Happy New Year!

The new year rang in quietly at the Joaquin home. Comfy PJs, a sleeping hubby in my lap, favorite movie on in the background.

My New Year's wish is to enjoy quiet moments throughout the year. Be still, listen, and enjoy all that is most precious. My wish is... Love Actually.

Wow! Long time... time for an update?

The Navy Wife is alone no more. No longer coping while hubby is away. Time to change the header.

Jerry is home. He came home (stateside) the evening of September 14th, 2008. I met him at Pt. Mugu (Magoo) late the following day, in the cool (shivering) California coast night time air. Tears, hugs, kisses and lots of hugs ensued.

I was just so very happy he was finally home safe & sound. The world is right again. I am whole again.

J is adjusting well to civilian life. Only a couple anxious moments with traffic and crowds. That and the inability for him to stop and relax. There is always some project around the house that needs to be done. I guess it's hard to stop the 24/7 life.


I will update soon. Promise.

Ninety-Three Days & Counting

We are finally on the downward trend so I am posting an update to Jerry's status over-seas. I will be sending my laptop over to him since his died a couple of days ago so I'm taking this opportunity to update all family, friends, and dot.comrades.

NMCB-17 has been working hard in the Al-Anbar province of Iraq building the 2nd largest bridge the SeaBees have ever built. Pretty cool huh - at least I think so. During the process a local Sheik visited the building site and brought food & tea a couple times a week for the troops. He loves the Americans and is grateful for the work they are doing. Specifically, a portion of the land the bridge was built on belongs to a family who has been working that land for over 200 years.I am trying to find pictures of the completed project but only the start of the project has been posted so far. Once I find something, I'll find a way to post updates as I can. Hopefully, Jerry's computer can be repaired fairly quickly so I can get mine back. Jerry has been doing well and the two month bridge project opened the opportunity for my husband to sport a mustache. Well, maybe mustache is overstating the caterpillar living on his upper lip. As I have already seen the growth via on-line video conferencing, he has since removed his facial project.

Jerry is the sailor (soldier) on the left. Hey! I guess this is a finished picture of the bridge (although you can't really see much of it).

Keep him (and us) in your prayers during this journey over the top of the hill. I look forward to the day, I can hold him in my arms and keep him all to myself for several days before returning him home to awaiting family. =)

Happy Military Spouse Appreciation Day

Winston Churchill once said to the british public, during the Battle of Britain, "They also serve, those who stand and wait".

Thank you to all the military spouses and families who stand and wait for their loved ones to return home.

God Bless.

Hey Jan - This one is for you!

From left to right - sisters K&C, Just Laura, cousins Mike & Jan

My cousin Janice visits the post periodically and reports the occasional news to everyone back home in Illinois. I thought I'd honor her with a blast from the past. Jan is on the far right - another cousin Mike is next to her.

Jan came to visit (with other family as well) one summer in 1978 (the year after we relocated to AZ). I remember all of us kids sleeping in one bedroom with the scent of vinegar lofting through the air. Someone had gotten a sunburn and vinegar was applied for the its cooling effect.

I remember singing "Oleander, Oleander, Oleander, Oleander" to the theme of Hallelujah Chorus although I'm not sure how that one got started. Parents and older cousins went to Las Vegas and all of us minors =) stayed home with Grandma Mary.

Memories from the past - Jan played clarinet in high school (When The Saints Go Marching In and Bear Necessities) and had beads hanging in her room. A yellow T-Shirt with "Dangerous Curves" written on the front. 5yr age diff between the two of us?

Good times! Love you Jan!

The Heat Is On...

98 degrees today. Triple digits are not far behind.

The worst part of the past couple weeks - allergies. I have not suffered from allergies this severe since 4th or 5th grade when we first moved to Arizona. My mom reminded me I used to be her little helper in the garden - just like Ben - until we moved. From that point on I was the inside helper.

I remember going to the nurse because I had something in my eye. At first glance the nurse thought I had pink-eye since my eyes were so red. No such luck. Allergies.

Ben wanted to play outside last week so I grabbed a book and figured he could run like a wild child while I sat peacefully with my literature. My nose (& eyes) started running but I stuck it out thinking this was the worst. An itchy face is fairly normal with my allergies - mind you I'm sitting on the patio, not rolling in the grass. A new symptom has reared it's ugly head on my face - a red rash & hives on my eye lids. Yippee!

I pray for the heat only because allergies lessen when things stop growing. And things stop growing in the dry Arizona heat of summer. Woo-hoo! ???

Welcome to the Neighborhood

With the onset of spring comes life. We have a family of baby birds living in our saguaro cactus. The saguaro has boasted several large living areas with scenic views ever since we moved into the neighborhood. I have always seen local avians coming and going but no moving vans ever showed up. This evening as I was passing by, I could hear the small cry of hungry babies.

I believe we have a woodpecker family currently housed within the skeleton of the saguaro but I'm not sure. Parents seem to be gone in the early AM as I leave for work and home serving dinner before I am.

I will try to catch up our new neighbors sometime during the week and catch a snap shot or two for posting.