NUKE moms

Awwww JayDee - love the pictures!!!! You two look like sisters lol!  And I just love the picture of her hubby hugging her.  The look on her face is precious :)

Ceej0347 - have him take some moleskin in his wallet.  That will help with blister issues too.

happy tears seeing the young sailor getting hug!

Great pictures JayDee! Love seeing pics of everyone's nukes (and moms!).

Thanks ladies!  My daughter was super happy to see her husband again, he was pretty excited too.  I spent two days with them before heading back to my home. It all went so fast!  But she's home now except for underways and his sub is still in the yard.  Hopefully they'll have a little time to enjoy married life.

SunshineNuke, I'm guessing your son graduates this upcoming October, not in the past?  They seem to get their orders right before graduation then they have 30 days to report.  So my daughter (and SIL) graduated 5/5 and had to report 6/5.  In my daughter's case, her ship was on deployment so she was flown out to meet it.  My SIL's sub is in the shipyard so he's been hard at work doing that stuff that needs to be done but they can't tell us about because it's top secret.  

J's/S's mom, thank you.  She's generally been referred to as "mini me" or "Julie Jr".  Just wish I still had her figure!  I almost cried when her husband grabbed her and hugged her.  It was very touching.  Of course, she looked at the picture and said "momma, he has water in both hands", like that ruins any picture.  LOL.

I just ordered the book!  Thank you for the recommendation.  And pass the Kleenex! 

chellebelle3 - That book is a great read - we passed it around our EmptyNester group.  

Ceej0347 - remember with the Navy it's hurry up & wait.  Things will be on Navy time and you have no control over any of it lol!

Love the home stories and pictures. 

My son has been in Hawaii for two years. Good place to go visit.

Love the wedding stories and would love to see pictures when you have time. 

My job is to feed 160 everyday. 

Hi all - TGIF!

For all you new members there's a tradition called RED Shirt Friday.  You wear a red shirt (or anything red) in order to Remember Everyone Deployed.  Tell your friends, family & coworkers - get everyone involved.  You may not have a loved one deployed right now but you will at some point.  We continue to support all deployed military.

There's also another tradition that some of you new moms may or may not be aware of and that's the burning of the Blue Candle. Here's the Blue Candle Poem (you may have to click on it to make it easier to read):

Welcome to our newest members ~ SunshineNuke and 4shore!

Be sure to read the pages to the right (10) under member profiles and of course feel free to ask any questions you may have!

Happy Friday all!

It's only been a few days since son left for BC and seems like forever already!!! It's the no contact part that's hard - I think I'll feel better after that 3 week phone call. I watched the "Return to Boot Camp" videos while I was waiting for "the call" Tuesday night - it was really cool to get a little glimpse of what goes on...now I can at least imagine what he might be doing. It's funny, he's been pretty independent the last couple years, driving himself to work and school, doing his own laundry etc, and I've never been the mom that hangs over every little thing he does...but it's the walking past that empty room every night knowing he's not coming home anytime soon that's hard.

Thanks for sharing the Blue Candle Poem B'sNukeMom!

Here's another one for you new moms!  The veteran moms on here know how true this is!

Welcome to our newest member ~ ChAbSa3!

Feel free to ask any questions you may have.

I got back a few hours ago from PIR weekend.I'm so exhausted I think mostly because I haven't slept well since my girl left.Just me being a constant worrier-my hubby was worried too but it doesn't affect his sleep:)The ceremony was just so amazing,and when those big doors opened the tears started.I am so proud of my daughter and all those amazing young people.I felt bad for not meeting her at the airport but I was just beyond tired and still had that 7 hour drive home.But luckily some other sailors let her use their phones so she could call me and give me her address to ship her phone.I'm sure I'll sleep well tonight after seeing how happy and proud she was,and her assurances that this is where she wants to be.I also told several people about this fantastic site and told them to make sure they check it out

Bigsky21-I know how you feel just waiting to hear something.It felt like BC would last forever,but then when I finally got to hug my daughter it seemed like it went so fast.And you will just be amazed at the changes in your son

