NUKE moms

Hi all - Happy Thursday!

Wanted to share a picture of our family from my nephews wedding and also B & his GF.  If you look closely you will see my husband is wearing pants.  He wasn't too happy about that lol!  He wore shorts the rest of the time we were there (and it was really cold!).

Welcome Sheltibear and NukeWife please do share something about yourself and at what stage you are on this Navy journey.

NNLori - Yeah!! I know he is excited to finally start hitting to books.  Mine officially is Phase 3 - he passed the PRT they had postponed last Thur due to the rain. He had his best run time and did well on his sit ups and pushups.

 B'sNukeMoM⚓️MM - Thanks for sharing your family pictures!!

BsNukeMom, those are wonderful pictures!  You sure have a pretty family.

B'sNuke, welcome back! I had to chuckle at the husband in pants. I still remember the wedding photo. LOL Your family is just lovely. Thanks for sharing. I wonder if wedding bells will also be ringing for one of your boys one of these days!

For those of you who want a reminder, tomorrow is Friday, so remember to wear your RED!

Funny you talk about the wedding shorts - both the boys have agreed that dad can wear shorts whenever they get married. They know how uncomfortable he is in pants.  I guess they'll have to have casual weddings lol.

NancyJo - B & his GF are definitely talking marriage but no official plans yet.  B is counting down the days until school is out in April and he can move to Michigan to be with her.  Then I'm sure it will just be a matter of time.  And I'm good with that, we really like her and she makes him happy!  Unfortunately the youngest & his GF just recently broke up so that's been kind of sad :(  We really liked her too....

J's/S'smom - don't you just love the Instant Pot ?!?  I found a recipe for cranberry sauce that I can't wait to try.  I use mine quite often - definitely a good investment.

Yes, remember to wear your RED tomorrow!

Hi all - Happy Friday!

BZ to all those who had graduation today whether it be PIR or from one of the nuke schools.  Now on to the next phase :)

I've got my RED on!

Rebecca - that's awesome news!  BZ to your son.  And to you too for getting through the pipeline lol!

Congratulations Rebecca J to you and your son!!

Rebecca - my son was at Ballston Spa too.  Are you going to be able to go the graduation?  We were lucky to visit there twice.  It's a nice place.....

 bigsky21 - Congratulations!! I know your son is the one who took the test, but you are most likely the one who was cheering him on from far away, or praying for him. I never felt this way much with my girls and their college tests, but I think the intensity and quickness that they plow through their material here, makes us all a little unsure at times what the outcome could be.

Rebecca - what a wonderful feeling - and on your birthday no less.  Congratulations to your son for all the hard work!  And congratulations to you as I'm sure you've been there supporting him and pulling for him the whole way as us moms tend to do!

Wow!! Rebecca J- Congratulation!!! What an amazing accomplishment! I wish him all the best as he moves on in his Navy career!! 

Bigsky21- Congratulations to your son!! It's so exciting to get a good start! I understand it can be a roller coaster but that's ok. role with it!! These are special people in this field of study. I'll be watching to cheering him on as he travels through the pipeline!! :)

Chipmunk- I was so happy to hear about your son phasing up!! Each step should be celebrated!!! Sounds like he is killing the physical part!! Great job! Hope he celebrated with friends. 

Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!  I know I will! Found out I will have unexpected boots in the house this Thanksgiving! Was not expecting it at all so it was an exciting surprise!! Enjoy everyone!!

 Rebecca J - Happy Belated birthday!! What a great present!

 E's ⚓proud⚓ mom - Happy Birthday!!

NNLori - How exciting!! - Happy Thanksgiving!

Someone asked the other day about Thanksgiving break. I asked my son and he thought that they had Friday off as well. That may only be for A school, not sure, but double check.

New information regarding Phasing Up in A school is now posted in the comment section of Nuke A school daily schedule - sailor's perspective - my apologies, you have to scroll to the bottom, but if you missed it, my son also had a comment about doing pushups and sit ups as well, that I had posted.

I will continue to add information to this discussion so if you see a comment on it, check it out.

Enjoy your Saturday! Especially if you are at the airport with your new sailor!

Meet the newest member of my family, Micah Rosalind, age 3 months. :)

Just had a great experience with American Airlines in booking a flight home for our sailor. They do provide a military discount but you have to call to get it.

They are great!

PacNWmom - Micah is adorable! I have been meaning to ask you how your visit with your son went.

CSW - Thanks for the info! Too bad I didn't call them last week when booking our flights. I do believe that Delta at least gives them free baggage, will double check. I will know for next time.

Also, just asked mine for his A school grad date (1801-T) - March 30, 18. He confirmed  "no grad leave because they combined it into our holiday standdown (a-schoolers that don't go through holiday standdown probably still get their grad leave)."  Just thought I would share.

