Moms/Dads/Families with Nukes in Ballston Spa, NY

Had a great time in BS with our Sailor!  And it was nice to meet some more of his friends ;-)

B'sNukeMoM, what a great photo. Glad it went well. Looks like the weather was great, too! He looks a lot like Mama!

Thanks everyone!  Of course it was too quick of a trip, but we will take what we can get!

Mommamac - yes they do have a good group of friends and it was nice for us to finally meet them!  It makes me happy to see them all so happy ;-)  We are hoping to send the college boy to visit over the summer.  He hasn't been able to go to anything but BC graduation - seems like it's always finals time for him LOL.  Promised him a trip to NY to see his brother and he really wants to go to the Baseball Hall of Fame.....You're right - they should be starting "on crew" by then and will have 4 day weekends once in a while.  Just have to get the timing right!

Happy Monday!

I'm jealous of all you moms getting to see your sailors! Really, I'm happy for you. It sounds wonderful. Remember, extra hugs for those of us who aren't hugging their own!

Yay Patti and Laura!  So happy that your sailors are home on leave ;-)  Enjoy the time with them and like NancyJo said make sure to get lots and lots of hugs!

Wendy4Cody - have fun on your visit to BS.  We had a great time over Easter with our son! So has your son not started classes yet or is this a different part of the schooling that starts in September?  Our son got there in January and started class on 4/14/14.  I think he said he goes on "On-Crew" around the beginning of June.

Have a great day - and stay Happy!

Wendy - I'm wondering if the first part that he qualified for is the section they call "Off Crew".  That is what my son is doing right now - M-F only....I think he said it's about the first 2 months of proto and then they go to "On Crew" which is the rotating shift work.  Does that sound like what your son is waiting for? His "On Crew" to start?  My son was originally MARF but because of the reactor problems they switched his whole group to S8G.....I know that many of those that were already in MARF are experiencing HUGE delays.  He also said that there are some that their graduation dates have been delayed until after the date they've given his group.  Of course his isn't a for sure date either LOL.  He said you can count on there being delays at some point in proto. Oh well......hurry up & wait, right?!

Patti - glad you were able to give the news to your son in person.....and he can see how you are doing so hopefully less worry for him!  Keep us updated on your treatment.  Continued prayers for you our Navy Seasister!

Hope everyone has a great day!

My son was supposed to be done in November and his date has been pushed back to December. He's staff at the MARF plant. I wonder if their problems are why he's there an extra month. I need to ask him the next time we talk.

Happy RED Friday and a (early) Happy Mother's Day!

Kind of quiet here now that Patti and Laura's sons have moved on!  Hope everyone is well....Happy RED Friday and Happy Memorial Day.

Hi PattiP!  Sounds like you've been having a great time with your sailor home!  Hopefully you will get to visit him in Japan at some point in time - start saving your spare change!  Did you join the Japan Mom's group? I know another mom from my area that has a son there and she said that is a very active group.....lots of chatter & sharing of info.

Good luck with your radiation treatment - how long does that go on for?

PattiP, It has been 7 years since my last radiation treatment.  I had 28.  I had stopped using any antiperspirant before the cancer diagnosis.  I only use a natural herbal deodorant.  Anyway, my prayers are with you.   I found that the 10 minutes or so I spent on that table, was my special time for conversations with God.  We talked about everything from how my garden would be planted, to building a garage, and my desire to see what life was like in NYC.  It took them longer to get me lined up and the table and machine set than the actual treatment.  Be sure to start using the lotion or cream they give right away.  Helps to sooth the sun burnt feeling you have by the end of the time.  God Bless. 

I've been out of the loop so was unaware of your cancer, PattiP. Scarey word, scarey time. Know that all the Nuke moms are thinking of you, and prayers are winging to heaven for you. 

Isn't it funny how your sailor knows so much about your treatment? At least the science of it, anyway. REMs are every day conversation for that bunch. Sometimes it's hard for a son & a mother to talk about something like cancer. Sounds like his training has opened the door to some conversation that might make it easier to share.

God bless you, Patti, and keep us posted.

Patti - thinking about you today as you start your radiation treatments...Stay Positive!  We are all here for you ;-)

What's the talk about the deodorant?  I vaguely remember hearing something in the news years ago - is there a link between deodorant/cancer or is it related to your radiation treatment?

I had read something once about the antiperspirant and aluminum in what we put in our armpits.  At that time ( before my diagnosis) I switched to just deodorant from Melaleuca because I've purchased ecofriendly products from them for years.  I have no idea what caused cancer for me, but I did work in a factory that made plastic film for bags, gloves, aprons and such for 6 years, and I do think hormones played a part.  Also read how we today are so different from our ancestors.   They had more children,earlier,  than the majority of us, (I had one and only at 41)so they were either pregnant or nursing for a good part of their lives, therefore did not have monthly hormones rushing through their bodies and they did not ingest more hormones in form of "the pill".  Just things I read and found interesting after my diagnosis. I thank God every day for a healthy body, and prayers for all those out there fighting.    

MNMom, you are so right. As a Catholic, one of the things that I am so thankful for is that I never had to worry about any of the side effects of artificial birth control. We know those hormones effect a lot in our bodies. BUT there are other reasons for cancer so nobody out there should be beating herself up if she did use them. Genetics is a huge factor. I personally know more than 1 person who did a pre-emptive double mastectomy b/c their indicators were so high. Sometimes it's just the luck, or lack of, in our genetic pool. Plus, we are exposed to so much stuff, we have no idea. Was it the plastic? Was it UV rays? It's a crap shoot. We'll probably never know.