If you are an Ohio mom and your son is a nuke named Cody J., I would love to chat and meet you!  Or sons are bunk mates and best friends now!

 rjkj1 - I am sorry I didn't get a chance to meet you this weekend. I don't know what airport, or flight that your daughter had this morning, but there were lots of parents there and a few who weren't there. Tell your daughter to never be afraid to ask a navy mom to borrow their phone to call you. There was a sailor this morning trying to reach his parents from a paging phone that wasn't working. I immediately offered my phone to him to contact his parents. I would do it a million times, it doesn't cost me anything except a few minutes without my phone and it makes a big difference to the recipient.

Once she has her phone she will be able to call you and just being able to text an I love you, makes all the last 8 weeks seem to shrink away. They may also be able to check emails, but might be busy getting ready for more indoctrination, so studying already.

Nicknukemom - Just a heads up, I don't know what rjkj1's experience was on Friday with getting her sailor right after graduation but mine was similar to many of the nuk and sub parents I was around. Stay flexible!!!  Our anticipation of having our sailor directly after graduation at 10:30 AM turned out to drag on until being one of the last ones to finally get orders all squared away and we did not leave RTC until about 4 pm only to return by 7:30 pm!!!. And then our sailor was also one of the early morning transports off of RTC to the airport.

As much as I wanted time with my sailor and had questions to ask, our time was still spent keeping the best interest of our sailor in mind.  Which included carry out pizza from the neighboring restaurant in our motel room and a nap for my sailor and my husband and different intervals.

And from my understanding, once you get on RTC for graduation, you can not leave and come back until you are returning your sailor. So, it was actually providential that the motel had lost our shuttle reservations and we drove to PIR instead. Unless you utilize Sarge's taxi service, I recommend driving to RTC. Go early, and get info at Sarge's Meet n Greet for avoiding traffic. If the unexpected happens, you don't want to be without your vehicle to take you and your tired sailor off RTC.

Thankfully our motel was very close to RTC and we also got back before the rush of traffic to return sailors at night. As hard as it is to leave them again, honor your sailor and get them back when they want. This is their first liberty and they don't want to lose future privileges by not being back on time and that usually means an hour earlier than the "have to!" 

Friend me if you would like to chat some more. I will do my best to pay attention and respond.

Thank you veteran moms for all of the pictures, poems, traditions and books you have shared with us.

Unfortunately for my sailor, I did not realize how important moleskin or Band-Aids would be for them. If you never sent any with your recruit to RTC (and I could not find any at the NEX this last Friday), be sure to pick some up before you leave for PIR and take it to give to your sailor, even if just at the airport with their phone.

It has been mentioned elsewhere to take their favorite underwear, but just bringing a set of favorite lounging clothes to change into in the motel room even for only a couple of hours was like heaven to our sailor.

Make sure their phone is fully charged before you return it to them and have their cord in a small bag for them to put in their backpack.

Also, our sailors fly off to "A" school, so even if you think they understand, TSA rules re: liquids in carry on bags, this is the time to be Mom and double check with them beforehand. It can save embarrassment for them ('tho I doubt my sailor will ever make the same mistake again) and waste of having to leave half a bottle of shampoo/ body wash they purchased to only have to get again at Nuk school.

To all the new Moms keep yourself busy with other things, write your recruit, and know that the time will come for PIR and then saying good bye, again. But as another mom has said, hold yourself in check as much as possible and be strong for your sailor and tell them you are proud of them.

I suppose it is easier for me, I have sent two to college and another one of my children is also out of the house and married. Plus my recruit was not the baby of the family. For the moment, this is no different than if we were sending another off to college - it will hit me when ship out comes in a couple of years!!

At least now my sailor is able to call home and can check emails.

Blessings to all!!

