The Cyber Sisterhood

Wow this has been a long 2 wks. Sandra I'm always on the vitamins. The new meds they gave me haven't been agreeing with me so they told me to stop for a week and then take them minimum dose for 2 wks instead of 1 in hopes that it doesn't make me sick again.... Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend! Shawn has gate duty at 4:30am this weekend so it's been me and the pets doing hw. We also have to finish the paperwork so we can get a date for pack outs and we are making out cross country drive on April 2nd!! Can't wait to get out of here!!!

Sandra, sounds like Nichelle has been really busy but glad things are looking up for her! Shawn got his information dominance warfare pin last week and was the 1st junior enlisted to get pinned at his command. Still waiting on his diploma from school.  Everything on our end is looking up. We pack out next month and will finally have paid off my car and get it from my parents. Hopefully 4th time is the charm ;)

It's been more than 2 years since PIR now, Monday was the anniversary. Time is moving way too fast for me.

Well less then 6 wks and we will be in Cali. We are still looking for somewhere to live since housing won't be available until August/September and I will not get settled in one place to have to move by myself. We are hoping that the mutt is allowed in one apartment but other then that it looks like we are going to be spending a bunch more then we want. If it isn't the dog's breed or weight then it's the fact that I refuse to declaw my kitty..... Anyways hope everyone is doing great! 

I just love having to change the plans. Apparently the detailer/Navy thought it would save them money if Shawn went to school in Norfolk instead of San Diego. We got modified orders on Thursday and pack outs were last week. The orders say he detaches here in April, school the end of May, ship in June, then he will be home. He doesn't have enough leave to make it to the end of May and we have to be out of the house by Friday. There is no way I can go home bc everyone smokes and I can't be around it... This is such a mess. The command is trying to work with us and allowing him to take leave to get me all set up in SD since I need to be there for the apartment we found and healthcare but then we have to pay to fly him back here just to check out and then sit in Norfolk. We are hoping that once there they will up his class and get him through everything fast. Wonder how high my blood pressure is from this alone.....

Yep a mess and our DLA and travel still haven't gone through. For now I guess I am staying in Ga with family til June or July since I can now say something. We are 13 wks pregnant and due 4 days after my bday! They are smoking outside and the kitty will have room to run at night when the doggie door is shut. Hears to hoping the hubby can keep me sane from a distance!!!!!!

Chris is going to be interviewing at IBM next week. He got the interview based on his IT training in the Navy.

That's awesome Arwen!! I wish him the best of luck!

Chris got the job! He starts Monday.

Hooray for Chris!! And for his proud Mom!!

Sandra- I'm so happy that Nichelle is enjoying herself. Maybe when I get to SD in June, me and her could meet up. 

Colleen- That's awful that he comes home just to spend it in the hospital. I agree this feels like home even though there are so few of us left. 

Oh and guess what we found out today.... It's a girl!

Due to a lack of a place to live (his current roommate no longer wants a roommate, and Chris can't find anywhere else to live), Chris is moving home next month, job or no job. I sure hope he finds something fast, because we don't have room for him long-term in our current home!

The good part of this is that Chris can help Sean get ready for the Navy.

Happy belated mother's day. I think I am slowly losing my mind and will be so happy that in a few weeks I will be in San Diego without family!!!! Shawn is suppose to be coming down here next week, that is if he can get his leave approved today or Tuesday when it starts Tuesday night. His mom is throwing me a baby shower before we leave since we will be 21 wks on Monday. Oh and I graduated with my associates and it was with honors! And we found out today that he also made 2nd! Hoping the rest of the year goes like this and everyone else is enjoying the summer heat ;)

Congratulations on promotions!

If Chris had still been in, this would have been his first shot at third class - because he started as an E-1 and didn't earn a boot camp or A-school promotion. I can tell you from experience, it's really frustrating for those who start at the bottom, watching people who started as E-2s and E-3s get such fast advancement. Sean is probably going to be in the same situation when he finishes the process of joining, starting as an  E-1 and work his way up the hard way.

Chris will be home on the 8th, to take another shot at finding steady work. It's still a bit rough on him, but he is keeping a good attitude toward his future.

This is a great article about helping your sailors and their wives, husbands, & kids readjust after a deployment.

http://likeitfortime.com/2011/05/06/reintegration-its-more-than-com...

I haven't been here in a long time. Colleen- I'm so sorry to hear about Justin's accident!!! That must have been terrifying! I'm glad his ship is holding a place for him and hope he gets to fly out to it soon. From what I hear from those who have done it, a cruise is a great adventure. I'm really looking forward to my son going on his first cruise.

Congratulations to Sarah! So happy to hear that Nichelle is enjoying her cruise!

Arwen- I hope Chris has found a new place by now and is doing great in his new job. When does Sean go into bootcamp?

After 4 days of being in the car, we finally made it to San Diego this week. Got the apt and now just finishing the unpacking. Also will hit the 24 wk mark this Monday and my mom leaves on Friday. Liking the area and will hopefully make some friends soon. Also Shawn was told that even if the ship leaves to come here that whenever I do go into labor they will allow him to fly here. Now if I can just get my family to stop complaining that I will be alone and acting like I can't take care of myself! Hope everyone is enjoying there weekend!

