update~ January 2016

So, I am woefully remiss in regards to this blog. I'm going to do better!! 

 All is well and my son is still a sailor, still a nuke and is doing great! 

This pic is from a port stop in Hawaii. 

It was a quick stop right before the ship's homecoming 

from a long deployment to the Middle East. 

I was VERY BLESSED to be able to go to San Diego and
see his ship come in.If you have a deployed sailor I strongly urge you
to attend this event if you possibly can!

It is worth every penny! I can say, with NO hesitation, that this event 
was one of the most amazing things that I have ever experienced! 

I will write an in-depth post about it, but trust me when I tell you

it is incredible! My son was deployed for almost 10 months.

Seeing that massive aircraft carrier come into view,
 the rails lined with sailors in dress whites, 

is a sight I will never forget!  

And the moment when I laid my eyes on my son after so long...

well, what can I say? My heart was so full, so very full!

~♥~

This is how it is when your child chooses to serve.

It is  series of hugs... good-bye, hello, good-bye.

It is trying make a thousand memories in a few days,

enough to last you until the next time. 

It is hard and beautiful and bittersweet.

And if you are lucky, despite the distance and the time apart,

you will see that familiar grin and know

that your sailor is still yours, still that boy (or girl)

that grew up so fast... and you will know

that you are blessed.

~♥~

good stuff

So... my sailor is in his second level of nuke school~ Power School. 

He is super busy. Along with a very challenging school, these sailors 

still have to do their "Navy stuff". No rolling out of bed and falling into 

class late, unshaven, in shorts and a t-shirt... No skipping class. And 

there is still PT and other Navy things that fill their days. Evenings are

for studying. All materials are classified, so studying is done in the classroom.

All of this added together equals limited communication. 

It is hard, to be honest. But you learn to appreciate an answered text...

it may be answered many hours (or even days later) and then there 

is the rare phone call. You adapt... pray a lot... get support and understanding

from your Navy mom "sisters"...

 and for me~ I stay busy! 

My happy place (aside from the beach) is CREATING! 

I have been enjoying making Navy related jewelry lately. 

Stamping metal (embossing?) is really fun. 

It also makes me happy to know that I am creating

for Navy moms, wives, significant others.

I have a shop on Etsy... Son and Sea Shop

I keep my prices low and US shipping is always free.

It will be a long time until I see my sailor, but I am so proud of him.

He has accomplished a lot in the almost 9 months since he shipped.

I miss him so much every day, but I have to focus on the "good stuff". 

There is so much to be grateful for. And I am. ♥ 

sisters of the heart

So, as of 4/8/12 my son has been in the Navy for 8 months. 

It is rather surreal. 

I am very proud of what he has accomplished.

Nuclear Field A School is done. He is a 3rd Class Petty Officer.

And now he is in the 2nd level of his schooling... Power School.

He seems well adjusted to military life.

He seems impossibly far away.

The nature of nuke school makes communication spotty. 

School days are long and study hours take up much of the limited

"free time" the sailors have. 

I have to be honest... there is a huge hole in my heart.

I don't mention it, except to my "sisters"~

my Nuke mom friends. 

We buoy one another~ laugh, cry, pray, share too much~

and build a bond that is so deep and strong. 

I love them.

That is the condolence prize...

the gift of true friends and I am so grateful for it.

Still, I miss my sailor every day... miss him thundering down

the stairs and drinking all the milk. 

I miss his loud truck and I miss

cooking for him and talking to him.

We won't see him until late September.

My Navy sisters will keep me afloat.

And I will do the same for them.

~♥~