Welcome to the new Navy 4 Moms! Such great info and support here.
Suzie- loved the patch display, what a nice keepsake.
Judy- I'm so glad you have a chance to visit. I can only imagine what that first deployment for you is like. I know there are many variables in training length during FRS but approx. how many months did it take for your DS to finish this phase of training since his winging?
JAMI - I was interested in your comment about your DS transitioning between aircraft. I wondered if they ever did that. Can you share what he is transitioning between and why they do that?
thanks Judy! Have a great visit with your son and new DIL. I had a chance to get to Whidbey 3 weeks ago, so beautiful and lush compared to our valley this summer. I took the shuttle from SeaTac, so easy .We did a lot of hiking with his dog and of course hiked around the bridge at deception pass. Every visit with our LOs is precious.
JudyM-Have a great visit with your son and his wife. My mother's house is the big blue house on the street to the south of your son's. It's next to the white farmhouse.
Hi Everyone and Welcome to the new parents. My DS is out at LeMoore NAS in CA, working his way through Sims and hoping to be in a jet before too long. I've been following along, but have not had too much to add. Suzie, I love the patch frame. That looks like a good Christmas gift, I'm going to tuck your idea away! Had a good visit over the fourth, he was able to come home and go on our annual family vacation north. Ulua, great photo! We really enjoyed our trip to see DS at his new home in April and enjoyed lots of hiking at Sequoia. Have a great day all!
Woke up this morning to a text from DS telling us that he had passed his final checkride in El Centro yesterday! Solo today and then he softwings!!! Winging is in 10 days. I can't believe it is almost here. What a journey it has been. Thanks ladies for all your support. Your help is immeasurable!
CheriH....Congrats, I am so excited for you and your family. Now on to the next fork in the road. Let me know when you plan to come back to my neck of the woods!
Congratulations CheriH! The winging ceremony is such a wonderful time...you will be smiling for days ! Glad you will have some time with your DS Suzie, visits are priceless.
Will keep you in my prayers Suzie. I had both knees replaced last year (6 months apart), and it's so very good not to have the chronic pain anymore! It's very worth it.
Suzie...praying for a successful surgery today and a quick recovery!
I, too could use some prayers today. We are leaving on Wednesday for winging in Kingsville. Our daughter is flying in to join us and we have a boatload of family joining us for winging. All good. What is complicating the matter is that my husband accepted a new job about a month ago that requires us to move two hours away. We have our house on the market and we started the house hunting this past week. We found one last night and put in an offer. So the 7 day option period starts today if they accept our offer. So, inspections and mortgage paperwork needs to be happening this week! I really love the house and want it to work, but really want to be able to focus on DS and his accomplishment this week. The stress level is fairly high. We get back from winging and hubby starts new job on Tuesday. I just keep telling myself that it will work out. And that winging happens only once. Any prayers that you can spare will help!
Our company was bought out less than a week before winging and they called the first meeting with our team the day before we were to leave. I'm the primary breadwinner and didn't know if I would even have a job! They were gracious enough to allow me to go to the winging, and I was eventually offered a job with them so it worked out, but can definitely relate to the stress. To your point, this is a once in a lifetime event- the stress will wait but the winging won't. Enjoy!!
Suzie - yes, my experience was all my therapists were related to the Marquis de Sade, but I listened and did what they told me anyway and they did know what they were doing!
Helomom, yes we were in Anacortes the 11th to the 14th. We had a wonderful visit with DS and daughter-in-law. He is scheduled to leave for his first deployment Sunday or Monday.
Judy- so glad you got to visit! I'm not sure of the protocol since my DS is still a ways from deployment but do you get to put a big yellow ribbon on your front porch? To other Navy4moms that have experienced the first deployment, do you have any advice/memories to share?
I saw the Zac Brown band concert up in Tahoe last weekend, wow was that great, great music, great fun. They do a nice tribute to the armed forces during their 'chicken fry' song. Go if you have the chance to see them!
Today our DS and family head back to Coronado. It has been a really fun 10 day visit. He is heading out in August for deployment. Found out they will have Change of Command while underway so he will return as the CO. I was disappointed that I won't be able to see that, but my DIL said the CoC ceremony when he leaves the squadron will be even better. This tour is going really fast! Can't believe they are at the halfway mark. Next is the waiting for new orders. No idea where they will be going or what he will be doing. Should be a joint services tour of some kind, I think. Any salty moms out there who have an idea of what comes next?
