QUALIFIED! BONA FIDE! THE REAL DEAL!

 

The face you see above is the face of a Qualified Nuclear Operator 

in the United States Navy!!!! 

Sign, sealed and delivered, he is done and home on leave! 

We did not attend Prototype graduation since 

our sailor left immediately after to drive from upstate N.Y. 

home to the Dallas suburbs. I will not even comment on 

how quickly he got here...

 

He actually arrived a day before he was expected, so my 

welcome home decor was not as fancy as I'd planned,

but the main thing, the ONLY thing that matters is 

HE IS HERE and HE IS DONE 

WITH NUKE SCHOOL!!!!!

He survived! 

I survived! 

~♥~

 And he is home and doing all the things he loves to do.

Messing with cars...

Helping with the yard.

 Helping out at the church fund-raiser with his dad and brother.

Shooting hoops.

Meeting our new pup and just hanging out.

~♥~

My heart is so happy and grateful.

It is like old times...

a brief reprieve before we give him back to the Navy. 

He leaves in a few weeks to joing his ship.

He got the number one pick on his "dream-sheet" and will be 

serving on the USS Carl Vinson out of San Diego. 

We are so happy, because it is a beautiful place and the 

closest homeport he could have gotten assigned to

while serving on a nuclear aircraft carrier.

Next I will learn to be the mom of a sailor in the fleet, a deployed sailor.

The Navy never stops teaching me new things. 

I am so very proud of my sailor! 

He has worked so hard and achieved so much! 

And now~ I'm a Nuke mom! 

~♥~

A School~ check!

Going to see my sailor graduate from Nuclear Field 

A School was a great experience!! 

I am so grateful that I was able to attend

and share this moment with my son.

The graduation ceremony was impressive. 

My sailor is very proud of his "crows" and red chevron

that indicate his new rank of MM3.

He is a 3rd Class Petty Officer!

He worked hard for this!

Yes, I took a zillion pictures! 

The one above is inside the legendary

Rickover Building. I did not, for the record,

have my soul sucked out of me, but the sailors claim this 

building does just that. ;)

It was so good to see the base and know where my son lives.

Behind him is the Subway where he eats OFTEN! 

He introduced me to the guys and gals that work there

and they were so sweet and friendly. 

I met some of his buddies and passed on mama-hugs

from their moms. 

We visited the USS Yorktown- a WWII era aircraft carrier.

It was so fun we went back the next day 

with some of my son's buddies.

It was cold, but beautiful in Charleston.

And we got to go to Folly Beach, which was so pretty!

We nearly froze, but it was worth to see the beautiful Atlantic! 

What a blessing it was to spend these days with my son.

But let me tell you this...

goodbye does not get easier. 

My sailor starts his next level of schooling,

"Power School", in April. The next time I see him

will be September or October ~ the longest

time not seeing him so far. 

I remind myself that he is doing well,

that this is HIS journey and his life

and I am filled with pride and happiness.

Still, I miss him every day. 

~♥~

half a year later...

~class 1203-A

My Navy mom journey continues...

On Monday my son passed his A School Comps at 

Navy Nuclear Power Training Command. 

He graduates on Friday and will be a Third Class Petty Officer.

He has a lot more hard schooling ahead of him, but this

is a great accomplishment. Nuke school is generally regarded

as one of the most academically demanding school in the military. 

My sailor has had his ups and downs and has worked

so hard to get to this point in his training.

Along the way he has adjusted to military life, lived far

from family, maintained a long distance relationship

with his sweet girl, learned to do laundry and made some 

friends for life. His visit at Christmas was a joy

for our entire family. 

As for me~ I have stayed BUSY and have somewhat

adjusted to my nearly empty nest. Now 3 of my 4 

kids are launched out into the world. 

I miss them, but I know this is the way of the world. 

My other 2 grown kids are close by and I see

them often. My sailor is far away and so busy with 

nuke school and Navy life. His days are long.

Thank God for technology. I am grateful for texts, 

FaceBook and phone calls to keep us connected. 

But truth is, I miss him all the time.

~♥~

I am so proud of all my sweet kids. 

