PCS to MacDill AFB FL in October

[HeatherFeather]

DH is currently on a 365 deployment to Iraq...he is due back Aug 23!!! Yay! Last Friday he was told he got his PCS orders for MacDill AFB. Also yay! Here is the boo part...his report date is Oct 15.

Luckily, we are only about an 8 hr car drive from there in SC. I am looking for house hunting advice and generally info and impressions about the area. I have already made one contact in the area and she has been MOST helpful.

I think we are looking for homes in Brandon and Valrico. Anyone else in that area want to tell me how much you LOVE it?

We are very excited about this move...both DH's job and the area. Oh..and I will be looking for work as an ultrasound technologist. Any idea what hospitals would be fairly close to me?

Thank you all in advance...

Heather

 

[Longsx3]

I sent you a PM!

 

[JohnsPrincess]

Oooh Jealous!! My husband and I "live" in Tampa!! He just took a 3 year controlled tour to Little Rock to be a recruiter though! Lol.

Personally, we never understood why people live in Brandon/Valrico, etc. It takes about 45 min to get to work that way... There are some VERY nice houses in South Tampa...and it would only take him about 5 min to get to work from there!

If your're set on living further out though, Brandon is okay. It has a nice mall and I believe there's a hospital out there...even a clinic-extension of the base. There is a VA hospital in Tampa as well as one in...St. Pete (...I think it's St. Pete...my mom works there and I can never decide if it's there or if I'm blanking on the name). Plus there are a few other hospitals in Tampa.

Anyways...have you been to Tampa before??? I LOVE IT!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE!!! There is NO place else in the states that I'd rather live (and I was a military brat and am in the military myself so lots of moving...)! Busch Gardens is there, which is great. The Lowry Park Zoo is a REALLY GOOD zoo! There are museums and lots of artsy sort of things. The state fair, Strawberry Festival, Guavaween, Ren Fest, and...ohhhh...I'm totally forgetting the thing in Jan...it's a Pirate Festival basically but it has a NAME. You're ONE HOUR from Disney!!! Lol. And the beach...the beautiful beach. *sigh*