It's been a quiet summer, our DS has been doing sims, but still no flights and it sounds like it will be awhile. He's enjoying the west coast though and I'm thankful he's not in the earthquake zone!
Just thought I would throw this out there as part of an awareness campaign--my husband and I are training for the Marine Corps Marathon this fall and will be running for charity. We selected Fisher House, an A+ rated military charity. I was unaware of all that they do--Fisher Houses are all over the world, typically near major VA hospitals and trauma centers. They provide a home like setting at no charge, to military families so they can be near their LO during a medical crisis. It was so heartwarming to learn more about them and the way they support military families in times of medical crisis. So, part of what we signed on to do is raise awareness about them, so I've shared that! Secondly, we are raising funds for them. If you are at all interested in learning more about Fisher House or supporting our efforts, we are Team Super Hornet...here's a link: http://www.teamfisherhouse.org/goto/barbandkent
gonavymom, yes, DIL did lose her phone in the lake. But. other than that she is doing well.
Not much word from DS, with a 16 hour time difference and a crazy work schedule, communications have been few. He does talk to his wife and I keep up with things through her.
NurseNavyMom - we were in the Smoky Mountains this weekend too! In fact, we were shocked when we had a knock on our door Saturday; when my hubby opened it, our DS and DIL had come down from Virginia to surprise us! We hadn't seen him for several months and I was in dire need of a son 'fix', so after I stopped crying tears of joy, we had a wonderful couple of days.
Hope you all had a safe and wonderful holiday as well.
So good to hear everyone's news. We talked to DS as he was driving to San Diego for SERE. He didn't sound worried, just ready to get it over with. Their furniture didn't arrive before he left, so his wife gets to deal with that while he is gone. I will keep busy while he's gone; we just moved into our new house on Saturday, so have many boxes to unpack. The other exciting news in our family is that our daughter is pregnant...I'm going to be a grandma for the 1st time. Lots of excitement in our family!
CheriH will be sending you positive thoughts while he's gone. That is about the best text --"Made it" and you'll get yours before you know it!
Congratulations on becoming a Grandma to be! Our first (and only thus far) will be nine months old tomorrow and she is an absolute delight! You won't believe how happy being a grandma will make you!
Great news on all the visits! Things are backed up where our DS is at so we're happy to have him home for three weeks while he attaches to the local university NROTC unit.
Congrats CheriH on becoming a Grandma to be! Although SERE sucks, having SERE over with is awesome; will pray these days go by quickly for your family.
Just finished an awesome weekend at Tailhook. It is so amazing to be among such an elite group! Only thing missing was our DS who is deployed. Hopefully he will be there next year.
Off to the Reno Air Races next weekend with our daughter-in-law.
Sleep has been a bit elusive this week. Just as I lay down I think about DS. Good thing is that the boxes are getting emptied pretty quickly. Lots of nervous energy. I'm not sure whether he will be back in Thursday or Friday. Can't wait for that text.
You are right James, they are all ours. Just yesterday the doctor I worked with asked about DS & his buddies & what they are like. I told her they work very hard, play hard, share a lot of similar traits & are so much fun to spend time with because I realize any one of them and all of them could be my son. I have hung out with three of DS's pilot buddies deployed on the Vinson right now. Continued prayers for all our loved ones and for each other, this great Navy family.
I have not checked in for quite some time, but yesterday's events have left me feeling the need to just be in touch with other moms - and dads. James, I see that you knew our hero, and I am sorry to hear that the search has been called off. I am praying for him, his family, his friends, and shipmates. I cannot imagine the heartbreak.
OMG. I have three kids. In all our years of milestones and seeing them off, I have never before been overwhelmed or cried. My DS just drove away in his pickup pulling a U-Haul trailer on his way to Pensacola and Flight School. His adventure to begin. As he drove away I was overcome by emotion--pride & fear- at the enormity of his path - and I cried. He's gone.
