I-Day Minus One

Translation: Lot Closed June 29th.

Mr. A is a bundle of nerves.

Today we:

Ate breakfast at the inn where Ben Franklin and John Adams knocked back a few after signing the Treaty of Paris.

Toured the Yard (that's Navy-speak for campus).

Visited Lejeune Hall and saw the most amazing swimming pool ever.

Saw that Tecumseh Court is set up for the Oath of Office ceremony tomorrow.

Walked through the Chapel and visited the crypt of John Paul Jones.

Shopped for souvenirs at the Midshipmen Store. (Anyone with special requests, call or text me by noon tomorrow!)

And basically walked our tootsies off all day.

I took lots of photos but uploading them on the 1776 wi-fi network is an exercise in patience. So you'll just have to wait for the bulk of them when I get back to Florida.

Tomorrow will be an early day. We're hitting the bricks at 7am. Lots more walking will ensue.

I really hope Mr. A gets some sleep tonight. But I seriously doubt that he will.

Oh, I only cried twice today and you'd never guess where.

Time for a much needed shower.

Safe Arrival in Annapolis

The Maryland Inn

Another day of driving. Ugh. But we arrived safely in Annapolis. Yeah!

We're staying in historic downtown Annapolis at the Maryland Inn. The Inn was built in 1776 and if full of charm and quirkiness. Our room is on the corner of the building and has four windows. Two of the windows overlook the harbor.

We walked down Main Street to the City Dock, kinda got our bearings, then ate dinner. The Annapolis City Dock is where Kunta Kinte (think Roots) arrived as a slave. We opted for valet parking and will walk the entire time we're in town. Driving and parking on the narrow Colonial streets are rather nightmarish. At dinner, G-Man ordered raw oysters but didn't know how to respond when when the waitress asked him which variety he wanted. He opted for James River variety and really enjoyed them. Mr. A and I had the crab cakes since we're in Maryland. My Sweetie had scallops.

Tomorrow Mr. A will show us around The Yard (that's what the Academy campus is called). Then Thursday is Induction Day.

I should stop babbling. We're so tired and brain-dead that none of us are really making coherent sentences. But perhaps a stroll down the street to get some ice cream might be in order.

Btw, the concept of Wi-Fi at a 235-year-old inn is totally awesome but in reality frustrating. The Wi-Fi got a cramp (ok, several) when I tried to upload photos. Also, when I shut the bathroom door, I needed my Sweetie to push really hard to open it again and get me out.

Visiting Flo

Florence, South Carolina, that is.

We've stopped for the night on our trek to Annapolis. We're staying at a brand new and very clean hotel. Each of us is in a varying degree of lethargy at the moment. What is it about riding in a car for nine hours that can make you bone tired?

Our 8-hour trip took nine hours because of three unexpected stops. We stopped at my MIL's house so Mr. A could say good-bye one more time. Then we stopped in Gainesville because our GPS crapped out. The final unplanned stop was just outside Jacksonville for a new adapter for G-Man's laptop. Ever sit next to a fidgeting 15-yr-old, who can't play any of his DVDs on a long roadtrip?

Thank you, Sweetie for stopping and buying the adapter!!!

Just down the road from our hotel is a brand-spanking-new Chili's. We decided to go there for dinner. All four of us were struck speechless when the hostess asked if we wanted smoking or non-smoking. WTF? There are still states in the Union that allow smoking in restaurants?

The best part of the day? Spending nine hours in the car with my guys. :)

Technically, we only have six hours of driving ahead of us tomorrow. But since we have to circumnavigate Washington DC, we're not really sure how long it's going to take.

More tomorrow...

The Long Road

Eighteen years ago… I was living at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, experiencing the hottest summer on record in 40 years, and pregnant with my first child.

Fifteen years ago… I was living at Ft. Polk, Louisiana. I knew then that Mr. A’s personality was well suited for the military life. I also knew that the last thing I wanted for my son was to enlist in the US Army when he became an adult.

Nine years ago… My Sweetie joined our family and the boys bonded with him straight away.

Six years ago… Mr. A informed me that he wanted to attend the US Naval Academy and become a Surface Warfare Officer. He was only 11 years old and in the sixth grade. I thought it was perhaps a passing fancy.

Four years ago… Mr. A chatted with Cousin Dale, an USNA alumnus (Class of '72).

