The 1/2 Way Point Fly In!

Half Way There

There are perks to being in a forward deployed squadron... one of them being that families live closer to where the boat pulls in for their port calls so it is easier to meet our spouses every few months during deployment and one of those port calls happen to be here (in Japan!). Whenever we near the half way mark of the year's deployment, we get to have a temporary homecoming. How cool is that?!

The Fly In

So before the ship pulls into port, most of the pilots get to fly off the boat and come straight to NAF Atsugi (home). We were so lucky and grateful that not only was Rob one of those pilots, he got to fly off even earlier. For now we will ignore the fact he only flew home early just to spend his "break" in the Point Mugu, California for training.

This was our first fly in for Rob, as last deployment he walked off the boat which was equally exciting! Robby and I arrived at the squadron along with a few other spouses and Auntie Amanda and Uncle Shreve (our family friends from college who also happen to be stationed here). Everyone was dressed up to greet their husbands and dads! Robby wore his aviator glasses along with his Mickey Mouse aviator overalls. I opted out of the traditional heels and dress and went for comfort... ever try running after a toddler in heels while trying to keep your dress from flying up on the tarmac? Yeah, not a pretty sight for this gal! Auntie Amanda and Shreve brought their camera and took some pictures while we waited to hear for Rob's plane up above. We were so grateful for their support and help in trying to capture those moments as we anticipated Dada's return. More often then not, a geographically single mom that is stationed overseas ends up on the other side of the lens.  So we were grateful for their help in capturing the moment.

We heard the humming of Rob's plane and everyone looked up and saw the mighty E2 headed straight for us. They did a beautiful break overhead and Robby was in awe. What little boy doesn't like airplanes!? After the break they came in for their final approach and within minutes, they pulled straight ahead of the squadron.

Rob coming in for the break

Robby could not take his eyes off the plane

"Hi, Dada!"

Reunited! (for now)

The moment that we heard the engines winding down and the props came to a stop, everyone clapped and the kids and wives revved their engines waiting for the door to pop open so they can run to their respective family members.

This was an especially special moment for us... it was the first time Robby would walk to Rob. He has seen Robby balance standing and barely take a step, but missed his progression to full on walking. This meant that we were a tad slower than the other spouses and kids, but once Robby saw Dada, he decided he could cover more ground by crawling. It was an absolutely priceless moment!

It is said that being a military spouse is juts about the hardest job out there, but I can certainly say that it comes with the greatest perks. Having a reunion like that rivals just about any romance novel or film.

Waiting to run to dada

"It's really you, Dada!"

Reunited!

A family together again :-)

Future aviator?

"Let's go home!"

Welcome to Blogging

There is a lot to share and adventures worth writing home about. After all, I am a world traveling military spouse who is married to a Naval Aviator; We share an adorable 1 year old son and every day is adventure with them. Did I mention we live in Japan? Why wouldn't I start a blog!? Yes, I have jumped on the band wagon and a little late at that, but to anyone who may wonder who and why I think my life is worth documenting, let me catch you up on my life prior.

So here we go...

 

"Quit passing me notes in class!" 

I have been married to my husband, Rob, for almost two years. So, you may think of us as newlyweds. Well, hold your horses. We are an old married couple. You see, I met my husband when we were in 7th grade some 15 years ago (sigh). We shared one English class together and he sat near me. It wasn't love at first sight, in fact it was pure annoyance. He would pass notes in class with his buddy, and through the Jr high grapevine, everyone knew that this kid, Rob, had a crush on me. At 13 years old, I wasn't yet interested in guys, so my reaction was "yuck!". All I wanted was for him to quit passing me notes in class.

So let's fast-forward 7 years to our senior year of college. I started this new thing called Facebook (at the time) and he was one of the first people to add me as a friend. Both of us being a little more mature, exchanged some messages and laughs about those days, years ago. Before we knew it, we were dating and things got serious. We decided to do what any young couple in love would do... we got a puppy. (Bet you thought I was gonna say we got married, sike!) Rocky, our lab, is our "Marley" and while he was our "baby", Rob and I called it quits before he left for flight school after graduation. This is how Rocky became and will always be Rob's dog (so take a note for any future reference as to why I may say this).