Oh yes, helenp. There are many of us here who understand your feelings. It is enormous. It is scary and you will bust your buttons with pride. Stay close to this page. Ask lots of questions. We are here for you!
helenp....Yes, those emotions will just pop in there when we least expect them. Don't worry, we will all be here for you when you have the next round of emotions. Because we have all had them, and more than one occasion of them.
Helenp, one of my favorite postings is by nancyW, page 170 on this naval aviation group site, Jan 15, 2013. Part of it reads...
We fly our flag, have our blue star mom sign proudly displayed, put up and take down yellow ribbons and put them up again. When he comes home, we hang on every word, we listen to the stories, our hearts thumping in our chests ...and we learn to let go.
Read the entire post Helenp, its wonderful, thankyou Nancy for your post.
Thank you everyone for the support. I did read nancyW's post on page 170 and it gives great insight. He has been gone for one week now and I am feeling better. My DS has settled into his apt. in Pensacola is getting his physicals and is waiting to "class up." I guess for IFS. S the journey has begun. I have always liked roller coasters.
A roller coaster ride indeed flyboymom! After the joy of winging, the nail-biting of SERE, the flurry of moving and getting settled, our DS is back to the Navy waiting game. They told him he would have nothing to do until at least February. So he bought himself a project car. The engine doesn't work, so he had to tow it home. But the fun of searching for parts and figuring out how to fix it will keep him busy for quite some time. His wife hasn't found a job yet, but is doing some online certification, so they both have some purpose and flexibility. They seem to be handling the waiting game much better this time around. I'm so grateful. I leave next week to visit my daughter and will fit in a weekend trip to Lemoore to see DS while I'm there. I love seeing them in their new surroundings!
Hi, I just received a call from my son who is a student aviator and he stated that he might be receiving his wings in December or January. He will not know for another couple of weeks. He is at the Milton navy base in Fl. How do you make reservations if it has not been confirmed?
Wondering if anyone can make a referral or offer advice...
My DS is renting a house in Virginia Beach with 2 other pilots. The lease on the house is through a rental agency and ends in June. There is a military clause that breaks the lease in case of deployment.
The situation,,,One of his roommates is getting deployed next month. Another in February and DS in April. They thought the lease would be broken with this first deployment, however the leasing agency says not true. They want to hold DS and the one roommate responsible until the second deployment and then my son alone until his.
Has anyone run into this before? Can anyone make a referral for help releasing them all from the lease? Two cannot afford the place, let alone one. Thank you.
Following up on my post from last night and some of the responses...they want to break the lease at the end of next month. The place will be too expense for just 2. Trying to find roommates for 2 and 4 months will be difficult. Plus, the leasing agency says there will have to be approvals/addendums signed if anyone else moves in to replace roommies as they deploy. Very difficult to work with :(
Good morning Navy moms! There is a wreath laying event coming up at the Sacramento valley national Cemetery, 5810 Midway Road, Dixon, CA. Saturday Dec 13th at 9;00 AM, rain or shine. My husband and I are planning to volunteer. I'm hoping to meet up there with other navy moms. Would anyone be interested in joining us?
Hello! My DS recently started API at Pensacola, expected to finish late January. Then he will go to Milton for Basic Flight Training. His "Santa" list included a briefing stick for the "VT-3 T-6B Texan II Trainer" from Aviator Gear. It says they will expect to ship on Feb 25. Is this the norm? Are they custom made. Any advice for purchasing briefing sticks? Any other vendors that you recommend?
Helenp: we ordered 2 from aviator gear and it did take quite awhile. We did pay an extra fee to speed it up as we were trying to hit a winging date. But they were fabulous!!! They customized them with his name, rank and plane number of the plane he soloed in. They painted the custom paint job of the squadron plane of the T45. They were able to hold the painting until we got the plane number of the second one. My son loved them!!! We will definitely order another one when he has an F18 to fly. Worth the wait.