Two and a half years ago… Mr. A met with our local Blue & Gold Officer for the first time.

Two years ago… Mr. A visited the Academy for a week-long swim camp.

Eighteen months ago… Mr. A became an official USNA candidate.

Six months ago… Mr. A received his appointment to the US Naval Academy.

Tomorrow… The PLRH family loads up in the car and drives from Florida to Annapolis, Maryland to deliver our eldest son.

This has been a long road for Mr. A. But it’s also been a straight shot. He never wavered from his decision or goal. I’m so proud of him. I really can’t believe that the next phase of this journey is about to begin.

****

This morning… G-Man asked me if I’m going to cry on Induction Day.

G-Man, what do you think? I cry during the National Anthem at a Ray’s baseball game. I’m sure I’m going to cry when 1,200 kids take the Oath of Office and my son is one of them.

In case you’re wondering, here’s the Oath of Office:

Having been appointed a Midshipman in the United States Navy, do you solemnly swear (or affirm) that you will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that you will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that you take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that you will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which you are about to enter, so help you God?

Happy Birthday G-Man!

Today is G-Man's 15th birthday. My "baby" is 15 years old.

Blue elephant cakes are a long-standing G-Man birthday tradition.

After opening a few presents containing golf shorts, a golf shirt, and a belt, G-Man asked if all of his birthday presents were clothing related. Lucky for him his brother hooked him up with an awesome Nerf gun.

Mr. A had just as much fun putting it together and G-Man did playing with it.

Let It Go Day

Induction Day (I-Day) is one week from today. That’s the day Mr. A reports to the Naval Academy, takes the Oath of Office, and we say good-bye for six weeks.

I laid awake last night making a mental packing list. I woke up with a knot in my stomach this morning. By the time I got to the office, the rest of my body was in a virtual knot was well.

With only a week to go, I’ve gone into Super Mom mode. There’s so much going on and I’m afraid of forgetting something to do, buy, pack, or bring. But really if Mr. A has all of his required paperwork, then the world won’t come to a crashing end if I forget to pack Kleenex or sunscreen.

As I threw myself into my morning work routine, I glanced at my goofy calendar and noticed that today is “Let It Go Day.”

Very relevant advice.

I’m going to follow the theme of the day and Let It Go. I’ve been stressing about such silly stuff lately and it’s so not worth it.

As Henry Jones, Sr. says in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade:

Indiana, Let it go.

Shake it like a Polaroid picture

While driving in the car today I heard OutKast’s song, Hey Ya! I laughed at the mental image conjured up by the line:

Shake it like a Polaroid picture

Anyone who grew up in the 70s or 80s can easily bring to mind a memory of someone shaking a Polaroid as soon as it was spit out of the camera. Everyone did it. But why?

Anyway, Hey Ya! got me thinking of other song lyrics that evoke great mental imagery…

How about the opening line to Katy Perry’s Firework:

Do you ever feel like a plastic bag
Drifting through the wind, wanting to start again?

We’ve all seen a plastic grocery bag tumbling across the street on a breezy day. I think it’s an interesting commentary on today’s world that “plastic bag” is used to created the image. If the song was written 30 years ago, the song writer probably would have used “dry, fall leaf.”

Next up is U2’s Miracle Drug:

Freedom has a scent
Like the top of a new born baby’s head

What are two things that are incredibly hard to put into words? Freedom and that wonderful baby smell. So why not make them synonymous?

Finally, perhaps my all time favorite line from a song comes from Sting’s Fields of Gold:

Feel her body rise when you kiss her mouth
Among the fields of gold

Ah… that one’s great.

****
Your Turn
What song lyrics create strong imagery for you?

Randomness

It’s thundering right now and Molly is clinging to me. She just doesn’t follow me around she has to be in physical contact with me. Ever have a 120 pound dog try to crawl in your lap?

Today’s mail consisted of all junk mail and it went straight into the recycling bin. Once again I shook my head at the amount of waste. Whoever said that we were moving towards a paperless society?

Last night we went to a dinner hosted by the local Navy League. A Pearl Harbor survivor sat at our table and we met a USNA grad from the Class of ’45. These salty, old sailors were fascinating, funny, and entertaining. I learn some great jokes that I won’t repeat right now. We definitely enjoyed our evening with the retired sailors better than we did with the parents’ club.

As an added bonus to the evening, I came back from the ladies’ room WITHOUT a toilet paper train.

