Bahrain Moms

Poor kids, they do the right thing getting their shots & they get sick. POOH.
Am lovin' the 10 day Countdown!!
Thanks for the well wishes on "going to the dogs". : )

Company = someplace there may be in use...
(I read something on 5th Fleet FB)

Can't be more specific, but our MAs will be busy,NEX barren, Internet iffy.
Sorry, but "loose lips, sink ships" if you'll pardon the WWII reference!
I also can't : ( help with "girl" stuff, my sailor is a testosterone jockey.

We know how cast, yet, how slow that one week can go.
Hang tough mama. Then hug her so well her collar devices pop off !!!!!!! : ) <3

Ladies - "creepy mommy time".
It's fairly sad & creepy when a mom checks FB Chat to see if her kid is OK.
My "Gary Cooper" rides again!
Argh.

Rest some toes & fingers. Got mine crossed for you!!

KathyB,

My daughter will be reporting to Bahrain Dec. 29th.. Any advice/info you have would be GREAT! :)
thanks!

Welcome and ask away!
Also, read earlier posts. Your question(s) may have been asked & answered for someone else!

Hello ladies, my names Annie and I am Donna's son Steve's girlfriend. I'm new to this whole Navy world and she recommended I join, and said you ladies were very helpful and supportive

Donna - happy feet!!!!!!

Welcome Annie! My Chris works with Steve!

HooYah! Kathy!!!!!!

Hi Kathy B.My son reports for his first time in November, he is mobile security, and will be there 2 yrs. I will be learning about things right along with you!

OOPs I meant Mom2aSailor!!

: )

Fair winds & following seas!

Yeeeeeeaaaaaaaaa!

Haven't heard from "Gary Cooper", sadly, since mid September.
I find myself listening to saved voicemails. Am a sad, sad case.
How dare he get himself "a life"! lol ; )

Welcome aboard Jill! This bunch of ladies will make your wait for his homecoming go a lot easier. Make yourself at home!

Good golly, ladies, we make great lookin' kids.
And not the least bit prejudiced in their favor !!
Nice pic Leta.

Chris.. I have said that on more than one occasion.. "How dare she get a life!"  LOL  oh well.. I guess since we did, we should allow our children to also, huh?

 

Jill.. Hugs! Mine reports to Bahrain Dec. 29th.. I'll be doing the same thing then!

Chris related a story about a guy that got upset in traffic and drove up on his drivers side, now mind you Chris was driving and there was a bunch of MAs in the rig with the windows down. They were all armed up and Chris asked them to "snap to" & face the drivers' side. Guess looking at all the shades, guns and the serious faces with covers...the guy slowed & got back behind the Explorer, he calmed down for the rest of the drive. I thought it was funny, thought I'd share! Kids say it's Bahriany "defensive driving". A moving target is harder to hit!

Proud NAVY Mom!! HooYah!

New to this group, but N4M helped me through Basic so I am sure that you all will get me through this phase as well. So my sailor got his orders to Bahrain. Apparently he thought it sounded tropical and more fun than Washington the other available base on the list. Can't pick on him I had no idea where it was either.... So today after reading through stuff my biggest concern was making sure he gets to come home for a bit before he is deployed. He is in San Antonio and home is Houston so I'm praying he gets his 14 days not to mention he has made arrangements to do the HARP program. huge weight on my heart right now.

What is the HARP program?

 

I am probably saying the wrong thing..it is always so hard to understand him. It's the hometown recruitment thing where the sailor goes to the recruitment station and works while he is on leave. keeps them from using up all their leave time. they get credit for the work they do there.

 

Question 1, Is their first deployment usually 1 year or 2. He "heard" he was going for 2 years. I have told him several times, don't buy what you "hear" wait until it is writing, and even then he can change.

Happy Birthday US NAVY!

thanks ladies, excuse me i'm going to be sick now! lol

OK, Navy Mom nightmare. What is AUC, SRT & SIMs. Been hangin' with 3rd graders, am LD with acronyms of late! lol

Donna - YIPES!
"Gary Cooper" aka Chris, FB messaged today saying, "lots of shit (his words) going on. MAs been busy. Wonder if Steve's encounter qualifies as some of the stuff?!

Chris said, "nothing bad". Course after hearing what AUCs, SIMs, SRTs, Bomb dogs "sitting" at car tires, Cmrs. passing in the gym...his definition may be different than ours. Heck, One more worry won't make me buckle, bend like a pretzel, but not buckle. These 2 years have me very limber...

We're here! Hey, we'll help & try to keep him sane too. him too! My guy found this site for me, thank goodness. Has, literally, been a life saver. I was in a wierd place after my mom passed, MA Chris enlisted & our, yes our, "E" ticket ( remember Disney) ride began.

Abide here awhile, rest your fears, share cares, worries, phobias, fun, pics, pans. Cry, scream, giggle, laugh, sigh and abide a while.

MA3 Chris is on base, think they have to be E4 or 5 to get off base. Nice that it's chilling out now, Chris got there in the heat. They go through orientation to the customs & a tour of the island. He'll get desert clothing. Takes a couple weeks for mail. Fits it ships the best way.

Jill...my son has been to Bahrain 3 times. He is also a E-5 and lives off base when he is there. 

Anyone...If you are on Facebook there is a group for the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command / U.S. 5th Fleet. They frequently post about potential demonstrations and areas to avoid. 

5th Fleet's FB page is informative & has photos & stories. Nice.

Chris said last night that the demonstrations are not aimed at our sailors or the base. He minimizes any risk to our folks.