I love it when I am folding laundry and look up to see this out the window....thinking of and praying for all of our sons & daughters this beautiful morning. Can't wait to take my Japanese cousins to see the Blue Angels in Seattle this weekend! Suzie I hope the recovery is going well.
Sounds like you are on the road to recovery, Suzie! Keep up with the PT. My DIL had ACL surgery (2nd time due to medical error on the 1st) last November. PT has been a killer but she is getting there.
Rosemarie: My DS is out on his last cruise from Japan right now. It's his 3rd year over there and I've found a few tricks to help stay in touch. 1) Email is great but be sure to get your LO's Navy email address. Bandwidth is limited (even on the carriers) and they don't usually get to check gmail, etc. except in port. However, access is more open on the Navy lines. 2) We've found Skype to be the greatest, whether on land or in port. You won't be able to use it while they are on the ship. It's free and they can call your phone even if you aren't on your computer. With Japan, the greatest challenge has been that they are 16 hr. ahead! It's easy for them to use while in port, too. 3) Packages and more packages! Thank the good Lord for the US flat rate military packages. I try to send 2 a month - one is a "Share" package for the squadron that has candy, gum, and the thing they love best - magazines. My friends save everything from National Geographic to car mags and they love getting them for the ready room between flights. Avoid chocolate other than M&Ms, or they get a melted mess. Cookies do well, though buttery ones can get bad before they arrives. I also try to find crazy stuff that the squadron can play around with. This month it was nerf balls. Last cruise I actually sent 4 mechanical mice that they could wind up and "race". My son thought it was nuts, but when he had to leave in the middle of cruise for Top Gun school, the rest made him leave the mice! For the "Care" packages, keep stuff small because there is minimal room on the ship. Socks, Tshirts, etc. are always good fill ins- my guy swears that the laundry shrinks everything!
First deployment is the hardest, so hang in there. You can get a lot of info from Facebook and the official navy sites (just type in the ship name), but don't be surprised if your LO can't tell you much about what's going on. OpSec is very important. It can be rather funny at times because our LOs can't say anything and then it is out in public! last year, for example, I knew all about the rescue efforts in the Philippines from a family friend in Manila who sent all the local news articles, but my guy couldn't say a word. Don't take it personally, it's for our children's protection. Best of luck.
Hello all! We are back from Winging and I have to say it was as wonderful as all of you have shared. The reception at the Commodore's home was fun and it was great to meet the other wingees and their families. There were numerous officers and instructors there as well. Since we are from Texas and have lots of family here, DS was surrounded by 20 of his family and friends to help him celebrate. Then late that night, DS took some of us to the sim building and we got to fly the sim. What fun! The highlight was when we asked him to get in and land on the carrier...he made it look like a walk in the park. It was amazing to see him in his element and he thoroughly enjoyed teaching all of us how to "fly."
Then on Friday we got a tour of the hangar, saw a plane up close and personal, the ready room, briefing rooms, flight line and see a few planes flying. More sim time for a few who didn't make it Thursday eve. The ceremony that afternoon was so amazing. There were 11 winging. I loved the video they showed the stages of training. It really helped to know what they have learned. Watching our sweet DIL pinning the wings on our son was a moment I will treasure. They have grown together so much in the last two years. I'm grateful they are on this journey together.
We learned on Thursday that they will be going to Lemoore and DS will be flying the F18. It is amazing to realize that he has come this far...it seems a lifetime ago that he dreamed of this moment and decided to pursue it.
I am very excited that he will only be a 3 hour drive from his sister and BIL; she is ecstatic to have family nearby and has already proclaimed that Christmas will be in Sacramento this year. It was wonderful to have her here for the celebration. I get tears in my eyes seeing the pics of the two of them. One of the most hilarious moments was when DS dressed her in his flight gear; g-suit, survival vest, helmet, etc. Her purple tank top and glitzy flip flops added a fun touch. Not quite the approved flight footwear!