I Heart Faces: Let's Hear it for the Boys!

Just for the fun of it I decided to enter in this week's photo challenge over at I Heart Faces. I actually got the idea from Holly who's trying to learn learn how to use her new DSLR. Maybe this will inspire me to get back into photography challenges. Who knows??

This photo of G-Man is one I snapped about this time last year. I hope that's ok in terms of the challenge.

One-on-One Time

I love one-on-one time with each of my guys. When my Sweetie joined our ready-made family, we both realized that one-on-one time is just as important as family time. Once Mr. A leaves for the Academy, G-Man will probably get more of our attention than he really wants. But in the meantime, S and I have been trying to spend as much time with A as we can. That is, when he’s not trying to cram in as much time with his friends as he possibly can.

Saturday Mr. A and I spent the day together. Mr. A wanted a Cuban sandwich before he leaves Florida and the best place for that is the Columbia Restaurant. After lunch A spent some of his graduation money on new Ray-Bans to replace the ones he lost in the surf a few weeks ago. Then we ran errands to pick up the few toiletries he needs for Plebe Summer. Finally, we stopped at the wine store to buy some Father’s Day Cabernet, Merlot, and Zinfandel.

Shenanigans may have ensued.

Did I mention that it's really, really hot in Florida?

What color does your tongue turn if you mix all four Icee flavors together? That's right, BLACK.

Swimming in place

In order to let the tendons in my foot heal and stave off any more injuries, I've put bike riding, brisk walking, and all other dry land activities on hold indefinitely.

So I finally listened to the Universe and decided to get my happy self back in the pool. But I have an adversion to the overcrowded pool at our local Y. The solution? An Aquavee swim harness set-up in my parents' pool.

The set-up is very simple: heavy-duty suction cups, surgical tubing, and a velcro waistband. I've got to say it provides one heck of a workout. The Aquavee is definitely designed for an experienced swimmer and not a novice/recreational swimmer.

Other than the kick ass workout, the hardest part about the Aquavee is is gauging how much I swim. I've always measured swimming in distance (yards or meters). Now I need to measure how much I swim in time. I haven't exactly figured a method of conversion yet. The lack of flip-turns, wall push-offs, and gliding makes it difficult to compare tradional lap swimmming to swimming in place. So for now I swim steady but hard until I need to a break. It's not exactly scientific but it feels great.

The other advantage? I haven't injured myself... yet.

Pride with a little bit of creepiness

As part of my ongoing treatment for PTSD, I met with my therapist today. It’s been a couple of weeks since we’ve met so we reviewed the recent and exciting milestone events in my life. During our conversation, the good doctor shared two of pieces of information that surprised me.

I began the conversation by telling Dr. M about graduation…

Mr. A really rocked his speech.

I know. I heard.

You heard?

Yes, I have some patients that are LRHS students and parents of students at LRHS. They told me about the speech.

They did?

Yes, that speech must have made an impact for more than one person to discuss it in therapy.

Wow.

Granted, Dr. M couldn’t tell me anything more than that because of patient confidentiality.

Second surprise…

Dr. M saw us at the movie theater Saturday night. She said it was great to see us interacting as a family and she could tell that we get along well together. She also said that it’s nice to see her patients acting naturally when they don’t know they are being observed.

OK, that seems a little creepy.

Anyway, Dr. M was relieved to know that the “person” she sees every other week is the real me. Well, I wouldn’t exactly get my money out of the therapy sessions if I was the honest and the “real” me.

I’m also super glad that I’m not one of those moms that yells at her kids in public. Whew.

Life with Boys: Ducky

After the movies last Saturday night, the PLRH family plus Marcia piled into the Explorer for the ride home. Marcia and I sat in the back with G-Man between us. During the very short ride home I started to tell a story about a female Mallard duck that lives on the grounds at my workplace. I was in mid-sentence when G-Man suddenly exclaimed,

NOW I GET IT!!!

The rest of us were stunned into confused silence while G-Man basked in the glory of his epiphany. Finally, the kid who watches NCIS marathons on USA shared his revelation with us,

Now I know why they call Dr. Mallard Ducky!

Why yes, “genius” does run in our family.

Officially a Navy Mom

I walked out to my car this morning and found this:

Must be official... I'm a Navy Mom.

