok it's impossible, there I say it. So just a tiny tip and FYI.

Next tip: Knuckles Tip #4- Moving Day or Knuckles Tip #4 Part 2- Moving Day Cont.

Knuckles Tip #2- Shock (Inspired by Tucker)

Really...the woman rocks. She makes me laugh every time I read her blog. Check her site if you got no clue what I'm talking about. Really at this point I'm already running out of ideas. Not that there isn't a lot I can talk about but really too much ideas is like over floating a cup and eventually everything just kind if evaporates...and yes...the cup does too.

Anyways, I got nothing so I'll just follow what she wrote about. Every PCS or life got faces. While parents and grown ups are dealing with issues, we're dealing with another. So here goes....

Anyways…Tip #2
For Adults/older teens: After the PCS news ok more like "shock"
For kids/younger teens:"I'm moving, John Anybody." "WHAT?!? NOOOO." "Yes, I'm moving."

DON'T "BREAK" THE NEWS TO YOUR FRIENDS. TELL 'EM!

Right so by now you know you're moving. You're over the "I don't want to move" tantrum and believe it or not, you're actually somewhat excited to be going to the snow, out of country, or wherever you're going. If you're parents are somewhat sane...they'll tell you on Thursday or Friday. So, what, it gives you Thursday to digest the thought of moving. Then it gives you Friday to think about telling your friends and you probably end up either "chicken out" or too busy to, fine, no problem. Oh look weekends! Thank God, you get two more days to find out a way to tell your friends. You know you should tell your them you're moving but you just don't know how and by the time you want to even start thinking about it, it's Sunday night and you're lying in bed going, "WHAT THE HELL DO I DO?!?" or something like that. *Considering there might be parents reading these...just don't swear in front of your parents alright...that's the quickest way to get them pissed off or you grounded, whichever is worse. If you really got to do it, at least do it in your mind or under the covers. No screaming it though, blankets and pillows aren't sound proof. If you haven't figure that one out already...*

So, from experience, calm down, jog in place or something and chill. You got over the "Honey we're moving." part and I'm sure telling your friends is as easy as your parents telling you the news. If you haven't gotten over the "We're moving." part, do that first. Really you can't tell your friends you're moving if you yourself isn't somewhat calm/sane. (Sounded like what you're parents were/are going through right now. Oh they hide it but you and I know it's there. They're going nuts with the paperwork, house selling, whatever adults do.) So stay calm and think of the best way to TELL your friends and not "break" the news.

I'm sure you're like me, by now you've moved billion of times (or something like that) and each time it gets harder and harder to tell your friends that you're moving. Here's what you do, it's a little something I like to call. APPLY. RINSE. REPEAT.

We're not selling shampoos here and even if we were, it'd be the same. Apply the same tactics that your parents did to tell your friends. If your parents didn't read what I wrote before and their tactics sucks, don't blame them, just come up with something new. "So I heard the snow out in Colorado is nice during this time of year." is a better conversation starter than "OMG I'M MOVING I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO I'M GOING TO MISS YOU SOOOO MUCH."

Rinse. Not going to lie, your friends are probably going to go nuts or somewhat upset that you're moving. It's normal but don't splash the news at them then leave them out to fend for themselves. They're your friends that you've made for how many years you've stayed there, they're your buddies, pal, bros, whatever you call them so don't leave hanging. There's a reason why you can't just leave shampoo in your hair...wash it out geeze before you get your Mom pissed that you didn't completely wash your hair. Rise it, really. Don't leave the shampoo aka your friends hanging. It's not cool at all and just like shampoo...if you leave it in your hair for too long they'll start to stink. (Bad analogy I know but it's the truth.) If you leave your friends hanging there, they'll stink and shut themselves off from you. And oh look you don't want that, remember that social network thing I talked about before? Ya that doesn't work when your friends don't want to see your face let alone talk to you. Got it? Good.

Repeat. Hopefully your parents give you time to let this moving thing sink in. Cuz really...it's going to need some repeating for it to work. Keep talking to your friends and do the things I talked about before. Tell them it's going to be chill and you can still talk and see each other (virtually) as often as possible. Unless you're some dude/dudettes that don't like getting their hair cleaned, you're going to repeat the "hair washing" process right? I hope so...if not...then you're on your own.

To the parents: Believe it or not telling your kids the news of moving is just as difficult as us telling our friends. It's hard, it's crazy, and just like you we got no clue what or how to say it.

If your kids are younger, invite his/her friends over and tell them together of this moving news. (I know what you’re thinking…."LIKE I GOT ANY TIME ON MY HANDS TO HAVE MORE KIDS IN THE HOUSE!" But really, it's fine, just for half an hour, or 10 minutes, even. Really, we don't have that much of an attention span anyways. We just want to feel like we're important but truly we just want to hear it and get the hell out of there so we can play in the backyard or something. But really, it helps.)

If your kids are young teen/teen…don't and I say DON'T invite our friends over. DON'T. Let us handle this on our own alright. We both know that you got more things on your plate like selling the house or going through checklists. You got better things to do than to tell a bunch of teens that "it's ok you can still contact us" in the so called cutest voice. Don't, really, we're fine, we're teens. We can handle ourselves most of the time.