We hung out at the O club for a bit; loved that they had the photographer there who was so willing to take any pics we asked of him. Then our DS and DIL provided a wonderful dinner for the clan at their apartment clubhouse. It was a fun time to hang out, eat, fellowship and listen to his stories. Then he and his wife went back to the O club for the party and the rest of us headed to bed! On Saturday we hung out and he showed us some videos he had of him flying.
The crazy part of the weekend was that we got an offer on our house on Saturday and spent the rest of the day and Sunday as we were driving 7 hours home on the phone with our realtor getting the sale done. But it all worked out, even if we felt somewhat muddled trying to figure it all out.
I will post in the winging gift discussion, but we had briefing sticks made for him. One of the T6 and one of the T45. They did a fabulous job and he was so thrilled with them. They used his solo tail number for the T6 an the squadron plane for the T45; even painted the eagle on it. And his name on the side. They were beautifully done.
I guess that's it...time to get the house ready for inspection and go see the house that we put an offer on sight unseen. It has been a crazy week!
Thanks for all your support and info the last two years. I never would have made it without all of you. I'm sure we have plenty more ahead of us...including SERE in September.
CheriH, Congratulations!! Beautiful pictures and I do love those gold flip-flops your DIL is wearing. Wonderful! Your Los are heading out toward my DS. Our suggestion is to look for a home in Hanford, it is not far from base but the town offers lots more shopping, restaurants, etc. (and less dairy farm!) My DS is renting a nice little house with an in ground swimming pool. Good luck!
Thanks Barb! Hanford was mentioned as a good place to live. They said that they had found several possibilities in their price range. Looking forward to a garage and a fenced backyard which they have not had in Kingsville. Have you been out to visit him yet? It has been 35 years since I've been in that neck of the woods. Other than driving down 5 a couple of times.
CheriH, yes I went out to visit in April and loved it! So much nicer than where he was in Kingsville. It looks like a newer community. He is in a nice neighborhood and is just a short walk from a nice park with a dog park, ball fields, etc. His backyard is really small but all fenced in and backs up to a big private woodsy area. He also loves his garage and fenced in yard! We drove over to Sequoia while we were there, it was beautiful, and he took us to base to watch the F-18s take off and land...Wow! When you go to see them be sure he takes you to Gunny's for lunch. It's a little diner close to base with delicious sandwiches and fresh baked bread. :)
Oh good...glad it's nicer than Kingsville. I think they are a little concerned that it's another Kingsville. Out in the middle of nowhere. Course, that is where they put jet bases! I'll look forward to Gunny's!
Cheri, loved your description of winging. Ours was a year ago April. It is such a special time. I do hope your son enjoys Lemoore. Pretty toasty this time of year, just drove through that area this weekend going from Sacramento to the Central Coast. Lots of great day and weekend trips from there.
JudyM...It's good that they are used to heat. I'm so sorry I missed you when I was in Sacramento. Had a great dinner with Paymaster. Did she tell me that you are a Texas Aggie? Or was I dreaming that?
Marianne- thankyou, thankyou for the deployment tips. I will print that up to save, my DS will be deploying for the first time early 2015. And how thankful you must be he is on his last cruise, safe journey!
Cheri- great winging story and you all look beautiful in your photos!
Cheri, maybe next time you are around we can get together. I am an Aggie and my husband is on an advisory board at A & M. In fact hope to get there this fall. My DS's wife is a longhorn (UT). This makes for lots of family fun and rivalry.
JudyM...a house divided! Love it. We are all Aggies. Hubby, me, both kids, both dil and sil. With lots of aunts and uncles too. We get down for most football games. I will let you know next time I am up your way!
Thanks ladies for all your congrats. Winging was truly an incredible experience. And now...we have a SERE date. It seems impossible that he is at this point. I've been watching and reading this site for 4 years or so. And SERE always seemed so far off. He did get his orders and will actually have time for a house hunting trip and a Navy move this time. But, they will arrive, move in and 2 days later he leaves for SERE and leave his bride alone in a new place. So, I'll be praying for both of them!
Kris-Congrats on all the exciting news and the new grands!
NurseNavyMom and FlyboyMom-how wonderful to see your kids and families.