My son graduates boot camp December 15 and then will travel to Charleston.  Does anyone know if they will for sure get leave on Friday the 22nd?  If so, what time do they leave for the airport?  Trying to decide if I should book late afternoon plane ticket. or earlier say late morning/early afternoon.  Should I wait on the return flight or get a ticket now for Friday January 5th?  Or Saturday the 6th?   Thanks!

I was asking for my son's ticket home from A school in Charleston since they will be in stand down from what I understand.  I read somewhere that a new class will not start until January, that they will spend the week there in Charleston until stand down on December 22.  Just wanted to know if I should get a plane ticket earlier in the day for him from nuke school or later.  Then, historically, when do they have to be back at nuke school for class to start.  Thanks and sorry about the confusion.

devesmom - I would be very leery of purchasing any ticket until you hear for absolute sure from your son that he is going to be able to leave.  Normally it takes them a few weeks to phase up to where they can even be gone overnight once they get to GC from boot camp.  It certainly could be different with the Christmas stand down so your son may be able to come home but it seems that it's different for each class.  And just an FYI my son is in Power School and I believe he must be back by the morning of the 3rd (he is actually flying on the 1st).  But like I said - it seems to be different for each class.  I know it is very frustrating - especially when you want to get tickets when they may be a little cheaper and when you can still get them.

ProudOfK - Thanks.  He did mention in a letter to buy a ticket for the 22nd because that was what he was told at boot camp.  I am going to buy a refundable/changeable ticket, but wanted to get an idea of what time they go to the airport typically, or do they have a shuttle at different times?  So hard to know anything.  Guess I'll take my chances.  Thanks!

devesmom - I second ProudOfK's comment. There is a specific protocol that has to be followed when they leave base. I know that it is frustrating when you are trying to plan, but I think you are better off waiting until he arrives at GC and gets more info..

As a side note, my son is in A school and he has to be back on the 2nd.

 devesmom - I am going to chime in with the other moms and say, I would be leery of making any plans until your sailor is at GC. Their chiefs and commands there are the ones who will be authorizing leave time.

Information that has been shared here regarding Christmas leave is not always accurate, because each year and each class may be treated differently. - Even in the same year.

Also, refundable / changeable tickets were running double the price, so I chose not to go that route. I would see about calling American Airlines. CSW mentioned they were very helpful and also will give a military discount if you call them directly. You might ask them about changing flight tickets.

Regarding the time of day to leave, again that will vary. I am not aware of any shuttle that leaves NNPTC to take your sailor to the airport. They are not traveling from BC to A school, they are traveling for personal leave time, so transportation to the airport is their responsibility. My son's stand down time is from after class on 12/15 - 1/3 but he is to be back by noon on the 2nd and we are flying him back on the 30th, because that was cheaper.

Devesmom- just to add, my son just classed up last Wednesday after 3 weeks of waiting for class to start.  We had to wait for details once he classed up before we could make any arrangements.  Nothing was confirmed until the end of this past week.  Also, he told me he can't leave base until after 1600.  I have heard others advise that planning on leaving immediately can be risky.  If they have an issue with an inspection, they can be required to fix the issue and cause a delay in leaving base.  Mine also said he had to be back by noon on Jan 2.  I would wait until they confirm what time he can actually be gone.

After PIR the first time (I have twins) I had to redo my reservations as he did not fly out till Sunday. The second time I made my return flight Sunday and figured I would just have a Chicago or lake day if he left. Turned out we spent all of Saturday at the airport as the second son flew out at 5 pm Saturday, his plane was broken.

The first ticket that I purchased to go help my son drive home from BS after graduation was a complete loss.  There always seem to be delays in the Navy.  It is very much a last minute confirmation.  My son's departure was because of medical.  His next assignment was far away and I guess he needed some extra shots or something.  Another piece of advice is not to leave until you get your orders.  My son left before he got the paperwork, assuming it was on the way.  Because he left before the date/time on the letter, he didn't get travel reimbursement.  Dot every I and cross every T.

Hi all - Happy Monday and Happy Birthday to all my fellow Scorpios!

As far as the plane tickets - definitely either buy insurance or go with someone like Southwest since they allow changes for no extra fee (except for the difference in the plane fare).  And Southwest also lets you take 2 bags for free.  Plans can and do change at the last minute - you must be flexible......and definitely a good idea to get them back to base in plenty of time before they are due back.  This way if there are any airline delays they have enough time (hopefully) to figure it out!

PacNWmom - Micah is adorable!

Welcome to our newest member ~ devesmom.  I see you've already jumped right in on the conversations!

Please be sure to read the pages to the right (11) under the member profiles, especially "Your Sailor's Schedule Upon Arrival to GC" and "Nuke A School daily schedule-a sailor's perspective from 2017".

Thanks everyone for your advice.  I always plan ahead, so this not knowing info and last minute stuff is driving me crazy.  But, I guess I will learn to deal with it!  Happy Thanksgiving to all!  My SR already asked to save him a plate in the freezer for when he gets home.

devesmom - this is one of our favorite descriptions of Navy plans!  Hang in there - Semper Gumby is the motto around here!