PIR 10/15/10

maybe there is a local restaurant that we could reserve a room and then just each pay for food and drink

I agree that we need to do the M & G somewhere besides the Ramada. I have a small child and do not want to take him there. My husband is retired Navy and says that is not a good place to be.( I'm going to trust him on this.) Would love to meet up with everyone. Just not there.

I'm in for a M&G at a local restaurant, the Springhill, or another nearby hotel ...I think several of us are staying in that general area.

Hi everyone. I agree that we should do the M&G somewhere else besides the Ramada. And no letters or call for me either. Well, we can only hope it will be soon!

A M&G at the Springhill would be great. Also throwing this out there ... would anybody have room in their car to take the 3 of us (me, hubby, girlfriend) to PIR Fri am instead of taking the Springhill shuttle? Shuttle leaves at 630 am and I hear there will be a long line for it, also that by the time it gets to the base 10-15 min. later, the good seats in the hall are taken. We'll chip in for gas! Not picking up our rental car until after PIR, sometime after lunch...

This is great!!! Still looking S12/D346.

Another thought: Dana, how can we hook up with any sailors who won't have family coming to PIR? It'd be awful to leave somebody behind, stuck on base ... how can we "adopt" a young guy or girl for the liberty weekend of graduation? Since none of them can stay in the hotel overnight (they all have to be back on base by evening), it's no big deal to take a lonely sailor out to lunch or to the movies, or just to the hotel to watch TV or use the computer. Anybody have any thoughts?

I agree that we should have our M&G somewhere else too. I really want to connect with all of you who have been there for me during these 8 weeks!

foaling-lady - LOVE your idea. Don't know how to make it happen, but I'm in for taking a sailor with no fam. there for the day!

No mail or calls for me yet either.... trying to stay positive and repeat my "no news is good news" mantra! Maybe Tuesday?! Hugs to all of you. Hope you have a great holiday weekend!

I can't imagine leaving a Sailor on base...a great idea to "adopt" for the liberty weekend. Looking forward to Tuesday...enjoy this holiday weekend.

I feel really crummy because I have a flight leaving Chicago Saturday morning not thinking he would have liberty until Sunday so I will only get to spend time with him on Friday night. I will plan better when he graduates from A school and I hope he's not too bummed out that I screwed up with my planning. I can't change my departure either. I guess I'll make the best of my time with him on Friday.!

Hi JulieB, if this is any comfort to you I am ship12 Div. 342 and there are only three of us so far. They'll find us!

Does anyone have a contact for T-shirts? I'd like to get some long sleeve ones with Name, Ship Division etc.

Thank you for the link, any ideas on a grad present? I was thinking of an engraved watch

I was thinking of getting will one of these!! Hi bday was the first saturday he was at boot camp so i was gonna get it as i bday/ graduation gift!!! They are really nice

Hi everyone...I just returned from Great Lakes yesterday...my son grad on 9/2...it was the most AMAZING and memorable experience...I know I won't be physically sharing in your joy on 10/15...but I wanted to say, you're new Navy family is amazing...if you have a Meet and Greet planned, def try to go...the support you receive is the best ever...everyone is there for the same reason, to support a sailor ...no negativity...just friendly hugs encouraging words...once you get your "Im a sailor call", you might be able to get some sleep! I know last week was the hardest for me, but sooo worth it in the end...just wanted to wish everyone luck, and God Bless your sailors!

The Ramada did a excellent job with the Meet and Greet...evidentally thats where it's always held...I'm not sure of how it was staying there though, as I stayed at the Quality Inn (nice hotel, but parking stunk!) I had switched 3 days before the trip from the Great Lakes Motel...glad I did bc we drove past the Great Lakes Motel, and it looked HORRIBLE...like Bates Motel reincarnated!

Thanks Jessica b, great link however after researching what a corpsman might need I went with a casio gshok, believe it or not is cost me more $$$$$

Good Morning 10/15ers! Only 38 more days to PIR!

What do you guys think of having a meet & greet for our group at SpringHill Suites? Since quite a few of us are staying there, that might be easy. I can call to see if they do that kind of thing...

Thanks for the graduation gift ideas.... hadn't really thought of that before I read it, but I like the idea!

Happy Labor Day everyone! God bless our sailors.

Dillons Mom - NO! You are not the only crybaby out there today! I wrote my son a letter this morning and was weeping as I wrote it. Then I cried some more in the shower! I know if I heard that song I would lose it too! Hang in there! We can do this!! HUGS!