What you can do though, is just kind of check in on us once awhile. Cuz even if we don't admit it, it's kind of cool to "get the attention" from our parents once awhile. That's right, ONCE AWHILE, not EVERYDAY. Just ask something simple like "how are your friends taking it?" and if we answer "fine" don't push it! You might know it's not fine but pushing it and trying to make us talk doesn't help. To the caring Moms out there...really don't. It'll just ruins your "Goody Mom" shoes and image. "Fine" means fine. Even though it might not be. But we're teens alright, we're cool like that and if we can handle the family car, we can handle telling the news to our friends. (I can hear some parent chuckling while reading this. WE HANDLE THE FAMILY CAR JUST FINE ALRIGHT?!?) Back off a bit please, we're teens not kids. Thanks.

Until next time, hug your parents and tell them you love them, grab the keys and go for a ride with your friends and tell them the news gently. Go somewhere off post where your parents can't tack you or something. Wait...unless you got those GPS things on your phone, then just stay on post and don't do anything too crazy that the MPs will wonder what the hell you're up to.

Ya right…you and I both know it's fun to taught the MPs. But keep this on the DL I think they're onto us.

Next tip: Knuckles Tip #3- Packing

Knuckles Tip #1- PCS (Inspired by Tucker)

Before I start, I'm kind of running this as whatever comes up to my mind. So for those who are actually reading this and want a subject, let me know through comments, Twitter, message, whatever. It'd be a nice addition too, to know that people are actually reading (and maybe enjoying?) what I'm writing. Hmmm...this might be a good idea for a radio show thing...CRAZY IDEAS FLOWING more on it later.

Anyways...Tip #1
For Adults/older teens: PCS
For kids/younger teens:"What? PCS?!? What's that? Oh...we're moving...NOOOOOO. WHYYYYY. NOOOO. I'M STAYING. I DON'T CARE I'M STAYING. I'M NOT MOVING. NO!!!"

AS MUCH AS YOU DON'T WANT TO MOVE, DEAL WITH IT.

Ok that sounded more like my Dad's words when he got pissed at me one day but hell...why not cuz by now you've probably heard it more than once in your life. It sounds harsh but really...it's the truth.

We brats are born into a strange yet proud and amazing family. Since we are born, you probably know your immediate family and at the same time, you know family from people say your parents know or families on post. Now whether you want to admit it or not...they're family. They know how this life will be for you for the next 18+ years, they know what's going to happen, and believe it or not, they all want to help you as much as you can.

And while you may or may not like it, moving is just part of this life we got to get use to. And there's nothing I can say that's going to make you like/hate it less. Because that's just how it is, matter of fact, as I am typing this, tons of family is going through what you and I are going through. It's just part of life.

But breathe. We are actually pretty lucky. (Can't believe I said it but yes, we are.) Considering we got internet, social networks, emails, and not to mention blogs...ya you're fine, you can keep track of your friends via Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, or whatever. You can even email them or hey..."old fashion" snail mail. Think...if we were living the days only telegrams exist...ya you would probably go nuts. Think about how lucky we are that our messages to our friends isn't "I space miss space you end of sentence" or even ".. -- .. ... ... -.-- --- ..- " Right? Right. So really, you're not losing any friends, just not going to see them as often. OH WAIT there's something I'd like to call...WEB CAMS, there, problem solved.

As far as making friends...if you're reading this and a teen...by now you've master the art of making new friends. Right? So really...shouldn't be that hard. Everyone got their own method, and yours probably work better than mine. *SUGGESTION* Don't try to fit in, be yourself, seek people with same interest or even start/follow someone's conversation. "Hey I like your chair, it looks pretty cool." "Oh thanks, I got it from...." *END SUGGESTION* You get what I'm saying? Do your mojo on them or something...you can make friends, trust me.

Right...so now it's not sounding so bad. So stop reading, go to your parents' room and apologize for yelling at them and tell them why you said you don't want to move and that it's fine now. (Cuz it will be, trust me.) Really, it's not that bad, none at all. Remember, just part of life. You can do this, you've done it before, I've done it before and yes, you can. It's not that bad. Now get to it...go ask your parents if you can make a Facebook/MySpace or get a WebCam when you get wherever you're going. Just don't tell them you got that idea from me.

To the parents: One thing that got me through all the moves is definitely my Mom reassuring me it'd be fun and adventurous and that I can still contact my old friends.

If your kids are younger, turn it into a "game". Trust me, packing was a lot more fun when I got to do it myself. (I know what you're thinking....disaster waiting to happen...but really, it worked out ok when my Mom "watched" over my shoulder. HINT HINT But keep in mind we hate parents watching our every move..so just "watch" alright? We might be kids but we can still see you glaring at us by the door, yes you, I'm talking to you, ma'am. Don't do it, no, "watch" but not watch, please.)

If your kids are young teen/teen...you're on your own. KIDDING. You're the parent...you should know what to say to make this PCS as right as it can go for us. Say the right words can turn the frown upside down and make this move a lot more happier for everyone. My Mom's exact words when we moved to Ft. Carson years ago was "They got snowwwwwwwww!!!!" rather than "come on hon...you know we got to do this, we're a family." See the difference? Right. And even the "I'll let make a Facebook/MySpace so you can still talk to your friends!" can make it just that much better. Just remember, CHOOSE YOUR WORDS CAREFULLY!

Until next time, hug your parents and tell them you love them, grab some allowance and go down to the PX just to stand in front of the huge TV you wish you had and watch whatever they're showing. No don't do that...help with the shopping list of something...

Ya right...you and I both know the TV is way cooler.

Next tip: Knuckles Tip #2- Shock (Inspired by Tucker)