Cheri, i think the moving in and the aviators leaving so quickly is the Navy's way of trial by fire for the wives (haha). My daughter-in-law arrived on a Tuesday, DS left on Sunday for SERE. She started a new job on Monday. No car, only a bicycle, and while he was gone it was her birthday. I was in awe that she handled it so well!
DS and DIL are on their way to Lemoore. Found a house to rent; furniture will arrive promptly. And then he leaves for SERE. Another round of nail-biting for Momma.
Helomom: Thoughts and prayers for you & your DS underway. I know some other aviators on that cruise but not mine. I'm recommitting to persistent prayer for our aviators, especially with the recent events in the middle east.
JudyM: Your DIL came down to spend time with my DS & DIL when they were here for an inpromptu Seafair weekend. She brought a couple other F18 pilots with her and they all had a great time on the boat & watching the Blue Angels. I was so glad that she came down but she did unfortunately drop her cell phone into the lake....What do you hear from the deployed one?
ulua
Welcome to the new Navy 4 Moms! Such great info and support here.
Suzie- loved the patch display, what a nice keepsake.
Judy- I'm so glad you have a chance to visit. I can only imagine what that first deployment for you is like. I know there are many variables in training length during FRS but approx. how many months did it take for your DS to finish this phase of training since his winging?
Jul 7, 2014
JudyM
Jul 7, 2014
CheriH
JAMI - I was interested in your comment about your DS transitioning between aircraft. I wondered if they ever did that. Can you share what he is transitioning between and why they do that?
Jul 7, 2014
ulua
Jul 8, 2014
Helomom
JudyM-Have a great visit with your son and his wife. My mother's house is the big blue house on the street to the south of your son's. It's next to the white farmhouse.
Jul 8, 2014
Barb
Hi Everyone and Welcome to the new parents. My DS is out at LeMoore NAS in CA, working his way through Sims and hoping to be in a jet before too long. I've been following along, but have not had too much to add. Suzie, I love the patch frame. That looks like a good Christmas gift, I'm going to tuck your idea away! Had a good visit over the fourth, he was able to come home and go on our annual family vacation north. Ulua, great photo! We really enjoyed our trip to see DS at his new home in April and enjoyed lots of hiking at Sequoia. Have a great day all!
Jul 8, 2014
CheriH
Woke up this morning to a text from DS telling us that he had passed his final checkride in El Centro yesterday! Solo today and then he softwings!!! Winging is in 10 days. I can't believe it is almost here. What a journey it has been. Thanks ladies for all your support. Your help is immeasurable!
Jul 17, 2014
Paymaster
CheriH....Congrats, I am so excited for you and your family. Now on to the next fork in the road. Let me know when you plan to come back to my neck of the woods!
Jul 17, 2014
ulua
Congratulations CheriH! The winging ceremony is such a wonderful time...you will be smiling for days ! Glad you will have some time with your DS Suzie, visits are priceless.
Jul 17, 2014
Paymaster
Sheila...I can see you doing the happy dance right now. You must be the happiest women in Ky right now! Enjoy your visit with you son!
Jul 20, 2014
JudyM
We all share your joy, Sheila.
Jul 20, 2014
Barb
Congratulations Cheri and Sheila! Wonderful times!
Jul 20, 2014
NOAM
Congrats Sheila! So happy for you!
Will keep you in my prayers Suzie. I had both knees replaced last year (6 months apart), and it's so very good not to have the chronic pain anymore! It's very worth it.
Jul 20, 2014
CheriH
Suzie...praying for a successful surgery today and a quick recovery!
I, too could use some prayers today. We are leaving on Wednesday for winging in Kingsville. Our daughter is flying in to join us and we have a boatload of family joining us for winging. All good. What is complicating the matter is that my husband accepted a new job about a month ago that requires us to move two hours away. We have our house on the market and we started the house hunting this past week. We found one last night and put in an offer. So the 7 day option period starts today if they accept our offer. So, inspections and mortgage paperwork needs to be happening this week! I really love the house and want it to work, but really want to be able to focus on DS and his accomplishment this week. The stress level is fairly high. We get back from winging and hubby starts new job on Tuesday. I just keep telling myself that it will work out. And that winging happens only once. Any prayers that you can spare will help!
Thanks, as always!
