I've been flying over Scotland, in prison in France, chasing sky-pirates in the Un-United Kingdoms and thinking way too much about the Nazis. I'm just now getting back to Virginia. I'm very happy to be becoming good friends with some really neat people from my local church. And I'm longing for home and missing my husband. Work has been very busy, but it's also a very big blessing and honor. It was a rough week though. I lost my dog on Sunday. He was 12.
I've moved into my third temporary home in Virginia this weekend. It's really a neat little one-and-a-half bedroom apartment on the first floor (which is terribly exciting for me) and I'm loving setting it up and settling down. My Navy friends helped me move the big things again (they did it back in December too) and I moved all the little things myself. The mover people are emptying out my storage unit tomorrow, so I will finally be put together again after being back from deployment for three-and-a-half months. And I am living alone and without stairs for the first time... ever. I am really excited for this year and where it will take me.
I've been sorta consumed by a pair of books I read mid-way through deployment. But suddenly I feel like I'm getting over them a bit after finishing my fan-fiction. I still do think about them a lot and I'll never fully recover from them... I can't, and I don't want to. It's been six months since I've read them. Yeah, they are that good. It's WWII, friendship and resilience.
I've experimented lately with music, branching out from my Christian-only (ish - I do love the '60s stuff my husband loves) past. Don't misunderstand - I still love my music that celebrates God and his love - what's better than that? But I'm also enjoying the independent sounds of things that make me think of Scotland and more randomly (not possible? LOL!), a little Ingrid Michaelson, Taylor Swift, Jasmine Thompson, David Guetta/Sia, Weird Al, Lorde and Imagine Dragons.
The Verizon guy just set up my Internet a couple hours ago. I'm loving my new place!
Jw
Showing posts with label the navy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the navy. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Saturday, February 28, 2015
Back-Dated
I've noticed, since I've been back, that I've really left off blogging, favoring writing everything interesting on Facebook instead. While that's probably a better way to share with my friends, it leaves stuff out and doesn't create the lovely archive of my life that blogger does. So, I'm going to record a little bit of the early part of the year here and go over things I missed.
January 18th, the Seahawks won an unbelievable championship game that included a $5 bet between my husband and I about a certain first down. That spectacular ending made the Seahawks represent for me that Galaxy Quest sentiment... Never Give Up, Never Surrender. Why should I feel like giving up? Because I realized that I'm not really home yet. I've been longing for home since 2011. Coming back from deployment has crystallized this in my mind. I may have had a couple break-downs these first few months this year, but Mike has been there (on the phone) through them all. Actually, I feel like writing everything down today (it's May 2nd) because I have been going through it these last couple days. And I already feel a little better, looking back at everything.
On the 19th, I visited the Norfolk Botanical Garden for the first time, walked around for a few hours and sat down every now and then to read one of my Christmas presents from Mike, A Higher Call. It was a gorgeous day... and there's a Facebook album. This book actually led me to discover the Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach (really near me). I decided to drive out there January 25th, and was absolutely wow'd by everything. They had four separate hangers full of WWI - WWII aircraft, all privately owned.
And then my heart nearly exploded when I received a box of books and a card from a wonderful lady on Jan. 21. I am not used to being able to communicate with my favorite authors; this is because I mostly love reading history and classics. C.S. Lewis, Beatrix Potter, Jane Austen and Charlotte Brontë can't write back. So finding such a deep connection with a real, live, living person through reading four of her books and everything she had said so openly online was quite shocking and wonderful. And she turned out to be incredibly friendly. Finished reading The Sunbird on the 27th (it was in the box), and anticipated finishing the other two before her next came out on my brother's birthday (two months away). We had been emailing since my dad's birthday in December... the strange timing! and nine days beforehand she invited me to meet her at a book-signing in April.
Oh, I just looked back at Twitter, and on the 24th, I went to the symphony to see Mendelssohn's Scottish Symphony (1829) with Navy friends at Regent University. And on the 25th I watched the film The Silence of the Sea from 1949. And on the 26th I watched The Book Thief. WWII, every time, all the time. Loved them. Now that I think of it, it was the first few weeks of February that the new season of Foyle's War came out on acorn.tv. So I watched them all and was amazed, like usual. Especially the last episode about SOE stuff.
On the 27th, I shared this photo that I took outside my temporary Apartment complex
by Greenbrier Mall - on December 24! Don't know why I waited a month to
share it, but whatev's. My Jr. High band director paid me a huge
compliment by becoming the first person to buy a picture from me, he
liked it so much.