Hi Nancy! Where did you guys finally relocate to? Did you end up in the GH area? Sounds like your DS has been busy, I did not realize he was coming up on his CO tour. Our DS is about half way through is XO tour working hard on this deployment. He will be fleeting up to CO in 2015. I'm not sure of the time table...mid year maybe. It has been a very different cruise as he has had the opportunity to lead a Det from the ship in addition to everything else. We hardly hear from him but his Chief keeps me in the loop via Facebook. We are currently on our annual vacation in Puerto Vallarta. Two weeks of sun and fun on the beach. Heading home on Saturday to get ready for Christmas.
Ulua....how did the wreath laying go yesterday. Did they by chance say when the clean up day is? I think I should be recovered enough to be able to go out and help by then.
Unfortunately we were not able to go yesterday, hope we can next year! I will check the website for the clean-up day, maybe we could go help out then. I hope your hand is much better!
It looks to be scheduled January 10th from 9 to 11. let me know if you are feeling up to it. would be nice to help out and go for coffee after. Happy Holidays everyone!
Just want to wish you all Merry Christmas! I hope if your not with your children, that get to hear from them. For those that cannot hear from your children know they are thinking of you. Peace to the world!
Merry Christmas to all! The President of the United States made phone calls today to random service personnel deployed overseas. An AO1 in my son's squadron was the recipient of one of those phone calls. Christmas greetings from the President, that's cool!
Barb
Hi Everyone,
It's been a quiet summer, our DS has been doing sims, but still no flights and it sounds like it will be awhile. He's enjoying the west coast though and I'm thankful he's not in the earthquake zone!
Just thought I would throw this out there as part of an awareness campaign--my husband and I are training for the Marine Corps Marathon this fall and will be running for charity. We selected Fisher House, an A+ rated military charity. I was unaware of all that they do--Fisher Houses are all over the world, typically near major VA hospitals and trauma centers. They provide a home like setting at no charge, to military families so they can be near their LO during a medical crisis. It was so heartwarming to learn more about them and the way they support military families in times of medical crisis. So, part of what we signed on to do is raise awareness about them, so I've shared that! Secondly, we are raising funds for them. If you are at all interested in learning more about Fisher House or supporting our efforts, we are Team Super Hornet...here's a link: http://www.teamfisherhouse.org/goto/barbandkent
Have a great day!
Aug 26, 2014
JudyM
gonavymom, yes, DIL did lose her phone in the lake. But. other than that she is doing well.
Not much word from DS, with a 16 hour time difference and a crazy work schedule, communications have been few. He does talk to his wife and I keep up with things through her.
Aug 27, 2014
NOAM
NurseNavyMom - we were in the Smoky Mountains this weekend too! In fact, we were shocked when we had a knock on our door Saturday; when my hubby opened it, our DS and DIL had come down from Virginia to surprise us! We hadn't seen him for several months and I was in dire need of a son 'fix', so after I stopped crying tears of joy, we had a wonderful couple of days.
Hope you all had a safe and wonderful holiday as well.
Sep 1, 2014
CheriH
So good to hear everyone's news. We talked to DS as he was driving to San Diego for SERE. He didn't sound worried, just ready to get it over with. Their furniture didn't arrive before he left, so his wife gets to deal with that while he is gone. I will keep busy while he's gone; we just moved into our new house on Saturday, so have many boxes to unpack. The other exciting news in our family is that our daughter is pregnant...I'm going to be a grandma for the 1st time. Lots of excitement in our family!
I'll be waiting for that phone call in 10 days!
Sep 2, 2014
Barb
CheriH will be sending you positive thoughts while he's gone. That is about the best text --"Made it" and you'll get yours before you know it!
Congratulations on becoming a Grandma to be! Our first (and only thus far) will be nine months old tomorrow and she is an absolute delight! You won't believe how happy being a grandma will make you!
Great news on all the visits! Things are backed up where our DS is at so we're happy to have him home for three weeks while he attaches to the local university NROTC unit.
