Comment

Comment by Arwen on January 4, 2011 at 12:51pm

I also missed the M&G at Anastasia's because of a flight (I missed a connection), which is frustrating because I planned the darn thing.

Comment by Arwen on January 4, 2011 at 2:25am

I just wanted to let everyone know, we, as a PIR group, have had a lasting impact.

 

If you remember, we were the first group to hold a separate N4M group Meet and Greet at Anastasia's. Well, now it's a regular event. About one in three PIR groups hold a private gathering at Anastasia's, forgoing the Ramada Inn event.

 

I'm not sure how word spread so fast, but we started something!

Comment by Janie - ProudSailorWife on January 3, 2011 at 8:50pm

Thanks so much! We are beyond excited after having tried for 4 years. I'm so glad to hear that everyone's sailors are doing well. It took awhile for me to get back on here with adjusting to everything.

Sandra - I am so happy for you that both Nichelle and her brother will be in the same place. I'll be great for her to have that support system as well. I'm so glad that we connected on here and I've gotten to know you both!

Comment by Navy/ArmyMom on December 30, 2010 at 10:16am

Hi Janie and congratulations on all of that wonderful news!  You must be very happy! 

We're adjusting to Army son's deployment.  He's doing fine and we are too.  (Well.. I'm getting there..I think)

I hope you all have a safe and Happy New Year.  : )

Comment by Janie - ProudSailorWife on December 30, 2010 at 8:56am

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and that your New Year bring many great things for you  and your families! I can say that this past year as been a new, challenging, but exciting time for us. Ryan has been enlisted for a year (loves his sub crew and they are really pushing for him to seek out Officer), we are at our first duty station after him being in school for most of the year, and we have an amazing little girl on the way. We are looking forward to what the New Year bring for our family.

Comment by Scott Proud Dad of Brian on December 27, 2010 at 11:45pm

Thanks Slimsam, Brian and his family are here now. We had a full house for Christmas, all our kids and all seven grand kids! It was loud but fun. 

Comment by Scott Proud Dad of Brian on December 18, 2010 at 12:09am

Tammy and I took Brian, his wife and son to the recruiter’s office and met his brother, sister and grandmother there. Brian finished his paper work and we said our goodbyes. He left for Sacramento MEPS with another kid from the area (Joey). We got up early the next morning and dropped off our grandson and drove to Sacramento MEPS and met our other son and grandmother there. We all sat around while they processed paperwork for a few hours. Got to attend the swearing in ceremony, which took forever to get going. By the time they were done they had less than one hour till their plane was leaving. Said our quick goodbyes, as he headed to a waiting taxi.

It’s hard to believe it’s been a year that he has been away, but as a Dad I was proud the day I got to see him raise his right hand and then the transformation in what seemed like a long time for his PIR.  I’ve come to know a great bunch of families here and we all got to share our up’s and down’s together. I still look forward to checking up on our group, even though I haven’t had as much time to do so lately.

I got to talk to Brian today as he called me at my office and they will most likely be coming home for Christmas. I know he really wants to be home on December 28 as our town and Police Department will be doing a ceremony for Brian’s best friend who was killed in Iraq two years ago on that date.

Comment by Arwen on December 17, 2010 at 1:33am

Wow, today is Chris' one-year anniversary of actually being in the Navy. Where did the last year go?

 

He called last night, it was already Thursday night for him. I reminded him what day it was. Funny thing, it was the end of his first day of mess cranking. They waited exactly one year to make him do the dishes, hehehe.

Comment by Navy/ArmyMom on December 14, 2010 at 5:55am

Yesterday would have been Sunday.  The family (5 of us) had a family portrait made at Portrait Innovations (great prices) because we wondered when we might all be together again with our oldest son who was within two months of joining the Army.  Then we went out for a special dinner.  We ordered a steak for him. It ended up being so rare he barely ate it, plus the excitment (nervousness!) that tomorrow which is today the 14th he was leaving.

