The first question I am asking myself is... where do I begin? The title of this blog is "My New Life as a Navy Wife" but I have been a Navy wife for a year now and we have been married since March 2010. So this is going to be my attempt at fitting a year's worth of changes, for the good and bad, into one post. HA. Yeaaaaah.
So here's what I really want the beginning to look like. I won't introduce myself because 97.825% percent of you know who I am. If you aren't included in that number- you are really good at finding obscure blogs through Google. Or maybe you used Bing. Either way... I'm impressed.
What I want to do is to recap what's been going on since last Summer when Pat left for basic training. It hasn't all been easy, but it has been worth it. We've made some great friends along the way.
While Pat was in bootcamp, I got to stay with my Aunt Denise and Uncle Pete until I joined him in Florida. They very well might be my favorite couple. It's hard to choose with so many options but they are a great example of the idea that you get out of a marriage, what you put into it. It doesn't hurt that my Uncle Pete knows everything about whatever it happens to be I need some help with... and my aunt has always been a great motivator. They were the perfect support system while he was gone!
I got to travel with Pat's mom and dad to see him graduate in Great Lakes, IL. It was such a great ceremony and getting to share that with his family was an amazing thing. And what am I saying?
His family? They are my family. They have been since day one.
While he was gone, and in between writing an insane amount of letters (now tucked away in a box for our great, great, great, supergreat, totally awesome, really smart, extremely attractive great grandchildren someday), I also got to record an album with a few friends and most notably, Nic. With the help of my friends at Grey Door Music Company it was released two days before I flew across the country with two suitcases and my guitar to meet Patrick in Pensacola. Another huge thanks to everyone that came out to our release party, it was my favorite show to date!
So here's what I really want the beginning to look like. I won't introduce myself because 97.825% percent of you know who I am. If you aren't included in that number- you are really good at finding obscure blogs through Google. Or maybe you used Bing. Either way... I'm impressed.
What I want to do is to recap what's been going on since last Summer when Pat left for basic training. It hasn't all been easy, but it has been worth it. We've made some great friends along the way.
While Pat was in bootcamp, I got to stay with my Aunt Denise and Uncle Pete until I joined him in Florida. They very well might be my favorite couple. It's hard to choose with so many options but they are a great example of the idea that you get out of a marriage, what you put into it. It doesn't hurt that my Uncle Pete knows everything about whatever it happens to be I need some help with... and my aunt has always been a great motivator. They were the perfect support system while he was gone!
I got to travel with Pat's mom and dad to see him graduate in Great Lakes, IL. It was such a great ceremony and getting to share that with his family was an amazing thing. And what am I saying?
His family? They are my family. They have been since day one.
While he was gone, and in between writing an insane amount of letters (now tucked away in a box for our great, great, great, supergreat, totally awesome, really smart, extremely attractive great grandchildren someday), I also got to record an album with a few friends and most notably, Nic. With the help of my friends at Grey Door Music Company it was released two days before I flew across the country with two suitcases and my guitar to meet Patrick in Pensacola. Another huge thanks to everyone that came out to our release party, it was my favorite show to date!
Once in Pensacola, Patrick and I got settled into a cozy 1 bedroom apartment that was built for two people but at more than one time had ten inside. The Navy didn't end up paying for our storage unit to come down so we had the basics to get us through until May when we moved again. And by the basics, I mean enough kitchenware to occupy several friends and pump out things like Olachea's Oreo Cheesecake, Warner's Chocolate Delight (yes, I just named it) and Nugent's legendary 7-layer dip. By the way, can I have the recipe for all of the above?? I will pay you in long distance air-five's.
I got a job working for Goodwill Easter Seals doing career services for 20 incarcerated young men ages 15-19. This was a great change-up from the mission services I ran for Goodwill Industries in Walla Walla for 2 years before moving there. I loved my job and I miss my students. That experience was a great way to confirm the idea in my head, heart, soul and bones that with the right encouragement and supportive environment, people at their most basic instinct will try to succeed. Yes, I am a bleeding heart. Guilty!
