Anchors Away! A Decade's Journey

     Ten years ago this August we started our Navy journey. Nathan entered into the ROTC program to help cover his tuition to an ivy and provide a job opportunity once he graduated. I was by his side back then at the age of sixteen and a sophomore in high school. 
 2002

2003 ~ For his college years, to me the Navy meant going to balls, hearing him talk of getting up way too early to do physical training, and being apart for several weeks during the summer while he was away training.  I wish these old photos of precious memories were of much better quality.

2004

2005

2006 ~ We got engaged and married.

2007 ~ We both graduated from college. He was commissioned, stationed in VA, and deployed for six months to the Middle East away from his newlywed wife. I greatly enjoyed the privilege of pinning him for the first time along side his grandfather during the ceremony.

2008 ~ This was taken moments before I was reunited with my husband. Looking at this photograph, the chained fence is very symbolic of those six months without him. Even though I was living back home with my amazingly supportive family, surrounding myself with childhood friends, and enjoying the most wonderful job with dear children, the tears flowed and flowed over those months. Living without my best friend of six years and husband of seven months took my breath away at times.

A few months later I was pinning his SWO pin on with a baby on board

I remember I was feeling so sick but knew I would not miss this!

2009

Pinning on his Lieutenant Junior Grade insignia for his promotion.

We traveled to Mississippi for four weeks while he under went training for his new position.

2010- He was in NYC for fleet week and toured ground zero.

2011 ~ Pinning for his promotion to Lieutenant

Our last family photo at our VA home

Our first family photo at our CA rental

2012 ~ We were visiting with friends and family in NJ. This 'uniform' below is most fitting to symbolize his current position in 2012 as he looks like this four days a week at the Naval Postgraduate School and wears his above uniform once a week on Tuesdays.

     Years ago, I remember having a conversation with a childhood friend who was to become a military wife. She asked how I took the ultimate pressure of my husband's profession. My answer then is the same as it is now. God does not lightly choose when he calls His child home to Him, and in that I rest even though the tears still come flowing now. Sometimes I feel that I am a military wife with a quickest recall on the emotions of being a military wife and the drops of saline on my cheeks. My husband is no coward, yet I am such a teary fragile wife at times.

     A few weeks back, a Navy award came in the mail for my husband. As I am the paper filer of the household, he was handing it over to me to put in one of his many Navy boxes and binders. Before he gave it to me, I looked at it over his shoulder as he examined it to make sure that all the correct boxes were checked and all the ts were crossed. And there it was... the phrase... "posthumous heroic" an inch away from his checked box of "meritorious." And the tears came flowing down as I walked away. My husband has not as much as had his little toe stubbed in his five years of reserve service and his five years of active duty service, yet I am a Navy wife who is not the bravest of them all. One inch of space and it meant so much. It meant that he was here with me and his three children living and breathing while another was not with his beloved wife and children.  That I will never forget.

Do We Look Like Sisters?

     With baby due to arrive in five weeks, I am getting increasingly interested to see who my baby number three will look like. Years before we were even married I wondered what our children would look like. At the age of sixteen in biology class, I remember doing a Punnette square to see what our chances of blue eyes would be. When our M came, I was very surprised with how fair she was as my husband is half Indian and I am half Italian. When E came, I thought she would have hair (because of the heartburn) but it was still surprising to me as she wasn't a baldy like my first newborn. Here are a few comparison pictures of the girls. It was less complicated going back and finding comparison pictures as their birthdays are only twenty days apart. I have seen some friend post similar pictures and their newborns look like identical twins. My girls' hair gives them away immediately even to a three year old. It is fun to hear our families talk of how each baby looks like their side of the family and see them pull out a photo of evidence which if you squint your eyes you might notice some resemblance.  Both sides take claim for the curly hair ;) For me, I think that my first born looks like my mil with her English roots and large eyes and rounded features. For my second, the jury is still out on whether her dark features and copious amounts of hair are of Italian or Indian roots.

Moments old ~ not so surprising from these pictures they both were finger suckers. 

 Going home ~ born at 5lb 6oz fifteen days early and 7lb 3oz zero days early

 

 Hair shots at under a week old

 

 A few days old

 

Four weeks old for their birth announcement photos

 

 One month old

 

  

 Four months old

 

Five months old

 

1st birthday ~ first taste of solid food

 

 Seventeen months old

 

 

 Twenty months

 

 Sisters ~ 3.5 years and 1.5 years

I Spy Five Sinners in Need of a Savior

He is Risen! 

Lions and Tigers and Bears! Oh My!

After our visit with grandma in December, we made our way to the zoo. In lieu of buying Christmas presents, we prefer to spend our resources to go on small family vacations and make memories together. Bright sunny San Diego is what comes to mind when thinking of the state of CA and not the cold northern part that we now call home.

It was a special joy to take my husband and children to a place I loved as a child. I lived in San Diego from seven to nine years old while my father was stationed here with the Navy. My clearest memories (or picture snapshots) of the zoo were the flamingos and the bronze gorilla. We found the flamingos as soon as we entered and then spent the rest of the day hunting for that shiny climbable gorilla.

The day was enjoyed all the more because the four of us entered for free! My friend was able to generously give us two free admission tickets, E was under three, and N got in through their active duty military promotion. We could actually afford lunch at the park and a few little treats.

Baby E wants to see the kangaroos.

It was a perfectly beautiful day!

Dear Mom, I am sorry that you do not get the joy of seeing your grand daughter's dressed in every color of the rainbow at the same time in patterns of hearts, stripes, and florals :) Why go bright when you can go white?  hehe. Or classic plaid?

I LOVE going on these skyrides. Now, it wasn't a horse drawn hay ride, but it was wonderful ;)

We were strollerless at the zoo! It is always a gamble to stroller or not to stroller in a new place. I wasn't sure how it would be, but in the end it was the best decision because of the stairs, hills, and crowds. Plus, all of us minus baby got a great workout.

Seeing this picture reminds me how delighted I am to be able to smile again after my bout with Bell's. Many times in my head I have thought up a post about my Bell's experience, and I hope to write it down for real one of these days and share with you all that I went through and felt.

Look at those eyelashes

This was as close as we got to the amazing Balboa Park. I had hoped we would be able to explore around, but the zoo is all we could handle for one day.

Downtown San Diego and a beautiful bridge

Sleepy polar bears

The zoo boasted a several waterfalls throughout the park.

A tiger cub lapping up some water! One of my favorite animals

Brother cub

Mama tiger watched her cubs like a hawk.

While we were exiting the large exhibit, the tiger cubs rounded the corner of the smaller viewing area and we got more close up views of their beauty.

Even baby enjoyed the sights.

A silly hair day

Smiles for lunch

 

 Being bjorned is tiring

I didn't realize till after I uploaded this picture that the hippo was sculpted from sand.

We found the bronze gorilla!

Three monkeys on the gorilla. See the real one in the background!

M and her little piece of the zoo