Anchors Aweigh Weekend

The countdown until we depart on our road trip to Annapolis is underway and the days are filled and flying by at the speed of life. This past weekend my BFF Marcia came down for a visit. Her visit was way too short but we did get to spend some time together and she was able to see Mr. A before he heads off to his big adventure.

Our weekend was jammed packed with dinner a cozy BBQ place, family going away party for Mr. A, family night at the movies, and USNA Parents' Club Welcome Aboard picnic. I think we're all pooped. I know I am!

Here are some photos from the party on Saturday:

Marcia and I made this banner the night before the party. We really should have split a bottle of wine first. We couldn't figure out if the ribbon should go over-under or under-over.

The Pastry Goddess did it again and made another fabulous cake. She re-created the USNA crest in sugar paste.

Miss K, Mr. A, and G-Man peeling and eating shrimp.

Marcia threatened me if I put this photo on Facebook. So it's here instead.

Marcia and her admirers.

The cake was delicious!

Last Day of School

Freshman year is over. G-Man is now a sophmore! Yeah! Only three more years of high school!

Life with Boys: Movie Watching with the Experts

The Hunt for Red October is one of my favorite all-time movies. I love this movie for several reasons:

• Early in the movie the transition from Russian to English is fantastic.
• It’s the ONLY movie in which I can tolerate Alec Baldwin.
• Underwater submarine battle!
• Sean Connery. Need I say more?

Each and every time I watch this movie with my Sweetie he points out all of the military inaccuracies:

• His uniform is wrong.
• An officer wouldn’t have that job.
• You wouldn’t see that in CIC (Combat Information Center).
• That crash footage is from the Vietnam era.

Each and every time I gently remind my husband, It’s Hollywood’s version.

We watched the Red October the other night at my request because for several days I had the following quote running through my head, Most things in here don’t react well to bullets.

During the screening, I came to the conclusion that I will never again be able to watch this movie with my guys. Why? Because Mr. A chimed in with pointing out inaccuracies. The comments led to discussions. I could barely hear the movie! Granted, I just about have the entire dialog memorized but I still enjoy hearing the actors say the lines. I finally gave up and went to bed early.

This might go against the rules of the Universe but in the PLRH house The Hunt for Red October will be reclassified as a chick flick.

Facebook Surprises

Facebook comes in handy when you suddenly think of someone from your past and you want to look the person up.

Recently, my searches on Facebook have revealed things that I hadn’t expected.

While perusing the home page for my high school’s Class of ’87, I clicked on the profile picture of one of my former classmates. I was confused because in the photo he was posing with a super model type woman. Turns out he’s in a relationship with said woman. I exclaimed loud enough for my co-workers to hear, I thought he was gay!

Anyway, during a search for someone I knew back in the Army days… Back when I was married to that not-so-nice person… I inadvertently stumbled upon not-so-nice person’s “best friend” from the Army days. I use “best friend” in quotations because they had a falling out and to my knowledge never spoke to each other again.

I then stumbled upon best friend’s son, Andy. My godson, Andy. The little boy I haven’t seen since he was 4 years old. The little boy that made me cry happy tears when he gave me a great big squeezy hug the last time I saw him.

I’ve thought of Andy on his birthday every year and always silently wished him a happy birthday. But this year I saw his photo on Facebook. I easily recognized the boy turned man. He’s now 19 years old and in the Army himself.

I’m not sure why but I was completely stunned that he had joined the Army. I still can’t wrap my head around it. Probably because I never thought that his mother would have allowed it.

The other person I found on Facebook of late was a childhood friend from Pines Lake. I’ve looked for her many times before but could never find her because she doesn’t have her maiden name in her screen name. But I found her through a mutual friend.

We started chatting back and forth. She lives in Pennsylvania with her family but when she heard that I live in Florida she mentioned that they have a house on Sanibel Island. A summer house on Sanibel Island? Wow! That must be nice!

(green jealousy monster starts to rear its ugly head)

As the conversation progressed, she told me that both of her parents have passed away and she’s been busy cleaning out their house in Pines Lake.

My heart broke. My eyes filled with tears.

I don’t want a house on Sanibel Island. I’d much rather have my parents in my life.

****
Your turn:
Have you found any surprises on Facebook?

Cary Grant and Tendonitis

I’m sitting here practicing R-I-C-E (rest-ice-compression-elevation) therapy on my foot and watching the eternally dashing Cary Grant in North by Northwest. I adore Cary Grant but I am bored out of my mind. My body feels all squishy. I want to “move it, move it” but I can barely stand up.