Sep 2, 2014
NOAM
So glad he was able to come home Suzie and Barb!
Congrats CheriH on becoming a Grandma to be! Although SERE sucks, having SERE over with is awesome; will pray these days go by quickly for your family.
Sep 2, 2014
JudyM
Off to the Reno Air Races next weekend with our daughter-in-law.
Sep 7, 2014
CheriH
Sep 9, 2014
CheriH
GOT THE TEXT!!! He's on his way back to base. Hallelujah!
Sep 11, 2014
Paymaster
CheriH.....Sweet!
Sep 11, 2014
NOAM
Awesome CheriH - you both made it! :-)
Sep 11, 2014
Barb
Yay! Glad you got the good news!
Sep 11, 2014
ulua
Glad that's over! And he will be stronger for the experience. Enjoy your weekend!
Sep 11, 2014
JudyM
Sep 12, 2014
NFAO
Suzie - our DS will be heading to El Centro as well... with all that's going on, it's becoming a lot more real!
Sep 12, 2014
NOAM
Sorry to hear that James
Sep 12, 2014
JudyM
James, our prayers are with you and the pilots family.
Sep 12, 2014
Helomom
Sep 12, 2014
Barb
Sep 12, 2014
gonavymom
You are right James, they are all ours. Just yesterday the doctor I worked with asked about DS & his buddies & what they are like. I told her they work very hard, play hard, share a lot of similar traits & are so much fun to spend time with because I realize any one of them and all of them could be my son. I have hung out with three of DS's pilot buddies deployed on the Vinson right now. Continued prayers for all our loved ones and for each other, this great Navy family.
Sep 13, 2014
Kathy
I have not checked in for quite some time, but yesterday's events have left me feeling the need to just be in touch with other moms - and dads. James, I see that you knew our hero, and I am sorry to hear that the search has been called off. I am praying for him, his family, his friends, and shipmates. I cannot imagine the heartbreak.
Sep 13, 2014
helenp
OMG. I have three kids. In all our years of milestones and seeing them off, I have never before been overwhelmed or cried. My DS just drove away in his pickup pulling a U-Haul trailer on his way to Pensacola and Flight School. His adventure to begin. As he drove away I was overcome by emotion--pride & fear- at the enormity of his path - and I cried. He's gone.
Sep 30, 2014
CheriH
Oh yes, helenp. There are many of us here who understand your feelings. It is enormous. It is scary and you will bust your buttons with pride. Stay close to this page. Ask lots of questions. We are here for you!
Sep 30, 2014
Paymaster
helenp....Yes, those emotions will just pop in there when we least expect them. Don't worry, we will all be here for you when you have the next round of emotions. Because we have all had them, and more than one occasion of them.
Sep 30, 2014
helenp
Thanks. I feel better already knowing you all understand. Some non-military friends just assumed it was the "empty nest," but it's not that.
Sep 30, 2014
Paymaster
Helenp....We call that the deer in the headlights look, when your non military friends look at you and think it's just some little thing.
Sep 30, 2014
JudyM
Paymaster, you are always so right on.
Sep 30, 2014
NOAM
hang in there helenp!
Sep 30, 2014
ulua
Hi all,
Helenp, one of my favorite postings is by nancyW, page 170 on this naval aviation group site, Jan 15, 2013. Part of it reads...
We fly our flag, have our blue star mom sign proudly displayed, put up and take down yellow ribbons and put them up again. When he comes home, we hang on every word, we listen to the stories, our hearts thumping in our chests ...and we learn to let go.
Read the entire post Helenp, its wonderful, thankyou Nancy for your post.
Oct 1, 2014
helenp
Thank you everyone for the support. I did read nancyW's post on page 170 and it gives great insight. He has been gone for one week now and I am feeling better. My DS has settled into his apt. in Pensacola is getting his physicals and is waiting to "class up." I guess for IFS. S the journey has begun. I have always liked roller coasters.