On the 31st, I got a last minute ticket to see Beethoven's Ode to Joy at the symphony downtown and they started with William's Fantasia (from Master and Commander) and it caught me off guard. Had to dry my eyes in the restroom during intermission. It is etched in my mind with the movie... when they lose one of their crew at sea during the storm.
February. I started following Corrie Ten Boom (on facebook) on the 5th. The first wonderful post I saw:
“I’ve experienced His presence in the deepest darkest hell that men can create. I have tested the promises of the Bible, and believe me, you can count on them. I know that Jesus Christ can live in you, in me, through His Holy Spirit. You can talk with Him; you can talk with Him out loud or in your heart when you are alone, as I was alone in solitary confinement. The joy is that He hears each word.” -Corrie ten Boom "Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the Lord." -Psalm 31:24
I think I needed to hear this again this morning. (I say morning and it's 2pm... slept in till noon today)
On Feb 6th, I had a wonderful sushi and wine date with my two Sonar Girls from the ship. Got to visit a new house and meet a new dog!
Feb 11th I watched the film Ragamuffin on Netflix and the Lord used it to tell me he loved me and I didn't need to have a complex about not being best friends with anyone besides my husband. (Okay, that hurt to write down.) And I gave it over to him for the first time. I've taken it back a few times since, but I'm trying to let go.
Next day, more tears. Like I said... it's been wild this year. Women Warriors of WWII.
Then I checked out the neat independent bookstore in downtown Norfolk... Prince Books. Ordered one of Jasper Fford's and bought King Ottokar's Scepter for the fun of it. Also found a WWII Reader's Digest book that had this incredible POW's poem in it:
"When twilight calls and silence calls To evening prayer. Fair forms and hover near About my chair. Soft hands entwine themselves in mine. Lips touch my face; Then miles are not and time's forgot, As souls embrace."
On the 16th, I visited the Hoffler Creek Wildlife Preservation in Portsmouth that I had found out about at a symphony concert before deployment. Another Facebook photo album and absolute joy in a walk in the woods.
There had been a lot of snow and freezing temperatures throughout Feb. & Mar. On the 19th, with everything caked in snow, I went back downtown to pick up my book and greatly enjoyed starting it at a restaurant on the waterfront... crab salad and coffee!
Also, either that night or the night before I had a wonderful time hanging out with a few of the women from church. I had joined a small group at the very end of 2014, meeting a mutual friend of Kristin's. And I hit it off with them immediately. It was a gift from the Lord.
Not sure exactly when, but I spent a great deal of time the first part of March helping out my friends Kristin and Dan who were moving away to Utah mid-month. I found out when I came back from liberty on December 2nd. K & D have been the ONLY people I knew here in Virginia since moving here in the summer of 2012. They were home base. I had my first sangria with Kristin on her deck a couple weeks after moving. We watched John Adams together. And later on, Arn the Templar Knight as well. They were my only refuge here, away from the Navy for two years. I was at their house when they brought their adopted baby Sawyer home on Christmas Eve. One of the first people on earth to hold him. :) So it was difficult to let them go. I painted the railings on their deck and helped them pack. I also took care of their dog and their chickens whenever they needed me to. I loved house-sitting for them. It is so quiet out in the country.
Jw
January 18th, the Seahawks won an unbelievable championship game that included a $5 bet between my husband and I about a certain first down. That spectacular ending made the Seahawks represent for me that Galaxy Quest sentiment... Never Give Up, Never Surrender. Why should I feel like giving up? Because I realized that I'm not really home yet. I've been longing for home since 2011. Coming back from deployment has crystallized this in my mind. I may have had a couple break-downs these first few months this year, but Mike has been there (on the phone) through them all. Actually, I feel like writing everything down today (it's May 2nd) because I have been going through it these last couple days. And I already feel a little better, looking back at everything.
On the 19th, I visited the Norfolk Botanical Garden for the first time, walked around for a few hours and sat down every now and then to read one of my Christmas presents from Mike, A Higher Call. It was a gorgeous day... and there's a Facebook album. This book actually led me to discover the Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach (really near me). I decided to drive out there January 25th, and was absolutely wow'd by everything. They had four separate hangers full of WWI - WWII aircraft, all privately owned.