After a week of home treatments, the pain and swelling in my foot hasn’t improved. So I finally broke down and saw the doctor today. Upon palpation, the doctor discovered knots on the top of my foot. I’m not sure what the knots are but she kept asking, “Are you sure you didn’t injure your foot? You have soft tissue trauma.”

The extensor tendons in my foot are so inflamed that the retinaculum (band of connective tissue) is inflamed as well. The different inflamed parts keep rubbing against each other in a vicious circle. Swell. Yes, pun intended.

Now a prescription anti-inflammatory and physical therapy have been added to the treatment plan. I’m looking forward to the PT because the Rx is written for ultrasound, whirlpool, and massage therapy. Hopefully, in 2-3 weeks I’ll be ready to injure a different body part.

For the rest of my evening, I plan to spend it with Mr. Grant. You know, I do believe Alfred Hitchcock was the first director to put a scary corn field scene in a movie. Also, this movie is a lot more interesting now that I understand sexual innuendo.

Graduation 2011

Graduation Day was awesome. Granted the day started early. A tad bit too early. But there was plenty that needed to be done.

Mr. A and I hit Publix early to pick up all that we needed to go with dinner for that evening. One thing I like about our local grocery store is that we always run into someone we know. Mr. A saw his history teacher from last year and fellow parent of a graduating senior. Another thing I like is that the store supports the high school. They had balloons in the school colors and all sorts of cakes and cupcakes in the school colors. We came home with a LRHS balloon and some cupcakes.

After all the errands were run and the chores were finished, my Sweetie and I went outside and decorated A’s truck. I was afraid he might think we were dorks but he really liked it. He texted a friend about it and she thought it was a great idea so we dropped the window markers at her house so she could decorate her own car.

All that was left to do was iron the silver lamé gown and get ready. Let me tell you, that gown was a bitch to iron. I was so afraid of melting the weird polyester fabric. I started with the iron heat really low and slowly turned it up until I could get the creases out. It took forever. But somewhere between synthetic and silk/wool, I managed it.

When it was finally time to leave, A and I rode in his truck and S and G-Man came later with the grandparents. Mr. A talked non-stop. I was glad for the alone time that we had and it actually calmed my nerves.

This is the one photo that makes me cry.

I can't get over the family resemblance between G-Man and my Dad.

Inside the civic center, we decided to sit opposite the stage rather than on the sides. We wanted tobe able to face A when he gave his speech. It was a good decision. But the poor lighting in the civic center wasn’t conducive to good photography. Oh well, I did the best I could.

Mr. A is the lone graduate in silver on the stage.

I packed Kleenex and gave a purse pack each to my Mom and MIL. I only cried twice and was able to wipe the tears away with just my finger. But to be on the safe side, I didn’t wear make-up.

I first got choked up when we took our seats and I sent my eldest son a text:

Have I told you lately how much I love you and how proud I am of you???

My eyes were so watery that I couldn’t see to type.

He quickly texted back:

I love you too.

Once the program began and all the students were seated, the principal asked those seniors who are entering military service to please stand and be recognized. There were a good 20 students who rose. They got the loudest and longest round or applause of the evening. Tears streamed down my face as I saw my son standing proudly (in his silver gown) on the stage.

Mr. A was one of three student speakers at graduation. He rocked! He was funny, charming, and insightful. My kid impressed me. After 17+ years of living with genius boy, it takes a lot to impress me. I was so very proud of him and I wondered to myself, Where the hell did he come from?

Photo courtesy Bradenton Herald.

This was our son’s big day. But my Sweetie and I rode the wave behind him and enjoyed the rest of the evening. We had a lovely and easy dinner back at home. Miss K joined us for dessert and embarrassing family stories.

After the grandparents left, the three kids sucked the helium out of the balloons. We laughed until our sides hurt. My heart was warmed by the thought that on graduation night the most mischief the kids got into was talking in silly voices.

At 11 o’clock I announced that I would drive Miss K home. Mr. A was perfectly capable but I was still feeling superstitious about them driving on graduation night. Only after everyone was home safe and sound did I fully relax and reflect on the day. It was awesome.

Yep, the future's so bright...

The local paper covered the graduation and reported on Mr. A’s speech. You can find the article here.