Oct 7, 2014
CheriH
A roller coaster ride indeed flyboymom! After the joy of winging, the nail-biting of SERE, the flurry of moving and getting settled, our DS is back to the Navy waiting game. They told him he would have nothing to do until at least February. So he bought himself a project car. The engine doesn't work, so he had to tow it home. But the fun of searching for parts and figuring out how to fix it will keep him busy for quite some time. His wife hasn't found a job yet, but is doing some online certification, so they both have some purpose and flexibility. They seem to be handling the waiting game much better this time around. I'm so grateful. I leave next week to visit my daughter and will fit in a weekend trip to Lemoore to see DS while I'm there. I love seeing them in their new surroundings!
Oct 18, 2014
chrisean
Nov 7, 2014
Kabar
Wondering if anyone can make a referral or offer advice...
My DS is renting a house in Virginia Beach with 2 other pilots. The lease on the house is through a rental agency and ends in June. There is a military clause that breaks the lease in case of deployment.
The situation,,,One of his roommates is getting deployed next month. Another in February and DS in April. They thought the lease would be broken with this first deployment, however the leasing agency says not true. They want to hold DS and the one roommate responsible until the second deployment and then my son alone until his.
Has anyone run into this before? Can anyone make a referral for help releasing them all from the lease? Two cannot afford the place, let alone one. Thank you.
Nov 13, 2014
Kabar
Following up on my post from last night and some of the responses...they want to break the lease at the end of next month. The place will be too expense for just 2. Trying to find roommates for 2 and 4 months will be difficult. Plus, the leasing agency says there will have to be approvals/addendums signed if anyone else moves in to replace roommies as they deploy. Very difficult to work with :(
Nov 14, 2014
ulua
Good morning Navy moms! There is a wreath laying event coming up at the Sacramento valley national Cemetery, 5810 Midway Road, Dixon, CA. Saturday Dec 13th at 9;00 AM, rain or shine. My husband and I are planning to volunteer. I'm hoping to meet up there with other navy moms. Would anyone be interested in joining us?
Dec 4, 2014
helenp
Hello! My DS recently started API at Pensacola, expected to finish late January. Then he will go to Milton for Basic Flight Training. His "Santa" list included a briefing stick for the "VT-3 T-6B Texan II Trainer" from Aviator Gear. It says they will expect to ship on Feb 25. Is this the norm? Are they custom made. Any advice for purchasing briefing sticks? Any other vendors that you recommend?
Dec 10, 2014
Paymaster
Dec 10, 2014
Helomom
Dec 10, 2014
CheriH
Helenp: we ordered 2 from aviator gear and it did take quite awhile. We did pay an extra fee to speed it up as we were trying to hit a winging date. But they were fabulous!!! They customized them with his name, rank and plane number of the plane he soloed in. They painted the custom paint job of the squadron plane of the T45. They were able to hold the painting until we got the plane number of the second one. My son loved them!!! We will definitely order another one when he has an F18 to fly. Worth the wait.
Dec 10, 2014
helenp
Thanks Helomo and CheriH!
Dec 10, 2014
Helomom
Dec 11, 2014
Paymaster
Dec 14, 2014
ulua
Unfortunately we were not able to go yesterday, hope we can next year! I will check the website for the clean-up day, maybe we could go help out then. I hope your hand is much better!
Dec 14, 2014
ulua
It looks to be scheduled January 10th from 9 to 11. let me know if you are feeling up to it. would be nice to help out and go for coffee after. Happy Holidays everyone!
Dec 14, 2014
Paymaster
Dec 16, 2014
Paymaster
Dec 25, 2014
Helomom
Dec 25, 2014
chrisean
Dec 25, 2014
jamielss
How cool a call from the President!!! My DS is home on leave. will head back soon for carrier quals. It just gets scarier and scarier!!
Dec 29, 2014
jdianew
Sorry to sound dumb (I am new to this), but I have noticed Nancy W. referring to her DS. What does DS stand for?
Dec 31, 2014