Debbie, Sean doesn't have a ship date yet, he still needs to shed a few pounds.

Just droping in to say hi to all! Brian and family came down on leave last month for two weeks and they were able to see my mom for a few days and this was the first time she has seen him in about three years. It was good that they came as my mom had never seen his daughter. I've been real busy running up to mom's and work. We had found out just before Brian got leave that my mom has lung cancer and now they have found cancer on her liver also. So i'm glad he was able to come visit. hope everyone is well and doing great. take care all..

Hey everyone, hope all is well. Ed has been on the Big E, now has new orders for Japan. Wondering, is anyone else from this group over there?

After more than a year, and Chris still without a job, two things happened.

First, we suddenly realized that he had been giving employers the wrong copy of his DD-214. He was giving them the copy that had the reason for discharge - which was "a pattern of misconduct," which sounds a lot worse than it was. So, we're guessing that employers took one look at that and shyed away from him forever. There are few employers around here, and they have long memories. His best 4-5 options are probably out of the question now.

Second, because he was getting depressed about being unemployed, etc, we took him for some therapy to help him get through this. He was diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum - PDD-NOS, which is very similar to Aspergers Syndrome. We took him for a second opinion, which confirmed the diagnosis. He was in special ed for years to get speech therapy for what we thought was a childhood speech disorder that he grew out of, but the doctors said it was misdiagnosed autism all along. The speech symptoms he was being treated for were textbook "high functioning autism." He's very mild as autism goes, but very much explains the difficulties he had in the Navy.

Since I don't have anyone as a friend on facebook and this is a ghost town, I finally decided to update just in case. Maddie is almost 6 wks and time is flying by. Shawn is deployed and will be back soon. He was able to come home for her birth and I couldn't of done it without him. She was a bday present to me as she was born the day before my bday. My mom on facebook that day something on the lines of, my first grandbaby was born today  and 24 yrs ago I was in labor with her mother. My mom came out for a wk and we are going home for xmas so everyone can meet her since my dad had a hard time staying behind when my mom came out. I hope everyone is doing okay! Can't believe almost 3 yrs ago we all were on here every night.

Madison "Maddie" Nicole Mason

Oct 4th

6lbs 15 ozs

Sarah~ Congratulations!!! She is adorable!! I love the picture. :)) It melts your heart.

Hope all is well with everyone. Ed just returned from deployment. He was on the E. His new orders are for the Tortuga our of Sasebo, Japan. I am trying not to be a baby about it. lol. He had soo  much fun in Italy, Greece, and Dubai. I know that he will love Japan.

She's beautiful! And I don't say that about all babies.

Can you believe that, next month, it will be THREE YEARS since our sailors went to boot camp? Wow.

Here we are, THREE YEARS! So, where are your sailors now?

Wow, three years!

Ed is in Virginia. He returned from deployment in November. He loved visiting Italy, Greece, and Dubai. He will be attached to the E, until June. He is an Engineman and will be headed to Japan this summer... for a couple of years.:(( Ed is planning to reenlist...hopefully he will be able to get San Diego the next go around.

Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday. <3

Happy Holidays to everyone.

Sandra, Finally found you on facebook. Yep we are still in San Diego and would love to meet up. I'm so happy that Nichelle is having a little one! I agree that everyone seems to have parted ways but everyone is always so busy these days.

Christmas was interesting and Maddie will be an experienced traveler before she turns one. We flew home so everyone could see her and then as soon as we got back to Cali we had to fly back out for Shawn's grandfathers funeral who never met Maddie but supported us thru everything it took to get her. It was very interesting since she is the 34th great grandkid on that side!!!

Today she is 17wks so time flies. Shawn's ship is gearing up and getting tests done before they head to Alaska for the commissioning in May which his mom is going and helping us pay to go meaning after that trip Maddie will on been on 11 planes by the end of May!! I hope everyone is doing great!

It's been a while. Congrats Sara and Nichelle. It's been a rough and busy year. We lost my mom to cancer a few days after thanksgiving and Brian was deployed and wasn't able to come home. He got home late on Christmas eve, boy would I have loved to see his kids wake up Christmas morning finding thier Daddy home! He was able to get leave and they came down from Washington for 3 weeks. Had a great time seeing them all and the rest of our kids and grandkids at our house. Oh I can't forget the grand doggies too! Hope everyone is doing well. Take care and God Bless

Hey what happened to everyone? We used to be one of the most active groops on here. Hope everyone is doing well.

What happened to everyone is 3.5 years. I can't believe we're not all that far from the four-year mark. Does everyone know yet if their sailors will be staying in the Navy?

Good morning all..:0). Wow! Almost 4 yrs. At this time, Ed plans on staying in. Hope everyone is doing well. Have a great day.

Brian is planning on staying in. Can't wait for my vacation in August, we will try to get up to Washington to see them.

Shawn is in the process of staying in and trying to put his officer packet in. We just go back last wk from being up in Alaska and attending the commissioning of the ship! I'm now on the frg board as vice president so very busy. We are also looking at buying a house out here. Maddie is over 7 mths old now and wearing 12 mth clothes already! Happy mother's day to every too! Hopefully in the next few wks we will hear about Nichelle and the baby!!!!