Shelia...have a wonderful visit with your kids!!!
Jul 21, 2014
Helomom
Jul 21, 2014
NOAM
Hang in there Cheri.
Our company was bought out less than a week before winging and they called the first meeting with our team the day before we were to leave. I'm the primary breadwinner and didn't know if I would even have a job! They were gracious enough to allow me to go to the winging, and I was eventually offered a job with them so it worked out, but can definitely relate to the stress. To your point, this is a once in a lifetime event- the stress will wait but the winging won't. Enjoy!!
Suzie - yes, my experience was all my therapists were related to the Marquis de Sade, but I listened and did what they told me anyway and they did know what they were doing!
Jul 21, 2014
Barb
Suzie, I hope your surgery went well. Good luck with your physical therapy, I hope you'll find that it goes well and are back up to speed in no time!
Jul 22, 2014
Paymaster
Cheri.....I know it will all work out for you. Can relate to the stress...Stay Navy Strong my friend.
Jul 22, 2014
JudyM
Prayers and good thoughts for all the Navy Moms. Have fun at winging - what an exciting time.
Jul 22, 2014
Helomom
Jul 22, 2014
JudyM
Jul 23, 2014
ulua
Judy- so glad you got to visit! I'm not sure of the protocol since my DS is still a ways from deployment but do you get to put a big yellow ribbon on your front porch? To other Navy4moms that have experienced the first deployment, do you have any advice/memories to share?
I saw the Zac Brown band concert up in Tahoe last weekend, wow was that great, great music, great fun. They do a nice tribute to the armed forces during their 'chicken fry' song. Go if you have the chance to see them!
cheri- happy winging!
Jul 23, 2014
Helomom
Today our DS and family head back to Coronado. It has been a really fun 10 day visit. He is heading out in August for deployment. Found out they will have Change of Command while underway so he will return as the CO. I was disappointed that I won't be able to see that, but my DIL said the CoC ceremony when he leaves the squadron will be even better. This tour is going really fast! Can't believe they are at the halfway mark. Next is the waiting for new orders. No idea where they will be going or what he will be doing. Should be a joint services tour of some kind, I think. Any salty moms out there who have an idea of what comes next?
Jul 24, 2014
gonavymom
I love it when I am folding laundry and look up to see this out the window....thinking of and praying for all of our sons & daughters this beautiful morning. Can't wait to take my Japanese cousins to see the Blue Angels in Seattle this weekend! Suzie I hope the recovery is going well.
Jul 28, 2014
Rosemarie
My LO is being deployed shortly... First time. Of course, I am very nervous. Any tips for communication with him while on ship and at port?
Jul 29, 2014
Helomom
Sounds like you are on the road to recovery, Suzie! Keep up with the PT. My DIL had ACL surgery (2nd time due to medical error on the 1st) last November. PT has been a killer but she is getting there.
Jul 29, 2014
Marianne
Rosemarie: My DS is out on his last cruise from Japan right now. It's his 3rd year over there and I've found a few tricks to help stay in touch. 1) Email is great but be sure to get your LO's Navy email address. Bandwidth is limited (even on the carriers) and they don't usually get to check gmail, etc. except in port. However, access is more open on the Navy lines. 2) We've found Skype to be the greatest, whether on land or in port. You won't be able to use it while they are on the ship. It's free and they can call your phone even if you aren't on your computer. With Japan, the greatest challenge has been that they are 16 hr. ahead! It's easy for them to use while in port, too. 3) Packages and more packages! Thank the good Lord for the US flat rate military packages. I try to send 2 a month - one is a "Share" package for the squadron that has candy, gum, and the thing they love best - magazines. My friends save everything from National Geographic to car mags and they love getting them for the ready room between flights. Avoid chocolate other than M&Ms, or they get a melted mess. Cookies do well, though buttery ones can get bad before they arrives. I also try to find crazy stuff that the squadron can play around with. This month it was nerf balls. Last cruise I actually sent 4 mechanical mice that they could wind up and "race". My son thought it was nuts, but when he had to leave in the middle of cruise for Top Gun school, the rest made him leave the mice! For the "Care" packages, keep stuff small because there is minimal room on the ship. Socks, Tshirts, etc. are always good fill ins- my guy swears that the laundry shrinks everything!
