Moving to Norfolk soon!!

[Jessica__S514]

My husband is graduating A-school in Pensacola this coming Tuesday. He received his verbals that we will be going to Norfolk. He has not yet received written orders. I know there could possibly be changes between when you receive verbals to when you receive your written but my husband says we will ultimately be headed to Norfolk. This will be our first station/move. We (my husband, our daughter and myself) will be moving from PA.

I am very new to being a navy wife let alone moving and so forth. Anyone with any experience, advice or opinions, I am ALL ears! I am trying to prepare in every aspect possible as much as I can beforehand. I know that it is a hurry up and wait kind of deal with the Navy/military. I know that nothing is ever My % predictable, for sure or guaranteed. However I want to try and hear about firsthand experiences and advice. My husband says he doesn't know much about when we can move, how long we will have etc. Obviously. this is both his and I first time doing this. With class and tests etc my husband can get a bit "drama-queen-ish" lol. If I ask some questions about how long we have to move, when we have to etc he can get a bit annoyed. I stopped those kind of questions because obviously he does not know anything for sure until he is told. So that is why I am reaching out to who ever has anything they could and would like to share about moving and about Norfolk in general. We will be living somewhere in the surrounding area so that is another huge thing I am interested in. I am researching the area, schools and more. 

Thanks in advance for any words of advice :)

[Marcy ~ Corpsman Mom]

You will love the Norfolk area!  This is another group you need to join - http://navyformoms.com/group/norfolksailorsfamilyfriends, very active.  Post your discussion there, too.  And this group has a lot of information about Navy moves in the Discussions section - http://navyformoms.com/group/pcsingmoving.   I also shared your question with a great Navy wife named Wendy aka cmyhero who moved to the area last year :)

[Jessica__S514]

Thank you so much for your help! I joined those groups and hope to continue to get great feedback! :)

[rikki_100113]

My experience was a little different as we got married after A school. But he put in for our BAH and did not receive it till December and we got married in October. The best thing I can say is for him to go to the housing office and do the paperwork for the move if either you want to do a PPM or have them move you. We did a PPM move and it was pretty plain and simple. But next time I will have them move us. My husband got verbal orders in A school for Norfolk and then got written the day he graduated. So it could be something that comes with time. The Navy is not fast to move at all and we haven't even been doing this that long. But I do not live in Norfolk, yet, but I have been down there multiple times to visit my husband and there is a to of traffic but once you get all past that its an amazing place to live. We even went to the beach in January because it was something to do and was not so cold. The only draw back was this last time of me going to see him they shut down the main tunnel into Norfolk and we had to be rerouted and it was a mess we were stuck in traffic for 3 hours and because we both are so new we didnt know where we were going. Just make sure to get used to the city and where you are going. You will love it.

[Jessica__S514]

Thank you!!

How long did the Navy allow you to wait to move? Did they give you a time frame to where you had to move? I am asking this because it will be ideal for my daughter and I to move to VA this summer. But I don't want to wait that long if the Navy would no longer cover the moving costs.

Also, my husband told me he would live in barracks until we move to a place that we find to rent. Is this true as well?

[rikki_100113]

It depends on the move you want to do if the navy moves you they give you a time frame but if you chose to do a PPM you pick the time frame you want to do. Now with that being said we picked a time frame of like 11/27/13 but did not get the check till almost the second week in December. So it depends on that as well. And it also depends if you and your husband were married before he joined if so they will move all of you if not they will only move him. Now with that I got around it and put his name on everything and it was all of his stuff we were moving but I set it all up (If I were to leave it to him I would still be living with my parents in a room with 2 dogs). Now about the barracks situation he can live in the barracks but if he does you will not receive BAH as they will not pay for him to live there and give you housing money. Now given that my situation is very different from yours as in my husband is in VA and i am in OH this is how we did it. In order for us to receive the BAH he lived on the ship so I could get an apartment in OH. and when I came down to visit him he would stay with me in the hotel room. But that is only if your husband is willing to do so. Make sure he realizes that if he were to stay in the barracks up until you move down you will NOT get BAH at all. If he stays on the ship then applies for housing you will get BAH (in most cases).

[Marcy ~ Corpsman Mom]

Also Jessica, here's a great program you should look into -   "COMPASS - Navy spouses helping each other navigate the maze of military life."  Link:  http://gocompass.org  It's free and a great way to make new friends too!  Check out the schedule on that page for upcoming classes; the next Norfolk class is March 4 - 6.