Thanks for the advice about moleskin and bandaids!I'm going to send those tomorrow.My daughter was very lucky to be ready to go around 1:30.I have no idea why it worked out that way except I will say that after spending about 15 minutes with her after graduation she said she wanted to get going so hopefully she would get done quicker.We took the shuttle there and were scheduled to go back at 12:15 with the plan to have my sailor call when she was done so we could pick her up.Except she was told she would not be allowed to use the phone,she would just have to estimate a time for us to come back.lol how do you do that?So my husband and daughter took shuttle back and I waited for my sailor.I had no idea where my husband could pick us up though,but when I called him he knew because the shuttle guy explained it.The same parking lot where the shuttle drops you off(and I think that's also where cars were pulling in)has an 'exit only' gate you walk through so he pulled in there no problem.I think this is the parking lot for the train station.I have some mobility problems,but walking from the NEX to this lot was not a far distance for me.When you return your sailor,make sure everyone in the car has their ID's.I was sad about getting back so early but we had some more time for goodbyes in the parking lot(once we got on base).My sailor wanted Dairy Queen right away!Then she spent an hour catching up with her sister.I had brought luxury bath items for her so she took a nice long bath and got in comfy clothes and just stayed in bed.My husband and I brought dinner in and we just relaxed and laughed about her bootcamp stories.

 rjkj1 - Glad you had some extra time with your daughter!!

 rjkj1 - I had forgotten that we would have been able to walk out of the gate to the shuttle pick up area, if we had gotten on RTC with the shuttle and sent my husband back for the car. The benefit of being on RTC with the car already, was that my husband was able to move the car from the parking garage to the nearest spot at the chapel lot where we were waiting for our sailor to finally get back to us!! By almost 4 pm, I was done with walking back and forth waiting and just sitting!!

Nicknukemom - Moleskin is a thick, cushiony pad with adhesive on the back of it. Sometimes it is found in donut shapes, small circles, or just a rectangular shape that can be cut. It is used for putting on blisters, bunions, corns, etc. on your feet to provide a cushion and prevent further rubbing if your shoes don't fit properly. It usually is found by the foot powder, or shoe insoles of places like Wal-Mart.

Nicknukemom -You're welcome.  I also found an old posting of  extra things for "A" school, but it was a few years old. I will have to be more diligent to remind my sailor to let me know any extra needs. I still don't have an address for "A" school, but at least we can call and text now. Although, I had very limited amounts of that today - so I have a feeling, the push is starting in again, despite the fact they were able to sleep in a little more today after the long 8 weeks of boot camp.

Thanks all for the encouraging words - I appreciate this site so much for all the information and support!! 

My boyfriend's granddaughter stayed with us this past weekend so Friday I went in my son's bathroom to make sure it was clean for her....and saw the mountain of laundry my son left for me to remember him by lol....made me laugh because apparently that's how he cleaned his room, by moving all the dirty laundry to the bathroom!!

WOW!!! OK, so FedEx tried to deliver "the box" on Friday, which I thought was super fast since N just left 8/22 (I signed the door tag, should get the box today), but I just got my USPS email and "the letter" is in my mail today!!! That's a week earlier than I was expecting, but super cool because I have to go out of town for work tomorrow and will be gone the rest of the week - I can't wait to go home and get the mail!!

Hi all - Happy Monday!

Busy weekend on here - nice to see all the chatter.  BZ to those of you who have Sailors now and glad you had a good time at PIR!

bigsky21 - exciting that you'll have your letter before you go out of town - now you can start sending letters!  Be sure to # them on the outside so your SR knows what order to read them in.

Patti - that's awesome that you got to meet Elaine and get your booked signed.  She definitely is an inspiration!

I'm not sure how many members we have in Texas but if you're out there please check in & let us know how you are doing.  My godson lives in League City - as of yesterday they had a lot of rain but not too much flooding.  It's devastating watching the news and there is no end in sight.  Praying for everyone - and I see Louisiana is preparing for flooding too.

Welcome to our newest members ~ colemanh1 and NNLori.

