Cool - the Enterprise is docked right next to my son's ship USS New York LPD 21, they are leaving in a few weeks.  My son's good friend is on that ship and they spent the weekend relaxing watching football at the Navy Lodge :)  ask your son if he knows Gates - nice young man. they attended BC and A School together.  look me up on facebook - Jeanne Mohr Cawley - did you get the info for Navy Moms on FB?

It's really good to hear from you.  This silent time is agonizing, isn't it?  My son has been away numerous times for up to a couple weeks and I'm trying to look at it the same way too.  But even then I would, at least once in a while, text him a "Hi, how ya doin'?" or "Good-night, I love you", and he would always reply.  Plus, I knew he was visiting distant friends and having a good time.  So this is way different.

Much to my surprise, I'm not feeling emotional or distraught, but not knowing what he's experiencing or how he's handling it is about driving me crazy!  I have written a letter to him both days since he left, and that is cathartic for me.  Of course, I can't mail them yet but they are ready to go!  Outside of that I don't have a concrete plan on how to cope, but I think it will carry me through until the lines of communication are finally opened.  

Then if he tells me that things are going ok and he is not miserable, I feel confident that it will be smooth sailing (pun?) from there.  What I worry about is what if he says that things are not good and he hates it?  I don't want to think that way and really try not to but this lack of contact makes it so hard to imagine how they are feeling about what they are going through.

Hitting each milestone and then looking toward to the next should make the time go by faster.  Let's see, first there's "the box" and form letter with address and PIR (or at least ship/div.) information so we'll at least have an end in sight.  Next will be when they can start sending us letters ( and they better write home!).  After that we can expect a phone call, hopefully a happy one.  And finally, make plans for PIR.

We can do this, Rita!!!  Our sons are doing the hard part, so we just have to hang in there and help them through it as best we can.  After all, that's what we moms do !!!

Sorry I was so long-winded.  I'll try harder to limit myself in the future!  Take care now, okay?

It must be torture that your son is not gone yet but can't even contact you!  My son's group got rerouted on a different flight than originally scheduled because, he said, MEPs got them to the airport late.  Instead of a direct flight to Chicago which was supposed to arrive there at 7:40 (5:40 Pacific time), now he's in San Fransisco and their flight from there leaves just around 5 p.m.  Oh well, they keep the recruits up for the first 48 hours anyway so it really doesn't matter where, I guess!  I hope your son's trip tomorrow is a good one and that all goes well once he gets there.

I'm pretty sure these messages are private, too.  I haven't seen them in view on the public pages.  I enjoy chatting back and forth with you and look forward to going on this boot camp "ride" together! :o)