And then my heart nearly exploded when I received a box of books and a card from a wonderful lady on Jan. 21. I am not used to being able to communicate with my favorite authors; this is because I mostly love reading history and classics. C.S. Lewis, Beatrix Potter, Jane Austen and Charlotte Brontë can't write back. So finding such a deep connection with a real, live, living person through reading four of her books and everything she had said so openly online was quite shocking and wonderful. And she turned out to be incredibly friendly. Finished reading The Sunbird on the 27th (it was in the box), and anticipated finishing the other two before her next came out on my brother's birthday (two months away). We had been emailing since my dad's birthday in December... the strange timing! and nine days beforehand she invited me to meet her at a book-signing in April.
Oh, I just looked back at Twitter, and on the 24th, I went to the symphony to see Mendelssohn's Scottish Symphony (1829) with Navy friends at Regent University. And on the 25th I watched the film The Silence of the Sea from 1949. And on the 26th I watched The Book Thief. WWII, every time, all the time. Loved them. Now that I think of it, it was the first few weeks of February that the new season of Foyle's War came out on acorn.tv. So I watched them all and was amazed, like usual. Especially the last episode about SOE stuff.
On the 27th, I shared this photo that I took outside my temporary Apartment complex
by Greenbrier Mall - on December 24! Don't know why I waited a month to
share it, but whatev's. My Jr. High band director paid me a huge
compliment by becoming the first person to buy a picture from me, he
liked it so much. On the 31st, I got a last minute ticket to see Beethoven's Ode to Joy at the symphony downtown and they started with William's Fantasia (from Master and Commander) and it caught me off guard. Had to dry my eyes in the restroom during intermission. It is etched in my mind with the movie... when they lose one of their crew at sea during the storm.
February. I started following Corrie Ten Boom (on facebook) on the 5th. The first wonderful post I saw:
“I’ve experienced His presence in the deepest darkest hell that men can create. I have tested the promises of the Bible, and believe me, you can count on them. I know that Jesus Christ can live in you, in me, through His Holy Spirit. You can talk with Him; you can talk with Him out loud or in your heart when you are alone, as I was alone in solitary confinement. The joy is that He hears each word.” -Corrie ten Boom "Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the Lord." -Psalm 31:24
I think I needed to hear this again this morning. (I say morning and it's 2pm... slept in till noon today)
On Feb 6th, I had a wonderful sushi and wine date with my two Sonar Girls from the ship. Got to visit a new house and meet a new dog!
Feb 11th I watched the film Ragamuffin on Netflix and the Lord used it to tell me he loved me and I didn't need to have a complex about not being best friends with anyone besides my husband. (Okay, that hurt to write down.) And I gave it over to him for the first time. I've taken it back a few times since, but I'm trying to let go.
Next day, more tears. Like I said... it's been wild this year. Women Warriors of WWII.
Then I checked out the neat independent bookstore in downtown Norfolk... Prince Books. Ordered one of Jasper Fford's and bought King Ottokar's Scepter for the fun of it. Also found a WWII Reader's Digest book that had this incredible POW's poem in it:
"When twilight calls and silence calls To evening prayer. Fair forms and hover near About my chair. Soft hands entwine themselves in mine. Lips touch my face; Then miles are not and time's forgot, As souls embrace."
On the 16th, I visited the Hoffler Creek Wildlife Preservation in Portsmouth that I had found out about at a symphony concert before deployment. Another Facebook photo album and absolute joy in a walk in the woods.
There had been a lot of snow and freezing temperatures throughout Feb. & Mar. On the 19th, with everything caked in snow, I went back downtown to pick up my book and greatly enjoyed starting it at a restaurant on the waterfront... crab salad and coffee!
Also, either that night or the night before I had a wonderful time hanging out with a few of the women from church. I had joined a small group at the very end of 2014, meeting a mutual friend of Kristin's. And I hit it off with them immediately. It was a gift from the Lord.
Not sure exactly when, but I spent a great deal of time the first part of March helping out my friends Kristin and Dan who were moving away to Utah mid-month. I found out when I came back from liberty on December 2nd. K & D have been the ONLY people I knew here in Virginia since moving here in the summer of 2012. They were home base. I had my first sangria with Kristin on her deck a couple weeks after moving. We watched John Adams together. And later on, Arn the Templar Knight as well. They were my only refuge here, away from the Navy for two years. I was at their house when they brought their adopted baby Sawyer home on Christmas Eve. One of the first people on earth to hold him. :) So it was difficult to let them go. I painted the railings on their deck and helped them pack. I also took care of their dog and their chickens whenever they needed me to. I loved house-sitting for them. It is so quiet out in the country.
