And so it goes...

"Home is where the Navy sends us". It is our mantra as a military wife - you can insert any branch of the military for "Navy" and it still works. If you are REALLY lucky sometimes it is "Home is where we really want to go and the Navy happens to have an opening for us". I feel fortunate that we've been able to use THAT line for DevilDoc's entire career. Yes, yes - you read that right. We CHOSE to come to Great Lakes. Obviously we hadn't been here before! But, I am an Indiana girl and since we couldn't get in at Crane, IN we took the next best thing to be close to my family. We had just spent 3 years across the Pacific ya know.

When we married he already had orders to NAS Pensacola. After that we CHOSE to go to IDC school in San Diego. From there we CHOSE to go to Hawaii to join the in-laws who were also stationed there. Then this choice. You hear many people call this place "Great Mistakes" but I just can't seem to force those words from my mouth. To do so, to me, would mean that our time here was a bad choice - a mistake. It wasn't.

It was NO mistake that DevilDoc was selected as a CPO when we got here. It was no mistake that I took that train ride into the city with a group of women I had.never.met - those are the same women that became my confidants over the past 2 years. It was no mistake to then go to a complete stranger's house for a potluck lunch/playdate with more women I had.never.met. It was there I met my parallel twin. It was no mistake that I finally began my Tastefully Simple business. It was BECAUSE of my business that I met (or re-met?) my Hawaii connection. How can I call those things mistakes? It is NO mistake that DevilDoc went on to more college while we lived here. Completing all the necessary pre-requisites to apply for the PA program that will lead to a commission. It is no mistake that I found a WONDERFUL school for my children to attend and a job for myself to boot. How lucky am I to be able to come away from that experience with ANOTHER friend I know I will have for life? It is no mistake.

It is no mistake that I volunteered for a role helping families in our military command. That is what I DO - I simply adore HELPING. It certainly was no mistake that I was a part of a team for that endeavor, it is no "one woman show". It was no mistake that I was asked to co-chair an assembly of volunteers. It was the perfect fit for me. It wasn't what I set out to do, what I WANTED to do would have been a mistake.

To call it "Great Mistakes" would be to trivialize what my life - our life - has been here. No mistakes. Only learning opportunities. The chance to better oneself in the face of adversity.

I will miss you Great Lakes. I will miss your morning colors and the call for Taps. I will miss the cadence of recruits being molded into sailors. I will miss the Navy way. We are off to a place where they say things like "I'm going on post" or "I need to stop at the BX". *shiver* I'm still gonna call it "base" and "the exchange" just like I still refer to the "Hoosier Dome" and "Deer Creek".

But mostly I will miss the people who remain at Great Lakes when we leave. I have been reminded over and over the past few weeks what a truly amazing group of people I have surrounding me. And it isn't just friends and personal relationships. I have developed unforgettable professional relationships here as well. I feel so incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet individuals from all walks of the Navy. From commanding officers to students at NHCS, spouses with 30 years of experience in the Navy to those who have JUST married a sailor. It's EVERYONE who makes this place tick - makes it so unique. It truly is like no other place in the Navy. These people, my friends I call them all, these are the people I will miss. I have had more "going away", "last hoorah" and "farewell" events than my mind can get ahold of. It feels good to know I will be missed - but what feels even better is to know that I have in some way - touched each and every one of the people at those events.

And so it goes...thank you for calling me friend. Thank you for taking me as I am - it is no easy pill to swallow, that I know for sure. Thank you for listening, for crying, for celebrating, for tolerating - for being there. Thank you for being a part of my life - OUR life.

Without you, it very well could have been "Great Mistakes".

I now pronounce you man and Navy

CPO birthday, Easter weekend, NCAA Final Four and re-enlisting in the Navy - what more could you ask for in one weekend?!

The whole fam-damily made the trek to the Hoosier State on Easter weekend for DevilDoc's re-enlistment in the Navy. It was a bittersweet celebration (NOT!) for it is the LAST RE-enlistment we will be making. Plans are to join the darkside in the near future via commission.