Good morning! PinkHelmet, I think going to SpringHill Suites would be fine for M&G. We're at the Candlewood Inn and that's right next door. I'm with you. I didn't even think of a graduation gift. That's why this site is so great! Hope everyone has a good Labor Day!

Ok, I called SpringHill about having a M&G there. They only have 1 conference room that seats 10 people so she didn't think that was a good place. They do have a bar and she said we could meet there but can't bring any outside alcohol for a party. That area holds 35-40 people. She also said that Anastasia's has a M&G. I called there for info. but there was no answer. I'll try again later.

Dillons Mom. Hang in ther! Its ok to cry. If you hold it in, it just takes longer to move thru it. I'm not so teary as I was but I have a lump in my throat all the time because it feels like its almost not reasonable to go another day without hearing his voice. I seem to go from anxious, to frustrated to irritated then always circle back to PROUD again.

We aren't a big gift family, so I'm not feeling pressure with that. Just being with our son and supporting him is better than anything we could buy him. I'm sure as we move thru his Navy Career with him we'll have a better idea of what would be practicle. I think he'll just be happy to see us.

Pink Helmet....SpringHill Suite for the N4M meet and greet sounds terrific!!!
Let me know if anything I can do to help. We are staying there as well.

I feel the same way LoveUDrew. I still get weepy but I don't feel quite myself. Just edgy and overall not myself. Anxious and kind of week then irritable. I'm driving my husband crazy! But the days are getting less and less until PIR. Maybe this week we'll get a letter. Anyway there's one thing that will never change. We are so proud of our children!!!

Oh you guys, you are NOT helping today! I thought I was the only one still walking around with a lump in my throat, on the verge of tears much of the time. Found one of his Sea Cadet uniform socks in a closet this morning and that got me crying. Is this ever gonna end? I am hoping that when graduation comes, I will be one of those smiling moms and not one of the sobbing ones (does not make for attractive photographs, huh?). If I don't get a phone call or letter soon, I may need to self-medicate with a Dairy Queen large Oreo Blizzard!

Its ok!!! your son in in my fiances' divison 347 right? None of us have gotten letter or phone calls yet!! If that makes you feel a little better so we are all in the same boat!! Everyday after i get home from college i litteraly run to the mail box and check it !! Hopefully thsi week we will all get our letters since yesterday was sunday and they should have had a chance to write yesterday!! i promise everything will be ok and before we know it we will be getting letters on a regular basis and then it will be PIR!!!! Phone calls i know are far and few between so i dont ever exspect for those but letter eill be piling up in our mail boxes soon!!! Hope this made you feel a little better !! Our sailors are doing good and are missing us just as much as we are missing them!!

Trust me !! I have my days where I'm a wreck too!! I miss my fiance like crazy we have never spent a day apart until he left for the navy but i know hes coming back and i know hes doing this for all of us !! Hes helping us have a bettre future and i admire him for that!! In my book he amazing for wanted to take care of me!! I little time apart will be worth it in the end!! We try to be strong but we can be weak somtimes too trust me!! and thank you

It is great to have a day off from work...I hope everyone is having a great Labor Day! The only thing that gets me down is that it is a NO MAIL DAY! I live for the mail lately! Waiting, waiting, waiting.....

My prayers are with our boys/girls at bootcamp!

Iluvmysailor377---couldn't have said it better. all these sailors are being so self-less in serving their country and ensuring a good life for their families and when they are off doing great things like that I feel like I should be self-less too

it's impossible NOT to miss them :) but I just try to be proud and be his cheerleader...it's not forever...there will be plenty of time when he returns and things will be so wonderful once he does!

Jessica, that watch actually got some bad reviews, I then went to I think corpsman.com and they were talking about g-shok watches. I bought one that is analog,solar has a second hand so you can time pulses. God knows what else it can do. This thing listed for 500 but got it for around 350 off of ebay.

I am sure a 50 watch would work just as well but .......it's a grduation present.

No Letter, No call?? I am so worried about my son... I hope they let him get his mail. If not it will take him 4 weeks just to read all the letters and card the family has sent him so far!! Anybody in Ship 12 / DIV 342 hear anything yet?

GJS - No. My son is with yours. Haven't heard anything. I keep sending letters. Hopefully we'll hear this week?

Theres deff. nothing bad going on with your sons bc if there was then the RTC would contact you right away!! Im sure they are just busy and working hard but i understand your frustration I havent heard anything from my fiance either ship 12 div 347!! but im sure everyone is doing well!! I hope everyone hears from thier sailors this week!! I know im dying for a letter or somthing!!!