Jw
Thursday, January 15, 2015
The First Half of the First Month
Well, to start off the new year, I was on leave from work for the first eleven days. Not bad, I'd say. It was a sort of miracle that I did, since I had taken post-deployment leave for two weeks in November, right after we pulled in. When I got back from that leave, it was only three days before I transferred to a new command (temporarily). My first day on the job (December 8th) I was asked which two-week holiday leave period I wanted. And I could barely believe it! I had a lot stored up from being gone so long, so it was even possible!
It felt strange, not spending it with my husband, but our relationship is odd all the time, living so far apart from each other. We did, however, see each other for two whole weeks at Thanksgiving. So he understood when I told him I wanted to go see my grandparents for a couple days and then my girlfriend for a few after that. I had already promised my friends in Virginia that I'd house sit for them for New Year's... (including the first 5 days of my leave) so it was all settled. And it went off wonderfully!
I had some time to myself at first, taking care of their chickens and their dog, watching a lot of Call the Midwife on Netflix (which my friend introduced me to) and taking the plunge on Twitter, setting up an account because I wanted to conveniently follow my favorite author (that sounds so creepy). I've since learned people don't need an account to follow people, but because I had buried my head in the sand and treated Twitter like The Plague, I didn't know that. But now I also conveniently follow C.S. Lewis, Cute Animals, WWII History and Historical Pictures. LOL! Oh, social media.
So, I got in my car on the morning of the 3rd, and drove all the way to my grandparent's place in western North Carolina. Lord, how I love the Blue Ridge! It was so fun to go back! The last time I had been there to see them was a year and a half before (2013), as I was driving through with Michael as he was working long distance that summer so he could live with me. Long time ago!
It was so lovely to sit and chat with no time schedule just like we always do when we visit. I guess I say "we" because I'm usually with Mom when I'm visiting. This was the first time I visited them alone since 1998! And they were living in Missouri then... and I was 14! So anyway, we caught up. Talked a lot about deployment and different aspects of it. They had lots of questions for me.
Had dinner with them and my aunt and uncle at the favorite haunt the first night (Mexican restaurant oddly called "Papa's and Beer" - shouldn't that be "Papa's and Cerveza"? Whatever. It's a wonderful place.) after we went to see the film Unbroken (which has an opening to die for in the belly of a B-25). The next day, between lots more relaxing, chatting, reading and puzzling, we saw the film Wild, and went over to my aunt and uncle's house for a fun evening.
Late the next morning, I took off for West Virginia to see Julie. How beautiful are the mountains! I was in awe, driving across the Appalachians of Tennessee, then the Shenandoah through Virginia, and through a couple mountains/hills as I came to the winding roads of WV. So much fun! And so was seeing Julie for the first time in a year! I had flown her out to Norfolk last January for a quick visit before I left... and that is much too long to wait to see a dear friend like her. My goodness, being deployed makes you really miss people. I have gone years in the past without seeing her... I think being far apart brought me closer to people. I thought that a lot as I wrote emails to people at least monthly while I was gone. Which I never do when I'm at home. Irony.
The first night we went out to dinner and spent nearly the whole time giggling like adorable idiots... just like we always do. If I've said it, I've said it a thousand times... we are like peas in a pod, the two of us. Suddenly and actually by accident, we started talking about our fears... it was my fault, as I happened to use the phrase "top ten" when I told her about someone I was afraid of. It'll be one of those conversations I'll never forget; it was intimate and encouraging.
The first three days I visited were working days. So suddenly I was a fourth-grade teacher's assistant at a small, private school. It was SO MUCH FUN! I had to re-learn a bit of multiplication tables and help out with book reports on a book I've never read (flashbacks about Balboa: Finder of the Pacific came to mind as the kids could barely remember the plot). Julie even had me give a little presentation about the Navy on my first morning. I wore my working uniform, showed the kids pictures of ships and rating badges and youtube clips of the Truxtun in the Turkish straits... and the kids were amazed. :) I heard from one parent later on about my celebrity status. And it was super fun to watch Julie teach.
We spent the rest of our time together relaxing, reading, watching Weird Al youtube videos and laughing our guts out. And we went out to dinner with her church friends twice! And we all got along marvelously! First restaurant was in a town called Nitro! What a name! Had to leave on Sunday after church, but I thought to myself, why should I rush back to Norfolk? So I stayed an extra couple hours for a fabulous lunch with the same crowd. It hurt my heart to leave.
So I've been back in the Navy this week... continuing with Honor Guard duty. Five funerals this week... no time to even practice after a long break. I actually cried at the last one today... the pastor gave a great message quoting Paul about faith and Revelation about worshiping God... and there was a bagpiper playing Amazing Grace... and I was already emotional before it began. Shooting the rifles went PERFECTLY. But I need practice on six-man flag folds.