Chris did mention a heightened alert status, but just said they were just having a lot of work. Great pic, but no "chew toy" (Chris) in it!! lol Although, he calls himself a "crash test dummy"! Cherry knocked him on his keester & he skipped like a rock on a smooth lake!! Good grief, he loves his job, the furry ones & humans he works with!!!

Donna - Chris recently played a lot of "catch" with that 95 lbs. of teeth & fur! Hence, the aka of "crash test dummy"!

My son is a "chew toy" for the NAVY!! So proud!! (listen for the maniacal giggling)

Re: the protests -
So much for "low key". Wonder if Gadafi's death was a trigger for that?

The "souk" has connections, I believe.
Jill, he is exhausted. That trip is horrible. Give him a few days & he'll sound more humanoid!

Yea, that would have gotten me a little nervous also Stevesmom!

My daughter isn't set to be there til the end of Dec. I am hoping this unrest will settle down before then.

Donna > I hope training kicked in & someone got a bit of resiprocity! Somebody should have got an a__ kicking. When I read your (earlier) post I felt like I did when Chris got OC'd. I wanted someone's butt on a platter.

Yuck, mine's an E4. Not a happy Navy Mom.

Got his November birthday box almost ready. Got a couple things for Christmas. Got his tree last year. Got to get crankin' now! Thanks for the heads-up!

My son is an E3, and deploys for the first time in 3 weeks as mobile security. I am sure Iran always flexes their mii muscles, but hope our leaders there are beefing things up for troops leaving Iraq...I wonder if some of them will go to Bahrain?

 

Hey there! So nice to see a post from you.

Yea, Momma for Adam! Chris says, "He's a good guy". High praise from, "Gary Cooper"! For you younger ladies, he was an old school Hollywood leading man actor who was "a man of few words, strong silent type". (unlike Chris's mom) lol

Love these Countdowns & photos. I'll share if he ever sends pics to us, please don't hold your breath!

Chris is MA3 Kennel Support - hence my proud (happy) NAVY chew toy!

Isn't the Internet, texting & FB wonderful tools for us & our kids to keep in touch?! I bet the Bahrain Bunch will keep Cotie on their radar. Chris has contact with folks from elementary school in FL!

Donna - the "chew toy", when he does utter a word or two, speaks of Steve's Leo with GREAT respect, and yes, I gather, he has had a conversation with the toothed & furry one! I don't think they've played "catch", but with "Gary Cooper" one never knows! He'd be a great "fibbie" (FBI)!

HooYah for phone calls! They are wonderful, enjoy!

Hoo Yah, Brian!!

Thought I'd pass this along to my "sisters...
-----
 
A young wife sat on a sofa on a hot humid day,
drinking iced tea and visiting with her mother. As

they talked about life, about marriage, about the

responsibilities of life and the obligations of

adulthood, the mother clinked the ice cubes in her

glass thoughtfully and turned a clear, sober glance

upon her daughter.



'Don't forget your sisters,' she advised, swirling

the tea leaves to the bottom of her glass. 'They'll

be more important as you get older. No matter how

much you love your husband, no matter how much you

love the children you may have, you are still going

to need sisters. Remember to go places with them now

and then; do things with them.'



'Remember that 'sisters' means ALL the women.

your girlfriends, your daughters, and all your other

women relatives too. 'You'll need other women. Women

always do.'



What a funny piece of advice!' the young woman

thought. Haven't I just gotten married?

Haven't I just joined the couple-world? I'm now a

married woman, for goodness sake! A grownup! Surely

my husband and the family we may start will be all I

need to make my life worthwhile!'



But she listened to her mother. She kept contact

with her sisters and made more women friends each

year. As the years tumbled by, one after another,

she gradually came to understand that her mother really

knew what she was talking about. As time and nature

work their changes and their mysteries upon a woman,

sisters are the mainstays of her life.



After more than 50 years of living in this world,

here is what I've learned:



THIS SAYS IT ALL:



Time passes.

Life happens.

Distance separates.

Children grow up.

Jobs come and go.

Love waxes and wanes.

Men don't do what they're supposed to do.

Hearts break.

Parents die.

Colleagues forget favors.

Careers end.

BUT.........



Sisters are there, no matter how much time and how

many miles are

between you. A girl friend is never farther away

than needing her can reach.



When you have to walk that lonesome valley and you

have to walk it by yourself, the women in your life

will be on the valley's rim, cheering you on,

praying for you, pulling for you, intervening on

your behalf, and waiting with open arms at the

valley's end.



Sometimes, they will even break the rules and walk

beside you....Or come in and carry you out.



Girlfriends, daughters, granddaughters,

daughters-in-law, sisters, sisters-in-law, Mothers,

Grandmothers, aunties, nieces, cousins, and extended

family: all bless our life!



The world wouldn't be the same without women, and

neither would I. When we began this adventure called

womanhood, we had no idea of the incredible joys or

sorrows that lay ahead. Nor did we know how much we

would need each other.



Every day, we need each other still. Pass this on

to all the women who help make your life meaningful.

I just did. Short and very sweet:



There are more than twenty angels in this world.

Ten are peacefully sleeping on clouds. Nine are

playing. And one is reading her email at this

moment.



Send this message to ten of your friends including

me. If you get 5 replies, someone you love will

surprise you.




Happy days!



Don't break this; it's working

Goodbyes are never good, it was a bit easier the second time. Although I want to see if it gets easier the next time.

Had to give Chris some sad news. He had picked Ms. KC (an Australian Shepperd mix) out at the shelter for his tenth birthday. She was five months old and adorable. This past Friday night she was killed in a hit & run. The B left her lying in the street, in the rain. My husband saw it happen and she died in his arms as we drove to get help. She was such a love, a good friend, protectress and the house feels even more empty now.