Information Overload!

Wow, what a crazy weekend! I got an email back from Wilson answering all of my questions. He stands watch from 10pm to 2am their time every night and then has to wake up for Khaki call at 7:15am. He has been running around trying to get his qualifications done and then napping before his watch. He is standing watch with a guy name Cameron and it sounds like they have become pretty good friends. Wilson says that most of the Junior Officers party pretty hard in port, but Cameron is engaged so he isn't interested in the same 'activities' as the other guys. They were both looking for someone to hang out with and then got put on the same watch schedule. (Jesus is awesome!) There are a few older officers who are married, but they are on different schedules, so the married guys, Wilson, and Cameron are all planning to go out together next time they are in port. Wilson is just having a blast and seems to be getting along really well with the officers and enlisted sailors. He says that everyone is so helpful and knowledgeable.

I asked Wilson if he had gotten to drive the ship yet. Before he went he had practiced in a simulator and had parked the ship perfectly. He actually brought the print-out home and we posted it on the fridge!! Anyway, he said that he's driven twice and it's pretty boring. The only excitement is one course correction per shift (Woohoo). It doesn't sound like he's gotten to do anything fun with that yet but he still has high hopes.

The nurse in me of course wanted to know how he is sleeping and such. He said that his first day there he slept from 5pm-7am so he "hopped right onto this time zone". They have given him a smallpox vaccine, and anthrax shot, and now he's taking malaria medicine. He's not sick; it's just preventative.

Ok, can I just tell you how wonderful my husband is? He managed, from the middle of some ocean, to not only find out about the officer's wives club, but get them my information too. I can't believe he even thought about that! Well, he did and they emailed me today. We are all going out to dinner on Thursday night and I am so so excited!! It will be so nice to be around women who have done this before, understand and can offer advice.

Speaking of new friends, I know some of you have been praying for me to meet some strong Christian girl friends around here. Yesterday in church they announced that a new group was being formed for young singles and married couples. After the service the girl who's heading up the group came to me to make sure we were on the list. I offered to help organize stuff with her and we started talking, exchanged phone numbers and will probably do something together next week. Yay! THEN, after the evening service, another young woman came up and offered to go out to lunch together. They both said, "I just really want to get to know you better." God is SO FAITHFUL!! What an answer to prayer!!

Thank you all for your continued prayers. I can certainly sense their power, and I'm sure Wilson can too. God is so present in every moment of every day. We love y'all! Oh, and if there's anything anyone wants to know from Wilson, just comment, fb message me, email, text or something and I'll be glad to pass it along!!

Pepper spray?

Well, I've heard again from Wilson. He said he is doing great and is very very busy. He didn't tell me much about his job. In fact all he really said was that he will be getting sprayed with pepper spray and beat with a baton this week! I'm thinking, what did you do wrong already? He sounds very happy and upbeat and I was of course thrilled to hear from him! I've emailed him questions about what he is doing and how he likes his job and everything, so hopefully there will be more stories coming!! This experience has been a bit of a flashback to his first summer at the academy. Communication is infrequent and I'm checking my email like I used to check the mail. My phone is always on hand in case he is able to call. It's crazy, but exciting at the same time. God has been so faithful, a shelter in the storm.

I had dinner with my girl friend last night. We had such a good time! Dinner was delicious (Italian chicken, rice, gravy, green beans, and chocolate cake!!) and we had a blast making it. Then, when she picked out Monty Python's Holy Grail to watch, I thought, Yes. Yes, we can be friends!! We also went to get pedicures and the cashier told us that there was a weather advisory for the beach Saturday and there were supposed to be 25-foot swells. So, of course, we went today! The day was beautiful and sunny and the waves were enormous!! The surfers were going crazy! Then, it started raining. Boo. But the thunderstorm was beautiful and we sought shelter at this cute beach-side restaurant where we had a late lunch. Then back to her place for more chocolate cake!! All in all, a great day.

My latest project (I have a few going) is to set up some patio furniture I bought. I got it on a fantastic sale, and I knew I'd never get it at that price again. Except now I have to put it together. I'm fairly confident. My dad has taught me something about tools and putting stuff together, and my mom knows how to follow the directions. =) So I think I should be good! We'll see though...it may be in pieces and ready for Wilson to work on when he gets back!

Well, I'm all sandy still, so I should go get cleaned up. Please continue to pray for my job hunt. I just got a letter tonight that will delay my Virginia license processing. Not a huge deal, just a headache. Thank you for your faithfulness and love. Love ya'll!

The Phone Call...