We ate copious amounts of Steak n Shake and Cracker Barrel even though both are available to us in Great Lakes. Why? I have no idea. We did not leave central Indiana without our Greek's pizza fix...man o man, they got some good pie.



Thank you to everyone who made the weekend so wonderful; our family, our friends and the 2 million basketball fans in downtown Indianapolis :)

I interrupt your regularly scheduled blog....

....to bring you the latest news on the US Navy front.

Selection results for FY09 E7 were released today.....

HMC - CHIEF HOSPITAL CORPSMAN AJEL FERDINAN ALLIE TYRONE ALVIA JAMES A BACA DARRYL D BAISDEN TRAVI BALLESTEROS A BANKUS JILL B BARKSDALE IVO BEARD JASON B BEASON DAVID BEATTY TARA C BECKFORD JASO BEDIA JESSE R BELK BRIAN RA BELL CORY DUS BELL MARIA RA BIA SHANNON BIBERA MICHAE BLAESING GIOV BLAKE ERIC MI BLIEFERNICH K BLOSSER NATHA BOITER AMANDA BONNETT MATTH BORDERS RHOND BORJON REYMUN BOW DONALD AL BRANNAN EDWIN BRESKE MATTHE BRINKMEIER JA BROOMES DAVID BUSH KENNETH BUSSCHER GEOF CABANLIT WARR CABRAL DEXTER CABRERA CELSO CADANG JAIMER CANTORNA JERR CARBONELL ARN CARDENAS ANDR CHATMAN KELVI CHILDRESS TOM CLAIRMONT JOS COATES MIKEL COLEMANNORTHE COLLIER RAYMO COMERFORD DYL CONLEY CHRIST CONROY GEORGE COOLEY DANTE COOPER BLAKE COOPER JAMAAL CORRAO BRENDA CORTADO GERAR CORTESMORALES COUSAR MICHAE CRANDALL STEV CRAWFORD WILL CUNNINGHAM DA DALTON ANDRE DAVIS BYRON L DAVIS CHRISTO DAVIS KEITH R DEGUZMAN MICH DEGUZMAN OLIV DELACRUZ BRAN DELARESMA WIN DELAROSA AUGU DELEON BREENA DELROSARIO EN DELSANTO CARL DENMAN JOHN K DIEDERICH JER DILBECK JONAT DONATO EMETER DUFF MICHAEL DUNCAN APRIL DUNLAP MICHEL DURAN CHARISS EASON VAUGHN EBIYA JEFFREY ECK EDWARD RO EDMOND ESTREL EISON C J ELLIOTT CHRIS ENDERTON JOSE FAMILIAR ELWI FELDER DEVRON FERGUSON KARI FIGUEROA ADRI FINCH CORY SC FISHER LOGAN FLINT VIRGIL FLORES ROGER FOSTER GREGOR FRANCOM JOSEP GAMBOA FRANCI GARCIA GILBER GARDNER LUKAS GEISER JEFFRE GEORGE JEFFRE GERFY THOMAS GEUY TARA YVO GIBBS NATHAN GLASS ROBERT GOFF KRISTINA GOMEZ MARK A GOMEZ MELISSA GOODSON RONAL GRAETTINGER K GRAY KATHLEEN GREEN ROSHUN HAGMAN NATHAN HANCOCK SEAN HARBISON HEAT HARDING JEROM HARGROVE MERC HARNISHFEGER HARRIS DAVID HARTANTO GUNA HAUPTMANN TRE HEINTSCHEL SC HENDERSON JOS HERNANDEZ KOR HERNANDEZ TOB HILDEBRAND RY HILL CHARLES HILL JAMES RO HILL TOMMY LA HITT JULIE AN HODGES BENJAM HOVDE LISA AN HUFF LINDA JACOBSON BRIA JACOBSON DANI JOHNSON CHRIS JOHNSON