On Moving All Over the Country

If you're new to this blog, you may have missed the part where my husband switched airline jobs almost two years ago. His job change is the reason we moved from Colorado to Florida in the first place, and this month we're moving again. This time, thankfully, it's only an in-state move as opposed to a cross country move. This month we'll say goodbye to the Tampa area and hello to Orlando. Even though we're only facing a short-distance move, we'll still need to learn a new area, make new friends, and settle into a new place. We are looking forward to the move and the changes it will bring though.

My husband was recently awarded a base change, hence the reason for our upcoming move. (Forgive me if you're reading this and already understand the workings of an airline). Many pilots live near, or in, their base. Some don't. The pilots who don't live in base commute (sometimes cross-country) to their base for work. The airline my husband currently works for doesn't have very commutable schedules, so we opted to live in his base as opposed to having him commute cross-country. If he commuted, there's a good chance I'd only see him a few days a month. For that reason, the airline basically dictates where we can live right now, because living across the country from each other isn't really an option for us. I often wish it was more simple than this, but it's not. We're attempting to make the best of what the airline gives us, so we're moving.

We're moving with the hopes of my husband getting better seniority, schedules, hours, and options. A pilot's seniority (their employee number) basically determines their quality of life. Typically the earlier you were hired and longer you've worked for an airline, the better your seniority number. Everything from being able to use your vacation time on certain dates to getting certain days off of work hinges on your seniority number. Switching bases is a slight gamble, but it's one we're thinking will pay off for us. We've thought about this move for quite some time, and things began falling into place for it to actually happen.

Just recently I was trying to count all of the moves I've had in my life, and it's quite a lot. I technically moved at least once a year during college, and I usually lived in a new/different apartment each year. Counting each of those moves around campus, I've lived in over 12 different apartments, dorms, and houses by now. Moving doesn't necessarily get easier either. Not only is it tiring moving all of those heavy pieces of furniture and boxes, but starting over again in a new place can be a tough adjustment. I'm still not exactly sure where home is yet, and I still believe it's more a state of mind or a feeling than a physical location. We're learning to feel "at home" no matter where we happen to live.