First deployment is the hardest, so hang in there. You can get a lot of info from Facebook and the official navy sites (just type in the ship name), but don't be surprised if your LO can't tell you much about what's going on. OpSec is very important. It can be rather funny at times because our LOs can't say anything and then it is out in public! last year, for example, I knew all about the rescue efforts in the Philippines from a family friend in Manila who sent all the local news articles, but my guy couldn't say a word. Don't take it personally, it's for our children's protection. Best of luck.
Jul 29, 2014
CheriH
IMG_0297.JPG
Hello all! We are back from Winging and I have to say it was as wonderful as all of you have shared. The reception at the Commodore's home was fun and it was great to meet the other wingees and their families. There were numerous officers and instructors there as well. Since we are from Texas and have lots of family here, DS was surrounded by 20 of his family and friends to help him celebrate. Then late that night, DS took some of us to the sim building and we got to fly the sim. What fun! The highlight was when we asked him to get in and land on the carrier...he made it look like a walk in the park. It was amazing to see him in his element and he thoroughly enjoyed teaching all of us how to "fly."
Then on Friday we got a tour of the hangar, saw a plane up close and personal, the ready room, briefing rooms, flight line and see a few planes flying. More sim time for a few who didn't make it Thursday eve. The ceremony that afternoon was so amazing. There were 11 winging. I loved the video they showed the stages of training. It really helped to know what they have learned. Watching our sweet DIL pinning the wings on our son was a moment I will treasure. They have grown together so much in the last two years. I'm grateful they are on this journey together.
We learned on Thursday that they will be going to Lemoore and DS will be flying the F18. It is amazing to realize that he has come this far...it seems a lifetime ago that he dreamed of this moment and decided to pursue it.
I am very excited that he will only be a 3 hour drive from his sister and BIL; she is ecstatic to have family nearby and has already proclaimed that Christmas will be in Sacramento this year. It was wonderful to have her here for the celebration. I get tears in my eyes seeing the pics of the two of them. One of the most hilarious moments was when DS dressed her in his flight gear; g-suit, survival vest, helmet, etc. Her purple tank top and glitzy flip flops added a fun touch. Not quite the approved flight footwear!
We hung out at the O club for a bit; loved that they had the photographer there who was so willing to take any pics we asked of him. Then our DS and DIL provided a wonderful dinner for the clan at their apartment clubhouse. It was a fun time to hang out, eat, fellowship and listen to his stories. Then he and his wife went back to the O club for the party and the rest of us headed to bed! On Saturday we hung out and he showed us some videos he had of him flying.
The crazy part of the weekend was that we got an offer on our house on Saturday and spent the rest of the day and Sunday as we were driving 7 hours home on the phone with our realtor getting the sale done. But it all worked out, even if we felt somewhat muddled trying to figure it all out.
I will post in the winging gift discussion, but we had briefing sticks made for him. One of the T6 and one of the T45. They did a fabulous job and he was so thrilled with them. They used his solo tail number for the T6 an the squadron plane for the T45; even painted the eagle on it. And his name on the side. They were beautifully done.
I guess that's it...time to get the house ready for inspection and go see the house that we put an offer on sight unseen. It has been a crazy week!
Thanks for all your support and info the last two years. I never would have made it without all of you. I'm sure we have plenty more ahead of us...including SERE in September.
Have a great day!
Jul 30, 2014
CheriH
IMG_0260.JPG
Jul 30, 2014
CheriH
IMG_0288.JPG DS and DIL
Jul 30, 2014
Barb
CheriH, Congratulations!! Beautiful pictures and I do love those gold flip-flops your DIL is wearing. Wonderful! Your Los are heading out toward my DS. Our suggestion is to look for a home in Hanford, it is not far from base but the town offers lots more shopping, restaurants, etc. (and less dairy farm!) My DS is renting a nice little house with an in ground swimming pool. Good luck!
Jul 30, 2014
CheriH
Thanks Barb! Hanford was mentioned as a good place to live. They said that they had found several possibilities in their price range. Looking forward to a garage and a fenced backyard which they have not had in Kingsville. Have you been out to visit him yet? It has been 35 years since I've been in that neck of the woods. Other than driving down 5 a couple of times.
