Fresh from a trip to West Fargo to help celebrate the last day of school for my grandkids, my head was spinning with the number of activities that were planned for the summer.

I thought I had a grasp on my granddaughters’ schedule as she is into dance and will be doing a couple of dance camps. Later this summer Addely will also be attending the Y Camp at Garrison with a couple of cousins from Williston. “And what else do you have going on this summer” I asked. Expecting a “this is kind of it” answer, I was totally surprised when she said she was also going to take tennis lessons, and maybe golf lessons and “maybe if I have time I’ll play t-ball.” A busy summer indeed.

Then there are the 2 older boys who will be helping their Mom at a program call Safety Town. Carter plays baseball and both of them will be taking tennis lessons and attending a tennis camp. Again, a busy summer!
Finally, there is the youngest grandchild. He could only tell me that he was going to play t-ball, but based on the other kids’ schedules, I am thinking there is more.

As circumstance would have it, I happened to have a short conversation with a young man on base. He had just finished school and was excited for summer. In order to make conversation I asked about what he had going on this summer, and he said “well, we’re going to PCS” and then he went on to explain they were going to grandma’s house for a couple of weeks and hopefully able to get to their new home in July.

I wished him well on his transition, but his matter of fact approach to his PCS summer activities led me to think about how his summer, although probably busy with moving and transitioning to a new base, would be a bit disjointed.

We just finished month of the Military Child where the focus was on those young people who indeed lead a totally different lifestyle. Every 2 years for some, their lifestyle is interrupted with a move to a different base and then going through the process of getting re-established in a new home, a new neighborhood and a new community. I am sure it is an “all hands on deck” at the family level to sink new roots and get into a whole new lifestyle.

In the meantime, the continuity of learning how to play tennis, golf, baseball and do dance has been totally interrupted. The young guy that I talked to hoped he would be able to play soccer again in his new community. Something as common as soccer may be guaranteed, but what about an activity like robotics? I did a story on kids who moved here from Viginia where they were heavily involved in robotics, only to find there wasn’t a robotics club in Minot. Their option was to just forget robotics and move on to something else or do like they did; get their parents interested and start a robotics club at Minot North High School. Soon they had a club started, a robot built and were competing in locations as far away as Duluth, Minnesota.

So, for those of you who are reading this article and looking at a summertime PCS. Best of luck! Safe travels, and I hope you can get started in family activities in your new home. Although I have been in this position for almost 6 years and have had many friends PCS out to new bases in the U.S. and around the world, what I have discovered is the resilience of military families as they pick up and move on. Invariably I will receive an email or text message with information about their new home, new community, and new activities…and even some new and exciting activities.

And on our end; let’s not forget it’s PCS season and we’ll have a lot of new families arriving in our community. We have the responsibility, and the opportunity, to make them welcome and help them get involved.

Best Kept Secrets
Many of you will be traveling to Medora this summer and will probably chart your journey south to Bismarck and then west to Medora on Interstate 94. A second route, and granted it is 2-lane highway and maybe a bit slower, is to take Highway 23 west to New Town, and then south on Highway 22. The views on this highway are amazing. Native grasslands, badlands, river valley…a great experience. On your way you can stop at Crow Flies High Point just out of New Town and have a breathtaking view of the 4 Bears bridge.
And, if you have time, the new MHA Interpretive Center and Lodges area is just outside of New Town. Look for signs directing you to all of these locations.

Today’s Chuckle
Money isn’t everything, but it does keep your children paying attention to you.