~♥~

I am blessed beyond measure...

and~ I am going to Charleston to see my sailor graduate! 

Oh, happy day!!!

~♥~

so proud

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brave new world

Last week at this time we were in Great Lakes enjoying 

our son's brief liberty after his boot camp graduation. 

It seems like a year ago! 

The time flew. Those few hours over 2 short days were

not nearly enough. The good bye at O'Hare 

was brutal. Since my son's arrival at NNPTC 

communication has been pretty good... texts, phone calls,

FaceBook. But it is hard to realize that this 

is as good as it gets. I've been sad, but I am

determined to accept this new reality, and to

support and encourage my Sailor. 

It is a rough road, a lonely place for a mother's 

heart. But there is no option except to let go

and CHOOSE gratitude. 

Today I am grateful for family and friends,

for the supportive military community

and for the gift of this day. 

~♥~

bittersweet

A year ago my son was a high school senior

who was talking to a US Navy recruiter.

Today he is a a Sailor with three red stripes

on his sleeve, stationed at

Naval Nuclear Training Command

in Goose Creek, S.C. 

He begins classes later this month, 

the start of a long trek toward becoming

a Machinist Mate-Nuclear Field. 

PIR (boot camp graduation) was amazing.

Our short time with our son was an emotional

roller coaster. I don't like roller coasters.

I thought my first post after PIR would be 

a song of joy, a celebration of pride.

And I feel those things, I assure you,

but in all honesty, I am bereft.

Boot camp had a beginning and an end.

But this, ah this... this is our new reality.

Our son is a Sailor. He chose to serve

and he is gone and he is grown.

He is not in college or at a regular job. 

Nothing or no one comes before 

his commitment to the Navy.

I trust that this new reality will lose some of its

sharp barbs in time, that this ache will ease.

I am grateful for easier communication 

with my Sailor now, happy to know

he is safe and moving toward his goals.

I am trying to concentrate on these things

and thinking of Christmas, hoping 

he has leave.

~♥~

My son is a SAILOR!

At last! 

JOY!

HAPPY,HAPPY DAY! 

We leave for Chicago in the morning!

I am so proud of my sweet Sailor son! 

Millions of photos and details

to come. 

~♥~

best day(s) ♥

How wonderful is is to have some communication from my son

in boot camp!!! We have now gotten TWO real 

letters and a glorious, long phone call!!!!

My son is doing very well and has the honor

of holding a Recruit Petty Officer position! 

He is the Port Watch Section Leader. 

He sounds great in his letters and on the phone.

In spite of having a cold (known as the Ricky Crud),

pink-eye and having all 4 wisdom teeth pulled,

he is upbeat and determined! 

He had his birthday in boot camp and spent

his first hours of being 19 standing watch and toting

a 9mm pistol. He is making friends

and says his RDCs are "smart, good people"

beneath "the show they put on". 

I am so grateful for his positive attitude! 

Our trip is booked now and in 4 weeks 

we will be at our son's PIR.

That will be another 'best day".

~♥~

endings

My son went off cheerfully to his last day of high school last week.

I think he felt only happiness and an eagerness to move forward 

and leave his public school days behind.

Me? Not so much. 

My feelings were mixed. Another one of my "babies" finishing high school

is a great, but bittersweet feeling. Three down, one to go.

Where did the time go? 

Ah, well, it flies. Days, months, years~ all gone like fallen

snow when the sun comes beaming out. But it is a good thing, the way

of the world. We cannot stop time, but memories are a sweet

balm to the aching heart. I am happy, mostly. 

My son said, "Mom, why do people make such a big deal about high school graduation?

Everybody graduates!"... I told him it was a milestone, 

a distinctive marker in a young person's life, the end of an era~

but what does an 18 year old grasp about milestones? 

He is looking toward his bright, exciting future.

My son's recruiter was at graduation and even though

it is still two months until boot camp, this sure did feel 

like I was handing him over to the capable hands

of the U.S. Navy. 

So now I count the double digit days...

We need to get a power of attorney, go though my son's room...

Graduation was an ending, but also a beginning~

a new life awaits my son... and me. 

Ready or not.

~♥~