They grow up so fast!!

Seems not too long ago my daughter and my nephew were very little. They are only about 7 months apart in age and spent countless hours together when young. Now, she's a new Mommy and he's in the Navy. He recently graduated from classes at the Naval Submarine School in Groton, Connecticut and got his deployment orders for the USS Annapolis.

He called me yesterday...to say goodbye.

Today's emotions are mixed. Of course, I'm proud of him. My father was a Navy man. The memories of him come rushing back. It's hard to type thru this flood of tears. My parents have been gone a long time now....(mom '95, dad '99) .... and it's not so much easier to live without them as the years go by, you just adjust to how it has to be. Bestrongbestrongbestrongbestrong. Ahhh......

The USS Annapolis will deploy this week. I don't know the schedule. He doesn't even have full details. And what he does know, he can't talk about. You know, the classic "I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you" scenario. I know that as an attack submarine it's got some powerful capabilities. Intelligence, reconnaissance, maritime security, surveillance, etc. It carries Tomahawk and Harpoon missiles and torpedoes. But I don't really want to think about all that right now. I know he's not going off on a holiday cruise, but that doesn't mean he'll be involved in anything dangerous. If you're reading this and so inclined to say a prayer for his safe return, I'd surely 'preciate it.

The worst of this deployment for all of us is that because he'll be away for the next 6 months he'll miss alot of things. Alex growing bigger every day, other family members and their occasions, Thanksgiving, celebrating his birthday, Christmas, New Years. Of course he'll still have the holidays but they'll be spent with about 12 Naval officers and 115 enlisted men instead.

HEY, that sounds like it could be alot of fun.... did I just say that outloud??

He wasn't sure how much access he'd have to the internet and when mail would come but we have his addy's anyway. The sub will dock for general maintenance and I don't know how many ports but he'll get liberty at each one. I told him to try and not do anything that might result in a Court Martial. He said he'd call sometime during his tour. Now to get that phone card purchased and off in the mail before the one he has runs out of minutes. Note to self: GO SHOPPING.

I told him that he was off on a real adventure. Because he's going to look into the ROTC program when he returns home next year, he may go on to further his education and may never see submarine duty again. So this is a really unique opportunity. He's a Sagittarian. And we LOVE to travel. Sometimes it's only in our minds. But for my nephew, atleast for the next 6 months, he's off on an interesting sea voyage. I am going to miss him alot tho! But now that my daugher and my nephew are all grown up, it's time for them to have these experiences, like having babies or traveling. However they choose to find and define themselves in this big ol' world is up to them. Peace to them both and Godspeed, Richard.