Yes, a healthy body is a blessing and we are so lucky to live in a time when medicine can do so much when our bodies give us trouble. Patti, sounds like you are being well taken care of. Glad to hear it. 

Patti - woohoo!  1 down 19 to go - glad it went well.  I agree that it can sometimes be a "crap shoot" as to who gets the big C.  No rhyme or reason - it just sucks....it's good that yours was caught early!  Don't forget your lotion!  Do you go every day for 20 treatments or how does that work?

Funny about the organic coconut oil - I put it in our dogs food!  A teaspoon at each meal - I was told it would make her coat shiny and she would be less smelly......not that she is real smelly but she does smell more than our previous boxers! LOL.  Here's a picture of her - she's our one-eyed rescue dog:

And I am on the FB page so I'll look for the pictures!

I love your dog, B'sNukeMoM! I live w/ my daughter and her dog is a rescue. Word of warning, Friends, she is a rescue from a Chihuahua puppy mill and is certainly not a purebreed. Never buy from a mill.

Rescue dogs can make an awesome pet. Kudos to you for giving her a home filled w/ love.

Thanks NancyJo!  She's a very good dog - very sweet.  You can tell she was abandoned as she wants to be with you (to the extent of touching you) at all times.  If I leave the room she always gets up & follows me.....She is a very laid back boxer.  We've had 2 previous boxers and they were just all over the place - very active.  Marti is very mellow....she was also a momma at some point in time so maybe that accounts for her calmer demeanor....We sure do love her!  With Sailor gone and youngest away at college I'm sure she gets lonely but hubby & I do our best to make her feel loved :)  College son will be back home tomorrow for the summer so Marti will be happy!

I looked (and liked!) your pics on FB Patti.  Looks like you all had such a great time at the party.  Where did you get the signs from?  They were really nice.

Fair Winds and Following Seas as your son heads to Japan!

Got my RED shirt on today....

It is funny about boxers. My son had a boxer (Bean) and a boxer mix (Diesel) at the same time. Bean couldn't handle it and destroyed a lot of stuff before they found a better home for him. Diesel has always been mellow yellow. My best friend has a boxer named Duke who thinks he's a lap dog. So weird how the same breed can have such differences in personality. So glad Marti is getting her playmate back. :D

PattiP - thanks for the sign info.  I will make a note of that for future reference!

Typical boys - wait until the last minute to get things done. I'm glad to know it's not just mine that do that LOL!

Nice that you have rescue cats - I think everyone should have a rescue pet (or two or three) at some point in their life! I agree with you NancyJo - puppy mills are scary places and should be banned completely.

Got the college boy home on Saturday and yes Marti is a happy girl!

Hey PattiP - how are you holding up?

Happy Friday - Hope everyone has a good weekend!

Never forget the brave souls who gave their lives to ensure our freedom by bravely fighting on the beaches of Normandy.

Amen to that.

Patti - glad the treatment is going well.....make sure you use your lotion!

That's crazy about the diplomas.  I don't have my son's PS diploma.  Remember he didn't graduate with the class and had to recomp.  I asked him where his diploma is & he has no idea.....When I told him I wanted it to keep he said "the only one that counts is the final proto diploma" so not to worry about it.  Well you can imagine that didn't make me happy but what was I going to say?!  Now I'm worried since your son needed them.....you would think the Navy would have those records - ugh!

Gonna be a HOT day here in sunny SoCal - close to 100, but cooling down during the week.

Hope everyone has a good week!

B'sNukeMom the power school diploma other than a souvenir is not necessary.  My son brought his home it is 'somewhere' in the house where I can't find it that is.  Usually I keep a drawer with his stuff in it.  The prototype one is more important because that is the last school.

Patti - so glad he is enjoying Japan.  Yep everything I've heard from others who have sailors in Japan is that they really love it.  Just wish it could be a little closer to home to make visiting easier LOL.

William - yes, I'm trying to keep the stuff for my son - figure he doesn't want it now but maybe someday when he is older he might like to share it with his family.....but for now he doesn't care!  I've never been a "scrap booker" though - I just put things in plastic sleeves in a binder and hope I didn't miss anything!  It's not pretty but at least it's there.....

Have not heard that Bethr311. I wonder what is going on. Sailor is supposed to call Sunday - I will see if I can find out anything.

bethr311 - I wonder if it's just because of the issues they've been having with MARF.  Maybe they moved them to S8G.  My son was originally MARF and they moved his class to S8G before they even started just because of all the delays/issues. Hopefully they didn't actually drop out!

I asked my son how long MARF will be down and he said it changes all the time. It might be July. Sailors are still training tho. 

NancyJo - I forget - is your son MARF or S8G?  Would he have any idea what the tentative grad date is for class 1401S8G?  He was given a date in September, but now I am hearing from others (& FB) that it might be sometime in October.  I know nothing is for sure - just trying to get an idea!

He's MARF and continues to train. He says sailors can still qualify. He doesn't follow grad dates for all the individual groups that come through, and says that S8G and MARF don't really mix so that would be an even more remote chance for info, but I will ask him what he knows about your sailor's group. Trying to nail down those dates is maddening. His own separation from BS was put back a month so instead of leaving in Nov he is leaving in Dec. Nothing is carved in stone until the Navy says it is. He did get his hard orders for the Carl Vinson, though. Glad to have that in hand!