SHANN JOHNSON VENIT JOHNSON WARRE JONES DAVID L JORDAN JEREMY JORGENSEN JUL JUDEH ASHRUF KAEBISCH RICK KEPLINGER CHR KFOURY ELIAS KRIEGER BRAND LAMBETH COREY LAXA RICHARD LEE GERALD WA LEMAS KEREN M LEWIS ONEIL O LIGHTNER JOLA LITCHFIELD SY LIZARRAGAPLAS LLOYD GENTRY LOESCH MICHAE LONG SEAN CRE LUGO MIGUEL A LUJAN MONICO MANRIQUE PHIL MARCHANT CHAR MARTIN JOSEPH MARTIN TROY B MARTINEZ CARL MASHBURN RONN MAWANAY FREDD MCBRIDE MAURI MCCARTER DAVI MENCHACA DANI MESZAROS STEV MINIX STEPHAN MISTICA PETER MITSCH JESSE MONROE MICHAE MONTGOMERY RA MOORER CASEY MORENO BENJAM MORGAN RICHAR MOROSINI RODD MURPHY JAMISO MURPHY SANDRA MURPHY STACY NAGY THOMAS D NEAL ROBERT D NESS JEFFERY NEVILLE KENNE NEWKIRK TRAVI NEWSOME JOHN NUDELMAN JOSH OH JEREMIAH T ORTMEYER KIMB PACHECO LAWRE PADILLA CHARL PAGCALIWAGAN PALACIOS HUMB PALKIN RUBEN PANGCO GLENN PARRA FREDDY PARROTT CHRIS PATRICK CARLE PATRICK CHI M PEAU FEALOFAN PELLEGRIN CHA PENAMENJIVAR PEREZ RENE PIERCE KATHLE PLETTNER ELIZ POLLOCK JASON POPP RANDY WI PORTER SHAWN PRITCHETT JEF PUCKETT JOSEP PUROG EDINITO REID JOSHUA G REYES ELMER M REYES ROMARRA RICHARDSON TA RINSCHLER HOL RIOS FELIPE ROBERTSON ARO ROBERTSON TIM RODRIGUES RYA RODRIGUEZ MIC ROGERS AMYLYN ROGERS TORRIE ROSCA RICHARD ROUSH MICHAEL RUDY LISA MAR RUSSELL ASHLE SALAPANTAN AR SALAZAR VALEN SALES ARVIN F SAMBE MAMADOU SANDY BRIDGET SAPPENFIELD W SAUNDERS ERIK SCHEINERT EDW SCHULTER JOSE SHAW JON SHERRILL MONI SHOCKEY RENA SISON TIRSO R SITTON TERRY SKIBSTED ROBE SMALLS KENDA SMITH AMY MAR SMITH BRIAN C SMITH ERIC SMITH JAMES C SOTO VINCENT STALLINGS STA STANISZ MARTY STEVENS DANIE STILLFORD MIC STRASSBURG CH SUTTON JUSTIN SWANSON RANDY TERUKINA KAWI THAO BLONG THIBODEAUX JA THOMPSON RICK THOMPSON YAHA TILO ITIELU N TORRISI JEREM TOSSETTI JESS TREVINO RICAR TURNER CHRIST TURNER RUSSEL UNTALAN RICHA VALINE ERNEST VARNADO SHANN VAUGHT THOMAS VOLKART CLAUD WAGNER EARL J WALDORF JAMES WALKER JOHN P WALKER LEILEI WALKER MATTHE WALKER THOMAS WALLACE HEATH WALLEN KELLY WALLS MICHAEL WARD DANIELLE WARDLEIGH AMA WARREN NATHAN WASHINGTON TA WATFORD KEITH WATTS TANNIES WEBB DUSTY AL WEBER ROBERT WHITE DARWIN WIDOW ORLANDO WILLIAMS SHAW WILSON KEVEN WORTHINGTON W

Sorry it's so ugly...but guess which one is my DevilDoc?! Congrats to all the CPO selectees and their families; hang on tight I believe we are in for a bumpy ride?!

Falling in love all over again

Just a little tease for now...I'll spill all the beans later :)