Day at the Beach

Today I spent a couple of hours reading by the beach. It was a really nice day, very sunny, the wind just slightly cool. Would have been perfect if Dan was with me. This is Buckroe Beach in Hampton . . . that's not the Atlantic but the Chesapeake Bay (which to me is really just a part of the Atlantic so I think it's silly to make a distinction but oh well). Nice beach except the bay has lots of jellyfish- this was where Dan got stung by a jellyfish last year. So I was content to read my book and let the jellies do the swimming.

Dan at the Panama Canal. I got to talk to him on the phone too!!

Deployment Thoughts

I'll just give everyone a quick update on what Dan and I have been up to in the last couple of weeks leading up to Dan leaving on deployment today. I finished my training in Cincinnati on the 20th, and Dan and I drove back to Virginia that day, getting in around 2 am. Then that Saturday (the 22nd) we flew out to Colorado, where we visited family and took some fun drives in the mountains. On the following Thursday we then flew out to Washington, where Dan was part of the wedding of a friend. On the return trip to Virginia this past Monday we also took Liesl, Dan's German Shepard. It was a bit a nightmare trying to fly with her, but the Lord was gracious and we all arrived in one piece, except Liesl was very poopy and needed to be hosed down in the back yard once we got home :). She's doing pretty well, all things considered, but she is very vocal about voicing her disapproval of being left in the backyard when I have to go to work. I reported in to Langely AFB this Wednesday, and started the process of getting all my paperwork done.
So on top of this we had to get Dan ready to deploy as well. On Tuesday, we went to the USS Carr family readiness meeting where I found out the proposed port stops in Latin American during Dan's six month deployment. Lord willing, I hope to visit him at least once in one of those ports. Last night was the hardest for me as it really hit that he would be leaving the next day. Today on the pier I was doing okay, making silly faces at him as he manned the rails, until the ship began to pull out and that's when the tears started. It was an interesting experience, I stood there and cried as my husband left and other Navy wives and families cried aroud me- both a very personal and communal grief. Please pray that Dan would be able to get enough sleep and a little free time, and that I would keep active and content, and that the Lord would comfort both of us.

Deployment Begins