So this morning I was awakened by a phone call from a local 757 area code. I didn't recognize the number, but answered anyway (I was expecting a call about a job). There was a man's voice on the other end, but it was garbled and hard to understand. He was talking familiarly, like he knew me. As you would image, I was a little creeped out: home alone, my husband on another continent, and this man calling my phone. I thought it might be a prank call. So I hung up and tried to go back to sleep. A few minutes later the phone rang again. Again, I answered it and asked who it was, thinking it may have been one of Wilson's friends from the Academy. The man replied, "Your husband!" Haha, Wilson was calling me from his ship!! Somehow they were able to connect the radio to a local phone line. I had hung up on my own husband!! There was about a 3-second delay, and Wilson said he had tried to tell me that I would have to slow down, but he said I wouldn't stop talking long enough to listen to him. Hahaha, it was pretty funny! Needless to say, I'm on cloud nine today. We were both so so glad to hear each other's voice. So, he is on his ship, safe and sound. Thank you all for your prayers!

I also got an email from him today; he said he will be getting a military email address in the next day or so. He also told me that he met a lot of the people that he will be working with and they were all nice. He will have to share a bunk for a week, and then he will get his own. (I assume that someone will be leaving??) He had been worried about how he would get from the airport to his ship, but they sent someone to pick him up, so that was nice. He said he'll try to call again tomorrow, so I'm pretty darn excited about that! =) He sounded a little jet-lagged, but excited. He had slept on the plane, but was still tired. Thankfully, he had aisle seats all the way there (a big deal for a 6'3" man!).

He did get a chance to go out into the city of Milan while he was in Italy. He wandered around and checked out a DaVinci museum; he got to see actual pages from some of DaVinci's books. The museum had 3-D representations of some of his drawings. It was pretty cool, but he said he felt really illiterate because everything was in Italian. He got some pictures on his phone, but didn't have his real camera with him. He wasn't able to get any souvenirs though. He said that all the shops were closed from 12-5 (when he was out and about). Does Italy observe a type of siesta? Anybody know? Anyways he was getting hot and tired (heat index was 100+!) and got a little lost in the city. Apparently he rode a bus the wrong way! He figured it out and found his way back pretty quickly though! Gotta love those boy scouts! =)

Let's see, I applied for a few jobs yesterday. They are all part-time; one is for a cardiac ICU, one is cardiac stepdown, and one is recovery. I've done a year in both cardiac ICU and in recovery, so I'm pretty well qualified for all of these jobs. Just pray that God will lead me to the right one. I am doing well here. I have a girl's night out planned with one of my friends around here and a million things to do before Wilson gets back. Thanks so much for all the calls and such; your encouragement is really a lifeline for me. Love y'all!

And He's Off!

Well, the big day has come and gone. Wilson flew out yesterday to meet his ship off the coast of Africa. He called me from Milan this morning to let me know he got there. He told me he slept well on the plane and seemed excited about spending his 12-hour layover in the city of Milan. He plans to do a little shopping and check out the sights. Knowing Wilson, he probably won't take many pictures, if any at all. (That's always my job!) He did comment on the attire of the populace. "This doesn't seem to be a center for fashion; these people are wearing plaid pants with striped shirts! Seriously, I know better than that!!" Anyway, he seems to be having a good time so far!

We have been settling in pretty well here in Norfolk. We have made some friends and are attending a small church in Chesapeake. The traffic around here is legendary, but we are managing alright. Compared to the DC area, it's not too bad! I am job hunting at a few area hospitals and slowly making friends. The list of projects I have for myself during his deployment is extraordinary!! I have plenty of things to keep myself busy, including thank you notes. I'm so sorry it's taken so long!!

I can't give a lot of detail about his ship or their plans, but it looks to be a pretty good ride. Wilson is very anxious to get out there and start getting some of his qualifications. People have asked me what he will be doing on the ship. Well, the short answer is he'll be driving it. That's really his basic job description: Driving Ships. During his class here in Norfolk they got into a simulator and practiced parallel parking these ships (and I thought Driver's Ed was tough!). He did it perfectly, both parking and getting out of the slip. So he is really excited and nervous at the same time. Can you imagine being the "new guy" and driving this multi-million dollar piece of equipment with your captain looking over your shoulder? Whew! I don't envy him that at all!

I will try to keep everyone updated as I hear from Wilson and as things happen with me here. As the Lord brings us to mind, I would ask that you pray for his safety and mine, that God would use these trials to draw us closer to him, for wisdom for Wilson as he learns to lead his men, for peace as he adjusts to this new job and lifestyle, rest for both of us, and peace as we leave each other to our Father's tender care. Thank you for your support and encouragement!