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And a Happy New Year! 
Once again we failed at sending out most of our Christmas Cards, but we still wanted to share what we had with you! May 2010 find you filled with happiness and joy, and may God continue to bless you throughout the year!
Growing up as a Navy Brat, I have experienced many family day cruises, and have pretty much gotten sea sick on all of them, with or without Dramamine. But, when I was in college, my dad was on the USS Kearsarge, another amphibious assault ship, a
nd I had the opportunity to go on a tiger cruise with him. A tiger cruise is an overnight cruise, whereas a family cruise is just for the day. It seemed as though everyone but me was getting sick on the Kearsarge’s tiger cruise, so I felt pretty confident that I would be okay this year on the Makin Island’s family day cruise. (The Makin Island and the Kearsarge are the same type of ship, so I thought I would be fine.) I took some Dramamine and was excited to embark on a day cruise with James and my Dad to enjoy the beautiful San Diego skyline and Pacific Ocean. The day began with an amazing sunrise over Cowles Mountain to the East, and an intriguing sail under the Coronado Bridge. It really did seem like we weren’t going to make it under the bridge, but of course it is just an optical illusion. We were outside enjoying the warm San Diego sun, the salty air, the seals, and the downtown sky line, and I was feeling fabulous. 
We had barely passed the cliffs of Point Loma when I started to feel horrible. Even on those big decks, you really feel the waves and the movement, and I wanted nothing more but to lay down and for the rocking to stop. Thankfully James has a state room with just one roommate, so I was able to spend a lot of time in his ra
ck asleep. Even though I was sick, it was still a lot of fun, and I enjoyed not having to go to work for a day. My dad had been on the ship all week, since he went on the tiger cruise with James, and I think he enjoyed being on a ship without actually having to do any work. And he was given his own stateroom, so I’m sure he enjoyed the entire cruise! The activities for the day included fly bys of helicopters, navy security patrols, and LCACs. There were other demonstrations, but I missed them due to my lack of sea legs. It was interesting being in James’ workspace though, because it seems like a movie with the blue lights. It seems so secretive and mysterious, especially when everyone in his division was playing video games on the computers. In their defense, they couldn’t do any real work when the workspace wasn’t secure, but it was entertaining nonetheless. To see more pictures of my Dad and my epic sea cruise on the Makin Island, check out our flickr site by clicking on the photos to the left.
After seven long months of being apart, the day was at last approaching when James, along with 1000 other sailors, would be sailing into San Diego to finally be reunited with their families (and most importantly, me!). 
I spent homecoming eve at the beach with another Navy wife, enjoying the sun and sharing our excitement that our husbands were coming home! The bond between Navy wives is a special one, since most married couples don’t know what it’s like to be away from each other for so long. Without a few of my amazing Navy wife friends, I would have never made it through those long months alone. I couldn’t sleep the night before homecoming, and I decided to go into work for a little while, just to keep me from going crazy. As I was driving over the Coronado Bridge, I saw on the distant horizon the outline of the Makin Island, and all the emotions that have been buried inside of me over the last seven months exploded. I w
as overjoyed and tears started to swell in my eyes. I was swept up in emotions, and had to quickly remind myself that I was driving on a bridge 200 feet about the water. This was just the first of many emotional breakdowns of the day. As Ashley and I stood on the pier watching the tip of the ship break into view, we both broke into tears. As the tears poured down our faces, we just held each other and watched the massive gray shipped lined with white uniforms creep towards us. I was so happy to have her there with me that day, as the waiting was unbearable, and the few hours we had to wait felt like lifetimes. Despite everyone kind of looking the same in uniform, I was quickly able to spot James. It has been amazing to have him home, and I am so thankful that he is now here most of the time. He still has to leave for a week or two now and then, and has to be on duty once a week, but it’s much better than months! Now we are just enjoying being together in Southern California, and taking advantage of our evenings and weekends together.