Sadness... I know. So what did I do? I started an expedited officer training program through my college's Air Force ROTC of course! While Rocky and Rob started flight school in Pensacola, Florida then later to Corpus Christi, Texas, I was getting my butt in shape and getting on the track to one day also going to flight school. It was a great experience and I managed to rise through the ranks and make my way near commissioning with hopes of a rated slot (pilot slot). After completing Field Training at Maxwell AFB, Alabama, and nearing my contract/commissioning, Rob made his move and we were back together and more serious than ever. Within a few months, I left ROTC and packed my bags for what would be the biggest adventure of my life. 

Rob and I at a college football game when we began dating in 2007

"Where is Kingsville?"

Rob had finished primary flight training in Corpus and made the cut for what he always wanted... tailhook! He could not stop telling me all his excitement for achieving his goal of making it to this pipeline. All I could think about was "why the heck would you want to land on a boat" and by the way, "where is Kingsville?". With his next orders being in Kingsville, Texas and me driving my little two door Civic from Florida to south Texas, I had no clue what I was in for. We would call this small town home for the next 2 years and it was closer to Mexico than it was to any big American city. (Insert image of ranches, cactus, tumble weeds and jets here) It would also be a place where we went through our "newlywed" ups and downs. We ultimately grew closer and got another dog, Ranger, but something was missing. (If you are thinking that we got married, you are wrong again. Ha!). So what was the big step...We got a boat! South Texas became a place I would come to love. Rob and I loved our time on the water and together, and we met so many great people there who have become our best friends. We also continued to travel everywhere. As much as we loved Kingsville, we needed to get out of there for our own sanity! Oh and by the way, we are traveling gurus, and FYI, that's what this blog is mainly about! Okay, back to the story... Moving from Kingsville, was almost as hard as moving there. Both were incredibly tough and for completely different reasons. After those two years, we moved back to Corpus for a few months of final training before Rob would get his wings and go from student to pilot. So out of no where and with no fancy story or romantic climatic music playing in the background, Rob and I thought, "we should probably get married now".  After dating for 4 years and living together for half that time, we decided to do the Navy style nuptials, and go to the courthouse in Norfolk, Virginia. 

Kingsville, Texas 2010

Our boat in Corpus Christi, Texas 2011

Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape!

One month after Rob's winging, our ring-less and quiet engagement and moving from Texas to Virginia, Rob had to go to SERE school. He was taught a lot of valuable things that would help him should he ever be caught behind enemy lines and be taken as a POW, but nothing would prepare him for what he would come home to. Rob left with our house full of boxes and knew he would come home to an unpacked 4 bedroom home. I am sure he imagined how homey it would be and how nice it would be to have a warm meal after those few weeks of torture...errr...training. I bet he even thought about how nice it would be to finally have an office, two spare rooms and a decent size master bedroom for once. What he didn't know, was that one of those extra bedrooms would end up being a nursery. I found out I was expecting our first child, a miracle baby at that, on Rob's first day of SERE school! Our next 11 months in Virginia would be us getting married, honeymoon, flying a new plane, pregnancy, baby boy, deployment, move to Japan and breathe. In that order, our life changed, but not in the "you're life is over" kind of way. Robby, our son, has become the perfect fit for our on the go family. We can't picture our life any other way. Who thought that SERE school would prepare us for parenthood abroad!

Our honeymoon in Paris while I was 15 weeks pregnant

Rob's LT promotion and weeks away from Robby's birth 2012

 

Konichiwa

So here we are in Japan. We moved here last November, while Rob was on deployment with the carrier, USS George Washington, which is based out here. Rob is days away from another deployment (yep, getting Japan means yearly deployments), but it is one of the best assignments and we are on quite the adventure. We have traveled to Singapore, Vietnam and Hong Kong already and each weekend we discover something new in Japan. My job is a full time house wife and mommy, but before you think I turned my uniform in for that Stepford wife dress, you outta know who runs the ship here. 

Everyday is an adventure and I hope to share that here on this blog. From traveling the world, to the excitements and challenges of being married to a forward deployed Naval Aviator, and to the ups and downs and almost always entertaining stories of raising a boy, I hope you enjoy the ride.

Rob's Homecoming from the USS George Washington in Yokosuka, Japan 2012