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.

~♥~

the long deployment

My son deployed last summer...

 and is still at sea... and is not on the way home yet.

This will be the longest USN deployment 

since Viet Nam by the time it is completed.

A lot has happened since he left... seasons and holidays have passed.

I have sent LOTS of care packages...

including these Christmas ones that LIT UP.

My son said his shipmates were impressed! ;) 

I have grown to LOVE the bubbly sound

my phone makes when I get a Skype message

at odd hours.

My sailor has seen a bit of the world...

Christmas in Dubai~ he'll always remember that.

He stood watch on Christmas day, but had 

a few days off before. 

 There have been other ports and there are more to come. 

He has been part of something important

while in the Persian Gulf for all these months. 

He has seen a lot... but mostly this. 

He has not complained to me one time. 

~♥~

And I have kept the "home fires burning"...

Deployment.

You count the days.

You send packages

 and email.

You love Skype and Viber.

 You cherish port calls

because your sailor has some fun 

and you get phone calls.

You try not to think 

 about how dangerous the waters 

of the Persian Gulf are.

You pray.

And you have a grateful heart

for this grand and noble adventure.

~♥~

update~ at last

Where does the time go?

I apologize for abandoning this blog.

My son has made this ship his home

since last June.

In the past year he has been on numerous underways. 

He has gotten to know the ship and the beautiful city of San Diego.

We, as his family, have been blessed to have regular contact

with him (except for during the times he was underway).

He came home for Christmas!!! 

And he came home for 2 weeks this summer!

We had so much fun! 

Having our family complete was truly the best thing ever.

His sweet girlfriend, who has stood by him for FOUR YEARS,

was home from college and they got to spend

lots of time together.♥  

Now everyone knows that warships do not sit in the harbor forever.

After three years of hard work and preparation

it was time. 

The ship deployed in August.

It will be a long journey.

My son is ready. He likes his work.

He is off on his adventure. 

Communication is limited again. 

Every Face Book green light, Skype "ding", email notification

or call from an unknown number might be a message

from a faraway place on the sea.

As always, I miss him.

As always, my heart is full of love & gratitude.

~♥~

two years

"Time is the longest distance between two places."

  ~Tennessee Williams

Two years ago today our son raised his right hand 

for his final swearing-in, boarded a bus, boarded a plane 

and made his way to Great Lakes, Illinois.

 When we saw him, 2 months later at Navy boot-camp

graduation, he was a sailor.  

  Today he is a 3rd class Petty Officer. 

He has spent most of the past two years in one of the most

 challenging academic programs in the US military. 

In May he completed his studies and is a 

Nuclear Machinist Mate. 

He is stationed in San Diego and serves on

the USS Carl Vinson~ a nuclear powered aircraft carrier.

 I think of that bright summer morning in Dallas two years ago. 

I think of that boy who clutched his first set orders

and boarded that bus to his future.

I can tell you this, from a mother's heart, 

it was a beautiful, proud, terrible day. 

It was the first good-bye, the first knowing 

of this new life~ this unique letting-go~ 

this giving-over ~ this first step

on this new, uncharted path.

Some will tell you it gets easier,

 but that is not the word I would use.

I shattered my kneecap some years ago.

It actually hurts constantly. Mostly I ignore it. 

I am accustomed to it. I distract myself. 

Sometimes I take something to quell the pain.

But it is there always, a dull ache usually, 

but some days it is sharp flame.

And this is the way I miss my son. 

It is not easier, but I am used to it.

I stay busy and grateful~ 

always I find comfort and joy in being grateful. 

Time passes. Life goes on. 

Two years passes in a heartbeat.

~♥~

 

"Time is a brisk wind, for each hour it brings something new... 

but who can understand and measure its sharp breath, 

its mystery and its design?"

 ~Paracelsus

sweet freedom

Today I am thankful for those that serve and have served!

Our country is free and strong because of you! 

~♥~

And I send a special thank you and much love

to San Diego and a certain sailor

that is missed today...

and every day.

~♥~

all good things...

 It's true... all good things must come to an end, and our sailor's wonderful, long leave did just that~

it ended.

So this heap of belongings ...

 

 was sorted and packed...

 and became this.

 And it was time for the last hug. 

This, my friends, does NOT become easier. 

That is myth and a not very nice one either. 

It diminishes the reality of these good-byes.

They are hard.

And, for me, saying "See you later" in place of "Good-bye" 

makes no difference. My heart knows the truth.

But I was brave! It is NOT easier, but I HAVE gotten 

better at it. :)

Father and son set off for sunny southern Cal~

San Diego, to be exact. It was a road trip to remember. 

Back at home... I was grateful for having had 

such a marvelous visit with my son.

But, I was a little sad. The house was too quiet.

The dog... well, he was sad, too. 

Soon sailor and dad arrived in San Diego. 

After a short visit, the hubs flew home 

and our sailor reported to his ship, the USS Carl Vinson.

After almost 2 years, our sailor was ON A BOAT!  ;) 

Okay, well, maybe it's not exactly like that...

but more like these photos that he took on his first underway. 

 So, this post is not really about endings. 

It is about a beginning, a new adventure for my sailor.

 And I have memories of all my kids together,

happy, healthy and having fun!

I am so very thankful.

All good things... yes, I really do have all good things.♥ 

 Blessed beyond measure.

~♥~

So the journey continues...

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! 

~♥~