Jul 30, 2014
Barb
CheriH, yes I went out to visit in April and loved it! So much nicer than where he was in Kingsville. It looks like a newer community. He is in a nice neighborhood and is just a short walk from a nice park with a dog park, ball fields, etc. His backyard is really small but all fenced in and backs up to a big private woodsy area. He also loves his garage and fenced in yard! We drove over to Sequoia while we were there, it was beautiful, and he took us to base to watch the F-18s take off and land...Wow! When you go to see them be sure he takes you to Gunny's for lunch. It's a little diner close to base with delicious sandwiches and fresh baked bread. :)
Jul 30, 2014
CheriH
Oh good...glad it's nicer than Kingsville. I think they are a little concerned that it's another Kingsville. Out in the middle of nowhere. Course, that is where they put jet bases! I'll look forward to Gunny's!
Jul 30, 2014
JudyM
Jul 30, 2014
CheriH
JudyM...It's good that they are used to heat. I'm so sorry I missed you when I was in Sacramento. Had a great dinner with Paymaster. Did she tell me that you are a Texas Aggie? Or was I dreaming that?
Jul 30, 2014
ulua
Marianne- thankyou, thankyou for the deployment tips. I will print that up to save, my DS will be deploying for the first time early 2015. And how thankful you must be he is on his last cruise, safe journey!
Cheri- great winging story and you all look beautiful in your photos!
Jul 30, 2014
JudyM
Cheri, maybe next time you are around we can get together. I am an Aggie and my husband is on an advisory board at A & M. In fact hope to get there this fall. My DS's wife is a longhorn (UT). This makes for lots of family fun and rivalry.
Jul 30, 2014
CheriH
JudyM...a house divided! Love it. We are all Aggies. Hubby, me, both kids, both dil and sil. With lots of aunts and uncles too. We get down for most football games. I will let you know next time I am up your way!
Jul 30, 2014
JudyM
Cheri, hopefully we will meet up. Hubby has a board meeting at A & M later this year. Not sure I am going with him. Will let you know.
Jul 30, 2014
jamielss
My DS and his brother are aggies but husband and i are not. DS should wing in the spring and i am so glad to hear about that ceremony. Sounds fun!!
Jul 30, 2014
NOAM
Great pic CheriH and congrats on the winging and house sale!
Jul 30, 2014
CheriH
Thanks ladies for all your congrats. Winging was truly an incredible experience. And now...we have a SERE date. It seems impossible that he is at this point. I've been watching and reading this site for 4 years or so. And SERE always seemed so far off. He did get his orders and will actually have time for a house hunting trip and a Navy move this time. But, they will arrive, move in and 2 days later he leaves for SERE and leave his bride alone in a new place. So, I'll be praying for both of them!
Kris-Congrats on all the exciting news and the new grands!
NurseNavyMom and FlyboyMom-how wonderful to see your kids and families.
Aug 8, 2014
CheriH
Praying for all our aviators involved in Iraq. May each be safe and successful in their mission.
Aug 8, 2014
JudyM
Aug 8, 2014
CheriH
JudyM - Oh my! That was trial by fire. Glad your DIL did well.
James - sounds like a great deal of fun! Enjoy.
Aug 8, 2014
Paymaster
Interesting article in the Virginia Pilot on water training.
http://hamptonroads.com/2014/08/training-gives-helicopter-crews-sho...
Aug 11, 2014
Helomom
Aug 22, 2014
CheriH
DS and DIL are on their way to Lemoore. Found a house to rent; furniture will arrive promptly. And then he leaves for SERE. Another round of nail-biting for Momma.
Aug 24, 2014
gonavymom
Helomom: Thoughts and prayers for you & your DS underway. I know some other aviators on that cruise but not mine. I'm recommitting to persistent prayer for our aviators, especially with the recent events in the middle east.
JudyM: Your DIL came down to spend time with my DS & DIL when they were here for an inpromptu Seafair weekend. She brought a couple other F18 pilots with her and they all had a great time on the boat & watching the Blue Angels. I was so glad that she came down but she did unfortunately drop her cell phone into the lake....What do you hear from the deployed one?
Aug 25, 2014