From another mom waiting for a letter - thanks for the encouragement and reminder. No news is good news

I am sure we will all get letters this week and maybe a phone call on the weekend. Those of us that got calls DIV 346 were just extremely lucky. Hang in there ladies your kids are becoming sailors,my thoughts and prayers are with all of you.

Div 347 got calls on aug 28th!! We were very lucky!! just keep supporting your sailors with lots of positive letters!! we will all hear from them soon!! Lets all keep our heads up!! Goodnight ladies!!! and Dads!!

Hi all! Hope your Labor Day was wonderful!!

Mary K.... you hit the nail on the head! I'm not ready to let my boy go yet... he's growing up, learning to be a man... and that pleases me to the depths of my soul... but I'm also sad to be ending this phase of my life. It's an adjustment... that's for sure! I don't get to follow him wherever the Navy sends him so our parting could be for years. I have to learn to accept that... and it sure is tough!!!

I'm all for a Meet & Greet with just our Navy4Moms (and Dad!) group at a location other than Ramada. You all are the only ones I care to meet anyway!!!

Hugs, 10/15ers!!! Keep hoping for a call or letters this week!!!

I hope everyone had a good Labor Day! I see that we only have 38 days left until we get to see our loved ones again! I haven't really kept up to speed on the Meet and Greet, and I was trying to follow it on here, so hopefully someone can fill me in sometime.

My husband was able to call me on Friday. He needed to give me a fax number so that I could fax our son's birth information when I receive it in the mail. He didn't realize that I had actually already come out of the OR, so he was able to talk to me for 5-6 minutes. He sounded relieved to hear that we were doing okay and I was glad to hear from him. He sounded great and said everything was going well for his Division. I hope that makes the 347 finaces/wives/moms feel a bit better:)

Just want to wish everyone a good morning! Hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend. Crossing our fingers for letters this week :)

One day closer ladies!!!

No letter yet, But a friend of mine whose son's PIR is the week before my son's got her first letter last week and a phone call yesterday. We will all get ours real soon. I can't wait. I'm so EXCITED. I can hardly sit still

Molly is on Ship 12 Division 342. I have only seen a couple other comments from anyone with someone in this division. I am sooo depressed, thought for sure we would get a letter this weekend. I am crying over any little thing now. What is the hold up on the mail. I thought after 2 weeks we would get something.

we are thinking about the quality inn in waukegan. Does anyone know anything about that place?

Good Morning Everyone! I'm cracking up about the DQ Blizzard comments - I drowned my sorrows in one last night.... Reese's PB Cup. YUM! I still miss him terribly though this morning! I'm so ready for SOMETHING - a letter, a phone call.... doesn't really matter! I'm really hoping a letter will be waiting for me when I get home from work. It's hard to wait to check!

I'm happy the mailman comes today! I sure hope there is a letter...I didn't sleep well last night and shed a few tears last night because I'm missing my son. I sure hope he's doing well and hope he's getting his bunk made really good so he can get an extra 8 minute phone call....(LOL suwil68)...:-)

Marsyt03 - My son is on ship12 div.342 and so are two other mom. One has a daughter in that division as well so now there are 4 of us. Don't give up hope that maybe we'll get a letter this week. No matter what division we are in we are all waiting for letters. I feel your pain!!! We are staying at the Candlewood Inn. I don't know anything about the Quality Inn. Sorry. Chin up and have a wonderful day. Just think, we are one day closer to PIR.

Thanks, winniesam. I still don't get the ship/division thing. I thought maybe the girls and guys were on different ship/divisions, but I guess thats not so. How can they be in the same division? What made you pick Candle wood, do they have shuttle, better amenities?

No Letter today...

marsyt03, My husband travels alot for work and he said that the Candlewood is a great place. It has a microwave, refrigerator, sitting area, etc. He's kind of picky where he stays so I trust his judgement.

My son's recruiter just called me to let me know, in case I didn't hear already, that graduation is 10/15. I told him I know because I'm a member of Navy4Moms and they are pretty well informed (LOL)! I asked him when he thinks we will be getting a letter. He said that on Sunday they should have written and we should be receiving one soon. I have to say, his recruiter is so nice. This is the second call I have received from him trying to keep me up to date. He said if he received any word he'll give me another call! So everyone, let's hope this week is the week!!!!!

winniesam - here's to hoping it's THIS WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!