I woke up early on the 14th and made everyone pancakes.  (Husband took the day off and daughter took the day off from school) The morning went fast and at 11AM we headed to the Recruitment Station where we had to say goodbye. Just like everyone else we went through the "do you have everything?" ritual!  "Yes, Mom, I HAVE EVERYTHING!"  After we arrived they told him that he had some time and could take an hour or so and suggested that he go and have lunch with the family. They were very nice to us and came out and talked to us and explained what our son would be doing over the next 24 hours.

 

We went to Burger King.  Everyone was nervous/excited.  The dog was in the van, she had to come too according to our Navy son.  We returned and just talked and walked together in the parking area dreading the last goodbye.  Then he said, "Okay this is it, I need to go in now".  We hugged and hugged again, and again and we all were just in shock!  Then he turned and walked away as we stood there watching him.  He suddenly turned around and came back and told my husband, "Dad, next time I want to take you out to dinner."  Then he walked away and didn't turn back and we were able to see him step into the doorway, stop, salute and ask for permission to come aboard.  (That's standard in the Navy).

Wow.  We drove home slowly, sadly, sniffling.  He called the next day enroute to the airport from MEPS.  He was pretty excited and we could hear other new recruits on the bus and they were talking and laughing.  He was on his way to the Great Lakes Naval Training Command and to bitter cold weather. A far away place for a kid originally from Florida.

The rest is history.  I fretted that he would be allergic to the wool military blankets. He wasn't. I fretted that he was always cold.  He was on occasion.  I wrote and wrote and and wrote and I met all of you here.

(Two months later his brother entered the Army. We repeated the same scenario, same restaurant, same Recruitment location except Army, went to eat lunch at the same Burger King.)

Christmas was not the same.  I sniffled while putting a few presents under the tree. It was very low-key.  Life has never been quite the same since they left.  I still really miss them. We've adjusted, but I think I'd gladly pick up after them to have them back full-time!  But, of course I'm proud of them.  It's good that they did this; they got a pretty early start on life and will be able to return to college. 

 

The first time we saw our son after joining the Navy he said, "no career with this", but in our most recent visit he said, "Maybe a career in the Navy".  So, we'll just have to wait and see.

 

Just like all of you moms,  I just hope and pray for their safety and well-being wherever they go in life and whatever they do in life whether they're in the military or in the civilian world.

 

God bless all of our children!! We're all so blessed to have them. For richer, for poorer, for better, or for worse...we love them!!  God bless and watch over them and God bless all of our Troops. 

Comment by Arwen on December 12, 2010 at 11:03pm

I call the day they swore-in the official anniversary day (and so does the Navy). So for us, it's the 16th.

 

Okay, the story of Chris leaving...

 

We love 100 miles from the recruiter's office, and the recruiter's office is 200 miles from MEPS Portland, Oregon, so we had to leave early in the morning.

 

Chris had packed the night before (okay, so I did it for him), but he still took his time, so we got out the door 20 minutes later than we planned. Once in the car and heading down the road we started one last checklist of the things he needed to have. Anything missing at the recruiter's office would be disaster, there was to be no quick trip home for missing documents.

 

We were about 5 miles down the road when Chris realized his social security card was not in his wallet. or anywhere else. We had to turn back and go home for it, making us even later.

 

At about 11 am we started getting calls from the recruiter, "where are you?" and asking for constant updates. We were sure we were going to be really late.

 

So of course we got there, Chris went through his first round of processing, whiz quiz (drug test) and paperwork, and waited another hour while the other recruiter finished the paperwork for two prospective recruits headed to MEPS for the ASVAB. It was Chris' first introduction to "hurry up and wait."

 

When Chris finally got in the Navy's Suburban our goodbyes were already somewhat worn out, so when they pulled out of the parking lot it was easy to turn around and head home.

 

Chris called and texted from the suburban, from the hotel, even from MEPS the next morning. Then from the train, the airport at Portland, the airport at Chicago, and finally the "I'm here" call at 10:30 p.m.

 

Now I can't get him to call. I haven't had a call or letter since he called from Singapore in October. The brat. LOL.

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