Jw
It felt strange, not spending it with my husband, but our relationship is odd all the time, living so far apart from each other. We did, however, see each other for two whole weeks at Thanksgiving. So he understood when I told him I wanted to go see my grandparents for a couple days and then my girlfriend for a few after that. I had already promised my friends in Virginia that I'd house sit for them for New Year's... (including the first 5 days of my leave) so it was all settled. And it went off wonderfully!
I had some time to myself at first, taking care of their chickens and their dog, watching a lot of Call the Midwife on Netflix (which my friend introduced me to) and taking the plunge on Twitter, setting up an account because I wanted to conveniently follow my favorite author (that sounds so creepy). I've since learned people don't need an account to follow people, but because I had buried my head in the sand and treated Twitter like The Plague, I didn't know that. But now I also conveniently follow C.S. Lewis, Cute Animals, WWII History and Historical Pictures. LOL! Oh, social media.
So, I got in my car on the morning of the 3rd, and drove all the way to my grandparent's place in western North Carolina. Lord, how I love the Blue Ridge! It was so fun to go back! The last time I had been there to see them was a year and a half before (2013), as I was driving through with Michael as he was working long distance that summer so he could live with me. Long time ago!
It was so lovely to sit and chat with no time schedule just like we always do when we visit. I guess I say "we" because I'm usually with Mom when I'm visiting. This was the first time I visited them alone since 1998! And they were living in Missouri then... and I was 14! So anyway, we caught up. Talked a lot about deployment and different aspects of it. They had lots of questions for me.
Had dinner with them and my aunt and uncle at the favorite haunt the first night (Mexican restaurant oddly called "Papa's and Beer" - shouldn't that be "Papa's and Cerveza"? Whatever. It's a wonderful place.) after we went to see the film Unbroken (which has an opening to die for in the belly of a B-25). The next day, between lots more relaxing, chatting, reading and puzzling, we saw the film Wild, and went over to my aunt and uncle's house for a fun evening.
Late the next morning, I took off for West Virginia to see Julie. How beautiful are the mountains! I was in awe, driving across the Appalachians of Tennessee, then the Shenandoah through Virginia, and through a couple mountains/hills as I came to the winding roads of WV. So much fun! And so was seeing Julie for the first time in a year! I had flown her out to Norfolk last January for a quick visit before I left... and that is much too long to wait to see a dear friend like her. My goodness, being deployed makes you really miss people. I have gone years in the past without seeing her... I think being far apart brought me closer to people. I thought that a lot as I wrote emails to people at least monthly while I was gone. Which I never do when I'm at home. Irony.
The first night we went out to dinner and spent nearly the whole time giggling like adorable idiots... just like we always do. If I've said it, I've said it a thousand times... we are like peas in a pod, the two of us. Suddenly and actually by accident, we started talking about our fears... it was my fault, as I happened to use the phrase "top ten" when I told her about someone I was afraid of. It'll be one of those conversations I'll never forget; it was intimate and encouraging.
The first three days I visited were working days. So suddenly I was a fourth-grade teacher's assistant at a small, private school. It was SO MUCH FUN! I had to re-learn a bit of multiplication tables and help out with book reports on a book I've never read (flashbacks about Balboa: Finder of the Pacific came to mind as the kids could barely remember the plot). Julie even had me give a little presentation about the Navy on my first morning. I wore my working uniform, showed the kids pictures of ships and rating badges and youtube clips of the Truxtun in the Turkish straits... and the kids were amazed. :) I heard from one parent later on about my celebrity status. And it was super fun to watch Julie teach.
We spent the rest of our time together relaxing, reading, watching Weird Al youtube videos and laughing our guts out. And we went out to dinner with her church friends twice! And we all got along marvelously! First restaurant was in a town called Nitro! What a name! Had to leave on Sunday after church, but I thought to myself, why should I rush back to Norfolk? So I stayed an extra couple hours for a fabulous lunch with the same crowd. It hurt my heart to leave.
So I've been back in the Navy this week... continuing with Honor Guard duty. Five funerals this week... no time to even practice after a long break. I actually cried at the last one today... the pastor gave a great message quoting Paul about faith and Revelation about worshiping God... and there was a bagpiper playing Amazing Grace... and I was already emotional before it began. Shooting the rifles went PERFECTLY. But I need practice on six-man flag folds.
Jw
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