Wow, Melissa, that sucks that you were separated for no good reason. Should I cross my fingers that he stays in and his orders get changed again to someplace cheaper, so you can be together, and be employed?

Sorry to hear that Melissa. Brian made 2nd Class. he wants to stay in also. He wants to go to Georgia next.

Well it's official. I am the vp of our frg board now and boy has it got me busy. We are also buying a house that will be ready for us in Oct which will be a busy month. My family doesn't know yet so we are going to show my mom when she comes to visit in a few wks. They just framed the 2nd floor so it might be done early! We are doubling the size of our apt and going from a small 2 bed rm apt to a 4 bdrm new house with a tiny backyard but more then what we have now. I can't wait!!!

Congrats to Nichelle, hope all are doing fine now.

Hope all  are well and doing good. I finally got some good news. This last year has not been good for our family. My mom started having medical problems a little of a year ago and we found that she had cancer. We lost her at the end of November. A few months later I started my battle with cancer. My latest tests show no cancer. It's been hard due to Brian being deployed when my mom died and again with me. Just didn't want him worrying again. He was not able to come home when his grandmother pasted away and would not have been able to if anything happened to me. Knowing when I went into surgery that there was possibility that there was nothing they could do for me and coming out OK. We were able to get a message to him that I was OK. Well take care all and God Bless 

Hi Everyone. I haven't been on here in ages! Kinda hard to remember my password. :) It's wonderful to hear about all the new babies! Congratulations Sarah! Congratulations again, to Nichelle and Sandra!

Melissa, I wondered what happened. What a mess! You must be really frustrated with the Navy's lack of consistency. I've heard a lot of stories about the Navy changing people's orders at the last minute. Not as bad as what Sonny's experiencing, though!

Brian, I'm so sorry to hear about your mother and about your battle with cancer! Congratulations on beating it, though! That's wonderful!! Congratulations to Brian for his promotions in rank, too!

My son will be getting out of the Navy in December. He's had a lot of negative things happen and a lot of health issues.  He's been hospitalized twice in the last year. The first time, he was found unconscious in his room in Virginia, was very confused when the paramedics were finally able to wake him, and couldn't speak clearly at all. The doctor's couldn't find any signs of stroke or brain damage. Thank God! They thought it was PTSD. With the help of my Congressman's office, I was able to persuade the Navy to transfer him to San Diego so he could have the moral and physical support of family and friends. It took two months to get him transferred and another two months for his speech to return. It's completely normal now. Thank God, again! Then my son was hospitalized again a couple months ago with Epstein Barr syndrome and mono. His liver enzymes were extremely high and his spleen was enlarged. He'd had flu-like symptoms for over two weeks. The docs didn't worry until his urine turned brown. He was only in the hospital a few days this time, but had to have his liver checked every week and blood tests done for a while before they saw no detectable signs of mono or Epstein Barr. Epstein Barr never goes away. It will come and go throughout his lifetime. The docs still have nothing more than PTSD for the reason for my son's unpredictable fainting and loss of speech. I'm really worried about what the future will hold, but hope he will be a lot less stressed and a lot more healthy out of the Navy than in.

Here's hoping the next year will bring us all great things!

Debbie, sorry to hear about your son I pray that he continues to get better. It was me that has cancer and not my son Brian. Glad he is now home from his deployment and we're looking forward to heading up to Washington to see him and his family in about 10 days. We are driving and I'm not looking forward to a 15 hour drive, but will get to see them all. 

Wow that's terrible news Melissa. Prayers to his family.

To make you smile and cry.

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Navy-Siblings-Cindy-Murray-Ro...

Merry Christmas to all! Wow four years. Sandra I'll be praying for you. Good luck with your surgery. Brian made 2nd class last May. He reenlisted last week for six more years. we'll be having our eighth grand child in February! I'm six months in remission now! Hope all are well and that you all have a Blessed Christmas.

Wow Sandra, We will be praying for you. If you need anything let me know. WE are no longer in the city but I am down there a few times a month. Scott, how exciting to be getting another grand baby that you can spoil! Shawn doesn't have to reenlist until May since we had to extend for orders last year. Maddie is 14 months and such a happy baby! She learned to walk for a credit card and drink out a straw for starbucks so she has a personality of her own! We finally moved into the house we bought and loving the mountains. Hopefully this next year brings us luck as we once again are on the same path as before with trying for another baby but hopefully the stress of living out of the city will help! 

Wow Sarah, sounds like Maddie will love to shop and go to Starbucks! Good luck on having another baby. Too bad you can't have grand babies when your young, their so much more fun!

I'm going through the recruiter thing again. This time it's for my daughter. She is trying to decide whether she will go to college, then go straight to becoming an officer and pay off $$$$$ in college loans, or go enlisted, and use her GI Bill to go to college, then become an officer.

Tomorrow she has a crazy day, both the Marine and the Navy recruiters are courting her. She will see the Marines in the morning and the Navy in the afternoon, both at school.