Hi Everybody! I'm baaaa-ack! LOL I just spent a delightful morning reading through a week's worth of N4Ms awesome Nuke moms posts. You ladies are the best. I've missed you!

JayDee, I loved, loved, loved your pics of the homecoming. What a thrill to Tiger Cruise. You and nukette could be sisters indeed. And her husband...brought a tear to my eye. Thanks for sharing.

In case the rest of you don't know it yet, B'sNuke is a rock star! She so graciously drove over an hour to visit with me in San Diego and since both of us are on the chatty side, plus we have a history, the hours flew by. I hope you all appreciate the time and love that she pours into N4Ms, and her son isn't even in the navy any more. Thanks, B'sNuke, for the blue candle poem. It's my new laptop wallpaper. And thanks for all you do. It is appreciated! Love you!

Ceej0347, this may have been discussed already but w/ your son in DEP, he may well get a call to join early. He can go early or he can wait for the original date and it will not work against him. He should be ready, however, for that call in case it comes so he knows what he will say. My son stuck with his original departure date because he had made plans and didn't want to change them and it didn't hurt him in the least.

bigsky, I too saw a great change in my sailor after boot camp. I've said this before, we sent off a boy and he came out a man. And the smell of the box! I can still remember it. It smelled like him. Seems like yesterday and it was more than 7 years ago. Time flies but when you are waiting for that call or that letter, it seems like it will never come.

Chipmunk, thanks for sharing all your wisdom. The best time to get things down is right after it happens. You shared super insight and information.

Welcome, new moms. Glad to have you aboard. Feel free to ask questions or share concerns. We're all here for you.

Have a great week, Sea Sisters!

Welcome back NancyJo!  Sounds like you had a great time.

J's/S's mom where in Texas are you?  My brother and his family live in Georgetown.  My nieces say that they're getting a lot of rain and wind but are fine.  Had my husband not taken the local adjuster job earlier this year he'd be in Texas right now.  It was a relief to not have him packing and heading out into it.  He's been a catastrophe adjuster since Katrina and has seen first hand what these storms can do.  I hope everyone in the path has taken precautions and headed the advice of local officials to keep themselves safe.

I knowa that some of our navy personnel have been sent to Texas to assist with relief and rescue efforts. Loss of property is bad but loss of life is beyond tragic. Prayers for all involved!

OK, one pic. Me, my 3 grandchildren, and their American bulldog Penny who thinks I belong to her:

J's/S's mom, that's terrible that people were given contradicting information.  Oh, my, the confusion.  A cat 4 is nothing to mess with.  About 10 years ago Hurricane Ike continued to spin all the way into the Ohio Valley.  We were hit without warning by 80 mph winds.  By the end of the day I had 3 trees on my back porch, 2 on the roof and 2 laying in front of my house.  I was very scared during the storm and cannot imagine having to face the full force of a cat 4.  

NancyJo that is a great picture!  I love English Bulldogs and that one is a cutie to be sure.  You look very happy in that picture!

Those hurricane stories are terrible. So sad about the communication snafu. Prayers for all! JayDee, I can't imagine the terror of all those falling trees. I'm just glad you survived it. My daughter got hit by Hurricane Sandy when she lived in the Schenectady area of NY and had trees on her roof and vehicles. Take care all you Texas moms!

ps I was so happy w/ the loved ones in CA. My sailor is happy and his family is thriving. A mama can't ask for more than that! <3

Greetings from Austin, where it is finally starting to clear up a little bit! I'm sure in hindsight it is easy to arm-chair quarterback the shoulda, coulda, wouldas of unprecedented catastrophic disaster. But the sheer infeasibility of attempting to evacuate approximately seven million people would have created gridlock, leaving motorists dangerously stranded on impassible flooded roads, the likes of which the world has never seen. 

JayDee, LOL Yes we all know that when in the military plans are merely suggestions. Your sweet daughter had her challenges getting married, didn't she? Those M&Ms were a great idea, but not all for naught. They have been fodder for a lot of N4Ms chuckles.