One month has passed since I officially departed USS KITTY HAWK for the Naval Hospital Yokosuka. Although I enjoy being home more often than naught & spending most weekends with my honey, I do miss the crew of the Hawk. Yes, being at sea meant being away from loved ones. I was lucky; I had my own office so I could close the door if I really wanted/needed privacy. I did close my door but usually long after the dinner hour. Sailors could and would stop by and chat. I miss that in my new job.
Here's a quick shot of the HUGE Don't Tread on Me flag in the hangar bay. This was hung for a promotion/frocking ceremony for a couple hundred sailors.
Fuji-san from the sea... this was during my 1st winter cruise. The winter months are the best time to see Fuji-san--the air is so clear!
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Choppy waters from the Officers Smoking Sponson... Ididn't smoke but loved coming here in the morning before going to my office.
Me and my 1st roomie, Yetunde, in summer '04 at a Hail and Farewell party at the base Officers Club pool.
Winter cruise 2005: On the flight deck, freezing my arse off!
My new office is in a great place, right in the middle of the pediatrics department. Okay, I'm being a bit sarcastic. Location means I get to tell folks they turn left at Winnie the Pooh and my office is at the end of the hall on the left, right across from Winnie the Pooh. Location also means that I get to hear the cries/screams and the pitter-patter of little feet every morning. Come on--did you like going to see the doctor when you were a child? "Ahhhhh--sob-sob-ahhhh" has come to mean: "Person in white coat w/needle--must--get--away!" On occasion, I do hear the pitter patter of little feet. For instance, the other day, there was an escapee from down the hall. Boy, a terrified 2 year old can run! I've jokingly said that having an office in pediatrics is like birth control... in reality, it's giving me a good idea what life will be like as a parent when we start our little family.
It isn't that I don't see the Fleet life every so often. I see their families every day, the loved ones who endure the daily life without their sailor for weeks, months at a time. Sometimes the situations that I hear about tear at the heartstrings. The ones who amaze me daily are the young parents trying to make the best of a stressful situation. One parent may be deployed for months at a time and the other parent has to play both roles for the duration. (I was at sea for 10 months out of 2005. I missed my hubby terribly but I knew he could feed, bathe & dress himself.)
Just the other day, I saw the Kitty Hawk coming back from a few days at sea--what a weird feeling, not being onboard. She will decommission in a couple of years and I'm glad that I had a chance to serve onboard before she is sent back to the States. I survived life onboard the Navy's Oldest Fighting ship... and loved it!
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