Patrick did really well in both A School and C School. He has always been a hardworking man and wonderful husband... I am not surprised that he graduated first in his class. I am one lucky lady! We got to see each other most of the time as my position with GES was flexible in my hours, which was a huge blessing, especially considering the fact that he was given sea duty and we will be going Team Daniel as he starts underways and eventually deployments. Time is precious.
We got to go on fun adventures including a few visits to Biloxi, Mississippi. They have a strip of casinos there and it is like a miniature Vegas but with less exotic women and more seating at the blackjack tables. I prefer video blackjack because I love to play, but setting a $5 bill on a felt table and hoping I get it back just doesn't work for me! Our friend Thunem is much braver than I in this regard and this is one of the reasons I am so glad he was our friend... He always pushed me off the fence when I wouldn't make up my mind on things like dinner plans or whether I should do karaoke. And the answer is yes, you always do karaoke. I did my first 5k in Mobile, Alabama and it was a run called Color Me Rad. It was one of the funnest times I have ever had exercising. But just a note, if any of you throw colored powder in my face while I am on a run and it is not benefiting the Ronald McDonald house we may have an issue.
I got a job working for Goodwill Easter Seals doing career services for 20 incarcerated young men ages 15-19. This was a great change-up from the mission services I ran for Goodwill Industries in Walla Walla for 2 years before moving there. I loved my job and I miss my students. That experience was a great way to confirm the idea in my head, heart, soul and bones that with the right encouragement and supportive environment, people at their most basic instinct will try to succeed. Yes, I am a bleeding heart. Guilty!
Patrick did really well in both A School and C School. He has always been a hardworking man and wonderful husband... I am not surprised that he graduated first in his class. I am one lucky lady! We got to see each other most of the time as my position with GES was flexible in my hours, which was a huge blessing, especially considering the fact that he was given sea duty and we will be going Team Daniel as he starts underways and eventually deployments. Time is precious.
We got to go on fun adventures including a few visits to Biloxi, Mississippi. They have a strip of casinos there and it is like a miniature Vegas but with less exotic women and more seating at the blackjack tables. I prefer video blackjack because I love to play, but setting a $5 bill on a felt table and hoping I get it back just doesn't work for me! Our friend Thunem is much braver than I in this regard and this is one of the reasons I am so glad he was our friend... He always pushed me off the fence when I wouldn't make up my mind on things like dinner plans or whether I should do karaoke. And the answer is yes, you always do karaoke. I did my first 5k in Mobile, Alabama and it was a run called Color Me Rad. It was one of the funnest times I have ever had exercising. But just a note, if any of you throw colored powder in my face while I am on a run and it is not benefiting the Ronald McDonald house we may have an issue.
On second thought, almost all of you are not anywhere near the Norfolk area so if that did happen, I wouldn't be even mad. Actually, I would probably hug you and get color all over you and bring you to our house and feed you for at least a week.
Just sayin'.
Anyways, when it came time for us to finish up in Pensacola, we ended up getting sent to Norfolk, Virginia instead of picking orders like we thought would happen. This was disappointing at first as we were hoping for San Diego, but then we found out we will be stationed in Spain next year. We are both SUPER excited about the idea of getting to travel around Europe and live near a beautiful Spanish beach in Rota! It is *muy bonita*.
We got to go home in June and see almost everyone we wanted to. We were only in town for a week and it was tough to make that work... but our best friends Bethie and Ciara made a trip to visit while we were around and I am soooo happy about that right now. It was nice to see everyone's faces, in person, not on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Skype, etc. Real, human faces. I took this for granted for awhile.
We packed our storage unit into a Penske truck on Friday and it was like the ultimate game of Tetris. On Saturday morning we started the drive from Walla Walla to Norfolk, in other words... 43 hours in a car. And you know what, it was really good! We came prepared with a connecting cord for my iPhone and streamed Pandora Stand-Up Comedy Stations for the better portion of our trip. We didn't make too many stops... but got to catch a fun Cardinals game in St. Louis!
I am still unpacking and trying to get situated in Norfolk. We found a 2 bedroom apartment in a nice complex with my favorite amenity- a washer/dryer set right outside my front door. This may sound like a small detail but for someone who wears clothes most of the time, it's a victory. :)
-Ems
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